[Music] A Fingerstyle Piece that Moves the Sea and Sky

Author: JEFFI CHAO HUI WU

Time: 2025-7-23 Wednesday, 5:57 AM

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[Music] A Fingerstyle Piece that Moves Heaven and Earth

I have played this piece more than a thousand times. Not to show off my skills, nor to go viral, but because it flows out of me naturally like air. I am practicing "Exodus," but not in a traditional arrangement; I have arranged it into a complete fingerstyle piece that incorporates melody, percussion, strumming, rhythm, and shakers all performed by one person. From beginning to end, it requires multitasking and a complete structure; any looseness in one part will cause the whole piece to collapse, just like a Tai Chi move losing its silk reeling energy.

Every performance is actually like a complete practice. When I reach the climax in the middle of the piece, my heart rate often spikes, my breathing deepens, and my chest vibrates. It's not because my hands are tired, but because the energy is flowing, emotions are surging, and my whole being is colliding with an invisible exit. Every early morning, I practice by the sea, standing in horse stance and practicing Tai Chi with sword, then sitting in the car to play the piano. At this point, I no longer need to think about the melody, because the entire piece has already merged with the rhythm of my vital energy. I am not playing with my hands, but breathing with my entire structure.

Many people do not understand how a guitar can produce such a strong momentum. I say this guitar is an extension of my standing meditation. The main melody is the breath, the tapping is the heartbeat, and the shakers represent the flow of blood. When this piece is played in its entirety, it creates the aura of a small band, and the conductor of this "band" is the flow of energy within myself.

I am not religious, nor do I have a particular fascination with religious symbols, but what moves me about the Book of Exodus is that it represents a journey, a release after struggle. I added an epilogue to it, not to show off, but to bring closure. The original piece ends abruptly, while I gently incorporated a soft melody at the end, like the concluding movements of Tai Chi after practice, like the calm of the sea after a storm. It is not victory, but relaxation in exhaustion, a deep breath after breaking free from a cage.

The most shocking moment was after a morning exercise. I had just finished playing the climax section for the second time when suddenly the rising sun broke through the thick clouds, casting golden rays that filled the sea. The sound of the piano still echoed at my fingertips, and the morning glow surged in my eyes. I felt as if I were not sitting in the car, but rising together with the entire universe. I had never felt like I was "playing a piece"; I knew that at that moment I was "being propelled by the airflow to express myself." I became the outlet for the energy field and the resonance point of that sea and sky.

It should be particularly noted that this piece "Exodus" is my own adaptation, and I actually do not understand music theory, nor do I recognize simplified notation or staff notation; I am completely musically illiterate. All my creations rely not on music theory, but on the feeling of energy after standing meditation, the rhythm of the body, and the cadence of life. This piece is not something I "composed"; it is something I "felt out" bit by bit with my body.

I have never seen a similar performance style online. It's not that others can't do it, but this arrangement requires a physical structure and breath as its foundation; otherwise, it can't support that kind of presence. Just like someone without the horse stance foundation can't perform low stance Tai Chi, without a structure that is as stable as "standing still," it is very difficult to synchronize rhythm, melody, accompaniment, and percussion within a single piece.

Many times, after I finish playing this piece, I actually feel less tired and more clear-headed. It's like standing in a horse stance; instead of feeling fatigued, my whole body feels energized, and my internal structure is "rearranged." Music is no longer just an external technique, but another manifestation of internal power. In Tai Chi, it is said, "Qi sinks to the dantian, and the mind focuses on the center." When I play this piece, it is precisely the qi sinking to my fingertips, and my mind focusing on the melody. I am not just playing the piano; I am "circulating qi."

I know that in this world, many people spend their entire lives practicing the piano, simply aiming to play a "standard answer" proficiently. But my "Exodus" is a "natural product" born from the long-term honing of my body and breath. Playing it is like writing my own breath log. I have cultivated this piece through my practice; I have forged the "spirit" of this composition.

This feeling can wait, this melody is tender for miles, carrying thoughts to the distant horizon.

This piece indeed comes from my life. It is not meant to please anyone, nor to showcase anything; it is a release of my being between heaven and earth. I don't need special effects, I don't need background music, just a guitar, a complete body, a heart that has practiced, and, additionally, a rising sun.

I don't need you to believe in anything, but if you are willing, I invite you—to my video channel, to listen to this piece. What you hear is not just the sound of the piano; it is the breath, the bones, the rhythmic structure of my life.

A fingerstyle melody moves the heavens and the sea!

Source: https://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=696992