Piano-hunting in China

Hello all! I just got back from a two week trip in China. I go there (specifically Guangzhou, or Canton) maybe once or twice a year, and as many of you pianists out there will understand (or other instrumentalists who can't travel with their own instruments due to impracticalities), practising in a foreign country can be a frustrating prospect, but something you need to sort out. There are the following options:

1. You go to a decent music store and hire a practise room. 

2. If you're staying there for a substantial period of time you can rent an instrument. 

3. You buy your instrument.

Now 'option 1' has always been my go-to... but it was pretty frustrating. Not all cities are 'well-equipped' with decent music stores, and even if those music stores are decent enough, it does not mean their practise rooms reflect their good reputation. Countries, like China, that experience hot tropical climates have terrible luck with tuning - pianos can go out of tune very easily, so even good quality pianos in music shops were painful to play on... and listen to! 

After many years of hiring a practise room in a store, I had had enough. Travelling to the music store took up a lot of time, and it wasn't guaranteed that I could go everyday. The visits to Guangzhou were starting to affect my progress over the holiday periods when I usually get most of my work done, so, before my visit this summer, I decided to buy a decent piano.

The thought of trekking around Guangzhou city in the exhausting sticky heat, visiting piano store after piano store felt very daunting. It was, in my opinion, the pianist's equivalent to speed-dating, except the match you're looking for is a piano, not a human-being, so at least the piano you want won't reject you. 

Surprisingly, it didn't take too long for me to find a very good upright piano for my home in China. After only one day, I had found two suitable pianos out of the 30 or so I had tried out. One Yamaha and one Kawai. A few things you should know is, apart from finding a piano you love, you should also consider the customer service of the piano store. I visited around 6 stores, and when I asked them about the aftercare they provided, such as guarantee etc., many of them gave me different prices for tuning, and a lot of their '2-year guarantees' had too many disclaimers, so watch out! I was lucky enough to find the perfect upright for me, that in my opinion belonged to one of the most professional stores in the city. They provided great aftercare, the tuning prices and their tuners were very satisfactory, and their guarantee covered literally everything.

Me with the Yamaha YA131CS I chose

Delivery speeds in China are scarily fast. The piano got delivered to my house the next morning! Also, it was only then that I discovered the Chinese have a solution for the high humidity levels that cause tuning problems for pianos - they install a pipe like device, that emits heat to combat the humidity levels. All you do is place it on the bottom half cover, and you plug it in! Here's a picture below of them installing it.

So that's my story. Of course, the tale of how I found my piano in London is an even better one... maybe I'll tell that another time. If any of you have stories about finding your piano, or have any questions, feel free to comment below!

Frank Ocean posts 4'33" on his Tumblr

Frank Ocean posted a video of 4'33" on his Tumblr page. I respect this man even more now. For someone famous in pop culture to refer to a more 'unfamiliar' genre like contemporary classical music, is a great thing. I hope his fans will ask questions, and be curious about this work, and the genre as a whole.

Awesome Ligeti Fanfares arrangement

Mmmmm I love Ligeti, but what I love more are interesting arrangements that completely change the way you hear the original work, or, make it better. Of course, I would never dare say this arrangement made it 'better', but it definitely changed my perspective of the work. This arrangement/performance is by someone who coincidentally went to the same school as me. I can't believe something as 'simple' as adding drums made such a difference... gently turning Ligeti from avant-garde to something resembling free jazz.

Anyway check this out. It'll blow your mind.

Piano: Erika Dohi
Drums: Austin Walker 

More about the 'Seaboard'

Following on from my post about the 'Seaboard' (--> see here), the company recently uploaded a video of someone playing Prokofiev (incidentally I know this someone...), to really show how it would sound.

Now, I'm still on the fence about this new piece of technology. I don't think we can really view it as a piano, or a more evolved version of a digital piano, because it's completely crossed the line of being just just that. In my opinion it's a completely new instrument. The sound is.... an acquired taste. I'm not a huge fan to be honest, but I think if you listen to it, not comparing it to the piano, it might be sound better.

As a composer, not just a pianist, I am open-minded about the sound, because I'm sure it will be very useful in the future for composers requiring the broad range and versatility of the piano, coupled with new technology.

Take a look:

Organs make songs sound better.

Ok, another post not related to the classical music genre at all, but in my opinion, music is music, good music is good music.

