There has been a bit of a shake-up with lessons. No longer is the Sage going to Browning Street. Lessons have moved to Farringdon Street in Robinson. No longer does the Sage have something to look forward to on Tuesday evening. The lessons are on Saturday. The Sage is feeling the love though. Not only is the Sage going to Robinson, but so is Sirisha, and so is Princess Sage, and so is Anand, because Laura is teaching there with Dave, who is teaching the Princess and Anand piano. So it's like one big musical family. Nawww...
I am still going with the same pieces, making progress most of the time, pausing now and then to refine one aspect or another. The last lesson was one of those refinement lessons. Laura pointed out there are different levels of mastery when playing scales. No longer am I at the bottom level. Neither am I at the top, yet there are certain expectations now when I play, and there are skills I must have when playing for an examiner. This is one of the reasons scales are so cool. I know what a scale sounds like, so I can concentrate on getting a good even tone on up-bow and down-bow at both ends of the bow. I can concentrate on changing strings cleanly at both ends of the bow so there is no scratching.
The Princess felt bad for me because she thought Laura was going mad on me or picking on me. Of course it was not like that, but that is how she felt. I told her "if Daddy wanted to be a half-arsed violinist he would have found a half-arsed teacher". I want to use my whole arse, that is to say, to play the best that I am capable of playing. I will never out-Hahn Hilary or out-Bell Joshua, and that has never been my goal. I want to do my best without worrying about comparing myself to anyone else.
Right now that means working hard to get my scales sounding better.
There will be a break over Easter. Family duties call as much as I would like a lesson. The lessons will be there after Easter.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Friday, March 27, 2015
Mzaza Album Launch: Ghosts
Congratulations to Mzaza (pronounced EMzaza) on the launch of their album Ghosts. It's on iTunes and you can get the CD from their web site. I already have my copy since I was part of the pozible campaign to crowdfund the album. My award was a wooden USB stick with the Mzaza logo (and URL) and a signed copy of the album.
I was there at Brisbane Powerhouse on both nights but not both of them were for Mzaza. The first night was for Miranda Sings. No link for her. Don't bother. She is a character of American Colleen Ballinger. Not important. More important and far more fascinating than her was the Nikon Walkley 2014 Photo Exhibition. For those who don't know, the Walkleys are awards given to photojournalists for outstanding photography. The pictures were displayed throughout the Powerhouse. I will admit that the photos themselves are not always so spectacular until you hear the story behind them. It was the opening night and there was a gentleman there talking about the various photographers and their photos. It finished with him talking to the gentleman who took the ONLY photo of Gerard Baden Clay on the day he was found guilty of murdering his wife. It was not so much a photo of him, but a photo of him on a security monitor inside the vehicle that was taking him from court to jail. Not a bad effort, until you realise the vehicle was on the Centenary highway at the time doing a hundred kilometers per hour, and the photographer had about ten seconds to take that shot...
I did actually see some of Mzaza that night. I spoke for a moment to Jordan (percussion) and said hello to Greta (violin) and introduced her to my daughter (who was there for Miranda Sings along with her cousin Regina and my sister).
Had I not come to Brisbane Powerhouse to take my princess to the show I never would have had the introduction to the Walkley exhibit. The photos were still there on the Friday night.
I was back again on Friday for the performance. Before the show I was standing at the Alto Bar looking out across the river. Then a lady said to me "you should be playing". I was at a loss to what she was talking about until I realised she meant Patience. I had come straight from work so I was holding my bag and my violin, I had actually been paying in Newfarm Park before getting to the Powerhouse. I told her I was learning and she thought that was lovely. Then she wandered away with her group. Eventually I went down to the Vizy theater to escape the Miranda fans and wait for the show.
When we were finally allowed in, the lovely security lady with the cool tattoo sleeve told me I could leave my bag and violin at the front door (since this was a seated event) and she would look after it. Awesome, because there are no cloakrooms at the Powerhouse (for shame). Once I took a seat I realised it was behind a familiar face. It belonged to a gentleman I first met at the vintage shop that hosted Mzaza one time and then saw again at The Bearded Lady early this year (with The Underscore Orkestra, who, coincidentally, were playing the previous night at Vision Gallery, where I first saw Mzaza play with Chaika but I digress).
