Dan Everett posted shared this on his Facebook page and I thought I’d say a few words about her playing. I managed to find it on YouTube:
The commenters there identify the piece as Sonatina in D Major, Op 36, No 6 by Muzio Clementi. I wouldn’t have guessed that, but then, I simply don’t know Clementi. But that’s irrelevant.
I want to talk about her playing. Actually, I want to talk about how she uses her body. She plays with her body, as any halfway decent musician does. Look at how her upper body moves once she’s underway. That’s not merely a matter of moving her arms back and forth in front of the keyboard, it is some of that. It’s mostly keeping the groove and it’s setting the muscle tone in which her arms and fingers make the more differentiated movements that activate the keys.
Look, hear how strong her left hand is at 0:22 as she walks it back and forth. She’s leaning into it. And again at 0:34. Meanwhile the right hand is playing scalar figures.
The hands punctuate together at roughly 0:40, marking a turning point in the music. Listen to the left hand chords at 0:54, which are repeated an octave lower at 0:58 – well, not really repeated. But similar chordal figures, and she digs in. The young lady has a firm grasp of the piece’s structure and it comes out especially in her left hand. Hands together at 1:01. Look at/listen to her left hand just before the page turn and then hands together 1:05-1:09.
Now we move to the next section of the piece (I’m sure there’s a technical name for it, but I don’t know it). The left hand just keeps thumping away on a static figure – little or no motion up or down – while the right hand diddles the scalar melodic figures. And now an excursion into minor territory at 1:28. The left hand heads to the basement at 1:34.
She really digs in (left hand) 1:38-1:42, and then backs off on the volume (watch her body here), a short break and back to the beginning at 1:44.
The power at 2:04, 2:13, 2:15. Then she backs off. Watch hands and body at the end, 2:40-2:44.
So once again I was unable to watch any LPGA that I DVRed this past week, due to work responsibilities reaching a white-hot pitch, imoto's interest in catching up on past seasons of Once Upon a Time, and my own interest in seeing Primus play live for what may well turn out to be the only time in my life.
Imoto turns 8 today. She's an amazing girl. She's into so many things!
She's working hard to get to Level 2 at gymnastics. Don't know if down the road she'll try out acrobatic gymnastics:
Or rhythmic gymnastics:
But right now she's inspired by the Fab Five from the 2012 Olympics:
She also likes to play golf with me. I hope we can do a lot more of that this summer!
I'm really glad imoto likes to laugh. We definitely share a sense of humor. She loves watching How It Should Have Ended on youtube. Here's one of her favorites:
Yup, she loves Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit! Not to mention Frozen, Tangled, Brave, Powerpuff Girls, Pretty Cure, and Winx Club, to name a few more!
Best of all, she's a hard worker, great student, kind friend, and loving sister!
The LPGA's rookie class of 2014 can't catch any breaks. The very same day I finally get their membership right I find out Tiffany Joh has released a new video. I present "What's Up with Lexi?"
'14ers, the ball is in your court. Or rather, you have the honors now....
[Update 1 (9:46 pm): Ugh, I was trying to figure out what T-Joh was parodying and having no luck, but 9-going-on-10 onechan knew right away. Of course, she sent me to a different parody of "What Does the Fox Say" rather than the original, which is when I figured out that I am super-old.]
A buddy of mine forwarded me the following youtube clip. At first, I thought it was fake, but it's real. It's a pretty amazing rendition of Tool's "46 and 2" by a bunch of middle schoolers!
Yes, I am about 3 months behind the internet. That's how we roll here at Mostly Harmless!
In-Kyung Kim is now a contributor to the ESPNW Blog! Check out her 1st post from this Wednesday introducing her interests and those of some of her peers from South Korea.
It's pretty cute that she referred to BoA as a "magician," when she's actually a major international pop star and multilingual musician in Korean, Japanese, and English.
Here's a live version of the 1st BoA song I ever heard (thanks to the Full Metal Archivist):
I guess she is a bit of a magician, after all!
Anime fans may recognize this one as one of the ending songs from Inuyasha!
Things are going to be super-serious over the weekend at the U.S. Women's Open, but take a few minutes to enjoy Tiffany Joh's latest youtube sensation, apparently filmed right before takeoff on the LPGA's charter flight to Wisconsin.
Just like Annika Sorenstam and Paula Creamer before her, Lady Gaga delivered a great performance in a big event in Japan: the New Year's Eve countdown/musical extravaganza on NHK known as Kohaku Uta Gassen.
Somebody uploaded the closing montage from the 62nd annual show, along with the final judgment of who won the competition between the Red (girls') and White (boys') team. It gives you some sense of the range and kinds of J-pop, enka, and other forms of music popular in Japan in 2011:
You probably noticed Lady Gaga in the montage, but here's her full performance of "Born This Way":
And "You and I":
I don't know if her performances counted toward the Red team's total, but maybe she helped pushed them over the top for the 1st time since 2004. Somehow I doubt groups like AKB48 needed the help, though:
Heck, I think they outnumbered the guys all by themselves!
