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Hi Ray, is it possible to support multiple instruments on Tonic as the next feature? I want to select piano and cello up on sign up but it only allows one instrument at the moment
Hello Ray Chen! I was super excited about the new app "tonic" you made. Sadly, i couldn't find an option for ukulele. I hope you will be able to add an option for ukulele in the future.
@chrishaven1489 This is what happens when people think they have so much more sense than others. They end up looking foolish. 🤣😂 SpongeBob over there was so bold with his sarcasm, and so quick to comment as if he's the only one who knows that Ray Chen is a world-renowned violinist. 🤣😂 Ah, this gave me a good chuckle! Even if we give SpongeBob the benefit of the doubt, his rhetoric still doesn't make sense! 🤣😂 Just because one plays an instrument professionally, doesn't mean people are to assume that the instrumentalist will talk about all other instruments with appreciation. He's clearly never heard of twoset violin. 🤣😂 Which is ironic since Ray has also done many videos with them. So, if anyone were to assume anything, reasonably, it would be that they share the same sentiments of the viola. Hence my original comment; I'm really glad to see that's not the case with Ray.
Honestly, the only people who really knew you made a mistake were those of us who listened to “what could have been” 200x and memorized the whole song. So while you’re beating yourself up, most people probably didn’t notice lol
I noticed that *something* was wrong, but I wasn't sure what. Then he played it back five times and I figured it out :D I think musicians are more likely to pick up on it than non-musicians.
I'm not a musician, but to my ears the mistake was quite obvious. But it's okay! Mistakes happen, even to world-class legends, because they're just as human as everyone else. They're "just" very dedicated to their craft. So if there are musicians reading this... yeah us complete plebeians can tell if you mess up, but we'll move on and enjoy what comes after the mistakes. You're fine. And to be honest it wasn't Sting's best performance either. I wish there had been more live versions of this song, because it's an amazing one, and Sting and Ray are both great artists, and they deserve an opportunity to do better (if they want to).
I loved in the Behind The Scenes when they were basically like "We've got Ray Chen, he WILL play it" when they made that super hard piece for the Opera House theme
I'm disappointed hearing Ray Chen has not been contacted by Riot for Season 2. Not because he isn't going to be in it, I am sure he will be featured prominently again, but because this just shows how far we might still be from season 2. 😭😭
it is comforting in that they're not rushing it out to ride the hype of Arcane 1 but taking the time to make sure that Arcane 2 will live up to expectations. Or at least be a solid good show. because people's expectations are so astronomical they might even be unfair. There is a part of the magic and novelty of Arcane 1 that will be impossible to replicate, I think. and that's ok
Yeah ☹️ I’m sure the strikes haven’t been helpful for production, but yeah, at least they’re taking their time! For the sake of the quality of the show but also treating their workers okay 😅
He did also mention though that he didnt get contacted until the animation was pretty much almost done - now that we have the date of Nov 2024, we know that that likely won't be for a bit still. Not sure if you are a league player, but Arcane isn't his only collab with Riot so I sincerely doubt they will not invite him back. Fingers crossed.
Ray said it so seriously that I'd be surprised if it's an intentional reference, but I can't hear the words "emotional damage" together anymore without hearing Steven He's character.
"Is this going to be good enough? The viola?" 😭Literally every violist's waking moment. This is all we ever hear. Thanks for appreciating my instrument 😭
I've watched a lot of people react to Arcane, and there's not a few people who tear up just watching the first few minutes with no dialogue and characters they've never met before. Legendary work!
Riot has always been great at creating music that draws you into whatever story they are telling. They manage to pull emotions out very well. Riot is a music producer that makes games on the side lol
"Would it work in real life?" he said at 8:50 and I was really perplexed that he doesn't know about Stroh violins which are like violins with bells on it. Different types exist and were used to record early violin music and play folk music. One more tool to get different sound flavors out of a violin!
Arcane was (and is still) one of my favourite shows due to a number of reasons (one of the main ones being the score!!) and i honestly didn’t know that ray played a part in this until recently - This is mega cool cant wait for s2
I always knew this show was something special and on another level, but I never realized the lenghts Riot went to create this bratiful masterpiece. They actually got you, one of the best violinists, to performe in these amazing solo pieces and now it genuinly makes sense why this series had so much weight and depth. Sure, the animation art is just as brilliant, but the music is on par with it. I am so happy to see that some companies still value quality and art and are willing to go to great lenghts to offer such a beatiful end result.
BRO, YOU HAD A CONCERT LIKE A FEW HOURS AGO, AND YOU STILL UPLOAD? 1. You played great! It was amazing. I loved your rendition of 'Waltzing Matilda.' 2. Respect dude! It seems like a lot of work to upload and perform in a concert in the same day!
@@hundredfireify Its called premiering. its what a lot of creators use for important announcements or when they want a video to go out at a specific time when they didnt have the time to do that.
You're so humble, dude. Curious as to when you knew you'd flubbed it. Then and there? As an (ex) live sound engineer, I can tell you, that kind of environment trips up a lot of people and your fold back engineer was probably kicking themself that they didn't make sure you were more comfortable with the set up. You are all kinds of awesome.
