Rare Guitar Video: Chen Zi masterclass & Li Jie Performance

[5stringofFernandoSor]

Come now, Girl. You are embarrassing the Great People of China. lol

[4152302704]

ES otro nivel esta mujer

[xcaluhbration]

@Mrwilwak Clearly you've never written or delved into the world of lyricism otherwise you wouldn't down those writers who put 12 to 14 hours a day into practicing, increasing their vocabulary, studying, reading to add depth to their lyrics. The ability to be able to catch any tempo and allow your lyrics to bring out the true potential of the instrumentals, the vocal modulations to accent certain syllables and then counter them in your next line. People like you who belittle are the true cancer

[shineelover16]

cool, caprice no. 24 still sounds awesome when its slowed.

[dewabrahma1]

great exp



[0506thekid]

she is amazing watch the other videos of her

[danilotoledo]

Nintindi

[maurorock445]

I want him to be my master ;)

[ARANJUEZCM]

Thanks for the English subtitle and thank you for posting this video.

[aussieguy3333]

Fantsatic.

[psychopathtoine]

at 2:13 look how she controls the sound of the bass notes perfectly!

[TheTeslanova]

to learn HOW to practise is indeed very necessary nowadays...



[brianplaystheguitar]

wot song is this?

[test123ok]

@brianplaystheguitar Caprice No 24. another crazy one from Paganini

[pianoplayeruk]

@brianplaystheguitar

Its title is Caprice number 24 by Niccolo Paganini, and it's not a song. It's a 'piece.'

[KcinRosa]

Great tool for practicing

[dtriuswilliams]

i wish that was my guitar teacher. :(

[majamo7]

tendrá vida social????

[MrEaxconsole]

She's a great guitarplayer.

She looks like she could use some sleep, sun and a hot meal though =)

[LLThenu]

@MrEaxconsole To negate someones excelleence, but inable to do this by arguments, is to make some ridicule about the person. I see this happening a lot to the talented and amazing asian guitarplayers on youtube.For instance Li Jie, Su Meng. This is funny and sad at the same time. But nobody is fooled.

[MrEaxconsole]

@LLThenu

You lost me at hello.

[alingkienhoe]

I like the tutorial on my carts. All hail classical music.

[Ibringthetruth1]

wikipedia . org/wiki/Li_Jie_%28guitar_play­er%29

Her professor Zhi will kick your ass with the 'five palm exploding heart technique'.

niggaz watch out.

[davidchiovelli]

@Ibringthetruth1 thats actually pretty funny!

[Theguitarmate]

She is just the demonstration of a life devoted to classic guitar.....I've got th same aim!!!! i luv guitar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wsmcasey13]

Meticulous dedication. This is what it takes to be great.

[oztronix]

Those who have done some research on Chopin and rubato, would most likely disagree with you.

[BeautifulMusic1000]

practice slowly does help a lot too! :)

[dedog2003]

If people think you can accurately express a rubato without metronome work, they have some serious problems. Rubato literally means "stolen time." How do you steal time, if there's no meter? If played accurately, you can play a rubato passage with a metronome, and come out of the passage still perfectly in time. Anyone who thinks metronomes do anything but help, and create sound foundations, is either a fool, or some sub-par guitarist who has a following at local bars.

[Zaratologia]

waht a great study method!

I like so much!

[clauweer]

Achinesou a coisa! Mestre!

[ClassicalGas91]

thanks alot for translation!

[jcfbell3001]

you have to play the whole part tho too, to connect the pieces...

[betbet45]

li jei seems to be hot lol i wanna fuck she

[lemongigi]

how i want to learn, i might be just too old to be a student...lol

[ferllio23]

Never too young or too old to learn. Never.

[bouse888]

nice paganini

[guitarpick1994]

ok i understand how now

[saintdo]

I don't know Chinese hahaha

but she's awesome!!

[jlefvert]

She can play:)

[yangamee]

wow i feel like she is "one" with her guitar

[oneshort9]

awesome ....OMG (the ending)

[mireumetal]

Jie Lie is a Goddes of acoustic guitar!!!!

