Will look into tonic I'm 56 play only 3 months violin now I'm about Level 3 in scales ...I play n practice 1 hr n half everyday.... Play guitar since age 4 ...n piano 10 yrs now...PS was playing fmaj On violin and light bulb went off in my head=yesterday Beatle's!.. Was practicing scales only past 3 months...so now this is my 1st Violin song! I won gold meddle 1976 age 9 on guitar competition Playing yesterday?coincidence?
The app does not work for me :( I'm stuck on loading screen :( I already wrote about it on discord, but didn't get any reply. Sounds like a fun app though :) I wish I could practice with people... I'm just 7 months in learning the cello as my first instrument, but I love it and want to play with people :)
Man, Ray is such a good teacher. Criticism is usually uncomfortable but he presents it really sensitively. Also I guess theyll be getting lots of good practise in front of people with their world tour coming up lmao.
It’s really not as bad as Eddy thinks, especially for only have one rehearsal with the orchestra, and it’s great that you’re reacting to it. Loved their Bach double, for me it was a big highlight
Especially as they only decided to perform it two weeks before the show, so he had two weeks to learn the piece to performance standard... He did amazingly well.
@@JustAnotherBuckyLover EXCELLENT POINT I was hoping Ray spoke on as well. 2-weeks to get the piece to performance-ready AND only 1 rehearsal...obviously NOT the best choice on both ends, however it was about the effect in the end, and not the "perfection!" I applauded you 2SV❣️🫶🏼❤️
I love how Ray is saying "How could you do that to yourself?" and thus is emphasizing how absolutely brave Eddy's move was to play the Campanella on, first, such a short notice, and second, still so entertaining, fun and fiery!
I'd say that Eddy in particular likes to take risks. He has a bit of a reactive mood to him that sometimes gets him in trouble, or at the very least puts him into tricky situations like this one. He did very well nevertheless
Eddy only had 2 weeks to practice. The piece was announced 2 weeks before the performance. Ling ling is proud. I hope everyone knows this so please like this comment.
He was also playing on a Strad that he only had about a month or so to get used to playing. I'm not a string player, but I think switching to a totally different violin for a big event on such short notice would be really challenging.
I think this is such a great example for constructive criticism. I studied art in college and witnessed so many instances of crushing feedback given to students by their professors but also by their peers (sometimes out of jealousy or because of the competitiveness within the system). I get that there is competition for jobs/markets but it often takes away from what art and music are supposed to be: joyful and uplifting. You can try to be your best and improve without having to take others down and then suddenly great things happen through cooperation...
In high school one of my friends reviewed one of my papers and essentially told me to rewrite the whole thing. I was dubious so I asked another friend to review it (the one I usually asked) she gave a few minor tweaks. I turned it in for an A. It helps to trust your own work, and moreover, find your best critic. Sometimes our work really is bad, sometimes it’s a matter of taste-the best we can do is find a few people whose opinion we can trust.
I agree this was good criticism, but disagree that music and art is supposed to be joyful and uplifting. Art is about expression, and negative emotions can be expressed beautifully too
By the way ray "Pizzazz" is a noun that refers to an attractive combination of vitality and glamour. It describes the quality of being exciting, energetic, and stylish. 3:20
I think Ray walks a good line of being constructive but also being the positive bean we all love. I personally love his videos where he rates people because I learn a lot too from them!
I find ray's observation about looking at the instrument while playing really interesting. I remember watching a video of twoset (i dont remember wich one) where eddy says a teacher once told him to ALWAYS look at the instrument while playing, and he said he did not take their advice because they did not explain why he should do that, in that video he was talking about how teachers should explain to their students why they're recommending whatever their advice is, so the student can judge if they wanna do it or not. I hope eddy watches this video and start looking at his hands, at least when playing difficult passages, i think we will improve then
These 2 review videos show what a great teacher Ray is, because he kind of adapts his attitude and wording when it's Brett or Eddy. Knowing how to adapt your feedback to your students is a whole other skill to violin playing ❤
I guess this is part of what Twoset makes Twoset! They are brave and have the courage to go for difficult stuff that wouldn't make much sense to others, but they do it anyway and reach goals only they can dream of!
About the looking at the left-hand thing, I recall a video where Eddy mentioned that a teacher taught him about this coz they also compared it to Heifetz' technique. Then, another teacher told him, he doesn't always have to look, which frustrated him because the looking affected his posture 😂
I love the combination of Ray’s genuine reaction and his helpful insights. I have to say that I loved the La Campanella too. It was not flawless by any means, but Eddy (for all his professed anxiety) seems willing to put all of himself out there, and imho, it really helps people connect to the music.
Eddy and Brett can be easily underrated because of their RUclips shenanigans. But they really are first rate performers. Hats off to them, and also to Ray who is honest and respectful and gives away the best information for free.