Ever since I saw that performance I wondered if the stage sound / fold back was somehow unusually problematic there. It didn't bother me too much, given the emotion and charge was still there, but seeing two performers of the caliber of Sting and Ray Chen struggle a tiny bit made me think there must be more to it.
the ost in the ''shower scene'' (Fallout) is one of my favorites ost's out there with violin solo in it, I get goosebumps every time I listen to it same with the "what could have been'' the different emotions you can hear and feel in these tracks are insane that brings tears to my eyes every time thank you for your amazing work in this amazing series
The part where you messed up I thought actually sounded good. I feel like that off note added an uncomfortableness that worked really well. I feel it added more than it took away. :) It sounded intentional.
Im a professional game and film artist, and yes absolutely its a huge honor to have the artists ask if you want your likeness in the show- we make so many generic characters for background via mix/match asset pieces or sometimes even individually, and for them to offer to make you, even if they had a blockout base, they put the effort into all the details as much as they could in the sculpt and texture to look as similar to you as they could in that style and thats no small feat. They had to have really admired your music too, im sure! (Disclaiming that i didnt work on this show though)
The „Caitlyn showering“ scene, to me, only works because of the music in the background, specially Ray‘s performance. It’s so beautiful, but yet so intense, a perfect build up for Jinx to appear from the shadows. And talking about beautiful, there of course also is „What Could Have Been“. This song has pulled me in the moment I first heard it has yet to let go. Sting‘s voice, Ray‘s performance, the structure of the song itself, the final build up. It’s such a beautiful song, listening to the orchestra and the violin alone brings so much joy, but combined with the lyrics and the vocal performance, this joyful music suddenly is put into a very different context and it fits so perfectly. As someone who is recovering from severe mental health issues, the feelings this song awakens are very much representative of what life for me feels like now. On it’s own, the instrumental music is so captivating and wonderful and so alive. But with vocals and lyrics, there suddenly arises this sadness and tragedy, never truly overpowering but yet still intense enough to be felt from beginning to end. It reminds me of finding the joy and beauty of life again after what I‘ve been through, but the shadows of the past will never vanish entirely. It’s hard to put into words, but you can feel, that whatever you have been through, it has taken away a small sliver of yourself, has left a dark spot on your soul. You will always feel this void, but feeling it means you are alive and life is worth living.
So many people (reactor, friends, etc) note almost immediately in the first scene how powerful the music is. You should feel enriched to know how much your art touched others.
I loved your work on Arcane, and your cameo as a character was a fantastic addition. So much power was added to this show through your work. I originally had not taken the idea of the series all too seriously, played it on a side-monitor while doing other things, and within the first episode the music essentially told me that there was something more to this series,. I stopped what I was doing and watched the series in full-screen immediatly. Fantastic work, I was always wondering if there would be a followup from your perspective, very glad to finally see this.
Thank you for sharing the experience of messing up with us! You hid it so well that I couldn't tell you messed up at. lol I love how you contained the frustration (and internal tears) behind and continued to deliver the music unaffectedly to the audience afterwards. Thank you for letting the audience get into your head to see how you deal with this kind of situation.
Very brave of you to admit you didn't practice enough. Jokes aside, videogame and anime/animation shows' music goes really hard sometimes. In my opinion, Star Wars The Old Republic's soundtrack is still one of most ambitious orchestral works to this day. It's so massive in scope. I recommend a listen to anyone interested :) Arcane was so good that it left a small void when I was through it.
There is always the clean perfection of the studio recording, if one wants that. Btw, Sting wasn’t exactly the pinnacle of pitch stability in that live performance either, so you’re in good company 😉
Fistbump. I played violin and viola, too.I'd swap between them so often, my violin was actually slightly bigger (it was made by a friend of mine). And a music theory professor of mine was a concert pianist. He always said that it didn't matter how many mistakes you made, but how you played them. :)
Your way of playing the violin is simply incredible. And all the emotions you convey through your music show the tremendous talent you have. THANKS. I wanted to see Arcane because I fell in love with your violin in Sting's song.
It makes me so incredibly happy to see you in literally my favourite series! Such an amazing crossover, truly I didn't think Arcane could not get any more special to me.
Ray you are so introspective. I am looking forward to watching Arcane. Meanwhile remember what Beethoven said: “To play a wrong note is insignificant. To play without passion is inexcusable”. You always play with passion. Remember that when you make a mistake.
You nailed it with 'Fallout' in the Arcane album! I have driven my family, friends, and co-workers insane with how often I having 'Fallout' playing usually on repeat. I absolutely love the sound of the violin and was blown away with 'Fallout' and all the emotion that was put into it.
You were definitely a perfect pick for this show. I love animation and classical music, you definitely create the perfect balance. I hope u r in season 2 as Jin or something. That’d be amazing to see
Your work on Arcane is unbelievable. I can’t tell you how much your music crushes my entire soul into powder and reduces me to a barely breathing puddle of tears.
