In the actual performance process, we have been in the process of coordinating all kinds of contradictions. Play hard and relax. How to coordinate effort and relaxation in the process of learning to play Pipa is the most important part of the whole learning process.

1. Force

What is force? Force is muscle contraction, which is muscle tension. The more tense the muscles are, the more force is used. Conversely, the less the muscle tension, the less force is used. The movement of the fingers is caused by the nervous system under the cerebral cortex giving instructions to the muscle groups that need to be moved, and the muscle groups begin to contract, using the finger bones as levers and the joints as the axis to pull the fingers and straighten the fingers, resulting in movement. A single finger movement requires several muscle groups to work together. Among them, the muscles responsible for the extension of the thumb include the extensor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis, and the muscles responsible for the extension of the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger include the extensor digitorum, index finger, little finger extensor, interosseous muscle and vermis muscle. The muscles that work mainly are called prime movers, those that act in the opposite direction to the prime movers are called antagonist muscles, and those that work together with the prime movers to complete the contraction are called synergistic muscles. There are also fixed muscles called fixator muscles that fix the other end of the finger bones. In the process of practicing, we continue to repeat a single action, deepen the memory of the cerebral cortex, and conceptualize and automate the movement of a series of muscle groups. Only in this way, under the command of the nervous system under the cerebral cortex, will the muscles contract and pull the finger bones according to their already formed conceptualization and automatic memory, so that we can move skillfully and freely.

Force - essential during performance, force is a dynamic movement. We know that the strings cannot vibrate or vibrate badly if there is no external force or there is insufficient force. It is impossible to produce a pleasant sound. Not even talking about playing. In the process of our performance, the force has been running through the end to the end. It is because of changing the size of the force and the speed of the force that we can pick up the sound effects of strong or weak, solid or soft, etc., and will produce touching artistic effects. It is precisely because of exertion that we can fully display the unrestrained and powerful masculine beauty of human beings, and express the soft and delicate graceful feelings. It allows us to play beautiful and beautiful music and indulge us in it. This is the artistic appeal that can shake the human heart. It is the crystallization of human wisdom, which we humans are proud of. Only human beings can create such magnificent music art.

Force—not uncontrolled force, but controlled force. Each string attached to the qin has a space to limit the vibration amplitude, that is, the distance between the string and the fretboard, and on the lute, the distance between the string and the fret or phase. If the force is too large, the vibration amplitude of the strings will exceed the limited space, and the string body will hit the body and make noise. And the strings on every instrument have a maximum limit that it can withstand external forces. If this limit is exceeded, the sound will burst, and the sound produced is not a beautiful sound, but a harsh noise. Let's be clear, strength does not equal intensity; intensity does not equal noise. That is to say, the intensity of emotion is not necessarily expressed by the intensity of sound, and it does not require the strongest intensity every time you use the brush. For example, in the Allegro of the music "Dance of the Yi Nationality", the author used a lot of "sweeping wheels" and "sweeping wheels" in the arrangement. And here, the "sweep" and "brush" we use just describe the scene of the boys singing and dancing happily, expressing a cheerful state of mind here. Therefore, the "sweep" and "brush" here should be flexible and dynamic. In the ancient song "House of Flying Daggers", a large number of "sweeping", "fu" and "sweeping" are also used. And here is the use of these powerful fingerings to reproduce the ancient battlefield with great momentum and fierce fighting. Therefore, in the process of using "sweeping", "sweeping" and "sweeping", it is necessary to intensify efforts to create an earth-shattering, tragic and spectacular war scene. In short, in the process of exerting force, we should arrange the range of exertion according to specific requirements. Don’t think that great force must have shock and appeal. We must know that subtle and slow things can also pull people’s heartstrings. What we need is an emotional accent, not a physical one. How to use the change in the magnitude of the force should be reasonably arranged and used according to the needs of the content of the specific musical work. The force must be carried out under the premise of ensuring that the aesthetics of the sound is not damaged. Otherwise, it will be counterproductive, not only can not enhance the artistic appeal, but also destroy the integrity of the music.

