Post by zen on Sept 5, 2004 3:32:38 GMT
Hi all, just'd like to introduce myself.
Roots
As far as can I remember, my most vivid childhood memories were that of dubbing over my brother's pop cassettes, with my own voice singing along with my tiiiny voice =) I was around 4 or 5 maybe.
Back then, everybody was too busy making a living, music was the only way I could keep myself busy.
I didn't have any musical training, back in those days, a luxury like that couldn't be afforded or available. But whenever this amazing pop ballad came on our dusty old radio, you could see my face light up, and I'd scurry along with sing by the radio.
Those unmatched days of childhood innocence are ones that one would reminisce for the rest of his or her life.
High school days were essentially those of teenager flirtation and teeny pop music. I loved all those! I can still laugh about them, I find hilarious but embarrasing to say the least.
But the song the probably changed my whole life was when I picked this movie soundtrack, most tracks were vague, but one song stood out like a 100 carat diamond in a stack of rusty nails.
This song was called "Red House" by a man called Jimmy Hendrix. I realised the power of the Blues and Rock and Roll.
It was amazing, like having your eyes opened by an angel, being blinded your whole life. I soon discovered the Eagles and Eric Clapton, and like all kids of that day we all wanted to be like Eric Clapton! He was our guitar God and
'Hotel California' was our anthem.
I bought my first guitar a kapok classical guitar fitted with steel strings! A true 'El-Cheapo' for 60 dollars.
Many-a days were spent outdoors during recess in high school with my friends an I .
We were a rowdy crowd just hardly able to contain ourselves in order to impress the 'chicks' with our guitars, trying to out-do each other.
And just like the the summer leaves in autumn, swept away by the wind all so quickly, high school was over.
I travelled abroad for university or varsity, on my own, in a strange place.
Progression in succession
Making new friends who had different tastes in music, I got introduced to the likes of Pink Floyd,King Crimson and Yes.
Most songs I knew before that didn't even last more than 7 minutes!
Progress Rock was a strange creature to me, bordering on musical pretentiousness and of insane complexity.
Of course, many a drunk nights were spent listening to these artists, as they were the group's favourite artists and cause for much intellectual arguments.
Away from the social crowd at home, I'd listen self indulgently to jazz artists like George Benson, Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, while not straying far from the likes of B. B. King, Eric Clapton and Muddy Waters. Alternative acts like U2 grew and RadioHead was for my "boring-days" music, they kept me going when I needed to.
One day, I went across an article in the University magazine column about a man who had drowned in a river.
Jeff Buckley, he wrote beautiful music they said.
He didn't make much of an impression on me the first time I heard him. It was as if the loud music of the past have made me deaf in a way. There were no catchy riffs and drum beats to keep me interested.
I easily dismissed him and shelfed his folder of music.
A year later, I was browsing my miscellaneous folder of music and came across his album. I enqued it. The first thing that bothered me was the haunting intro of "Mojo Pin". I turned up the volume a bit. I grew transfixed, I looped the song over and over again. I needed more of this drug.
Music was never the same to me again. Before this, I had judged music in terms of licks, beats, catchability, lyrical ability, and melody/rythmn, each on its seperate accord.
But his music, was like molten fire, a fusion of all these, burning through the heart and soul. This man seemed to be a source of some mystical power. Something that others didn't have.
I was in puzzlement and in awe by someone's music more than ever I've been in my whole life.
That was maybe a year and a half ago.
I know that he is an end product of all his influences, a sum of all he learnt and heard in his life.
So that compelled me to follow his roots and influences, and hopefully it would influence me the way it has influenced him.
Those artists in part are Nina Simone, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mahalia Jackson, Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell.
Each of them are geniuses in their own right and I'm just a humble listener and student.
Sometimes, its easy to get overwhelmed by their music though, it seems as if they were a vicitim of fate, driven by their ill fortunes in their life and by their God-gifted talent, they all made music in their own special ways that instill the power of music and emotion into their listeners.
So here goes, my name is Zen. I play the guitar, and I sing.
I'm trying to learn how to play the erhu . And I try to call myself a student of music. I have no special training whatsoever.
And I'm new here.