And, btw, she is really damn cute!!!!!

Take a look at the video that she plays Sunburst.

[charleseladas]

@mireumetal This is a classical guitar my friend :)

[ZotMalakhov]

The beautiful music and very good performance! Bravo!!! Good guitar !

[thelordstring]

NICOLO PAGANINI - Caprice 24th

[Vladarethull]

I really like this version, but if u want to compare the expresivity on 2 performers watch the Rondos of Aguado, they are played by Julian and Li Jie, u will hear the difference. I would like to say in the end that Li Jie is really good but Julian is the best.

[gatsbi007]

Try Yamashita version of caprice #24, Total energy explosion!

That is if you like explosion...hah

Oh, yeah. Julian Bream is the best, but this girl is good and so talented...

[BarriosGroupie]

Yes, tbh, I've never ever come across anyone that has moved me the way Julian manages to do

[edmega332]

wow, I'm going to start learning every song I know by doing what she does in thsi video. What a workout.

I'm jealous.

[s2p3r]

helpful. gives us a hint of hope that learning to play it is never impossible...good teacher does not discourage or attempt to break our will to play.

[funknotik]

I don't speak chinese but I understood everything.

[ChicaWolverina]

The professor's got issues and policies when it comes to classical guitarist, and yeah those band oriented ones are very political and biased.

Poor kid, I'm sure she grew out of that idiot in time!

[yamahaU3]

What's with the teacher doing the violin bowing thing.

[hUzyOdaD]

it was originally a violin piece

[fesiopl]

i dont understand chinese!

[praetorious27]

Some pieces you cant play with much feeling others you can.I dont have to explain why to the know it all critic.The previous person speaks with a good heart.

[spruceorcedar]

Dear RareGuitarVC,

I was wondering where could i buy the sheet music of this piece? i need to submit the edition that i'm going to use for my exam

[piquedard]

well said! only mr chen zi could speak some intelligible (lol) language! as things stand now it seems to me he's talking chinese! (french say meaning I don't undestand!)

[opidacul]

I agree with that!!!!!!!!!

[00sven00sven00]

as much as i admire her(watching her on youtube actually inspired me to start classical guitar!) i still cant help but think she has the 'easy' job of just playing and interpreting other players pieces. imagine the mind of pagannini actually composing pieces like this. he set the standard, we just have to try and keep up!

[diegoescolochog]

Thats the difference between a composer and a performer.

[xxsamhalnxx]

for real! lol

[thejugglenaut91]

it's two different things altogether, symbiotic indeed. One cannot exist without the other.

[00sven00sven00]

true, i think because i come from a band oriented background, its expected that the songwriter is also the one performing the song. plus theres a great desire to be creative musically and explore, improvise and experiment with music. i would like to know if players like li jie actually write their own songs or if if its just their 'job' to play interpretations? im asking this in the nicest possible way, youtubers seem to have a knack for misinterpreting things and blowing stuff out of proportion

[thejugglenaut91]

i think it's a very interesting thing because we have people like david russell and julian bream who are just so mind blowingly good at playing yet they don't even think of composition, however good they may be at theory. That's who great composers write for, the greatest virtuosos. That's where the "symbiosis" comes in. Then we have people like agustin Barrios, roland dyens, and even chopin who are primarily performers who write amazing music.

[gembrandt86]

Li Jie, Evgeny Kissin (on piano), or other virtuoso performers are simply that: performers. They have superior technical ability and usually exhibit an understanding of a composer's original intent with a particular piece. This may or may not always result in a better interpretation of a musical piece, but their performance is undoubtedly stellar, even compared to other competent, skilled musicians. Another example is Stevie Ray Vaughn's Little Wing, which is better than Jimi's original.

[00sven00sven00]

well i guess we can at least be thankful theyre keeping and ancient tradition alive and giving us mere mortals the oppurtunity to see them play these pieces live! i think i would be more appreciative if i did actually see a world class concert (im sick of seeing bands!) they need to come to australia!!

