This is an update about the NYCO practice on Tuesday, 20th March 2007. It was an eventful day which contained not your normal practices:
1) Guzheng concert rehearsal
- meaning we were left with little time to practice our music
- meaning YQP had to ban instruments up and down without much purpose
- meaning YQP was quite physically exhausted.
However, there have been certain exciting events in the day!
2) Borrowed yun luo
- surprise! surprise! Mrs Ee helped to borrow a yunluo with WHEELS from her resources. Though we had to spend some time re-arranging the new luos, it was certainly hopeful that we would be much eased off during this period of time when we do ban instruments about. Cheerios.
3) Video watching
- Mrs Ee took us to LT1 to view videos taken while we were practising in the auditorium. My sentiments that the video was not the best quality of videos, but it was more of to reflect how we did look like while from the perspectives of judges/audience. The host was indeed biased to not have given DAJI any single personal shot as a section, and thus we did not have much opportunities to catch our wonderful faces/stances on tape. However, Mrs Ee did mention that we were pretty good! (Perhaps after the renowned SSABOLLEC) Of course, in terms of stage presence (not just about taifeng) there would be so much more room for improvement and thus DAJI should practise harder and prac taifeng infront of your beloved mirrors at home or in school! XD
Which meant to say that the day was eventful. Words of advice:
1) Always tune yangqins!
2) Always practice ji ben gong!
3) Always (try to) practice taifeng infront of a mirror!
4) Always be with the music no matter if you are playing or not!
5) Always be natural and open up! :D
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Hello! Cuttlefish and Cockroach collated a list for stuff to be put in the green box for SYF. If there are any discrepancies, please feel free to raise them out.
1) 4 sets timpani mallets
2) 2 sets xylophone mallets (old + new)
3) 1 set muyu mallets
4) 1 set vibraphone mallets
5) 1 set yunluo mallets
6) 1 set diaobo mallets
7) 2 sets bangu mallets
8) 2 sets pengling
9) 2 sets xiao cha (old + new)
10) 1 set zhu ban (big + small)
11) 1 set xiao luo with mu ban (for sheerleen)
12) 5 sets zhong guo gu chui
13) 2 sets tuners
These are instruments not to be in the green box though:
1) bangu with stand
2) shougu
3) 2 sets tambourine
4) 4 yangqins with cases
5) 4 yangqins stands
5) Tuners for yangqin players
These are supplementary items though important:
1) Unlimited supply of food and water
2) YQP Fund $20 - In case we need money to buy stuff?
3) Plasters, since we're wearing court shoes that may hurt.
Here's a suggestion! Didn't we put a little poweder on the dagu and paigu last time for GU SHI, to create a dramatic effect? We could actually try it out too, because in Molihua some of the dagu/paigu parts are rather forceful and it could heighten the effect! Heh heh, feel free to respond to this!
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NYCOYQP rocks the house I say
YQP YQP YQP YAY!
Oh for daji people: we need to do a serious clean up after the critical period. our area is strewn with clothes hangers, random pieces of paper, sweet wrappers, drum mallets or even court shoes?! do you think i can stomach this as the MGA? NYEH NYEH! (:
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Hello juniors! It feels strange posting something that resembles a reprimand, but things need to be said no matter what. I was supposed to go back to nyco today, but due to personal matters that have made me somewhat down, I decided not to.
But, whether I'm saying it to you all in person, or through this blog, I hope the words will stay with you.
Tuning your instrument is a form of respect. One, to the instrument. Two, to the orchestra. Three, to the conductor. Four, to yourself. I think some people have known my horror at discovering that the qin was 20 - 40% lower than 442 when I went back last week. I know it's difficult to tune a yangqin. I've been through the stage where I tuned the instrument (almost) everytime before dazu. It takes hours to get to to sound decent, only to have it go haywire when you bring it to a different environment.
But it doesn't mean that you choose not to try at all. Regular tuning stabilises the instruments and its pitching. I would really really hope that everyone who's playing the yangqin for syf can take the effort to tune your instrument back to 442. There's 14 more days left, and time is running out.
This is especially true for yangqins who have solo parts in the piece. Can you imagine the judges being able to hear you loud and clear, and hear that you are out of tune? The standards won't lax just because your instrument is more difficult to tune than others.
Many seniors of yours have gone through the stage of coming in at 7am to tune the yangqin on saturday practices. Many have gone to M4-02 an hour before dazu starts in the afternoon just to tune.
It's not too difficult after all, and it's the last lap, the last fourteen days that you can do something to make nyco yqp better, to make nyco sound better.
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Sometimes when you are down and out, deep down in your own valleys of sorrow, all it takes is a little optimism to let you see the light you receive.
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JIAN KUAI DE LIANG FENG
One day, two bored people were having a race.
Says A: I dare you I can make the wind accelerate with me as I run.
Replies B: How can that be! Don't be lame. My physics teacher didn't say that's possible.
A: Don't believe me; your loss!
