Li Jie... What is she doing???

[cdikland]

I found this video of someone named Li Jie playing Tarega's Gran Jota. At about 5:40 minutes into the video she plays harmonics using only her left hand. :shock: I have never seen anyone do this before. Anyone know how she does this?

I have extracted from the video the harmonic parts and uploaded (Windows Media player or any video player that can display mpeg) to my web site here:
http://www.ckdsolutions.com/guitar/lijie.mpg
and here:
http://www.ckdsolutions.com/guitar/lijie.wmv

The entire video (worth seeing/hearing) can be found here: http://melos.cau.ac.kr/zboard/data/Gran_jota.wmv
Dialup users Note: THE FILE IS 18MB SIZE.
Let me know if you have trouble getting to it. I'll upload a copy to my website.

[edwardcav]

There are natural harmonics on the guitar. On a better guitar, harmoncs appear above nearly every fret.

On most guitars, harmonics can be sounded by hovering your left finger over the 12th and 7th frets, and 5th and 9th for better guitars.

Try it.

[Peach4091]

She is using her 1st finger to touch the node of a natural harmonic (one you can do without fretting a string) and using the 3rd to lightly pluck the string. It can be a cumbersome technique when first learned but is actually not too hard when you get the feel of it down.

There are many ways of performing both natural and artificial harmonics it just depends on the situation which one would be best to use. Some also, like that one, look really cool when performed.

Peach

[cdikland]

So basically the LH technique is similar to creating artifical harmonics with the index and ring fingers of the RH. Given she is playing only natural harmonics, would it not have been easier, albeit not quite as impressive, for her to use just the RH instead? I had enough problems learning how to play artificial harmonics using BOTH my hands but I could probably handle natural harmonics using the same technique because I wouldn't have to worry about placing my LH fingers.

I have never seen anyone use this technique before. I wonder if using just the left hand was what Tarrega intended, is more effective in this situation than using the LH/RH combination or is she "grand standing"? In any case, it's pretty slick and she does it well.

[bob]

I clicked on the entire video and just got a page full of chinese writing.

Bob

[keith]

if she is taller than the guitar she is playing it is not by much. never again will i b%*tch and moan about stretching for notes. what an impressive display of technique!

[cdikland]

After I posted the original link I found another video of a girl named Xuefei Yang playing the same piece. It looks like a home video so the image/sound is not very good. So why would you want to check her out?
SHE WAS ONLY 12 YEARS OLD when this video was shot !!!! :shock:
http://www.xuefeiyang.net/grandjota.wmv


Sometime back I found reference to her on some web site. It said that J. Williams gave her one of his fine guitars which she uses most of the time now. She deserved it!!!

[robithinker]

She is quite good. Check out her Koyunbaba, it's very impressive. I also really enjoyu her Sunburst.

http://melos.cau.ac.kr/zboard/data/Serenata_Espanola.wmv
http://melos.cau.ac.kr/zboard/data/Sunburst.wmv
http://melos.cau.ac.kr/zboard/data/Prelude_Bach.wmv
http://melos.cau.ac.kr/zboard/data/Koyunbaba.wmv
http://melos.cau.ac.kr/zboard/data/Choro_Brasil.wmv
http://melos.cau.ac.kr/zboard/data/Paganini_Caprice_no_24.wmv
http://melos.cau.ac.kr/zboard/data/Estudio_sobre_una_giga_de_Bach.wmv
http://melos.cau.ac.kr/zboard/data/Vals_no_4.wmv
http://melos.cau.ac.kr/zboard/data/Vals_Venezolane_no_1.wmv
http://melos.cau.ac.kr/zboard/data/Gran_jota.wmv


Cheers,
Robi

[sseow]

http://www.artguitar.net/album.htm

c the photos of yang with her smallman 1997... someone on this site offer 2 sell this guitar 2 any interest party.... JW gave this to yang when they first met.

seow
singapore

[mike22777]

I am quite sure the guitar for sell is not the one that JW gave to Xuefei Yang.
JW gave his Smallman to Xuefei Yang in 1995 after his concert tour, how come the guitar marked with year 1997.
There is an article on Xuefei Yang's web site wrote by Xuefei Yang herself, mentioned about the guitar that she had used. From there you can get more information.
http://www.xuefeiyang.com/instrument.html

[sseow]

i was asked by many people who have seen li jie played on the video what guitars she used....
1. the one with the spruce top is labelled under chen zhi (prof. chen zhi is the one who deliver the masterclass to li jie for those of u who have the 6vcd), made by asturias (japan) for the china market only. model: 070. price USD 2400 retail in china.
2. the one with the cedar top is made by mario gropp of german. price Euro 5000...
http://www.gropp-gitarren.de/english/default.htm
many of chen zhi's students use gropp guitar.
seow
singapore