[cobalt1878]

wow

[seahyimin]

that person was saying that you should play that acciatura 4 times everytime you encounter it so that you get to practise it more, rather than having to play the whole passage 4 times

[philosiva1]

lol wtf

she is obviously a master of the art.

she couldn't have gotten very far if she didn't have a passion for her music

[GlassYoda23]

Listen to her play, LISTEN!!! DO NOT WATCH.

Do you hear the feeling? HEAR IT!!! NOT SEE IT!!!

People are always quick to nay say on how others play. I agree with Fatallica1985 on this, and you should just shut the hell up, and practice, because you will probably never be a good as this. I sure as hell know that I won't. I might also express more feeling in it than her with my face but that doesn't matter: Music is about the sound, not the look.

[flamewarrio1]

The only reason i do not like this guitarist is becuase she has no feeling, and she has no passion for this instrument, she has been Playing with much help with his teacher, but peices like this must be played with Feeling.

[Fatallica1985]

the result is most important and she probably have more feeling than you but she don't express it so shut up and listen(learn too)

[prtky]

i think that i dont like to hear because it's too fast for my head to folow, but put your self in her place....it's soo very boring for her to play it slow when she can play like that!! and obviestly the music can be played that fast, so if you just folow her.... she has a better feeling then you have an ear to hear her feeling!!!! she's just beyond normal feeling i guess...uor normal feelings. lol.

[charlito55]

ke criticon ke eres pendejo, a ver cuelgo tu video si eres valiente y si sabes tocar mejor, te apuesto k no te va a gustar k te critiken. facil es criticar desde el anonimato como si fueras buen critico

[notoncemoreagain]

The "feeling" you are looking for... its a lack of skill. If you don't play it correctly as its notated, then you are making mistakes. But of course you will argue until you are blue in the face. Li Jie is a guitar master, and has more skill in one finger than 99.99% of all professional electric guitarists put together. Listen to someone shitty play and make mistakes on timing and tone, and I guess you can have all the feeling you want. jackass

[halaluani]

I disagree with your assertion that a lack of "feeling" is a lack of skill. There are many skilled guitarists who lack feeling. Feeling can't be taught, It comes from the heart. I think Li Jie plays with tremendous feeling but if one is looking at her, it is easy to be fooled by her expressionless face. To hear the feeling, merely close your eyes while listening to a full piece. It's there. IMO, It's not appropriate to critique this video as it is a masterclass not a performance.

[notoncemoreagain]

You're full of shit. This is a training video, and she isn't playing to full ability. There is no such thing as feeling.. there are vibrating strings... if the notes are hit the same, then the same vibrating frequencies come off the strings. Unless there is magic that changes the sound waves, its in your fucking head. If something is played verbatim, then its correct. As soon as you start to change the playing from the original notation, you are playing incorrectly. You cannot argue that.

[fufulog777]

tisk tisk tisk boy when you look at a composer who feels the direction of the music wether it be angry or sad your body reads and feels those same experssions however subtle they may be (through mirror neurons in the brain) enhancing the overall pleasure of the piece this is the true humanistic pleasure which makes live performances way better than mp3's (unless you've got some related phobia) further more when you listen to someones voice, level you can tell with the varying tone and level, the

[fufulog777]

emotions of the person, the same applies to music it is a human art notoncemoreagain geeze.

[notoncemoreagain]

You are full of shit. There is a notation for every type of sound that can be played. If its outside of what was written, then its incorrect. If it was written stacatto, 16th note... then its played that... its correct. You people that idolize someone because you heard if first are so full of shit. Just because SOMEONE ELSE played it doesn't mean they didn't have feeling because it isn't exactly like the way you heard it first. Pull your head out of your ass and listen to music, not preformer

[notoncemoreagain]

AND... you stupid fuck.. she is demonstrating the methods of practicing the piece... this is not a demonstration of her ability, its a how-to on learning the piece... I still stand by my statement though for any other piece preformed by any other person that plays it according to the written sheet music

[notoncemoreagain]

She was about 17 in that video... you play better big man...

