Title: Ongaku – Piano (Music – The Piano)

After so many political related posts, you guys must be wondering what is with this sudden random post about music and the piano.. I don’t know, just assume I’m tired of politics for the time being? I mean I’ve finally found the reason for my indecision.. Mr Victor Gu is in the wrong party!!

Oh well so they say.. But whatever.. I’m sort of made up in my decisions.. That’s why for now, I can stop posting about politics.. Though I will still follow it somewhat :p


Well the reason for this post is obvious haha.. Who might the piano player be? Well non either than yours truly here… as we all know, I do play the piano, although I have stopped my lessons, since I left for the UK for my studies, (and I am only at about grade 6 or 7, more to 6 I think… though I haven’t taken any official exam.. I’m quite hopeless as I have forgotten most, if not all of my theory.. And have to constantly ask for help in reading the symbols.. ) but I have not stopped playing the piano yet, and in fact I have picked it up more seriously than I did before I left for the UK.

It’s a common fact now that I’m really into classical music, and I’ve been trying my hand at various classical pieces… mostly works belonging to Beethoven, and which are about grade 5 works…
Why? maybe it’s because I find some of his works easier to play, besides his pieces are popular, I’m sure we all at least know Fur Elise, and the Moonlight Sonata…

Well unlike music students, I do not own the leisure to practise the piano 8 hours a day, nor will I do so, even if I possess the time..(I think..) Basically I play when I can, and lately, I acquired a stash of classical music pieces from Huey and Wendy, so I started playing whenever I am free..
I must say that I am quite proud of my sight reading… but I digress when it comes to timing.. Unless I’ve heard the piece before, I am totally clueless as to what is the timing.. And thus, most of the time, it turns out sounding seriously weird.. (I’ve tried to improve, but I can only handle basic counts…. That’s the problem when it’s become a habit not to count for years… )

Anyway, again I digress… going back to the main reason for this post is because I am happy that I managed to finally finish a piece!! (well not counting the aforementioned Beethoven and other simpler works…)

It was a tough road (the notes were confusing.. it was seriously starting to look like tauge to me.. Not to mention, I kept getting lost, cause I couldn’t see where I was last playing…
), but I have finally completed the first movement of Schubert’s Sonata in A minor S845 Op 42 (1825), there is still plenty of room for improvement, because truth be told, I have only been practising the first page, and taken by a sudden wave of enthusiasm (after coming back from the Thursday Pasar Malam with ccy) I sight read through the entire first movement in an hour or less…

Maybe it’s because I have been playing the piano quite diligently since Reading, or it could be my ex Piano teacher(s)’s excruciating lessons, where she.... or more like, they… (one of them was male...)

well I changed teachers 12 times, and almost all of them did that to me..explains my loss of interest really well right? Anyway, they practically forced me to sight read a whole piece. Damn I hated those lessons.. I felt so stressed.. And well maybe it was also because I lacked motivation thenbut that’s that.. (i sort of thank them now :p)

I realised that not all classical pieces are that hard, and I could play them too..
In fact I could sight-read them. So, yes I am happy and thus this post to mark my achievement.

With that, I will continue practising my Schubert’s sonata, (wish me luck.. it really isn’t easy… well to me anyway..) till I get the timing right.. And well.. You really need to practise to make a piece sound right. Even child prodigies spend a lot of their time at the piano, that’s why they can play so well.. Playing the piano really takes practise, nothing else but that.. So yes I will continue with that piece!! がんばって！！

On another note.. I m looking for… well it’s impossible for someone to have two pianos right? But no harm asking, maybe someone knows someone in a music academy, and we could rent a room for a while to play a piece for two pianos…
Oh and someone to play with me...

Because next on my list to master after Schubert’s sonata will be Mozart’s Piano Sonata for Two Pianos In D Major K448. After Schubert, I will try to learn the parts for both pianos.. I tried sight reading it just now.. And it seems playable to me.. It’s a bit hard but I’m sure that with time and patience I can do it..

Another step of recovery from to ? And this is a good way to train my patience and will power again..

I'm sorry Chopin, but Fantasie Impromptu has to take a back seat for the time being... It really isn't my standard... (yet.. i hope)

And that’s all for the post on music…

~~
六日三月二零零八年：木曜日

Okay, Okay.. So I lied.. It’s back to politics now…

DAP’s Tony Pua had scheduled a talk today at SS2’s Cheow Yang, near the Thursday Pasar malam.. So as a responsible citizen, who is supposed to vote this year, and who has taken it upon herself to find out more about the candidates.. (Because obviously we can’t trust our mainstream media… and the internet only has so much.. and also since it’s always and I mean always , classes and home for me, I needed a change) I headed off with ccy for the talk..

To be honest.. Actually, my main target was to go for Mamak and have Cheese Naan after the talk. But fate would have it that wei hao is busy with his assignments, and xian ai had a dance class.. and Leonard was going with his parents.. With only two people going to the mamak… what fun is there in that?? For mamak it’s the more the merrier.. with no one to mamak with, (except ccy) I decided to just go for the talk.. And walk the pasar malam..

my cheese naan

So off I went.. And Tony Pua’s turn to talk hadn’t arrived, even though we were there like since 830pm. Since it was starting to drizzle, I decided to just go to his blog later when he uploads the video.. Besides, the other speakers there, were already spouting facts that we all already know.. and unfortunately for the part banana here, part of their talk was in chinese..

So having ate, some itako (baby octopus - RM2 for a stick, I guess it’s considered cheap..), had some lime drink.. (RM1.20, this was cheap too.. compared to KL, heck corn cup there was RM2.20, in KL it’s RM2.80..) And buying some pizza buns back for breakfast the next day.. (RM5.40 for 3.. cheap??)
I ended my eating and drinking spree, besides I was kind of full from dinner.. came home, and stole some songs from ccy’s pendrive, played some piano, sang along to some of Andrew Lloyd's songs (Darn he loves Flats..) and as said ended up sight reading the whole sonata in A minor, and am now blogging about my achievement..

So that’s all for now..

I lost to the will to

I had seriously better start, or I will end up like this by my parents

So to jump start my engine, I plan to wake up at least in the morning.. Instead of the usual noon, and have my breakfast.. Complete whatever chores I have, play the piano and pick up my books.. Or at least pick them up after lunch and study AT LEAST for a minimum of 2 hours… a day.. and increase from there.... sounds good?? Well let’s hope I can carry that out.. Wish me luck!!

Signing off to bed now

ガンバルよ！！！私はできる！！

-Oracl3-