The perfect pipa performance should not only focus on the practice of its finger skills and the interpretation of musical feelings, because the expressiveness of the music is inextricably linked with another factor, which is inseparable from our daily survival. Breathe spontaneously.

Maybe what I say is unfamiliar and unfamiliar to people outside the industry. Is there really any connection between the breath and the performance of the pipa? Do our players use their breath to play the lute? Mastery is very important, but it is not enough to focus and stay on this level. In fact, neither the performance technique nor the various levels of timbre changes and applications is an independent technical field.

The player's breath, that is, the use of breath, plays a vital role in the performance of the music during the performance of the pipa. important role.

When the player's performance enters a certain state and reaches a certain spiritual realm, the use of all performance skills, techniques and timbre has become a subconscious and instinctive conditioned reflex, and has always dominated and permeated the performance signs throughout the music. It should be a "sense of breath, that is, a breath sublimated by art, an emotional breath integrated with art."

Breath of Life and Breath of Art

Regarding the definition of breathing, that is, breath, the author believes that in a narrow sense, it refers to people's usual breathing, which is a necessary condition for maintaining human life and normal activities. The exchange process of absorbing oxygen in the air and expelling carbon dioxide in the body is the breathing movement of the human body. This is what we usually call "natural breathing".

Broadly speaking, it is qi in the category of aesthetics, and its connotation is deeper. The ancients said: "The living is based on qi", and regards qi as the condition for survival; they also say that "the essence is also the essence of qi", and it is believed that the spirit is also generated by the qi. We can briefly summarize it as the breath of art, which is controlled by human thoughts, because it has reality, ambiguity, transactional, spirituality, and is unified in the original body of nature, so many composite concepts are derived, such as Aura, aura, aura, etc.

The relationship between artistic breathing and physiological state of mind

The use of breath control and the player's physiology and psychology will also be interrelated and affect each other.

We know whether the player's performance is successful or not, in addition to the necessary technical guarantees, there is also a need for a good playing mental state. The adjustment of the mental state is inseparable from the breath. Imagine a player who is nervous and flustered, his breath will definitely be rushed and uneven. Obviously, a person whose mind and breathing are confused, we can hardly imagine that he can well grasp the mood of music and interpret music well, and bring beautiful artistic enjoyment to others. In order to adjust the mind and breath, performers have different methods. Some performers use qigong before the performance, while others use Buddhist meditation. The purpose is nothing more than to adjust the breath so that they can have a good performance. mental state.

The guiding significance of artistic breathing to the cadence of music

The ancients said: "One piece and one relaxation, the way of civil and martial arts". The cadence of the breath is inextricably linked with the pause and relaxation of the music. They will influence each other and interact with each other in performance, and they will be integrated into one, and they will complement each other. When we write articles, we must pay attention to the division of sentences; when we communicate and communicate with others, we must also pay attention to the timely processing of pause and coherence. If the words are not completed or broken properly, it will be difficult to express the meaning, and it will be puzzling. Even more so with music.

The player's use of breath during the performance should not only conform to the natural and smooth rules of the player's breath, but also pay attention to the division of sentences and teases in the progress of the music. It is necessary to breathe and breathe in appropriate places. It will also become smoother at the same time. On the contrary, if the breath cannot be properly adjusted and controlled, the normal explanation and narration of musical sentences will also be affected, which will make the sentences unclear and incoherent, and the rhythm of the music will be affected.

For example, "Spring Rain" is a pipa solo piece, which is based on the melody and tones of Jiangnan Pingtan style. The introduction part of the music is composed of overtones, which are quiet and crystal clear, as if to indicate the germination of life. When playing, one should sink into the dantian and exhale slowly, showing a stretched mood, as if people can see the green fields and villages moistened by the spring rain in the south of the Yangtze River, that kind of beautiful picture. The sound begins and ends with an overtone, and the music is smooth and beautiful, clear and transparent. This is a sentence structure that starts and turns, and each measure is a sentence. When playing, pay attention to the breath, change the breath in time, and play the tone of the sentence. Because the first sentence is a starting sentence, its last sound, re, can be full of breath and has an upward feeling. The second sentence is a continuation sentence, the breath is steady, with a little dark color. The third sentence is a transfer sentence, and the tone should be affirmative. The fourth sentence is a conjunctive sentence, the tone should be calmed down, and it should be calm; when this part of the music is played, do not break the sentence at the last overtone of each sentence, change the breath, and make the phrase fragmented. It will make smooth music lumps, affecting the integrity and coherence of musical performance.

