Meet the Gentleman

Chapter 293 The Three Saints

“The sage made the zither to harmonize heaven and earth and to enlighten the people.”

In the Qin Valley of the academy, the chief instructor stood in the center of the valley and spoke loudly to the students.

At this time, hundreds or even thousands of students or zither players sat in a circle on the ground, with countless players showing their anticipation. There were also many players who were eager to try, hoping to become famous in this zither discussion.

"The qin is the music of the sages who govern the world, and the instrument of the gentleman's self-cultivation. The qin is the head of all music, and it connects the best of all music, governs the dignity of the great elegance, and is related to the prosperity and decline of politics and religion, and the good and evil of people's hearts."

The voice of the great teacher was pure and loud, and it fell into everyone's ears.

"Today, there are fourteen academies in our holy religion discussing the qin. We should uphold the wishes of the sage and promote the qin to correct music. The qin bans evil and returns to righteousness, so as to harmonize people's hearts. Therefore, the sage's governance will be to govern the body, cultivate emotions and nature, and make them harmonious!"

The head teacher smiled slightly, looked around at the students, and said: "This time, we will discuss the zither, and focus on using the zither to cultivate oneself and understand the Dao."

"Moreover, a gentleman is harmonious but different."

When the great teacher finished speaking, he bowed to Feng Qingyan and Dayuqinjun and said, "The discussion of qin in the Fourteenth Academy began with Feng Shengxian."

"Playing the qin can help us observe customs and morals, capture our souls, distinguish joy from anger, please our emotions, calm our minds, strengthen our courage, detach from the mundane world, and fight against ghosts and gods."

Feng Qingyan smiled when he heard this, and as he spoke, he walked to the center of the valley, bowed to everyone and said, "This is Zangshan Academy. Feng Qingyan greets you all."

"I have seen the canonization."

All the students and teachers returned the greetings.

At this time, everyone's eyes fell on Feng Qingyan.

"Before discussing the zither, I also have three theories to share with you. The so-called three theories are: to get the heart, to be able to play, and to achieve music." Feng Qingyan said, "To get the heart, there are four requirements and two needs."

"May I ask about canonization, but are there four requirements and two needs?"

The person who plays the zither asked curiously.

Moreover, I don’t quite understand what the "Three Theories" are. This is the first time I have heard of it.

"The four requirements are to debate the topic, justice, taste and essence, and the two requirements are to get into the mind and convey the spirit."

Feng Qingyan said after hearing this, and seeing that everyone looked puzzled, he added: "To understand the heart is to grasp the music from the outside to the inside, and to fully understand and comprehend it."

"It is the premise, the foundation, the basis, that is obtained from the heart. It can prevent mistakes due to blindness and misinterpretations due to arbitrariness."

Feng Qingyan Road.

All the zither players nodded when they heard this.

“Why debate?”

At this time, Feng Qingyan asked and answered himself, saying, "If you don't argue, then there will be a fallacy." He looked at the zither players and asked, "Do you know the song "Owl and Heron Forgetting the Machine"? "

Those who play the zither nodded, and those who play the zither shook their heads.

"Then do you know what the gulls and herons have forgotten?"

Feng Qingyan asked again.

Most of the pianists shook their heads.

"The gulls and herons were betrayed by the sea owl, but it was not because they had any ulterior motives."

Feng Qingyan continued, "The so-called 'justice' is to understand the thoughts behind the music, and then one can deeply comprehend it. For example, in the case of 'Flowing Water', it is not just about the various types of water flows, but also about the various types of water flows' temperament, momentum, and charm."

"The charm of the zither lies in its sound, which is reflected in the style, genre, and interest of the zither."

"Styles and schools all have regional differences, different inheritances, and different personalities. This is reflected in both the zither itself and the person who plays it. If you are not able to treat the various styles and schools of music properly, you will either not know their essence and not benefit from them, or you will not know how to be independent and be confused by others."

“This is knowing the taste, and it is also a gentleman who is harmonious but different.”

