Wednesday, January 25, 2006

-chapter 5 - The Day Before + by fredy+

"ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

"what the heck are they doing?"

"so noisy!"

"grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

"argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

'noises' like this started to fill our sleeping area. Nobody (except for a few LI HAI de) can really sleep under this kind of conditions. The Malaysian Band, Victoria Cadet band, woke up very early that day and made alot of unneccessary noise.

I looked around the whole sleeping area from my bed. Majority of the band members had been woken up by those CLING CLANG noise that the malaysian band produced the whole morning. I looked at time and it was 6 in the morning, I heard from the others that the malaysian band had actually made those noise since 5 or 530.

Today's schedule was very very tight. So no choice but need to urge them to be fast in action for today's schedule. Haryl and I discussed with Steven and decided to let them sleep a while more. We would call everyone up at about 630 am. We confirmed the schedule with Steven once more and went to do our own things (brush teeth.. etc).

DONG DING DING DONG~~~~~ 630~~ 630~~

yesh.. It was 630! Haryl and I went around waking everyone up from their beauty sleep. Some like Jason Ng were those that were VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY hard to wake up! haha. Please take note of the number of VERY. You can try waking him up next time! haha.

We gave them 1 hour to do their washing up and others. 730 - 830 will be their breakfast time.

hmm... the breakfast was basically the same for everyday during the hostel stays. Bread, jam, milk/coffee, cheese, ham.. Those were the things we ate during that 3 days of stay. Of course some didn't like the breakfast the hostel provide, so they ate cup noodles. haha.

Haryl and I asked the band members to get ready for sectional session after they had finished their breakfast.

The weather was much better than yesterday. We divided the whole band into 3 main sections. The Brass Section will follow Lin Sheng, Woodwind Section will follow Steven and while Percussion Section will have their own sectional.

The Brass Section went to the small open area within the hostel. Lin Sheng went through those pieces with them and corrected their mistakes.




Lin sheng conducting the BRASS Section


4 sets of 3 (3 euphos, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones and 3 horns) and 1 tuba!!!

see those serious faces


Lin Sheng conducting the brass section
*zhen cheng wore sandal, my god! he don't feel cold meh?*

The brass section was having a 'cold treat' of wind and our Woodwind section stay inside the hall the practice, together with percussion doing their sectional and discussion of parts.

Steven took the whole woodwind section

our hardworking woodwind section.

one more day! jia you!

wai yip and jason discussing parts

Taking note of dynamics, playing and our mistakes.

After the 2 hours of sectional, Lin Sheng led us for a full band. We run through all the competition pieces. Lin Sheng pointed out our mistakes and some points to take note of.

* this part no pics, only got video! haha*

After the full band, Lin Sheng hold the percussion section for sectional on the parts, while the rest of the band rest and get ready for lunch.

Lin Sheng conduct our sectional

Lin Sheng and Percussion Section prepared for back-up plan B if on the competition day, Elizabeth unable to make it. We divided up clearly and test run the parts with Lin Sheng. Everything went on smoothly. Time for lunch, Lin Sheng released us for lunch and get ready for the Rehearsal at the rehearsal place with all percussion instruments provided.

Lunch break, the things we ate were almost the same as the breakfast. I only found out that the dutch ate bread for breakfast and lunch. They only had a slightly more sumptuous meal at night. As a chinese idiom has said ' RU XIANG SUI SU '. So we also ate the same things as the dutch lo. hoho...

After lunch, it was about 130 pm. Haryl and I asked the band members to get ready to go to the rehearsal place. The rehearsal place was within walking distance, so Claudia and her daughter going to lead us there.

Claudia asked the percussion section to bring up the accessories instruments to her car and she will drive to the rehearsal place first. The Band together with Lin Sheng, Mrs Chia, Avis and Steven, followed Claudia's daughter to the rehearsal place. After a short walk, we then realised it is located at the hostel(the place where philwinds, NTU stays) that we went yesterday night. It was just across the road.

We waited outside for a while since NTU was inside rehearsing. I heard abit of their playing, not bad from outside. The percussion section went to bring down our instruments and carried into the hall. The hall was a something like a gumnasium hall, the acoustic not that fantastic but echo quite alot. Claudia signalled us to go in, the whole bunch of us swarmed in like nobody business, we never even waited for the NTU to clear and we barged in just like that. haha.

ok la, when we went in, the whole lot of them was clearing up le. Lin Sheng went in front, and shook hand with Lao Shi (Mr Luk Hoi Yu), then Lin Sheng and Lao Shi took a pic.

2 most experience conductors in Singapore!

Saw Elizabeth then we talked abit, she stayed back to have rehearsal with us. Jie Bao and Rasull also stayed back and played with us. Besides the 3 of them, NTU + ST Gab percussion master class teacher also there. I forgot her name, yu huan or something like that? sorry, i really forgot. She was there to give Elizabeth some pointers.

We started our pract, everything goes well, Percussion wise also good, we knew what we were going to play. Our coordination was not bad. Got abit of MO QI. So percussion shouldn't have any problem now.

