5 musical annoyances

I've made some observations recently about various musical truths/things that irritate me...

1. If a band's saxophone section has members who play the type of sax as assigned by their section leader, often the section leader will play Bari. If the rest of the saxophone section is weak, the altos take the brunt of the criticism and the Bari player tries to help, but ultimately the altos are set up for failure.

2. Horns are beautiful. Euphoniums/Baritones are beautiful, but are better placed in a brass band where they aren't stealing from the Horns, pretending to be Trombones, or being covered up in a sea of boringness from a part written by a composer who doesn't know what he is doing because of number 3. Euphoniums are best placed in a Brass Band where they can be properly appreciated and given a part deserving of the instrument without encroaching on the Horn's space.

3. Medley composers usually are using the medley as a trial run in their composing career. SO often do I see a medley that is just so poorly written! I get a distinct impression that the composer writes out the whole song for a few instruments first. They might hear a trumpet part here and a sax solo there, but for the most part, the whole thing is written around 3 or 4 instruments at most. Then the composer looks at the other parts and is like "umm... what should I put there? Oh! How about lots of really high whole notes with no rest! That would be awesome, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind a boring part that will wear them out with one runthrough!"

4. Good Horn players are so hard to find because most are either a) technically good or b) musically good. Rarely is a Horn player great in both categories, and if a Horn player is, he could potentially go a long ways in a Horn career.

5. If your musicians are worn out, telling them to play louder and still sound good doesn't work. At that point, it is one or the other... mezzo forte and great, or loud and middle school.

Narnian Ramblings

I have always been interested in history, but in the last few years, my interest has expanded into various aspects such as etymology (history of words) and the truth behind mythology and legend. One example of etymology that interested me was when I formed a hypothesis about the word "won't" as to how it came to be, considering that "wo" and "not" did not form to be that one word like "can" and "not" became "can't." I realized that the words "will" and "not," when said very quickly, sounds like "willn't." After saying that word faster and faster, I started to hear an "oh" sound, and voila, just like that, "will not" sounded like "won't."

What got me thinking about this subject, however, is not the etymology; it is the legend. Though to be fair, in this case it is more of the history of a legend within a fantasy. I was watching Prince Caspian and thinking about how the book did a much better job at depicting the severity of the Telmarines' fear of both water and the forest. During the scene where the trees awaken and the river god (I can't remember if he actually has another name or not...) returns to save the day, the explanation of their fear jumped out at me. Just as much mythology and legend has its base in reality (even if a small base), so the Telmarine superstition did within the fantasy world of Narnia. In their history, when they invaded Narnia, they probably lost a great many troops while battling not just the normal Narnians, but the trees and water as well. If I were a survivor of such a mind-rattling event, I and my fellow soldiers would tell my children of the horrors of the forest and the river, and I'm sure that if the stories were retold and retold, that 1300 years later there might very well be a superstition regarding trees and water. After I realized this, I then mentally kicked myself for not making the connection for so long; it is so obvious and an integral part to the story's background, but C.S. Lewis never went and outright stated that connection, and I just never stopped to think about it.

And speaking of Narnia, my favorite in the series is currently in production! I had heard that Disney and Walden Media dropped the Narnia franchise after Prince Caspian was released, but I found out today that my fears were only half-true. Disney did drop Narnia, but Walden Media went to Fox (whom they have done every other non-Narnia project with), and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader is set to be released in November or December 2010. As stated in the blog article that I read, the magic that is notably absent in Prince Caspian (considered the hardest of the books to adapt into a decent movie for this reason) is back in full force, so I can't wait!

Rain, Rain, Rain

It is monsoon season here in Korea. This time of year, it rains about every four days or so; if you have had two or three days of sun in a row, you had better pack and umbrella in your bag if going out. I am used to it though, having gone through this season a couple of times before. I take my old black boots out because they are waterproof and great for the deep puddles I have to go through. Last year was mild, so this year, as expected, is already more severe than normal as if in compensation. There have already been some elevated flood warnings, and today on the way to church I had to walk through a "stream" flowing across a sidewalk (it was about 1-2 inches deep, despite irrigation beneath the sidewalk). Besides my boots, I am thankful for the invention of the umbrella, the hat, and that the Army allows the black trenchcoat to be worn in civilian attire. That, and the rain washes out the smog and yellow dust!

Running

Today I went to the gym and played some basketball by myself, and I followed that up with a run. Yes, a run. Over the last week or so I've felt really good and have even run for 10 or 15 seconds at a time during PT, albeit a very slow jog. Then, this weekend, I was at the gym and I started looking at the basketball court. I never really learned how to shoot-- I always tried, but I never learned the correct form, so at the gym I picked up a basketball and started shooting. After a while someone else came and started shooting at the opposite hoop, and observing his style, I tried to mimick it until suddenly it felt natural. Granted, I am still a horrible shot (I have since only shot 25% of my attempts from the free throw line), but it doesn't feel awkward anymore. (I also had someone look at my shots later and he said it looked right... I just need to not revert to my old way when playing against someone!)

While shooting around, and usually missing, I found myself going after the ball a lot, and to be honest, it just got really annoying trying to speedwalk to catch up to the ball, so I jogged a little bit. Surprisingly, it did not hurt, so soon I was jogging before trying to lob the ball, and by the end of my "workout" I was even running fairly slowly across the court. All of this was without my brace.

