Uematsu is to video games as John Williams is to movies.

:teeth:

Look at Dot's caption,

"Being Different"

*cough* :)

Meh, my musical preference is very strange anyways. I don't like 99% of game music, and the 1% exception is probably the chord progressions that I find interesting sometimes.

It's like me saying The Rite of Spring and Vocalise (not the Rachmaninoff one, it's by some Canadian composer whose name I forgot) are some of the awesomest pieces ever and no one really understands why I say that. :rolleyes:

Uematsu is to video games as John Williams is to movies.

:teeth:

I personally like Howard Shore more. lawl

Yeah, I like him too, and also Hanz Zimmer (Black Hawk Down), etc. But John Williams is much more well known.

Yeah theres not many movie composers that I really have a stronger pull lto, in terms of musical liking. Still, Williams has made so many great soundtracks, Memiors of a Geisha being my favourite of his.

Probably anime composers are the ones I don't know, but would really like to know since they have some facinating themes and such.

ooh!! Nobuo Uematsu! My violin class played his song today!! and.. this is the site where my teacher got the music sheets from!! O_O shocking!! We even played Aeris's Theme at a winter concert last year.. it was good... yup yup! ^-^

I think that soundtrack composers are so great. They are flexible and have the genuineness to work in many styles.

Yokko Kano, Howard Shore and John Williams.

Nobou is great but hes only fantastic in one style, which I think is not so good when your doing soundtracks...

I disagree with RD. I think Uematsu is great in not just one way. We all know he can compose love themes, but that's not all he can do. Just look at One Winged Angel, which just has to be the most powerful tune in video game history.

Well, thats not what I really ment. Yokko Kano can do jazz, classical and baroque inspired music, Howard Shore can do things from Celtic to Classical music but Nobou...

But I'm not arguing against the skills he has. Just he isn't as wonderful in other types of music when compared to just one style.

I disagree with RD. I think Uematsu is great in not just one way. We all know he can compose love themes, but that's not all he can do. Just look at One Winged Angel, which just has to be the most powerful tune in video game history.

I agree with you, Noir...

Uematsu is one of my favorite composers. One time in english last year, we had to write a paper about your favorite song, and I wrote about One Winged Angel. My teacher thought it was interesting that such a powerful song (as described in my paper) was from a video game...

Off topic: Playing Corelli's La Folia on the violin gives you the worst hand cramps...a lot of crazy double stops and trills...

I like the works of Michael Giacchino. He's done stuff for all the Medal of Honor games, Alias, The Incredibles, Mission Impossible 3, etc. He likes to use the brass a lot and if I remember correctly, he has gotten a lot of his inspiration from John Williams.

True, but it's rather thinly scored from what I remember.

Not that that's a bad thing - it fits those action-filled themes well.


Uematsu is to video games as John Williams is to movies.

:teeth:

I agree with that in every way, but when you stop to think about it, they're not that much different nowadays.

True, but it's rather thinly scored from what I remember.

Not that that's a bad thing - it fits those action-filled themes well.



I agree with that in every way, but when you stop to think about it, they're not that much different nowadays.

I'm not too fond of Ue's work with Kingdom Hearts. =/

Well, if he would use real instruments it'd sound a bit better.

I actually haven't heard his works for KH. Makes since because I've never played the game because I don't own any sort of Playstation. That and I'm not to interested to find out what they sound like.

I take it back I've listened to Hikari and Sanctuary, but I don't think those were composed by Uematsu.

Nope, those were both done by Utada Hikaru.

And both of them are on the cutscene soundtrack, not the in-game loops.

Is anybody here a fan of Joe Hisaishi, the composer of many Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki movies? His music is amazing. I'm accumulating a collection of Japanese-imported Hisaishi soundtracks. It's kind of pricey, but worth it.

Well, if he would use real instruments it'd sound a bit better.

I'm pretty sure instruments or not they'd still bore the hell out of me.


Only pieces I did like was the 100 Acre Woods music, and the orchestra piece stuffed somewhere in there.

Hisaishi's piano works are my favorite, I'm not too big on his orchestral stuff.

I disagree. I fancy his piano works, but I think his orchestrated compositions are more powerful [MONONOKEMONONOKE DROOL!!!!111]

lol

Mononoke? I like your spelling better... <_<

Well, I haven't heard much of either, but what I have heard I like.

Personally I like both of his piano and orchestral works, but his piano works speak to me more...because I regularly play them. One of his masterpieces is the piano intro of Spirited Away called One Summer's Day. Also one of the best soundtracks I have heard is the soundtrack from the movie, Mimi wo Sumaseba (Whisper of the Heart) and it's by Yuji Nomi.

I'll have to look into that. Although that's probably easier said than done, since my piano teacher is a little skippish about contemporary composing, judging how she reacted to me playing Those who Fight for her. <_<

Pantalaimon,

I play Hisaishi piano works on my own time. Most of them are easy to sight-read, for me at least, and so I just play them for fun. I don't think they require lesson time or even serious practice time. I only play them after I've practiced all my pieces I work on with my teacher.

That's usually what I do as well.

Well, I've never looked at any of them, so I wasn't sure how difficult they are. Most contemporary stuff isn't too bad anyway.

Sorry, ^that sounded like I filter everything through my teacher... <_<

Well, I've never looked at any of them, so I wasn't sure how difficult they are. Most contemporary stuff isn't too bad anyway.

Sorry, ^that sounded like I filter everything through my teacher... <_<


Nah, it didn't. I knew what you meant. There are a lot of Hisaishi works in the Studio Ghibli thread of the sheet music requests section here on Ichigo's that you can download. http://www.joehisaishi.net/partitions/ has a lot of midis and sheet music downloads of a lot of his works as well. The site's in French but most of it's understandable.

I think its fine when people sway a bit when they play [i do that often] but this is just ludicrous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xvwPMuCZEU

Its like a fucking seizure.

Has anyone heard of the piece/suite 'Lincolnshire Posy' by Percy Grainger? It's a pretty famous band piece, and seemingly the only concert band piece I actually like (especially that clashing note in Horkstow Grange and the coda of Rufford Park Poachers).

this is why I love Kabalevsky

http://youtube.com/watch?v=EZn6xoDXUE0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxnMZOW1APQ I played this once in a competition, just like in the video. My teacher was accompanying me, and it was a great experience.

Gwah~! <_< I am so angry... I wanted to watch this concert featuring Hong Kong Symphonietta, but apparently, the tickets were sold out! So frustrating...

I just saw Sting and this lute guy on PBS playing John Dowland.

<3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV-QjPuBeg4

:bleh: I just heard the weirdest "Zelda Medley" ever... designed for virtuoso players :bleh: . (Piano- if music wanted, PM me). It had the worst timing for the music that one guy plays (The windmill tune at Ocarina of Time) and Saria's song.

Yeah, I'm thinking about making: Zelda Sheet Music: Virtuostic Arrangements for the Piano... or something like that.