I had a major Frank Ocean session today. I mean his album Channel ORANGE was on repeat non-stop. I had heard a few songs of his before, but it was only today that his artistry and song-writing really touched me to the core. One song in particular was Bad Religion. I kept questioning why this song really spoke to me. The lyrics were deep, the melody was soulful. I pondered on it for a few hours, and in the dead of night, I remembered one other song that had touched me this way and almost made me cry: Coldplay's Fix You.

You know what they both have in common?

The Organ

Is this why? If you add everything up (great lyrics, good harmonies, a memorable melody), and stick the organ in, does it just add a completely new dimension to the song and give the listener that extra emotional nudge? I really REALLY think so!! Maybe it's because it's associated with the church... (Oh that's such a good musical pun. Using the organ in Bad Religion, man he's good) and to a lot of people, any place of worship has some emotional significance. It may also be the unique soothing, cantabile sound it can produce, it  has this calm quality to it, but within the calmness, the vibrato within can really get you going.

I'm sure my organist friends will be digging this post- I'm finally getting the beauty of the organ. Maybe not in a "I-just-heard-Messiaen-and-fell-in-love-with-the-organ" kind of a way but oh well.

LISTEN!

P.S- Added The Boxer Rebellion on there for fun, plus they're a great band.

'Obsessed'

- Obsession can start from something very small. This small thing can keep gnawing away at your mind; slowly... aggressively...The more you fight to get rid of this obsession, the worse it gets; it feeds on itself. Obsession can cloud your judgement, yet it can also elucidate your thoughts. Is it good to be obsessed? Does obsession get in the way?

                                        (original words by me, inspiring my current 'work in progress')

International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove

I really must apologise for being MIA for a long time. I do have a good excuse though.

I got accepted to participate in this year's International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove, Cornwall. This music course that is held annually during the Spring, was founded by Sandor Végh (the great Hungarian violinist and conductor) in 1972. Currently the artistic director role is held by Steven Isserlis, and András Schiff has also had long-standing association with the course.

I stared at this all day

After an overnight journey on a slow sleeper train from London Paddington I arrived at Penzance, only 20 mins drive away from the rather remote Prussia Cove. I had no signal (phone or internet): excuse no.2 for not updating this blog. I couldn't even write a post to say I'd be on hiatus for a while. It was frustrating. I'm a renowned sucker for technology- how would I survive for 10 days being here?!

The first 48 hours were pretty painful and intense. I felt like I was put in rehab for technology addiction (it's true, technology had truly taken over my life), and the only way I could distract myself from the withdrawal symptoms was to attend classes given by the Maestri there, listen to my peers, have my own lessons, and practise. It helped that there was also miles and miles of the Atlantic sea to look at, a great coast line to walk along, and of course, great company. So, there it was. I had unknowingly put myself in a really nice self-imposed prison.

Practising on a Fazioli, with the sea view.

After the 48 hours passed, I noticed a clear difference in the way I thought and felt about music. My practise sessions were short, but productive. The classes were of course, inspirational. I was working with Rita Wagner, wife of Ferenc Rados, and one of the most uplifting, enthusiastic professors I have ever met. She's one of those 'hidden gem' professors who have hardly any online presence (don't bother Googling) but anyone who has been in contact with her will tell you she is amazing. Life away from busy London, and technology was starting to feel... refreshing. It was simple, there were no worries, no stressing, and the absence of the internet and contact with the outside world freed up some space in my mind to reflect on my work as a pianist and a musician. Because, that was really all I had to think about while I was there. For ten days, the piano, and only the piano was my focus.

But the question is, now that I'm back in London, am I continuing to live like I did in Prussia Cove?

It's pretty unrealistic to think that I could. I spent the first 24 hours back in London glued to my laptop screen (you know, to make up for lost time!). But, I will say this: I've cherished the extremely unique experience at Prussia Cove, and I will take what I have learnt, apply it to my work, and try and compromise, so my lifestyle here in London can somehow mesh with how I was living in Prussia Cove. It's amazing how just 10 days can make a huge difference, and I hope I'll be back there soon.

MDOTW hiatus

Hi all, just to let you know there will be a hiatus for the Musical Design series.

Enjoy what we've discovered so far here!

Musical Design of the Week (30)

We've reached the big 3-0 people!! Let's celebrate with this AMAZING water fountain. I was speechless when I found this. What an amazing way to reuse an old piano and make it beautiful. If you don't know what to do with a piano that cannot be restored anymore, don't smash it up, turn it into this...

The Seaboard

'The Seaboard' is a new musical instrument based on the piano that allows you to bend the volume of pitch, volume and timbre as you play. Take a look at the video!