Thank you that you shared this with us 🙇♀️👏 I am a doctor and when I don't have patients and have patient cartels to fill I listen to a lot of music . You are lucky that your life is filled with so much beauty and delicate moments 😀😀
Ray i just wanted to let you know that i cry everytime i hear your parts in What Could Have Been and that I will be sending you my therapy bills for all the emotional damage thanks
I`m kinda glad you also struggeled with this solo, because i now feel better for taking such a long time to learn it. Especially after hearing it made me play again after 1,5 years of not touching my violin first because of School and Sports and then loosing the passion for it over it probably because of beeing burned out in general. But yeah after 10 weeks I made it sound pretty good I think.
I LOVED "Arcane" and I still listen to "What could have been" from time to time, it's such a beautiful song. As for the Game Awards performance, I had a feeling it had something to do with the in-ears. I still enjoyed the performance a lot, though. The emotion really came through in your playing.
finaly after a long year i got my dream . man i was litraly been asking you pls do this on any platform for almost a year non stop . i know it isnt direct answer to those prayers but who care i got it :D . tnx legend . always big fan
When I was watching arcane I knew right away that it was you playing the concerto, but when you played the bridge it took me a few seconds to recognize you. Love your playing 😍
The music in this show-- your violin specifically-- enhanced my appreciation for all music exponentially. Every time I hear you playing, I have to stop whatever I'm doing to desperately try to take it all in.
Thank you for making this video for us the Arcane fans. Hahaha, I'm glad you mentioned about that emotional damage. My kids and I immediately pointed it out when that video first came out. We totally understand and we all still love you !!! Now that you made a section of a video to talk about it, making us even respect you more. Thank you for giving us such a rich and wonderful sounds adding onto everyone's life 🙏😇
Thank you SO much for going through all of this. I'm a massive fan of the show so it was great to hear your input on what went into making it, and I absolutely LOVED your work in it. Masterful.
This is some amazing transparency and insight. Thank you for being willing to be vulnerable in the spirit of helping others. That’s powerful in its own right.
gosh, I LOVE this series, because of the amazing storyline, because of the incredible animation and artwork, but especially for the music, it is just *chefskiss* ON TOP!! I am so glad that they have chosen Ray as violinist, you play freaking amazing and what makes you even more adorable is your authentic character and your honesty. You don't hesitate to show us your mistakes and it's so refreshing and relieving because even the professionals are just humans - like we all have those moments of "unplanned improvising" (sometimes one note, sometimes a bit more hehe... 🤡) but it's live performance and that makes it ALIVE (not the mistakes tho but this risk of EVERYTHING COULD HAPPEN). Because what does a little note mean when the whole vibe is soooo touching. Bravissississimo for you and Sting and the composer and the whole team and everyone involved!! Thank you so much for creating this magic stuff!!! 🫶😍
my favorite OST in this show is called "Romance" on ep. 5 (victor's dying scene), it's amazing to see the process on how these show soundtracks were composed, ray you're a legend!
The first time I shaw the show I though wow! the music and interpretation is beautiful and now I know part of the cause. You're great! Best regards from Spain!
Bro I've never heard of you until I watched arcane. Right after the show I went and checked who did the soundtrack and I was like "Rey chen omggg he's the goat". Never expected to see you and give your insight and I love it❤
Omg, you got me filled with so much emotion that I’m crying in appreciation of how well all of that was played! I’ve never felt so moved watching something with such heartfelt music! I’m glad I heard this! (Also I play flute and am learning piano!)
What a cool look into a series I have totally flipped over! I had no idea you were the violinist for all of these scenes. The concerto scene was always one of my favorite scenes in the series because it was so brilliantly designed visually and honestly, it didn't have to be a genius as it was but HOOEY! Your playing was KILLER! You did a brilliant job conveying the heartbreak of this series, Ray. You all just ripped my heart out! I can't say enough how good your playing was (on top of the writing, animation, voice acting, etc., etc., etc....) Well done and thank you for this video! 👍
Arcane is SO GOOD. There was actually a point when I was watching it that my brain just accepted that what I was watching was real, not animation. That's how well written and compelling it is. I'm not surprised that you had a part to play in the music, and I sincerely hope they bring you back for season 2. Something I've always wondered: during a live performance, when there's a camera moving around you, is that distracting? Or are you so zoned in on the instrument that you don't even notice?
OMG I FOUND YOU!!!! Okay, I 100% realized that they probably modeled the character onstage from the person playing, and I’m so glad I was right!!! I heard the fortiche actually animated the characters modeled after people (imagine dragons, you, some of the animators etc) differently as well which is so cool (possibly how I noticed)? Overall this was awesome and I’m just overjoyed that you have a RUclips channel! Your music in this show was incredible and I’m definitely going to explore more of it ❤
I love how they didn't have you use a click track and just let you go HAM for the scene where Jinx shoots the Vi look-alike, since her usual routine has been disrupted and wouldn't conform to the beats of a metronome. It's just wild, like she is.
