Smile for Christchurch (Ukulele busking)

[Blue]

See how much the Ukulele is now ingrained into Taiwanese culture, displacing the dongxiao/dongsiau:

www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/7867006/Terry-from-Taiwan-collecting-New-Zealands-smiles

www.facebook.com/SmileChristchurch?ref=ts&fref=ts

A traveller from Taiwan set up his camera and got his ukulele out to busk at Garden Place this week, but he wasn’t after spare change, just spare smiles.

Yi-Chien Chung, who goes by "Terry from Taiwan", is on a mission to collect 1000 smiles from locations all around New Zealand, to commemorate the Christchurch earthquake.

He sets up his camera and tripod, people smile and click the button on the remote hanging from a re-purposed coat hanger and Mr Chung uploads the photos to Facebook for everyone to enjoy.

He is planning to display all of New Zealand’s smiles in Christchurch in February for the two year anniversary of the quake.

Mr Chung started collecting smiles for a friend who had cancer, but unfortunately she passed away before he could reach the promised 1000.

However, he ‘‘saw the power’’ of collecting smiles and decided to collect for Christchurch too.

‘‘I looked at the devastation and felt so sad, and I asked myself what I can do for the city and for this country. So I’m collecting smiles. Smiles cost nothing but can give so much back. It just makes people happy,’’ he said.

Mr Chung has been to Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Wellington and Mt Ruapehu and collected roughly 300 smiles and plans to head to Auckland then down the East Coast next.

Sarah King and Robert Kleven stopped by to donate a smile and said it was an ‘‘awesome’’ idea.

‘‘It’s cool and it’s for a good purpose, for Christchurch, and it’s fun,’’ they said.

The couple, who live close to Garden Place said they saw a lot of people promoting different things there but this was something new.

‘‘This is different because it actually makes you smile.’’

To see some smile collecting adventures you see Chung Terry on Youtube or search ‘‘Smile for Christchurch’’ on Facebook.

[lbowen]

You could go to NZ as... Allen from Asia, playing the Dongxiao and showing NZ people true Taiwanese culture!

Just kidding of course. What that guy's doing is great, and for a good cause!

[Blue]

Well . . . . most of the youth culture loves guitars and other allied instruments.

Did see a person playing the quenacho is the metro tunnel pedestrian passageway in Madrid. In Barcelona, saw one opera signer, one guitar player, and a panpipe player busking with their CDs on sale as well . . . . . . . .

Some people think that the xiao sounds like a phantom or ghost . . . . . .

[Blue]

If we believe that musical instruments can conjure spirits and creatures or enchant all the town's children to disappear in a cave (Pied Piper), then

* The Ukulele conjures up smiles that get posted on facebook.
* The guitar conjures up monetary donations, roses, and female admirers.
* The dizi conjures up neighbors who complain at the loud noise that is further enhanced by the dimo.
* The quena conjures up horrible thoughts in children when they are told by their parents "Vamos a ir a la quena" (corporal punishment).

[lbowen]

Yeah, apart from the subsection who like "indie" music that can use bizarre instruments from any part of the world! In New Zealand there's a big "noise music" community that also tends to accept any instrumentation as well! Needless to say these are just minorities though... oh well

I hope these ideas can change, when I talk to people from mainland China, I always advocate traditional instruments.... "hey, why don't you try using a sanxian to play that rock music?' It often doesn't go well

[Blue]

Well, video game music has been performed using traditional Chinese music:



This was once posted on another thread.

[lbowen]

Is that a youtube video? I can't open it

Here's what I aspire to do with dizi! www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMLSriVGSes perhaps not exactly chanting "ommmm" but at least part of the way there?

[Blue]

Try this link: www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2VZxm8AhJ4U

Sometimes the dizi sounds a little like the violin. I would like to play the theme of Rohan in Lord of the Rings using the dizi some day.

[lbowen]

What I was meaning was, I can't open it because I'm in mainland china! but I'm familiar enough with that other song to post it...

This gives me a headache daily, makes me want to get one of the "I visited the great firewall of china" shirts

[Blue]

Okay, so you have to use youku instead of youtube, right?

In that case:

v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjU1NTcyMzMy.html

[Blue]

My gosh . . . . . I went to a music shop that I had not visit in two years. The music shop used to have a diverse collection of musical instruments such as guitars, xiaos, dizis, bawus, ocarinas, and electric pianos, although it had a heavier emphasis on ocarinas with constant group learning courses on the ocarinas. Now what do I see there? I see nothing but ocarinas and ukuleles! Taiwan was originally the land of dongxiaos and now that is totally replaced by ocarinas and ukuleles, not to mention quite a few ocarina and ukulele makers. For instance, if you go to the port town of Danshui (Tamshui), you'll actually see a shop where they work on the ceramics of creating the ocarina in front of you!

Anyway, I've acquired a Ukulele and registered for the company course. Someone should have warned me that one's fingers will develop calluses from playing stringed instruments. That would have been a factor in my decision making process of if I wanted to learn a Ukulele or not . . . . . . . .