CoSy tuNes

Its OvEr!

2007-05-27T10:05:00.000+08:00

Its FinAlly over!! :) year 3 exams... the rest is really not up to me anymore... although i m dead worried about the results... i shall try not to think much about it... this time... I really worked very hard... the hardest i possibly could... very glad to have the company of many people around me... florrine, kaiping, shiying, jieqi, navath.... :) I hope ALL of US do very well for this year's exams!! efforts may not necessarily commensurate... but not matter what happens... i am glad to have taken some very interesting courses and had satisfied my curiosity on various economic topics of interest...

one of the first things that I did after exams was a non-stop surfing of you tube live performance videos of lee hom, jay chou, cao ge... they are soooo inspiring!! :) these are really the standards to emulate towards! it seems like a really long way to go...

during a CNN interview of Lee Hom, one thing he mentioned was particularly striking. When asked to give advice for singers contemplating the entertainment industry, he said that the most important thing is - to be true to yourself. He said that many people are lured by promises of stardom if you do this this this and that... being true to yourself is often what makes you special... :)

I never knew jay chou and lee hom are such outstanding pianists!! check out the videos

check out this short interview by hei ren with jay chou and lee hom..... and he made them sing each other's songs! without background music... one can really hear how great their vocals are!

never have i been so impressed with the both of them!

Happy New Year!!!

2007-01-05T09:49:00.000+08:00

HAPPY 2007 everyone!

i realised that i have neglected this website...!!! maybe cuz i was a little dejected with the lack of views and response.... thus wanting to blog on my xanga more where friends can reach out to me easier....

2006 has been a wonderful year.... the most significant thing that has happened to me is none other than -

the TJC campus concert!

it was the first time i actually supervised a concert from head to toe.... together with a great company of ppl from mainworks and temasek jc.... i was having my internship then so have to juggle between the 2.... thankfully my boss ryan was v understanding and gave me leaves so i cld make it for the full dress and final rehearsals... it is also the first time i actually approach (and bargain) with a shop for sponsorship... tks ranking sports! i wonder when will we hv a time to perform agn... i miss singing chinese songs! hahaha...

the next most significant thing would be -

being casted for Excess Baggage The Musical!!!

http://www.excessbaggage-themusical.com/

go visit the site!! it is really v pretty and creative!! wat a talented webmaster gangwei!

in fact i think i am spending more time going for rehearsals than my lectures and homework combined (also becuz i have a slacker term 1 with only 3 modules) the scale of this musical is unprecedented by any other overseas sporean production.... just look at the no. of sponsors... i am really amazed with the admin team.... it is also the first time i guess any sporean group is putting up a musical for charity in london.... so honoured to be involved.... it is also the first time i am involved in a big theatre production solely for charity.... feels so much more meaningful..... and as a result ppl in the team are much more giving... there will almost always be (sponsored) food for any rehearsal.... unprecedented!

meanwhile.... i have lots to practise in preparation for the big day.... have also been wondering about the way i sing the songs... how can i sound better? am i sounding too forced? am i emoting correctly? just don't wanna let anyone down.... the efforts put together have been tremendous... yes there will be a lot of pressure... there will be many criticisms along the way hoping to generate a better end product.... many a times it will seem that giving ur best isn't gd enuff......

a few friends have told me in private that my demeanour seems to exhibit a lack of confidence... i guess that is quite true.... although yes i have been involved in many productions.... i have lived thru many disappointments... i am afraid of failure... maybe tts why i m afraid to try sometimes.... bcuz rejection can kill... and destruct my self esteem.... rip me apart.... leave me days to wonder whether was i ever gd enuff in the first place.... seems like a price to pay to love the stage..... shd i climb higher or shd i settle for less? will i risk falling greater?

will i rise to the occasion?

Online resources!

2006-08-29T14:08:00.000+08:00

have been going thru music instructional videos, listening to some piano music on this website

http://www.baypianist.com/

by a talented pianist Alan, tt plays in US (i think) for functions, cocktail events! his piano styles has a lot of classy feel in it... there is a lot of rhythmic 'space' in between his melodies... thus allowing ppl to easily feel relaxed listening to it..

piano music was an indispensable component which aid me during exams prep in apr... haha wondered if it made me too relax~

looking music instructional videos?

guitar
http://www.fenderplayersclub.com/woodshed/lessons_by_style/lessons_by_style.htm
some very clear explanations about theory... if u cant be bothered with theory like me... can jump into listening to the audio examples and videos...
although they only give a glimpse of their respective books... i think the introduction can really set ppl in the right directions.... otherwise, u may end up like me playing for many years on guitar but still havent grasp the fundamentals well.... forming bad habits...

piano
http://video.google.com
http://www.youtube.com
i tried searching ard for "piano lessons", piano techniques".... usually contains only v basic stuff and not in the right chinese pop music styles tt i wan to learn....

oh another website is
http://www.playpianotoday.com
quite inspirational and makes everything seem like easy.... concept of playing piano by mastering rhythmic patterns is unprecedented!

after looking ard.... i guess the take away for today is....

its all about practicing in the right direction!