Happy New Year from Mostly Harmless! Enjoy some BABYMETAL, what looks like an elementary-school-aged kawaii metal band from Japan, to kick off 2012:
OK, so even though Laughing Squid thinks they're teenagers, I'm going with Blabbermouth, who has the lead singer at 13 and the 2 dancers/screamers at 12, not least b/c it fits my '12 theme. Anyway, if you think they look young in this video, check out this fan montage, which lays the "Doki Doki Morning" track over clips of Sakura Gakuin performing live (that's the band they are an offshoot of):
It's going to be a great year! Or at least a weird one! How could it not be when a fan came out with a computer-game style video of their debut song within 8 days of its official release?
Unlike in golf, breaking 95 is a very rare achievement in figure skating when it comes to the score for your short program. Well, that's what Daisuke Takahashi just did at the Japanese nationals:
He wasn't satisfied with his step sequence, he said in interviews afterward, but he nailed his quad (in a quad-triple combo!) and was awesome on his other jumps, as well. Ended up earning himself a 96.05, over 10 points ahead of his nearest pursuer (Kozuka) and over 20 points ahead of his next-closest competitor (Hanyu)!
I'm hoping Takahashi skates great in his long program, because I'd love to see him eclipse the hyper-inflated score Patrick Chan beat him with at the ISU Grand Prix, where Chan actually extended his lead on Dai-chan despite bringing his C-game to the free skate. Everyone watching thought that Dai-chan completed outskated Chan when the chips were down and that the only question was whether Chan's huge lead from the short program would hold up against Dai-chan's onslaught. Instead.... Well, just watch. I still can't write about it....
First, Dai-chan's challenge:
Then, Chan's response:
Dai-chan wuz robbed, I tellz yuh!
Now let's hear the commentary in English, first for Takahashi:
The Constructivist family's heading on a field trip to Ontario for Skate Canada in a couple of days. Of course the main attraction for us is Daisuke Takahashi, a true artist of the ice. Check out the various styles he's a master of (or in the process of mastering):
Love the Cowboy Bebop meets spaghetti western vibe of his free skate (even if it was a sloppy performance):
Of course Dai-chan's main competition is going to be Patrick Chan, but Kevin Van Der Perren came in 2nd behind Michael Brezina and ahead of Takahiko Kozuka at Skate America just last week, so with an up-and-comer like Adam Rippon also in the field and Denis Ten coming off a respectable performance at Skate America, as well, just about anything can happen. Dai-chan had better bring along a real grizzled veteran's gunslinging attitude to Mississauga!
Now that Tiffany Joh's actually making some money as a pro golfer, she's making the smart investment and putting some of her winnings into her music and videos. "She Beats It" caught Golf Channel's eye:
but I sincerely doubt they'll dare air "Grip It":
Oh, T-Joh's also been taking Korean lessons from her good friend Jeehae Lee:
The past couple of years--since my girls have gotten old enough for me to get back to gearing up for and playing competitive golf--I've been very frustrated with my game. I've been generally hitting the ball very well and putting well intermittently, but what used to be my bread and butter--partial wedges and recovery shots around the green--has become my nemesis. It's been no fun feeling cursed with hands of stone. Well, after my latest tournament disappointments--a bad Utica City Amateur followed by a terrible Buffalo district men's amateur qualifier--in July and early August, I took a little time away from playing golf, and whattaya know, as I've been gearing up for the NYSGA Mid-Amateur qualifier in Rochester in a couple of days, every part of my game is working pretty well. I've been shooting a bunch of 35s, 36s, and 37s of late, due to hitting a lot more fairways and greens, getting up-and-down better when I miss the green, and making more of my birdie opportunities.
I don't know if it's just that I usually play really well in August, but I do know that my mom's advice to just play a little looser and avoid overthinking in the middle of a round has been very helpful, once I actually thought about what she said, that is. Switching over to a Kuromi suito (thermos) with water instead of going with bottled Ito-En teas is helping me remember to swing more freely, too.
Hoping some Onegai My Melody helps me qualify for my 2nd-ever Mid-Am! Here's some relevant youtube for ya until I get my Safeway Classic preview out--hope it helps your game as much as it's been helping mine:
Think I'll be listening to some Cake on my ride to Rochester!
Yup, she was on SMAP Bistro! And gets all interactive while the guys are cooking....
Here she explains why she's so into Hello Kitty--and shows off how much she likes spicy food! Man, Shingo steals the scene at the end of this clip in his usual costumed appearance...this time as Shingo-panda!
So do Kimutaku and Goro win or Shingo and Tsuyoshi?
Just noticed that J.R.R. Tolkien would have turned eleventy-nine today. In honor of his birthday, I'll pass along a link to a song one of my students composed and performed based on lyrics from The Hobbit and remind everyone that there's plenty of interesting Tolkien-related blogging from my students up at sf@SF!