The show was to be opened by the Ewan MacKenzie Trio, but he was sick. He was replaced by the very capable, and charming, Andrew Vievers. He was at Post Office Square on the same night as Mzaza some time ago, and I was looking forward to seeing him until I had to go home earlier than I expected... He is absolutely fabulous on Spanish guitar. His right hand was mesmerising. It was obvious he has been doing this for decades. He made it look so easy. He is also a bit of a larrikin. He told a story about a piece he had written for his wife, translated to "little chicken". He had titled the piece using the masculine gender. Since he had written for his wife he decided to use the feminine gender. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, a friend of his who was a native Spanish speaker saw the piece and asked him about it. Andrew told him why he had the named the piece the way he did. His friend then said "No no no Andrew. This word is slang for 'small penis'". LOL So he changed it back to the masculine. I look forward to seeing Andrew play again in the future.
Then it was time for Mzaza. Huzzah for Mzaza. They had the usual arrangement on stage, and a little more. Firstly, there was a screen on stage. During in the evening it had clips of lyrics to introduce each song, and were visuals as well. Nice one. Part of me enjoyed the aspect of visuals on the screen, especially because some of them were quite stunning. Another part thought they distracted me from what was happening on stage, like Greta shredding on the violin (I'm not kidding) and Stephen going gangbusters on the accordion. They played the track list from Ghosts, so the songs were very familiar to me. The other thing that changed it up was the addition of friends to the stage. There was one lady who backed up Pauline's vocals. If you have heard Pauline sing you know she doesn't need backup but the presence of an additional voice provided another dimension to the songs. There was a chap who joined them with an oud. Another gentleman played cimbalom with them for a few songs. I know! How cool was that??? I love hearing that sound, and this guy was awesome. They also had another gentleman take over on double bass for what turned out to be my favourite song of the night - Esta Montanya D'enfrente - (something about a mountain). The tone of that song and the haunting vocals that went with it were outstanding. Oh, and there was one more guest. Michael, who I believe is dating Pauline, came on stage for a duet in French (Dying To Dance With The Devil). He looked so nervous but he did a great job.
Mzaza came back for an encore that finished with the audience singing a Ladino song "Adio Kerida" which contains such charming lyrics as "When your mother delivered you and brought you to the world she did not give you a heart to love with". I'd sing this song to Mrs Sage until I found the translation. Oh dear,,,
After the show there was a meet and greet. I spoke to Greta briefly and Pauline for a little too, I really wanted to chat to Stephen about the accordion but that will have to wait for another time. Then it was off to the ferry for a quiet and pleasant trip to South Bank for a train home. But wait ... who was that sitting waiting for the Gold Coast train? Yes, the lady from Alto with her three companions. We had another chat. She was lovely. It turns out she likes gypsy music and wandered about Paris looking for buskers who played. I told her about Mzaza and I think she was keen enough to look them up. Tally up another random encounter thanks, in part, to Patience.
It was a great night. The show was wonderful (though I think my favourite gig was still The Bearded Lady for the dance space). All the best to Mzaza and fingers crossed for a safe and happy return for another show.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Violin lesson #105
Last week Laura asked me to write out the G Major scales in the way I had to play them. I didn't get around to doing that, but, I did write out an arrangement of Onward Christian Soldiers. Why? Let me explain...
I think I have written before about Tom. He is a kind gentleman, older than me, who is in the Salvation Army. He collects at the South Brisbane train station most Fridays. He also plays a brass instrument (a horn of some kind which I am embarrassed right now to say I can't identify). Last Friday he was playing his horn as he was collecting. And he was playing Onward Christian Soldiers. Now, I know that song though it was different to the version he played. So I asked Laura if she would help me to learn his version of I provided the sheet music. I found it on 8notes.com but had to transpose it to a key signature I know how to play.I did this on my noteflight account. Yeah, a computer nerd like me writes his music online. It's how I roll.
To the lesson... we were back in the original studios at #17 Browning Street. Sirisha went first this week, and she played splendidly.
Then it was my turn. I started with Farewell To Skye. The first thing I had to do was fan out the fingers on my left hand. I have spoken before about my larger than average fingers (well, wider than average I suppose is more accurate). Sirisha, and of course Laura, have a good spread with their fingers. And apparently I do to when I remember to spread them out. While on the subject of my left hand, my thumb is unusual. How unusual? Laura says I am the only person she knows who can't turn his thumb around to place the front pad on the neck of the violin. If I do that, I can't get proper finger positions. If I use correct finger positions it is the side of my thumb that rests against the violin. I have tried to use the front of my thumb but I just can't manage it. I wonder if years from now when I am dead whether someone will dissect my hand to find out why this is so...
