February 23, 2009

This One’s for You

Thank you to everyone for the kind comments on my blog and YouTube channel up to this point. I haven’t responded to all of them, but I promise that I read every single one! Sometimes I just feel shy about writing back and saying hello. I’ve only been on YouTube for a few months, and I’ve never “put myself out there” like this before, so I’m still getting used to receiving compliments and letters (and the occasional flame). Overall, I’d say I’ve gotten a friendly welcome to the internet. It’s encouraging to know that my work is appreciated, so thanks again for all your support. ♥

I’ve been pretty busy in “real life” for the past week. My friends and I just finished recording a piano-flute duet that I composed last year, featuring a real mic set-up, a real flute, and a real grand piano. We spent two days recording the piano part, two days on the flute, and one day mixing. I’m so excited – now that I have my recordings ready, I can put up my composition portfolio (and hopefully, a job will follow!) I owe my friends so much for this; it was a huge favor.

On the internet end of things, I’ve been getting “Buoy Base” sheet music requests every day (no joke) so I should probably get to that. I’ve also been practicing for my next video… I won’t say what it is exactly, but it’s an N64-era boss theme. I hope you’ll enjoy the things to come!

February 13, 2009

Fantasia for Ryan

“Fantasia for Ryan” is a love song that I composed and performed on Valentine’s Day in 2006.


This piece was inspired by the music of Joe Hisaishi and a bit of jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara, two composers that the recipient of this piece and I both admire. I spliced this video in the middle, since I didn’t want to start over after messing up near the end of the piece (I’m short on time this week)... I also forgot to smile since I was a little nervous, but I’m always happy when I play this.

February 12, 2009

Chrono Trigger Piano Arrangements, by Zohar

A few weeks ago, I came across a very talented pianist who goes by zohar002 on YouTube. I was blown away by his Chrono Trigger piano works; his arrangements are rich, elaborate and creative interpretations that maintain the essence of the original melodies. For anyone who’s heard of the Final Fantasy Piano Collections, I think these arrangements are worthy of their own “Chrono Trigger Piano Collection.”

If you’re interested in some challenging but beautiful Chrono Trigger piano arrangements, I encourage you to check them out here (for both sheet music and MP3s): fffa123jp's Yahoo! Briefcase

In “Corridors of Time,” Zohar somehow manages to juggle all of the instrumental melodies between two hands, giving an epic touch to the bittersweet nostalgia of the original.

In “Secret of the Forest,” his delicate touch and embellishments evoke the sleepy mystery of Guardia Forest.