© The London Youlan Qin Society 2003-2010



Guqin Summer School, 27-31 August 2015



Introduction

The London Youlan Qin Society held 5 day courses on the qin and guzheng at the China Exchange in Chinatown, London.

Classes

For the guqin, 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 it. 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. Cheng Yu taught the more experienced people. This class was organised as a set of 1:1 sessions, so that each student could work at their own level on pieces they wished to learn. On the last afternoon, informal student performances were held, to enable participants to show each other what they had learned.

Talks

Three illustrated talks were held in the afternoons. On the first day, Charles Tsua talked about the history and structure of the guqin, and showed how to mount amnd tune the strings. On the third afternoon, Wu Mengmeng gave an illustrated talk on the history, organology and musical styles of the guzheng. On the fourth afternoon, Cheng Yu gave an illustrated talk on the history, organology and musical styles of the pipa. These talks were open to the general public as well as to course attendees.

Concert

On the afternoon of the second day a concert was held. It was performed by the Silk and Bamboo Ensemble, flautist and pianist Lin Lin, and members of the London Youlan Qin Society. For details and photo gallery see LYQS Chinese Music Concert 28 August, 2015.

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.