My intonation was better this week *phew* so it was only that one week where it was off. My rhythm for this piece is not quite correct so that's something to work on for next week. And again I had trouble with first and second finger close together on the E-string. Will this be the case with the viola? Time will tell.
After this Laura helped me with Onward Christian Soldiers. I knew the tune and had practiced it a fair bit in the key I had selected (G-Major). I mostly wanted some tips from Laura on how to play.We ran through it a few times and she made some notes. On the last pass through Laura accompanied me, but did not play what I played. She played a counterpoint (or harmony, I am not sure which). I knew the piece well enough to be able to play it with one part of my brain while I listened to what Laura was doing. It sounded so cool. Yes, at times like this I wish I recorded my lessons. These moments cone along once in a while and I know they will stay with me for a while but I would also love to share them.
Finally was Londonderry Air. This was an improvement over last week, especially when I used - come on, say it with me ... MORE BOW. I think Laura said last time, and repeated again this week, that the bow is where the expression comes from. Vibrato is a nice effect when used correctly, but it's only a small part of the feeling that can be put into the music. If the bow work is not there then vibrato will not matter so much. I think I was getting the hang of it towards the end. I have improved on how much bow I use and when, but there's still a little way to go. Laura told us this was one of the pieces she played in a nursing home recently and she milked it for all it was worth. Now when a professional musician tells you that, you *know* it had to be good. So good in fact that people were crying (in a good way) and residents who don't normally get up did so. Music is wonderful. 'nuff said.
All in all I feel I had a good lesson. And afterwards Sirisha told me she could feel her baby moving around as she sat and watched my lesson. I told her Uncle Szechuan would love to play for Sirisha Junior (or Anand Junior, or something else) one day. Yes, music is wonderful.
I think I have written before about Tom. He is a kind gentleman, older than me, who is in the Salvation Army. He collects at the South Brisbane train station most Fridays. He also plays a brass instrument (a horn of some kind which I am embarrassed right now to say I can't identify). Last Friday he was playing his horn as he was collecting. And he was playing Onward Christian Soldiers. Now, I know that song though it was different to the version he played. So I asked Laura if she would help me to learn his version of I provided the sheet music. I found it on 8notes.com but had to transpose it to a key signature I know how to play.I did this on my noteflight account. Yeah, a computer nerd like me writes his music online. It's how I roll.
To the lesson... we were back in the original studios at #17 Browning Street. Sirisha went first this week, and she played splendidly.
Then it was my turn. I started with Farewell To Skye. The first thing I had to do was fan out the fingers on my left hand. I have spoken before about my larger than average fingers (well, wider than average I suppose is more accurate). Sirisha, and of course Laura, have a good spread with their fingers. And apparently I do to when I remember to spread them out. While on the subject of my left hand, my thumb is unusual. How unusual? Laura says I am the only person she knows who can't turn his thumb around to place the front pad on the neck of the violin. If I do that, I can't get proper finger positions. If I use correct finger positions it is the side of my thumb that rests against the violin. I have tried to use the front of my thumb but I just can't manage it. I wonder if years from now when I am dead whether someone will dissect my hand to find out why this is so...
My intonation was better this week *phew* so it was only that one week where it was off. My rhythm for this piece is not quite correct so that's something to work on for next week. And again I had trouble with first and second finger close together on the E-string. Will this be the case with the viola? Time will tell.
After this Laura helped me with Onward Christian Soldiers. I knew the tune and had practiced it a fair bit in the key I had selected (G-Major). I mostly wanted some tips from Laura on how to play.We ran through it a few times and she made some notes. On the last pass through Laura accompanied me, but did not play what I played. She played a counterpoint (or harmony, I am not sure which). I knew the piece well enough to be able to play it with one part of my brain while I listened to what Laura was doing. It sounded so cool. Yes, at times like this I wish I recorded my lessons. These moments cone along once in a while and I know they will stay with me for a while but I would also love to share them.