We started with jericho, Lin Sheng point out some mistakes that the band made. we run through quite a bit. Then Loo Kit came. haha.. joined us for the rehearsal. Soon, Mr Adrian Chiang also came. Aaron too came. We never brought an extra trombone for him, so he need to go back to philwinds hostel and retrieve one. He came back and joined us shortly. Next Lin Sheng run through Vesuvius, then last one was Folklore for band.

Their timpani was so nice but one thing bad was the timpani cannot use harder mallets. The practice ended without much problem. Everything went smoothly. After we had run through those pieces, Lin Sheng wants to time our playing time. So, we played all 3 pieces once through without stopping.

This practice was quite fruitful, as we know how it will roughly sound in the hall with full percussion instruments. I like this pract.

Something I scared about the percussion instruments was, the xylophone. It sounded veryvery bright, I think it was made of maple wood (i think only, not sure). I cannot use the sticks that I usually used in Singapore. Luckily, we brought rubber mallets, if not sure die.. haha.. I had a hard time trying to get used to play on that xylo, attack must be very careful. Hard time.. haha. MUST PRACTICE!! haha..

We packed everything then Steven made announcements to the whole band. While I confirmed time with Loo Kit, Adrian, Aaron, Rasull, Jie Bao and Elizabeth. Percussion packed their things and put on Claudia's car. We cleared the hall and off we go...

We head back to our hostel, the walk back to hostel was not that long but we saw quite alot of ppl, with their dogs, skateboards and others. This town looked livelier today. haha.

Back at the hostel, everyone was given a free time until dinner time. After dinner will be another round or practice (full band). Everyone put down their instruments and get ready to go for a walk! haha. Steven, Avis and Mrs Chia going to bring the band members to the market near our hostel. Lin Sheng, Chan lun, Haryl, Me and a few more didn't go out. So we stay in the hostel. Lin Sheng went to sleep as he was tired.. I might most likely because of that malaysian band. The rest went to market or go to explore the town.

hoho, photos with MEH MEH...

walking down the street! haha. ben yap POSING! haha

very nice view at the back. haha.

While they went out to buy things, I lie on the bed, listening to songs. Lin Sheng sleeping, Haryl doing his own thing. The group that went out with Steven they all came back, Zhen Cheng bought fruits and cookies. The rest bought snacks, chips and french fries!! haha. Slowly, most of the members were back.

Dinner at 6, everyone was back by then. Bathed and ready for dinner. Today's dinner wasn't that bad, got that potato thingy rather nice. Lin Sheng sat with us, then we together talked about lots of things. Something like EXCO meeting.. haha...

Lin Sheng said we going to have full band practice outside. WHOA.. haha COLD~~~~ very cold!!

Haryl and I asked everyone to moved chairs out and get ready for practice. 730. We started our practice. THE WEATHER WAS SO COLD!! I THINK GOT 10 -12 Degrees ba!! cold leh~~~ haha... Everyone wear their jackets, sweaters or gloves to keep themselves warm. haha..

XIN KU LE Lin Sheng

It was so dry that we could easily hear our mistakes clearly. Everyone was shivering though somehow.. haha. So cannot be blamed also. That is the first time, I played my ratchet and tambourine with so much shakes in the sounds.. haha.. it was 9++pm at night (Holland time) and the sky was still so bright!!

We ran through all pieces, Lin Sheng said about listening to our mistakes cause of our dry acoustic. Finally, we managed to endure the cold weather throughout the whole practice. Lin Sheng told us what to look out for and said he will tune everyone later on when we get back into the hostel.

Just as when we were finishing, a man who looked like a gangster to me, came and took the tambourine, played with it... I was like OMG! haha... he looked funny and 'uncommentable'.. haha. Lin Sheng gave a thumb up for his 'performance' on the tambourine. Then he stopped. hahaha. Steven asked everyone to bring in their chairs and instruments. We shifted everything in, the ODD ODD man helped us too. He said we were guests so helped us. haha.. not bad ar.. free worker. haha.

We finished moving and now all of us inside the hostel. haha... now i felt the warmth! Mrs Chia called for the Hostel personnel, Mr Rob. He asked the ODD ODD man to go away as he looked as if he was distrubing us. Of course he went away after Mr Rob talked to him.

Lin Sheng gave Haryl and I the original scores of everything we going to play. We sorted everything out according to sections. We would give them to the section leader when the section come to tune.

Lin Sheng start tuning with trombone. the brass first. then slowly moved on the other sections. they were asked not to touch their instruments, leave it there, don't keep it until tomorrow and OF COURSE as USUAL, there were some who don't know how to listen to instructions.

Lin Sheng tune all sections (i think except for flutes) and finally finished. Haryl and I were told that today must have lights off at 11. Actually no need to ask them sleep by 11 cause alot of them have been to tired to do anything else, so just "POMP" on their bed and slept.

11 at the night, Haryl and I went around to check for "survivor". Only some left zhen qiang, zhen cong and zhen cheng.. they were eatign noodles.. haha.. yeah.. and we asked to sleep after they finished their food.

yeah.. the day drew nearer and nearer.

chapter 6 - the judgement day.