okay, i was using facebook when i came across this really cool video. a 14-year-old playing Star Wars on the marimba! (i mean, yeah he's really good, seeing as sharon keeps spasming during her "rolls")
yup, so hope you guys will watch and appreciate this! :D watch how he holds the sticks, what movements he makes, what posture he has: all add up to create a better sound from the marimba. so depending on what song you guys play, play with emotion, and use your technique to express it!
always, always keep in mind that percussion keeps the beat of the band. keep practising, especially during sectionals. the reason why sectionals is on wednesday is to allow us to practise what Mr Oura told us was not so good on tuesday, so that when we return to band prac on thursday, we'll have improved on whatever parts he had mentioned. sectionals is necessary. sectionals is truly, truly important. it's not like a "free block" or "slacking time". it's not only acting as bridge between band pracs. it's a time where you get to try other songs to improve your percussion skills in general.
only take a break when you see that you can't play, that you're mentally tired, and your hands can't do what you want them to do. otherwise, we can't afford to waste time! assuming SYF is in april, we have: ... 7 months to practise. that's hardly a year, and it's been mentioned so many times but yes, it's hardly the time we used to practise perseus.
familiarise yourselves with sagrada familia (hmm no pun intended), in the recording, try to figure out where your parts are and how the sound like! and remember: to make a good sound, DON'T TENSE UP YOUR ARMS, RELAX THEM. to play faster on the mallets, don't tense up your muscles, make sure they are as relaxed as possible, but have good control of your wrists.
i know it's like we've said this kind of stuff so many times, but we can't emphasise its importance without repeating it over and over again. we're a small section, but we play such a big role, as do all musicians in the band.
and on a less serious note, back to the topic:
okay yes! jiayou sharon and xinhui for MTDC. when every single one of us can play as well as this guy or even better, we'll go have abalone and chilli crab and whatever you guys like at some high-class restaurant. i'll treat yall. and sorry for the lengthy post! (it wasn't meant to be when i first started typing it o.o be prepared for more to come! >:DDD )
and always remain humble.
no matter how good you think you can play, even if you don't think that there's anyone in the band that plays better, there's always someone out there somewhere better than you.
aliza
