Stolen Strat

So this weeks had it’s ups and down. The biggest down obviously was my 1998 Deluxe Stratocaster which was nicked from my car in the middle of the night last saturday. I admit it was my fault. i thought i locked my car but the remote on the keys isn’t always acurate and the next morning i wake and my boot is open and the strat gone. However they managed to leave my amp and wallet for me which was nice of them..... So yeah i’ve been to the cops, local pawn shops, and there is pretty much nothing i can do because i don;t have the serial. Some of you probably thinking ‘what an idiot’ for not keeping the serial number but i guess its one of those things you don;t think you’ll need until something like this happens. I contacted the store i got it from, but since it was a traded guitar they don’t keep the serial number so not a great result to say the least. 

At the same time it’s not that I don’t have enough guitars to use, it was more the fact that this was my favorite electric guitar and any guitarist can sympathize with me in that when you find the right guitar, it grows on you and you grow on it. Not that I am a very materialistic person but it was a valuable possession of mine as most of my guitars are and one I will surely miss. 

The truth is I am annoyed, as most people would be, but as I look around at the events going on in world today my frustration tends to cease. I might have lost my guitar. But people in Japan and New Zealand have lost even more. Some have lost everything. And people lose their lives friends and family everyday in all places around the world. And it is not only Japan and New Zealand that are suffering, it is people everywhere!. Murder, slavery, sex slavery, child labour, sweat shops, poverty, famine, the list goes on and on. Yes I know you’ve all heard it before but sometimes we can forget the things we don’t hear about and sometimes it is as if they don’t matter. I know this is not the usual stuff I rant on about, but I guess this week has just been a bit different so hopefully I haven’t lost most of you. 

I’ve the learnt the very simple lesson of double checking my car is locked since last saturday, but I think there is a lot more to learn from people around the world. In December last year I visited an orphanage in Myanmar to really experience the conditions of a third world country and hopefully be able to help out the kids there in some way. The irony was, more than anything the children there actually helped me. They helped me see that they don’t need computers, cars, games, technology, luxuries. Some of these kids were the happiest kids I have ever seen in my life, and their appreciation for anything you did was purely honest and genuine. It was extremely challenging as well as amazing. These kids value everything they have, which materially is close to nothing compared to 1st world country standards. But they, from what I could see had everything immaterially, spiritually, morally, whatever you want to call it. They were content. And if they could be, then I have no excuse. This is not to say the same goes for Japan and New Zealand where I cannot even fathom what the are experiencing but I guess if your reading this you are pretty lucky, you have the internet, you are connected to the world, you have a home and a place to sleep and eat. It’s not that we should be carefree and disregard things that are taken from us and not learn from stupid mistakes (like myself), I guess it’s more of... in your grief or discontent it’s always good to gain a little bit of perspective.

It was a long one but thanks for reading.

Jesse   

here is my guitar:( luck i got this on the video:)

Same Old

Been quite busy with Uni these days, assignments here and there, extra readings that are not compulsory (but they pretty much are if you wanna do well) and whenever I'm not concentrating on uni I'm trying to find time to practise. I was always told uni was extremely laid back and that you have all the time in the world only to realise when entering that it was quite the opposite. Well maybe if all you had was uni then yeah i agree. But I mean mixing in 3000 word essays, with hours of guitar practice, work, and just having a life is not all that easy.

Anyway I plan to upload another video at the start of April, and another hopefully in the same month. I do get a mid semester break over easter so that will be a long awaited one. I could have uploaded this video earlier but there are just a few things I wanna touch up. With anything, if your gonna rush it it is gonna come out in the final product. Whether it be a photograph, a drawing, a song, a video etc.. I've always thought i could gloss over something and patch it up, but often others can tell do, so I've been disciplining myself not to get into that habit. I'm also taking some photos with one of my mates this weekend, so i'll be able to update my graphics and all on my website and youtube.

Not much going on in terms of music this week, but hopefully that will change with more playing and practise.

Keep an eye on my channel for the new video in the next couple of weeks. 

