Play with Ray - Bach Double Concerto Melody W. 柔涵 2023-02-03 | #playwithray #bachdoubleconcerto Hello! I’m a medical school student who enjoys playing violin.When I was a kid, I won first prize in several national violin competitions. But every time I finished playing and got off stage, all I got from my parents were criticisms of my playing. My dad always compares my playing to the recordings of the great violinists, and he often came into my room to criticize my playing during practice sessions.And this had a huge impact on me, I started to feel ashamed to play in front of anyone, I felt ashamed of my playing, and I believed deeply that I’m a bad violin player. When I think about music, what came into my mind was all the musical details and techniques that I couldn’t reach, and that I could never become the violinist that my parents or even myself appreciate. The depression and anxiety was huge, so that I quit playing violin at the age of 16 (and become a doctor).I think a lot about music and playing violin while studying in medical school. I met a friend who taught me that music is about happiness and fulfillment, about ourselves, our emotions, our experiences, not about pleasing anyone, or pursuing perfect techniques and musicality. If you can’t feel the happiness when you play the violin, then the whole purpose of playing music doesn’t exist. Luckily and eventually, I took out my violin and started practicing again. It took a while for me to truly experience those words, to temporarily not care about perfection, but to feel my heart and purely experience music. And it helps a lot, now I can overcome the anxiety even on stage, because I know music is all about lives, and I’m playing for myself!After going through all these, I really cherish the opportunity to be able to perform in front of people again (as a medical student)!
First Time Performing Violin in Europe - Beethoven Violin Sonata no.8 mov.1 Melody W. 柔涵 2023-09-15 | Documenting my process of violin learning.I’ve graduated from med school and passed the doctor license exam in June! