20080627;
00:38
Hellooo my dears!! ((:
Hahaha zheng lao shi very nicee right! ((: Yayy so thats why i told you all to prac more so that you could enjoy the experience! ((: In other words to grab every opportunity to listen to him, watch him instead of worrying about your yinzhun and staring at your pu3 xP
Very glad that you all managed to keep quieter than usual today! ((: Hahaha hope that this would continue for all the other dazus, including wls dazus kay! ((:Anyway just posting to tell you all that actually we should
learn to pay attention to everything he says! ((: Cos even though he might be directing them to a certain section or instrument, the things he say can be applied to our own playing, not just in molou but also the other pieces! ((: He is teaching and
exposing us to the basics of an orchestra when he talks about how we need to learn to listen to other sections, when he explain the 层次感 etc. He is
helping us to understand the piece when he describe what each instrument is playing/trying to express! ((: Hmmm certain things we can try to ti3 hui4 ourselves, dont really have to wait for him to tell us every single thing! Need to
learn how to listen and apply ((:
So hope that from now on, please
put in more thought into every note you play, if you havent already been doing so. Music and sounds are very different things! Hope that for the rest of the dazus you can learn
to pick things up from him, instead of
stoning, falling asleep, doing other things. Besides, it is essential in an orchestra that you
understand what other sections are playing too.
We are ONE orchestra afterall ((:
Haha so everyone
JIAYOUS!! For those who are still struggling to follow please continue to practise hard! ((: so that it would be easier for you to feel the music when you are more familiarized with the scores ((:
Kaykay see you all tmr! ((:
Love, Ahma ((:
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20080622;
17:14
Heyheys!! ((:
HOHO hahaha fret not its not another long long post!
ITS THE LONG LONG LONG LONG AWAITED...
TAJIKE RECORDING!! <33 http://www.mediafire.com/?my42rdsj1wmYepps its from Concert05 ((: Go listen kay! ((: Joyce helped to record at 2am last night one so please treasure it! <33 ((:
OH and new updates to prac timings:
TUES
2.30 - 6.30 -
xiaozu at
normal classroomTHURS
3.30 - 4.30 -
xiaozu pieces at
j blk for zheng lao shi
4.30 - 5.30 -
dazu pieces at
j blk conducted by zheng lao shi
FRI
2.30 - 4.00 -
xiaozu at
normal classroom4.30 - 6.30 -
dazu at
ks cheeeSAT
9.00 - 10.30 -
xiaozu at
normal classroom10.30 - 12.30 -
dazu at
ks chee conducted by zheng lao shi
REMINDER: Please be on time for all pracs and do come down earlier to help set up for dazu!! ((:
THANK YOU DARLINGS! <33Love, Ahma ((:
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17:11
hey everyone! (:
yup concert's in
28 days which is not far away ._. so we all have to chiong and prac hard! (: right now our standard not very good, but then we must all believe that we can do it alright! cos we're rgco and we work miracles (: everyone don't get too stressed
cos its not good for health but at the same time we must all jiayou!! keep the faith there, we can do it (: love you guys loads!<3 leevoon!
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20080621;
11:40
Heyheys!! ((:
Was trying to note down what to take note/prac for each song so decided i should just post here so that everyone can refer too since they are mostly what WLS has repeated many many times already.
(in the order that we would be playing in on concert day)
塔吉克
- Bar 21 - 68 [弓法]: Erhu2s please clarify with me where to dao4 gong1, where to lian2 gong1
- Bar 69 - 72 [音准]: For everyone who wasnt at yesterday's dazu, wls did ygygl for the 5566 4455 3344 2233 1122 7711 part. Please take note of that for wai4 xian2 its the 1st and 2nd fingers together (3344) while for nei4 xian2 its the 2nd and 3rd fingers (7711) together
- Bar 89 - 96 [clarity, 音准,指法]: Please use the fingerings stated, if not we cant be qi2. Start slow first. Play this part at least 10 times in a row when you are prac-ing it.
- Bar 105 - 136 [长弓 发音,厚度]: Use full gongs, try to join up the notes and make your huan gongs smoother, everytime you prac this part play the whole thing, DO NOT keep stopping. Make sure that every note that you play is very shi2 and not piao1. Do rouxian too if you know how to.
- Bar 137 - 144 [音头]: There is an accent on the third note. The whole piece doesnt have any accents anywhere else, so please please note the emphasis placed on those notes.
- GENERAL: Like what WLS said, try to feel the 节奏 when playing this piece. Listen to the other sections and daji (shou3 gu3, ling2 gu3) esp.
秦王破阵乐
- Bar 19 - 22 [音准,换弓]: Take note of your yinzhun esp when you jump to the 3rd ba3 wei4. practice yi1 zhi3 huanbas first before you prac this part. This part also requires you to huan4 gong1 (nei, wai; wai, nei) so you can practice using kong1 xian2 first. prac using one xian2 one gong1, then after that nei, wai one gong, wai nei one gong. Then after that apply it to your playing. Your changing of xians when you play shouldnt be very abrupt and obvious.
- Bar 48 - 63 [音准,节奏]: Take note of the change in diao4. Also the jie2 zou4 for the 4 - - - 4 - - 43 1 6 70 (bar 55 - 57)
- Bar 65 - 67 [音头]: It starts loud and gets louder. Use full force (: Dont worry, your xian wont break. Also please memorise this part and look at Wls, because we start to jian4 man4 (while we jian4 qiang2) towards end of bar 66.
- Bar 68 - 76 [16 fens]: There is a BIG qi4 kou3 at the ending of bar 67 and beginning of bar 68. LOOK AT WLS. Then quickly dao4 gong1. Start only when she cues us. Accent on the first note of every four 16fens. All the notes should be of the same length and you should be able to hear every single note. Again, start slow first when prac-ing.
- Bar 90 - 91 [timing, clarity]: Come in ON the beat, not too early or too late. LOOK AT WLS. Take note of clarity of the last few notes, do not eat them up.
- Bar 93 - 110 [顿弓]: Use very little gong and use the strength of your fingers to produce short, detached sounds. We are banzou-ing so listen to the melody (dizi) and play softer. And also, take note of where (which part of the melody) we change note.
- Bar 112 - 114 [节奏]: Yepps so take note of the jie zou so that you can sound confident when you play.
- Bar 115 - 145 [弓的长度、力度、速度;节奏]: Take note of how much gong to use. E.g. for Bar 130 use very little gong, Bar 133 use more gong etc. If you are not sure please ask. For jiezou, take note of the qian2 16s, hou4 16s, fu2 dian3s, and also the kongs4 (esp. bar 115, 138, 140, 142, 144) .
- Bar 146 - 149 [节奏]: Generally the jie zou for this part is much better but for those who are still unable to play on the beat please practice this part and listen to the recording to be familiar with how it sounds like (3.51 - 3.56min). First note more gong, the next two notes less gong.
- Bar 150 - 155 [clarity,节奏]: Should be able to hear every single note of the 16 fens despite the speed.
- Bar 172 - 179 [音准,音量,音头]: Take note of your huanba yinzhun for Bar 174. Just keep practicing 2 to 6, 6 to 2. Once you get used to the distance it would be natural and xianyue wont have to experience a sudden decrease in volume every time we get there. The whole part is LOUD and remember you are GOING TO WAR. Besides making every single note loud, the yintou for Bar 172 and 176 is very important as well. Use full force as well (:
- Bar 180 - 184 [LOOK AT WLS]: Yepps i think that sums it up.
- Bar 185 - 188 [节奏]: Go listen to recording if you cannot get the rhythm. 4.53 - 4.56 min. Have to turn up the volume though.
- Bar 189 - 219 [弓的长度、力度、速度;节奏]: Refer to Bar 115 - 145. Identical. Only difference is Bar 213 and 217 where there is an extra note. use 1st finger for both 4# and 5.
- Bar 232 - 235 [音准,节奏]: Use the kong1 xians to check your yinzhun. Also dont slow down when you get to bar 234 just because it requires you to keep huan xian-ing.
- GENERAL: The whole piece is about war and is loud. Be familiar with the piece and have confidence when playing. You will lose the war when you are unsure of what to do! (:
红楼梦
- 长弓: Your changgong is VERY IMPORTANT. Practise your changgongs first, try to play them as slow as possible yet at the same time maintain the sound and steadiness. The only way to make your changgongs sound nice is to keep practising. Use your full gong and try to minimize the zayins by ensuring your gongs are smooth and nice. The amount of force you need to use is something you have to figure out yourself. So even though the notes of this song is the easiest, it is actually one of the hardest to sound nice in.
- 音准: It is a very slow and relatively quiet piece. Every single note is very very obvious. Besides like what WLS said, the notes are very few so all the more you should be able to get every single note. Practise your scales.
- 换把: Also another reason why your yins are not zhun3 is probably due to the huan4 ba3. The 6 to 3 huan4 ba3 is very very important. We need to have PERFECT yinzhun esp when we are the only instrument playing it in Bar 45 - 46. Practise 6 to 3, 3 to 6. Also, the hua2 yin1 is not all the way. You start to touch the xian somewhere around 2. Please dont hua2 all the way from 6 down to 3.
- 弓法: Check the standardized gong1 fa3 with jass/me for erhu1/erhu2 respectively.
- 揉弦: For the starting all the way until the change in diao4, do NOT rouxian. In other words you only start to rou2 from bar 20 onwards. Rouxian is essential for this song but please get your yinzhun first before you concentrate on rouxian.