There's at least a few good players out there who love Zelda, and hate making big arrangements of those songs (possibly) for piano. :heh:

I think its fine when people sway a bit when they play [i do that often] but this is just ludicrous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xvwPMuCZEU

Its like a fucking seizure.

Hahaha. XD I broke out laughing because I think they kinda emphasized it too much. -_-

Does anybody know where to get music for Canon in D Major? The original. And also, I want to play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. I love that song. ^_^

Sheet Music Archive (http://www.sheetmusicarchive.net/index.cfm) -The best place for sheet music downloads. Two per day is the only unfortunate things. (No Log In reguired by the way!)

^.^ I just heard a very great piece... if anyone has been to the Garritan website, you should listen to "Knights and Magic" by Richard Birdsall. He was only 18 years old when he made this piece :) .

+ it gives me a better idea on how bass drums are used :) .

Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=paHkndK0pD4

Gahh, Youtube and this computer do not want to mix for some reason... I have to transfer everything to my old Xanga to see anything.

You're leaving? Tell me it's not permanent...

^Just until the summer begins ^_^ .

Recitle and theory testing tomorrow :D playing Chopin :D

Which song? And good luck!

Prelude in E minor.

And I messed up twice. One time I couldn't find the right note and the next I was off beat [wtf two against three -_-]

Just some news I'd thought ya'll want to know. ^_^

Over the last year, I've been playing pieces on the piano at my Church, and have gotten highly reconized for it since I first played there a year ago. My family isn't all that good in the "funds" and can't really get me a fairly good piano or theory lessons. Well, some really wealthy and humble people at my church are thinking of funding me and my family money for me to go get theory classes. I am not sure about the piano, but theory classes would be the next best thing.

I am so happy that God has blessed me with a purpose, and now I realize the same as others, that I have a goal of ambition and passion. I'm lucky to be around good people. :)

~~

Like I said, some may want to know or not. :lol:

Thats really good! I'm very happy for you, because you show really great talent and strong will power.

I'm sorry your getting theory classes though. Its good but its so boring and like school O_O.

You better get some harmony lessons too [not saying that you need them, but any good composer should take them].

Is this too low for Piano? (Note the 8 below the 2nd staff for Piano; so the 2nd Piano staff is an octave lower until meas. 17).

.MUS (2007): http://forums.ichigos.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4537&d=1174583596

.PDF: http://forums.ichigos.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4539&d=1174583701

.MIDI: http://forums.ichigos.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4541&d=1174583728

I don't know because all I have is a 3 octave keyboard :heh: .

Oh yeah, you can go way lower than that. Around two octaves lower, in fact.

Oh yeah, about two octave lower.

And if your rich and have the special Bösendorfer, three octaves lower lol.

Why on earth would you need to go that low? The pitches are nearly indistinguishable at that point, and I imagine you won't find much music with those keys in it.

My MIDI device (computer) can't even hit that low XD .

Why on earth would you need to go that low? The pitches are nearly indistinguishable at that point, and I imagine you won't find much music with those keys in it.

Nah, some great composers write some pretty low pieces. I had a song with bass in the very last octave...

An octave below what most pianos reach?

Oh, idk about that lol

I'm lost. You were talking about a piano that reaches an octave below normal, theoretically. Now you're saying no one wrote for it.

I know I'm thinking about 5-6 years ahead of myself, but I am trying to decide weither or not to make Liszt's Piano Sonata in B Minor one of my college audition pieces.

Yay or nay?

I mainly picked it because it shows a lot of technical ability as well as extreme interpretive and expressive ones as well. Personally, I am saying 100% because it's my favourite sonata (next to Beethoven's 'Les Adieux').

Input is nice. :)

@_@ Don't think 5 years in advance! START ON IT NOW!!!! Nah, it's hard, but you can probably wait a month or so before you start. ;)

True that Liszt's Sonata has been in the repertoire of almost every concert pianist, but that is because it is such a brilliant piece. I say yes, you should plan on playing it. How the loud, somewhat abbrasive themes melt into haunting melodies is enough to take my breath away. Yes, it is one of my favorite classical works for the piano. I hope to master it someday.

Am I uninformed for not knowing that one? I do love Liszt though, so go for it. :)

And while you're at it, take a stab at his Rigoletto Paraphrase. :P

Wow. @_@

http://www.contrabass.com/pages/compendium.html

I've only heard of 3 of those instruments.

both Liszt Sonatas are amazing- although the Dante Sonata isnt technically a sonata.

anyway, i was just reading about Ravel, and he used to refer to performers as 'slaves'.

something for you all to think about

personally i think he was correct

That probably would be an accurate description. lol

Wow. That's something to think about. o.O

Yeah, unless your a Jazz performer. Lots of comping. :lol:

Ahh, I love comping...

Scratch that, I love jazz band in general. ^_^

i dont like jazz

the closest i will ever get to playing any of it is Kapustin

Jazz is fun to play, but I can't comp, so I don't bother.

If you know guitar chords, it's sooooooo much easier.

I can read piano chords. And I still don't think its easier.

Believe it or not, I'm the best piano comper that our school offers. Kinda sad ain't it.

Well, jazz piano and classical piano can almost be classified as two seperate genres entirely. Mainly, you just gotta relax, accept that you don't have to play exactly what's on the page, have fun and know your jazz chords!! (i.e. suspended chords, add nine, sharp eleven, sharp thirteen, or all of the above)

I just got a Van Cliburn album. Its pretty. Hes not my favorite by skill [hes pretty standard...] but hes still a nice player.

im content <3

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=447706&in_page_id=1770

:o

(If you can't access it, it's http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=447706&in_page_id=1770 ),

Ooh, I don't even want to think about that... *shiver*

Has anyone here ever heard the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra recording of "Scheherazade"? It is so inexpressive and rushed compared to a recording I downloaded online, in my opinion <_< . Anyone want to listen to it? :P

If you're going to listen to Rimsky-Korsakov (now that Clarinetist mentioned about Sczeherezade) stuff, I suggest you people to have a look at 'The May Night', 'The Christmas Night', 'Spanish Cappricio' and that 'Antar Symphony' (don't know if I spelt it right) asides from just Sczeherezade. They're all very well orchestrated and charming music.

On the other hand, if you want to listen to some pieces that I think are amazing, I highly suggest anyone to listen to The Rite of Spring (by Stravinsky), L'Apres Midi d'Un Faune (by Debussy), and Nuages (by Debussy again).

The Rite of Spring is good.

I personally like Shosticovic (I butchered that), but I can't remember the particular symphony that is my favorite. Also Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens.

A bit of musical humor:

I'm currently listening to Handel's "Occasional Oratorio" -- Called this, one assumes, because it was only played occasionally. But most people don't know that, before writing it, he wrote two other Oratorios: The "Sometimes-but-only-on-a-Good-Day Oratorio" and the "Not-even-if-Hell-freezes-over Oratorio". Naturally, these two were never to see the light of day...

Well, there's that Bernstein's soprano aria: "Glitter and be gay" :D It always makes me giggle so hard :lol:

darn little kids...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m97SwPQexZI

I hate watching things like that, lol. My mum tried to make me learn piano when I was 4, but I HATED it. I started again when I was 8 years old, and she always kept talking about these child prodigies she read about in the Hong Kong newspapers. Made me feel really useless, lol.

