70-year-old Li Qingbin: Life with Matouqin is full of fun
Source: Bianliang Evening News
Author: Wei Haiyang
Release time: 2022-07-16 10:00:39
All media reporter Wei Haiyang Intern Mao Wenyuan
“The beautiful night is so quiet, and only the sound of my piano is left on the grassland…” In the cultural performance held by the Kangle Community in our city recently, Li Qingbin and Qin friends performed for the programs “The Sun That Never Rises on the Prairie” and “The Prairie” Night” male solo with matouqin accompaniment. At that time, the weather was hot, and Li Qingbin used the sound of the piano to bring everyone to feel the vast grassland, the howling wind, the sound of galloping horses’ hooves… The sound of the piano was deeply compassionate and ethereal, and was widely praised by the masses.
Li Qingbin is 70 years old this year. He has studied erhu, banhu, accordion and other instrumental music, and has a certain musical foundation. After retiring, I have plenty of free time. I heard the unique sound of matouqin by chance and wanted to try it out. At that time, he encountered some changes in his life, and he was in a low mood for a time, and wanted to change his mood by learning matouqin. After making up his mind to learn matouqin, in November 2015, he went to Hohhot to attend a training class and studied for two months in an unfamiliar place. At that time, there were many young people in his class who were already at a high level of matouqin, and Li Qingbin was the oldest student among them. Although Li Qingbin has the foundation of instrumental music performance, the movements and tuning of the matouqin are opposite to those of the erhu, and it is difficult to learn. During practice, although the posture of holding the matouqin for a long time is uncomfortable, Li Qingbin is diligent and motivated, practicing the piano for more than 6 hours a day. Later, because of the extremely cold January in Inner Mongolia and physical reasons, he returned to Kaifeng and insisted on self-study. In the process of continuous learning and improvement, he made many friends. What impressed him the most was one day in 2017, when he was entertaining with Qinyou in Kaifeng Shuixian, an old gentleman in his 80s always looked at him from a distance. Later, Li Qingbin did not go for two days. The old gentleman asked regarding Li Qingbin’s situation with great concern, and even went to Li Qingbin specifically. After the conversation, the old gentleman knew literature and art, and he came to Kaifeng to visit relatives. When the two talked regarding the emotional part, they mightn’t help but burst into tears. “I still remember that the old man said that the connotation of “Hongyan” is very deep, and he did not use high pitches to convey his feelings when playing. Li Qingbin said that in his mind, the old gentleman expressed his emotions in the concept of grassland songs and grassland songs. gave him a lot of inspiration. Although he did not ask the old gentleman’s name and contact information at the time, Li Qingbin was deeply impressed by this friendship related to Matouqin, and he studied harder. Later, he organized and established the Voice of the Prairie Band, whose skills have been improved in performances.
Due to the sedentary practice of matouqin, Li Qingbin suffered from lumbar disc herniation and had to suspend the practice of his beloved matouqin and the band. “If I didn’t suffer from lumbar disc herniation, I would definitely stick to this thing I like.” Li Qingbin said that since 2020, he has been actively receiving treatment, and the lumbar disc herniation has been relieved a lot. On July 1st this year, he and his band mates regrouped and reappeared on the stage, continuing to use the matouqin to express their enthusiasm and sorrow in their hearts. “The timbre of the matouqin is high-pitched, rough, and has a special kind of hoarseness. There is a “War Horse Galloping” in the erhu, and there is also a “Pentium of Ten Thousand Horses” in the matouqin, but the “Pentium of Ten Thousand Horses” in the matouqin is warmer and more realistic than the erhu , closer to the vast and vast grassland… the sound is so beautiful.” Li Qingbin said.
For so many years, it was Matouqin who took him out of his anxiety. Today, he rehearses songs with his friends every Tuesday and Friday, and hopes to contribute to the cultural and recreational activities of the community. Li Qingbin said that in the future, the Voice of the Prairie should be organized to continue the wonderful musical journey.