- GENERAL: This piece requires patience when you practise. It is meant to be slow. Please do not think that you are saving time by practising it fast. After you are able to do the above, listen to the recording to get into the mood. Please play with emotions, if not we will STILL sound very very nan2 ting1 heh.
漠楼
- Bar 3 - 106 [音准,弓法,整齐]: Take note of your yinzhun, though we are very soft but if everyone's yin is different then we will really sound like "gui3 jiao4" to quote WLS. Please clarify which way each trill should be done (fingerings, notes to trill etc). Learn to control the length of your gliss. Take note of how much gong1 you need, try not to run out before you reach the note you are supposed to gliss to. Also, take note to start and end on the same beat with the rest esp during Bar 20 - 22 and 95 - 106. Clarify your gongfas if you havent been coming in the holidays. We have made quite a few changes. *Erhu2s, please ask me if i havent tell you whether you are Erhu2 (I) or Erhu 2 (II).
- Bar 112 - 149 [音准,节奏,弓的控制、发音]: MANBAN. This is the only melody of the whole piece and we are the only section playing for the first part so please get the yinzhun and jiezou correct. Practise your huan3 ba3s. Esp Bar 112 - 116. Take note of your 3rd finger's yinzhun, and your 6 to 3 hua2 yin1's yinzhun. For jie zou, take note of the fu2 dian3s. Keep in mind too what yifei/me have said during xiaozu on Friday. PLEASE PLEASE la1 kai1. Use full gong when you should. Join up the notes. Feel the music. Sing or listen or anything. THIS PART IS VERY IMPORTANT.
- Bar 154 - 156 [音头]: Please use full force. Must have bao4 fa1 li4!!
- Bar 164 - 210 [音准,timing, 齐ness]: Take note of your yinzhun especially for the scales (Bar 164 - 167 and 198 - 200). Erhu2s, we are playing one octave lower than Erhu1s for certain parts, we need to be zhun3 so that we dont mislead the Erhu1s since san1 ba3 yinzhun is much harder to achieve. Erhu1s, try to la1 kai1 more, right now cannot really hear you all when we play together. The sound doesnt come out. Timing and togetherness. Everyone please count because if you only start when another person starts, you are at least one second slower already (: Take note too that for Bar 185 - 194 DO NOT FOLLOW SUONA. Yepps (:
- Bar 215 [change of note]: Erhu2s please take note. We have to change note from Bb to B, while Erhu1s are still playing the same note. Dont get confused.
- Bar 217 - 221 [节奏]: Take note of the kong4s of every bar. They are all TWO beats.
- Bar 228 - 233 [顫弓]: There is slight pause before you chan4 again for every bar. Look at Jass but count the beats/listen to the music yourself. Note change of note in Bar 233.
- Bar 239 - 258 [节奏,整齐]: Please please count. Especially for Bar 244 - 245, 254 - 256*(6/8 beat), cos right now all of us come in at very different timing.
- GENERAL: This piece (1) Requires 100% attention to the jiezou,because any section that misses one beat will affect the whole orchestra drastically since we are listening for each section that is before us etc. Also, please note down the bars where certain instruments comes in if you cannot sustain counting for very long. Feel free to copy from my pu3 haha (: (2) MANBAN.
天山盛会
- Bar 9 - 51 [节奏]: Erhu2s, we are playing the same rhythm as Zhonghus. So listen out for each other and the melody, dont rush. Take note there is a dao4 gong1 for the first note in Bar 33.
- Bar 67 - 82 [音准,发音]: The first manban for this piece. The notes for this section is generally higher so please work on the fa1 yin1, we need to be heard clearly. I am not sure for Erhu1s, but for Erhu2s, work on the huan4 ba3 in Bar 73. Once your 5 is zhun3, the rest shouldnt be too off already. So that 5 is very very crucial. Make it zhun3. Also, for Bar 73, it is a Bb while for bar 76 it is a B. Do not play the same note.
- Bar 83 - 99 [节奏]: Take note of the jie zou because right now our banzou's rhythm doesnt match the melody's. Listen for the melody.
- Bar 121 - 136, 145 - 150 [音准,长弓发音,节奏]: Yes our second manban, when we are the only section playing (again)! So la1 kai1!! Use your whole gong1. Take note of your san1 zhi3 and si4 zhi3's yinzhun. Stretch more but dont over-stretch, esp for the 5 - - 5 71 and the 5 45 43 parts. Jiezou, hold the changgongs for the whole note, and take special note of the 1245 part. We need to play the four notes together with clarity and accuracy.
- Bar 159 - 175 [节奏感,音头, clarity]: Use short gongs, feel the beat, accent on the first note. Remember to play every single note. esp for the 16fens.
