You are also a multi-instrument player

No.... Be PRO only can be PROfession. Not if it's your profession but you not pro then pokai la

Bu of course la I know what you're trying to say. It's your job then you can spend all the time in the world on it

Hopefully la I can la She's a dancer looking for guitarist to accompany I think, and very willing to help me.

She can guide me to structures that's suitable for dancers. For example some people play for singers or as guitar solo pieces- those which aren't suitable to dance to. She gave me a lot CDs and DVDs to listen to la. Then I have to figure out to play it by myself. And refer to some websites too la not purely her.

Guitarists add music notes according to the rhythm. Dancers add some movements (and percussions). The hardest part is internalising the rhythm la basically, which as I said earlier, is something that dancers also have to do and hence can guide me.

The problem is teachers are hard to find here... And most flamenco players spend a lot of time learning by starting with accompanying dancers and singers.


If you are interested and are free, http://www.youtube.com/user/ruspoli#p/c/9/IIM2Iqf8suc This channel is a huge eye opener. That guy document his flamenco journey in Andalucia.

This post has been edited by JieXian: Apr 15 2011, 12:35 AM

you use your profession all the time, so profession user = professor?

hehehe....far from it Little ice!

i used to play Gu zheng two years ago and i have bought that instrument oso.
but now stop playing already and the instrument was sold out already.

1) DunHuang 694K (Peacock Pattern 孔雀图案). Found an online seller. 2nd hand asking RM1k (original price how much? )

2) Chun Mei guzheng (Peony flower pattern) from Nanjing 南京春梅古筝. My teacher's student wanna let go this unit. Unable to find the model from their website. http://www.njchumei.com/products.asp?classcode=0&pageno=1. 2nd hand asking 2k (I was told that the original price is 3k+ ).


Any comments about these gu zheng?



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La Bella...I suggest you dont bother paying mroe than Rm1k for a Guzheng. Unless you are Mei-Mei's standard...then different la.

Go for the cheaper guzheng.

laBella,
DunHuang peacock I seen a lot in my school. It is entry level. As to the original price today it may be around 2k. If the instrument is bought before 2007 then it is probably something like 1.2k only. This is because there had been several major gas hike form 2007 till now causing transportation cost to go up.

NanJing Zheng I am very skeptical. Some of my classmates seems to have problems. We call it made by a furniture maker as oppose to zheng makers. Furthermore, dark sound board is a great turn off to me.

Where is the online seller for DunHuang peacock? If familiar location, I can go with you to see it. Maybe if Subang is around can join also after that we go find St James Gate

This post has been edited by faceless: Apr 18 2011, 09:33 AM

Bella :

Dunhuang #696KK Rosewood shpuld b around RM2,200max . Pretty good GZ. If the previous ownner wans to release a RM1k should b fine
but pls check the soundboard, corners and bridges condition. Most of the students,centres using it as the teaching and learning instrument and in fact CCMA
using it as exam instrument too.
Strings dun worry much as u need to change every now and then.


Chun Mei guzheng (Peony flower pattern) from Nanjing 南京春梅古筝 haven't heard much about it.... from photos it looks like quite similiar to
Yangchow style... oven torch dried. ... 2K is abit steep I can say for 2nd hand one.

But will do some researh for u.... pls hold ur horses.

This post has been edited by subangman: Apr 18 2011, 11:01 AM

Thanks faceless and subang, I'm going to have a look of the dunhuang peacock guzheng. The seller located in SS2.

Thx Empire bru for the high praise on Mei-mei.

But i have a different opinion towards buying a cheap GZ unless one intends to play-play wit it.

Mei-mei started to learn GZ about 5yrs ago with the 21strings... and less than 5yrs she is now she will be sitting for G8 exam in August.. mayb due to her strong foundation in music.
Bella ... u too got a very strong background in music and I'm sure within a short duration u too will excel greatly. By then u will find something not correct
wit ur GZ.
My 2cents advise... GO wit ur heart and remember to measure how deep is ur pocket.

Mei-mei initial 21strings GZ is one of the better ones from YangChow with hand carved decorative and she loves tis GZ better after I've changed the initial
strings from normal DunHuang to a Type B DunHuang.
But after I got her the SB#10B she loves the SB too as the sound produced is another league. Its bass is very roboast and mellow.

So the moral of the story is be slightly generous wit yourself..... u r a classical guitar player.... try to compare a Kapok wit Admira.

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Added on April 18, 2011, 10:33 amFaceless bru :
Bella's learning centre is in fact very near to my office area...... and I know a few joints selling cheap St James gate... RM50 for 4 full pints.

As long as her class is on week days ... we can go have a meetup before and even after her class.. La Bella; right ?

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Added on April 18, 2011, 10:38 amSS2 .. very likely the GZ is from Alan's place or bought from him.

Try to nego to less than 1.5K.

