Hello, Dolly (A night of Jazz)

 

…a jazz bar.  A whiskey jazz bar, to be exact.  This place was about as un-Japanese (traditionally speaking) as you can get.  The name of the bar was Hello, Dolly (Sorry, couldn't find a good English website.)

  

(Be warned: The audio for this video is not good, though it nicely shows the inside of the bar.)

Unfortunately, I missed the fine print on the sign outside and didn’t realize that there was pretty hefty seating charge.  Whoops.  Despite that, we had a great time.  Had a fancy drink, enjoyed the atmosphere, and listened to the fantastic jazz quartet. 

It was great. If you are looking for a great relaxing finish to a day in Kyoto, I highly recommend this bar!

One Year Passed

March 11, 2012

One year passed. 

The bassoonist swayed lyrically to and fro as his part soared from his instrument.  The texture he created deftly joined the other timbres of the orchestra, creating a most intricate musical lace.  Each individual voice perfectly matched and blended.  

The orchestra breathed together.  They created an aural ecstasy that swelled through the air in waves of crescendos and decrescendos.  But despite the perfection and bliss of the music itself, I was particularly moved by the perfect silences. 

The second movement of Dvorak’s New World Symphony is one of the most sublime pieces of music ever written.  Emotions course through piece to the climax, not in a tremendous swell of the entire orchestra as in the final movement of the symphony, but rather in gentle, tender silences amidst a quartet of strings.

As I sat in the auditorium, bathing in the aural bliss of the Prague Philharmonic last Saturday, I could not help but let my mind wander back…back to a year ago this very weekend.

A year ago, this weekend found Karl and I cuddled up in our apartment permanently attached to the internet talking to family and friends.  Desperately reading the news.  The massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami and nuclear disaster had just occurred.   

As I listened to the orchestra, I reflected on the past year.  How quickly time has passed.  Mozart, Beethoven, and Dvorak accompanied my thoughts…creating a kind of tangibility to my feelings.  The delights of Beethoven’s Pastoral symphony reminded me of the beauty of the Japanese spring.  That despite the tragedies of those events, Japan still sprung into a stunningly beautiful season-full of blossoms. 

The people of Japan have remained strong and hopeful.  One year passed finds the disaster areas well on their way to recovery.  And still, we remember those lost and those who lost...homes, loved ones, lives. 

In the perfect silence, we remember, reflect, rebuild.

飛躍 (Hiyaku-to leap forward)

This is the first section of one of the koto pieces I have recently studied.  My part was the second part, I could not find a recording of both parts played together, which is unfortunate because it is stunningly beautiful.

Here is the first page of music.  Each measure is a "box."  There are thirteen strings, each assigned a kanji character.  The first ten are simple numbered one through ten.  The last three strings are "toh, ee and kin."  I am not sure why...  The strings kanji are as follows from lowest to highest-ichi to kin.

一、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九, 十、斗、為、巾。

My part, the second (which is what I am playing the video),  is the part on the left.  The music is read top to bottom, right to left.  I have added further explanations of some of the notations in blue. 

Since this piece is several pages long, I just recorded the first and last sections.  Here is the ending:

There are also many, many ways to tune the koto.  This piece has a more "major" sound to it whereas Sakura sounds "minor." 

More to come!

さくらさくら (Sakura, Sakura)

Sakura-Cherry blossoms.

This is probably the most famous folk song from Japan...even if you don't think you know anything about Japan, chances are good that you have heard this tune.

When you start learning how to play the koto, this is the first piece you learn.  It's like learning "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" when beginning to study the piano.


When I began my koto studies this past July, I also had to learn Sakura...

This is a very simple version of Sakura.  My teacher recently gave me the "advanced" version, which I have just begun to learn.  More on that later.

Stay tuned for more pieces and a post on the sheet music of the koto. (It's waaaaaaay different from what I was used to reading!)

An Investment

Leaning against a wall in the tatami room, there were six or seven kotos.  Their long, graceful figures reaching towards the ceiling.  I couldn’t believe I was about to call one of these exotic instruments my own.

“Which one do you like?” asked my teacher. 

“Which one is best?”

The one with the orange floral décor was the best quality, she said.  I completely trusted her opinion.  The decision was made.  

Next, the accessories:  ivory picks, the pick case, the silky koto cover, the music stand, the koto stands and the music itself.  

For a musician, this was like Christmas morning.  So. Exciting.

My first koto lesson was spent getting me set up with all of my new equipment, explaining the instrument and simple first instructions.

I was practically bursting with excitement.  I had gone from being a full-time music major practicing for hours every day, to not even having an instrument to play for the past year.  A big change.

I have now been studying koto since early July.  It is completely different from any musical instrument I have ever played-I love it.  This could very well be the groundwork for a future masters degree in ethnomusicology. 

You never know…I just follow my love of music through life.

So far it hasn’t led me astray. 

More on the music (maybe even a video!) and koto learning adventures coming soon.