Jesse 

 http://www.youtube.com/user/JesseGuitar07

Truthful Music

So in my second week of university we've been looking at cities, (you know the history/origins and their emergence etc...) and if there is one thing I have taken out of these past two weeks it's that; cities are in many ways a reflection of their societies values and cultural truths. At least that's how it was in ancient times, and arguably it still is a trait fo many places today. Now before I bore you all talking about Urban history I think it has become more apparent to me that the same 'reflection of truth' is mirrored in the art of creating music.

Now this might seem obvious to a lot of you because of the basic fact that well.. Different cultures have different music and therefore they are reflections of their own different and respective ideals. And the difference is clear, You listen to some traditional Chinese music and some Jamaican and your gonna see a big difference. But the truth I am talking about is kind of hard to define. If we go to modern day western music I am talking of the truth in terms of the song/piece's 'honestness'. I think the 'honestness' (which from here I will call 'truth') of a song greatly affects it's quality. (Excuse my arbitrary use of words here, I havent the best vocabulary). If we take a song by Metallica. Sure it is metal, and yes a lot of people aren't fans of metal music, but in my opinion they are respected (even by non metal fans) because of their song's message/truth. They aren't cheap pop songs just made for the commercial world that are off the radio as soon as they are on it. And again, I think it is this very 'truth' in a song that adds to how good it is. Metal music will a lot of the time will reveal the song writers angry/frustrated side and when it is produced in the form of music you get this distinct 'metal' sound or 'metal' theme. I wouldn't dare say that metal is limited to the emotions of anger and frustration but it is a good general way to look at it I think.

I'm feeling some people might say: 'but can't music just be an end in itself? Does it really have to be a reflection of some truth?'. I think this would more apply to instrumental music, but even instrumental music can portray a particular reality, but then again I am forced to admit it doesn't always, or at least we don't always know what the artist had in mind. And there's the beauty in music. It can conjure any emotion to anyone person. Sometimes the same song will speak to people in different ways, and I think that's just amazing.

A lot of the time I can't really conclude in my blogs, basically because the things I end up talking about can sometimes be a tad circular and a little confusing. But in the end, I more value music that is created with some kind of intent, and even though it is not always obvious what that truth is, it is definitely there somewhere between the notes and the sound. The whole is greater than the some of its parts.
But hey that's just me
What about you guys?

Jesse Liang     
http://www.youtube.com/user/JesseGuitar07
   

It starts again..

So I'm back at uni and this first week has already got me reading endless amounts of books and journals. They really dont't give you much mercy, your just dumped with a bunch of stuff and expected to work it out yourself. It is hard finding time to play so I am glad I got my original out before uni started, but I'm still in the process of working on more pieces when I get the chance.

I guess I don't want to give people the impression that most of my compositions will sound like the one i recently just posted, not that i dislike that 'style' but I don't think I myself have found my 'sound' so to speak. I've been playing with some atmospheric stuff using the electric guitar but we'll see how that goes. For now my priority is my Grade 8 classical pieces so expect to see some of them up in the next few weeks. Not much to say this week other than that I'm exhausted... Although I have been learning more jazz guitar. I feel its really the only thing I'm missing in my repertoire, and its not easy. The amount of scales they work with and the chords almost defy the classical logic that i've been taught, but it is so diverse and useful that can't not learn it. I personally think now if there are two types of guitar styles you should start out on its either classical or jazz. The theory in jazz is just so diverse and I wish i had learnt it earlier, but yet i cant deny the impact learning classical guitar has had on my playing too. So... my advice. Learn both.

Jesse

Finally something original

So I have just finished recording my first original which I shall upload tomorrow sometime and honestly I feel kind of relived. It is just a solo acoustic piece one of many more originals to come, but not necessarily of the same style. I am still in the experimentation stage in my music, and so a lot of my stuff will vary quite significantly, but in some way that's what I enjoy about the guitar. I've called the piece 'just a feeling' because that is precisely what it is. I was sitting on a bench outside one day in the suburb of Mt. Waverley, was probably one of the best days I had seen all year. Not too hot, not too cold, the perfect breeze. And so I Just started to play what I felt and what you hear is pretty much what I played then. A feeling beyond words which can only be expressed through what I played. Yes I changed the occasional nuance here and there and perhaps a chord or phrase but the essence of what came out at the time still very much remains and I hope you are able to get a glimpse of that through my video.

