Message-ID: <alpine.NEB.2.20.1702110034420.14114@panix3.panix.com>
From: Alan Sondheim <sondheim@panix.com>
To: Cyb <cybermind@listserv.wvu.edu>, Wryting-L <WRYTING-L@listserv.wvu.edu>
Subject: Dragon and Phoenix in quietude
Date: Sat, 11 Feb 2017 00:39:54 -0500 (EST)
Dragon and Phoenix in quietude http://www.alansondheim.org/DandP5.jpg http://www.alansondheim.org/DandP1.jpg http://www.alansondheim.org/DandP2.jpg http://www.alansondheim.org/DandP3.jpg http://www.alansondheim.org/DandP4.jpg Dragon Pool, Phoenix Pond There are two sound-holes on the back of a qin. The larger is known as long chi or dragon pond. The smaller is called feng zhao or phoenix lake. Stephen Dydo and I are releasing Dragon and Phoenix on ESP-Disk in the near future. We have a number of images for the cd cover. I wanted to take some pictures of the sound-holes of my qin, which is probably two-hundred or more years old. It has been through terrible conditions over the years, but Stephen restored it and it sounds wonderful. So I photographed the sound-holes, including the odd inserts (one of which, in the Phoenix Lake or Pond, has a crack). They were difficult to photograph; I love the result however, which for me relates to the tone of the wood, dry with an odd resonance, quiet and responsive. Here are the images, and they are the 'idea' of this piece, the soul of the wood and lacquer for me. You can hear the sound through the image; you can hear the sound on some of our cds. The new one is recorded otherwise, with Stephen's beautiful instruments.