Music and languages of the heart

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55613303422051320242011-11-27T15:31:10.254-08:00Music and languages of the heartThis blog is about my journey of learning a new instrument and a new language, both are ways for me to keep experiencing the world from different angles and with new eyes and ears!Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.comBlogger161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-54155247283473622142008-11-22T20:26:00.000-08:002008-11-22T20:33:08.043-08:00Music Theory

When you listen to a song, it might make you feel happy or sad. Some songs just sound melancholy or joyous, but do you know why? There's a lot of theory behind the structure of music. You might not realize it when you are just listening to a song, but its underlying fabric comes can be described by music theory. It's always helpful to understand as much as you can about music theory, first

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-36329568638731102652008-11-15T19:43:00.001-08:002008-11-15T19:48:36.767-08:00Is it a fiddle or a violin?

Have you ever wondered what's the difference between a fiddle and a violin? Check out the Hardanger Fiddle at the Corner Violin Shop Blog to learn about the subtle differences between the two unique instruments. While you're there, also take your time to explore the adventures of the inner workings of the Cavallo Violins LLC. These are people who really know what they're talking about!

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-70771777533815317622008-11-07T18:13:00.000-08:002008-11-07T18:23:59.875-08:00Violin Outfits

Some great deals on violin outfits from Woodwind Brasswind. This is also where I got my violin outfit, for about $300, it includes the violin, the bow, the case, the resin, the chin rest (attached). I also had a friend of mine try it out, and he was amazed that it sounded so good. Not bad for $300!

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-66817085707644715682008-10-10T19:24:00.000-07:002008-10-10T19:40:59.640-07:00Confidence

Having confidence is so important in playing violin. From knowing to where to place your fingers on the strings to how to hold the apply pressure on the bow, confidence determines the quality of sound and accuracy of the notes.I think of it like learning to downhill ski. Sometimes you just have to close your eyes and stop worrying about falling or making mistakes. If you fall, make it a bold and

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-81074112616732682852008-10-06T21:06:00.000-07:002008-10-06T21:16:41.843-07:00How to tune a violin

It's always been hard for me to tune a violin, being a piano player since I was young, I always took tuning for granted and never gave it a second thought. If you are like me, instead of struggling through it, try these videos from Elizabeth Willis on Expert Village. She goes through the whole process step by step assuming no prior knowledge and shows you some cool tricks. It's a nice way to get

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-85679713591760669602008-10-05T11:09:00.000-07:002008-10-05T11:13:39.964-07:00Why is violin so hard to play?

Drawing the bow across a string sounds simple at first, but compared to the guitar, piano, why is it so hard to make a beautiful sound? Can perfection be achieved only through years of experience or can it be explained by science? For you physics enthusiasts out there, here's a detailed explanation of why the violin is so hard to play.

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-56721683987245705462008-10-05T10:29:00.000-07:002008-10-06T21:04:56.272-07:00Pachelbel's Canon in D major

Here's a good version of the violin part. Great for training the ears while I practice. I tried playing along with it, but I can't do it that fast yet.Listen to Pachelbel's Canon in D Major at Imeem

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-31525353264979031632008-10-04T22:00:00.001-07:002008-10-04T22:03:21.663-07:00New strings

I'm finding that the new strings require less tuning, just a quick check with the fine tuners is all I need to make some harmony. I also feel that the strings vibrate in a really nice way (resonate!) when I play in the right position. It's a great feeling! My next goal is to record myself and upload here, maybe it will be a good way to track my progress.

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-14833349985561482922008-10-03T21:12:00.000-07:002008-10-05T10:33:10.293-07:00Nuttin' But Stringz

Addiction to TV is not good, but NBC is not a bad channel to be addicted to. The good, the bad, and the ugly duke it out on America's Got Talent, and I have to say when it came down to the top 5 finalists, we got ourselves a pretty good talent pool. My favorite, Nuttin' But Stringz ended up being #3. They write all of their own music too! What a great role models for violinists and music lovers a

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-72476600169433683652008-10-02T21:42:00.000-07:002008-10-05T11:34:28.545-07:00Online violin learning

So that violin for dummies book hasn't been put to good use yet. Maybe its because I'm more of a visual learning. For all you visual and audio learners out there, check out ProfessorV on Youtube.Lesson 1: Holding the bowThe prof's real name is Todd Ehle, he also has lots of great info on his webpage about general violin related questions for beginners. I think I'm going to start following some of

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-72697928210905464372008-10-02T21:13:00.000-07:002008-10-02T21:39:24.267-07:00Comment ça va?

I'm finding that music helps me learn language skills a lot faster and more intuitively than merely memorizing vocab or studying grammer. There's this great song from Coffee Break French that got stuck in my head today:Dans la ville où j'habite(In the town where I live)il y a beaucoup à faire.(there's a lot to do.)Il y a beaucoup à voir(There's a lot to see)et oui, ça c'est clair.(and yes, this

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-87332903749495222672008-09-30T20:15:00.001-07:002008-10-05T10:32:22.444-07:00Learning to play

Music is like a language, the language of the heart. From each first tender moment to each flamboyant finale, the music speaks to us, no matter the culture, religion or language. For some mysterious reason, certain combinations of notes will elicit tears while others will bring joy. And once you have managed to learn the language of the heart, you are free to invent your own story, weaving

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-417543367607890752008-09-29T21:01:00.000-07:002008-10-05T10:32:41.722-07:00New strings, new hopes

Today I got my violin strings replaced by Earl Thibadeau , actually my boyfriend brought it in to be serviced as a surprise for me. He said strings usually last 6 months to a year, and considering I got my violin online (for about $300), which came with rather crappy strings a.k.a. garbage category, he's not surprised that I ended up with a broken string. Whew, now I don't feel as guilty! In fact

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-38688221622055916222008-09-28T21:40:00.001-07:002008-09-29T21:00:45.210-07:00Persistence

I thought I had it tough... here's a commercial with a deaf girl learning to play violin: Can you guess what product this commercial is for?

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-30449451448415012722008-09-28T20:26:00.000-07:002008-10-05T11:32:55.468-07:00Broken String

So after a few months of hibernation, I finally got my violin out and tried to tune it. This time, I was adventurous enough to pretend that I have a perfect pitch and tune without an aide, and then see how far I am after I finish by comparing with sounds from the "Violin for Dummies" CD. (By the way, there are also some nice websites for violin tuning. All you have to do is search google for "

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561330342205132024.post-37017697314696064982008-09-27T21:49:00.000-07:002008-09-30T20:38:35.834-07:00French and violin

I'm starting to learn violin and French. I believe life should be full of learning, no matter your age. Learning is the only thing that keep you fresh and open to new ideas, its the only way you can keep growing.For great fun French lessons, check out Coffee Break French on iTunes. They also have Coffee Break Spanish. (I'm also trying to brush up on my Spanish...) Check out Radio Lingua's

Jenn Zhaohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01200949173434306316noreply@blogger.com0