[ghjkltyu]

well, what he was talking about was how to practice. essentially, he said that practicing the parts where you have the problems over and over again without the playing the whole song cuts down the practice time by about 3/4ths.

[notoncemoreagain]

I understand... someone said Li Jie is terrible and can't play from this video.. I was calling bullshit and saying she was working with a master, showing the best method for learning parts of a piece... playing the individual parts over and over, rather than going through the whole section each time for the small parts. I understand the video, someone else didn't and was being a dumb-shit..

[wlwak]

exactly so Mr. notoncemoreagain

Whenever I read stupid comments I just remind myself that half the population of the world has below average IQ and even those above average can be very stupid at times.

This video is clearly a pracitce session even if you can't read English or speak Chinese, it is obvious to a perceptive viewer.

[notoncemoreagain]

I like it when someone else in the world has a little bit of common sense. Clearly she can play so much better than is required, its actually awesome to hear a master playing the practice part... it gives reference to how it should sound without being able to masterfully play the part, before she lets it rip and plays it at full speed. Its a great video

[kauehb]

she is the best in acoustic guitar.

[jonnyasprin]

im glad i got to see Li Jie learning to play that,she has been a great inspiriation to me.

[carlosnocturne]

Caprice No. 24 Paganini

[BlankPagesImploding]

wow!

shes so fast at the end!!

[Lynnianaa]

And blamagenX, stop going through this video's thread and giving yourself +1 ratings. It's really pathetic.

Have a wonderful day.

[Lynnianaa]

"blamagenX (2 months ago)

Just mindlessly looping over a passage (and especially those terrible "repetitions off the mini pull-offs") kills the musical expression. It is a sign that here the technical ability if valued higher than any musical interpretive expression."

Wtf? If you haven't read the clip description, the video is instructional; it is designed to teach beginner guitarists about rhythm and tempo.

[billytbsiang]

wonderful teacher... hope i can a gf that can play as well as her ^^

[roastporkbun]

The only thing that is "missing" from Li Jie's performances are facial expressions. But who needs that when you can just close your eyes and listen to the MUSIC!

[buzzzz7777]

That's her style. Some are all over the place like a Elliot Fisk and some are more

"mechanical" looking like John Williams.

She's an unbelievably amazing talent.

[Ferriz701]

no manches su guitarra esta bien perrona

[11sharingan]

well no wonder she went to beyond godlike

[AlvaroMCA]

wow nice class, just check the results in 2:00

anyway...

tralalalalallalallaallaalal tatatatata dam dee dum lalala LAAAAAAAAAAAA

[novrainceo]

ohm,i wish i can play as her,..love you,li jie

[razorbak89]

tata tata tata tata trata trata trata trata ta!!

[FiatObscuritas]

xD lol!

[keto6789]

li jie is the maestro!!!!!!

[brassaflax]

pause at :35 lol

[xYEAHxKYLEx]

funny face lol

[NLwarzoneNL]

whahahahahahha:p

[FiatObscuritas]

xDhahahahahaha

[PeterInglisGuitar]

I would be absolutely fascinated to see video performances by any of these persistent internet-critics of Mr. Chen Zi I see below.

I myself have been a professional performer for over 30 years, and once again wholeheartedly recommend this video to anybody who wants to know how to practice music on the guitar.

This is an expert demonstration of what is of course in toto a complex and massive subject. Enjoy it and learn from it!

[0kei]

would you suggest it to someone who doesnt know how to speak chinese? (i think its chinese anyway)

[PeterInglisGuitar]

What I said was : (This video) is "a nice demonstration of the concept of "looping" in guitar practice."

So would recommend getting a musically educated guitar teacher and asking them to teach you about "Looping" in practice.

[0kei]

Oh ok, yeah I'm just trying to learn how to play and its been kindda hard so far.

[IMRezpected]

@0kei chinese isn't a language mandarin and cantanese however are.