@@M_SC Good point. Here's a long answer. I don't have time to cut it down atm. I hope you find it interesting! TLDR: There are things you can learn about how the brain works that enable you to jump ahead in learning and performing music. Ray calls these "Life hacks". In terms of your literal question "Where can I read about this", I'll be on the lookout for something relevant and try to remember to post it here if I find it. This is close to my professional field and I have a pile of books in front of me, and experimental results from my own studies, but all not in a form I can readily direct you to. I'm piecing together a lot of findings and applying them to playing instruments. The basic principle I'm trying to convey is that humans are FAR less psychological than Classical music musicians often believe. In most cases they try to use their brains in a way that cannot work, and when it doesn't work they blame their nerves, or lack of practice, or whatever, and keep doing the same thing as before even though it didnt work. Here are some basic examples of how undertanding the brain can help succeed as a musician: • If you learn multiple ways of playing something, they will compete to happen during performance. On the piano this can manifest as a seemingly random wrong note. The pianist will likely think they positioned their finger incorrectly and mess with repetition and millimetre adjustments when actually the cause was two competing ways of playing that note. I first noticed this when I saw fingers striking the gap between two notes. That is a gigantic distance error and so not NOT a simple positional accuracy error! It's competing ideas of what to do. (Another example: messy handwriting can be superimposed words e.g. the next word and the current word. Practicing writing neartly does not solve this. Clear calm thinking does). • It is impossible to delete something from your brain. So don't learn anything wrong in the first place. (This is relevant to the point above). • Repetition does NOT work. So DO NOT do it. It simply reeforces errors. Perlman has said something like this IIRC. • Problem solving DOES work. Do it ALL THE TIME! • And relevant to Ray's point: Brains work in CONTEXTS. If you learn something in one context, you will likely not be able to do it in another context. Ray's point is that you will be performing in front of an audience so you must learn in front of an audience. CORRECT! You cannot learn in a practice room on your own and then perform successfully in front of an audience (unless you have someway of not including them in your context in which case you have not connected with your audience => bad performance). When it fails, classical musicians usually blame nerves when actually they were attempting to do something that brains cannot do. A single practice performance with an audicence followed by a sleep can be enough for your brain to adjust to the new context. Imagining well the audience situation may work with sufficient experience. • This is also why your teacher never gets to hear how well you played the piece at home! Again, not nerves. The nerves follow the event (or previous similar events). (BTW: You can solve this one simply by recording yourself at home and playing it to your teacher). • However well you learn a concerto, it will always go wrong when you play it with an orchestra, because the context is different (it's a superset context). (I've heard that some concert pianists can basically ignore the orchestra and do their own thing and hence keep their learning context, but I don't like that approach). • If you fear part of the piece, your brain will model it as something to be feared and will likely go wrong during the performance [I've omitted details here - amygdala etc]. If you see it as your best friend, your brain will model it somewhere else in your brain - somwhere with far greater capacity incidentally. You will then look forward to learning it and playing, just like you look forward to meeting a best friend. • If you only play one piano when you learn, even to virtuoso level, you won't be able to play another piano that's slightly different (action etc). If you do this in public, you might incorrectly blame the situation for the fact you can't play the new (to you) piano. Learning to play several different pianos at that point will be very painful, but after than you'll be able to play a wide range of pianos with ease. It's about your brain building a model of a general piano and learning to control it. The book "On Intelligence" by Jeff Hawkins might help I think. He's made some surprising observations that are obvious in hindsight. For example, having learned something, and then something similar, you have to re-learn the first thing. It's to do with our ability to do abstraction / analogies (apply what you learn in one situation to another situation that is essentially the same but ostensibly different). When we have to re-learn the first thing we often think we're stupid. We're not. It's necessary. I am involved in understanding the brain AND classical music / musicians. ALL the top musicians I know (mostly concert pianists, concert organists, and various violinists) operate their brains in a way that is consistent with [my understanding of] how the brain works. Many/most amateur musicians and uni music students I've known do not! - and usually fail to become good and often give up. There are a lot of myths around, some of which can ruin your chance of success. Since I am involved in both fields, I may write one or more books myself. I very nearly wrote one of memorization in 2021 and may still do that. Crucially, look out for what ACTUALLY works. Ignore reasoning - totally ignore it! What "should" work is no use to you. You need evidence that an idea / method / strategy DOES work. A good way of testing an idea is to put it to a top musician. If they react with a strong negative emotion, it's a bad idea. Pianist Charles Owen had a strong negative emotion when I suggested evolving fingerings. *Everything I've heard Ray Chen say is 100% spot on IMO (i.e. consistent with my understanding of how the brain works). Hence why he's so good. He's also a great communicator, and he communicates what actually works for him not some myths he's picked up along the way, so there's much good stuff to learn from him.* Finally, when you do that pre-performance in front of a pre-audience DO NOT see whether you can succeed, or hope to succeed. You will never succeed 100% so brain will register the event has having failed. Instead, say to yourself and your audience that you are doing this to find out what you don't know. There's always something you don't know so you'll always succeed. Which is necessary. I hope there's something here of value / interest to you.
Wow, that's absolutely true. My teacher (not knowing anything about brain work) always told me the same!🤯 especially about error remembering and playing it again at performance. Very interesting and useful insight. 🙏
Ray, I *love* your commentary, it's so insightful, and a good mix of praise and criticism and genuine advice. Plus, your enthusiasm is really communicative. Thank you for doing this ❤ I hope you'll review the Bach Double too!
Usually hearing the two playing little bits here and there, it's really nice to hear each of the boys play full pieces so that we know they can really play the violin! Great video!
Yeah that whole signaling with a grimace to know you messed up is a hard habit to kick. Like, when you are in a lesson, you know your teacher knows you messed up and it’s so tempting to signal you know you messed up so they don’t bring it up later. But then you get told off for the grimace anyway lol.
And Twoset said in a video, that they only decided to play the La Campanella 2 Weeks before the concert, so in addition to only having one rehearsal Eddy had only two weeks to prepare this piece! Happy Practicing!