The relationship between breath control and musical performance

The rapidity of the rhythm of the music, the firmness and softness of the sound, the intensity of the intensity, etc., cannot contain the coordination of the breath. To play any piece of music, the performer needs to effectively control his own breath, move freely with the ups and downs of the rhythm of the music, and integrate emotions appropriately.

For example, Mr. Liu Tianhua's pipa song "Xu Lai" expresses the vitality contained in the silence of all sounds. Mr. Liu Tianhua used a variety of techniques in this piece, absorbing the style and charm of Guqin and the sister arts of Northern Quyi, so that this piece has a unique charm. When playing this piece, it also gives the performer a sense of breath. brought some difficulty. In order to complete the above music, we must rely on the control of the breath, so as to achieve priorities, cadence, appropriate movement and stillness, retractable and swaying.

In addition, different musical images and musical moods will also have different requirements for breath. Take the ancient songs "House of Flying Daggers" and "The Overlord Removing Armor" as examples. Although these two pieces are both pipa martial arts pieces that describe the battle scene between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, the overlord of Chu at the end of the Qin Dynasty, they express different musical emotions. . "House of Flying Daggers" shows Liu Bang's triumphant music. At the beginning of the music, the emotion expressed by the music is agitation, high-pitched, heralding triumph and victory, so pay attention to the pause and advance of the breath, and the breath must be explosive and impact. "The Overlord Unloads Armor" also describes the historical story of the battle between Chu and Han, using realistic techniques to describe the defeat of the overlord of Western Chu. This song focuses on the performance and rendering of the heroic spirit of the overlord of Western Chu, who "struggles the mountains and makes the world unparalleled", as well as the heroic tragic and tragic of the Chu army. Due to the different sides and angles described in "The Overlord Unloading Armor", the qi should be heavy and the release should be relatively slow. The whole piece begins in the low-frequency region, the timbre should be strong, and the mood should be solemn, implying a tragic ending. The use of breath requires deep and dignified, only in this way can the mood, style and fate of the characters be accurately expressed.

For example, the pipa song "Big Waves Washing the Sand" composed by the blind artist A Bing, because of the author's era and the tragic fate he suffered, the emotions expressed in the whole song are resentment, helplessness, accusation of that era, and desire to fight against fate. , and also have yearning and longing for a better life in the future...

Since the inflection changes, emotional layout, action selection, timbre orientation, musical rhythm and musical performance of the music are all inseparable from the influence and support of the breath, this requires the performer to grasp the changes in the breath and pay attention to the breath when playing. reasonable use. Master the principle of soothing when it is supposed to be soothing, smooth when it is smooth, mentioning when it is necessary, screen when it is necessary, and loosening when it is loose; fully express the charm of the music, so that both the body and mind are prepared.

So, how can we use breath reasonably? The author believes that this is closely related to the performer's psychological state, artistic accomplishment, inner spirit, emotion, and personality temperament. It will affect the control of breath sublimation. It can make the rhythm run through, and then reach a higher level of performance. The Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi wrote "The big strings are noisy like a torrential rain, and the small strings are like whispers. Noisy and choppy playing, big beads and small beads fall on the jade plate." It depicts the superb acting skills of the pipa in the Tang Dynasty. Isn't it the best playing? Desperate. The integration of Qi Yun is not only manifested in the performance of the pipa, but also in traditional rap, opera, dance, calligraphy, sword score, Tai Chi and many other arts and sports. The aesthetics of traditional Chinese art has always paid attention to meaning, emotion and environment, as well as spirit, rhythm, taste, taste and style. As a pipa player, you must be good at learning from others, be good at absorbing the essence of other disciplines and sister arts, and constantly enrich and improve yourself, so that the art of pipa performance can enter a higher realm.