Thing is, if you enjoy doing what you do, keep at it. However, you do as well as you want to. You shouldn't have to keep comparing yourself to others. Sometimes watching other people gives you a motivation to do better, maybe in order to "beat" them. But I think that you should just play as you want to play, make pieces your own and don't feel under pressure to rush practice.

Edit: Arrrrrghh..... I want my site back! I have such an urge to transcribe/compose stuff and update the site, lol.

There are probably 100 kids in the entire world that can reach an octave when they're four. >___________<

Well, I keep telling myself that some people just got it, and some people still got it but its like not that cool. : [

we will all be at the same level some time, but not right now. You can only get so good.

Good playing. I don't know, but it seems when little kids complete a piece like that expressively and technically, something is missing. I think it's the character. When I picture pieces like that being played, I don't imagine a little kid smiling and dancing around and playing a heavily minored-Bach piece such as that. Lol, I still admire talent when I see it. ^_^

Did anyone hear about Rostropovich, the awesome cellist? He just died at the age of 80 :(

Who here knows who Mack Wilberg is?

If you're going to listen to Rimsky-Korsakov (now that Clarinetist mentioned about Sczeherezade) stuff, I suggest you people to have a look at 'The May Night', 'The Christmas Night', 'Spanish Cappricio' and that 'Antar Symphony' (don't know if I spelt it right) asides from just Sczeherezade. They're all very well orchestrated and charming music.

There is a lack of recordings for 'Antar Symphony' :\, which makes me wonder how I am supposed to find it.


Who here knows who Mack Wilberg is?

I never heard of him until I did some research :P .

Maze reminded me of Lisitsa.

Which reminded of : http://youtube.com/watch?v=DAb2nI2hVqk

I think people neglect to think of this song [or haven't even heard of it] when people talk of the hardest piano solos. This song is the craziest song I've ever heard up to now -_-

Maze reminded me of Lisitsa.

Which reminded of : http://youtube.com/watch?v=DAb2nI2hVqk

I think people neglect to think of this song [or haven't even heard of it] when people talk of the hardest piano solos. This song is the craziest song I've ever heard up to now -_-

I got lost when I was listening to that with the sheet music @_@.

(Another one of the same piece: http://youtube.com/watch?v=qu2lIOak86w ).

This one is on my favourites list-- A section of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodie No. 6. http://youtube.com/watch?v=-kv6v8Boh94

Technique to it's fullest, the only bad thing is the reverb in that hall, so it sounds a 'tad' bit mashed. But I love watching this, makes me want to improvise. :P

I got lost when I was listening to that with the sheet music @_@.

(Another one of the same piece: http://youtube.com/watch?v=qu2lIOak86w ).

Lisitsa is faster :P

Sometimes I hate people who can do perfect jumps that fast.

Another good 'fast jumps' piece is. . . drum roll . . . Mazeppa! :lol:

My teacher won free tickets to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra's performance of all six of Bach's Brandenburg Concerti this Saturday. She can't make it, so she gave them to me, yay! I'm not too familiar with these pieces though. Anything I should know before going?

Enjoy!

I think he knows he should do THAT :P

Bach may sound flat because of the darn lack of a darn fortepiano, so sometimes people like to play as Baroque intended [or would have sounded] and take out all the beautiful dynamics. That ones a bit obvious to many, but just in case...

Bring a big book of Bach with you and mark down all the mistakes they make and point it out to the players at the end. That would be great lol


So my favorite Impromptus are now of the 142 opus by Schubert. It makes me want to sleep : ]

Bring a big book of Bach with you and mark down all the mistakes they make and point it out to the players at the end. That would be great lol

If you did that to me I'd bop you one in the face XD

Woo hoo! Tomorrow I get to get up early to head out east to Hershey, PA for a Judication. Then it's off to Hershey Park for some roller coaster action.

Lucky.

I had to perform at Piano Guild today. The piano they had me play on was horrid. >< But at least I got to miss school. And drive downtown by myself.

Ahh have fun you two. I loath sylibus unless I get a really nice person [I've only had two... and both were the same really nice person : D ]

My teacher isn't into self idolizing when playing music, which really is what I like. She likes strong bases basically in every song which I can't stand and strong dynamics which I think the "over the topness" gets to over the top for many songs...

:[

Yay, our concert band scored a 96/100 and our Jazz Band a 97/100 and we were called on of the best in the state by one of the judges. Woo hoo!

Is Mr. Booker still there?

Congrats man.

Thank you!

No Dr. Booker retired last year. Mr. Tychinski is our new director. He wants to revitalize the program.

Grats!

Does anyone know the pattern for triple tounging?

Does anyone know the pattern for triple tounging?

'Tuh-kuh-kuh' or 'teh-keh-keh'.

It's concert night! For tonight's performance...

Concert Band
"Tricycle" by Andrew Boysen, Jr.
"At Morning's First Light" by David R. Gillingham
"The Wizard of OZ" Arr. James Barnes
"Big Band Signatures" Arr. John Higgins

Jazz Band
Many, many, many signatures but to name a few...
As Long As I'm Singing
Birdland
Brass Machine
Feels So Good
Gospel John

I'll post some recordings soon.

I thought it was 'Too-koo-too'? Either way it's tongue-tying, lolz.

Yeah, I thought it was Tuh-kuh-duh.

I learned it in the teh-keh-keh way, but I guess it really depends on which is more comfortable on the performer (since I know some people does some weird articulation to execute double or triple tonguing).

I got the 'Outstanding Musicianship Award' in Varsity Band last week Wedensday for freshman. I was tied, but the other person was one of those 'popular' people in which all her friends vote for her, but the band directors treated me somehow. . . differetly. :\

:O I received one of those awards too (for band). Except at my school, it's the directors that choose the people that receive the awards. I also feel like the band directors treat me differently :\.

Congrats~

Lol, I got one of those awards from a festival through my band teacher too. Though I wasn't too excited about it, since it's really not much of an accomplishment compared to compositions.

I got one too this week in my senior assembly from the US Navy.

^ GJ

~~

Going to see Les Claypool tonight at the Rave in Milwaukee. ^.^

Sir_Dotdotdot: Does anyone of you know any 'sad' music that's not pop or anything like that?
Al: 4'13"
Sir_Dotdotdot: No, Al, no, that's just 'sad'.

XD

Edit:
Heart Made of Sound: http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?filmID=257
Excellent video that combines music and visuals. Yay for art!

yo I got a question do anyof you know what the nameof this peace is cuz I've looked for hours and can't find it here's the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH6J-cZovEY

I don't know if I said this but I just graduated to level five! yay!

[OMTA goes by ten levels instead of a usual 6. I'd be at three by a six level program]

Someday I'm going to write a piece for viola, tuba, and kazoo.