10:36 Yep. You have to be in really deep waters of the classical music genre to know every note to even very famous pieces like La Campanella. When I studied piano in music school, all 3 of my teachers told me to just go on if I mess up, it won't show. And it didn't. My parents, friends, everyone listening had no idea I messed up until I "enlightened" some of them after the concert.
my respect for musicians is obviously also because of how good they are, but mostly for going out there in front of an audience and expose yourself and your abilities. I actually used to play cello but the part I really couldn't bare was performing
Can you react to the Bach double as well? Your review is so unique and interesting because you know the two as people so well so it’s not just about the music but also about their personalities, like your comment about Brett being really cheeky.
Interesting review. Eddy did a great job and the audience loved it. One thing not mentioned is that Eddy only had two weeks to practice the piece. He and Brett decided to include it in the concert last minute.
Such positive and focused critiquing (is that a word?). To the point and above all helpful. Oh, and entertaining at the same time. Quite a tricky combo to pull off. Bravo.
I mean Brett and Eddy are really good violinists, but then I hear Ray play and his sound and technique are just on a whole different plane of existence xD.
I just joined Tonic and it's exactly what I needed! Not only is it fun to chat with people across the globe but it's just the kind of community I've needed to take the quality and quantity of my practice up several notches:) ...and work on my stage fright...
"You have to remember that most people probably don’t even know, and so no matter what happens, just try to contain yourself. Containing yourself and controlling yourself your emotions in general on stage is a necessary survival method." --I recently participated in a small performance as a piano accompanist. My partner was so nervous that she got some wrong notes. She was so upset until the last note of the piece and didn't even join in our after party ......I would like to send her Ray's advice when she ease up a bit. It's also very useful for me!
Yes 💯. Practicing in front of ppl makes a while difference. You’re already nervous performing in front of a few ppl, so you might as well do that to help with your actual concert.
I think kindness is a great gift. Thank You for doing your reviews pointing out not only what can be done better but doing it in a positive and kind way, and also for cheering when something is done well. I ❤ you Ray Chen!!!
How wonderful to see such incredible support and true appreciation, beautifully balanced with honest feedback. I love watching Twoset Violin and Ray Chen! All round well done!
Practicing in front of people is huge. I hardly ever get nervous anymore during auditions and small performances, and it's basically b/c I put myself through a gauntlet of playing with a baseline level of pressure throughout my musical career. You eventually reach a point where you know what to watch out for, and that helps you better prepare for more high-stakes scenarios like a big concert. That can really only come with experience.
Thank you for the great review with an amazing quality of commentary, tips for musicians and support to Eddy! P.S. Integrations of piano arrangement of the La Campanella at mins 4 and 14 made me feel like a "hello" for all pianists :) Thanks to the editor!
This just proves how much of a prodigy Chloe sensei is, she literally offered the same advice to both of them XD Edit: This is about shifting rather than trying to stretch your fourth too far and finding different fingering to better accomodate the changing through the notes. Probably poor wording on my part XD
Oh my, oh my! La campanella has rang for Eddy... 🙈 Jk! For the veeery little amount of time he had to prepare this encore and considering he only had ONE freaking rehearsal with the orchestra, that was an amaaaaaaazing performance!
This was wonderful, and for sure I was super surprised to hear they'd rehearsed so little with the orchestra with how famously difficult this piece is. Makes you appreciate it more. Hope you review the Bach double too.
Ray is such a great teacher, watching him make these videos about rating is the best entertainment I have. He has also inspired me to play harder pieces
It’s so insightful to hear an expert critique and acknowledge that most people (me!) would not even hear errors. Thank you to Ray for his expertise and for Eddy and Brett generally trying to educate us in music. I have learned so much and will miss them enormously. 😢
This performance must be seen as a fun little extra, not to be taken super seriously (two week's notice - ! ) And with that in mind, it was really well done.
I love to see Ray using a Stradivari again! His modern violin is fantastic and it's such a great thing for modern makers to have their violins being played and favoured over some Strad's or Guarneri's or Guad's etc instead. I think the last modern violin I saw Ray play on was a very powerful Widenhouse.
10:43 hi! can absolutely confirm. im only just a fan of classical, have never been trained. Im always in too much awe or genuine intrigue that i can never tell or pick up on even a fraction of the critiques given 😂
I think Eddy's a great musician. (I say that not just from this performance, but from everything I've seen of him). Actually, I see a lot of similarities between Eddy and Ray: they both listen incredibly carefully, understand the context perfectly, identify the most important problem, and find a way to communicate it perfectly. Both have perfect pitch, and an easy manner with great sincerity. I think Ray perfectly conveyed how it feels when the orchestra unravels. The incredible stress on top of the stress from the difficult piece. Incidentally IMO: A minimum of TWO rehearsals are ALWAYS needed. The first one is mostly about finding the problems, not solving them. Best on different days, so you can sleep on the results of the first. Anyway, I believe that this violin "stuff" that's appeared on the internet in the past few years, is amongst the very best things ever. So great to see great musicians at such close range, including how they think and what they think. Well done humans! 😄
I've come to that conclusion too and actually nice to see someone was also thinking along those lines :D I think that Eddy has a great sense of musicality in general, not only when it comes to playing the violin. When he composes, plays the piano, interprets the music or transcribes it. At least from my perspective it really seems this way. Eddy & Ray - I can definitely agree there are some similarities in how they react and listen. Though ofc Eddy's synergy with Brett is well established :)
You are so right Ray, I had a student once apologize to me for a missing note during a recital. But she kept on and honestly, after catching hundreds of missed notes, hers went by, because she didn’t telegraph to the room that she had made a mistake.
