Okay well, I was practising what I knew of the song the first time today, after listening to a few of Yiruma's songs (didn't know he sang, lol) , experimenting with dynamics along the way, when I realised how Yiruma has been making his playing sound so smooth.
Backing up a little, I've been wondering how other pianists were able to play songs that sounded so smooth, even over single notes that sounded so plain and obtrusive when I played them. It only hit me later, that they always played the single notes softer than the rest of the piece, making it work "behind the scene", rather than having it stick out like a sore thumb, which meant the fact that the single notes were well, single and not exactly rich-sounding because they were meant to be a part of a richer set of notes, rather than a stand-alone, asking attention!^^
Told you it was a minor epiphany, LOL:D Wanted to tell a friend about it and just went on with life but couldn't find a musically inclined one at the moment, so thought I'd just mention it here;)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Hardest Song So Far...
Still trying to learn Yiruma's Love Hurts...
It has been days and I'm still not done with the tutorial. Usually by now I'd have memorised the song and be trying to play it with minimal mistakes...but Love Hurts is taking me ages. At the beginning, I was learning/memorising 10 seconds of song per day! LOL...but things sped up a bit, till yesterday, where it slowed down drastically. Had hit hard parts in the song...
Well I know it sounds like I'm complaining but I'm really not:D It's such a nice song and unlike the others songs, I'm still not sick of it yet, despite having played and butchered it over 100 times. It's amazing how Yiruma was able to make such a beautiful song out of such simple chords...*sighs* By the way, if you have heard the song and think it's fairly simple, well...unless you have big hands or long fingers, you're gonna have to do a fair bit of stretching, not to mention jumping around the piano. Even so, it's a refreshing piece to master after having learnt mostly block chords in songs recently. If you're a beginner and want a challenge, well...knock yourself out with this:D
It's just a fascinating piece to learn and to listen:) I'll post the tutorial and the full song here soon.
Oh one other thing, in case you're wondering, Love Hurts only lasts for about 2 mins and 14 sec. Not long at all...
It has been days and I'm still not done with the tutorial. Usually by now I'd have memorised the song and be trying to play it with minimal mistakes...but Love Hurts is taking me ages. At the beginning, I was learning/memorising 10 seconds of song per day! LOL...but things sped up a bit, till yesterday, where it slowed down drastically. Had hit hard parts in the song...
Well I know it sounds like I'm complaining but I'm really not:D It's such a nice song and unlike the others songs, I'm still not sick of it yet, despite having played and butchered it over 100 times. It's amazing how Yiruma was able to make such a beautiful song out of such simple chords...*sighs* By the way, if you have heard the song and think it's fairly simple, well...unless you have big hands or long fingers, you're gonna have to do a fair bit of stretching, not to mention jumping around the piano. Even so, it's a refreshing piece to master after having learnt mostly block chords in songs recently. If you're a beginner and want a challenge, well...knock yourself out with this:D
It's just a fascinating piece to learn and to listen:) I'll post the tutorial and the full song here soon.
Oh one other thing, in case you're wondering, Love Hurts only lasts for about 2 mins and 14 sec. Not long at all...
Monday, November 15, 2010
New Stuff
Well, finally managed to gt my hands on the Rocket Piano package I ordered, geez...and no thanks to their support team, they haven't replied to either of my emails. Ah well, managed to find my way around things and got the stuff they promised.
On first glance, the stuff seemed great. I'll be exploring more of it in the next few days, so look out for my review on the Rocket Piano course!:) I'll probably start with the beginners' book first.
Have also been looking for more songs to learn. The past few attempts were of songs I wasn't exactly crazy over, so didn't find myself pushing it, argh...BUT, heard a song yesterday and fell for it seconds into the intro:D
It was Yiruma's Love Hurts.
Yeah yeah, I'm behind on things and that ain't exactly a new song, I think, but the pain expressed in just the first few seconds made such a impact on me that I just had to learn to play it!^^ Anyways, I'm actually taking a break from practising the song at the moment - yep, found a place to learn it less than an hour ago and have been going at it.
Should probably be getting back now...later;)
On first glance, the stuff seemed great. I'll be exploring more of it in the next few days, so look out for my review on the Rocket Piano course!:) I'll probably start with the beginners' book first.
Have also been looking for more songs to learn. The past few attempts were of songs I wasn't exactly crazy over, so didn't find myself pushing it, argh...BUT, heard a song yesterday and fell for it seconds into the intro:D
It was Yiruma's Love Hurts.
Yeah yeah, I'm behind on things and that ain't exactly a new song, I think, but the pain expressed in just the first few seconds made such a impact on me that I just had to learn to play it!^^ Anyways, I'm actually taking a break from practising the song at the moment - yep, found a place to learn it less than an hour ago and have been going at it.
Should probably be getting back now...later;)
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Well then...