Finally was Londonderry Air. This was an improvement over last week, especially when I used - come on, say it with me ... MORE BOW. I think Laura said last time, and repeated again this week, that the bow is where the expression comes from. Vibrato is a nice effect when used correctly, but it's only a small part of the feeling that can be put into the music. If the bow work is not there then vibrato will not matter so much. I think I was getting the hang of it towards the end. I have improved on how much bow I use and when, but there's still a little way to go. Laura told us this was one of the pieces she played in a nursing home recently and she milked it for all it was worth. Now when a professional musician tells you that, you *know* it had to be good. So good in fact that people were crying (in a good way) and residents who don't normally get up did so. Music is wonderful. 'nuff said.
All in all I feel I had a good lesson. And afterwards Sirisha told me she could feel her baby moving around as she sat and watched my lesson. I told her Uncle Szechuan would love to play for Sirisha Junior (or Anand Junior, or something else) one day. Yes, music is wonderful.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Violin lesson #104
After the disappointment of last week's lesson, and trying to decorate my cake before I baked it (that is trying to add the finesse to my pieces before getting the basics right), I was a little bit down.
The first practice I was able to do after that lesson I spent working on my intonation. At first I started using Pitchlabs then eventually worked without it. I was playing notes up and down, partial scales, working on each string in turn. It was boring, yes, but necessary, and I was focussed.
The other thing that helped lift me was a quote Laura posted on FaceBook:
"To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable"
After hearing that I tried to play my pieces with more feeling, and I think it worked. Well, I felt better at the very least =) It's odd, but there are pieces I know how to play - things I have learned outside my lessons - that I think sound really good. Sometimes I think it is because I have more confidence with those pieces, or because I am more familiar with them, so I am able to worry less about wrong notes and think more about the music I want to play.
The work paid off in today's lesson. My intonation was much better than last week.And I tried to play my pieces with more bow and more energy. For the most part it worked. Mango Walk sounded pretty good today. There were some timing issues but it was pretty good. I'll need to work on the opening two bars (which are repeated a little later). They sound sweet when played with confidence but I don't always play them that way.
Even when Sirisha walked in with Anand, her husband, I kept my composure.
After this I worked on Londonderry Air. I need to become more aware of how much bow I use to make sure I don't run out at one end or the other. So, apart from learning what notes to play, I need to plan how to use the bow (more than just whether or not it is an up bow or down bow or a slur). I think I will need to play it a little slower and stop when I run out of bow to figure out why and how to fix the bowing leading up to that point. I was really happy to be able to get to the end when I played the first time. I didn't stop even when I knew I had messed up. I just kept going, and it felt pretty good. All in all I enjoyed playing it, warts and all.
There was time at the end to talk about scales. I am going to write them down, partly as a way to learn them and partly to have the music in front of me the way that I am supposed to play.
I enjoyed my lesson today and look forward to my practice and my next lesson.
The first practice I was able to do after that lesson I spent working on my intonation. At first I started using Pitchlabs then eventually worked without it. I was playing notes up and down, partial scales, working on each string in turn. It was boring, yes, but necessary, and I was focussed.
The other thing that helped lift me was a quote Laura posted on FaceBook:
"To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable"
After hearing that I tried to play my pieces with more feeling, and I think it worked. Well, I felt better at the very least =) It's odd, but there are pieces I know how to play - things I have learned outside my lessons - that I think sound really good. Sometimes I think it is because I have more confidence with those pieces, or because I am more familiar with them, so I am able to worry less about wrong notes and think more about the music I want to play.
The work paid off in today's lesson. My intonation was much better than last week.And I tried to play my pieces with more bow and more energy. For the most part it worked. Mango Walk sounded pretty good today. There were some timing issues but it was pretty good. I'll need to work on the opening two bars (which are repeated a little later). They sound sweet when played with confidence but I don't always play them that way.
Even when Sirisha walked in with Anand, her husband, I kept my composure.
After this I worked on Londonderry Air. I need to become more aware of how much bow I use to make sure I don't run out at one end or the other. So, apart from learning what notes to play, I need to plan how to use the bow (more than just whether or not it is an up bow or down bow or a slur). I think I will need to play it a little slower and stop when I run out of bow to figure out why and how to fix the bowing leading up to that point. I was really happy to be able to get to the end when I played the first time. I didn't stop even when I knew I had messed up. I just kept going, and it felt pretty good. All in all I enjoyed playing it, warts and all.
There was time at the end to talk about scales. I am going to write them down, partly as a way to learn them and partly to have the music in front of me the way that I am supposed to play.
I enjoyed my lesson today and look forward to my practice and my next lesson.
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