The Four Arts

Bonobo · #1

(This is somewhat of a crosspost of http://www.banjohangout.org/topic/270087)

Oddly enough, I have recently decided that, for completion of my delving into The Four Arts I need to explore the Banjo.

The Four Arts

- qin (the guqin, a stringed instrument. 琴) / Banjo

- qi (the strategy game of Go, 棋)

- shu ( Chinese calligraphy 書) / Can this be covered by my decades-long professional practise (and former teaching) of layout and typography?

- hua (Chinese painting 畫) / Photoshop, Photoshop

I’m well aware that counting my latter realizations as worthy counterparts of the ancient arts may be a bit cheeky, but … well, IMNSHO it’s also not about having to acquire virtuosity in these arts, it’s more about keeping a learner’s mind, to explore realms of expression and thought, to keep on pursuing disciplines in different areas, to train brain and senses to use a much as possible of what we’ve been given.

Greetings,

Tom in Germany :-)

msgreg · #2

From my very amateur perspective, there seem to be three main styles.

(times and styles particular to the US)
Clawhammer, 1800-1900 US
Rhythmic 1900's - 1930's US. "Banjo Band" era
Bluegrass 1950's Scruggs, Monroe

I like Clawhammer in particular.

What style has sparked your interest?

EdLee · #3

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tchan001 · #4

Typing 'H' for 'Help'?

palapiku · #5

Why banjo?

Buri · #6

banjo is clearly a neologism derived from 'goban' and 'joseki.'
It's a good job he didn't pick 'fuseki' and 'ko' for the job.

Bonobo · #7

msgreg wrote:

From my very amateur perspective, there seem to be three main styles.

(times and styles particular to the US)
Clawhammer, 1800-1900 US
Rhythmic 1900's - 1930's US. "Banjo Band" era
Bluegrass 1950's Scruggs, Monroe

I like Clawhammer in particular.

What style has sparked your interest?

Well, Clawhammer is what I believe to be the easiest for my olden fingers which show some signs of arthritic degeneration, and I was particularly motivated to get me a Cello Banjo after listening to stuff like this:

What will come after I’ve begun my exploration of the banjo … I don’t know. But I’ve been warned that once I’d begun, this would not stay the only banjo I’d acquire. But then again I also have more Go sets than I need for myself alone :-D

(OK, this is not surprising since I’m the host of the local Go playing evening, and I’m the only one around here enthusiastic enough to purchase playing material, therefore, if I want there to be a meeting place for players, it’s all in my responsibility :-|

)

BTW meanwhile I’m on page 60 of “Banjo for Dummies” :-D

and the ETA is sometime tomorrow, and I’m sitting in a puddle of saliva.

Ed,

uhm, I fear I don’t get it. I’m always embarrassed if I don’t get a joke or pun. Please explain this to me thick villager ;-)

palapiku wrote:

Why banjo?

Good question.

One piece of music that’s always touched me, though I’m not an especially avid fan of The Eagles, was “The Journey Of The Sorcerer”:

And here is a version by an aspiring banjo player:

I’m sure many of you will happily recognize this piece :-)

But why exactly? Well, I had some experience with string instruments in my youth and 20s, and always had a guitar laying around and plucked it every now and then, but never had enough discipline to work towards at least some virtuosity, also the sheer number of strings always confused me :-D

The Banjo I’m getting me is a 5-string banjo, the 5th string usually being plucked somewhat like a drone so mostly I don’t need to fret it, leaving four strings, and these are tuned in a somewhat “easier” way than the guitar, as far as I understand, and also the Cello banjo’s fingerboard is a bit wider than those of the Ukuleleleles and Mandolins I’ve played around with, so I expect it to be easier for me to come to satisfying results relatively soon.

I’m very excited.

And thanks, folks, that I may share things with you that superficially are so far away from Go :-)

Greetings, Tom

logan · #8

Bonobo wrote:

One piece of music that’s always touched me, though I’m not an especially avid fan of The Eagles, was “The Journey Of The Sorcerer”:

Great song, and I'm not particularly a fan of the Eagles either : )

You may also remember the song from the intro of the original 1981 BBC television adaptation of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

(You can hear the banjo better in this higher quality video,
http://youtu.be/mIo4Z785Co4?t=2m21s.)

palapiku · #9

Bonobo wrote:

The Banjo I’m getting me is a 5-string banjo, the 5th string usually being plucked somewhat like a drone so mostly I don’t need to fret it, leaving four strings, and these are tuned in a somewhat “easier” way than the guitar, as far as I understand, and also the Cello banjo’s fingerboard is a bit wider than those of the Ukuleleleles and Mandolins I’ve played around with, so I expect it to be easier for me to come to satisfying results relatively soon.

Yeah... I'm sorry but that's not really a Four Arts mindset

Good for you, though. Playing music is always great.

Bonobo · **#10**

palapiku wrote:

[..] Yeah... I'm sorry but that's not really a Four Arts mindset

Aha, so … you have some deeper knowledge about the Four Arts? I certainly have close to none. (No need to be sorry, though—IF I’m an idiot then at least I’m a HAPPY idiot :-P

)

I just felt free to interpret them, I adapted them to fit for me. I mean, I know that a banjo is not as elaborate as a guqin (but I can play flageolette aka harmonics on it, too, if not as many). So … you probably mean what I wrote re: “more easily”, etc.? I don’t think it’s about always having to go the hardest way. It’s more about … going deeper into something with an exploring, open mind. But that’s just my interpretation, curious to read about yours.

