© The London Youlan Qin Society 2003-2010



Guqin Summer School, 6-10 August 2014



Introduction

The London Youlan Qin Society held a 5 day course on the qin at the Royal College of Music in South Kensington, London.

Classes

Two parallel classes were held, one for people will little or no previous experience of the guqin, and one for people who already had some experience of playing the qin. The beginners were taught by Charles Tsua, and were led through the basic fingering techniques, building a foundation on which they would be able to progress. By the end of the 5 days, they were able to play a simple piece (Qiu Feng Ci 秋风词) Cheng Yu taught the more experienced people. This class focused on learning one piece, Puan Zhou (Mantra of Puan). As several people were not able to attend for the full 5 days, tuition was tailored to their needs and they worked on other pieces. On the last afternoon, informal student performances were held, to enable participants to show each other what they had learned.

Talks

Two illustrated talks were held in the afternoons. On the first day, Charles Tsua showed how to mount strings and described basic maintenance procedures. On the second afternoon, Chan Fungyng gave an illustrated talk on the guzheng (21-stringed zither).

Concert

On the afternoon of the last day a concert was held. It was performed by members of the London Youlan Qin Society and the Silk and Bamboo Ensemble. For details and photo gallery see LYQS Chinese Music Concert 9 August, 2014.

Acknowledgements

The London Youlan Qin Society would like to thank all the members and non-members who gave their time and worked hard to make the events a success.