I heard this song on headphones while running - I immediately knew who was singing and who was playing so I stopped to look up the title. As a result of this song, I ended up watching the series which isn't something I normally would have watched, and I LOVED IT. The music is amazing, the story is heartbreaking. Thank you!
Ray, just wanna say that I appreciate your music and the effort on your videos! Keep going 🎉 Edit- thanks for the likes 😅. i haven’t watched arcane but should i?
I'm not into tragedy, but Arcane does it IMO better than Shakespeare. Like for me, Iago in Othello just doesn't really have motivation that makes me buy into his betrayal. But everything in Arcane is so perfectly crafted that looking back on it or re-watching it feels like it was just destiny or that you'd have to change something fundamental about the world to make things turn out differently. So instead of internally quibbling with the writers I just have to accept it and love the beautiful misery.
You sir, are extremely talented. Your music perfectly matched each scene it was on, my absolute favorite being "The Toy Boat". Thank you for everything.
I wanted to say: thanks for inspiring me! I've always loved piano and violin, but I always thought I could never play it. It just seemed too hard and my ADHD brain could probably not stay consistent enough to properly learn the instrument; so I picked piano. I always kept loving both equally though. Arcane has such an important place in my heart, because I feel so seen and represented by Jinx's character PTSD. Then hearing What could have been... I just fell in love all over again with violin, it feels like floating when listening to it. It makes me want to put in the effort and want to practice violin as well. I'm 23 now, almost 24, but I'm going to be stubborn and still to give it a shot to try and become a amateur violinist. It's just too gorgeous of an instrument to not at least try
Such an amazing video. Thank you so much for sharing this with us! It's fairly rare, having been in the world of classical too for some time in the past, to have such a personal link to one of the top soloists in the world. Thanks for creating it. And the app seems like a good idea too, hopefully it will work out.
I should add that I love Arcane, and it is such a unicorn to have a show of this genre and style have music so ambitious and complex in this day and age. We've progressively moved to minimalist, or at least direct and simple emotive or epic or whatever music with quite a huge impact from sound design and drones and such that it's amazing to have the music team behind Arcane take this approach instead. Yet they still incorporate modern tools into the whole thing still. Thanks again for the video, and thank you for the music for this show. Keep raising the bar for modern media!
If you enjoyed this video, please support my mission of making music learning accessible to everyone by downloading on Tonic: tonicmusic.app/join-in
Join the community today! 🎵
Thanks for your rehearsal streaming today❤️
@@cindylau8797 Glad you enjoyed it! I’ll try to do more in the future 🎻
I'm Brazilian and I really love this app
Hi Ray, is it possible to support multiple instruments on Tonic as the next feature? I want to select piano and cello up on sign up but it only allows one instrument at the moment
Hello Ray Chen! I was super excited about the new app "tonic" you made. Sadly, i couldn't find an option for ukulele. I hope you will be able to add an option for ukulele in the future.
Yes Arcane is a masterpiece, and to have Ray play in it is legendary.
I agree 1000%
Double kill and is Godlike
As a violist, I appreciate you giving the instrument the respect it deserves and talking about it with such appreciation.
he is a professional violinist one would assume he talks about the instrument with appreciation...
@@EdouBuilds *violist* Read it again
@chrishaven1489 This is what happens when people think they have so much more sense than others. They end up looking foolish. 🤣😂 SpongeBob over there was so bold with his sarcasm, and so quick to comment as if he's the only one who knows that Ray Chen is a world-renowned violinist. 🤣😂 Ah, this gave me a good chuckle! Even if we give SpongeBob the benefit of the doubt, his rhetoric still doesn't make sense! 🤣😂 Just because one plays an instrument professionally, doesn't mean people are to assume that the instrumentalist will talk about all other instruments with appreciation. He's clearly never heard of twoset violin. 🤣😂 Which is ironic since Ray has also done many videos with them. So, if anyone were to assume anything, reasonably, it would be that they share the same sentiments of the viola. Hence my original comment; I'm really glad to see that's not the case with Ray.
fr tho
So lesson learned: Viola is dark, depressing, and tragic 😂
Fun fact: so are viola players
@@MilaneseMoon can confirm lol
we need @TwoSetViolin on this comment
Yes! We're emo! And loving it.
@@MilaneseMoonlol not all viola players I know some very bubbly ones!
Honestly, the only people who really knew you made a mistake were those of us who listened to “what could have been” 200x and memorized the whole song. So while you’re beating yourself up, most people probably didn’t notice lol
I'd say I hope I someday am able to mess up so beautifully but I know it will never happen. ;) Still beautiful work. Cheers!
I noticed that *something* was wrong, but I wasn't sure what. Then he played it back five times and I figured it out :D I think musicians are more likely to pick up on it than non-musicians.
the pianist when it happened: bro? bro?? BRO??? BRO YOU GOOD????