Was only a short one this week, but I shall attach the video here once it is uploaded so come back tomorrow afternoon to check it out :)
thanks guys

Jesse Liang


http://www.youtube.com/user/JesseGuitar07

Fulfillment

I know a few of my friends who are currently in bands trying to make a big time music career and I'd have to give them some respect. Some of them have EP's some are still just playing cover gigs but they're all waiting for their lucky break. I mean these guys are extremely talented but so much of it comes down to luck. As with almost with everything, you gotta be in the right place at the right time. I'm sure a lot of bands these days have what it takes, but just aren't lucky enough. It's like a career gamble really. The jackpot being becoming international superstars, and the minimum being a local cover band playing other people's music. The thing I've been wondering about is whether if all your achievements in your music career resulted in you being the friday night local pub cover band, could you still be fulfilled by your music? Would it be any different to say being a bedroom guitarist who just uploads videos to youtube? And it all comes down to what you value. *You might find that in the course of my blog entry I tend to answer my own questions from time to time.* Of course if it is money you desire you will clearly not be content with a weekly pub/ bar gig. Your going to want the big stage, the stadium, the arena and 9/10 your not going to be happy with what you have because money - a finite material possession cannot possibly fulfil what your seeking. However, if it is music you desire as a musician, as long as you appreciate that type of music you will be content. I hold the belief that music is timeless, like in my last blog I mentioned that music had a transcendental nature about it. To me at least, money will dwindle away, but music will continue to sound forever.

I guess a lot of what I say about music can be parallelled to real life. I mean the same thing goes for any job, if all you want in your life is to attain countless amounts of money, I'm sorry but money has an end. And I really don't think your going to be able to take your money with you after your time is up. But you could spend your life doing something you loved, helping others, passing down something for future generations to find like wisdom, music, art, literature etc.. You might think it weird for me to compare music to life itself, but after all isn't life a song? It plays out in various ways, with various types of people in various cultures, and just as music is universal amongst the world, well so is life. Keep on playing till the day the music dies, although i hope it never does.

Jesse

here is my first video I posts on youtube about 4 years ago ...



http://www.jesseguitar.com

Notes on a Page

So been working on a few things lately. Couple of original pieces, a few classical ones; my friend also asked me to compose some background music for a slide show of scenic images and video footage which will be something different for a change too. I think as a musician you need to have your main style/approach to things - Something that your unique in and that you've mastered, but also have the ability to play and use other techniques too. It's like my school teachers used to tell me about life - 'try to achieve everything in something and something in everything'. I reckon the same could apply to your musical instrument. Try to really master one style and still be able to play the rest of them adequately. Although I am still wondering which style I would end up choosing. Any suggestions?

You know I've always kind of wondered what music really is. I often hear people explain that it is just 'notes on a page' - and although that is not untrue, there is definitely more to it (well in my opinion anyway). To me, the notes on a page are like a language. A language just the same as what you would find in the books of Shakespeare but musicians just have a different way of expressing it. I assimilate the notes on the page to the words on the page of a book. And instead of using speech to communicate the language, we use the various frequencies of sound that our respective instruments create. And just as the words in a book convey a meaning/message, so too do the notes on a page generate meaning when played. A lot of music cannot be expressed in words (except pop songs of course) as it is a language in another realm. Yet it  is so universal, that two people from two completely different countries could hum a tune together and 'speak' to each other through the mystery of music. I'm sure you might have experienced a time where only a song could explain your feelings or your pain and again I think it reveals how music has a sort of transcendent nature to it - something beyond our sound understanding. Well I think it's quite interesting but maybe that's just me.

See ya next week
Jesse Liang
www.jesseguitar.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/JesseGuitar07