But Liu Quan Hai wasn’t done; he took two steps back and upon closer inspection, he realized that the person playing the strings was not a musician, but Xia Yiwei’s son.
The young man was caught off guard; he had no idea Qi Shejiang could play the sanxian, muttering, “Not bad, I guess.”
However, in the next moment, when Xia Yiwei sang the chorus, “It’s not dreaming of feelings in the world, waking to desolation,” the song’s emotion reached a climax, and the sanxian produced several sliding middle string notes that surprisingly mimicked the soft calls of wild geese.
Liu Quan Hai couldn’t hide his admiration and turned to the young man, “Skilled transformation of string sounds conveys emotion with objects, expressing forms through sounds; can such skill still be out of tune?”
The young man was also bewildered, a little embarrassed, and replied, “…You should listen to the big drum at the back!”
Who says that just because the strings are played well, the singing must be good?”
That made a certain sense, and Liu Quan Hai settled back down, no longer wanting to leave.
Just then, Xia Yiwei finished the chorus, and it was Qi Shejiang’s turn to sing: “Paper window, Mei shadow, the moon is just rising—”
In the second performance, Qi Shejiang was even more familiar with the routine, starting in a low tone, with a melodious pitch. The ending note was gently drawn out yet still retained tension.
This was a type of singing style in zidi shu, known as “quewei,” which is often used in scenic descriptions or emotional segments.
The singing method in zidi shu is divided into two factions, with the Eastern City tone being spirited and flamboyant, while the Western City tone is gentle and winding. The teacher who taught Qi Shejiang zidi shu mainly focused on the Western City tone, making it particularly suitable for singing “He Bi Xi Xiang.”
The young man was delighted, “This is it, this is it, listen up, what does this sound like?”
It can’t be blamed on him that people in the know are speaking in layman’s terms. Otherwise, just based on his singing skills, it’s clear it has nothing to do with being off-key.
