｛YuShu Qin｝-progress0406

2021-12

Material preparation-selection

“Wood can be trimmed to straighten with reference by the straighten rope, or curl to wheel shape by thermal treatment, to fit by circular arc criterion…” – Ancient Chinese Prose “Encouragement to Learn”. Although the wood are not perfect, it can usually be cut ingeniously obtain the best range of use, especially emphasized to avoiding insect holes, nodules, cracks, etc. After the wood cutting, try to take its axial symmetry as much as possible, so as to provide the best range of the plane composition and the layout of the internal structure designing for Guqin.

Usually, a small wooden mallet is used for tap-scanning, during the woods matching and cutting, and the tapping-sound is used for rapid diagnose various sections and deep layers, so as to avoid the potential cracks in the cutting materials. And at the same time, Cross-comparison of soundboards that match each other in the multi combination.

The method of the board tapping is mainly based on hearing and empirical judgments, such as the general tone of the light and heavy or ups and downs produced by tapping. Although this kind of experiential perception as difficult to measure as emotion, at least the most suitable board can be quickly screened out under multiple selections, then other boards are stored as backup and long-term aging.

2022-04-06/08-26

Graphic designing and board Cutting

It highlights the “temperament” of Guqin, and its design and cutting are the first keys to Qin shaping. The so-called “temperament” can be seen as “Coordination and Impact” intuitively, and it can be perceived as oriental culture’s “Qi” in trance .

Its “Coordination and Impact degree” has a amount of proportion, and the size ratio to be shape up in a right degree. But this suitable scale does not have a clear quantity, just like the “unit of inch” of every Dynasty in the East hovers each around 3 cm till today, and the best scale of the Qin is based on the best play feeling as the design basis, which is also the subtlety of Luban ruler’s (woodworking ruler) people-oriented in oriental ancient.

Its “Qi” can be perceived as breadth of spirit, its means vague and difficult to describe, as if the same material can made into different utensils in different ways, and then placed in different occasions, time, light and shadow, scenes and other factors, it is endowed a feeling of “unexplainable and confuceived by viewers.

At the end, the inner and outer harmony of Guqin, the scale coordination and the imposing in spirit external , and sounds harmonious and wide internal.