Learning an instrument

2006-08-28T17:40:00.000+08:00

yesterday, ronald and wee chuan came over to my place to practise for a teachers' day perf on this friday... they came to ask me for comments regarding the arrangement of the whole song... think i am not really used 'telling ppl wat to do'... most of the time, i think there are so many ways to express a song... think it is subjective wat makes a good perf... in my opinion, there is no perfect performance objectively... it can only be perfect subjectively....

after the "qi dian" perf, bazang said this... "everyone's satisfaction is counted by the effort they put in"... i tot this was very true.... personally i felt very attached to the whole event and have a great sense of relief tt everything went well.... i was on a 'high'... but guess not everyone feels the same...

in the broad sense... the more u give.. the more u shall recieve... in more ways than one...

i am impressed with ronald's passion for music... in a matter of weeks, his keyboard skills improved by leaps (in fact he bought a keyboard 2 days after our perf).... he always ask me abt how to improve his vocals... his desire to excel really touches me at times... i regret tt i cldnt offer him as much as he desired to learn... this also means tt there is a lot for me to learn too... singing and teaching singing is really 2 different things... i cldnt identify what exercises are necessary to correct his problems.....

weechuan is pretty gifted on the guitar... he only started learning guitar for about 2 years plus and he is already quite adept to fingerstyles playing.... i.e familiar with the scales.... for instance, after so long, i cld only play 'one set' of scales for C on the guitar, weechuan cld play 5 sets... have to buck up man... also, i think he is more steady in strumming than me....

i think learning an instrument is really about continuous practice. there is no substitute for that. and next, you have to truly believe in yourself that you possess the potential....

ur voice is ur natural musical instrument!

When do you usually start thinking about plans for future?

2006-08-17T16:28:00.000+08:00

Haven't blogged for some time already... have been thinking abt many things....

Felt tt my prev blog got some overlapping pts abt being an instrumentalist.... dun really know how to summarise it though... it is just a feeling... somehow... an inspiration abt being a better performer... one tt is ready to entertain/sing a song well... anytime... on demand.... and enjoy it.... and of cse, sing well....

Quite a couple of things i wld like to do, still contemplating...
1. Sell off ibook, upgrade to mac book
2. Diving trip
3. Music arrangement/keyboard lessons
4. Singing lessons

money money money... haha... i ll really become penniless if i do all of it... must be more selective man... meanwhile, think i am spending a lot on karaoke, movies, meals too... maybe can cut down on tt.... must balance up somewhere....

also hope to bring my family out for a meal or org a chalet... "family comes first"

feels gd to be doing stuff tt are more "operational" in the dept for the past 2 days... been packing the trip folder for stockholm world water week... also learnt more from chris abt what our dept does... seems like IBR is really a gd way to know more abt PUB... wonder if it is possible to come back after i finished my studies... been having fun with my colleagues!

been searching for masters course also... looking into the area of finance, finanicial mathematics, environmental economics, environment planning.... finance/maths cuz i think that is where my strength lies.... environmental stuff cuz i think it is rather interesting and can help in future work... really hope to go to US to do 1 year of masters... wah... tt means 2 more years to b away frm spore...

ultimately, hope i can always stay in touch with music...

nid new goals, new directions!

Performer vs Instrumentalist

2006-08-08T12:50:00.000+08:00

wEnt to ai Qin Hai ming ge can ting yesterday... we were a quite a big grp.. joining like 4 tables and occupying a gd view of the stage... at first, i was kind of disappointed cuz there were only 2 performers for the nite... but i was overwhelmed eventually... and amazed by the talent tt laid in front of my eyes...

both performers are singers cum guitarists, malaysians, both having fully resonating voice... at first i din gave them much attention.. but as they sang more and more of the higher difficulty songs... and looking at how well they pulled it off... i really got to give it to them...

some memorable songs
- heaven knows
- ru guo ni hai ai wo
- xiao zheng gu niang
- jiang nan
- shen bian
- shao nian
- shan hu hai
- fa ru xue
- kiss goodbye
- some hokkien songs (mayday)
- some cantonese songs ( leo ku)
- many many....

knowing how to play an instrument is not enough.... playing accompaniment at right tempo, right emphasis is also not good enough....

there is some extra ingredients... one which separates someone who is just a plain instrumentalist from a performer that shines...

