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Describe the atmosphere and live music at a local pub, restaurant, festival, church or temple, club night.... inspire other people to check it out!
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Musician: Kim Ho Ip
Location: Edinburgh
Instruments: Yang Qin
Music: Chinese instrumental
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HOW I CAME TO THIS MUSIC听听听听听听听听听听WHERE I PLAY听听听听听听听听听听A FAVOURITE SONG |
  
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 听听Listen (4'10") to 'Xin Jiang' performed by Kim Ho Ip on Yang Qin and Nafees Ahmed on Sitar at the Edinburgh Mela.
听听Listen (2'53) to Kim Ho Ip talk about his music
"In Hong Kong I think a lot of people start to play piano, violin, that kind of instrument first, but in my high school we were exposed to a different kind of instrument, a different kind of tradition."
How I came to this music
I'm from Hong Kong, and it's city which is very much into the idea of mixing Eastern and Western cultures, so I started out listening more to Western classical music but at the same time I learned Chinese instruments first. I started to learn the Yang Qin when I was in high school, because at that particular school there's a tradition of learning Chinese instruments from more senior students. Yang Qin is actually two Chinese characters - Qin is a generic term for all kinds of instruments in Chinese, and Yang is a character which means 'western' - so that means it's actually imported from the West. It's originally a Persian instrument, imported from Persia to China, which has now become a Chinese instrument.
Before the 1950s it was usually just used as an accompaniment, like in traditional Chinese opera. But then people started to improve the quality of the instrument, it's range, and to compose virtuosic solo pieces on it, and it started to develop in a way like the piano - and now it's become a solo instrument. My father used to play guitar in a band - sixties pop music, the Beatles generation, and in Hong Kong I think a lot of people start to play piano, violin, that kind of instrument first, but because of the influence of my high school we were exposed to a different kind of instrument, a different kind of tradition.
Before I came to the West I didn't think it was so precious to know a Chinese instrument, but when you start to play music here you know that you have a different culture and tradition. And you feel like because you're from a different background you have to know about the music from your own culture in order to know where you come from. So I think to have the chance to know about the instruments from your own tradition is a very important thing for musicians.
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