Pitch Perfect
Feb 24, 2022
4 minutes
By Li Qing
It was percussionist Li Zhuowen’s first appearance on Guoyue Dadian, a reality competition and grand celebration of China’s national music scene.
The show’s hashtag has garnered nearly 300 million views on social media platform Weibo. And Li chose to make the most of its engulfing popularity—by making a bold statement.
He opted to forego accompanied improvisation, using only a dagu (the Chinese bass drum) and a set of paigu
(a drum set). “The way that can be explained is not the Unchanging Way. The name that can be named is not the Unchanging Name…” Instead of launching into song or beats, Li started reciting the first chapter of the Tao Te Ching.
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