With the increasing level of erhu teaching and the increasing abundance of training materials, solving the technical problems of playing is no longer a fortress that is difficult to overcome. But in the art of performance, there is still an invisible artistic barrier between performers and performers. This obstacle is caused by different ways of thinking. That is to say, when the performer and the performer are playing, the thinking movement in their brains is different in the way, and there is a greater difference in the content. Mastering the way of thinking and movement of a performer is "enlightenment". Once "comprehension" is achieved, one can immediately enter the realm of freedom; if one cannot "comprehend" this way of thinking and movement, then even if they practice for 50 years, they will still be a performer after all. A layman in art.

The method used to enter a free kingdom is called "dharma door", it is like the spell "open sesame", and it is like the key to unlock, once used correctly, you can immediately obtain "the right path is established, obstacles are eliminated, Free and unfettered". And the "method" to enter the free kingdom of erhu playing art is four words: environment, essence, tranquility and purity.

Realm, artistic conception, realm. Environment is the impression left by objective things in people's minds. The same thing can leave different impressions in the hearts of different people, because their thinking has carried out different screening and combination of sensory information, and also mixed the result of various psychological factors. mood. If this impression reappears in people's minds after being separated from objective things, it is called artistic conception. In the performance, artistic conception is further divided into reality, fantasy and imaginary. Reality, that is, the real scene that emerges in the mind when playing. Let's take "The Newlyweds" as an example: when the theme of the music is presented, the performer seems to see the bride who is well-dressed in front of the combing platform, and the boudoir full of festive atmosphere. This is the reality in the mood. Illusion, that is, the emotion in the music that is experienced through the notes when playing. Take the example of "The Newlyweds" as an example: when the performer plays the theme of the music, he is experiencing the bride's joy and shyness, expectation and hope before marriage and other complex thoughts and feelings, as if he is about to get married, he can't help but feel There are thousands of thoughts and thoughts, and the wonderful feeling is only comprehensible, indescribable. The virtual state is the Zen state in music. If you can enter this state, no matter what song you play, there will be neither reality to show nor illusion to feel. When you play, the mind is as calm as a mirror, and it is as tranquil as water; it is neither rushed nor slow, without gain or loss; Seek the heart of the piano; the music is like a mist, ethereal and clearly visible in front of the performer. The above are the three realms in the realm. In fact, there is no distinction between superior and inferior, and they are all used properly.

Fine, exquisite and exquisite. The moving part of music is inseparable from the pleasure of the senses, and any factor that makes the senses tortured will undoubtedly lower the level of art. Many erhu performers are very tolerant of their performances, and never strive for perfection in terms of pitch, rhythm, pronunciation, posture, etc., so that the music they play is like rice full of sand, and it is hard to swallow. To become an erhu player, being skilled is the primary condition. There is a certain distance between a performance technique from learning to practical application, and a longer distance from practical application to superb application. For example, in terms of intonation, it takes a period of hard training to go from being able to pull the scales accurately to being able to pull the music accurately; and from being able to basically pull the music right to the realm of beautiful rhythm in pitch, it takes more than ten years of hard work to get it right. accomplish. Exquisite technique is the result of the long-term pursuit of performers. If you don’t have the same kind of strict hygiene requirements of “cleanliness” in your performance, then even after playing for a lifetime and practicing for decades, you will still not be able to achieve the level of technical sophistication. . In addition to being technically proficient, there is also the question of whether the music is exquisite. For example: whether the layout is wonderful, whether the proportions are accurate, whether the coordination is precise, whether the movements are exquisite, and so on. In short, playing is a real art if it gives people an impeccable sense of delicacy.