I'm not a musician, but to my ears the mistake was quite obvious. But it's okay! Mistakes happen, even to world-class legends, because they're just as human as everyone else. They're "just" very dedicated to their craft. So if there are musicians reading this... yeah us complete plebeians can tell if you mess up, but we'll move on and enjoy what comes after the mistakes. You're fine. And to be honest it wasn't Sting's best performance either. I wish there had been more live versions of this song, because it's an amazing one, and Sting and Ray are both great artists, and they deserve an opportunity to do better (if they want to).
Which note(s) was (were) wrong? Sharp, flat? @@DiMono
Ray Chen being viola gang and viollin gang at the same time is quite the shock, twoset will be hearing of this!
Man I'm so appreciative that you actually shared the experience and your takeaways from it! Really hope that you'll be in the next Arcane OST too!
Thank you!
I loved in the Behind The Scenes when they were basically like "We've got Ray Chen, he WILL play it" when they made that super hard piece for the Opera House theme
I'm disappointed hearing Ray Chen has not been contacted by Riot for Season 2. Not because he isn't going to be in it, I am sure he will be featured prominently again, but because this just shows how far we might still be from season 2. 😭😭
late 2024 :(
but atleast we know they're taking their time to make the season as perfect as possible.
it is comforting in that they're not rushing it out to ride the hype of Arcane 1 but taking the time to make sure that Arcane 2 will live up to expectations. Or at least be a solid good show. because people's expectations are so astronomical they might even be unfair. There is a part of the magic and novelty of Arcane 1 that will be impossible to replicate, I think. and that's ok
Yeah ☹️ I’m sure the strikes haven’t been helpful for production, but yeah, at least they’re taking their time! For the sake of the quality of the show but also treating their workers okay 😅
He did also mention though that he didnt get contacted until the animation was pretty much almost done - now that we have the date of Nov 2024, we know that that likely won't be for a bit still. Not sure if you are a league player, but Arcane isn't his only collab with Riot so I sincerely doubt they will not invite him back. Fingers crossed.
We're more close than ever. 😆❤🔥
Ray said it so seriously that I'd be surprised if it's an intentional reference, but I can't hear the words "emotional damage" together anymore without hearing Steven He's character.
lmfao fr :')
eeeemOOOOOOOOtional dAAAAAAAAmage
He could also just be under and NDA
"Is this going to be good enough? The viola?"
😭Literally every violist's waking moment. This is all we ever hear. Thanks for appreciating my instrument 😭
I've watched a lot of people react to Arcane, and there's not a few people who tear up just watching the first few minutes with no dialogue and characters they've never met before. Legendary work!
Beautifully played! Love how excited Ray gets about his own playing whispering "That's me! That's me!"
Riot has always been great at creating music that draws you into whatever story they are telling. They manage to pull emotions out very well. Riot is a music producer that makes games on the side lol
"Would it work in real life?" he said at 8:50 and I was really perplexed that he doesn't know about Stroh violins which are like violins with bells on it. Different types exist and were used to record early violin music and play folk music. One more tool to get different sound flavors out of a violin!
they did so well animating lol I remember seeing it during the premier and pointing at the screen saying MOM THATS RAY CHEN 🤣
Arcane was (and is still) one of my favourite shows due to a number of reasons (one of the main ones being the score!!) and i honestly didn’t know that ray played a part in this until recently - This is mega cool cant wait for s2
"It was no mercy I did emotional damage to myself" Ray Chen 2023
😂
I always knew this show was something special and on another level, but I never realized the lenghts Riot went to create this bratiful masterpiece. They actually got you, one of the best violinists, to performe in these amazing solo pieces and now it genuinly makes sense why this series had so much weight and depth. Sure, the animation art is just as brilliant, but the music is on par with it. I am so happy to see that some companies still value quality and art and are willing to go to great lenghts to offer such a beatiful end result.
BRO, YOU HAD A CONCERT LIKE A FEW HOURS AGO, AND YOU STILL UPLOAD?
1. You played great! It was amazing. I loved your rendition of 'Waltzing Matilda.'
2. Respect dude! It seems like a lot of work to upload and perform in a concert in the same day!
@@hundredfireify Its called premiering. its what a lot of creators use for important announcements or when they want a video to go out at a specific time when they didnt have the time to do that.
@@cheetahman515why are you explaining this to guy who knew what it was already
You're so humble, dude. Curious as to when you knew you'd flubbed it. Then and there? As an (ex) live sound engineer, I can tell you, that kind of environment trips up a lot of people and your fold back engineer was probably kicking themself that they didn't make sure you were more comfortable with the set up. You are all kinds of awesome.
Ever since I saw that performance I wondered if the stage sound / fold back was somehow unusually problematic there. It didn't bother me too much, given the emotion and charge was still there, but seeing two performers of the caliber of Sting and Ray Chen struggle a tiny bit made me think there must be more to it.
Your solo in What Could Have Been always gives me chills
This man formed the emotional backbone of the entire show. Moving stuff
the ost in the ''shower scene'' (Fallout) is one of my favorites ost's out there with violin solo in it, I get goosebumps every time I listen to it same with the "what could have been'' the different emotions you can hear and feel in these tracks are insane that brings tears to my eyes every time thank you for your amazing work in this amazing series
As a raging lesbian I was more focused on cait
i still listen to the bridge like weekly (an cry everytime). youre the best Ray
You made some awesome music for this too!
