Traffic everywhere

Just got back from work tonight. Argh…the traffic downtown is terrible, because it’s a two-week school holiday break now. Cars everywhere, with some ignorant bastards behind the wheels. Some of these morons change lanes or make turns without signaling, pedestrians cross the street without looking (they must be Superman’s relatives), and the motorcyclists…they are a scourge.

It’s times like these that I enjoy some classical music, to keep me sane. I love listening to some Bach, Haydn, or Mozart while driving. I like other composers, too, and always make sure I bring along some classical CDs before starting a road trip. This does make me feel more relaxed behind the wheel, thank God.

Now where’s Mad Max when I need him?

With music like this…

who can be sad? I talked about Pat Metheny’s music in an earlier post, but felt compelled to bring him up again. When I’m depressed or get the blues, I like to listen to a track like First Circle, from the CD of the same name. It originally came out in 1984; I remember buying the cassette recording and practically wore it out!

Anyway, wanted to share it with you guys. First Circle is long, around 9 minutes. But listen to it from beginning to end, and I guarantee you’ll be mesmerized. This is an extremely talented group of musicians.

Opera, anyone?

OK, confession time. When I started to build up my classical CD collection way back in 1992, one genre I left out was opera. At that time, I thought (rather foolishly, I might add) of opera as grown-up women and men belting out their voices at shockingly high levels in languages foreign to me.

It was only in the past few years that I began to see the beauty of opera, realizing that it was the ultimate combination of voices and instruments. I also began to appreciate it without even knowing the languages, especially Italian. What satisfied me was knowing at least the synopsis of the opera, and then just letting the music and voices transport me to faraway lands where the action takes place.

Oh, another confession. During my student days in London, there was this one time where I paid an inexpensive student rate to see Wagner’s complete Der Ring der Nibelungen (The Ring) in Covent Garden. This is probably the longest opera on record, clocking in around 16 hours and consisting of four parts or sub-operas. I attended all the four parts in four nights, and needless to say, I fell asleep half-way through each night!

Now, where was I. Oh yes, my opera collection now consists of 4 operas. In no particular order:

1. Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro (English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner)
2. Puccini: La Boheme (Pavarotti, Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan)
3. Puccini: Madam Butterfly (Orchestra Accademia Santa Cecilia, Rome, Tullio Serafin)
4. Puccini: Turandot (Pavarotti, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta)

All are very good CD recordings. The latest acquisition was Turandot, recorded way back in 1972, but my, what a marvelous sound!

I guess it’s a case of better late than never.

Student Profile: Augustine Eu

Alfred’s Piano Level Chart (pdf)

This spunky 9-year old has been learning with me for the past two years or so, and never ceases to amaze me! Augustine has a very playful disposition, but at the same time has a willingness to learn and to do what has been told. I must also thank his parents especially Juliana, for their very supportive roles. They normally attend Augustine’s lessons, and that does keep him in check!

Augustine is currently finishing Alfred’s Piano Level 1B; I’ve decided that at the rate he’s going, he will be moving on to the Level 2 & 3 Complete book. Well done, and keep up the good work, Augustine!

 

Piano lessons: Part 3

Some thoughts from my piano learning experience:

1. The Classical foundation is still one of the best, if not the best, groundwork you can start your musical journey on. It’s no wonder that some of the best keyboard players in the past, like Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman, came from Classical backgrounds. I wouldn’t lie and say that the Classical training is easy, far from it. It actually reminded me of a military camp when I went through all those years of lessons. But when you come out on the other side, you become more disciplined, more aware of detail, more insightful in your music. If I had to do it all over again, I would still go for the Classical training.
2. You have to practice in order to become a good pianist. Or in other words, no pain, no gain. Or garbage in, garbage out. And I don’t mean hours and hours of practice, it’s actually the quality, not quantity, that counts. For most beginners, 30 minutes a day should be sufficient.
3. When you do practice, become involved. A little guidance from a teacher is good, but many students tend to rely too much on the teacher. Remember that the teacher can only help you during the lesson. You’re at home the rest of the week, and you have to teach yourself. Don’t play the piano at home as if you were a robot or zombie, that is worse than not playing at all!
4. After stating #3 above, I must say that I do make myself available to my students outside of their piano lesson hours. If they have problems or queries, they are free to contact me by phone, e-mail, and instant messaging.
5. Never ever give up!

Piano lessons: Part 2

OK, confession time. Probably my number one on the hate list during all those years of piano lessons was sight-reading. I could never do it well, even with the advice given by my piano teachers. And it only seemed to get worse as I went up the grades for the ABRSM examinations.

It wasn’t until I went to England to do my A-Levels that I realized what I had missed out. I was at the West London Institute of Higher Education (now part of Brunel University) and doing a 2-year Foundation course in Music. I looked right and looked left, and there were students sight-reading like there was no tomorrow. I felt very tiny then . At that point in my life, I resolved to improve my sight-reading by sheer hard work and determination. After a short span of time, I noticed that my sight-reading skills had improved, and it was getting easier and very rewarding to be playing chamber works with other students.

I was also very interested in Jazz and Popular Music, so sight-reading sheet music and scores was no longer difficult. The acid test was sight-reading church hymns, with their typical 4-part SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass) arrangements. I still do this today, and modesty aside, I never look at the hymns I’m supposed to play in church until I get to the organ and prepare myself.