Quiet, calm and quiet. Whether the mind is calm and the expression is quiet when playing is another major difference between performers and performers. Many performers tend to get nervous when they come to the stage, their heart beats faster, their palms sweat, and their brains are like a mess. There are also performers who cannot control their emotions well when they get to the stage, or are too excited, or focus on performance, resulting in a performance that is more than external but lacks in content. This also cannot be regarded as a successful performance. Those who achieve great things focus on not being distracted when they encounter things. The human mind can exert its greatest effect only when the mind is in a state of peace of mind. If you can't maintain this calm state, your thinking is bound to be confused. Just imagine that on the stage, the performer only feels anger all over his body, but his mind is disorganized, then his performance is like a frightened horse, completely involuntarily. Performers are different. After a long period of stage training, they have acquired the ability to control their minds with their thoughts. The performer can quickly enter the music on the stage. At this time, his mind will run in an orderly manner in a special way required by art. While controlling the movements of his hands, he also controls his mind to keep calm. state, and just the right amount of tension. This tension will only make the performance appear more passionate and dynamic, and will never affect the performance of the performance due to loss of control. It can be seen from this that the difference between a performer and a performer in this respect is that the performer can control the peace of mind by thinking, while the performer will affect the thinking because of the unrest of the mind.

Pure, pure, pure. When performing on stage, the biggest distraction to the performance is the distracting thoughts in my mind. For example: the evaluation of the audience, the ranking of the competition, the score of the test, the front and rear of the seat, etc., will greatly affect the concentration of thoughts during the performance, thus causing unnecessary mistakes. Therefore, maintaining the purity of the heart is an important factor in whether to enter the art kingdom. Talking about the purity of the mind, there is nothing more than Buddhism. At the beginning, Master Hongren, the fifth patriarch of Zen Buddhism, wanted to select the successor among his disciples and instructed all the disciples to compose a stanza to express their understanding of Buddha-nature. One of the disciples, Shenxiu, wrote a verse: "The body is like a bodhi tree, and the mind is like a bright mirror. Always clean it with diligence, and don't leave any dust." It stands to reason that Shenxiu's understanding of Buddha-nature is already very high, and he can achieve a clear mind. Mirror, and no dust, isn't it enough? There is that Hui Neng who also wrote a stanza saying: "Bodhi has no tree, and a bright mirror is not a stage. The Buddha's nature is always pure, and where there is dust." The method and mantle of epiphany were passed on to Hui Neng, who became the sixth patriarch of Zen Buddhism. Master Huineng emphasized in the "Altar Sutra": "Being able to reach the position of a Buddha and obtain the fruits and wisdom of a Buddha, all people in the world originally possess it, but they cannot enlighten themselves because of the confusion of their minds. . . . As long as your mind is enlightened, you can immediately achieve your own wisdom." The "confused mind" here refers to selfishness and distracting thoughts in the mind. The same is true of erhu playing. If you can clear away the confusion of happy thoughts and eliminate distracting thoughts in your mind, you will suddenly feel enlightened and enter a wonderful artistic realm, and then you will realize the true meaning of erhu playing. The performers have all experienced this matter, and it is by no means confusing!

True enlightenment and prajna wisdom can only be experienced, not written. In other words, what can be written in words is not the "Dao" itself after all. A performer's understanding of music is endless. This kind of understanding is not taught by teachers, nor is it learned in the piano room. Only by developing his mind and improving his understanding can he enter the "big realm" of performance. (that is, the kingdom of freedom). Zhao Xiaosheng, a famous piano educator, has an incisive explanation of this "big realm" in the book "Qin Zen":

"The so-called 'big realm' is all realms. There is real in the virtual, there is fantasy in the virtual, the real is also fantasy, the real is also virtual, the real is illusory, the fantasy is real, there is everything in nothing, and everything is non-existent. This 'big realm', 'reverse if there is no way', has forgotten all the ropes that entangle the soul (such as fingers, wrists, forearms, big arms, etc.), only the happiness of the heart - the happiness of the heart, can Gain the greatest freedom in the world of piano music." The "big realm" of the piano is like this, so isn't that the "big realm" of the erhu? If you have a spiritual resonance with this passage, then you must be a qin Buddha (Zhao Xiaosheng divides instrumental musicians into violin makers, violinists and qin buddhas).