The part where you messed up I thought actually sounded good. I feel like that off note added an uncomfortableness that worked really well. I feel it added more than it took away. :) It sounded intentional.
Ray your music performance in Arcane blew me away, it was exceptional. Big congratulations.
As a fellow musician I can relate to the mistake trauma.😊. You are amazing sir.
Bro !!! Viola gang must be so proud! 🎉
Im a professional game and film artist, and yes absolutely its a huge honor to have the artists ask if you want your likeness in the show- we make so many generic characters for background via mix/match asset pieces or sometimes even individually, and for them to offer to make you, even if they had a blockout base, they put the effort into all the details as much as they could in the sculpt and texture to look as similar to you as they could in that style and thats no small feat. They had to have really admired your music too, im sure! (Disclaiming that i didnt work on this show though)
Wow, didn't realize Ray played in so many scenes in addition to the "Concerto" clip. Will have to listen more closely when I rewatch it. Thanks Ray!
The „Caitlyn showering“ scene, to me, only works because of the music in the background, specially Ray‘s performance. It’s so beautiful, but yet so intense, a perfect build up for Jinx to appear from the shadows. And talking about beautiful, there of course also is „What Could Have Been“. This song has pulled me in the moment I first heard it has yet to let go. Sting‘s voice, Ray‘s performance, the structure of the song itself, the final build up. It’s such a beautiful song, listening to the orchestra and the violin alone brings so much joy, but combined with the lyrics and the vocal performance, this joyful music suddenly is put into a very different context and it fits so perfectly. As someone who is recovering from severe mental health issues, the feelings this song awakens are very much representative of what life for me feels like now. On it’s own, the instrumental music is so captivating and wonderful and so alive. But with vocals and lyrics, there suddenly arises this sadness and tragedy, never truly overpowering but yet still intense enough to be felt from beginning to end. It reminds me of finding the joy and beauty of life again after what I‘ve been through, but the shadows of the past will never vanish entirely. It’s hard to put into words, but you can feel, that whatever you have been through, it has taken away a small sliver of yourself, has left a dark spot on your soul. You will always feel this void, but feeling it means you are alive and life is worth living.
I noticed the 'mistake' and it gave off a vulnerable aura which gave me goosebumps. It was a perfect delivery, imperfections and all.
Bro what could have been is so perfect, so epic. one of your best work like ever in all of arcane episodes. Arcane is a masterpiece in every way
So many people (reactor, friends, etc) note almost immediately in the first scene how powerful the music is. You should feel enriched to know how much your art touched others.
Dude, having a good violinist as an animation reference is one thing... having a big soloist like Ray is something else lol.
Arcane was my first time hearing Ray's performing, the violin solos were definitely one of the biggest highlights of the show for me!
I loved your work on Arcane, and your cameo as a character was a fantastic addition. So much power was added to this show through your work. I originally had not taken the idea of the series all too seriously, played it on a side-monitor while doing other things, and within the first episode the music essentially told me that there was something more to this series,. I stopped what I was doing and watched the series in full-screen immediatly.
Fantastic work, I was always wondering if there would be a followup from your perspective, very glad to finally see this.
Thank you for sharing the experience of messing up with us! You hid it so well that I couldn't tell you messed up at. lol
I love how you contained the frustration (and internal tears) behind and continued to deliver the music unaffectedly to the audience afterwards. Thank you for letting the audience get into your head to see how you deal with this kind of situation.
Very brave of you to admit you didn't practice enough. Jokes aside, videogame and anime/animation shows' music goes really hard sometimes. In my opinion, Star Wars The Old Republic's soundtrack is still one of most ambitious orchestral works to this day. It's so massive in scope. I recommend a listen to anyone interested :) Arcane was so good that it left a small void when I was through it.
There is always the clean perfection of the studio recording, if one wants that. Btw, Sting wasn’t exactly the pinnacle of pitch stability in that live performance either, so you’re in good company 😉
more and more as I've seen the human lose ground to the artificial I've come to love and cherish the imperfection of human art
The strings is what made this soundtrack so absolutely heart wrenching and memorable. Thank you for everything you did, and do.
LOL I KNEW THAT NOTE WAS OFF but you sold it like you meant it to sound dissonant and thats what matters! amazing performance
Dude, even the "mistake" is legendary!
Fistbump. I played violin and viola, too.I'd swap between them so often, my violin was actually slightly bigger (it was made by a friend of mine). And a music theory professor of mine was a concert pianist. He always said that it didn't matter how many mistakes you made, but how you played them. :)
Your way of playing the violin is simply incredible. And all the emotions you convey through your music show the tremendous talent you have. THANKS. I wanted to see Arcane because I fell in love with your violin in Sting's song.
It makes me so incredibly happy to see you in literally my favourite series! Such an amazing crossover, truly I didn't think Arcane could not get any more special to me.
