Project Snapshot
Team
Wan Yeung (Researcher)
Dr. Su Zheng (Faculty Advisor)
Participants
30+ Performances
10+ Interviews
5 Focus Groups
Timeline
2014–2017
(Fieldwork: July–Aug 2016)
Tools
Adobe Audition, MuseScore, Excel, Adobe Premiere Pro, Scrivener
Overview
Institution:
Wesleyan University
Cantonese operatic songs and naamyam are central to Hong Kong’s cultural heritage but face pressures from modernization and generational change. Their improvisational and tonal practices are rarely documented in detail, creating gaps in how traditions are taught and transmitted.
This project examines how performers make tonal decisions in real time and how those decisions sustain cultural continuity.
My Role and Impact
Goal
Document improvisation & tonal aesthetics sustaining Cantonese music traditions amid modernization.
Impact
Produced one of the few detailed studies on tonal negotiation; findings informed cultural preservation and were presented internationally (ICTMD Study Group on Musics of East Asia 2018, Seoul).
Contributions
- 90+ sources reviewed
- 30+ performance observations
- 10+ interviews & 5 focus groups
- 3 notation systems analyzed
The Challenge
Improvisation of instrumentalists in Cantonese opera and naamyam is rarely documented, leaving gaps in understanding how tone-melody negotiation sustains tradition amid modernization.
Literature Review
Prior studies explore singers, tone–melody theory, and cultural preservation — but leave instrumental improvisation in community settings underdocumented.
Traditions (Who/What)
- Strong on singers, repertoires, and history.
- Instrumental practice noted descriptively.
- Missing: in-situ documentation of instrumental improvisation.
Tonal Aesthetics (How)
- Existing studies mainly focus on singers and canonical settings.
- Missing: performance-grounded analysis of how instrumentalists negotiate tone and melody in real time.
Preservation (Where)
- Scholarship highlights heritage policy and modernization pressures.
- Community venues (tea houses, opera clubs) recognized as vital sites of preservation.
- Missing: fine-grained study of how instrumental improvisation in these spaces actively maintains cultural identity.
Gap: We lack real-time, performance-grounded accounts of how instrumentalists of Cantonese music bend, ornament, or substitute melody to preserve tonal intelligibility and assert cultural identity.
Research Plan
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1
Research Goal
Understand how performers adapt melody to tone and sustain cultural identity.
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2
Fieldwork
Ethnographic observation in tea houses and opera clubs.
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3
Interviews & Focus Groups
Community bearers on teaching, learning, and value of improvisation.
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4
Transcription & Analysis
Gongche, jianpu, and staff notation to track tonal–melodic decisions.
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5
Insights & Impact
How tonal intelligibility guides improvisation and sustains tradition.
Performers prioritize tonal intelligibility when improvising, and that these decisions shift with venue context and collaborators.
Participant observation + In-depth interviews and focus groups + Musical analysis + Transcription, coding, and thematic analysis
Interviews & Focus Groups
Method
To capture firsthand perspectives on improvisation, I conducted 10 semi‑structured interviews and 5 focus groups with master performers, emerging artists, and community elders. These sessions provided insights into training paths, tonal negotiation practices, and community‑based teaching philosophies, complementing performance observations in tea houses and opera clubs.
- Protocols: Interview guides tailored to both experienced performers and newcomers.
- Facilitation: Trust‑based recruitment; culturally sensitive moderation.
- Analysis: Recorded, transcribed, and coded to integrate with musical analysis.
These qualitative methods bridged performance analysis with lived experience, informing later insights on tonal aesthetics and cultural continuity.
Musical Analysis
How I Analyzed the Music
- Converted gongche and jianpu scores into Western staff notation
- Transcribed performances from audio into staff notation
- Entered all notations into MuseScore for structural comparison
- Coded tonal negotiation and improvisation patterns across venues
Notation systems used
Audio Example
Tony Law’s playing during a naamyam lesson in Yau Ma Tei on July 11, 2016
Audio Example
Tony Law’s playing during a naamyam lesson in Yau Ma Tei on July 11, 2016
Key Findings
Melodic contours reflect Cantonese tone patterns, even when lyrics are absent.
Jiahua 加花 (ornamentation), jianzi 減字 (simplification), and jiezi 借字 (substitution) balance creativity with continuity.
Venue norms shape how far players vary melodic detail.
Key Insights
“Improvisations... show a strong connection to the language, [a] connection [that] explains why practitioners continue to play the music at their expense”
Adaptive Design
Musicians reshape melodies to mirror Cantonese tonal contours — even without lyrics.
Cultural Expression
Improvisation acts as a tool for identity-making, not just tradition-keeping.
Situational Constraints
Venue norms influence how much a performance can deviate from the melodic base.
Learning by Doing
Knowledge is passed through embedded participation in community performance spaces.
Interested in more of my research projects or collaborations? Explore my full research portfolio or get in touch.