1. desire
2. confidence
3. ability
4. attitude

as i took the stage to sing my own song (when the performance is over), i realised there was anxiety not excitement.... my confidence started to break down... somehow... i feel rather shy.... and this I think is lethal to any performer..... feeling restricted, uncomfortable unnecessarily will only make the audience awkward as a result...

as i observe my own voice.... it is seriously lacking in creating that wonderfully resonating, open throat sound.... it lacks spaciousness... much of the effort may be going to the wrong direction...

i hope to be more fluid in my transitions, more spacious in my high notes, more feeling in my expression, more accurate in hitting my notes, more rounded when finishing every line...

keep working! aspire to be a 'performer'!

Qi Dian Concert... Success!

2006-08-06T00:48:00.000+08:00

Yo yo yo! after 3 weeks of hard work... burning sundays at joo chiat cc... sometimes weekdays also... lots of admin, decisions, practice, tech prob... finally.. leading to roaring success of qi dian concert!!

it is really not an easy task to put together a performance.... it requires everyone's coorperation and effort... i am amazed at how everyone can all be centred towards an ultimate aim... then each find his own ways to solve problems in their respective responsibilites... humans are such wonderful creatures!

before this, i have neva led vocal warm ups.... nor attempt try to arrange vocal accompaniment with 'sha la la'... have not performed playing guitar..... have not sung a wholely self-written compo in public....... so glad to have gathered a lot of new experiences with in preping for this concert..... also been v busy.... but all worth it!

haha.... first time i try to get 'sponsorship' frm a music shop and sort of succeeded... (cuz they were v nice).... and even negotiated for discounts for our audience.... ;)

so happy.. to be part of such a 'wen xin' campus concert...!

as for the muchuan audition, eh.. i really screwed up quite a bit... cuz i attempted to play keyboard and sing at the same time.... in the end, i became quite nervous and made a few mistakes... plus my head didnt keep still in front of the mic... so.. flop...

not pinning much hopes on the audition le... meanwhile just hope to keep improving... and write nicer songs...

objective: hope to do something part-time related to music in future.....

music maketh me... ;)

3 weeks of waiting....

2006-07-21T22:07:00.000+08:00

Muchuan finally called up~

Yes i got into the 2nd round... but it seems like it could be the end too.... i have waited so long... called them a few times... finally they say tt the audition would be held next wed... hmm... wat efficiency....

what should i sing... should i even attempt to play instrument myself? but will tt compromise my singing...

spare the thought! dun think so much... maybe i shd just sing songs suitable for me and conc on singing....

have been really busy past few weeks... a few things are going on at the same time.... tjc self compo performance on 4 Aug.... skit for pub scholars award ceremony on 26 jul.... and the 2nd rd audition is on 26 jul too...

i am tired but i really enjoy the singing sessions with the students doing the tj performance.... thinking of ideas to arrange the song.... way of showcasing.... it is pretty exciting! :) but going for practise after work is quite siong... i have been returning home at 11pm plus for the past 2 days... plus i usually have to type a mail or 2 before i sleep... and meanwhile i am also trying to refine the lyrics for my own song... my body seems to be on the verge... plus now hit with a cold...

gambatte..... for passion!

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

2006-07-07T23:36:00.000+08:00

Suddenly was down with fever on tue nite.. it really just came out of sudden.... I felt that my stomach was super bloated after dinner which was a bowl of yong tau foo (which was unusual).. then i felt my spine aching.... went home lie on bed but couldnt get to sleep... sweated a bit... then might as well wake up an watch world cup germany vs italy... (where i became the only one awake throughout)... finally took 2 panadol and slept till noon... woke up with a headache but still have to go for meeting...

Fever really makes one feel miserable man...