Ray you are so introspective. I am looking forward to watching Arcane. Meanwhile remember what Beethoven said: “To play a wrong note is insignificant. To play without passion is inexcusable”. You always play with passion. Remember that when you make a mistake.
You nailed it with 'Fallout' in the Arcane album! I have driven my family, friends, and co-workers insane with how often I having 'Fallout' playing usually on repeat. I absolutely love the sound of the violin and was blown away with 'Fallout' and all the emotion that was put into it.
I absolutely love both your humility, excitement, and honesty for this magnificant set of music! Well done, Ray! Well done!
eMoTiONaL DAmAGE 😭😭😭 this has inspired me to practice for another 40 hours!!!
You were definitely a perfect pick for this show. I love animation and classical music, you definitely create the perfect balance. I hope u r in season 2 as Jin or something. That’d be amazing to see
Your work on Arcane is unbelievable. I can’t tell you how much your music crushes my entire soul into powder and reduces me to a barely breathing puddle of tears.
The darkness and of the viola's sound is one of the many reasons I play it over violin!!
Thank you that you shared this with us 🙇♀️👏 I am a doctor and when I don't have patients and have patient cartels to fill I listen to a lot of music . You are lucky that your life is filled with so much beauty and delicate moments 😀😀
I get shivers down my spines whenever Ray’s Violin tracks hit its just so cool 🔥😭❤
Ray i just wanted to let you know that i cry everytime i hear your parts in What Could Have Been and that I will be sending you my therapy bills for all the emotional damage thanks
Im on the ground, bowing. Thank you for your hard work. Your playing is a masterpiece
Ray you’re a rock star. Your talent is matched by your authenticity. Great stuff sir!
I`m kinda glad you also struggeled with this solo, because i now feel better for taking such a long time to learn it. Especially after hearing it made me play again after 1,5 years of not touching my violin first because of School and Sports and then loosing the passion for it over it probably because of beeing burned out in general. But yeah after 10 weeks I made it sound pretty good I think.
I LOVED "Arcane" and I still listen to "What could have been" from time to time, it's such a beautiful song. As for the Game Awards performance, I had a feeling it had something to do with the in-ears. I still enjoyed the performance a lot, though. The emotion really came through in your playing.
finaly after a long year i got my dream . man i was litraly been asking you pls do this on any platform for almost a year non stop . i know it isnt direct answer to those prayers but who care i got it :D . tnx legend . always big fan
When I was watching arcane I knew right away that it was you playing the concerto, but when you played the bridge it took me a few seconds to recognize you.
Love your playing 😍
The music in this show-- your violin specifically-- enhanced my appreciation for all music exponentially. Every time I hear you playing, I have to stop whatever I'm doing to desperately try to take it all in.
Thank you for making this video for us the Arcane fans. Hahaha, I'm glad you mentioned about that emotional damage. My kids and I immediately pointed it out when that video first came out. We totally understand and we all still love you !!! Now that you made a section of a video to talk about it, making us even respect you more. Thank you for giving us such a rich and wonderful sounds adding onto everyone's life 🙏😇
Thank you SO much for going through all of this. I'm a massive fan of the show so it was great to hear your input on what went into making it, and I absolutely LOVED your work in it. Masterful.
This is some amazing transparency and insight. Thank you for being willing to be vulnerable in the spirit of helping others. That’s powerful in its own right.
I hope we will see you in season 2 because all the violin senses were so beautiful
gosh, I LOVE this series, because of the amazing storyline, because of the incredible animation and artwork, but especially for the music, it is just *chefskiss* ON TOP!! I am so glad that they have chosen Ray as violinist, you play freaking amazing and what makes you even more adorable is your authentic character and your honesty. You don't hesitate to show us your mistakes and it's so refreshing and relieving because even the professionals are just humans - like we all have those moments of "unplanned improvising" (sometimes one note, sometimes a bit more hehe... 🤡) but it's live performance and that makes it ALIVE (not the mistakes tho but this risk of EVERYTHING COULD HAPPEN). Because what does a little note mean when the whole vibe is soooo touching. Bravissississimo for you and Sting and the composer and the whole team and everyone involved!! Thank you so much for creating this magic stuff!!! 🫶😍
my favorite OST in this show is called "Romance" on ep. 5 (victor's dying scene), it's amazing to see the process on how these show soundtracks were composed, ray you're a legend!
The first time I shaw the show I though wow! the music and interpretation is beautiful and now I know part of the cause. You're great!
Best regards from Spain!
Bro I've never heard of you until I watched arcane. Right after the show I went and checked who did the soundtrack and I was like "Rey chen omggg he's the goat". Never expected to see you and give your insight and I love it❤
Omg, you got me filled with so much emotion that I’m crying in appreciation of how well all of that was played! I’ve never felt so moved watching something with such heartfelt music! I’m glad I heard this! (Also I play flute and am learning piano!)
Wow! Thanks for sharing this. Even more amazed with Arcane now.
manifesting your return for Arcane season 2!! your beautiful performances really brought the series to life
What a cool look into a series I have totally flipped over! I had no idea you were the violinist for all of these scenes. The concerto scene was always one of my favorite scenes in the series because it was so brilliantly designed visually and honestly, it didn't have to be a genius as it was but HOOEY! Your playing was KILLER! You did a brilliant job conveying the heartbreak of this series, Ray. You all just ripped my heart out!