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I might have spent a few ringgits in buying GZs for Mei-mei but until now the returns from it quite good. Eventhough its all to Mei-mei's piggy.
If your teacher or 'buddy' invites you for performances ...pls dun reject as its time the pay back for ur investment.
Empire bru :-> u short of a GZ player right? I'm a fair guy.... RM50/performance should b ok right if the player can play wit both hands ...

I can say its more rewarding than doing dancesport such as latin or ballroom......



This post has been edited by subangman: Apr 18 2011, 10:56 AM

Entry level dunhuang should be fine, as it's a well-known brand. I'll check out the gz tonight at the seller house then see how.

About the nanjing chunmei gz, faceless is right, the soundboard is dark in color, I don't know how well/bad is this as the strings are not tuned. The price is not cheap and I have no idea about the brand.

La Bella :

i got some idea ... mayb one fine day i bring mei-mei out for meetup wit u .

Both of u can exchange info and coach each other ... u brush up her guitar ... she brush up ur guzheng.

subang, no problem, we can learn from each other. My gz class every thursday 6.30-7pm.

Oven torch dried actually mean burn it with open flame (BBQ) to dry up the soundboard The wood lose it texture thereby could not resonate sound well. For that matter they dont even have to use "tong" wood as any wood will do.Barbeque anything and it will eventually be black in color soundboard is no exception.

If Subang is right then it could be Alan. If it is not Alan then we should also see what Alan had to offer. Lets put down some dates.

I can brush up on both Actually when we went to the Percussion Concert, I told mei mei about laBella (the girl who converted her guitar pick to an ear ring). Mei mei was looking forward to check out her handicraft at Empire's concert but time was tight.

This post has been edited by faceless: Apr 19 2011, 01:10 PM

Good news...

Yesterday I went to the 2nd hand dunhuang peacock gz seller place in ss2, the gz was not bought from alan, she got it from her hometown seremban. The gz looks fine, 4-5 years old, the strings are rusted. After nego, I got an offer for 750 and finally I brought it home. The gz is mine now. I managed to tune the strings, after tuned I noticed there's string buzz on 2 treble strings, hmm..

Where can I get a whole set of new strings?

la Bella,
Alan is not an individual selling gz. I dont know him but Subang and Empire knows him. He is a musician with his own shop and school. He is known as one of the best gz teacher in the country (according to Subang). He was one of the judges for the recent malaysian open gz competition. So if you went to another shop it cant be from Alan. Why would one shop buy from another?

4-5 years ago should be before the mad gas hike. Getting it for RM750 is a good bargain. Check that it has good sustain for an yin (按音）. For entry level, quarter note and a dot is good already.

Rusted strings are okay. You dont need to change them unless the coloured string (usually green although I seen red - note A or 5) and the neighbouring strings are rusted. If 356 are rusted then it is hard to see string 5 since 3 and 6 next to it is also rusted in colour. I had a lot of these gz in my school.

Woh Fatt sells lose string at RM5-8 each. Take 7.5 as average. It cost about RM157.5 (7.5X21) to replace them all. Another shop at Petaling Street which I go to is about 50 sen cheaper. If you want to buy a full set then write to DunHuang Shanghai directly (Subang can help you). Including mail it cost Subang something like RM120. The plus side is these are higher end strings.

String 1 is the thickest string. If you have a buzz on string 2 then it is quite common for entry level gz. They usually have problems with the bass strings. If you have a buzz on string 20 then most likely the bridge is faulty. Loosen it. Take out the bridge. Wipe the board and the bridge's base. Refit and tune again. If you still get the buzz then bridge is faulty. Never mind lor. Entry level are bound to have some minor imperfections. For 750 you dont need to play spas guzheng anymore mah.


P/S PLEASE DONT WIPE WITH WATER OR DAMP CLOTH. They took so much effort to dry the wood and you try to wet it again Use a dry cloth to wipe.

This post has been edited by faceless: Apr 19 2011, 01:15 PM

congrats La Bella on your new toy. so when can we see your 1st GZ Concert? Hehehe....

Faceless,Subang...great to see you 2 taiko's guide La Bella on her GZ purchase and helping to advise her on strings.

Empire,
You guzheng that cant be tuned. Was the problems solved when you cut the strings?

faceless,
Thanks for the info about the strings. The thinner strings are all rusted. When I play I often hit the wrong note cos I can't see the green strings as note 5. I can hear the buzz that comes from the slot near tuning peg. Btw, I already expected some imperfection for 2nd hand instrument, and for this price i can't complain much.

Ouch... yesterday my dad helped me to clean the dust on the soundboard and he used a damp cloth to wipe it.

2 week ago I read from guang ming newspaper, there's a full page interview of Alan & his wife and the winner of the recent m'sia gz competition. They talked about competition, music school, their story and ambition.

This post has been edited by la bella: Apr 19 2011, 03:19 PM