During the Han and Wei Dynasties, the art of guzheng achieved great development. Guzheng has become one of the important accompaniment instruments in Xianghe Song. People play the zither and slap their legs, humming "woo woo song", which has become a popular form of people. Many literary craftsmen did not hesitate to write and ink, and left many famous chapters for the zheng. Ruan Yu and Fu Xuan in the Wei and Jin Dynasties all kept "Zheng Fu". This has become an important reference for people to study the history of zheng, its structure, and playing techniques. Ruan Yu's "Zheng Fu" mentioned some initial playing techniques of the guzheng, such as the so-called "Daxing Xiaofu, heavy hair and light follow" hooking techniques and so on. This brief summary still has important enlightening significance for modern zheng players.

What I want to talk about here is the strength of playing the piano and the performance of the resulting strength and weakness. In the process of music, the performance of music is mainly reflected in several aspects, such as lightness (dynamic change), urgency (speed adjustment) and timbre contrast. These factors complement each other. For example, under fast playing, the range of motion of the joints is small, the force is light, the force is generally light, and the timbre is brisk and neat, etc. If these do not pay attention to changes, or even isolate any one factor, there will inevitably be various problems in the performance of music.

Playing the piano requires finger strength. Strength determines the quality of pronunciation. If the force is too large, the sound will be too noisy, the beauty of the sound will be reduced, and it will be easily broken; if the force is too small, the sound will be hollow, and the feeling of lightness will not be solid. In fact, for the strength of guzheng playing, in addition to ensuring the strength in the general sense, the most important thing is to pay attention to changes. Here, the intensity is "insufficient, and the sound is lost, and too much, the sound is fragmented". The meaning is very clear. Insufficient strength will lead to a lack of sound, the sound quality will not be strong, and the sound will not have penetrating power; and if the strength is too large, the sound will be too noisy, and even a dull, sluggish, and rigid feeling will appear. Rounded feel. So the intensity should be moderate. Without strength at a general level as a basis, changes in strength will also be affected. Whether or not the change of dynamics determines the presence or absence of musical tension. The intensity changes are obvious, the music has a strong sense of hierarchy, and the primary and secondary are clear. Music without obvious dynamics is often dull, vocal, and lacking in life. In addition, the change of the strength also determines the change of the timbre. Therefore, we can't just play the sound when it comes to the strength of the strings. But also to make it have a real beauty and really serve the performance of the music.

The three levels of "strings and fingers", "fingers and sounds", and "sounds and meanings" are the realms or states that every piano player hopes to achieve. Among them, "string and finger fit" refers to the fit between the strings and the fingers. "The strings have nature. If you want to go along, you should not go against them. If you want to be honest, you should avoid being empty." This sentence means that the strings have certain characteristics. Finger-strumming should be firm and powerful, but not frivolous. The piano player needs to "raise their fingers", which means that they need to train their fingers, including the arrangement of the fingers, touching the strings, speed and strength, etc.; Different timbres, timbres, and sound effects can be obtained under the conditions of different string segments and different string depths. Only by "cultivating the fingers" and "practicing the sound" can people "correctly" (correctly express the connotation of the music and describe the artistic conception) in future performances.

So, what does "heavy hair and light follow" mean? In short, it is the change of weight in playing. Let's take the common octave hooking technique as an example. The octave hooking exercise is a commonly used fingering combination in the guzheng. When playing, use the octave string position to fix the finger shape of the big and middle fingers, that is, keep a good octave distance. The combination of the hooks should pay attention to the size of the force. In general, heavy hooks correspond to light hooks, heavy hooks correspond to light hooks, and try to avoid using the same force. From the beginning of contact with the guzheng, a relatively high requirement should be established. From the practice music, you should practice the control of the fingers on the strength, so as to lay the foundation for the processing and pinch of the music in the future. Of course, the big finger, middle finger and two fingers still need to maintain a certain strength. For example, when we have strength, we can find weakness. If the strength of playing is weak at the beginning, then it is not easy for us to grasp the weakest. Only on the basis of a certain strength, can the contrast be obvious. Moreover, the intensity is related to the level of music.

Strength involves the issue of "force", and there are two key issues here. First, where does the force come from, or how to get the "force". Second, how to correctly "use force". First let's look at the first question. The acquisition of force is inseparable from the expansion and contraction of muscles, and the expansion and contraction of muscles depends on the coordination and instructions of the nervous system. That is to say, under the action of the nervous system, the muscles of the human body receive signals and exert force. Or force is generated and transmitted through the natural weight of parts such as a person's arm. So, how to use force? When we play the guzheng, we cannot use brute force, we must pay attention to the coordination between the fingers and the instant release of the force. Rather, the style and mood of the music should be considered. Don't be afraid to use force because you are worried that the string will break. The force needs to be transmitted naturally and unimpeded, so that the various parts of the arm cannot be deadlocked or overly restrained. Playing is turning rest into energy. The norm that should be maintained when playing the piano is to be on call, ready to act at any time. The player transfers energy to the strings through the movement of the finger joints. Before and after strumming, the finger joints have a period of rest and recovery. The energy is activated from the static state, and the piano should be prepared in advance to play the piano.

How to "nurture the fingers" and "practice the sound" when playing the guzheng?

For the control of strength, it is necessary to constantly figure out and practice to master the fire. Don't put too much emphasis on dynamics, and don't just limit yourself to popping sounds. We often see some people who are afraid that the pronunciation of their playing is too light and emphasizes the strength too much, which causes the big arm to be raised high, and the strength of the arm swing is used to bring out the pronunciation. It's bigger, but it doesn't take into account the two aspects of sound quality and timbre. To know that the sound is strong or not, it is not all about the size of the force, but also the specific method, angle, and depth of the string to touch the string. Perhaps, the power is used a lot, and the volume has been greatly improved, but the sound is still not beautiful, and the sound quality is still not good.

Strength needs the support of Qi, which requires us to do a good job of breathing. Just the right breath can help to control the strength, but without the support of "qi", the strength will appear relatively weak and helpless, not to mention how much tension the music has and how moving it is.

The etude should be treated with high demands. Playing the guzheng should focus on the practice of etudes with different rhythms at first. From the perspective of the beat, the strength of the 4/4 beat is the strong and weak times, the 3/4 beat is the strong and weak, and the 2/4 beat is the strong and weak. This is what we have to focus on from the very beginning. Must do in practice.

For the work, it depends on its style, meaning and so on. A musical work must have its own priorities. Our performance should pay attention to the style of the music, pay attention to some subtle hints in the music, such as expression terms or dynamic symbols, etc., but also pay attention to the artistic conception of the music. These are analyzed, recognized and memorized by our nervous system, which instruct all parts of our body to make corresponding actions, and we can't just mess around. "If the fingers are allowed to be impetuous, the sound will be mixed, and the syllables going up and down will not be beautiful." In the performance, the priorities and the layout of the timbre must follow certain rules and regulations, rather than wantonly wandering and chaotic. Where there is light, there is heaviness, where there is slowness, there is urgency, and where there is brightness, there is softness. Although these are contrasting categories and contradictory pairs, they can be unified in one specific work.

Some players tend to look at problems in isolation, knowing only one and not the other. For example, you can understand the meaning of the fingering symbols, and understand the process of playing a single fingering, but once you combine multiple basic fingerings, you don't know how to move your fingers. Or, bluntly, only know that the notes are played one by one with equal intensity, and pay no attention to the layering of the music. For example, in "Sihe Ruyi", the rigidity in strength can easily become a mechanical movement of "climbing stairs", and the charm of the music itself is gone.