為何愛中樂？怎去愛上他？Why love Chinese music? How to fall in love with it?

我自六歲便開始學二胡。人人問我是不是音樂世家，我便答：媽媽很愛聽歌，算是音樂世家嗎？當然不是。當我還是小薯仔一棵時，媽媽帶著我報名學二胡，那時二胡比我還要高。雖然如此，我學習兩堂就愛上二胡，原因是啟蒙老師示範了山東漢族民歌《簫》。那時我以僅有對中國音樂的幻想，純粹的感覺「好好聽」及想起詩意的山水畫，便開始與二胡一見鐘情，直到今天當了我生命中最親密的伴侶。回想起那感覺，依然強烈。

音樂，往往就是跟語言相輔相成。中文既是我們母語，所以聽起中國音樂，即使是當時仍是一棵薯仔的我，也感覺「好好聽」，像廣東人愛喝普洱茶一樣，入口回甘潤喉。至於，也不少朋友也告訴我，他們真的不懂音樂，也不喜歡。對呀，都不是每個廣東人也喜歡喝普洱。但如果未至於討厭的話，也值得一試，反正對身體無害，說不定一聽愛上。想學習去喜歡中樂，可先由簡單優美的作起步點。但何謂簡單優美？相信大家不會否認中國風景山水都是充滿如詩如畫的美態，這個感覺是純粹直接，亦可能是人對大自然的情意結。中國就有不少民歌是描述中國山水好風光及花鳥蟲魚，例如江蘇民歌《茉莉花》、湖南民歌《瀏陽河》及雲南民歌《小河淌水》等。那如何去品嘗呢？假如你承認自己是「唔識欣賞」但又不至於討厭的話，又怕與中樂這位新朋友獨處時有尷尬dead air，不防找多一兩位陪伴，例如一杯中國茶及一幅你喜歡的中國畫，相信自己聽覺、視覺及味覺的合作，暫時把繁瑣的生活事先擱置，放鬆心情，靜心欣賞中國樂曲，配品嚐一口香茶及畫作，相信你耳朵一定會愛上這種可愛的音樂。

I started learning erhu when I was six years old. Everyone asked me if I came from a musical family, and I would reply, "Does it count as a musical family if my mom loves listening to songs?" Of course not. When I was just a little child, my mom enrolled me in erhu classes, and at that time, the erhu was taller than me. Despite that, after only two lessons, I fell in love with the erhu because my teacher demonstrated a Shandong Han ethnic folk song called 'Xiao.' At that time, with my limited imagination of Chinese music, I simply felt that it sounded 'really good' and evoked imagery of picturesque landscapes. That was the moment I fell in love with the erhu, and it has remained my closest companion in life until today. Reflecting on that feeling, it still remains strong.

Music often complements language. Since Chinese is our mother tongue, listening to Chinese music, even when I was still a little child, I felt it sounded 'really good,' just like how Cantonese people enjoy drinking Pu'er tea, leaving a sweet aftertaste. However, some friends have told me that they genuinely don't understand or like music. Yes, not every Cantonese person enjoys drinking Pu'er tea either. But if you don't dislike it, it's worth giving it a try. After all, it's harmless to the body, and you might fall in love with it upon listening. If you want to learn to love Chinese music, you can start with simple and beautiful compositions. But what does 'simple and beautiful' mean? I believe no one would deny that Chinese landscapes are filled with poetic beauty, a pure and direct feeling that may be a sentimental connection to nature. China has many folk songs that describe the beautiful scenery, flowers, birds, and fish, such as the Jiangsu folk song 'Jasmine Flower,' the Hunan folk song 'Liuyang River,' and the Yunnan folk song 'Small Stream Flowing.' How can you savor them? If you admit that you 'don't know how to appreciate' but don't dislike it either, and you're afraid of awkward dead air when spending time alone with Chinese music, you can find a couple of companions, such as a cup of Chinese tea and a painting you like. I believe that the collaboration of your auditory, visual, and gustatory senses, temporarily setting aside the complexities of life, relaxing your mood, and quietly appreciating Chinese music while enjoying a sip of fragrant tea and the artwork, will make your ears fall in love with this lovely music.