Woo.. finally got down to doing some recordings.... something which i quite enjoy... and time just seem to pass when i keep recording and rerecording.... most of the time when i make a mistake... i have no choice but to start all over again (since i dun really have the expertise to cut and paste flawlessly) guess it is good training la... =)

That time at muchuan heard this vocal teacher ah du singing and playing "somewhere over the rainbow" fantastically... really inspirational.... took down his clip... still dunno many of the weird chords he was playing.... but then i have decided to attempt this sing... cuz it is also one of my fav... but i cld neva play it well enuff to accompany my own singing..... actually now also not very good la...

here are my humble attempts...

Somewhere over the Rainbow (from the Wizard of Oz)

before dinner
version 1

after dinner
version 2
version 3 (more improv)

With Adobe Audition.. it is easy to simulate the reverb just like singing on an actual theatre stage... thats what makes recording more fun nowadays... then again it make sound a bit unreal and modified... but it does make the singing less "hard" and "stiff"....

Which version do u like? or all also dun like... haha... feedback feedback... :)

Song Update: 心像雨

2006-07-04T01:11:00.000+08:00

A friend suggested me to add this into my song pool.... Actually this is definitely one of my favourite because it is comfortable to sing and has a good rhythm... =)

I wrote the melody part of the song whereas another friend came out with the lyrics. The lyrics were actually written first and passed to me, I sat on it for a few weeks and the melody just pop in my head one fine nite.... it was the chorus that was borned first.... I struggled with the tune for the verses.... came out the the front bit first... in the end needed help from the lyricist a connecting part to the chorus...

Thinking back it was around Apr 2004 that this was written... though early... it represents one of my better works til date~
Hope you like it!

心像雨

Song
曲：信玮　词：秋美
唱：信玮
吉他：贵福
Apr 04

Personally I assume too much interpretation on the lyrics because it is not written by me... but in general, it connects the feeling of loss of love metaphorically with rain. Beautiful lyrics. How both ideas can interwine and contrast.

It was orginally intended for the melody to be written in a melancholic manner. However, with a twist, the tune has become rather upbeat. In my opinion, this gives the song a more reflective than narrative feeling. Thus the sadness becomes more subtle as oppose to a song tt just cries out its heartaching emotions.

How do you find the song? Comments?

CoSy Music is now CoSy tuNes

2006-07-02T00:45:00.000+08:00

i was pretty sad yesterday cuz I just realised www.cosymusic.com was taken up... i remembered checking not too long ago and cosymusic.com din bring me anywhere.... but to my surprise, it has been taken up like 2 years ago...

was intending to wait for nov this yr when it expire to buy it.... however, this afternoon saw alvin online and he suggested another name... cosytunes~ which i tot was rather perfecT! and it sounds shorter too! also felt tt its quite a catchy name... so decided to use it instead lor.... well the meaning of the site is preserved too...

have u guys ever felt the fire in u being ignited? this afternoon i really felt it... it feels like... i am finally beginning on something REAL... and i am free to explore on the site and work on whichever direction i wan to...

indeed.. i dream to sing and i sing to dream...

CoSy Music is Up...

2006-06-30T14:30:00.000+08:00

PHew... after being glued to my laptop screen for the past few days... finally got something satisfactory up and running...

Has always been my wish to build something like this, had attempted an earlier version of CoSymusic at http://cosymusic.atspace.com. But gave up because the template was rigid and gaving my problems to maintain using Dreamweaver. So decided to try blogger instead, which has a rather pleasing interface.

So... please feel free to leave comments and have fun listening and downloading the music... =)

Some acknowledgements
Blog hosted by http://www.blogger.com
Theme by http://blogger-templates.blogspot.com
Mp3 hosted by http://www.box.net
Background music hosted by http://sg.geocities.yahoo.com
Hit Counter by http://www.counterbank.com
Tag Board by http://www.tag-board.com
Photo slideshow http://www.flickr.com

Thanks Alvin for convincing me that this is something worth doing, and for providing me with advice on dealing with my mac and website problems. Thanks to Yasi for giving me a wake-up call, and reminding me that she will always be my loyal fan.

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone out there who had inspired the recordings in one way or another. Special mention: Cheeshan and Jingkai for even participating in some of the recordings!