At this time in Qin Valley, students, qin players, and teachers were all listening attentively.

"As for the recognition of form, all arts emphasize composition. The overall rise, development, transition, and conclusion, the climax, the beginning and end of the rhythm, etc. must be correctly understood and properly arranged to avoid mistakes and mediocrity."

"Only when you understand the body can you understand the mind, and only when you understand the mind can you achieve depth. Don't take it lightly."

Feng Qingyan stood in the center of Qin Valley and spoke slowly. The autumn wind blew, lifting his white clothes, showing his gentlemanly demeanor, which attracted many girls.

"The second requirement is to enter the realm of the piano music with one's own heart. This is the result of having obtained the 'four requirements' of the heart. This realm lies not only in the form of the music, but also in the spirit of the artistic conception."

"The second requirement is to convey the spirit, that is, to have already entered the state of mind and to express it in the form of the feelings and rhythm of the qin music. Before playing the piano, you should have a clear idea in mind, which is the way to convey the spirit."

"I have reached the state of mind, and have grasped both its form and its spirit."

"In his meticulous analysis and judgment of the music, he was not careless or negligent, but rather treated it as if he were accepting a brilliant topic, answering a rigorous test, carving a beautiful jade, carving a fine material, using ancient ink, arranging a unique chess piece, writing a long article, and commanding a mighty army, with careful consideration of both the macro and the micro."

At this time, Feng Qingyan sat down cross-legged, and uttered pale white words from his mouth.

It seemed that the pale white words gradually transformed into extremely magical notes, shocking everyone in Qin Valley.

"Ancient sages said that only music cannot be faked, and this is especially true of the zither."

"To be sincere is to be genuine. Sincerity lies in perfection. Only perfection can be without deception. If you are careful and thoughtful, do not deceive others, and do not correct the world, you can convey the spirit."

The notes uttered by Feng Qingyan seemed to transform into the sound of a piano and ring in everyone's ears.

At this time, the teachers of the Thirteen Academies were all shocked, looking at Feng Qingyan in disbelief.

Produce musical notes.

The notes turn into piano sounds.

Could it be that the saint has been canonized as the King of Qin?

Otherwise, how can one pronounce notes and turn them into piano sounds?

"May I ask what is the response to the canonization of saints?"

At this time, a zither player said excitedly that he seemed to understand something from the words of the canonization. But it seemed that he was still a little short of it, so he couldn't help but stand up and ask, hoping to get the following answer.

Upon hearing this, the other musicians all looked at Feng Qingyan eagerly.

The words of canonization were like a loud bang from a dream, waking them up and giving them sudden enlightenment.

"There are three rules and eight methods for responding to situations."

Feng Qingyan smiled and continued, "The three principles are making sounds, using rhythm, and moving the fingers. The eight methods are lightness and heaviness, speed and slowness, squareness and roundness, hardness and softness, thickness and thinness, light and dark, reality and illusion, and discontinuity."

"Three Rules and Eight Methods?"

The zither player became curious.

"To play the piano is to use the hands, which are strict and varied, to play the piano music that is deeply in your heart and to appropriately express it on the seven strings."

"Use the heart with the hand, and use the hand to express the heart; let the heart speak, and the hand respond to it."

The pianists listened and looked at their own hands.

"One of the three is that the voice is as good as gold and jade."

"The second of the three passages is about moving the rhymes like chanting."

"Third of three, the fingers move as if they were not intentional."

"You move your fingers without intention?"

At this time, a zither player was puzzled. The first two were easy to understand, so he asked, "How can you be free of mind?"

Hearing this, Feng Qingyan explained, "When a person is most relaxed and at ease, he may not even notice it, or even seem to have no intention. His mind is focused on what he wants to accomplish, but he does not notice or think about the way to accomplish it. In fact, it has already been acquired in his mind, but it seems to be unintentional."

"He manipulates the strings with ease and skill, the rules are strict and the rhythm is clear."

"To myself and others, it seems to be indifferent."

……

(End of this chapter)