Really enjoyed this new channel segment “Ray’s Reviews” or “Reviews w/Ray”. It reminds me of watching the highlights after a major sporting event. Loved this video! 😍 Please keep these fun & educational reviews coming. 🤩🎉🎼🎵🎶🎻🗒️✍🏽 Stay awesome & take care. 🤗
It is wonderful to be able to have such friends in this crooked world. I'm so happy for the TSV guys because it's never too late to make your dreams come true. Ray is a natural born teacher! I'm sure Sensei Chloe would be proud of you too.
"To "simply" shift". :D But you make a good point. Even when you are playing something that us mere mortals could never even hope to attempt, you can always strive to do it better. That's what makes a soloist.
I thought tonic was only for orchestral instruments but I’m glad it’s all. I played the violin for 7 grade years and decided to switch to guitar, am really enjoying it
i watched your performance at korea, i loved it so much words cant describe how i felt getting your signature and talking to you and getting to see your performance!!!!! ❤❤
After watching this video I suddenly know how smart Ray is! He must play the violin with his brain, not only with his hands. He must be always thinking while practicing. He definitely know how to practice smartly.
I have an interesting theory about "you only miss notes when you look at the conductor" (around 11:50). I think the cause and effect are just the reverse. When he comes to the part that he know he can't play well, he will look at the conductor to see if the conductor notices his missing notes. Like when a student is doing something not good enough he will instinctively look about furtively to see if anyone notice and notice his faulty part. I know I would, haha.
8:50 - If I remember nothing else from this video, ill remember laser focusing on my left hand with my eyes during tough passages, such a good bit of info backed up by your doctoral sis lol thanks!
Eddy has so much potential. He just needs to....PRACTICE! He seems to shoot himself in the foot; in this case, by choosing a new piece the last minute. Great analysis and performances.
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Join in on the fun with the TwoSet Challenge on Tonic: tonicmusic.app/join-in and win free prizes 🎁 (all instruments welcome)
downloaded!
Will look into tonic I'm 56 play only 3 months violin now I'm about
Level 3 in scales ...I play n practice 1 hr n half everyday....
Play guitar since age 4 ...n piano 10 yrs now...PS was playing fmaj
On violin and light bulb went off in my head=yesterday Beatle's!..
Was practicing scales only past 3 months...so now this is my 1st
Violin song! I won gold meddle 1976 age 9 on guitar competition
Playing yesterday?coincidence?
The app does not work for me :( I'm stuck on loading screen :( I already wrote about it on discord, but didn't get any reply. Sounds like a fun app though :) I wish I could practice with people... I'm just 7 months in learning the cello as my first instrument, but I love it and want to play with people :)
I cant hear others when I join the room, not sure if I'm supposed to?
I don't get it. I'm a non-musician. Are Twoset great violinists or not? When they tried out for Curtis, they got rejected. What gives?
Watching Ray reviewing these performances is like he’s reviewing a sporting event. GOAAALL when he hit those high notes!
LOL most accurate description of Ray’s reviews! That’s why I love watching them!
Gooo violins! 😂
Lmao just the way i like it
I'm a pianist, so can someone tell me what the audience is laughing at here 5:02?
@@Elijah24553 i think it was because Eddy was copying the bell's rhythm with the bow.
Man, Ray is such a good teacher. Criticism is usually uncomfortable but he presents it really sensitively. Also I guess theyll be getting lots of good practise in front of people with their world tour coming up lmao.
I 100% agree with you
It’s really not as bad as Eddy thinks, especially for only have one rehearsal with the orchestra, and it’s great that you’re reacting to it. Loved their Bach double, for me it was a big highlight
Especially as they only decided to perform it two weeks before the show, so he had two weeks to learn the piece to performance standard... He did amazingly well.
@@JustAnotherBuckyLover EXCELLENT POINT I was hoping Ray spoke on as well. 2-weeks to get the piece to performance-ready AND only 1 rehearsal...obviously NOT the best choice on both ends, however it was about the effect in the end, and not the "perfection!" I applauded you 2SV❣️🫶🏼❤️
2 weeks one rehearsal is sick. I think he gave an awesome performance regardless, but especially under those circumstances.
I love how Ray is saying "How could you do that to yourself?" and thus is emphasizing how absolutely brave Eddy's move was to play the Campanella on, first, such a short notice, and second, still so entertaining, fun and fiery!
Two Set love to take risks!! That's part of their charm.
I'd say that Eddy in particular likes to take risks. He has a bit of a reactive mood to him that sometimes gets him in trouble, or at the very least puts him into tricky situations like this one. He did very well nevertheless
Eddy only had 2 weeks to practice. The piece was announced 2 weeks before the performance. Ling ling is proud.
I hope everyone knows this so please like this comment.
Considering he only had two weeks of practice and one rehearsal, Eddy did fantastic.
Ling Ling would be proud.❤
Ling Ling is proud.
He was also playing on a Strad that he only had about a month or so to get used to playing. I'm not a string player, but I think switching to a totally different violin for a big event on such short notice would be really challenging.
@@adriad4855 I think Ray also touched on the subject and shared a same sentiment as you.
Me, Not a violinist or a musician, watching Ray's reaction and nodding head like I have understood everything 😂😂😂
That's charisma my friend ;)
Me, not being a musician wondering if I can download the app!!
sameee
Same here but he explains things in a way that we can all understand! 🙃
Well didn’t you?