Music knows no boundaries! Join my journey now! ;)

My CoSy Friends

2006-06-30T04:22:00.000+08:00

Alvin Lai
Angeline
Beetin
Bertilla
Candy
Kaby
Kenneth
Lyn
Jason
Javier
Jeremy
Mingyuan
Vanessa
WeiXin
Xinzhuan
Xiuli

Do let me know if I missed you out =) ... or if I should not have put your blog up =S

My CoSy Links

2006-06-30T03:49:00.000+08:00

The Mainworks
www.themainworks.com

Without which, my passion for music and singing would not have been ignited. Sometimes, people would ask if I am in a band. No, I am not! I am in the Mainworks! The Mainworks or more fondly known as 主流一派, is a Youth Cultural Group under Joo Chiat Community Club. During the glorious 新谣 days which the group first started out in 1990, they held big scale performances and self compo selection across the nation. Since then, we have taken over and organised various performances, song writing camps, and even an original musical play in Sep 05. My performing buddies, mahjong mates, kopi khakis~

ProjectDiy.net
www.projectdiy.net
Substance. Thats what we are talking about. =) A trio of instrumentalist, vocalist, lyricist can create wonderful magic. Listen to some of their works!

Unleash Music
www.unleashmusic.com
To spread the spirit of ' Making Music, Not Money . UnLeash Music, UnLeash Creativity' through the internet world.

About CoSy tuNes

2006-06-30T03:00:00.000+08:00

What is CoSy tuNes?

CoSy tuNes is my own personal music blog which serves a few purpose
- Sharing my self-compositions with friends and family
- Platform to interact and meet other music lovers (they provide me the inspiration to build my website in the first place)
- Discuss, collaborate, share, appreciate, critique music freely

Why is it called "CoSy tuNes"?

I personally feel that music can have a healing effect on people. While studying in London, I often find myself craving for Chinese radio/music, which has the power of warping me back home momentarily. Thus, it gave me the idea of calling the music I like as "cosy music", synonymous to the warm feeling of home. When I discovered that the domain cosymusic.com was taken up, my friend suggested "cosy tunes", which I thought sounded perfect.

Thus, it is the kind of music I strive to create, one that is soothing to the ears, fills your senses, one that you can easily connect with. Hope that with every piece of music, you can relive a story, be it mine or your own. =)

Disclaimer: Limited by equipment and skills, I can only aspire towards that standard. The website presents my own works-in-progress and thus not perfect. So, please keep your expectations low low low. Thank you! I will keep striving towards producing better music!

My CoSy tuNes (Pop)

2006-06-29T23:37:00.000+08:00

月亮代表我的心 originally by 邓丽君
cosy version

One of my early piano accompaniment piece. Recorded it when I just moved into my new house at Finsbury Park, London. Excited after unveiling my keyboard in its new setting, so I jumped into recording it.

如果你还爱我 originally by 光良
cosy version

A song which I can feel for really. Implying any real life situations? Maybe. HAHA. rejection, however subtle is painful I guess. =) well, face up to reality and live on. But in the meantime, singing is a good form of expressing the sorrows.

翅膀 originally by 林俊杰
cosy version

Went for audition at theark cafe (木船民歌餐厅) yesterday with this song. Really hope to get in at least to the 2nd round. It has been my long wish to be able to sing in a music cafe. Thanks to Alex, Angeline, Wenhui for coming to support. And not to forget Amber who even got dragged by me to go audition together. Hope we can both get in!

童话 originally by 光良
cosy version 1 / cosy version 2

Haha. This is done during a jamming session back in Feb 06 at Cheeshan's place. Entertaining ourselves before the fury of exams hit us in March. Version 1 is a trial run. Version 2 was done after that. The other singer with the sexy husky voice is Jingkai. Haha!

普通朋友 originally by David Tao
cosy version

Okie. This was done during the same jamming session. But this is more of a joke cuz we din even finish recording. Want to find out why? Listen to it!

My CoSy Videos

2006-06-29T22:59:00.000+08:00

Under Construction - Yet to find a video host. Any suggestions?

My CoSy tuNes (Original)

2006-06-29T21:24:00.000+08:00

心像雨 Raining Heart

Song
曲：信玮　词：秋美
Apr 04

Personally I won't assume too much interpretation on the lyrics because it is not written by me... but in general, it connects the feeling of loss of love metaphorically with rain. Beautiful lyrics. How both ideas can interwine and contrast.

It was orginally intended for the melody to be written in a melancholic manner. However, with a twist, the tune has become rather upbeat. In my opinion, this gives the song a more reflective than narrative feeling. Thus the sadness becomes more subtle as oppose to a song tt just cries out its heartaching emotions.

暗恋　Secretly in Love

Song /Lyrics
词曲：信玮
19 Feb 06

This song is about a guy who unknowingly falls in love with a girl.... during junior college days... however never had a chance to know her..... or even talk to her.... many years later they got to know each other... by fate or by chance.... but no one knows what the future holds for them....