Too bad The Hobbit movie didn't get finished or released in time for us to discuss it in class, but here's a trailer:
Soon after posting yesterday's front-9 update of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, I was at a friend's house watching the finale, blown away that Angela Stanford had posted a tournament-record 63, moved by Ai Miyazato's closing birdie barrage (5 in her last 10 holes to bounce back from going +4 in a 3-hole stretch early on the front), impressed by the tenacity and brilliance of Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr, floored by Karine Icher's walkoff spin-back side-door eagle (which capped off a bogey-free run of 48 holes and counting!), and psyched that Suzann Pettersen took such a valiant run for her 1st win of the season after doubling the par-4 4th for the 2nd time that week (she went -4 in her last 14 holes, making all 4 birdies in a 6-hole stretch in the middle of her round).
That all their heroics couldn't get them to the winner's circle is due to the absolute virtuosity of In-Kyung Kim, who made 9 birdies and would have tied Stanford's course record except for a 3-putt bogey on the par-3 17th. That her 1st win of the season isn't close to the biggest story of the week is due to Kim's heart. As The Squire mentioned and Brent Kelly and bangkokbobby contextualized, Inky pledged to donate her entire's winner check to charity.
Well, I've been thinking about this for a long time, all this year if I won a tournament, I really wanted to help the people who need help. And I came to this tournament, I went to Lorena's party and I saw the kids, how she is helping kids with her foundation, and I decided that even though‑‑well, yes, if I win, I will be giving all the money to the people who need help. I had in my mind that I wanted to help American charities that I've been looking for, so I wanted to share this prize money, half to Lorena's foundation and half to an American charity that I was deciding on. So I hope‑‑I feel so grateful that even in here, playing against all of these great players, and I just wanted to share this feeling to other people and I've got a lot of help to becoming this good at golf. I'm fortunate, but people who need help, I hope this money can help a lot‑‑not a lot, but you know, it could help.
Clearly, Lorena Ochoa's influence is felt deeply all over the tour, and particularly by Kim:
I just hope, you know, Lorena has helped the kids for over the years, many years, but this is kind of a start for me. I would love to have my own foundation one day, but I just‑‑not just this week, I want to keep doing good things to the people that need help, not only kids, but also, you know, in the world there are‑‑what's going on in Haiti and all over the world. So it means a lot to me, because now, winning this tournament, I have been able to help other people. I think that's what I like about golf, and you know, it's great that what I can do to other people.
Interesting that she's looking for a U.S. charity that does something like her sponsor Hana Bank's microlending project:
It's kind of a long story, but Hana Bank, who is sponsoring me, and the CEO has Microbank (Smile Microbank Foundation), which is people that they couldn't‑‑able to get a loan from the regular bank because they don't have credit. So the Microbank helps people who are not able to‑‑can't loan them money. So the Microbank helps those people and I got into‑‑every time I made birdie or eagle, I send 90 or hundred bucks for a birdie, I donate every tournament this year, and that's how I got into like looking for charities. So it's not just about money that I have given to, but also it has a great feeling; if I play good and make a lot of birdies, then I can help more people. That's how it kind of started and in the U.S., I was looking for Microbank and maybe another like who needs help, but I haven't decided yet, so I can't really tell which charity yet I'm going to donate. But when I decide who really needs help, then I'll, you know, tell.
Sorry to quote from so much of the interview, but her answer to her closing question gives a great glimpse into Inky's history--and personality:
Q. It sounds to me like you're a person who is really into helping others. Is there any particular story in your life or why are you so interested in helping?
IN‑KYUNG KIM: I never really talked about it before. Before I came to the U.S.‑‑I wanted to come to the U.S. but I know it's tough and my parents are working really hard at the time when I was 16. And we weren't really rich, but it takes a lot of money to send me to the U.S. and go to school and all that, right. But there is one person who helped my parents kind of sending me to the U.S., and if he didn't help my parents, or, you know, if he didn't help me coming to the U.S., I wouldn't really be here, you know what I mean. I was able to educate‑‑learn English‑‑I wish I could speak a bit of Spanish, but not there yet. Maybe I should come here often. Anyways, so at the time, you know, it's like it's all about timing, and everyone needs help. I think education is really an important thing, but also, here in life, I'm sure you have met great people. I have such great people around me and I want to be the one person to gather‑‑who knows, you know, those kids can be somebody else than what they have. I think that's why I'm all about that. Gracias. Tengo hambre!
I recall vividly when Inky jokingly referred to herself as a "punk kid" after one of her previous LPGA victories. Well, now she's one 1 kid who already has become "somebody else than what they have." Well done!
Just got back from an Interpol concert at Water Street Music Club and have to head to Locust Hill early again tomorrow morning to see if anyone's crazy or stupid enough not to take advantage of a spot in the pro-am. No dice today and I don't expect to be able to play tomorrow, but hope springs eternal. More when I get up!
