There are no accidents....

yet another nice animated film.

Which really reminds me that I must be conscious of the approach which I take to teach my students. In fact, I already see the hardworking Tigeress, the arrogant Leopard and the lazy Panda in my class.

Who do I like best in the movie? hahaha =) the Raccoon of course. Master Shifu!!!
Next is master Wu Gui!!!

You may have a mould, a dream for a student but this determination(or rigidness) is what makes you a good teacher, and yet a lousy one.

Hey hey hey!

Check it out!

http://www.tpgc.org/default.htm

TPGC is going performing at the Esp. Concert Hall this July and next Jan in Beautiful Sundays!

Their site really looks pro man. It's quite comparable to websites of many professional bodies.

I was contemplating on joining for their jan concert leh. Anyone want to join with me? After concert, we quit. On boh? Hahaha =)

==========================================================================
Some ideas on Loy Krathong:

Firstly, the arrangement is grossly untraditional. A post-baroque revival or gamelan fusion, sort of. The Thai musicians' suggestion that the tempo be increased makes the arrangement difficult to play, and in my opinion, transmutes the piece to a 2-4 time signature, rather than the current 4-4.

Incidentally, I do suspect that a 2-4 is more folk-like(which the arranger overlooked, or intended to forgo), whearas a 4-4 tends to sound a little contemporary.

Anyway, the music now dazzles with the best of both worlds. Well, it's kinda like tea or coffee OR the Yuan1 Yang1(tea + coffee beverage). There's no absolute but if you are a music purist, then perhaps the new rendition may not be very palatable. Nonetheless, I sincerely think that the bass parts(the runs and floral parts all) ought to be re-written for blending's sake.

Marimba Madness

Some wonderful renditions on the marimba. Really got to give it to their wrists!

Big Thinker?

Your answers suggest you are a Big Thinker
The four aspects that make up this personality type are:


Summary of Big-Thinkers
Outspoken, ingenious and bored by routine
Think of themselves as talkative, curious and self-sufficient
May neglect the routine work required to make their plans successful
More about Big-Thinkers
Big Thinkers are always looking for the next big idea or opportunity. They’re adept at spotting trends and thinking on their feet. Big Thinkers like to jump in and find innovative solutions to complex problems and are good at developing strategies for the future.


In the UK, Big Thinkers are most likely to book a holiday at short notice, according to a nationwide survey.
Big Thinkers are usually curious, logical and energetic. This chatty group enjoys a good debate and asserting their opinions. Sometimes others may find the way they express their ideas too abrupt or challenging.

In situations where they can't use their talents or are unappreciated, Big Thinkers may be rude, critical of others or rebellious. Under extreme stress, Big Thinkers can become preoccupied with unimportant details and lose sight of the 'big picture'.

Big Thinkers may ignore important details in their plans and overlook the impact their ideas have on the people around them.

Big-Thinker Careers
The entrepreneurial spirit of the Big Thinkers often leads them to seek new challenges; this is often more important to them than working in a particular field or a specific career.

Always with me

Things that happen in our lives, good or bad, will always live in our hearts.

Care 2 have a Brandy?

Pleasantly surprised when Jin & Mich told me that Brandenburg II was easier than Brandenburg III. In my humble opinion(previously), I didn't think so. I thought it's going to be harder. It needs to be rather fast for a lighter feel to be presented. Typically styled in ritornello form, the polyphonic interest is vast and very much optional to the listener, hence, balancing of voices becomes very important.

The youtube recording has some balancing problems. The trumpet is far too forthcoming and pleasant woodwinds are rather subdued. Perhaps it's because they are using period instruments though.



Here's another... a little too loud on the concertino side. too few continuo. Not enough baroque feel, a very contemporary interpretation.



Obviously amateur. The rushing is so intense.



The trumpet and recorder is so cool!!! the design I mean. Furious interpretation, nuances can still be caught, voicing/layering rather nice too!

Quotes

"You must have the will. You must want the crescendo..."

"Must believe in the neutrality of the piano.... and it is its neutrality that opens up the opportunities for colour........."

"You come in a hair too soon, and that hair is as precious as what little I left on my head...."

"Don't rush when there's a clash! It's not a marriage dispute."