^ ....o.O

Tango? (http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,10658.0.html)

Alright, I'll look forward to that one.

http://www.flicklife.com/b60adb254a8127a6da8e/Britains_Got_Talent_This_guy_is_amazing.html

This almost made me cry. Made my shiver a lot though. Genious

Wow. That just makes me want to write an Aria in Italian right now!

Found it on YouTube also-- put it in my vlog/favourites.

~~

Man, I did cry actually, beautiful!

Oh wow, that was an amazing Aria. I have a new favorite Opera song (the old favorite being the Pearl Fishers duet).

Has anyone here ever heard/performed Blagoslovi Duche Moya from Rachmoninov's Vespers (a.k.a. All-Night Vigil)?

Zelda Medley (Quartet & Piano) (http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=628837&cache=1)

I am watching this right now, and I have to say it's pretty nice hearing this rendition of it! Although the strings get out of tune here and there, their tones really come together and mixes with the piano to create that nostalgic-Zelda feel. ^.^

Beat me to posting it. XP

Yes, it's not that bad. :) I wasn't expecting anything like this when I saw it.

I just heard Threnody for Hiroshima by Krzystof Penderecki. Oh my god, it was one of the most sickening piece I've ever heard in my life. Not that it's a 'bad' piece, that piece just blew me away with its 'thickness'. I can't really say I liked it, but it was very original, and was very 'strong'.

I guess it's really hard to describe how it sounds unless you heard it yourself... ._. But I wouldn't suggest it if you have ears that are unwilling to enjoy new 'sounds', like many composers here I know.

'Sickening' and 'Hiroshima'... no surprises there. Maybe it was intended?

The composer said it was some sort of a vision. But no, it wasn't originally dedicated to the bombing of Hiroshima, it was just dedicated to it after it was done, or so I hear. But perhaps 'sickening' is not the best word for it... It's just very... uncomfortable. For all pieces of music I heard, this is a piece of music where I can't relate anything to.

As I mentioned before, it sounds like a bunch of bats flying. I can't describe the mood given, though...

^ is right. It seems almost scared and confused. It gave me a headache, LOL.

Oh Good God. . .I just went through 80% of Hannon exercises over a period of 2 hours straight. x_x Since I am dedicating my life to music, I'm going to be doing this everyday for two hours. . .Ah, this will be a fun August.

my new piano teacher told me not to do any more Hanon exercises because they were making me tense.

i have to do these relaxation exercises for an hour a day instead- drives me mental but its really helped

ive just found an orchestrated version of the Liszt B minor Sonata and its not a patch on the original but still pretty nice to listen to (Y) *currently going through a phase of looking for orchestrated piano music*

Oh Good God. . .I just went through 80% of Hannon exercises over a period of 2 hours straight. x_x Since I am dedicating my life to music, I'm going to be doing this everyday for two hours. . .Ah, this will be a fun August.

How about #60, eh?

On second thought, expand that to the entire third section. <_<

@Thorn: Hanon notes somewhere in the book that if you feel tense, STOP. But you do want to try to get as far as you can without getting tense, the zenith being the whole book in an hour.

How about #60, eh?

Yeah, that was a fun wrap up today. . .too bad I can't play a clean tremolo, only a fast *slopish* one. XD

I am doing hanon 13. I am not a hanonish person. >.<

Meh, I kinda stopped doing it. My teacher hasn't seemed to notice yet since we're busy with audition pieces.

I should be doing it, really because I've seen firsthand its benefits, but I'm not a big fan of repetitious warmups. No pain no gain, though...

Does anyone here use plastic reeds? I just received a Legere "Synthetic Plastic" reed today, and the response is so much better than a cane reed, but it can break easily.

For bassoon I do. The sound just isn't the same, but its so easy to play.

I can't stand easy to play reeds on oboe; they're either too honky or they crack when I merely blow normally. So I guess plastic reed isn't the thing for me.

I can see how a plastic reed would sound... different. -_-

In general, plastic and instruments don't go well together, I've noticed.

In general, plastic and instruments don't go well together, I've noticed.

Not really, some instruments are made of plastic, and still sound average, take recorders as an example. :\

For one thing, yes, they sound average, and I said in general. :-/

Speaking of recorders, what exactly are they good for? They can't do anything tonewise that nothing else can do.

They are medieval instruments... Or at least one of the oldest flute instruments existed. Before the 'flute' was fully invented with mechanisms to work as a 'flute', the French (or some other countries) and the British (this is during the medieval time and earlier) were inventing different kinds of 'flutes' based on the same principle of something reedless that they can blow 'into'. The British people then made 'fipple flute', which is now the recorder, and the other side made the flute we use today. During that era, recorders were used as instruments to support dances, or just merely court entertainment for royal families and whatnot. There were also many variations of the recorders, but many fell to disuse because of poor tones, poor techniques and etc... However, the fipple flute was used until the early baroque era, where it started to be forgotten when the side-flute was used extensively. It was also forgotten due to the fact that it was too weak to play with large ensembles. It literally 'died' for the baroque and classical era, until the romantic era, where some musicians thought the recorder was a good tool to teach children basic theories and music, and also a good instrument to revive music of the medieval era, hence its revival. As 20th century arrived, many composers utilized recorders as chamber or solo instruments again. And at current time, some major uses of the recorders are for teaching younger children music theory and how to play a wind instrument (Heinz Holliger, a famous oboist, started playing recorder before playing oboe), and merely just for reviving traditional medieval music.

Excuse my overlength recorder rant. :mellow:

Edit: And I disgree with ^'s comment about recorder being unoriginal in tone; every instrument has its special timbre; nothing can mimic an instrument exactly.

I forget who this was, but my cousin is into weird stuff. There was a cd he let me borrow which was some new age instrumental stuff with synths and all kinds of neat gadgets/instruments. They had a recorder in most of the stuff, and it gave the music a really sweet(cool) sound.

I wish I knew who played that music.

@_@ I'm feeling so great right now! I met with the pianist Steve Swedish today at the Steinway Piano gallery (in Milwaukee). He's basically wanting to take me to bigger and better things within the next few years (and college).

If anyone cares, PM me. Lol.

Lol, that is the coolest surname xD *wants*

You would want it, Noir XD I still think 'Piano' is a pretty cool surname!

Wow, congrats Mazeppa!

I got to work with Malcom Bilson. That's about it.

Wow, congrats Mazeppa!

I got to work with Malcom Bilson. That's about it.

Thanks. I googled Malcolm Bilson, and it said he is a fortepianist. @_@ That made my head spin, since I really have seen the title "fortepianist" for someone that seem to be quite modern. x_x

Thanks. I googled Malcolm Bilson, and it said he is a fortepianist. @_@ That made my head spin, since I really have seen the title "fortepianist" for someone that seem to be quite modern. x_x

Actually, that's the old term for piano. It's supposed to be 'fortepiano' (since piano was the first keyboard instrument capable of a vast dynamic range), not just piano.

@Dot - *Cough* This is the guy playing:

http://internetto.sopron.hu/showbinary.php/mb20042.jpg


Now I know they're the same terms, but the fortepiano has always looked like this; the piano is a bit different, especially when you call it a fortepiano now adays.

