1、 Technical Level of Work

2、 Accessories Set Up

3、 Quality of Varnish lacquer

4、 Overall Style and Character

5、 Quality of Timber

6、 Strength of Tone

7、 Balance Between Strings

8、 Playability

These standards have a very clear literal meaning, and in the competition rules, these scores account for a similar proportion. How can we gain a deeper understanding of what a good qin is from these scoring items? We must delve into these projects, with half being the cause and the other half being the result.

The process level, wood quality, lacquer quality, and accessory settings are the "reasons", while the other four are the "results". The birth of a good qin is closely related to the first four "reasons", and the weight of their impact on a qin is as follows:

(Wood 40%+Qin paint 10%)+(Craftsmanship 40%+Setting 10%)

The front is the material, and the back is the skill of the qin maker. That is to say, the quality of a qin is determined by more than half of the material (because the material of the accessories is also related). The qin maker is the one who integrates these factors. A competent qin maker can select exquisite wood from thousands of woods, and then match the panel and back panel. Only by selecting the right material can the craftsmanship be fully utilized.

There are several detailed rules for the competition, which are listed separately in the regulations. One of them is that the instruments participating in the competition must be made by a single qin maker and must be made using the internal modeling method.

Simply put, it's not difficult to make a good qin. You just need to select the right materials, and then the qin maker takes their strengths seriously. They work hard and patiently wait for the lacquer to dry, doing every step solidly. In every achievable link, they put their heart into it. That's all. The only downside is that they are very tired and slow, and cannot produce in large quantities!

There is a key point here, which is for a qin maker to independently produce a qin. However, in the face of the logic of industrial mass production, such inefficient production is obviously not a solution. Some people have thought, can we use production lines for mass production?

Many violin manufacturing techniques are not secrets. By dismantling these processes and assigning them to well-trained production line employees, each focusing on the production of each component, not only is the quality excellent, but the output is also large. However, it is strange that the European piano produced in this way, despite its exquisite appearance and excellent coating, still cannot match the sound of a craftsman's piano. What is the reason for this?