2012 LiberTangHautbois 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE IN ALL THE WORLD! Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, 2012 highlighted stress and mortal fear around the word. Well, the end of the world did not happen in this phase of consciousness, so I may 2013 bring renewed hope and relentless perseverance to make our world a blessing with a respect for the true rights and fair distribution of wherewithal to all people and all living things!

BONNE ET HEUREUSE ANNÉE À TOUS PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE! Nonobstant vos croyances à ce sujet, 2012 a mis en évidence une crainte profonde dans l’âme des humains. La fin du monde n’est pas survenue, alors je souhaite que 2013 apporte un renouveau d’espoir, béni de respect pour les droits véritables et la distribution juste des biens et des moyens à toutes les communautés et tout être vivant, partout dans le monde!

Recall: blog to motivate myself and others! For new visitors here, this blog started because stories by other people practicing was a real inspiration to me: these stories including starting the oboe late in life or continuing to practice despite difficult physical obstacles, far worse than mine in many cases. So this is the diary of my passion for the oboe and the discoveries I make to get over some physical pains that tend to get in the way of my plans.

Rappel : un blogue d’encouragement mutuel! Ce blogue a été mis sur pied parce que les histoires, partagées par d’autres, m’ont grandement encouragé à persévérer en musique amatrice. Ces histoires provenaient de gens commençant le hautbois à un âge avancé et/ou face à des obstacles physiques bien pires que les miens. Ceci est donc un journal de ma passion pour le hautbois et les découvertes qui m’aident à surmonter les maux qui voudraient heurter mes buts.

Libertango: Piazzolla and style! I should make a whole blog post on this alone... The reed I used is pictured above. The original arrangement was intended to highlight flute style. I studied You-Tubes of Astor Piazzola playing this himself – including a great video with Piazzola and Yo-Yo Ma! I tried to combine Piazzola’s amazing energy with a showcase for the oboe’s potential.

Freedom, Dance, Hautbois!

Libertango : Piazzola et genre! Il faudrait un article sur ceci tout seul... Ci-dessus, l’image de l’anche utilisée pour cet enregistrement. L’arrangement original met en vedette les attributs de la flûte. J’ai étudié les vidéos de Piazzola qui joue lui-même: dans un cas avec Yo-Yo Ma! J’ai donc essayé de rapprocher l’énergie vivante de Piazzola tout en mettant en vedette le potentiel du hautbois.

A Balanced Lifestyle At New-Year 2012, I said I needed to spend less time on Social Networking activities and more time building a solid professional life. Although Facebook is difficult to ignore, I did spend much less time blogging and I have neglected the BBoard quite harshly! But I have devoted myself to my job and, hopefully, built a good and solid reputation in my professional entourage. But where in 2010 I took good care of the dogs and home while just started my profession, 2011 saw a quick advance in physical fitness and musical work with heavy involvement in Facebook resulting in wonderful musical friendships with professional and amateur oboists, manufacturers and important resellers from all over the world. 2012 focussed mostly on my profession, a good and important thing, and finding Tai-Chi to replace the gym. All three years saw me focusing on one aspect to the neglect of others. But a fulfilling life requires a balance of profession, home care, physical fitness and hobby. I wish to continue to build a solid and good professional life while at the same time finding the way to continue building strong health, preparing more recordings, fixing-up little issues with the house and go exercising the dogs more. To everyone visiting this, I wish you all a wonderful 2013 with the same balance for a fulfilling life!

Une vie équilibrée Au nouvel-an 2012, j’ai exprimé le besoin d’accorder moins de temps au réseautage social et plus à me construire une vie professionnelle solide. Bien que Facebook soit difficile à ignorer, j’ai donné beaucoup moins de temps au blogue et j’ai négligé le BBoard. Le temps était consacré à mon emploi pour me bâtir une bonne réputation solide dans mon entourage professionnel. Mais alors que 2010 m’a vu m’occupper de mes chiens et la maison tout en commençant ma profession, 2011 a vu ma condition physique et vie musicale progresser rapidement avec une participation forte chez Facebook, qui m’a ouvert l’amitié de hautboïstes professionnels et amateurs ainsi que de fabrcands et marchands importants de partout dans le monde. 2012 c’est concentré surtout sur ma vie professionnelle, une bonne chose, et a trouvé le Tai-Chi pour remplacer le gymnase. Ces trois années m’ont vu accentuer un aspect de la vie au détriment d’autres. Une vie épanouie exige un équilibre de profession, domicile, activité sportive et loisirs. Je souhaite donc de continuer à me bâtir une bonne et solide vie professionnelle tout en trouvant le moyen d’incorporer le conditionnement de ma forme et santé, de continuer mes enregistrements, mieux voir aux petits nécessaires de la maison et mieux exercer les chiens. À tout le monde qui visite ce blogue, je souhaite un 2013 formidable avec la même équilibre pour une vie épanouie!

