I avoided the music school when my friends were taking composition. We would, very occasionally, make forays there to kidnap them and make them go watch mindless movies for a while.
Dude, it's funnier the longer I look at it. Directions like "release the penguins" are fun for everyone, but I suppose you have to have been a musician to be thrown to the floor by an entire measure of nothing but grace notes....
And appreciate the joys of the key and timing changes. I studied piano for 10 years and still feel like a little kid at a Pixar film (some of the humor just over my head).
What's really funny is, that did not even jump out at me. 5 years ago, it would have made my eyes bug out. Now, after learning to hear some of the more "out there" Arabic rhythms, like 9/8, 11/4, and 13/4 (though I can't say I can dance to them without looking like I'm hiccupping), 23/4 just doesn't seem that bizarre anymore.
At first glance I thought it looked Zappaesque (as transcribed by Vai) ... then I got to the second system and started paying attention and realized I had to forward this to a bunch of people.
23/4 doesn't bother me, not after having played Pippin (on "Love Song" I just pretended the whole thing was in 1/4 and watched the conductor like a hawk). But the time signatures are the least of the head-explody stuff in this. I liked the little time-travel -- is that notation arpeggio, slide, or what? -- near the end of the first page.
The next time somebody scowls at me for my 5/4 bass line with occasional missing beats or looks at me funny for telling them the key signature is two flats and a sharp (it's a common one, just not in western music -- it's maqam hijaz), I'll have to wave a copy of this at them and tell them to be grateful I'm not asking for anything difficult or strange.
*LOL* Not according to my piano teacher. I didn't have the dedication that it took because I put swimming first and it took me a couple weeks longer than her other students to memorize 30 page sonatas.
Our association ended when my mother found me sitting outside on the steps after one lesson. When she asked what was going on, I told her I was done with piano. She asked why and I told her I wouldn't take lessons from a woman that smacked my wrists with a ruler.
I have "lazy" wrists. They droop. Even keying on the computer, they droop. She decided she was going to fix my bad habit.
Mom walked in and confronted her about it. When she told my mother that she was going to have to choose between letting meswimming and piano, my mother smiled sweetly and told her that *I* had already made that decision, and we would not be coming back.
The lady was truly horrified that my mother was letting me make my own decisions at 16.
You see, my parents were never ones to tell me I *had* to take part in things. I told my parents at 5 that I wanted to swim. I told them at 9 I wanted to play piano. I told them in Jr High I was trying out for pompons.
I swam until I was 19. Played piano til 16, and my 8th grade year I was on the pompon squad. They told me it would be a lot of work. They were right. But whenever I talked about quitting, they sat me down and laid out the consequences and options and everything, and then told me that it was my decision.
No influence, no twisting of arms, no demands to continue or talks about how much money they'd spent doing X or Y or Z. Just the facts. The only one they remotely tried to influence was my last year of swimming. I was burning out on it after 13 years and was thinking about doing drama instead.
They pointed out that I'd done something very rare, in that I had three varsity letters...did I *really* want to give up the fourth? was it something I'd regret? They very, very gently pushed me to finish. Told me I didn't have to swim nearly as hard that last year if I wanted to do other things. Wouldn't have to be on any teams after the high school season if I didn't want to...but to *really* think. My coach was frantic to have them try to influence me into it. I decided to finish it out and everyone was relieved. But I also did drama. :)
I love my parents. Really, they're pretty damn cool.
hehe I remember the lazy wrist problem...at least my piano teacher put the ruler under my wrists!
I gave up after 10 years too...I couldn't find a classics teacher. My sister was fine as the only free teacher in the area at the time was a Ragtime fan :)
My mum and grandparents were very similar in their approach and gave me the pros and cons after so much work, but exams were coming up and I decided to quit.
Sometimes I regret giving up, but mainly not.....I don't think I would ever have been happy on a competition stage..I hate that sort of limelight..I sang solo once and everyone said I looked terified rofl
I do love the score though, it is hilarious....but why can I see my hubby (ex pro musician) trying to play it :D
*heh* My old teacher was *so* into classics it wasnt' funny. People think I joke about 30 page sonatas...I swear, she'd dig out every last one there was. Drove me insane.
I don't regret giving up piano. Thankfully. It gave me an appreciation of music that I didn't have before and an understanding of what goes into it. I could, with a bit of work, sit down and start playing again if I chose to. I consider that good enough. *grin* Other things hold my interest now.
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blackthornglade
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I wish I'd written this when I was in Composition. It was making me about this pissed.
23/4 doesn't bother me, not after having played Pippin (on "Love Song" I just pretended the whole thing was in 1/4 and watched the conductor like a hawk). But the time signatures are the least of the head-explody stuff in this. I liked the little time-travel -- is that notation arpeggio, slide, or what? -- near the end of the first page.
The next time somebody scowls at me for my 5/4 bass line with occasional missing beats or looks at me funny for telling them the key signature is two flats and a sharp (it's a common one, just not in western music -- it's maqam hijaz), I'll have to wave a copy of this at them and tell them to be grateful I'm not asking for anything difficult or strange.
Oh. And I refused to go to competitions.
And I preferred to play *GASP* Ragtime and Jazz.
*faints* :)
Our association ended when my mother found me sitting outside on the steps after one lesson. When she asked what was going on, I told her I was done with piano. She asked why and I told her I wouldn't take lessons from a woman that smacked my wrists with a ruler.
I have "lazy" wrists. They droop. Even keying on the computer, they droop. She decided she was going to fix my bad habit.
Mom walked in and confronted her about it. When she told my mother that she was going to have to choose between letting meswimming and piano, my mother smiled sweetly and told her that *I* had already made that decision, and we would not be coming back.
The lady was truly horrified that my mother was letting me make my own decisions at 16.
You see, my parents were never ones to tell me I *had* to take part in things. I told my parents at 5 that I wanted to swim. I told them at 9 I wanted to play piano. I told them in Jr High I was trying out for pompons.
I swam until I was 19. Played piano til 16, and my 8th grade year I was on the pompon squad. They told me it would be a lot of work. They were right. But whenever I talked about quitting, they sat me down and laid out the consequences and options and everything, and then told me that it was my decision.
No influence, no twisting of arms, no demands to continue or talks about how much money they'd spent doing X or Y or Z. Just the facts. The only one they remotely tried to influence was my last year of swimming. I was burning out on it after 13 years and was thinking about doing drama instead.
They pointed out that I'd done something very rare, in that I had three varsity letters...did I *really* want to give up the fourth? was it something I'd regret? They very, very gently pushed me to finish. Told me I didn't have to swim nearly as hard that last year if I wanted to do other things. Wouldn't have to be on any teams after the high school season if I didn't want to...but to *really* think. My coach was frantic to have them try to influence me into it. I decided to finish it out and everyone was relieved. But I also did drama. :)
I love my parents. Really, they're pretty damn cool.
I gave up after 10 years too...I couldn't find a classics teacher. My sister was fine as the only free teacher in the area at the time was a Ragtime fan :)
My mum and grandparents were very similar in their approach and gave me the pros and cons after so much work, but exams were coming up and I decided to quit.
Sometimes I regret giving up, but mainly not.....I don't think I would ever have been happy on a competition stage..I hate that sort of limelight..I sang solo once and everyone said I looked terified rofl
I do love the score though, it is hilarious....but why can I see my hubby (ex pro musician) trying to play it :D
I don't regret giving up piano. Thankfully. It gave me an appreciation of music that I didn't have before and an understanding of what goes into it. I could, with a bit of work, sit down and start playing again if I chose to. I consider that good enough. *grin* Other things hold my interest now.