Purchased the Rocket Piano package the other day, but entered the wrong email, so had to send them an email asking for an adjustment to the order. Moronic old me...it has been days and I'm still waiting for a response from them...sighs.
Meanwhile, have been learning My Memory from Winter Sonata on and off since the day I placed the Rocket Piano order. Managed to get the intro down, now am onto the first verse, which is oddly hard...Have never spent this much time on the first part of a song before, LOL.
Also, I've been really bored recently, so I've decided to pu into words, all the musical theory I've learnt so far, onto a page on this blog. Not sure how it'll go, but we shall see...
Singing has been going okay - haven't started a blog for that yet...not that eager to do that anymore, seeing as how sick I get listening to recordings of my singing...*shudders*
Meanwhile, have been learning My Memory from Winter Sonata on and off since the day I placed the Rocket Piano order. Managed to get the intro down, now am onto the first verse, which is oddly hard...Have never spent this much time on the first part of a song before, LOL.
Also, I've been really bored recently, so I've decided to pu into words, all the musical theory I've learnt so far, onto a page on this blog. Not sure how it'll go, but we shall see...
Singing has been going okay - haven't started a blog for that yet...not that eager to do that anymore, seeing as how sick I get listening to recordings of my singing...*shudders*
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Short Break...
Been doing lotsa little bits of piano stuff here and there, though nothing really substantial. Think I've had enough fun just learning songs, lol...I'm gonna start on my technical skill training, whatever that is.
Think I'll go back for piano classes too.
Am gonna teaching 3 beginners piano real soon, so am excited about that. Not too sure if I'm qualified enough or not though:( Well, at least they are beginners, so there should be some stuff I know that they don't, LOL..as sad as that sounds...
I've other commitments coming up as well, which means I can no longer be as crazy over the piano as before. Ah well...maybe after I get those other stuff done.
Have started doing little vocal and breathing exercises as well, and had just joined a free singing lesson program as well, so I'm really excited about that that:D
Anyways, see you all around!
Think I'll go back for piano classes too.
Am gonna teaching 3 beginners piano real soon, so am excited about that. Not too sure if I'm qualified enough or not though:( Well, at least they are beginners, so there should be some stuff I know that they don't, LOL..as sad as that sounds...
I've other commitments coming up as well, which means I can no longer be as crazy over the piano as before. Ah well...maybe after I get those other stuff done.
Have started doing little vocal and breathing exercises as well, and had just joined a free singing lesson program as well, so I'm really excited about that that:D
Anyways, see you all around!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Updates
Still working on Departure from Rurouni Kenshin...
The song is really simple, but since it's such a quiet song, the dynamics is really hard to get right, or anything close to it. I really don't want it to come out like a MIDI file. On top of that, due to mypoor technique, my whole body tenses up when I'm trying to play the left hand softly, yet audibly -- it's exhausting and really not good for long hours of practice.
Hmmm, what else...
Oh, I finally received the two piano books I ordered online!:D One teaches piano essentials and the other is a fake book from the E-Z Play Today series with lotsa Disney favourites in there. With its simplicity and huge notations, it's perfect for a poor-sighted newbie like me:) I'll go into detail about their contents another time though...haven't really read much of them yet.
I went for a earn-training workshop earlier this week as well. It was great, exceot that each student had a sing "lalala" quite a fair bi tto get ourselves used to hearing pitches and intervals in our voices.
I generally hate my voice 'cause of how it sounds, and I hate my singing voice more -- which I guess can't be helped seeing how little I use it each day. My vocals cords and all are ridiculously weak, lol...
It was nervous-wrecking in class 'cause I belong to the Bass vocal type, and the teacher was using the middle C major scale to train us...LOL. I couldn't reach so many of the notes...nearly died...though I managed to survive it somehow:D Think my face was red pretty much the entire workshop, lol...
Side note: I have almost never sang at karaoke before, so you know how scary this is for me...*shudders*
Even so, I sorta liked being able to use the musical side of my voice in a friendly and educational environment for a change. I know I mentioned how frightened I get when I have to sing, and how much I hate my voice, but somehow...I've always wanted, and wonder how it'd be like to not be restricted vocally. It must be so nice for singers to be able to express emotions without cracking their voices all the time. I know all that takes lots of training, but still...These thought make me want to take up vocal lessons -- and the only thing stopping me is fear and well, money...
Anyways, the teacher said singers tend to pick up piano playing much quicker, just made me want to learn to sing even more.
For that, I managed to find a great site that offers lots of singing advice and information for free. It's kinda like Piano Play It, but for singing:) This sparked another idea in me...
What if I followed the tips and exercises offered in that site religiously, while keeping a blog on all the progress and obstacles I faced? It'd be like this blog, but for my attempt at singing instead! It seemed like a fun idea, and being able to observe the improvement in my voice may be cool! Hmmmm...