2. Relax

What is relaxation? Relaxation means that the muscles do not contract, which is what we usually call muscle relaxation. Strictly speaking, there is no absolute relaxation in the human body. It's just a relative effort and lack of effort. The relative exertion is that we subjectively require muscle contraction, and the relative lack of exertion is a kind of muscle balance that the muscles do objectively to maintain a state. Our standing, sitting, walking, walking or doing various movements are all static movements of muscles to maintain a certain state. That is, the muscles only do maintenance work, keeping this muscle tone in balance. What we call relaxation now refers to the balance of muscle group tension that is not controlled by the nervous system under the cerebral cortex. In all movements of the human body, there are two forms of dynamic movement and static movement. Dynamic movements are what we refer to as muscle group contraction movements. Static exercise means that the muscle group only does maintenance work and does not do contraction exercise. When we mean relaxation, we mean static movement. Relaxation means that the muscles of the fingers, palms, and arms maintain a state, rather than contracting and exerting force.

When we hit the strings, we only need to push hard at one point. That is, the muscles contract at the moment when the finger touches the string, making dynamic movements. Other than that, no force is used, and the muscles only do maintenance work. In the process of muscle contraction, blood needs to deliver certain nutrients to the muscle tissue, which is called chemical energy in sports mechanics. Muscle contraction is the use of chemical energy to convert it into mechanical energy, and the fingers will move. When chemical energy is converted into mechanical energy, some wastes - lactic acid will also be produced, which requires arterial capillaries to transport chemical energy, and venous capillaries to take away and excrete the waste - lactic acid. Arterial capillaries cannot fully transport chemical energy into muscle tissue under the condition of muscle contraction. Because the one-time muscle contraction time is too long, a lot of chemical energy is consumed, and the interval between contraction and contraction is very short, and the chemical energy cannot be fully transmitted. Lactic acid, a waste material consumed while converting mechanical energy, cannot be completely excreted. Then a second muscle contraction begins. In the second muscle contraction, the lack of chemical energy leads to the lack of mechanical energy. This cycle continues until the chemical energy is exhausted, and the mechanical energy cannot be generated. Without the supply of mechanical energy, the fingers are unable to move, that is, when the fingers are exhausted. Because the waste cannot be excreted, the lactic acid gradually accumulates too much, and the finger muscles will feel unbearably sore and unable to exercise.

It must be emphasized that all human movements must be carried out in a state that conforms to natural physiological rules. If this rule is violated, it is bound to cause a lot of inconvenience and disadvantages. During the movement of the finger joints, the endochondrium will continuously produce a lubricating substance called synovial fluid, which is continuously absorbed and excreted by the capillaries. However, due to unreasonable exercise or long-term overload exercise, the endochondrium of the finger is damaged, and the synovial fluid, which plays a lubricating role, cannot be discharged and absorbed normally, so that this substance stays in the bones and joints. When too much of this substance builds up, a cyst can form. Causes congestion, swelling and pain in the joints, making the finger joints immobile, and even deforming the fingers.

We emphasize the unified and coordinated application of dynamic motion and static motion. Only with the support of static motion can there be sufficient ability to ensure the completion of dynamic motion. Only by relaxing can we ensure that all sports can be carried out with ease, high efficiency and high quality.

Relaxation - is crucial during the performance. Relaxation is a static movement, and relaxation is to reserve energy to work again. It is impossible to guarantee dynamic movement speed and movement quality without relaxation. All movement must be carried out under the premise of a static movement. Without static movement, we cannot store energy for the dynamic movement of the next muscle contraction. If the static movement is performed well, the tension of each muscle group will be balanced, and we can feel very relaxed and comfortable. The hands will not feel tired, nor will the hands be damaged.

Throughout our entire learning process, what we talked about the most and emphasized the most was relaxation. And what we emphasize is to do dynamic movement in static movement, not static movement in dynamic movement. In other words: work hard in a relaxed state, not relax in a forced state. Do not use brute force. No matter how strong the notes are played, the vibration of the strings cannot exceed the limited space, and the force released by the fingers against the strings cannot exceed the range that the instrument itself can bear. Otherwise, The sound will explode. And relaxation can't be slack, and fingers can't rub weakly from the string. No matter how thin the timbre is played, the final point of force of the fingers must have a point of contact with the strings - the process of impact. Otherwise, there will be a hollow sound.

In the process of practicing, we should be strong but not noisy, weak but not weak, orderly and controlled, and flexible. Carefully reconcile this set of contradictions.