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Post by AIMEE WINTERS on Feb 17, 2014 6:16:44 GMT -8
He knew nothing about photography? Well she knew nothing about music. "It can be one of the most exhilarating careers and one of the most frustrating all in one week." She said. Eager to change the topic from her and back onto him, she focused back on the music. Aimee wasn't exactly a fan of talking about herself. She liked to think she was a private person and while she loved taking pictures of other people and telling their stories, she wasn't exactly keen to share hers. American strings, Japanese strings, Aimee knew no difference. All she knew was that they had strings that had the potential to be plucked and make beautiful music depending on who played it. "That sounds really neat." She agreed. Aimee knew nothing about music, though she wish she had. Playing the piano had been something of a fantasy for Aimee when she was younger. She always envied those who had musical abilities. She alas did not and was stuck to the sidelines watching it be performed. "What inspired you to play music?" She asked curiously. She always enjoyed hearing what inspired other people to do what they did. Was it a passion he shared with a parent? Was he inspired by someone else? As they neared the bottom, the ride paused to let some eager riders off.
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Post by KEIJIRO WATANABE on Feb 19, 2014 7:44:16 GMT -8
Keijiro could certainly understand that--the excitement of practicing your art, of impressing people with your vision. Keijiro had always had that--a vision of what he wanted things to sound like. It had taken him years to get to the point where he could actually play things the way he wanted to, where what he heard matched what was in his head, but even so it could be frustrating. People frequently demanded things that simply weren't possible, and while he did his best to please, he could certainly understand being frustrated by it.
For Keijiro it wasn't either parent--it was himself, and at least part of it was his desperate need to live up to what he never really would be. "I always liked music, and when it came time to choose what I would focus on, the choice seemed obvious. Traditional instruments are dying out, being replaced by European varieties. There's a high demand for them though. An American who has never even studied in Japan would make more money playing a Japanese instrument then a Japanese person could realistically hope to make playing an american instrument." When you could count the number of professional players of your instrument in the whole of the united states on one hand, you had a niche, and you could exploit that for some damn good money.
AIMEE WINTERS | MAY 26TH, 8 PM |
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Post by AIMEE WINTERS on Feb 22, 2014 8:43:04 GMT -8
His words made sense. Aimee wasn't even sure she had ever heard a Japanese instrument being played, and if she had, she certainly hadn't been aware of it. What were Japanese instruments anyway? She made a mental note to look them up later. "That's really neat. It must be so cool to be one of the few people in the country…the world?" She questioned "That can do that. It's unique. Definitely something to be proud of. I'm sure your family is very very proud." She nodded in agreement with her statement. "Do you play concerts? Or…someone who plays those kinds of instruments? She reached up to pull her hair that had been making it's way in front of her face back. "I'd love to see them. And see how they sound."Aimee hoped that didn't seem awkward. She prayed to whomever that it wouldn't sound awkward. She just really wanted to listen and see the music. Some of her favorite subjects were often musicians. They were so focused on their work and one could see the passion radiate off of them which compelled her to capture the moment. It was genuinely a beautiful moment, one that she enjoyed photographing immensely. "If not oh well. I'll just have to keep an eye out for those events." She shrugged. If anyone knew about anything coming up having to do with traditional Japanese instruments, surely he would be the one to know about it.
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Post by KEIJIRO WATANABE on Feb 24, 2014 7:40:03 GMT -8
He hesitated, trying to decide if 'few' could count. He supposed it could, as there weren't that many people in Japan even. "Most people don't practice the older instruments. They simply go straight to the piano or violin, or another western instrument. Even in Japan they aren't terribly popular." After the war, people had largely given up old signs of their Japanese heritage, westernizing in droves. Most instruments had nearly died out, carried into the future by only a few masters who were eager to teach. As for his parents being proud... well, that was certainly a grey area. Probably they were proud, but few parents were actually eager to show that sort of pride for anything less then the absolute best.
"No, not concerts. At some ceremonies sometime, and occasionally in Japan I'd play with groups, but nothing by myself." Not many string instruments were played solo.
He found himself flushing slightly, vaguely embarrassed that he was speaking so much about himself. It generally wasn't done, so he opted to steer the conversation towards more general terms. "If you're interested in traditional Japanese instruments, there's a Japanese-American Cultural Center in LA that does a lot of little shows and tutorials." A lot of what they did was Hawaiian as well, but the two cultures crossed over a lot in America, and Keijiro didn't mind at all.
AIMEE WINTERS | MAY 26TH, 8 PM |
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