New (Contemporary) Music – Musique Actuelle

3 or 4 weeks ago, I tried to record a couple of impressionist tunes…. the weather had changed, turning my reeds to tire-grade rubber and perhaps the oboe too. I was very frustrated and my self-esteem had been thrashed. These 2 tunes by Kathryn Potter (www.oboebrilliance.com) from her publication “Arc en ciel”, 16 pieces for solo oboe. I felt these 2 would best help restore my recording nerves.	Il y a 3 ou 4 semaines, j’ai essayé d’enregistrer 2 pièces impressionistes… la météo avait changé et mes anches ont décidé de jouer comme des pneus mal soufflés! Le hautbois a peut-être été affecté aussi. Par conséquent, ma confiance en a été boulversée. Ces 2 pièces par Kathryn Potter (www.oboebrilliance.com) de son recueil “Arc en ciel: 16 pièces pour hautbois solo” m’ont paru appropriées à restaurer mes nerfs.
Lilacs (Kathryn Potter)	Peony / Pivoine (Kathryn Potter)
Kathryn had kindly dedicated “Lilac” to me and Peony was undedicated, so I felt it was fine to play it too. She dedicated many pieces to many oboists from near beginners to prolific professionals, all with our consent. I hope everyone will also record and post their dedicated tunes, to really show the evolution of the oboist along the different phases of development.	Kathryn a gentiment dédicacé un grand nombre de ses compositions à un grand nombre  de hautboïstes du presque-débutant au professionnel prolifique avec notre consentement; Lilas m’est dédicacé. Pivoine reste ‘libre’, alors j’ai cru bon l’enregistrer aussi. Je souhaite que tous les hautboistes dédicacés enregistrent leurs pièces montrant ainsi l’évolution du musicien au long des phases de développement.
Kathryn gives the performer lots of leeway in terms of performance requirements. For Lilacs, she wrote “delicately, gracefully” and for Peony, she wrote “freely” and “dolce”.  But in both, she indicates p-mp, requiring a soft performance. Peony could be played faster than I did, but tranquility must emerge.	Kathryn accorde à l’interprète une grande liberté d’interprétation. Pour Lilas, elle n’écrit que “délicatement, gracieusement” et pour Pivoine elle note “librement” et “dolce”. Mais pour les deux, elle indique p-mp, exigeant un jeu en douceur. Pivoine peut être joué plus rapidement, mais la traquilité doit en émaner.
Lilacs are busy flowers, being composite structures… even more so if you are a bee skipping from blossom to blossom, bumping into butterflies and ladybugs on the way! But take a step (or twenty) back that they appear like very delicate and soft flowers: high energy produces softness and tranquility.	Les lilas sont des fleurs vivantes et dynamiques, étant des structures composées… d’autant plus si vous êtes une abeille côtoyant des papillons et coccinelles! Mais prenez un pas (ou vingt) derrière et surgit une vue délicate de fleurs douces: l’énergie active produit une douce tranquilité.
Kathryn might not like my saying so, but I have loved Peonys all my life… and have never seen them without a colony of ants all over them! I might be wrong, but I think they live in symbiosis: the busy little ants helping the grand and pensive blossom to open.	Kathryn me disputera, mais j’ai aimé les pivoines toute ma vie… et je ne les ai jamais vues sans être couvertes de colonies de fourmis! Si je ne me trompe, je crois qu’ils vivent en symbiose: les fourmis occupées aident aux amples fleurs pensives à éclore.
Different Acoustics, Different Sound.	Changer d’acoustique ravive le timbre.

