Today I Smiled: Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day all (yeah I'm probably one day early)! :P Regardless if you are spending this with someone or on your own I hope to have something in today's post that will get everyone smiling. I figure I may as well start with "things cats do that'd be creepy if you did them".

Not a cat person? Well, how about learning of the people volunteering for a one way trip to Mars? Honestly, a few years ago when I first heard of this mission, I would have loved to be one of them.

On to game related vids, I'm not sure if you saw my Attack on Titan game tutorial compilation post but this opening, made from Feng Lee's tribute game is pretty damn cool. Another game that seems to have been getting upgrades without my attention is ye olde Sherwood Dungeon! I remember trying to reach the bottom with Juris via running - obviously we never made it. :P

As usual, I have to have a paragraph about music in here since it is one of my passions and I was super pleased to hear that Australia is joining Eurovision this year as a contestant. Also I've recently come across a strange instrument called a hang drum (because I don't get out much) and thought I'd share this clip of it in a solo by Daniel Waples.

If that's too zen for you then I also have a newly released piano solo by Animenz of "Unravel" from Tokyo Ghoul. No idea what Tokyo Ghoul is, but man does that look hard to play. And if that looked tough, here's one more appropriate for today... Animenz's "My Dearest" from Guilty Crown.

Anywho, that's it for me - hope you all have a wonderful day! :)

Music is Magic

Ok, other than the obvious mood transference that some songs have I am amused that as a pianist I seem to follow the same rules as the older versions of a Dungeons & Dragons mage, except in exchange for spells I have songs. It takes me long to learn one, and as I gain new ones I lose the old ones that I don't play. Maybe I'm just too low level at the moment? 

And just like in D&D there are those naturally gifted with magic who can use it better. So too is the case in music. While everyone can train up to a certain point there are just somethings that you are born with. A good example is the youtube aussie muso "Lara Plays" (aka Lara de Wit) who has Synesthesia - she "hears" notes as colors. She also thinks a lot of musicians do and maybe that's true, I'm just not one of them. :P

Lara has the most links in this post!

If you don't know what I'm getting at she talks a little bit about it in a question and answer video here. The part you are interested in starts at 0:40 and goes to 2:20. Or, you could just listen to her play stuff! Her side by side vid of playing Rebecca Black's Friday and Nyan Cat is particularly funny since they gel so well together.

Anywho while I'm on the topic of music here are a few other links that I really like, so I thought I'd share them. At the very least check out the first link, because it's bloody amazing.

Amira Willighagen (9 yrs old) - Audition for Holland's Got Talent
(Skip to 1:40 to get to the singing)

"Defying Gravity" from Wicked by Evynne Hollens
(I'm a fan of her husband's layer stuff too)

"Pierce the heavens with your drill!" from the Gurren Lagann OST by Animenz
(This guy does a lot of cool pieces)

"Spain" - Chick Corea and Hiromi Uehara piano duet
(Old clip but one of my favs, very jazzy though)

"Mendelssohn Wedding March" by Arcadi Volodos
(Listen to it fully to be blown away by dexterity! :P)

And if music isn't your thing, maybe learning Elvish is. Elfish? Sylvan? I dunno, you'll have to ask Ravanel for a "Ravalation" as I got the link from her blog. :P