Roots
As far as can I remember, my most vivid childhood memories were that of dubbing over my brother's pop cassettes, with my own voice singing along with my tiiiny voice =) I was around 4 or 5 maybe.
Back then, everybody was too busy making a living, music was the only way I could keep myself busy.
I didn't have any musical training, back in those days, a luxury like that couldn't be afforded or available. But whenever this amazing pop ballad came on our dusty old radio, you could see my face light up, and I'd scurry along with sing by the radio.
Those unmatched days of childhood innocence are ones that one would reminisce for the rest of his or her life.
High school days were essentially those of teenager flirtation and teeny pop music. I loved all those! I can still laugh about them, I find hilarious but embarrasing to say the least.
But the song the probably changed my whole life was when I picked this movie soundtrack, most tracks were vague, but one song stood out like a 100 carat diamond in a stack of rusty nails.
This song was called "Red House" by a man called Jimmy Hendrix. I realised the power of the Blues and Rock and Roll.
It was amazing, like having your eyes opened by an angel, being blinded your whole life. I soon discovered the Eagles and Eric Clapton, and like all kids of that day we all wanted to be like Eric Clapton! He was our guitar God and
'Hotel California' was our anthem.
I bought my first guitar a kapok classical guitar fitted with steel strings! A true 'El-Cheapo' for 60 dollars.
Many-a days were spent outdoors during recess in high school with my friends an I .
We were a rowdy crowd just hardly able to contain ourselves in order to impress the 'chicks' with our guitars, trying to out-do each other.
And just like the the summer leaves in autumn, swept away by the wind all so quickly, high school was over.
I travelled abroad for university or varsity, on my own, in a strange place.
Progression in succession
Making new friends who had different tastes in music, I got introduced to the likes of Pink Floyd,King Crimson and Yes.
Most songs I knew before that didn't even last more than 7 minutes!
Progress Rock was a strange creature to me, bordering on musical pretentiousness and of insane complexity.
Of course, many a drunk nights were spent listening to these artists, as they were the group's favourite artists and cause for much intellectual arguments.
Away from the social crowd at home, I'd listen self indulgently to jazz artists like George Benson, Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, while not straying far from the likes of B. B. King, Eric Clapton and Muddy Waters. Alternative acts like U2 grew and RadioHead was for my "boring-days" music, they kept me going when I needed to.
One day, I went across an article in the University magazine column about a man who had drowned in a river.
Jeff Buckley, he wrote beautiful music they said.
He didn't make much of an impression on me the first time I heard him. It was as if the loud music of the past have made me deaf in a way. There were no catchy riffs and drum beats to keep me interested.
I easily dismissed him and shelfed his folder of music.
A year later, I was browsing my miscellaneous folder of music and came across his album. I enqued it. The first thing that bothered me was the haunting intro of "Mojo Pin". I turned up the volume a bit. I grew transfixed, I looped the song over and over again. I needed more of this drug.
Music was never the same to me again. Before this, I had judged music in terms of licks, beats, catchability, lyrical ability, and melody/rythmn, each on its seperate accord.
But his music, was like molten fire, a fusion of all these, burning through the heart and soul. This man seemed to be a source of some mystical power. Something that others didn't have.
I was in puzzlement and in awe by someone's music more than ever I've been in my whole life.
That was maybe a year and a half ago.
I know that he is an end product of all his influences, a sum of all he learnt and heard in his life.
So that compelled me to follow his roots and influences, and hopefully it would influence me the way it has influenced him.
Those artists in part are Nina Simone, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mahalia Jackson, Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell.
Each of them are geniuses in their own right and I'm just a humble listener and student.
Sometimes, its easy to get overwhelmed by their music though, it seems as if they were a vicitim of fate, driven by their ill fortunes in their life and by their God-gifted talent, they all made music in their own special ways that instill the power of music and emotion into their listeners.
So here goes, my name is Zen. I play the guitar, and I sing.
I'm trying to learn how to play the erhu . And I try to call myself a student of music. I have no special training whatsoever.
And I'm new here.
My name is Nicole, and I'm also new. I don't play any musical instruments. I really want to learn how to play the erhu (I envy you, Zen, and everyone else that plays it!). The only thing is that I don't want to learn it on my own, and I can't find anyone to teach it. I do paint, though. I like art of all medias.