- Bar 176 - 179 [音准,渐强]: These three bars are fast, hence there wont be time for you to think about where to jump to. Practise your huan4 ba3s and get used to the distance between the notes so that you can get your yinzhun naturally. The jian4 qiang2 is a continuation to the buildup from zhonghu. Start soft but not too soft!
- Bar 204 - 218 [音准,节奏,clarity]: It is a kuaiban but the yinzhun and clarity is as important as the speed. So please practise from slow. Take note of the sharps (#), stretch more. For bar 210, remember to move your 1st finger up to 5#, then move down to 2. Similar to 16fens, accent on the first note (of every 6 notes).
- 219 - 230 [节奏,clarity]: For both diao4s, make sure the 5432 and the 3217 are clear. Dont eat up any of them esp the middle ones!
- GENERAL: This is perhaps the piece that we are most familiar with but this doesnt mean that we dont need to prac it! ((: Continue to practise this kay! Especially the manban and kuaiban parts!
菊花台
- 弓法: Take note of changes to gong1 fa3!
- 伴奏: Listen to the melody, esp for Bar 2 - 5, listen to cello
- Repeats: Take note of where to repeat! Clarify with Jass if you are unsure (:
GENERAL NOTES
- Take note of qi1kou3s, remember to look at conductor
- Use full gong, and make sure the gong1 tie1 xian2! Xianyue is too soft at the moment
- Practise your YINZHUN(scales, huan4 ba3s), JIEZOU(metronome), GONG CONTROL(chang gongs, 16fens, yintous, huan4 xian2s)
- Achieve CLARITY before you attempt to pick up speed. Dont eat up the notes no matter how hungry you are ._.
- Listen to the recordings, be very familiar with the songs.
- Listen to yourself too when prac-ing. Dont ignore the mistakes you make.
- Have patience when you prac, everything needs time. Repeat if you dont get it the first time. After you get it, repeat it at least 3 times.
Oops haha this is extremely long ><
I did it bars by bars for clarity and easy reference, but realised that at the same time im cutting up the pieces to short parts! So if you want, you can practise the pieces, part by part! ((: Also, it is from an Erhu2's point of view, so gaohu/zhonghu/erhu1 people you might want to do something similar if it helps ((:
As you can probably see, the things that I have written are just merely technical things. Please work on them because they are the BASICS. We cannot proceed if we do not get them right first. There is only 29 more days to concert. So please take time out to practise by yourself. Like what I have mentioned previously, you dont need to spend 3 hours everyday. Just grab any 15mins you have, pick up your hu and play a certain part 10 times. It will really make a GREAT DIFFERENCE. Xiaozus are for fine-tuning and building on chemistry so please do not rely on them for learning of notes/copying of zhifas
Okay now onto xiaozus.
(1) TUNE and SONGXIANG your instruments before xiaozu.
(2) Please be on time for xiaozu unless you have valid reasons
(3) Attendance is expected from all performers. Like what WLS said, we would be cutting everyone who pon pracs/choose not to come for pracs due to "valid reasons"
*Also for everyone (gillian, qianru, danna, zhangjie, zhengjia, zhangyue, tiffany) who turned up for Friday's xiaozu, be ready to play the molou manban, and hongloumeng huan4ba3 part ygygl. There is a lot more we need to do (speed, yinse, ganjue, taifeng etc). Friday's xiaozu was only concentrating on yinzhun so please get your yinzhuns by the next time we meet.
Next week's prac would be on thurs, fri and sat. Thursday would be dazu in J Block. Zheng lao shi would be coming. He is the conductor of City Chinese Orchestra, so in order to enjoy the experience please practise!! ((: Please go down asap after school ends to help set up the place for dazu! ((:
The list above can seem very daunting but actually i keep repeating my points. Once you get the yinzhun of the 6 to 3 huan4 ba3, you can apply it to qinwang, hongloumeng and molou at the same time. So dont despair!! ((: I havent achieved everything above either :/ but its okayy we will chiong together!! ((:
JIAYOUS JIAYOUS!!
we can do it! ((:
Love, Ahma ((:
P.S. Thank you darlings of reading until here! love love! ((:
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20080618;
00:35
Heyheys! ((:
Hahaha here is the link to our qizou - Gu Su Chun Xiao!
http://www.mediafire.com/?mm3ztxzwjraAll the people who are playing for qizou should already have the recording for it, but juniors if you want to know how our qizou sound like then you can download and listen! ((: And people who are banzou-ing in for us, hopefully this would help you in familiarizing yourself with the change of speeds etc! ((: We would not be playing so fast haha so dont worry! ((: just listen for the places where the speed changes cos it should be the same ((:
Yepps thats all.
33 days to concert!! lets CHIONGGG!! <33 Ahma! ((:
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