Violin and Japanese Test
This time I'll open with a embedded video. "Kiss me Goodbye" (Angela Aki), Final Fantasy XII theme song. I want to play it! Looks so cool!
I've been thinking about learning a musical instrument for a while. Last week, finally I went one step forward and started taking violin lessons.
Why violin? Well, I can't say there's a true reason. But instruments like guitar, drums or piano never attracted me enough... and dunno why I chose violin... Perhaps because of some presentations I watched... really nice.
Ok, but there's a problem. I have absolutely no notion of music except from listening things I like (also not knowing exactly why) without worring with things like notes. So I'll have to start from the basics... and I mean it.
The class showed me how much I don't know. And that's good. So that means I'm at the second stage of learning ("don't know that you don't know" - "know that you don't know" - "know that you know" - "don't know that you know")... more a less.
First problem, I have no musical accuracy. Can't distinguish any note from any other. I'd realized that already during my audio classes. It's hard to equalize without it... not impossible, though (you just listen to the musician's comments and you're probably safe). But it becomes a bigger problem when the second one showed up. To play the violin, some accuracy with your fingers is needed. More than most guitars, for example. Even my ear could notice that missing the point where your finger should be produces "unpleasant-to-hear" results.
Also, I'm left-handed, but there doesn't seem to exist some sort of "reverse grip" for playing violin (guitars have it... the references to guitar / bass are because my sister plays them, so I know a little about them... not how to play, though)...
Guess there'll be lots of work here...
Changing the subject, the Japanese Language Proficiency Test was held this Sunday. I tried level 2, but couldn't study properly (actually, almost didn't study at all) and my Japanese is pretty rusty (guess I'd have better chances if the test was right after I returned from Japan). What can I say? I couldn't finish the first part (characters and vocabulary) in time and "guessed" a lot at the third (reading and interpretation... BTW, the texts for that part were HUGE, especially comparing to the previous level).
The expected but unusual part was thinking that the second part (listening) was the easiest one. For the previous levels I've taken, listening was always the part that I scored less. This time will probably be the opposite.
If I think I'll pass?
Only with divine intervention.
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Added at 11h40min
I forgot to mention that one good thing about the JLPT was that I met a friend that I haven't met for a while. He was trying level 3, so I lent some notes that I used when trying that level.
Well, when I tried level 3 two years ago, and at that time I was under pressure to pass, because it was a condition (kinda informal one, though...) to get my scholarship to Japan. That why I have much info about that level.
But we also used the opportunity to talk about our life in Japan. He also went to Japan for 5 months to work (as a dekassegui). Different experiences, but we both learned something... and want to return someday. Our next idea is wait for our friend that's in Japan now as an exchange student by the same program I went last year (but he's at a different campus) and have that same talk.
I've been thinking about learning a musical instrument for a while. Last week, finally I went one step forward and started taking violin lessons.
Why violin? Well, I can't say there's a true reason. But instruments like guitar, drums or piano never attracted me enough... and dunno why I chose violin... Perhaps because of some presentations I watched... really nice.
Ok, but there's a problem. I have absolutely no notion of music except from listening things I like (also not knowing exactly why) without worring with things like notes. So I'll have to start from the basics... and I mean it.
The class showed me how much I don't know. And that's good. So that means I'm at the second stage of learning ("don't know that you don't know" - "know that you don't know" - "know that you know" - "don't know that you know")... more a less.
First problem, I have no musical accuracy. Can't distinguish any note from any other. I'd realized that already during my audio classes. It's hard to equalize without it... not impossible, though (you just listen to the musician's comments and you're probably safe). But it becomes a bigger problem when the second one showed up. To play the violin, some accuracy with your fingers is needed. More than most guitars, for example. Even my ear could notice that missing the point where your finger should be produces "unpleasant-to-hear" results.
Also, I'm left-handed, but there doesn't seem to exist some sort of "reverse grip" for playing violin (guitars have it... the references to guitar / bass are because my sister plays them, so I know a little about them... not how to play, though)...
Guess there'll be lots of work here...
Changing the subject, the Japanese Language Proficiency Test was held this Sunday. I tried level 2, but couldn't study properly (actually, almost didn't study at all) and my Japanese is pretty rusty (guess I'd have better chances if the test was right after I returned from Japan). What can I say? I couldn't finish the first part (characters and vocabulary) in time and "guessed" a lot at the third (reading and interpretation... BTW, the texts for that part were HUGE, especially comparing to the previous level).
The expected but unusual part was thinking that the second part (listening) was the easiest one. For the previous levels I've taken, listening was always the part that I scored less. This time will probably be the opposite.
If I think I'll pass?
Only with divine intervention.
-------
Added at 11h40min
I forgot to mention that one good thing about the JLPT was that I met a friend that I haven't met for a while. He was trying level 3, so I lent some notes that I used when trying that level.
Well, when I tried level 3 two years ago, and at that time I was under pressure to pass, because it was a condition (kinda informal one, though...) to get my scholarship to Japan. That why I have much info about that level.
But we also used the opportunity to talk about our life in Japan. He also went to Japan for 5 months to work (as a dekassegui). Different experiences, but we both learned something... and want to return someday. Our next idea is wait for our friend that's in Japan now as an exchange student by the same program I went last year (but he's at a different campus) and have that same talk.
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