[gumpert7]

@IMRezpected ... chinese IS a language. mandarin and cantonese are 2 of the many dialects

[TICETOCAR]

PeelTower amen! you've said exactly what I wanted to say. I like to add something too.. as a student you need to develop motorical skills.. precision/accuracy .. VERY important.. if you don't develop an let's say internal metronome, you don't know how to play rubato either.. take her "sunburst" renditions for example..there are 2 versions of her on youtube.. the 1st is when she was young.. playing really steady.. 2nd.. MUCH better.. it's all a process.. but do start out with metronome!! :-)

[PeelTower]

Either timing is integral to music or it isn't...why it should be considered as some kind of sin to have a well crafted facility with time signatures seems ridiculous in the extreme.

I honestly believe that those who don't like it are probably those who have lousy timing themselves. I know orchestral musicians who say quite openly that guitarits ususally have terrible timing. Keeping good time is essential for musicians....get over it.

[Luar23]

Hehehe... B.S. lol... I'm joking lol that's awsome I learned something too.

[st91bp7t]

ah...so that's the ancient Chinese secrete~~

[senescencia]

shut up kid, the chinese has big secrets that the occidental culture maybe never can understandt... the big secrets is: patience and effort

[JapJackson]

Ancient Chinese Secret!!!

From the Tide commercials way the fuck back!!!

AWESOME!!!!

[dbellezi]

The part of the tatata tatata tatata was very clear to me.

[Qpidon]

I learned something tonight,

[PeterInglisGuitar]

A nice demonstration of the concept of "looping" in guitar practice.

Notice that she is including the notes each side of the difficult move, and playing it all in it's musical context.

[EVETyrant]

Read the letters of Mozart. He goes into great detail about the usefulness of looping difficult passages and the often peculiar and entertaining effect of such practice.

[PeterInglisGuitar]

Good advice.

[blamagenX]

You may call it "looping" or whatever, but in reality it is just practice.

What is highly disturbing though, is the use of the metronome and the huge importance that Chen Zhi (at least in his earlier years) has given to the metronome.

EVETyrant's statement about Mozart may be misleading, since Mozart certainly did not use a metronome and neither did his father.

Chen knows how to teach: smooth precision...

But he still has lots to learn about European Classical traditions in a historic context

[blamagenX]

But so do many other so-called teachers! Today 2008, the world still abounds with metronomic interpretations, which are sadly considered standard.

Chen has tons of these modern guitar CD's. Don't you just now it!? He takes it as the standard and he drills his students to conformance.

Jie's performances are remarkable, and yet something is missing...

Don't you feel it? Can't you imagine it?

Chen does not need a metronome to teach well. I wonder if he actually realizes that!?

[blamagenX]

Just mindlessly looping over a passage (and especially those terrible "repetitions off the mini pull-offs") kills the musical expression. It is a sign that here the technical ability if valued higher than any musical interpretive expression.

If Li plays the work in a performance, ask yourself this: will the performance be driven by the endless repetitions that she did again, and again, and again...

or will it be driven by joy and musical expression?

Just sad.

[steviejoelie]

BlamagenX

get a clue. You can't learn and perform songs like these using only "joy and musical expression." Every great musician has to practice an insane amount and has to repeat certain parts more than others to get them down. Repeating parts to get them perfect does not mean you are a robot, or you have no feel for the music, or you don't enjoy playing in the same way as others. It means you are committed to perfection. Again, get a clue.

[DeepSeaSeamus]

why are the terrible anti-metronome comments upvoted so much? These people are fucking idiots, you need to learn the timings of a piece before you can manipulate them with rubato, to think that practicing with a metronome causes "sterile" playing is ridiculous. Strict adherence to timing is VITAL to learn how to properly understand expressive use of rubato.

[darkais776]

@DeepSeaSeamus

I agree. too many idiots think they can play something without having rhythym. i think ill use your response whenever i see morons complaining about playing to a metronome :)

[opidacul]

I want to tell you something my friend, Julian Bream had somethimes in his youth 12 hours a day practicing! and he made endless repetitiones on pieces, that s how you get good! that s how it get s natural after a while to play something. a heard a story once that rubinstein practiced several hours a day same thing, and not in his youth but when he was verry old!!!! the time you offer to the instrument equals how good you will play

[doublealufwaffe]

Well of course that is true for many. A great cellist once said "if stop practicing for one day, i notice; two, my wife notices; three , my neighbor notices". But that is not the case for everyone.

