In the concert of Jing-Kuan-Ming Temple in this winter vacation, I performed this song very badly not only because the cold weather but also the insufficient preparation. I wasn’t willing to be bitten by this. Therefore, I tried to practice more and then recorded it.

I spent a morning and a half afternoon to finish recording. By the way, I nearly lost my temper and got fight with Kilo. ^^a After having lunch to give myself some relaxation, I became more peaceful in mind and performed better than in the morning.

Photo by Chong-Yu Zhang (windtrace)

After coming back to the dormitory, I shared it with my roommate. He gave me a lot of useful suggestions, and we compared many different versions, including Fourier, Casals, Rostropovich, and Yo-yo Ma. We found that I played too slowly. The average time they used is about just 2 minutes and 30 seconds, while I used 3 minutes and 30 seconds, ONE MINUTE MORE!!! But I don’t know why. I didn’t want to play too fast. The music in my mind is nearly what I played. (I mean the rhythm and speed only… ^^a) But after listening to their playings and looked up the meaning of what’s wrote on the score, I think I knew more about this melody. In my play, I didn’t express the happiness. The score says, ‘Gai et rythmé,’ which means happily, vividly and rhythmically, but it sounds dull and no happiness in my playing. >_<

Although this version is not satisfied and doesn’t achieve the level the score asks, I think it is still worthy of taking down because of my effort. I’ll try to correct my errors in the musical expression and record it again.

Podcast: Bach: Six Suites For Cello, Suite I – Courante, Cello by Tsai

I had decided to record this song for a long time, but it’s too hard for me to find a more complete free time last semester. In the first week of this semester, it’s free and easy in the lessons, so I almost practiced music instruments every few days. I recorded this last night, but because there were so many people practicing their instruments around my practicing room, a lot of noise was recorded, another Erhu, drums, and the most loudly – Di Zi, a kind of Chinese flute. This version is not my most satisfying one, but I still chose it because there is too much noise in the version I’m satisfied the most. T_T Why did the person blow his flute so loudly? Warhorses Galloping (戰馬奔騰), an Erhu solo, is composed by Yau-Shing Chen (陳耀星), who is a famous Erhuist. The song describes the soldiers riding on their warhorses, galloping on the grassland, fighting against the enemies, and protecting their homeland. There are a lot of special techniques of Erhu, such as Ricochet (Bow Throwing, 拋弓, sounds like the horses galloping), Spiccatto (Bowstring Jumping, 跳弓), Horse Neighing (馬鳴), etc. This song is difficult because of its high speed and special techniques. I’m so happy that I can play and record it.

Podcast: Warhorses Galloping – Erhu by Tsai