Quote:

Good for you, though. Playing music is always great.

:-)

See, it’s just a new road for me to go, a new space to explore more deeply than I did before, not just with the instrument but also in my mind. I’m excited. Within 17 hours I’ll know more.

EdLee · **#11**

Hi Bonobo,

Enjoy the banjo!

palapiku · **#12**

Bonobo wrote:

Aha, so … you have some deeper knowledge about the Four Arts? I certainly have close to none. (No need to be sorry, though—IF I’m an idiot then at least I’m a HAPPY idiot :-P

)

I just felt free to interpret them, I adapted them to fit for me. I mean, I know that a banjo is not as elaborate as a guqin (but I can play flageolette aka harmonics on it, too, if not as many). So … you probably mean what I wrote re: “more easily”, etc.? I don’t think it’s about always having to go the hardest way. It’s more about … going deeper into something with an exploring, open mind. But that’s just my interpretation, curious to read about yours.

The guqin in ancient China was in opposition to all the other instruments. Other instruments were for fun. Guqin was for self-cultivation. A scholar would never profane himself by playing a low class instrument like the ruan (a kind of Chinese banjo). Other instruments would be played to entertain a crowd; the guqin, alone or for a few friends. Guqin music was the opposite of approachable - you needed practice and understanding just to enjoy listening to it, much less to play it.

The thing about all these characteristics is that they place guqin in a very similar position to that occupied by go among board games. Neither is approachable. Neither is meant to be easy. Even compared to chess, people often complain that go is just too difficult and abstract. Guqin is like that, too.

Among modern Western instruments, the classical guitar has a similar exalted status. Other instruments may have comparable or greater depth (piano, violin) but they don't quite have that inward focus. But I'm not advocating any instruments, I was just commenting re "more easily" as motivation for your choice. To me, that's definitely backwards to the ideal of the four arts.

Bonobo · **#13**

I know, Palapiku.

Methinks I should’ve put irony tags all around my opening post … is it not obvious, from my equating of layout and “Photoshop Photoshop” with calligraphy and painting—not to speak of that abominable banjo!—that I’m rather a peasant than a nobleman?

This is just a lowly villager pursuing the Four Arts interpreted in a villagerly way.
You may enjoy e=mc², I’m happy I can count to twenty—when I take off my shoes.

:roll:

I guess my attitude towards Go is likewise … lowly: IF I have time at all, I’ll always prefer a Real Life game with one of the kids I’m teaching Go, giving them nine stones on 9x9, over an internet game with somebody stronger than me so that I could learn.

Peace, Tom
(know why banjo player brain is most expensive at the butcher’s while violinist and pianist brain is much cheaper?)

<edit>

And, oh, I forgot: Re: “more easily”—I wrote something about getting satisfying results more easily, which makes this totally subjective, because the person I want to satisfy with this is … me. I want something that makes it easier for me to … stick with it, and my motivation for this is that I want to go deeper into it. But … maybe we will never speak the same language in this regard … never mind :-)

</edit>

SoDesuNe · **#14**

I started to play the classic guitar a week ago, so good luck and more fun to us both =)

My "Four Arts" are ajar to the Faustian PhDs ^^ (Law, Medicine, Philosophy and Economy)

Bonobo · **#15**

SoDesuNe wrote:

I started to play the classic guitar a week ago, so good luck and more fun to us both =)

Thanks

best wishes back atcha!

Quote:

My "Four Arts" are ajar to the Faustian PhDs ^^ (Law, Medicine, Philosophy and Economy)

But no theology, luckily :-D

Nevertheless, mit heißem Bemüh’n …

Herzliche Grüße,

Tom

Inkwolf · **#16**

Bonobo wrote:

SoDesuNe wrote:

I started to play the classic guitar a week ago, so good luck and more fun to us both =)

Thanks

best wishes back atcha!

I picked up the trumpet again recently after 30 years of not playing. If we're ever all together, we will have to jam. ^^

Splatted · **#17**

Inkwolf wrote:

Bonobo wrote:

SoDesuNe wrote:

I started to play the classic guitar a week ago, so good luck and more fun to us both =)

Thanks

best wishes back atcha!

I picked up the trumpet again recently after 30 years of not playing. If we're ever all together, we will have to jam. ^^

Count me in on that! Can there be anything better than a day of go and music?

skydyr · **#18**

Splatted wrote:

Inkwolf wrote:

Bonobo wrote:

Thanks

best wishes back atcha!

I picked up the trumpet again recently after 30 years of not playing. If we're ever all together, we will have to jam. ^^

Count me in on that! Can there be anything better than a day of go and music?

A week?

Bantari · **#19**

Guitar I can understand, but trumpet?... banjo?... I thought you talking about music.

Joaz Banbeck · **#20**

skydyr wrote:

...
A week?

Go Congress?

The Four Arts

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