Lin also taught guqin at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Lin was born on August 11, 1938, in Shanghai, China, but was brought up in nearby Nanjing.
Early on in his musical development, Lin studied with Liu Shaochun (1901–71).
He was influenced by the playing styles of Liu Jingshao, Gu Meigeng, Shen Caonong, and Wei Zhongle in particular.
He graduated in 1963 and stayed at the Conservatory and began research on guqin history and Chinese music after returning from Heilongjiang in the early 1970s during the "Cultural Revolution".