I did not do a video recording because I wanted to focus my time and efforts on trying a different acoustic location in my house. Recordings on the main floor (discussed in this previous post) are very lively, but tend to sound bright because of the hardwood floors and reverberation from the walls. I had noticed that in a smaller carpeted space sounds richer and softer and recordings sounded more like I hear myself, but the sound is dull.	Je n’ai pas fait de vidéo parce que je voulais me pencher sur la prise de son dans une acoustique différente à la maison. Enregistrer à l’étage principale (discuté ici) ont un son vivant, mais tend à la clareté à cause des planchers de bois franc et l’écho des murs. J’ai remarqué que les petites pièces avec tapis ont un son plus riche et doux: les enregistrements sonnent plus comme je m’entends, mais le son est mort.
The floor plan above shows a compromise between the two in the hallway of the second floor. I think the extra rooms with open doors add a little liveliness to the sound and the microphone, over the stairwell, is farthest it can be from most of the walls so the bright ringing is less important.	Le plan ci-dessus montre un compromis trouvé dans le couloir au deuxième étage. Je crois que les portes ouvertes aux atures pièces ajoute un peu de l,ampleur et que le micro, au dessus des escaliers, est le plus loin possible de tous les murs de sorte à atténuer la résonnance.
I also increased the microphone sensitivity pretty high for such a small space. This is why you hear my breath and keys even though I am playing softly. It seems that greater microphone sensitivity captures more of the low frequencies, adding more depth to the sound.	J’ai aussi augmenté grandement la sensibilité du micro pour une si courte distance. C’est pourquoi vous entendrez ma respiration et mes clefs bien que je joue doucement.. Je crois qu’augmenter la sensibilité capte mieux les fréquences graves, accordant la rondeur au son.
Amateur’s Choice	Le choix est à l’amateur.
One big advantage of being an amateur is that, whereas professionals must play repertoire they don’t always enjoy (they have to earn a living), the amateur can pick and choose what to play and can reject what s/he considers unpleasant. This is especially true when we play alone or with only a small group.	Alors que les musiciens professionels doivent parfois jouer du répertoire qu’ils aiment moins (on doit gagner sa vie), l’amateur peut choisir et rejetter à sa guise. Ceci est surtout vrai lorsqu’on joue seul ou dans un petit groupe.
In my student and short-lived pro-days, I used to abhor most music by living composers or having lived during the time of the 2nd World War. I disliked not only atonality, but the aggressive anti-melodic stuff that composers loved to analyze and explain, but rarely seemed to be enjoyed by people outside horror movies. In my university theory courses, I came to the conclusion that these composers cared only about innovating at any cost by designing systems of sound organisation: complaints of repugnance were accused of ignorance and closed-minds. Anyone who wanted to compose like the past greats were treated as cheap copyists.	À l’époque de mes études et très courte période professionnelle, j’avais horreur des compositions “actuelles” ou de l’après 2e guerre mondiale. Pas juste l’atonalité, mais des tendances agressives et anti-mélodiques… ce qu’on a appelé parfois “l’art comprends-pâs-rien” (au lieu de “contemporain”). On aimait analyser et expliquer ce qui semblait conçu pour films d’horreurs. Dans mes cours d’analyse à l’université, j’ai conclu que les compositeurs ne voulaient qu’innover à tout prix, concevant des systèmes d’organisation du son: toute critique était accusée d’esprit fermé et d’ignorance. Quiconque voulait composer comme les grands du passé étaient traité comme de simples copistes.
I am now happy to discover that many composers of the turn of the of the 21st century have returned to a sense of writing through inspiration rather than empty intellectual design. Many 20th century composers who continued in the late-romantic and impressionist styles are not becoming known and today’s composers are no longer afraid to mix traditional harmony with new sounds: novelty is again driven by a search for meaning… in other words, what jazz and hard-rock have known for generations is finally understood by “classical” music too!	Je suis heureux de découvrir que les compositeurs du 21e siècle semblent retourner à un sens d’inspiration, plutôt que l’intellectualisme froid. Plusieurs compositeurs du 20e siècle, qui ont voulu continuer les styles du romantique et impressionisme font surface et ceux d’aujourd’hui ne fuient plus l’incorporation de l’harmonie traditionelle aux sons nouveaux: l’innovation est à nouveau dirigée par la une quête d’expression… en d’autres mots, la musique classique semble enfin réaliser ce que sait le jazz et le rock-dur depuis des générations!
Although I remain a fan of the Baroque, Romantic and Impressionist styles, I have been happily surprised by many brand-new works for oboe ensembles, complete with multiphonics, that are really enjoyable. There is a lot of hope for new music: the rift between composers and audience might just be closing at last!	Bien que je continue à choyer le baroque, romantique et l’impressionisme, j’ai été agréablement surpris par des pièces flambant-neuves pour ensembles de hautbois, comptant même des “sons multiples”. Il y a donc de l’espoir pour la musique contemporaine: le gouffre avec l’auditoire semble enfin se refermer!

Why practice?

This is probably the most fundamental question to the amateur: why practice, why play at all?