@Dot - *Cough* This is the guy playing:

http://internetto.sopron.hu/showbinary.php/mb20042.jpg


Now I know they're the same terms, but the fortepiano has always looked like this; the piano is a bit different, especially when you call it a fortepiano now adays.

It just looked different because fortepiano was a term used in the romantic era as piano, and of course the piano during romantic era wasn't as developed as the piano today.

Has anybody checked out the incredible process it takes to build a piano? It's amazing.

I can imagine. @_@

it really is insanly crazy....on another note our band started our new field show it's circ du soleil (quidam) i'm playing the xylophone even though i still miss my flute...T_T....it' gonna be FUN!!!=P

how disturbing o_0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH6RCDBU4ss

x.X [Disturbing] - yes ; [Nicely played] -yes as well. Nice find. :heh:

yeah, its nicely played lol

how can someone play something so difficult with gloves and that mask =0

Very . . very disturbing video. I didn't know that Chopin's Etude Op.10 No.3 was made for a version just for the left hand.

My new living room now contains: an untuned piano, a keyboard, two recorders, a pennywhistle, a semi-broken violin, and an untuned guitar. Once we're all done moving in, I'll have all my sheet musics/(text)books/tapes/CDs nicely arranged.

Edit: Our electronic organ is in the basement. And I know we have two harmonicas lying around somewhere.

This will probably come out wrong, but I really want to be in your room right now.

Wow, Al's room has enough instruments to form a medieval music ensemble. :P

If only I had a bowed string instrument... Then my working room is also enough for a good ensemble.

Very . . very disturbing video. I didn't know that Chopin's Etude Op.10 No.3 was made for a version just for the left hand.

My new living room now contains: an untuned piano, a keyboard, two recorders, a pennywhistle, a semi-broken violin, and an untuned guitar. Once we're all done moving in, I'll have all my sheet musics/(text)books/tapes/CDs nicely arranged.


Yeah, in the Godowsky-Chopin Etudes a lot of them are arranged for a single hand... they are basically the Chopin Etudes in a purely virtuosic form; most people dont ever touch them!

Wow- I wish I had a music room ^_^

I didn't knew you had recorders Al! And a violin! OK, almost everyone has a guitar flying around somewhere... :think:

OK, almost everyone has a guitar flying around somewhere... :think:

Not me. =[

I have one with 3 strings... I don't know where the others are XD

Guitars or strongs.

=P

Edit: Strings... my bad

Strings... If I had several guitars I would sell them all on eBay and buy a violin :\

i have like 3 guitars but they are all crappy and get like $3 for them on ebay. oh well....:\

i have an old out of tune one somewhere from when i was like 10 =P

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VDucP93apBU&mode=related&search=

Seriously the best Ave Marias' I've ever heard. Sorry Luciano, I think its better then yours : ]

wow....i love this song but i think i just fell in love with it again:wub:

SHIT

Luciano Pavarotti October 12, 1935 – September 6, 2007

I feel like utter shit now for making that comment in a sly fashion. My dearest apologies and rip.

Yeah, it sucks that he died.

I really like him.

"who thought up this alto clef thing - making stuff all complicated - why can't amazing things just come in twos, like bass and treble, chocolate and vanilla, sugar and cinnamon, pb and j, black and white...etc....random thought #35"

-A Friend of Mine. XD

lol... i agree

its a bit pointless lol- i mean with the treble and bass clef its to show different ranges without having to use dozens of leger lines

but alto and tenor clef just move all the notes up or down- whats the point in that?

lol... i agree

its a bit pointless lol- i mean with the treble and bass clef its to show different ranges without having to use dozens of leger lines

but alto and tenor clef just move all the notes up or down- whats the point in that?

They're used in early music for telling the performers of what kind of instruments (because music back then were not defined for certain instruments or voice). And yes, they can be useful, they're not pointless. Viola has a range where it's lowest register is somewhere in the middle of the bass clef, hence it would be pointless to use bass clef. So alto clef would be a good substitute for a frustrating amount of clef changes in a piece. It's more conventional, hence it's not pointless, in my opinion.

Where do you find the time to learn all this stuff? I barely have enough time to practice... @_@

Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog

COMES OUT TOMORROW!

I just got back from a Concert where the second largest organ in the nation (the first is at a building about a block away) was used to play Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Bach, and it was an awesome sound. The floor was vibrating =P (although that may partially because I was sitting in the choir loft right in front of all the pipes...)

*Gulp* My piano teacher *surprized* me today by closing out lesson by saying this,

"Ive talked to the Summer program at the Conservatory in Prague. This is unhead of, but you were granted a full scholarship to the program of $2800. Now, you just need about $1250 for other stuff."

Yep. I am on cloud nine and then some; as far as we know, I'm 99.9% going next summer.

Also, I'm going to prepare a few more pieces for the PianoArts competition next year. ^_^

Wow, that's great! Congratulations.

*is jealous* I want to do things like this :(

YAY!! my band director is gonna let me play English horn!! i sooooo can't wait for concert season.....XD

Band teacher is insane. x_x

We're playing a "Suite Francaise", and I (and anyone else that decided to do it) had to transcribe key signatures off the 3rd movement.

It starts at F Major, to C# Major, to D Major, to G Major, to Eb Major, to C Major, and ends at F Major. x_x (and yes, this is just one movement; about 2:00). @_@

The 4th movement goes through all 12 keys. @_@

Transposing key sigs should be something that transposing instrumentalists should learn to do. I mean, it's not as bad with Bb instruments compared to Eb or sometimes Ab instruments.

And gah! Speaking of transposing and transcribing, I keep seeing people from the Sheet Music Request forum keep mixing these two up, which is rather annoying... Since the transcriber/arranger would not know whether if the person wants the piece transposed for the designated instrument or transcribed for the instrument. [/pet peeve moment]

Transposing key sigs should be something that transposing instrumentalists should learn to do. I mean, it's not as bad with Bb instruments compared to Eb or sometimes Ab instruments.

Of course. Just a whole step/tone up for Bb Clarinetists. :lol: Reminds me of the some of the clarinets in my band; we use a "Fussel Book" for scales. When my director says start on Concert Eb, for example, they can't figure out which note to start on without the circle of fifths sheet we got. ._.;

We have a boatload of musical talent at our school, but hardly any of it is backed up with a solid theory background - I'm one of two people in honors band that can fluently and easily play and transpose between all 48 scales, and really, when you consider what some of the other people in my band can do, you think that would be a more common ability.

i was lucky, when learning the piano my teacher added in theory from the start. we even did some music apreciation, listerning to the beatles and other things. The number of good musicians without a theory back ground is rather large.

Paul mcartney cant write music apparently

When I was learning keyboard we did theory from the start. But other than reading music (which I already knew... seeing as I'd learned it when learning keyboard...) we NEVER did music theory when we were learning our instruments for band in primary school. I was only lucky that I already knew some things before I started clarinet. My music theory is still sadly lacking - I did music in HS, but there's a lot of assumed knowledge by that point, so I still occasionally get thrown out when I come across something.

school music teachers are waste of space.

when i was doing a level music we had people from some schools coming up not even knowing how to read music let alone understand much of the theory.

its sad really that the majority of people just dont bother learning to read music anymore. playing an instrument and not being able to read music is the equivalent of speaking a language and not being able to read it.