I think this is such a great example for constructive criticism. I studied art in college and witnessed so many instances of crushing feedback given to students by their professors but also by their peers (sometimes out of jealousy or because of the competitiveness within the system). I get that there is competition for jobs/markets but it often takes away from what art and music are supposed to be: joyful and uplifting. You can try to be your best and improve without having to take others down and then suddenly great things happen through cooperation...
It takes skill to be able to analyze a performance and it’s not the same skill and remembering there’s a human attached. Both are needed
In high school one of my friends reviewed one of my papers and essentially told me to rewrite the whole thing. I was dubious so I asked another friend to review it (the one I usually asked) she gave a few minor tweaks. I turned it in for an A. It helps to trust your own work, and moreover, find your best critic. Sometimes our work really is bad, sometimes it’s a matter of taste-the best we can do is find a few people whose opinion we can trust.
I agree this was good criticism, but disagree that music and art is supposed to be joyful and uplifting. Art is about expression, and negative emotions can be expressed beautifully too
@@kadiea8664My thoughts exactly
By the way ray "Pizzazz" is a noun that refers to an attractive combination of vitality and glamour. It describes the quality of being exciting, energetic, and stylish. 3:20
I like how Ray is so nice "ok, a few misses but who doesn't have misses"
I think Ray walks a good line of being constructive but also being the positive bean we all love. I personally love his videos where he rates people because I learn a lot too from them!
12:32 the moment as if Ray is watching football game and GOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL
I find ray's observation about looking at the instrument while playing really interesting. I remember watching a video of twoset (i dont remember wich one) where eddy says a teacher once told him to ALWAYS look at the instrument while playing, and he said he did not take their advice because they did not explain why he should do that, in that video he was talking about how teachers should explain to their students why they're recommending whatever their advice is, so the student can judge if they wanna do it or not. I hope eddy watches this video and start looking at his hands, at least when playing difficult passages, i think we will improve then
this is so interesting. I remember my piano teachers always told me to not look at my hand and look at the sheet music instead lol
Eddy and Brett being super nervous, meanwhile RAY casually playing the most notorious of pieces with such ease. 😂
He tours year after year after amazing year. Brett and Eddy performed in front of a symphony once!
They play really greatly! But there are only very few people that can reach Ray’s level of proficiency
That's a pro soloist for ya
I mean its the difference between playing alone in your room vs. in front of thousands of people
not true-- take a better look at his videos. He sweats and grimaces all the way thrugh.
These 2 review videos show what a great teacher Ray is, because he kind of adapts his attitude and wording when it's Brett or Eddy. Knowing how to adapt your feedback to your students is a whole other skill to violin playing ❤
I totally agree! Just because you've mastered a certain thing doesn't mean you can teach it to others. But Ray's got them both.
Eddy probably got PTSD from his previous competition where the jury told him he wasn't looking at the pianist enough lol.
I wish Eddy could feel as positive about his performance as Ray does. Eddy did a fabulous job!!!
I agree
Ray is literally like a ray of sunshine brightens up our days.
Ray is like a brother to Brett and Eddy 😊 so wholesome
I guess this is part of what Twoset makes Twoset! They are brave and have the courage to go for difficult stuff that wouldn't make much sense to others, but they do it anyway and reach goals only they can dream of!
Love it how Ray can review and give critic in such a respectful way!
Well of course they're friends, he's not going to roast them.
5:39 is so nice to see that Ray knows what Eddy was going to do and that was to take a deep breath😂
About the looking at the left-hand thing, I recall a video where Eddy mentioned that a teacher taught him about this coz they also compared it to Heifetz' technique. Then, another teacher told him, he doesn't always have to look, which frustrated him because the looking affected his posture 😂
I love the combination of Ray’s genuine reaction and his helpful insights. I have to say that I loved the La Campanella too. It was not flawless by any means, but Eddy (for all his professed anxiety) seems willing to put all of himself out there, and imho, it really helps people connect to the music.
Eddy and Brett can be easily underrated because of their RUclips shenanigans. But they really are first rate performers. Hats off to them, and also to Ray who is honest and respectful and gives away the best information for free.
00:50 "You best be practicing in front of people" - totally true. Consistent with neuroscience findings. There's no getting away from this one.
Where can I read about this
@@M_SC Good point.
Here's a long answer. I don't have time to cut it down atm. I hope you find it interesting!
TLDR: There are things you can learn about how the brain works that enable you to jump ahead in learning and performing music.
Ray calls these "Life hacks".
In terms of your literal question "Where can I read about this", I'll be on the lookout for something relevant and try to remember to post it here if I find it.
This is close to my professional field and I have a pile of books in front of me, and experimental results from my own studies, but all not in a form I can readily direct you to. I'm piecing together a lot of findings and applying them to playing instruments.
The basic principle I'm trying to convey is that humans are FAR less psychological than Classical music musicians often believe. In most cases they try to use their brains in a way that cannot work, and when it doesn't work they blame their nerves, or lack of practice, or whatever, and keep doing the same thing as before even though it didnt work.
