© The London Youlan Qin Society 2003-2010



Meeting 12 November 2016



Introduction

This, the 85th meeting of the London Youlan Qin Society, was held in the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. We were pleased to welcome many new people, two of whom joined the Society. Charles Tsua gave a talk on the new Marusan Hashimoto strings, which were were able to try out. The main content of this talk is below.

The new Marusan Hashimoto strings

Earlier this year the Marusan Hashimoto company in Japan sent Charles Tsua a set of their new qin strings to try. These are a new type of hybrid strings whiich have a sound approaching that of silk strings but can be tuned to standard pitch, and with the stability of metal-nylon strings. They are made of a synthetic material called Tetron (the material used for making koto strings).

Like silk strings, these strings needed to be stretched overnight before mounting. They also needed to be taken off and refitted several times before they became stable. When tensioning them, they appeared to be more "temperamental" than other types of strings. While being refitted, string 7 became worn and snapped; when Charles contacted the manufacturer they sent a replacement set. They are investigating the cause of the problem, which Charles suspects may be due to the string rubbing against the goose feet. Charles also noted that when tensioning most strings, he can feel them moving, but with these strings the movement seemed to stop after a certain point.

The sound was felt to be nice, especially the harmonics, and close to that of silk strings: good if you want the sound of silk but need stability. However they are somewhat rough to the touch, not smooth like metal-nylon or composite strings.

Music

The following music was played:

  1. Qiu Shui 秋水 (Autumn Water), played by Charles Tsua
  2. Meihua San Nong 梅花三弄 (Three Variations on the Plum Blossom), played by Cheng Yu (qin) and Dennis Lee (xiao)
  3. Puan Zhou 普庵咒 (Incantation of Puan), played by Sun Xiujun
  4. Shen Ren Chang 神人畅 (Harmony of Gods and Men), Ding Chengyun's score, played by Yan Xiaoshan
  5. Shen Ren Chang 神人神 (Harmony of Gods and Men), based on Gong Yi's score, played by Julian Joseph
  6. Qiu Feng Ci 秋风词（Ode to the Autumn Wind), played by Yang Mingyi
  7. Yueren Ge 越人歌 (Song of the Yue Boatman), played and sung by Elaine Yu
  8. Yang Guan San Die 阳关三叠 (Three Variations on the Yang Pass Theme), played by Wang Furan
  9. Ping Sha Luo Yan 平沙落雁 (Wild Geese Descending on the Level Sand) (Wumen version), played by Geng Xinyi
  10. Chang Xiangsi 长相思 (Eternal Longing), Dongao Qinpu version, played by Desiré Victoria
  11. Liu Shui 流水 (Flowing Water) played by Wang Furan
  12. Yang Guan San Die 阳关三叠 (Three Variations on the Yang Pass Theme), played by Oscar Fu
  13. Yi Zhi Hua 一枝花 (A Sprig of Flowers), played by Dennis Lee (xiao)
  14. He Ming Jiu Gao 鹤鸣九皋 (Cranes Calling in the Nine Marshes), played by Charles Tsua (own interpretation)
  15. Bi Jian Liu Quan 碧涧流泉 A Stream Flowing in a Green Valley), played by Sun Xiujun
  16. Ping Sha Luo Yan 平沙落雁 (Wild Geese Descending on the Level Sand), played by Elaine Yu
  17. Cai Jun You, played by Geng Xinyi




The London Youlan Qin Society would like to thank the Department of Music at SOAS for allowing us to hold our meeting there.