Sorry didn't know where to post this, I just want to know if this is from a piece or something else? if yes by who or the name of the work. Thx.

i had my 3rd (of 6) conservatoire audition yesterday and the head of department told me at the end "i hope we meet again in the future".

what would you all make of it if someone said that to you after an audition? im scared of getting my hopes up though because its my first choice of conservatoire so it would be bad enough not to get in, let alone being rejected when im thinking ive gotten in because of that comment.

if anything i think i'd take that comment negatively:think:......i would probably think he meant that i need more practice and that i have potential but it needs to be developed and that i would have to come back later......but thats just me......sorry if that puts you down:(....as they say, "hope for the best and expect the worst"

neh that doesnt put me down- at the end of the day im trying to do exactly what you said- hoping for the best and expecting the worst.

in any case i think thats a really cruel thing to say to someone after an audition, whatever was meant by it.

Actually, I'd take it as a positive comment. A negative comment would be, "I hope we DON'T meet again in the future." In my experience, these people are not out to get you. If they were friendly with you after the audition, it's probably a good sign.

I agree with Al, it's more likely to have a positive connotation than not. But I know from experience that it can go either way. -_-

You're definately set-up good with them, Thorn. I wish the best of luck!(although you probably don't need it. =P).

I finally had a piano lesson. . .My teacher has been busy the last two weeks; with all his Ambassador and Trio meetings. x_x I've been working like a dog on the Chopin Sonata. The extrememly difficult parts I have been *mainly* focusing on, and he said their really starting to sound cleaner and more accurate. But the funny thing was, it was the *easier* parts (the B theme) that were hurting the most. I'm sure most of your guy's teahers will agree with me: "Sostenuto isn't a tempo marking, it's a colour marking." XD And basically, when you play a sostenuto section (especially in this piece) you've basically just stopped playing the piece, and it's over with. Tempo is such an odd part of music, really. You'd think that "lovlier" sections would be approached slower, but at the piano, you can't really keep a note sustained, so you need to keep it moving. It's hard, but when I was playing, my teacher was "coaching" me through it, and let me tell you, when you do it "right," you feel it down your spine. XD Opinions?

'Feeling it down your spine' sounds too exaggerated to me. Maybe it's more appropriate if you think of it as 'your fingers will move accordingly once you do it right'. Performing music is like that, once you have that little click in your head, it just goes on and on. Also, sostenuto should use with a tempo, using it alone, it's only indicating the style that it should be played.

i agree with the sostenuto being a colour marking. its a similar thing with the difference between pp and pp una corda isnt it?

but anyway, yes it has to be kept moving. and i think the reason these sections are harder in the long run is because we automatically assume we can play them and just concentrate on the technically difficult bits. and we're all guilty of it- there was a time when in the Liszt Sonata i just didnt work on the development section, because technically its not half as difficult as the outer sections; i just used to sight read through it *slaps my wrists*

as for feeling it in your back, yes i know what you mean- last saturday I had similar coaching on the Chopin C minor Nocturne where the guy (not my teacher) put his hand in the centre of my back and said "if i cant feel the muscles working, you're not doing enough". and i have to say it made such a difference. i dont know if anyone here has ever done that Nocturne (Mazeppa maybe?) but keeping the melody in the middle section on top of the double octave chromatics is hard and the final section is a total bastard in general: triplet chord accompaniment in both hands and literally only 4th and 5th fingers in RH free for the melody 90% of the time (which involves 4 over 3 rhythms)- add on top of that a cresc and dim in the same bar in almost every bar. its SO easy for the melody to get lost...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-1z0emS3kw
One of the best performances I've ever witnessed (I was at the live concert). It was so moving! Just thought I'd share one of my favorite Christmas songs!

i had my 3rd (of 6) conservatoire audition yesterday and the head of department told me at the end "i hope we meet again in the future".

omg i got a guaranteed unconditional offer from there!! :)

:) Horayy for Thorn! :) Congrats buddy! :P

See? I was right. Congratulations!

thanks you both =]

+ yeah you were right Al!

yay i'm so glad i was wrong^_^

Ah, I am going to get to play Chopin's Nocturne in C# minor (posth.) on Horowitz' Piano this Friday as a mini-concert. It's because Gershwin's, Horowitz' and Van Cliburn's pianos are on tour, and their coming to the local Steinway Gallery in Milwaukee. Since Steinway is "personally" sponsoring me, it's kind of my duty to pay them back by performing. Really, I don't feel like their curcus-act, I'm happy that their paying for my piano lessons, bi-weekly. XD

It is bad that my piano teacher doesnt give be any music theory (I suppose learning the name of some chords is theory), shows up 10 minutes late to every piano lesson, talks to me for 15 minutes before I even touch the piano, Doesnt seem to challenge me enough, and doesnt do much besides: Sit and listen to me play, gives me some advise, and asks me questions that really arn't that important (like trivia on who composed the music on: Forest Gump, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, ect.).
Latly, I dont feel like im getting very far, But when I look back to when I first started taking lessons from her (1 years ago), I feel that I've come pretty long way. Im trying to ask her if I could take lessons from her teacher (who is really good). Which I think I will start with as soon as the beginning of next year.. She wants me to play something for him and make sure that I "Click" with him, before she passes me on.
Im mean, Is the reason why I feel like this her fault? or am I just being impatient with Her and Myself. :\

It's good to have several teachers. You can learn alot from a different perspective.

How much are you paying this woman, DA?

How much are you paying this woman, DA?

I go to Stetson University for private lessons, Which are 215$ for about 13 lessons. I dont know how much she gets out of it.
She is a nice person, Its just that she really aggravates me when she constantly late to each lesson. She needs to learn better communication skills.

Ehh, that's a little more than 16$ a pop. If that's her only fault, I'd say that's a decent deal. Unless the lessons are 30 or 45 minutes a piece?

They are an hour long. I'll be getting a new teaching by next year. Hopefully i can start Organ lessons too :)

It's good to have several teachers. You can learn alot from a different perspective.

indeed. and they all tell you to do completely different things :lol:

A-freaking-men to that! >_<

I go to Stetson University for private lessons, Which are 215$ for about 13 lessons. I dont know how much she gets out of it.
She is a nice person, Its just that she really aggravates me when she constantly late to each lesson. She needs to learn better communication skills.

Wow! 13 lessons for only $215, that's a really good deal!
I pay $52 for an hour lesson.....that's $676 for 13 lessons
My cousin pays $85 for an hour lesson with a more professional teacher
......that's $1105 for 13 lessons

My teacher is quite decent though, she's never late to classes and she gives me extra time when i have exams or performance coming up and she always organizes a party or a concert to congratulate our achievements over the year.....
but even though my teacher is really great, fun and nice, i want her to be more challenging!

