Breathe deep

Challenge: To learn Tai-Chi (Tai-Chi-Chuan) in a week.

Rating: 3/5

Skills developed: A small sense of enlightenment and calm.

Overview/Rant: My only knowledge of Tai-Chi prior to trying this challenge was that Angel used it as a very seductive (and successful) move to score Buffy in the ever infamous 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' This seemed as good a reason as any to learn Tai-Chi. Also- the name literally translates to 'Supreme Ultimate Fist' which is another awesome reason to learn this martial art.

I feel I picked the perfect time to undertake this martial art as it is renowned for its calming techniques and tranquil methodologies... this coincided with me taking a piano grade 3 exam (see previous posts) and my driving exam... and passing both! Was the art responsible for helping me pass the exams? Who knows? Will we ever know? If life mimics LOST in any way- then the simple answer is most likely no...



Tai-Chi involves channeling your energy into simple, slow, very controlled movements. Your breathing must match your actions and ever action is deliberate and significant. I found a very good instructor online which helps capture the essence of Tai-Chi (see above). Obviously there's only so much you can do in a week (actually I did it for two) but I definitely felt a sense of calm while I undertook the exercises. While youtube is a brilliant resource for learning new skills (or watching cats do funny things...) I can tell that an actual instructor would really help in getting one to understand the heart of Tai-Chi.

Conclusion: Very enjoyable, non-exhausting (then again, I may have been doing it wrong) but very calming. Give it a go. If it's good enough for Buffy then its good enough for you...

Next week: Learn some tricks on the 'diablo.'

Random thoughts: Just watched the finale of LOST today... thankful that I had Tai-Chi-Chuan to calm me.

ALSO- jumping out of an airplane on Friday- first Skydive ever- I'll let yaz know how that goes!
    

V is for Vagitus*

Challenge: To learn violin and be able to play a popular tune by the end of the week.

Difficulty: 4/5

Skills developed: I learnt the basics of violin and violin upkeep. I also improved on my playing by 'ear' AND I learnt how to upload youtube videos... which take ages by the way... and I learned a new word- 'vagitus*'... 

Overview/Rant: This challenge was very enjoyable. I love the violin and learning to play it was really fun. The string layout of a violin is similar to that of a guitar, provided you strip it of its higher strings and leave only the G, D, A and E string. This makes learning the notes relatively quick and easy, although unlike the guitar you don't have the aid of frets to help identify where to place your fingers, thus making it quite challenging at times. Realistically you want to have a good ear to identify when you're hitting the correct note or whether you're a semi-tone off.

The hardest part of the violin, in my opinion, is the bow technique. Granted it looks simple when you watch someone else do it, but trying to keep the control and not allow your hand quiver over a note is extremely difficult to do. In the end I found I was concentrating completely on the bow and hoping my fingers would hold the correct notes at the correct times. 

A fantastic modern day violinst, that you should totally (like omg) try catch, is Nigel Kennedy. He is a stylist b**tard who has no airs about himself. I got the opportunity to see him perform several years ago and it was one of the best gigs I'd ever been too. During the performance he heckled an audience member who turned up late, "You just missed the whole f**king concerta!," and he played a mix of classical and popular pieces (you can find him doing Jimi Hendrix covers on youtube). A really brilliant showman who makes classical music interesting and fun to watch. He also succeeds in eliminating the pompous attitude often associated with classical music. Here's one of his classical covers of Vivaldi's "Spring." (Those who sat the Junior Cert music exam around 2003 should be pretty familiar with this one!)

Suffice to say- I did not achieve this standard of playing. The melody I attempted to learn was the opening credits to the Buffy spin-off show 'Angel.' Below is how it should sound. 

Take note that the 'Angel' theme is played on a viola which has a lower register than the violin. So everything I play will sound distinctly higher pitched... and shitter... here is what I came up with... we'll call this attempt number six thousand and two...

Okay- so it's far from perfect- but I'm pretty happy/exhausted with it...

Recommendation: Really enjoyable- if you're interested then it's easy enough to get started. There's tons of online tutorials which were helpful and its a very easy to learn the theory to violin. Practically it's as difficult as any musical instrument and will require tons of practice to get anyway decent. 

Conclusion: Awesome challenge- a good mix of enjoyment with difficulty. Seriously considering buying a violin now...  

Special Thanks: Susan Bourke for providing the violin and assistance! I did my best when taking care of the violin... it was touch and go there for a while though...

Next Challenge: Knitting- gotta learn to knit and knit me a scarf in a week! Anyone interested in joining me then let me know! Nothing like a good olde stitch and bitch! http://stitchnbitch.org/

Random Thoughts: The violin is a fantastic tool for demonstrating how the frequency of a stretched string is inversely proportional to its length... aaah physics... is there anything you can't do?

* Vagitus - a baby's cry or wail...