Here are some basic examples of how undertanding the brain can help succeed as a musician:
• If you learn multiple ways of playing something, they will compete to happen during performance. On the piano this can manifest as a seemingly random wrong note. The pianist will likely think they positioned their finger incorrectly and mess with repetition and millimetre adjustments when actually the cause was two competing ways of playing that note. I first noticed this when I saw fingers striking the gap between two notes. That is a gigantic distance error and so not NOT a simple positional accuracy error! It's competing ideas of what to do. (Another example: messy handwriting can be superimposed words e.g. the next word and the current word. Practicing writing neartly does not solve this. Clear calm thinking does).
• It is impossible to delete something from your brain. So don't learn anything wrong in the first place. (This is relevant to the point above).
• Repetition does NOT work. So DO NOT do it. It simply reeforces errors. Perlman has said something like this IIRC.
• Problem solving DOES work. Do it ALL THE TIME!
• And relevant to Ray's point: Brains work in CONTEXTS. If you learn something in one context, you will likely not be able to do it in another context. Ray's point is that you will be performing in front of an audience so you must learn in front of an audience. CORRECT! You cannot learn in a practice room on your own and then perform successfully in front of an audience (unless you have someway of not including them in your context in which case you have not connected with your audience => bad performance). When it fails, classical musicians usually blame nerves when actually they were attempting to do something that brains cannot do. A single practice performance with an audicence followed by a sleep can be enough for your brain to adjust to the new context. Imagining well the audience situation may work with sufficient experience.
• This is also why your teacher never gets to hear how well you played the piece at home! Again, not nerves. The nerves follow the event (or previous similar events). (BTW: You can solve this one simply by recording yourself at home and playing it to your teacher).
• However well you learn a concerto, it will always go wrong when you play it with an orchestra, because the context is different (it's a superset context). (I've heard that some concert pianists can basically ignore the orchestra and do their own thing and hence keep their learning context, but I don't like that approach).
• If you fear part of the piece, your brain will model it as something to be feared and will likely go wrong during the performance [I've omitted details here - amygdala etc]. If you see it as your best friend, your brain will model it somewhere else in your brain - somwhere with far greater capacity incidentally. You will then look forward to learning it and playing, just like you look forward to meeting a best friend.
• If you only play one piano when you learn, even to virtuoso level, you won't be able to play another piano that's slightly different (action etc). If you do this in public, you might incorrectly blame the situation for the fact you can't play the new (to you) piano. Learning to play several different pianos at that point will be very painful, but after than you'll be able to play a wide range of pianos with ease. It's about your brain building a model of a general piano and learning to control it.
The book "On Intelligence" by Jeff Hawkins might help I think. He's made some surprising observations that are obvious in hindsight. For example, having learned something, and then something similar, you have to re-learn the first thing. It's to do with our ability to do abstraction / analogies (apply what you learn in one situation to another situation that is essentially the same but ostensibly different). When we have to re-learn the first thing we often think we're stupid. We're not. It's necessary.
I am involved in understanding the brain AND classical music / musicians. ALL the top musicians I know (mostly concert pianists, concert organists, and various violinists) operate their brains in a way that is consistent with [my understanding of] how the brain works. Many/most amateur musicians and uni music students I've known do not! - and usually fail to become good and often give up. There are a lot of myths around, some of which can ruin your chance of success.
Since I am involved in both fields, I may write one or more books myself. I very nearly wrote one of memorization in 2021 and may still do that.
Crucially, look out for what ACTUALLY works. Ignore reasoning - totally ignore it! What "should" work is no use to you. You need evidence that an idea / method / strategy DOES work.
A good way of testing an idea is to put it to a top musician. If they react with a strong negative emotion, it's a bad idea. Pianist Charles Owen had a strong negative emotion when I suggested evolving fingerings.
*Everything I've heard Ray Chen say is 100% spot on IMO (i.e. consistent with my understanding of how the brain works). Hence why he's so good. He's also a great communicator, and he communicates what actually works for him not some myths he's picked up along the way, so there's much good stuff to learn from him.*
Finally, when you do that pre-performance in front of a pre-audience DO NOT see whether you can succeed, or hope to succeed. You will never succeed 100% so brain will register the event has having failed. Instead, say to yourself and your audience that you are doing this to find out what you don't know. There's always something you don't know so you'll always succeed. Which is necessary.
I hope there's something here of value / interest to you.
@@JSB2500 This comment is gold 🙏🏼
@@JSB2500 "I'm doing this to find out what I don't know...
That's a beautiful message. Thank you so much for sharing all these gems
Wow, that's absolutely true. My teacher (not knowing anything about brain work) always told me the same!🤯 especially about error remembering and playing it again at performance. Very interesting and useful insight. 🙏
A sweet constructive review-such a good friend who comments and cheers Eddy on👏🏼
Ray, I *love* your commentary, it's so insightful, and a good mix of praise and criticism and genuine advice. Plus, your enthusiasm is really communicative. Thank you for doing this ❤ I hope you'll review the Bach Double too!
second this
Usually hearing the two playing little bits here and there, it's really nice to hear each of the boys play full pieces so that we know they can really play the violin!
Great video!
They are massively superb artists.
I love Ray's reaction videos. I feel like I'm watching a mashup between a musical dissertation and a sporting event.
Yeah that whole signaling with a grimace to know you messed up is a hard habit to kick. Like, when you are in a lesson, you know your teacher knows you messed up and it’s so tempting to signal you know you messed up so they don’t bring it up later. But then you get told off for the grimace anyway lol.
This is SO educational! *Me, being a trumpeter, taking notes* Thank you Ray!
And Twoset said in a video, that they only decided to play the La Campanella 2 Weeks before the concert, so in addition to only having one rehearsal Eddy had only two weeks to prepare this piece!