There are people like myself who were once very decent players, but who have stopped for years and now face a steep uphill battle to regain what we once were able to do. People ask me if I play in groups and/or if I have any concerts coming up. Well, no I don't. So then, why practice? Why go through the frustration and difficult task of re-acquiring the skills of the oboe when what I hear coming out of my instrument is less than unsatisfactory?

The word "amateur" comes from Italian and means someone who loves. Unfortunately, in English and French, it is often associated with someone who is not really serious, “unprofessional”. This is wrong, the word "amateur" should only be applied when one is really serious about something: one loves the task and therefore no pains are too great.This is how I feel about performance. This is why I practice: I cannot imagine stopping.

But, owing to the likes of Albrecht Mayer, Cynthia Steljes, Christoph Hartmann, John Abberger, Bart Schneeman and so many others, why bother trying? Surely I cannot even begin to aim for what they are currently doing so well, so who am I to pretend to be an oboist in the face of such mastery? I have no answer to that. I play because that’s what I do, end of story.

Maybe I will play again with a group, maybe not. Maybe I will play on stage again, maybe not. Maybe I will make a You-Tube video only to be ridiculed and know that the critics are right..... but maybe something unexpected, and sorely wanted, will occur.

This is why we practice.

May the year 2011 bring us all lots of opportunities to practice and play for for well receiving audiences; may Providence grant us the purpose and nurture us on our way!

New-Year’s wish to all: TIME!

No, this is not an add for a legendary periodical!

Prospero año y felicidad!
Bonne et heureuse année!
Glückliches neues Jahr!

Well if life begins at 40, I feel like I must be 80 because I don’t feel like a toddler, but rather like someone who wants to settle down and put into practice the wisdom life acquired through blood, sweat and tears.

Truth is, there are SO MANY THINGS I want to do, but I realized that 24h/day and 7days/week doesn’t allow for much. So which do I choose among:

Musically, I want to:	At home I want to:	Professionally:	Adventure Craves:	My body wants to:
Re-Learn the piano and harmony (incl. jazz).	Read Lord of the Rings!	Make Studio Jam a serious tool.	Lots of blogging and Tweeting!	Do nautilus and stretching.
Get a cello and a flugelhorn and build a simple repertoire.	Install the new bathroom lights and caulk the sinks & tub.	Make CBIOOWTy a real development library.	Helping neighbours with their dogs’ behaviour and tricks.	Do body-building with an expert trainer.
Find some musicians and play with them.	Paint the house and organize the garage & basement!	Publish on Real Time collaboration and Music Technology.	Take my dogs to Gatineau and other parks every week.	Do winter cycling and snow-showing.
Do a bunch of orchestrations in Finale.	Fix the dogs’ walls and build a backsplash.	Learn and program in Python, QT and for mobile devices.	Research into parapsychology and religious mysticism.	Learn Tai-Chi and Brazilian martial arts.
Learn to improvise in Cuban and Jazz.	Get wood turning tools and make oboe bells!	Build my own collaborative web sites.	Off-roading!	Learn fencing and archery!

… and these exclude those that cross my mind on whims!

Assuming I have another 40-50 years to live (and unlimited money!), I can certainly do all that and much more. Problem is, I have observed that a person’s attention span is usually limited to “today” and “this week”. We are capable of imagining “this month” and we can stretch our patience to “this year”, but beyond that becomes hope, dreaming and wishful thinking… planning, yes, but still nothing tangible to satisfy our immediate emotions.

As the song says “If I could save time in a bottle…”, so one has to chose what is most precious. In my case, many of the choices are imposed on me: I must work on reducing pain, preventing injury and slowing down natural degeneration. After that, my dogs require a fair bit of time to care (living sentient beings are note mere chattel) and a house demands upkeep… both of which could benefit from a stronger body!

By God’s Grace, may my job predict stability and calm in the foreseeable future or I would have no time left for music at all. So a choice must be made and I gladly choose the oboe, forsaking other leisures and interests.

Even so, how many hours a day are necessary to practice long-tones, make reeds and do scales just as a warm-up so that practicing the repertoire (alone) will yield real results in preparation for playing with others? Considering my last public performance was in 1998 (well below professional grade) and that I have essentially not practiced for 10 years until last summer, how many hours must I devote to attain my former abilities, humble as they were? No matter, the joy is in the journey and/or the chase!

So for the New-Year I wish unto you all the wisdom of time. May your minds be at ease with clarity in what matters to you, in your lives, and may your environments (social, professional, family and neighbourhood) leave you the time to spend on what matters and the discipline to use it right.

Happy 2011 to everyone:
may peace and happiness in truth guide us all!