"Even when you return to the theme in the sonata form, it's in a completely different state. It's has memory now. It is anything but a mechanical repeat."

"Do you see the images when you play the music? Or hear the music when you see the images?"

"The repeat is a recollection. You emphasise when you built something, you don't emphasise when you recollect, else it loses its wonderness."

Daniel Barenboim

My idol says:

"The study of old instruments and historic performance practice has taught us a great deal, but the main point, the impact of harmony, has been ignored. This is proved by the fact that tempo is described as an independent phenomenon. It is claimed that one of Bach's gavottes must be played fast and another one slowly. But tempo is not independent! ... I think that concerning oneself purely with historic performance practice and the attempt to reproduce the sound of older styles of music-making is limiting and no indication of progress. Mendelssohn and Schumann tried to introduce Bach into their own period, as did Liszt with his transcriptions and Busoni with his arrangements. In America Leopold Stokowski also tried to do it with his arrangements for orchestra. This was always the result of "progressive" efforts to bring Bach closer to the particular period. I have no philosophical problem with someone playing Bach and making it sound like Boulez. My problem is more with someone who tries to imitate the sound of that time..."

He's really really great with his hands, conducting and playing alike... simply dazzling how he conducts and plays the piano... I'm really impressed with the nuances and expressions he expresses with his hands.... damn good!!!




Check out the Bolero. Berlin Phil is really good! Good sound, good balance, and a steady crescendo creeping in through the piece, without the audience actually noticing it. Fastastic concealing and control.





Concerto de Aranjuez! Williams and Berlin Phil

老人弹琴

Andres Segovia


Who ah?


with small orchestra

Cry

楊宗緯--哭了

背叛

雨　不停落下來
花　怎麼都不開
儘管我細心灌溉　你說不愛就不愛
我一個人　欣賞悲哀

愛　只剩下無奈
我　一直不願再去猜
鋼琴上黑鍵之間　永遠都夾著空白
缺了一塊　就不精采

緊緊相依的心如何Say Goodbye
你比我清楚還要我說明白
愛太深會讓人瘋狂的勇敢
我用背叛自己　完成你的期盼

把手放開不問一句Say Goodbye
當作最後一次對你的溺愛
冷冷清清淡淡今後都不管
只要你能愉快

心　有一句感慨
我　還能夠跟誰對白
在你關上門之前　替我再回頭看看
那些片段　還在不在

Links for the some of the pieces

Some of the links I found of youtube for the next set of Xpose pieces.

Guys and gals, do take a look.

"Sheep May Safely Graze"


"By Loch and Mountain"


It's not the theme song from Kingdom Hearts, some guy just made this video with the piece. You'll find other versions on youtube, but they sound really horrible compared to this one.

"Carmen Fantasy for two Trumpets"


Very good trumpet duo!!! I was almost inspired to take up the trumpet!!!

"Brandenburg No. 3 - 3rd movement"


If Robert were to see this, we are doomed!!!

"Habenara"


"Dance Boheme"

好词

爱是不是，不开口才珍贵

再给我两分钟...
让我把记忆结成冰...

又死死

The recordings for the concert were hopeless. I telling you, after so many years of UCC concerts, till date, I've come to the conclusion that it's a horrible hall for any music work.

Their way of miking at UCC is simple. Capture every single damn sound from the instrument and then pump it through the hall speakers. Seriusly it doesn't work well this way. When I tried listening to the overall sound while the guys played Kansalesa, I knew it was pointless trying to balance the sound. From where the sound engineer was sittig, it looked like the players weren't even producing sound acoustically, most of the bulk of sound was from the speakers(digitised).

Anyone who is a musician would know that eventually we want to hear and record what the audience hear. But UCC has a knack for delivering recordings based on what the mike captures. I mean, what the hell, do they have brains or what. The unprocessed sound captured on the mike, without the hall's reverberations, sound like shit.

又死死 is hopeless.

of Sheeps and Birds

I was surfing for some inspriation on "Sheep May Safely Graze" cantata 208 by Bach.
Came across this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=METdmiWZBcw

What the hell....

Leo once asked how a lousy concert band sounds like, well, there we are!