A then picks off at a brisk speed, his motive clearly shown. He needs to use his powers to make the wind accelerate with him. He starts off really at a moderate speed; and somehow at the start of the race he manages to churn some melody out, imitating a flute. It was apparently an attempt to throw B off his track.
B was dumbfounded. Like, what the hell? Did his physics teacher ever teach him anything about making the wind accelerate? It seemed like such a deep mystery; so profound. Nevertheless, being the kiasu he had always been, B caught up with A in the race.
The two of them kept arguing while running. It was kind of lame (just like having two counter melodies with a poor little accompaniment in the background).
B: Why are you running so slow? What kind of strategy is this?
A: Says who. Heh, think of a strategy to reverse my theories if you are so free!
As such then, it seemed like he began to pick up speed, this time throttling like an old horse from the race track. (with an attractive melody!) A almost felt gay; he was listening to his MP3 player. Somehow he was thinking about girly stuff: flowers, dancing; flowers; dancing. Oops. Then he turned to his back. Aaah, so this was what happened.
B was in a flowery jumpsuit. He actually bothered to change into it in the middle of the course?
A: I must say, you're pretty pro.
B: Thanks, I do take pride in keeping myself attractive no matter the time, venue or date.
A: -.-
A, like any other normal person, was freaked out. Was that a sign of...? Thus, he began running at a speed of VIVACE, as fast as his legs could carry him. B was running after him!
A stood on the edges of realisation. B is gay, and B likes him, and that's why he is doing all such crap with him? Running a race with him, changing into a silly flowery jumpsuit for his sake? What is this? Korean drama gay version?
A galloped away like a stealthy steed. B was on a hot pursuit of his desired one.
It was clearly, humorous.
Out of the blue, A and B were swept away in the winds of nowhere; winds that carried cows and sofas alike, that swept coconut trees away, that almost uprooted the Sir Stamford Raffles statue! The end.
(You know why they were swept away? Because that was a tornado. You see, A and B ran so fast the wind accelerated too much and it became a tornado!)
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Plain crap, but do applaud me on my incessant crapping efforts. XD Molihua to be up soon.
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hi people.
it's obvious that all of you know syf is coming soon.
in fact, very soon.
needless to say, you should all be freaking out (and it's very worrying if you're not).
trust me, i've been stressing out over nyco too.
you know your standard.
it may not be bad, but you have to face the truth.
it is not good enough.
i dont know if you've been putting in effort to practice (or maybe you have, just too late).
but the fact remains that the standard right now isnt going to get nyco the coveted gold with honours, possibly not even gold.
i'm not trying to demoralise you guys, but if you still dont understand the implication of it, if you still think the gold with honours is going to come that easily, then i'm sorry to say, you'll most probably be disappointed.
i know many of you have been working hard.
i dont know, there may be some of you, or perhaps not, who take things too easily.
i know this may not be such a big thing. it's not going to affect your life.
but syf really means a lot to many people, not just you guys, but all your seniors, and especially mrs ee.
it not just about the award. the music matters, probably even more. but the problem is, there is no music right now, needless to say the award.
you still have some time left.
not much, i admit. but it will still make a difference.
just hope that all of you will give your all for the time left, to achieve what nyco should in terms of its music.
what does it matter if we dont get the award.
just show us, and other schools, what nyco is made of.
show them through our music.
show them what nyco's standard is, move people through your music.
miracles do happen.
in this 2 to 3 weeks that's left, create a miracle.
you know that we'll be supporting all of you.
all the best for syf.
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NYCO
To see Shawn around has always been a revelation. Shawn, don't cringe. Even if you're huddled in the little space around Tim, consistently knocking your head against it, though unwillingly, your presence and words prove to be a great guidance for all of us, in fact for me especially. Did I say this before? Though you have been such a wonderful senior, I have felt so pressurized to be the timpanist after you. You know that you have played Tim very well. You know that you have married Tim to your soul and mind, to such a perfection whereby Tim becomes your very best friend. And me? Yes I do seek solace in hiding behind Tim's lovely rear wheels, snugging around in the irony of an air-conditioned freezer. But have I brought the soul out in Tim? I haven't. i play Tim, with taifeng and zest, but I haven't been genuinely in love with Tim yet. Let me fall in love. Oh sighness.
And Mrs Ee is getting considerably vexed and as could be seen, firmer and scolding more. I kind of like it though. Though I think I might be getting my very own personal scolding anytime to come soon, Mrs Ee, scold us all the more if you think we would be able to make it within these short eight practices. We truly deserve it. (And Yiling jiayou too. Let our CO soar under your presidency.)
DAJI, we can do it.
Benita, Jamma, Sherleen, Pamela, Xinyi, Cassandra and I.
And to the YQ players Pei Yan, Xu Hao, Amanda and Wendy.
YQP can rock: it depends on whether we want to create our motion.
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An extract from my blog for some form of motivation. Jiayou YQP.
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