I can't say enough how good your playing was (on top of the writing, animation, voice acting, etc., etc., etc....) Well done and thank you for this video! 👍
Arcane is SO GOOD. There was actually a point when I was watching it that my brain just accepted that what I was watching was real, not animation. That's how well written and compelling it is. I'm not surprised that you had a part to play in the music, and I sincerely hope they bring you back for season 2.
Something I've always wondered: during a live performance, when there's a camera moving around you, is that distracting? Or are you so zoned in on the instrument that you don't even notice?
Man, I would sell my soul to the devil if it means Ray Chen performs his Riot Games pieces once more (Awaken and the Arcane OST)
Finally!!!!!! Thanks Ray!!! I love Arcane! :)
OMG I FOUND YOU!!!! Okay, I 100% realized that they probably modeled the character onstage from the person playing, and I’m so glad I was right!!! I heard the fortiche actually animated the characters modeled after people (imagine dragons, you, some of the animators etc) differently as well which is so cool (possibly how I noticed)?
Overall this was awesome and I’m just overjoyed that you have a RUclips channel! Your music in this show was incredible and I’m definitely going to explore more of it ❤
Omg we're doing a marching band vampire show that features what could have been as the second movement, and I'm so excited!!
Of course, that is if our band director doesn't change it too much lol
the way i didnt even notice the mistake bc you didnt let it show and was still SLAYING
what a legend, thanks for making me cry in the final scene 😭😭
The music was beautiful!
Never knew Ray has a part in it too.
I love how they didn't have you use a click track and just let you go HAM for the scene where Jinx shoots the Vi look-alike, since her usual routine has been disrupted and wouldn't conform to the beats of a metronome. It's just wild, like she is.
I heard this song on headphones while running - I immediately knew who was singing and who was playing so I stopped to look up the title. As a result of this song, I ended up watching the series which isn't something I normally would have watched, and I LOVED IT. The music is amazing, the story is heartbreaking. Thank you!
4:54 absolutely true. Viola has way more depth generally, I think that was a great call to make the melody more rich with lower tones
I recognized you immediately in the concerto scene! So awesome you get to work on such a great show.
What could've been has been my favorite song from Arcane specifically because of the violin. Amazing job
Ray, just wanna say that I appreciate your music and the effort on your videos! Keep going 🎉
Edit- thanks for the likes 😅. i haven’t watched arcane but should i?
YES
YES
It is a masterpiece on all levels.
Yes!!
I'm not into tragedy, but Arcane does it IMO better than Shakespeare. Like for me, Iago in Othello just doesn't really have motivation that makes me buy into his betrayal. But everything in Arcane is so perfectly crafted that looking back on it or re-watching it feels like it was just destiny or that you'd have to change something fundamental about the world to make things turn out differently. So instead of internally quibbling with the writers I just have to accept it and love the beautiful misery.
What Could’ve Been is a devastating song. So beautiful.
Thank you for your contribution to making such beautiful art and story.
You sir, are extremely talented. Your music perfectly matched each scene it was on, my absolute favorite being "The Toy Boat". Thank you for everything.
I wanted to say: thanks for inspiring me!
I've always loved piano and violin, but I always thought I could never play it. It just seemed too hard and my ADHD brain could probably not stay consistent enough to properly learn the instrument; so I picked piano. I always kept loving both equally though.
Arcane has such an important place in my heart, because I feel so seen and represented by Jinx's character PTSD.
Then hearing What could have been... I just fell in love all over again with violin, it feels like floating when listening to it. It makes me want to put in the effort and want to practice violin as well. I'm 23 now, almost 24, but I'm going to be stubborn and still to give it a shot to try and become a amateur violinist. It's just too gorgeous of an instrument to not at least try
CAN'T WAIT FOR S2!! HOPE YOU RE-APPEAR AGAIN IN THE SHOWWW!!
12:15 goosebumps, cant wait to watch this, the music sounds incredible
Such an amazing video. Thank you so much for sharing this with us! It's fairly rare, having been in the world of classical too for some time in the past, to have such a personal link to one of the top soloists in the world. Thanks for creating it. And the app seems like a good idea too, hopefully it will work out.
I should add that I love Arcane, and it is such a unicorn to have a show of this genre and style have music so ambitious and complex in this day and age. We've progressively moved to minimalist, or at least direct and simple emotive or epic or whatever music with quite a huge impact from sound design and drones and such that it's amazing to have the music team behind Arcane take this approach instead. Yet they still incorporate modern tools into the whole thing still. Thanks again for the video, and thank you for the music for this show. Keep raising the bar for modern media!
really hoping to hear Ray again in s2
Who else is coming here after arcane s2?
Arcaine Soundtrack's
2:26 The Bridge
6:20 she's here
7:38 The Concerto
11:12 The Toy Boat
12:14 Fallout