Anyway, this Harp version is not bad, except that it's improvised and rather short.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pWUSxJiQ_g&feature=related

And I bumped into this piece called "A bird came flying"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBrSypv7y_E&feature=related
Whoa, it's really nice. Mich should look for this piece, play it and called it "A Seagull came flying"!!!

好象是旧歌

人质(张惠妹)
================================
我和你啊 存在一种危险关系
彼此挟持 这另一部份的自己
本以为这完整了爱的定义
那就乖乖的守护着你

相爱变成 猜忌怀疑的烂游戏
规则是要 憋着呼吸越靠越近
但你的温柔是我唯一沉溺
你是爱我的就不怕有缝隙

在我心上用力的开一枪
让一切归零在这声巨响
如果爱是说什么都不能放
我不挣扎 反正我也没差

人质在这一刻得到释放
相爱的纯粹落得如此下场
你满意吗 我们都别说谎

==============================

挺有意思的歌.

不受欢迎的欢迎VANAKAM

昨天指挥时,心情异常的平静.
虽然人多,但却没有丝毫紧张的感觉.

可能是比较老炼了吧.

表演很成功. 虽然没有交响乐团的专业水准, 但我觉得我们又进步了.
我觉得越来越多团员变成了音乐家,而不是盲目自恋的吉他手.

很开心!

老人邀请我们加入他的演奏会. 曲目不是很合口味. 不知怎样婉拒.

今天不是DIVO

最近感觉有一点兴奋,紧张. 期待已久的演奏会就要来了.

我觉得大家都付出了很多,很感激,很开心,确实让我提醒自己不要让大家失望.
在学音乐的路途中,认识了这么多好友,真的是一种福气.
大家也给于我很多帮助,鼓励,支持;我也希望我能让大家在合奏的韵律中找到莫名的欢乐.

学习是无直径的. 不管是在指挥,演奏,编曲上, 我都希望能创新,突破.

但是还是按捺不住一丝的忧虑,毕竟我没有受过正式的训练,和ROBERT相比,何止是天渊之别.
可是大家还是很支持,没有嫌弃我这个半桶水.

其实,只是希望大家玩音乐玩得开心啦!

七弦魔剑

Only my guitar-crazy friends can come up with this.... ha ha ha

===================================================
More details as follows:

for body, pls use top-of-the-grade Brazilian rosewood for sides and back.
If possible, look into Church-door design for back. Also spruce for top
(as indicated by DIVO), however, use high quality ones like in
close-grinded, prefably have some bear claws would be nice.

As usual, ebony for finger board but use titanium metal for fretting coz
it might hurt DIVO fingers and the insurance will cry. Look at installing
RODGERs' tuners (with snake-wood), no imitation thank you. Body length of
650 mm would be ok.

Having a 20th fret is forthgone conclusion. Else why he buys a 7-string
other than to play and sound like an orchestra? Also, ask Yudi to
construct raised finger-board to facilitate the runs at the 15th to 20th
frets.

Lacquer-finish is acceptable.

He is still considering adding an arm-guard at side (ala arm-rest). Ask
Yudi to throw in guitar-support wrapped in premium leather as DIVO hates
the sit the classical way. Also, throw in life-time free-delivery of
7strings to DIVO residence would be critical in making DIVO commit.

5k is for planning purpose, other cost just add in accordingly. ^^

And for heaven-sake, make the guitar weigh like a M-16 at least.
=============================================

POLYCHORDS

Mich was saying stuff about her funny sounding piano parts in "Simple Gifts"(Section C) and that probed me to double check on my transcription and I also did a bit of reading. Well, I've looked through the scores again, I don't think there's a mistake with the notes though. Anyway....

It seems like Copland likes to use "polychords".
What are polychords? Well, basically they are just chords stacked one above another.
Hence, for example, if based on F, we could have a typical stack like this:

F - A - C - E - G - Bb

Looking at the way it is constructed, and also at Copland's scoring, he did not choose to extend his polychords this way. Actually most of the extensions are fine, but just perhaps, E - G - Bb and F - A - C isn't so great since it may sound quite cadential.

Instead, he constructs the stack in G - Bb - D - F - A - C, making it sound like a tonic expansion moving to and fro within chords I, II and IV, major and minor, spaced across the barline in a gallop rhythm.

and there we have COLOUR!