Movie History
'Once Upon A Time In China' starring Jet Li is an iconic kung fu classic movie from 1991. Directed by the legendary Tsui Hark the film centres around the Chinese folk hero come martial artist and physician Wong Fei Hung.
The film features an amazing opening sequence filmed on a beach in the Foshan region of China showcasing a group of martial artists performing kung fu drills on the beach led by Master Wong Fei Hung. During this passage the theme music that is often heard throughout all of the 'Once Upon A Time In China' films is playing. The song title has been translated as 'A Man With Determination' or 'A Man Acting With Courage' and was written by James Wong and sung by George Lam.
My History:
I was about 18 or 19 years old when I first heard this song and it had an immediate and long-lasting effect on me. I had always promised myself that I would transcribe it as a solo guitar piece - 20+ years later and here's the transcription! Better really really late than never I guess!
The video that you see here was filmed in Bali in early 2015 and it was my second video ever uploaded to YouTube, six years after my first upload! I spent about a week transcribing this as it was more difficult than I first thought. Although the melody is easy to hear there are a lot of subtle instruments in the orchestra that lend substantial harmonic content to the song. Capturing the nuances and little motifs of those instruments took quite some time. In all honesty the tabs contain a revised transcription that I did several months after this video was done. I realised that I had been lax in a couple of passages so although the tabs are extremely accurate and faithful to the original, the version in this video isn't quite as accurate. Don't worry though just combine the tabs and notation with my three tutorial videos for this masterpiece and you'll be fine.
The video that you see here was filmed in Bali in early 2015 and it was my second video ever uploaded to YouTube, six years after my first upload! I spent about a week transcribing this as it was more difficult than I first thought. Although the melody is easy to hear there are a lot of subtle instruments in the orchestra that lend substantial harmonic content to the song. Capturing the nuances and little motifs of those instruments took quite some time. In all honesty the tabs contain a revised transcription that I did several months after this video was done. I realised that I had been lax in a couple of passages so although the tabs are extremely accurate and faithful to the original, the version in this video isn't quite as accurate. Don't worry though just combine the tabs and notation with my three tutorial videos for this masterpiece and you'll be fine.
Performance Notes:
My transcription is a combination of the main melody and the instruments that are holding down various prominent lines in the accompaniment - including the drums at the very beginning. I raised the original key from Bbm to Bm so that it would be easier for a guitarist to play. Tuning down 1/2 step (to Eb) and keeping my fingerings will allow you to play along with the track perfectly if you so desire.
Here are links to all three tutorials that teach you how to play my transcription of the Wong Fei Hung theme.
Tutorial 1
Tutorial 2
Tutorial 3
Here are links to all three tutorials that teach you how to play my transcription of the Wong Fei Hung theme.
Tutorial 1
Tutorial 2
Tutorial 3
My full transcription including tablature and notation is available for free to my Youtube subscribers. So, if you wish to have a copy just subscribe to my channel and leave a comment or send me a message with your email address and I will happily send you my transcription. Be sure to watch my tutorials for the song and have the transcription beside you so that you can learn this wonderful song quickly and easily.
Let your fingers fly!
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