Thousands of pounds of words are sung in vain. Three minutes of chanting and seven minutes of composition. It’s better to lose in the backstage than in the frontstage. Only high art is allowed, no boldness is allowed. It was difficult to say a word on the spot. He denied his father on the spot. A thousand lessons are worth less than a glimpse. One is clear, the other is confused, and the third is missing (the result of unfounded treatment is: the first time is acceptable, the second time is blurry, and the third time is forgotten). The technique must be steady, accurate and ruthless. Art is inseparable from the hand, music is inseparable from the mouth.
(The above is excerpted from "Memoirs of Qi Rushan", written by Qi Rushan, China Drama Publishing House)
Learn and learn while learning. Learn more and learn more. One minute on stage, ten years of hard work off stage. The mountain is high and hard work is the path, and the sea of ????art is the boat. Without a bone-chilling cold, there is no way to get the fragrance of plum blossoms. The edge of a sword comes from sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. To win in front of others, one must suffer behind others. The four-character formula for actors: learn (imitation), learn (acquisition of skills), Tong (comprehension), and transform (re-create). Proficient in all eighteen martial arts. If you have mastered Kung Fu, you won’t have stage fright on stage. Nankun (Kunshan tune), Beiyi (Yiyang tune), Dongliu (Liuzi tune), and Xibang (Bangzi tune). He who recognizes talents and teaches others is outstanding, but blindly teaches and misleads others. The gardener's blood and sweat nurture the buds, and those who enjoy the flowers must thank those who nurture them. Gather the strengths of others to make up for your own shortcomings. Those who learn from me will live, those who resemble me will die. (Qi Baishi language). On stage, drama is about style, but off stage, personality is about personality. Rescue is like putting out a fire. Those who sing the opera are "madmen" and those who watch the opera are "idiots". A cry on the stage brings tears to thousands of people in the audience; a laugh on the stage brings joy to thousands of people in the audience. Those who know how to watch a theater will know the rules, but those who don’t know how to watch a theater will watch the excitement. It combines villaginess with harmony, education with pleasure, and reason with emotion.
Qi is the source of sound, and Qi is the commander of sound. One is stealing breath, the other is breathing, the third is luck, and the fourth is jetting. Take a big breath, thief is angry, don't yell, leave some room. If the Qi is thick, the sound will be floating; if the Qi is weak, the sound will be thin; if the Qi is thick, the sound will be stagnant; if the Qi is scattered, the sound will be exhausted. The upper Dantian (between the eyebrows on the head cavity and sinuses) is the point for vocalization, the middle Dantian (navel, upper abdomen, diaphragm) is the breath support point, and the lower Dantian (the lower abdomen three fingers below the navel) is the point for raising Qi and exerting force. There are three elements of vocal tone: enunciation, accent, and breath.
Capturing words is like catching a rabbit. Each word is as round as a bead. If one word is out of tune, the whole game will be lost. It is necessary to bite the word accurately, but not to bite the word to death. Don’t use the phonetic sound to surround the word, but use the word to have the phonetic sound. Don't eat words, don't chew words, don't wrap words, don't cut words. Singing and speaking unclearly is like killing someone with a blunt knife. The words are like bones, the rhyme is like flesh, and the rhythm is like the teacher. Bite the beginning of the word, send the belly of the word, and close the end of the word. Don’t hold your voice low when speaking in a flat voice. The upper voice is loud and powerful. The going voice is clear and mournful for the distant road. The entering voice is short and urgent. Sing in a single line, not in a large area. If it is a single line, the sound will be clear and steady; if it is a large area, the sound will be scattered and shallow. Silk is not as good as bamboo, and bamboo is not as good as meat.
Understand the mood of the song, express its meaning, understand the reason of the play, and know the mood of the play. If the actor is not emotional, the audience will not be interested; if the actor is not emotional, the audience will not be sympathetic; if the actor is not moved, the audience will not be interested; if the actor is not moved, the audience will be distracted. You cannot have one person with one face and one song with one thousand songs; you should strive to have one person with one thousand faces and one song with many changes. The drama of having feelings without reason is performed crookedly, the drama of having reason without emotion is performed dryly. Sing when you are full and hungry.
If the sound is loose or dark, shout "咿" more often. If the sound is tight or the throat is heavy, practice the "ah" sound. The spirit is free and the heart is peaceful; the diet is moderate, and the cold and warmth are careful; the daily life is timely, and the work and rest are even; practicing the voice to maintain the voice is valuable and perseverant; from low to high, do according to one's ability; the five notes are full, and the plot is sung. (These 48 words are Mei Lanfang’s experience in practicing voice training to protect his throat)
If there is a sound, it would be like not having a sound, but if there is no sound, there is a sound. The adagio needs to be tight, the allegro needs to be steady, and the loose tempo needs to be accurate. Don’t drag the slow tempo, don’t rush the fast tempo, and don’t break up the loose tempo.
Clear words with strong enunciation, moving rhythm and touching pronunciation.