I discover this rather cool chord progression combination by random playing (A, Bb, F#m, B)... it is unusual compared to what i usually play.... and i tot it fits the pop rock kind of song perfectly... would be nice if can be integrated with a full band... drums base electric guitar... in terms of playing... i am not used to playing so fast too... so after adding the vocal variations.. it became a v challenging song to record once thru without editing.... i did about 15 over times...

Here is another version with the help of Cheeshan's guitar accompaniment. His guitar playing is so steady!

为你着迷　Crazy for you
Song / Lyrics
词：信玮 / 曲：Cheeshan
19 Feb 06

This song can be interpreted as an imagination from the guy's perspective or something that did happened.... With doubts about love, the guy eventually professses his love to the girl on Valentines' day with a splendid surprise at her home.... As both of them takes a stroll in the park under the glittering starry skies, he reaches out and holds her hand. Courtship love is no longer a mystery for both of them

Jazz guitar is obviously beyond my ability now. Special thanks to Cheeshan for music accompaniment and coming with this wonderful jazz riff. With that i exercised my imagination to fill in the lyrics and melody.

无能为力　Letting Go

Song / Lyrics
词曲：信玮
31 Dec 05

最远的距离，不是空间，不是时间. 是心与心之间。美丽的景色，又代表了些什么？

Wrote the lyrics in May 2005. Only filled the tune in December after my ski trip when i got nothing to do at home... and all i can do is jam my piano and guitar.... Yesh... i know the piano part is quite stiff... guess gonna take me a few years to get better.... One of my all time favourites for now.... maybe due to my penchant for the sound of piano..... and love ballets.... ;)

Why is the setting on a train and surrounded by lush and green? That's because I was sitting on a train from Scotland back to London. Overwhelmed with emotions, I couldn't help but penned this down...

开启　Open Ｕp

Song / Lyrics
词曲：信玮
6 Aug 05

不放开心怀，怎么能建立长久的友谊？你有将心比心的知己吗？

This song is written specially for the musical Missing Romeo. It is a friendship song meant to celebrate the years of brotherhood between Haolun and Joel. The idea for this song is that it is supposed to be playful and jovial.... a banter between buddies. Eventually. the song is used but the lyrics were amended by Lance (who plays Joel) so that the language and content would have a better fit... as usual... lack of flair for lyrics...

不敢相信爱　Can I Trust Love?

Song / Lyrics
词曲：信玮
31 Jul 05

当你试着全心去爱时，生命的意义仿佛就集中在一个点上。你有过心酸感觉吗？　是否怀疑过真爱？

The background behind this song is a pretty mythical tale... it is up to you whether you believe or not.... The guy in the story had just suffered a breakup. He is at one of his most down points in his life.... trying to pick himself up again.... gradually letting time pass and love to fade.... into perhaps... nothingness.... He embrarks on a holiday alone to a new place.... and meets a new friend on the plane.... because she is so nice... it just seems like and angel has befell upon him..... She brings him around and listens to his story... there... as he returned on flight back home... He sheds his last tears for his previous relationship... there... the magic continues....

是梦吗？　Just A Dream?

Song / Lyrics
词曲：信玮
28 Jan 05

长途恋情，你有尝试过吗？梦与实之间，如何取得平衡？如何找到自己？顿时，我宁愿停留在梦里。

Okay... i got to admit... This is about me... haha... over the months and years... i have got to learn a lot about long distance relationship... my own experience... my friend's experience.... movies... dramas.... success and failures.... there is nothing definite about it.... sometimes it is the guy, sometimes it is the girl.... sometimes for a few months... sometimes a few years...
There is happiness and sadness... in the end, it is what you make of it....
What is true is you can never carry on a LDR expecting that it will be the same as a normal relationship... often, it is about coping with your own loneliness... finding yourself and who you really are... what you really need... i suppose... in every relationship, you always learn something about yourself.... ur limits, ur expectations, ur willingness to sacrifice....
I heard of a saying ''You are strongest when you are lonely'' bcuz you have no vulnerable spots... you don't depend on anyone or anything... nothing can break you... well i beg to differ... i think love in all forms makes us humans strong.... love is omnipotent, it can make and break us....

Christmas Surprise

词曲：信玮
Song /Lyrics
22 Dec 03

A jouney into someone's Christmas' surprise. Planning a surprise for someone?