So today, naturally I wanted to continue my newfound basketball skills, however young they may be. I found myself running around even more than before, so I decided to be brave; I went to the treadmill, and for over 15 minutes, I proceeded to alternate between a minute or so of a slow run and a couple minutes of walking. Right now my knee feels fine, and I am feeling extremely optimistic. I did wear my brace to be cautious, and I will continue to wear it during PT, but I am going optimistic that my progress will continue, and that soon I will even be able to just "go for a run!"

Susan Boyle... the sensation, the money-maker

If you have spent any time online in the last month or two, you have probably heard of Susan Boyle. She became an overnight sensation after appearing on Britain's Got Talent with her stirring rendition of I Dream the Dream from Les Miserables. I, like almost everyone else who saw and/or heard her, instantly was moved by how well she could sing, despite looking like she would be a total failure. She is almost 50, overweight, and certainly is not a pretty sight to behold, yet instantly she became an international star when her voice shocked the world.

I know that while this was happening, the execs for Britain's Got Talent, after getting over the initial shock, were surely grinning their faces off at their good fortune. Susan Boyle has gotten their show much more publicity than it could have gotten elsewhere, and the ratings have done extremely well as a result.

This is why I have a problem with Susan Boyle. She is a good singer, but were she 25 and skinny and had she a perfect face, no one outside of the normal viewing audience would have a clue who she is. The only reason anyone knows is because the show is taking advantage of her middle age and less-than-average looks and capitalizing on the stark difference between her looks and her voice. Susan Boyle has a great voice, and I am very happy for her for finding this opportunity, but because of the shameless way the show is using her, I find myself rooting for her competition. I know, she probably has little or nothing to do with how she is being used, and I know they are just seizing a great capitalist venture, but all the same, the rebel in me is moving me on principle alone to go against the flow on this one.

The News Anchor got bored again...

With all the efforts of our disaster-happy media to make us all die young with stress, I though I should set a few things straight about recent events.

FACT: North Korea has tested another nuke underground.

FICTION: They might ever actually consider using it on South Korea.

I have really lost any faith in today's media... I mean, really? What moron would nuke an area only 20 miles away, when the fallout is over 100 miles? The North Koreans want South Korea, not the radioactive remains of it.


FACT: North Korea has just renounced the Armistice Treaty

FICTION: That actually means anything.

Again, I present a case of the media being so hungry for a story that they make one from almost nothing. North Korea is ALWAYS making stupid threats to try to get our attention. Just think of them as a toddler starved for attention. They will keep trying to do little things that aren't serious but still get them in trouble anyways. I challenge the media to go find family members of the infamous Axe Murder incident and ask them if they think North Korea has abided by the treaty all these years. The simple truth of the matter is they don't abide by the treaty-- rather they don't attack anyone because they know they would be blown off the face of the earth if they tried because no one (even China and Russia) likes them anymore.


FACT: The U.S. and South Korean militaries have raised the alert status.

FICTION: The troops are at a heightened state of alert.

I was reading the news, and apparently I am at a big state of alert, watching North Korea intently. Also, apparently the dozens of ROK soldiers I saw last night downtown are also really alert. Hogwash. A classic example of the media twisting the truth to sound ominous. Yes, the militaries are watching more closely, but it is not like we are on a lockdown or anything.


Bottom line is unless there is an actual land invasion, any time the media starts talking about Korea, always take the level of seriousness down a couple levels at least. This goes for anything... recently when a former Korean President committed suicide, many Koreans found out from the news that they were apparently in a huge state of shock and mourning.... because if the news finds 10 people doing something, they will assume the 100 people around them are also doing it as well.

Blackhawk

Following my ride in a Chinook Helicopter a year and a half ago, there have been numerous times during which I was supposed to finally get to ride in a Blackhawk, but each time weather or other circumstances kept me from my ride. Finally, on Wednesday, the chance arrived.

Filling in for a Horn player on leave, I have been an acting member of the Brass Quintet for a couple of weeks. The week prior we were told the rumor by the Operations NCO that aerial transport was in the works for a mission at Camp Humphreys, which would turn a 2.5 hour bus ride into a 45 minute ride in a Blackhawk, and a few days after we heard the rumor, it was confirmed.

To really get a feel for the excitement I had, you have to understand the difference between a Chinook and a Blackhawk. Riding in the Chinook was like riding in a flying school bus with some pretty serious horsepower. It was cool to fly, but apart from the view, it was very non-lavish. While the Chinook was a school bus, the Blackhawk was a Porsche. In the noisy Chinook we were reduced to hand signals, and we had a view only because the crew chief lowered the back door during the flight. In the Blackhawk, we had windows next to our seats, headsets with microphones, and since we had some interaction with the pilots and the crew chief before take-off, it almost even felt like our own private limousine service.

In the morning, we did have the disappointment of a bus-ride due to a haze in the air keeping the bird out of the air because of visibility, but the ride home was cleared as the early-morning haze cleared. On the way home we passed over a couple of Army camps, and the view over Seoul was amazing. I also noticed Korean burial mounds all over the place.

With my fun afternoon on Wednesday, I can now add "flew over Seoul in a Blackhawk Helicopter" to my "cool" list alongside "threw a live grenade" and "performed live music to a crowd of over 10,000." I would say my time in the Army has had some really fun moments...

More pictures can be found in the "Army Stuff" folder in my Photobucket account (link located to the right on this blog).