Happy Practicing!
10:36 Yep. You have to be in really deep waters of the classical music genre to know every note to even very famous pieces like La Campanella. When I studied piano in music school, all 3 of my teachers told me to just go on if I mess up, it won't show. And it didn't. My parents, friends, everyone listening had no idea I messed up until I "enlightened" some of them after the concert.
my respect for musicians is obviously also because of how good they are, but mostly for going out there in front of an audience and expose yourself and your abilities. I actually used to play cello but the part I really couldn't bare was performing
Can you react to the Bach double as well? Your review is so unique and interesting because you know the two as people so well so it’s not just about the music but also about their personalities, like your comment about Brett being really cheeky.
I should leave for work but this is sooooo fun to watch -Ray is so good and so kind with his observations
Such a great job, Eddy. Ray is so caring, warm and humble without compromising his standard. That's remarkable and truly endearing.
Interesting review. Eddy did a great job and the audience loved it. One thing not mentioned is that Eddy only had two weeks to practice the piece. He and Brett decided to include it in the concert last minute.
Hello, Ray! Thank you very much for Tonic!!! I started to play the piano again after a few years of pause!❤❤❤🙏
Such positive and focused critiquing (is that a word?). To the point and above all helpful. Oh, and entertaining at the same time. Quite a tricky combo to pull off. Bravo.
I mean Brett and Eddy are really good violinists, but then I hear Ray play and his sound and technique are just on a whole different plane of existence xD.
Love that Ray is so supportive of Brett and Eddy
2:00 😂 loved how this caught Ray off guard
I just joined Tonic and it's exactly what I needed! Not only is it fun to chat with people across the globe but it's just the kind of community I've needed to take the quality and quantity of my practice up several notches:) ...and work on my stage fright...
"You have to remember that most people probably don’t even know, and so no matter what happens, just try to contain yourself. Containing yourself and controlling yourself your emotions in general on stage is a necessary survival method." --I recently participated in a small performance as a piano accompanist. My partner was so nervous that she got some wrong notes. She was so upset until the last note of the piece and didn't even join in our after party ......I would like to send her Ray's advice when she ease up a bit. It's also very useful for me!
Says as I write this Premieres in 40 hours. Good, I'll just have time to practice my melodica.
Yes 💯. Practicing in front of ppl makes a while difference. You’re already nervous performing in front of a few ppl, so you might as well do that to help with your actual concert.
💯
I think kindness is a great gift.
Thank You for doing your reviews pointing out not only what can be done better but doing it in a positive and kind way, and also for cheering when something is done well.
I ❤ you Ray Chen!!!
How wonderful to see such incredible support and true appreciation, beautifully balanced with honest feedback. I love watching Twoset Violin and Ray Chen! All round well done!
I love the joy you're expressing for someone else's achievements. Thanks for sharing.
As a ballet fan 6:21 I loved it 👌🏻😆
Practicing in front of people is huge. I hardly ever get nervous anymore during auditions and small performances, and it's basically b/c I put myself through a gauntlet of playing with a baseline level of pressure throughout my musical career. You eventually reach a point where you know what to watch out for, and that helps you better prepare for more high-stakes scenarios like a big concert. That can really only come with experience.
Thank you for the great review with an amazing quality of commentary, tips for musicians and support to Eddy!
P.S. Integrations of piano arrangement of the La Campanella at mins 4 and 14 made me feel like a "hello" for all pianists :) Thanks to the editor!
This just proves how much of a prodigy Chloe sensei is, she literally offered the same advice to both of them XD
Edit: This is about shifting rather than trying to stretch your fourth too far and finding different fingering to better accomodate the changing through the notes. Probably poor wording on my part XD
14:07 the second section is included only in the original 3rd movement from paganini's 2nd concerto, i believe eddy played kreisler's transcription
Yes, Eddy did the solo part of the Kreisler version, but with the coda from the 3rd Mov. of the 2nd concerto.
this is actually great advice for performing! thank you ray
Oh my, oh my! La campanella has rang for Eddy... 🙈 Jk! For the veeery little amount of time he had to prepare this encore and considering he only had ONE freaking rehearsal with the orchestra, that was an amaaaaaaazing performance!
And only knowing he was going to do this 2 weeks before 😄
This was wonderful, and for sure I was super surprised to hear they'd rehearsed so little with the orchestra with how famously difficult this piece is. Makes you appreciate it more. Hope you review the Bach double too.
me, a pianist, watching as if i understand everything: 4th finger? like the ring finger.. oh, no? nevermind..
Ray is such a great teacher, watching him make these videos about rating is the best entertainment I have. He has also inspired me to play harder pieces
This was really great on so many levels! I learned some things listening to both the performance and the critique by Ray. Awesome job Eddy!!!
Thank you so much Ray for that last piece of advice about practicing in front of people. I've been trying it recently and it makes a huge difference!
Can’t wait! Loved your review of Brett’s playing, btw!
This is the kindest constructive review ever
Great! AND you get the impression that he really enjoys what he's doing. Love this as a listenerer!
I love this! You are so positive while suggesting better ways to do the piece. I think Eddy did put in his 40 hours.
As a 10 year cellist, I don't lose intonation when I perform, but rush like crazy. And my vibrato becomes the energizer bunny
Ray, thank you for reviewing this! I love your insight. You are a good teacher!