It's good to have several teachers. You can learn alot from a different perspective.

Actually, I prefer a one-on-one mentoring. I believe that your teacher and you should have some more connection than just a piano teacher.

Still is not bad to see or hear another perspectives from other teachers and to make your own conclusions or share them with your own teacher to see what he or she think also. My piano teacher in the last 3 years have been the same (not sure if is 3 years or 4). and yes, I think that one should have a connection with the teacher more than the instrument, if you think that teacher is good for you of course and not a #% or a lazy one or any other thing. (and connection I mean it in good way not a bad way lol).

I don't really know which is better, one teacher or several teachers...but in my family we also had this argument! My aunt thought that several teachers would be better because you would be able to hear different comments and suggestions from different teachers, my mum didn't think so, she thought that with one teacher you would be able to grow connection and understanding and it's better this way.
Well, me and my cousin both ended in different ways, he with many different teachers and me with only one. The result was, he ended up really bad because the teachers didn't have enough time to understand him, his weakness and abilities and he didn't have a good connection with his teacher that's why he didn't enjoy the lesson either.
Personally, i think that one teacher is good enough as long as there's good connection and understanding.

I think a little bit of a connection is good(Like "Hey, how was your week? did you practice a lot" and I say" Good, ect. ect... Yes I practiced a lot, or, no I didnt get much practicing this week. How was your week, Is your back feeling better?). Its good to like your teacher, You seem to open your ears a little bit more when they are talking, and if you dont, and your teacher tells you to do something, and you diss agree, then even if your wrong then your less likely to look at it from the teachers point of view. I personaly think that when your going to a lesson, It about the instrument.

I have had several different teachers. They were all different.

(I hope I don't come across as "better than you" or saying that you do not have any love for music.)

I truly consider my piano teacher to also be a musical mentor that doesn't just say how to play a song, but how to really use all of my interpretive, colour, and expression in my playing. I view him as my Mentor (or if you can relate to Star Wars) my Master, as I am his Padawan and/or Apprentice. Although I have just started with him in late-August, I feel a strong connection with him.

You can't have many teacher relationships, it's like love--in an un-weird sort of way. Heh.

I wish I had a teacher that great. :\

Anyways.. To change the subject.

Josh's website "...is parked, pending renewal, or has expired." :blink:

za???:upset:

I just got back from a Full orchestra concert (High School; Strings + Winds), and the weirdest thing happened. The concert master's (Violin player) D string apparently broke right before the concert started and the audience had to watch her tune it. xD

That's not too rare. Having the conductor not being at the concert is rare, however.

Actually, having no audiences at all is even more rare, but that is just plain weird because that can never happen...well, can it? :unsure:

Ha. Well, we've been known not to have our conductor at performances XD We usually pick a kid from the audience, because we know most of the songs we perform inside and out anyway, so can do them without him. But we're hardly a proper orchestra!

Has anyone heard of Ludovico Einaudi? His works sound pretty cool!

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=129752490

What sort of stuff does he transcribe from? It sounds familiar, and I really like it.

Einaudi falls into the category of composers whose works dont really have anything special about them. after hearing anything of his, you think aww that was nice- rather than wow that was amazing.

in the same vein as anime music tbh

not that im bitching or anything... just not my kinda thing

I agree, but I still like it. I can do pretty without the amazing. Besides, the point of music isn't to go wow that composer is so awesome. Maybe that's the effect he was going for.

Don't get me wrong, I'm neither defending him nor antagonizing you, that's just my opinion.

In lighter news, I bought some new sheet music with my Christmas money. :)

(Schirmer Editions)

Chopin Etudes (Complete)
Rachmaninoff Preludes (Complete)
Rachmaninoff Etudes-Tableaux (Complete)
Mozart Sonatas (Complete)

(Henle)

Chopin Nocturnes (Complete)

We're (my teacher and I) are going to look over them tomorrow at my lesson. =)

I agree, but I still like it. I can do pretty without the amazing. Besides, the point of music isn't to go wow that composer is so awesome. Maybe that's the effect he was going for.

Don't get me wrong, I'm neither defending him nor antagonizing you, that's just my opinion.

well in my view, the point of music is purely and simply to be listened to. if you dont listen to music then it is nothing. if you play a piece of music and you are deaf then it is nothing because you cant hear it. yes Beethoven was deaf by the end of his life, but he hadnt been deaf for all of it- he could still hear the music in his mind. am i making sense?

anything beyond that is personal taste- whatever gets you to listen to the music (and as a performer, makes you want to share it with others)

for me, if i hear something and dont get that wow factor from it, then i dont listen to it again, neither do i entertain the idea of playing it. im not talking like Liszt B minor style wow either... anything can have that factor depending on the listener i suppose.

and as for the composer's intentions, well it's easy to go with general opinion isnt it? there have been many times with my own compositions where people have said 'i love this bit, was it your intention for it to sound....etc' and you do just agree with them to make yourself appear more gifted than you actually are. everyone does it :P so who can honestly say what a composer intended, other than to make some money?

@ Mazeppa- Rachmaninoff Prelude Op 32 nr 10 and Chopin Nocturne Op 48 nr 1 are worth a look (Y)

well in my view, the point of music is purely and simply to be listened to. if you dont listen to music then it is nothing. if you play a piece of music and you are deaf then it is nothing because you cant hear it. yes Beethoven was deaf by the end of his life, but he hadnt been deaf for all of it- he could still hear the music in his mind. am i making sense?

anything beyond that is personal taste- whatever gets you to listen to the music (and as a performer, makes you want to share it with others)

for me, if i hear something and dont get that wow factor from it, then i dont listen to it again, neither do i entertain the idea of playing it. im not talking like Liszt B minor style wow either... anything can have that factor depending on the listener i suppose. I think I get where you are coming from here~ there is this guy I know from my school who is quite good at improvisations and playing by ear. Although what he plays is pleasing to listen to, its not, what might you call it....soul-shaking~ Perhaps the appropriate contrast for me is Beethoven's music - powerful and arresting; absolute stop-and-stare, or perhaps stop and listen in this sense.:heh: I guess looked at this way, anime music can't be that awesome after all - since it is simply a foil to a greater story, and if it commands too much attention, it would detract a viewer's attention away from the anime's story! Of course, I think there will be exceptions which succeed in playing both these contradictory roles. These are few, but are notable exceptions indeed.