This is definitely my first proper piece of music.... basically the technical part of it was that i was fanscinated by the key transposition in 黑色幽默 from A to C.... so i fiddled with the chords of the A key.... and came up with this short Christmas jingle... It is the Yamaha classcial guitar that you are hearing... contrary to many of the other pieces that was played in acoustic.... One of my all time favourites.. :)

AbOut Me

2006-06-29T20:07:00.001+08:00

Who am I?

Aspiring singer songwriter, endeavours in musical improvements, loves jamming with friends and meet fellow music lovers!

Xin Wei　信玮　22 M.
19 Dec 83 Sagittarius A+ Pig
Year 2 Economics UCL
wongxinwei@gmail.com / wongxinwei@hotmail.com
singing, performing, swimming, climbing, kopi w friends, song writing
loves to be close to nature
plays guitar, keyboard.

"if something doesn't kill you, it ll only make you stronger."
"passion creates possibilities"

Music Training
Vocal 1.5 years @ Hark Music School from Mr Wilson Kwa
Keyboard 4 months @ Attitude Music & Hark Music School

Competition
TJC Talent time 00 Solo - Runner up
TJC Talent time 01 Group - Champion
Star Search 03 - Top 100 Finalists
NTU Impressario 04 - Semifinalist
NUS Talentquest 04 - Quarterfinalist

Performing Experience
Various events with The Mainworks
Various charity events with NUS
Missing Romeo - Musical Play @ Jubilee Hall Sep 06
Crazy for you - Musical @ UCL Bloomsbury Theatre Dec 06
PIE - Spoilt @ Kings College Greenwood Theatre Mar 06
Asian Boys @ LSE Old Theatre Mar 06
LSE MSS Nite @ LSE Old Theatre Mar 06

Music Related Activities
The Mainworks Songwriting Camp @ NACLI Dec 03
The Mainworks-CCC Songwriting Camp @ TJC Jun 06

I dream to sing and I sing to dream.

My CoSy Photos

2006-06-29T14:44:00.000+08:00

Flash Slideshow

My New Compositions

2006-02-20T07:53:00.000+08:00

its one week holiday yeah... would be a sin if i dun come up with anything.... actually i am not too sure why i am in a composition mood also... maybe cuz its valentines' day... and love fills the air....

An Lian (Secretly in Love)
http://download.server3.come2store.com/wongxinwei/anlian.mp3
Description:
This song is about a guy who unknowingly falls in love with a girl.... during junior college days... however never had a chance to know her..... or even talk to her.... many years later they got to know each other... by fate or by chance.... but no one knows what the future holds for them....
Lyrics:
http://download.server3.come2store.com/wongxinwei/anlian.doc
Comments:
I discover this cool chord progression combination by random playing... it is unusual compared to what i usually play.... and i tot it fits the pop rock kind of song perfectly... would be nice if can be integrated with a full band... drums base electric guitar... in terms of playing... i am not used to playing so fast~ so adding the vocal variations.. it became a v challenging song to record once thru without editting.... i did about 15 over times...

Wei Ni Zhao Mi (Crazy for you)
http://download.server3.come2store.com/wongxinwei/wei%20ni%20zhao%20mi.mp3
Description:
This song can be interpreted as an imagination from the guy's perspective or something that did happened.... With doubts about love, the guy eventually professses his love to the girl on Valentines' day with a splendid surprise at her home.... As both of them takes a stroll in the park under the glittering starry skies, he reaches out and holds her hand. Courtship love is no longer a mystery for both of them~
Lyrics:
http://download.server3.come2store.com/wongxinwei/weinizhaomi.doc
Comments:
Jazz guitar is obviously beyond my ability now. Special thanks to Cheeshan for music accompaniment and coming with this wonderful jazz riff. With that i exercised my imagination to fill in the lyrics and melody.

Hope you like them!!

i have just recieved the video files for our open mic performance on fri... if u have a high bandwidth can consider downloading... the video links will expire in 1 week... so act fast~

ai hen jian dan
http://s63.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2DLU1MKO47A270T4N5RDYZQZ0J

tong hua
http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=158FJG59N71IC3Q33LF9ZP193U
http://s53.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1REXZ1Q37EJOM16V9MBWS9HXCH

Enjoy~ ;)

Open Mic 17 Feb 06

2006-02-20T07:52:00.000+08:00

The week has been a rather fufilling one for me....

Had rehearsals for SPL on Tue, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat... that is almost everyday..... but on top of that i managed to find time to jam at Cheez's place... and played guitar... and went to perform for a open mic performance organised by our friends.... featuring the theme valentine...