[opidacul]

is true what you say, as chef Gusteau said once (see ratatouille!) anyone can cook, but not everyone can become a great artist! that s were the talent enters. in the video Li Jie was 15 years old... when you see the performance of paganini caprice (the same age) you don t argue the talent... there were so many guys here who criticize her, but can rarely achive such playng...

[doublealufwaffe]

Regardless our opinion of her-wether or not we enjoy her interpretations- we must admire her facility.

[4gs8vh4gs8vh]

@opidacul glen gould used to practice insane hours!!!! up to 16-18 hours a day

[GIO5000]

@opidacul It doesn't apply only to practice with an instrument but in general

[TheNiceroad]

@opidacul Not sure I really agree with what you're saying. Some people are just more naturally talented than others. Some neuro-muscular, physical and hearing characteristics are already present in someone, or at least programmed, since the first day of living as an embryo. And when one starts with that gift and practices for hours and hours on every day, this is when you start seeing playing like Li Jie can. Others, no matter how hard, serious and long they will practice, will never get there.

[LaurinLysander]

@blamagenX Whether you like it or not, mastering technique comes before expressing yourself with musicality. It is impossible to play Caprice 24 without doing technical drills first. There is no joy and musical expression without technique first - otherwise everyone could play everything.

Also, I get the impression that you think technical drills are boring. That is not so. If you think otherwise, you've clearly never done them.

[EVETyrant]

I didn't say anything about Mozart using a metronome. Nor did I say anything about his father. You should do some more research at a more elevated level, not just Wikipedia or Intro to Classical Music (MUSC 101). The point I made is that Mozart explicitly states the usefulness of repeating a passage and it's 'peculiar effect' in terms of using a difficult passage.

[EVETyrant]

You seem to have all the answers and a negative view of metronomes. I've heard many many musicians who would benefit from the use of a tool like that. You seem to equate playing rubato with technical skill. Yet Chopin stated that when playing rubato, the left hand plays straight tempo beneath the right hand's rubato. And given the popularity of your comments, which clearly aren't founded in fact, but rather proclamation, I'd also say you are confusing the public in general with your statements.

[restyrrr]

Those who have done some research on Chopin and rubato, would most likely disagree with you.

Dont' let comment ratings fool you! The comments of blamagenX are unfortunately not popular at all! (They have a high rating because some friends and I decided we agree with it, and have been "artificially" pushing up the ratings. The reason for this is to spark people's interest and hopefully get them to do their own research on the subject. We don't want to force an opinion. Learn and form your own!)

[Rexicano]

@restyrrr

Oh, yes...lets all judge what's true in art by Popular vote...

so, we must discount any wisdom if it's not shared by the Masses.

The status quo is in favor of brain dead practice and lock step teaching;

Improvisation is lost in the Classical world and lazy teachers want to use metronomes as a babysitter...and that's just how it is.

East Indian musicians had no metronomes and could play far more complex rhythms than any Western player.

[dedog2003]

@Rexicano Dead Practice??? Do you play an instrument professionally? Anyone who plays or aspires to perform on an instrument at a high level knows that a metronome is not only helpful, but required to develop into that musician. Metronomes are great for studies and etudes that a required to develop the physical prowess required to play anything on your instrument (ESPECIALLY fingerstyle guitar). And if I had more space I would explain how you are wrong about Indian music too, but alas I dont

[Rexicano]

@dedog2003

Ah yes, the 25 year old expert on Indian music...from the USA.

Right.

So Indian musicians had metronomes for centuries and used them all the time.

Uh huh. Africans too, out in the jungle sent away to Mail Order Metronomes?

You're pretty stupid.

You don't know shit about the nonsense you pretend to know about. Alas, my ass.

[dedog2003]

@Rexicano Direct insults at myself...a deflection from the actual subject at hand? Interesting

[joshua9312]

@Rexicano yep