I think we need a violin trio fan composition video with Ray and twoset :')
It’s so insightful to hear an expert critique and acknowledge that most people (me!) would not even hear errors. Thank you to Ray for his expertise and for Eddy and Brett generally trying to educate us in music. I have learned so much and will miss them enormously. 😢
Thank you for pointing out how focus of the mind relates to focus of the eyes, that is super helpful for any kind of performing arts really
This performance must be seen as a fun little extra, not to be taken super seriously (two week's notice - ! )
And with that in mind, it was really well done.
I love to see Ray using a Stradivari again! His modern violin is fantastic and it's such a great thing for modern makers to have their violins being played and favoured over some Strad's or Guarneri's or Guad's etc instead. I think the last modern violin I saw Ray play on was a very powerful Widenhouse.
10:43 hi! can absolutely confirm. im only just a fan of classical, have never been trained. Im always in too much awe or genuine intrigue that i can never tell or pick up on even a fraction of the critiques given 😂
This feels like watching an olympic sport and I love it! Ray gives excellent commentary.
Great start to summer!
I think Eddy's a great musician. (I say that not just from this performance, but from everything I've seen of him).
Actually, I see a lot of similarities between Eddy and Ray: they both listen incredibly carefully, understand the context perfectly, identify the most important problem, and find a way to communicate it perfectly. Both have perfect pitch, and an easy manner with great sincerity.
I think Ray perfectly conveyed how it feels when the orchestra unravels. The incredible stress on top of the stress from the difficult piece.
Incidentally IMO: A minimum of TWO rehearsals are ALWAYS needed. The first one is mostly about finding the problems, not solving them. Best on different days, so you can sleep on the results of the first.
Anyway, I believe that this violin "stuff" that's appeared on the internet in the past few years, is amongst the very best things ever. So great to see great musicians at such close range, including how they think and what they think. Well done humans! 😄
brett doesn't have perfect pitch
@@brickman2718 Eddy. Not Brett.
One more similarity: their surname!!! 😂
I've come to that conclusion too and actually nice to see someone was also thinking along those lines :D
I think that Eddy has a great sense of musicality in general, not only when it comes to playing the violin. When he composes, plays the piano, interprets the music or transcribes it. At least from my perspective it really seems this way. Eddy & Ray - I can definitely agree there are some similarities in how they react and listen.
Though ofc Eddy's synergy with Brett is well established :)
@@meysician7117 I never would have spotted that one! 😆
Great comments Ray. Thanks for presenting this review.😊
You are so right Ray, I had a student once apologize to me for a missing note during a recital. But she kept on and honestly, after catching hundreds of missed notes, hers went by, because she didn’t telegraph to the room that she had made a mistake.
Really enjoyed this new channel segment “Ray’s Reviews” or “Reviews w/Ray”. It reminds me of watching the highlights after a major sporting event. Loved this video! 😍
Please keep these fun & educational reviews coming. 🤩🎉🎼🎵🎶🎻🗒️✍🏽 Stay awesome & take care. 🤗
It is wonderful to be able to have such friends in this crooked world. I'm so happy for the TSV guys because it's never too late to make your dreams come true. Ray is a natural born teacher! I'm sure Sensei Chloe would be proud of you too.
謝謝您，我52歲才開始學琴..一開始很疼苦視上課為酷刑..直到老師給我們看了一些您的視頻..有人能這麽開心的拉琴這麽享受..哈哈哈哈哈..我們這群老傢私也要開心點..琴是拉不好.可開心的練習是可以的
I love these videos your tips can help everyone even non professional violinist, Thank you so much Ray!💓
I love these two set reaction and reviews. I’m a sub now. I hope this channel stays active!
"To "simply" shift". :D But you make a good point. Even when you are playing something that us mere mortals could never even hope to attempt, you can always strive to do it better. That's what makes a soloist.
I thought tonic was only for orchestral instruments but I’m glad it’s all. I played the violin for 7 grade years and decided to switch to guitar, am really enjoying it
You can do any instrument, there may not be animation for it yet. But they’re adding instruments.
thanks for explaining and thus teaching us how to listen better to classical music :)
Gran tono, precioso sonido y expresividad! Al final el público es soberano y si ellos están contentos tú estás contento! ❤
i watched your performance at korea, i loved it so much words cant describe how i felt getting your signature and talking to you and getting to see your performance!!!!! ❤❤
Even Eddy didn't want to review his own performance 🙈 oh no, it's gonna hurt
I love Eddy’s playing.
What a great review. Eddy performed beautifully!
After watching this video I suddenly know how smart Ray is! He must play the violin with his brain, not only with his hands. He must be always thinking while practicing. He definitely know how to practice smartly.
14:14 It's not a giant cut, Eddy's playing the Kreisler version :)
I have an interesting theory about "you only miss notes when you look at the conductor" (around 11:50). I think the cause and effect are just the reverse. When he comes to the part that he know he can't play well, he will look at the conductor to see if the conductor notices his missing notes. Like when a student is doing something not good enough he will instinctively look about furtively to see if anyone notice and notice his faulty part. I know I would, haha.
3:32
13:28
Guys I can't tell the difference, what was wrong with the orchestra? 😭
8:50 - If I remember nothing else from this video, ill remember laser focusing on my left hand with my eyes during tough passages, such a good bit of info backed up by your doctoral sis lol thanks!
Your review is very enlightening for me as a non violinist!
Eddy has so much potential. He just needs to....PRACTICE! He seems to shoot himself in the foot; in this case, by choosing a new piece the last minute. Great analysis and performances.