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Had a crazy zany time with the ancient TJ band alumni on saturday night. They went for supper after practise. It was mad! haha.. anyway, the pieces look quite good. I’m glad I went down because its really great. Player wise its not like super skilled.. but I feel the cumulative experience is very great and somehow its like a well oiled machine and I’m just a new cog in the system.

Just came back from this SSO concert. Shirley called me after her lesson with TXP and asked me if I wanted to see him play. Its free anyway! hahaha.. So i grabbed my stuff and went out in time for the second half, kinda glad I didn’t waste my time with the first (contemporary rubbish). It HAS to be the most awesome concert in my recent years. The audience was pleased.. because the clapping was so long the conductor came out 4 times! haha.

Anyway, it was a ballet score written in the middle of the 20th century based on Romeo and Juliet. It was really really lovely and so well written. Maybe I know the story intimately thats why I understand.. but I really think the composer did a great job writing such beautiful music.

After that TXP sent Shirley then me home. ops, so malu. I’m going off to mess with my PootyPod! :)

Ma Yue is playing his clarinet (first time I’ll be hearing it) next week Friday. Anyone wants to go?

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIts………………….

STEPHANIE!

hahaha… my 8th generation junior concert master. I think I freaked her out last last year during the esplanade thing when I kept calling her name for fun. She’s so cute! haha.. Anyway, quite smart la she, went RJC. All (or maybe most) my juniors got l33t playing skillz man.. its madz! I feel scared playing with them. Then the 4th generation Concert master took the baton after I took over Stephanie.

HA! Guess what, we all from clarinet section! haha.. So Me + 4 gen = Shirley, Shirley + 4 gen = Steph.

Aiyah, no photos of myself la.. If not can put also.

I found out recently alot of people aren’t into taking photos. Like.. they think I’m mad because I have a camera with me all the time besides the fact its big, chunky and not some fashion accessory. They have very low self confidence and hate to take photos cos they feel very ugly. Okay.. thats kind of a long shot to say but thats generally the idea. Anyway I’m off to bed.. oh my, its been so long online and I’ve discovered how much I love sleep nowadays,

After TheGreatSze commented just now, I went to look at some of his videos and saw some funky bass videos. I shall now reveal that I had a secret aspiration last time to play the funky bass like this

Partly cos of this bass solo (at 2:34 if you dowan to listen through the whole thing) so long ago somewhere in the middle of the song “the rain must fall” that inspired me.

Of course, an electric bass would look pretty suspicious in the house so I never got around to buying one. I did.. however, almost play it in band, but never on stage. I chose a clarinet solo over it in the end. hahaha.. So the concert some people came.. I think it was felicia, charissa, shawn, shirley and some other person I cannot remember..

I still think the bass guitar is a great instrument and there are acoustic ones! No need to play them funky though.. they are a great replacement for plucked string basses in a small ensemble. Wanted to get for church before. But nobody would play. haha..

I had a couple of Yanni CDs from sec school which I must say fueled my enjoyment of music in general. Its nothing classical can provide. Makes me laugh as I think back of what I thought about as I listened to all this. Yanni’s piano music was always quite contemplative and sentimental.

As I took out my CD player last week I just had to pop in these CDs which I haven’t heard for super long. After a brief listen, it kinda brings me back to the year 1998. Specifically. Heh..

Anyway, I find my taste for music changing again. Its strange cos the radio is just so noisy now.. even the oldies are annoying. Even when I turn it on just to find out about traffic its unbearable. Band music also. I think.. I need some silence for a while now. And a whole load of good christian music thats been lacking in my life. I don’t like to listen to them as white noise thought.. I prefer to really listen to them when I play it. Its of no value otherwise right?

edit: horrors! He has degraded himself to this lousy beaty music! ahhhh…

So much work… dunno where to start? I’ve still got time. I’m quite happy about that. Going for lecture now! But not after listening to this nice thing we sang in april.

Along with some joe hiashi stuff I used to play in band.

While I do like to keep a record of what I do, its honestly getting abit too.. unspectacular. Its like a daily description of activities. Haha.. like

• 1100-1400hrs: Recording and lunch with david and eunice
• 1400-1500hrs: Walked around whitesands, borrowed library books on color and design
• 1500-1820hrs:Finished up most of buck’s site for real this time
• 1823hrs: find out I have project assesment on monday

Okay, now I’m freaking out. This time the mini project is like triple crazy hard la! I shall now go work on it. Boo… how to finish like this………… die already la.

Anyway, bass sets the finish time at 2hr15min for “Grace Each Day Renewed”. The altos have 1hr15min to do the second pass.. I think this one lose already la. Haha..

My goodness, the Boston Brass guys were so good! They are all incredibly charismatic. Their playing is like nothing I’ve heard before! Usually those Maynard Ferguson recordings have crazy trumpet solos are so impressive already, imagine hearing it live, then imagine it x5. Oh man.. Their volume level was also crazy, I’ve never heard any human play so loud before! My ears were literally ringing after their final piece! And for quite a while after the performance it felt like somebody was stuffing their fingers into my ears. That was just sitting in on one song only loh. Other than that the students at the conservatory were only so so.. I dunno, I kinda expected more from people who play and study music everyday? Here’s some pictures of william, 2 of the brass players, some random students, and a pretty girl not so pretty girl.

If you din read the caption.. I said, “William gets some pointers” wahhaa.. so pun-ny right? Anyway, the guy we talked to could reach phenomenally high notes and still play normally after that. Fantastic Jazz player.

I shall upload the boston brass master class recording.. there were some really good tips but mostly about being entertainers and about showmanship.

 

 Boston Brass Masterclass [38:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (23)

 

 Caravan - Boston Brass at NUS [6:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (25)

“The King and I” musical was pretty nice. Very light on props and flashy stuff, it was heavy on the story and characters. It was too short a time to tell the whole story but still, very nicely executed. Went with my parents and YX.

Recording voice is totally different from piano. Its so painful. Sigh.. I will never never ever want to sing again, just been feeling that music is a very “extra” kinda thing, sometimes feels pointless and excessive.