So for my students and for anyone else lamenting about having to go through sight-reading hell, here are a few simple tips to make it easier:

1. Sight-reading, like practice, should be done daily. The more often you do it, the faster you’ll learn the ropes and improve.
2. If you are a poor sight-reader to begin with, start by first sight-reading easier material. Say you’re at Grade 4 level, start by reading Grade 1 or Grade 2 pieces. This is not embarrassing or humiliating; in fact, you will build up self-confidence by doing so.
3. ALWAYS try your best to read the notes quickly. Let your eyes look ahead at least a bar, and maintain a steady pulse (using a metronome would be advantageous here). Go with little sections at a time.
4. Don’t restrict your sight-reading to only sight-reading books. Grab any music sheets, scores, whatever, and work on them.
5. How quickly you’ll improve depends on how often and how much you do it. Remember this: sight-reading is a wonderful gift to have. And you don’t have to worry about losing it once you have it (but remember to keep doing it though).

Here are some good sight-reading links:

• http://www.musicteachers.co.uk/resources/sightr.pdf
• http://www.serve.com/marbeth/teaching_sight_reading.html
• http://www.soundfeelings.com/free/music-reading.htm
• http://www.thefxcode.com/music/sight.htm

Best of luck!

Andrea Bocelli…magnifico!

Managed to borrow the DVD of Andrea Bocelli’s “Vivere Live in Tuscany.” The man is blind, plays the piano…and sings like an angel. In fact, all Andrea has to do is open his mouth and sing, and I’ll drop everything I’m doing and listen. No other tenor has captivated me as much since Pavarotti, and the thing that makes me all gooey when Andrea sings is that he gives 110% of himself, always. This DVD also boasts stellar performances by Lang Lang (bravo!), Sarah Brightman, David Foster, and Chris Botti (he does for the trumpet what Andrea does for the voice).

The passion in his voice, the fantastic orchestra, and the humility when he sings, stirs up a wonderful sense of magic in the air. When I watch and listen to him, I can forget about all my problems for a moment or two.

Grazie, Andrea, for your wonderful voice and music. Encore!

Pat Metheny’s music…

In a word: awesome. I still remember walking into a CD shop here in Penang about 13 years ago. There was this wonderful jazz guitar music playing through the speakers, and surprisingly it caught my attention (I say surprisingly because I’m a pianist, and I usually go for music with lots of piano and keyboards).

I discovered the music I was enthralled with was Pat Metheny’s Still Life (Talking). With its infusion of Brazilian rhythms, wordless vocals, and Pat’s signature jazz guitar sound, it was unlike any other CD I’d ever heard. Needless to say I bought it straight away and have been hooked to Pat’s music ever since.

If you’re new to Pat Metheny’s music, here are the CDs I would recommend, in chronological order:

1. As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls (1981) This is like a road trip through middle America (in fact Pat was born in Lee’s Summit, Missouri). Backed by Lyle Mays (a brilliant keyboard player) and Nana Vasconcelos on percussion, close your eyes and feast your ears on the journey that is truly memorable.
2. Still Life (Talking) (1987) The album that started my enriching journey with Pat’s music. Brazilian rhythms pervade throughout this CD; just listen to the first track, Minuando (Six Eight).
3. Letter from Home (1989) This CD, to me, feels like a second installment of Still Life (Talking). The playing standards of Pat and his band are all top-notch.
4. Secret Story (1992) If I could take only one Pat Metheny CD to my desert island, this would definitely be THE one. With the superb backing of many talented musicians, members of the London Orchestra, and even the Cambodian Royal Palace Choir, this is a veritable tour de force of over 75 minutes of music. My favourite track is Finding and Believing, a roller-coaster ride through African vocal chants meeting up with Steve Reich and Pat, who does his amazing guitar solos towards the conclusion of the piece. This album has been re-released as a 2-CD set, with five bonus tracks which did not make it to the initial recording.
5. We Live Here (1995) The Pat Metheny Group is in full-swing here, taking us on another trip across the USA, this time perhaps a bit more funkier. The opening track Here to Stay, grabs you by the neck and doesn’t let go. Not that I mind at all.
6. Quartet (1996), Imaginary Day (1997), Speaking of Now (2002), The Way Up (2005) These four albums see Pat delving into experimental jazz rhythms while still letting the music speak. The nice thing is never knowing what he’ll come up with next. The Way Up resembles a four-movement jazz symphony, which suits me just fine because I like classical music anyway.

It probably sounds corny, but Pat’s music always uplifts my spirits. The way he plays his guitar, you know he’s playing from his heart. And what a wonderful composer he is as well.

Here’s a video of a concert performance of Finding and Believing (Part 2):

 

Piano lessons: redux, Part 1

Ah yes, I remember my first piano lesson vividly. Dragged kicking and screaming (at the age of 6) while playing in the garden. After arriving at the music teacher’s house, I was dragged again into her studio. And the teacher was none other than one of my aunts!

Huh, I suppose it was similar to waiting for your turn at the dentist’s. The wait is actually more nerve-wrecking than being in the chair itself. But try telling that to the people in the waiting room.

Anyway, to cut a long story short I persisted (and my parents insisted) with the piano lessons, going all the way from Grade 1 and actually achieving Grade 8 status by the time I turned 13 (yay!). Or so I thought. My parents said I wasn’t finished yet, until I took a shot at the diploma exams . So I went ahead and obtained my LTCL (Licentiate of Trinity College London) and finally my FTCL (Fellow of Trinity College London) in 1984.

Finished at last!?