Visit www.pie-spoilt.blogspot.com to find out more about what plays i am doing.... and what roles i am playing~ :) haha

I know i am just trying to console myself... but i managed to get myself to sit in library on wed afternoon to study... and tt was it... simply not enough.... yeah?

Invited the PUB scholars gang over to my place for dinner tonight... all of them are sooo nice.... we just kept helping each other... full of initiative.... cracked jokes and kept laughing.... they also did the entire cleaning up... my table ended up being the cleanest it had been for the last few weeks~ Knowing that these are the people that I may work with in future... i feel elated~ :)

The open mic event on Fri was terrific!! There was a sort of a mini-competition for the best performance..... our group (though not intended to be) won it~ got vouchers for chinatown restaurant and a box of really lovely choclates~ The items are as follows:

1. YangWen - Lovers' Concerto
2. YangWen & Xin Wei - Ni Zui Zhen Gui
3. Xin Wei - Ai Hen Jian Dan
4 Jingkai & Xin Wei - Tong Hua

Here are some pictures:

Yangwen performing lovers' concerto with Jingkai

Jingkai (my singing cum guitarist partner) and me...

The sumptous chocolate buffet prepared by angela and shining...

So glad to have a chance to sing mandarin pop here in london! :)

Oh ya.. I managed to cook chicken rice... not perfect... but definitely shiok~!

One of the few blues bar in london~ went there last sunday.... my first encounter will pure blues music....

arghh.. i am sooo sleepy... there is still rehearsal tml... its sunday... gotta wake up early tml~ sigh sigh... nite nite

Shortie Entertainment Auditions

2006-02-20T07:51:00.000+08:00

it mid term break! just another about 6 weeks to end of school... then only left with exams.... and year 2 is over~

enjoying my hot cup of caramel chocolate.... to me... a hot drink always reminds me how fortunate i am... to be alive... enjoying quite a comfortable life... with food n shelter.... things that we often may take for granted.....

auditions this week was alright.... the guy (weng yu) that was supposed to pick me up to his place was 1hr late cuz he needed to send a friend to hospital..... he said that he did not have my number with him... well.... i just hoped that he would inform me earlier... but i think there is no need to get angry with him....

the purpose of this audition is to see how we can improvise the songs.... given a more comfortable setting and the opportunity to see our own recordings..... and then work to improve it.... for about 3 hours we worked on improving the 3 songs..... wu neng wei li, katrina, xin xiang yu...

to my surprise, weng told me that he is quite interested in my falsetto voice and hope that i will realise its potential.... he wanted me to work towards those vocal falsetto variations that david tao often does.... he says that i have a clear falsetto voice and i seemed to make it easy.... my personal experience is that my falsetto doesnt blend well with my ''real voice'' cuz my voice is more basey.... and on stage falsetto is harder to control cuz 1 must remain v relaxed.... guess its lots of work ahead for me...

my feeling is that i won't be chosen la... cuz my english singing sux and the market here is all abt english music.... but i have indeed learnt a lot and been inspired by weng.... he introduced me to many singers.... altho he doesn't sing or play instruments much... but he is like a walking pop music library... haha.... he treated me later to lebanese food.. and all we talked abt was music.....

i hope one day can upgrade my recording facilities to make better demos... :)

cooking! last few weeks has been quite fun trying out new stuff to cook.... steam fish, fish porridge, chicken rice!! i try hard to recall how my mum does steam fish... and it actually works!! taste of home!! :)

rehearsals for the plays are intensifying too.... but so far has been having lots of fun.... working together with sporeans..... cracking jokes just like home..... suaning each other... using a myriad mix of languages.... eg hokkien... haha

after some thought, i bought this play piano by ear book from foyles bookstore..... for £13... not cheap... but it is a very interesting book which discusses all about chords... in a music language that i can understand better.... i hate deciphering scores.... the book is interesting and cute!!! it is written by a full time pianist tt plays in bars/hotels/function for abt 30,40 years... he makes all the chords come out alive like real characters!! so glad to have bought the book....

thanks for all the well wishes ppl! every message means a lot to me! so in return... shall let u guys see the audition videos...

http://download.venus.come2store.com/wongxinwei/wengauditions/LI4.AVI

http://download.venus.come2store.com/wongxinwei/wengauditions/KAT2.AVI

http://download.venus.come2store.com/wongxinwei/wengauditions/XIN2.AVI

have a great weekend everyone!!!