It is in the philosophy that I'd much rather be able to play 5 minutes of "WOW" as opposed to 30 minutes of "hmm not bad~" that I have not learnt to sight-read. My pianistic style demands practice, constant revision of the same bar over and over until the entire piece is both technically and emotionally solid; sight-reading gives one zero room to do that. Although this has meant that I cannot play straight off even the simplest of pieces, the challenge I set myself during practice of such pieces is to find, in them, ways of playing with meaning where others see none - in a way that is both new and innovative, and musically correct. An interesting combination to try - it tests your originality, it does~


and as for the composer's intentions, well it's easy to go with general opinion isnt it? there have been many times with my own compositions where people have said 'i love this bit, was it your intention for it to sound....etc' and you do just agree with them to make yourself appear more gifted than you actually are. everyone does it :P so who can honestly say what a composer intended, other than to make some money?(Y) My studies in English Literature did introduce me to this concept of "the artist's intention"; they called it contextual knowledge - and I found it absolutely RIDICULOUS. I'll admit skeletal understanding CAN help - Beethoven's 3rd moonlight suddenly sounded more meaningful when I learnt about its context. However, if we're thinking about art for art's sake, if people actually need to be TOLD that something is "supposed" to feel a certain way, it gets in the way of simply enjoying the art, and makes it just plain egotistical! Anything can have any number of interpretations, and if we're going to talk about music as an engine to communicate ideas, isn't a piece of music that fails to communicate said ideas without specific prior contextual knowledge a failure at that? And if music can't express ideas OR emotions, then what else CAN it possibly be good for...? (Other than sordid practicalities like money!:\)


I agree, but I still like it. I can do pretty without the amazing. Besides, the point of music isn't to go wow that composer is so awesome. Maybe that's the effect he was going for. Extrapolate that idea to this debate, however, and what is seemingly implied is that if that's what you like, that's what you like - no matter if the composer intended it or not! :lol: I suppose it IS all a matter of personal taste after all - which in itself an extension of personal interpretation, which expands infinitely. So if non-amazing prettiness is what floats your boat, then go for it I guess~

But still....non-amazing prettiness? Does that even exist....? I suppose it does, on one hand - its nice music that's not soul-shaking - like my friend's improvisations. Which has good value in itself, to be sure - as arresting as Beethoven's music might be, I don't WANT to be aurally arrested everytime I listen to music, hence explaining why my MP3 player won't comprise solely of his music! But if music is to be defined loosely as a sound that is pleasing to listen to, then isn't that in one sense "prettiness" already? If you can do pretty too, what exactly makes Einaudi's music different from your music? I'm not degrading either of your pianistic abilities; its just - if its so common....? Perhaps every music fulfils its own unique purpose....arresting classical music on one hand, and easy-listening music - non-amazing but nevertheless still pretty - on the other~ Its the only way I can reconcile the idea of music like Einaudi's (which I'm listening to now as I write this), which, although isn't to me as revolutionary as Beethoven's music, nevertheless possesses in itself considerable musical value.

Ah, it's turned into an essay :heh: . Oh well - philosophy is tricky! :P

...And you've essentially turned what I said into a college paper. @_@ lol

LOL, you'll find I can tend to do that alot on forums :lol:

anime music can't be that awesome after all - since it is simply a foil to a greater story, and if it commands too much attention, it would detract a viewer's attention away from the anime's story!

I find that anime (and especially video game) music commands much more attention than movie scores. In earlier video games (80's-90's) when Sega Mega Drive, NES, SNES and GameBoy had their peaks, you could say that music substituted the role of today's story-telling techniques (Which mostly consists of spoken dialogue and vision). Music back then deliberately took much more space and conveyed more than any other media what was going on, the characters' personalities, etc. We simply don't have that today. This also applies to movies. I mean, you could feel the ominous presence of Darth Vader by simply picking up the distant theme song when his name was mentioned. That's incidental music at its best.

Now, anime hasn't had the real lack of visual technology video games had before, but anime music is still very rigid and attention-grabbing. This is a trait common to that of video games. They both (anime and games) use less 'background' music than movies do, and apply much more distinguishable emphasis to characters, places and events.

Although, when you look at the Legend of Zelda, they actually have more "nostalgic" themes than any other movie. (Maybe that's why I love Zelda so much more than anything else). Still, I do agree that games and anime use less than movies.

It's a shame, really, to us gamers. =/

Well, you can't really deliberately write nostalgic music. I mean, nostalgia is a connection between a person and a moment in his or her past. Someone who hasn't played Zelda won't get a nostalgic feeling when listening to its music.

And what I meant with less 'background music' was more like, generic elevator music. Music that just... 'is there' to fill out (Opposed to VGM and anime which use much more meaningful music).

Oh right, I know what you meant, maybe I didn't say it "right." And I agree with all the filler music; I mean, yes, sometimes you need filler because of what's going on in the scene, but it's gotten to be a little bit worse over the coming years, that almost no "filler" music is in effect and a lot of "modern" music is taking the stage at times. . . =/

Hey, what does an X to the left of a note mean? I'm playing Sonata Op. 27, No 2. Adagio Sostenuto (moonlight). In measure 26, there are two F# Octave Chords, the second chord has an X to the left of both F#s. I recorded just that measure, so here ya are. Thanks! http://www.fileshost.com/en/file/31448/Moonlight-MID.html

Double sharp. In another words, you sharp the note twice, hence the F# would become F double sharp meaning a G natural.

Oh cool, thanks!

I know there are a few drummers floating around here somewhere. Does anyone have experience with multi-percussion solos?

Oh wow.. You'd want to talk to ghibligirl about that. I know she's in her WP stuff right now, but due to her really busy schedule, can't even get on Ichigo's. I'm wondering, would you want to state the question, so the next time I'm on the phone or something with her, I could bring it up to her? (Or is it too complicated that you don't trust me) We're happy to help. :)

Well no offense to you, but it's not really a specific question but more of certain techniques and hints that would be helpful, and probably not known by someone who doesn't know what they're doing. I know you're a great musician and everything, but as far as I know you're not a drummer, and that's who I need to talk to. I'll see if she can help if she ever gets on MSN again. -_-

I think I mentioned a Benefit recital I'm giving a few months ago. I thought it'd be nice to show you all the flier that went out.

Flier: Page (http://steinwayofmilwaukee.com/SethApril6.html)

Is there someone who actually knows what to do when one's instrument broke? I don't mean you should tell me "Get it repaired", 'cause my teacher will help me send it to those who is going to repair it. But like, I won't be able to play... So actually, I'm wondering, is there any other way to practise?
I haven't had the want to practise at all this week because the sound of my flute when I use the right hand sounds like it's getting strangled. We know what's wrong and everything, but its' really disturbing that when you play the sound sound strangled... It's like you're listening to your best friend getting strangled and don't do anyhting...
I had to play in a small concert and... yeah it did sound awful... I wish I had stayed home.

You can rent an instrument while yours is being fixed.

Has anyone heard about the new CD format SHM-CD?

You can rent an instrument while yours is being fixed.
I would if I had the money... But I don't... And I was going to play on the old marketplace in my tow from next weekend on too, to get some money AND practise at the same time... Oh well... can't do that now, can I?

My teacher repaired it, but I got some new problems, so she checked it again, fixed it and the old problem was back... So I will send it to get it repaired on monday and I don't know whe i get it back... I won't attend to play on any of the concerts that's left this spring until I get my flute, since my teacher forbid me to do so, een if I could borrow a flute for lessons and music school's concerts. I already asked if I could borrow a flute to have at home, but that's not possible... x_x I really eed to practis too! I want to play while I still can improve and have a teacher who helps me with it...