Only thing is that I'd have to post recordings of my voice on the blog...
I've tried recording and replaying my attempts at some of the vocal exercises I did back to myself -- and let me tell you, it was excruciating to listen......oh man!
But I guess if these exercises were to work, I'd be able to prove how it had by comparing the before and after recordings:D And hopefully that would help those similar to myself, who would like to learn to sing but are reluctant to, some insight to what they can expect from training:)
That'd be cool too...
I'll see what I can do with this idea and keep its advancements posted here!
The song is really simple, but since it's such a quiet song, the dynamics is really hard to get right, or anything close to it. I really don't want it to come out like a MIDI file. On top of that, due to mypoor technique, my whole body tenses up when I'm trying to play the left hand softly, yet audibly -- it's exhausting and really not good for long hours of practice.
Hmmm, what else...
Oh, I finally received the two piano books I ordered online!:D One teaches piano essentials and the other is a fake book from the E-Z Play Today series with lotsa Disney favourites in there. With its simplicity and huge notations, it's perfect for a poor-sighted newbie like me:) I'll go into detail about their contents another time though...haven't really read much of them yet.
I went for a earn-training workshop earlier this week as well. It was great, exceot that each student had a sing "lalala" quite a fair bi tto get ourselves used to hearing pitches and intervals in our voices.
I generally hate my voice 'cause of how it sounds, and I hate my singing voice more -- which I guess can't be helped seeing how little I use it each day. My vocals cords and all are ridiculously weak, lol...
It was nervous-wrecking in class 'cause I belong to the Bass vocal type, and the teacher was using the middle C major scale to train us...LOL. I couldn't reach so many of the notes...nearly died...though I managed to survive it somehow:D Think my face was red pretty much the entire workshop, lol...
Side note: I have almost never sang at karaoke before, so you know how scary this is for me...*shudders*
Even so, I sorta liked being able to use the musical side of my voice in a friendly and educational environment for a change. I know I mentioned how frightened I get when I have to sing, and how much I hate my voice, but somehow...I've always wanted, and wonder how it'd be like to not be restricted vocally. It must be so nice for singers to be able to express emotions without cracking their voices all the time. I know all that takes lots of training, but still...These thought make me want to take up vocal lessons -- and the only thing stopping me is fear and well, money...
Anyways, the teacher said singers tend to pick up piano playing much quicker, just made me want to learn to sing even more.
For that, I managed to find a great site that offers lots of singing advice and information for free. It's kinda like Piano Play It, but for singing:) This sparked another idea in me...
What if I followed the tips and exercises offered in that site religiously, while keeping a blog on all the progress and obstacles I faced? It'd be like this blog, but for my attempt at singing instead! It seemed like a fun idea, and being able to observe the improvement in my voice may be cool! Hmmmm...
Only thing is that I'd have to post recordings of my voice on the blog...
I've tried recording and replaying my attempts at some of the vocal exercises I did back to myself -- and let me tell you, it was excruciating to listen......oh man!
But I guess if these exercises were to work, I'd be able to prove how it had by comparing the before and after recordings:D And hopefully that would help those similar to myself, who would like to learn to sing but are reluctant to, some insight to what they can expect from training:)
That'd be cool too...
I'll see what I can do with this idea and keep its advancements posted here!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Video No. 2! Fukai Mori on Piano
Sorry about the poorer sound quality of this one. Sucked all the battery out of the better cam trying to get a decent/usable recording -- turns out it took a lot more tries than I had liked, lol.
Actually, I became so stressed over not being able to play properly for the camera that I kept making mistakes I wouldn't have made if I were playing for myself. Got pissed off and didn't touch the piano for a few hours, which was a fairly long amount of time for me:)
Note to self: Play the piano because you love it, and improvement will show itself willingly. Practising because you're desperate to get better will just lead you to make more mistakes and get worse at a piece...sighs.
Anyways, I'm still not completely happy with my performance in this video, but I can't seem to get it right on video -- and believe me, I've tried...a LOT. But ah well, hopefully I'd be able to play this song much better in a few months' time, when I'd hopefully be better on the piano in general.
Have also been reading up on piano technique, which just made me realise (even more so than before) how lousy my overall technique is...and the more I watched that video, the more problems I pick up.
Another note to self: Record your playing while at the peak of your confidence and enthusiasm in mastering a song, which should be around the time you start being able to play the whole song with just a few mistakes, but you're still liking the feeling of playing the song (because you're past that point, you'll be waaay too critical of yourself and nothing gets done). Make your second draft recording after you've critiqued yourself enough and have tried your best to improve your skills on the piece. The second one should do it.
Next song, Departure from Rurouni Kenshin, and the one after that, a remake of the same song, since I know I have the knowledge to improvise and make the version in the tutorial have a little more depth;)
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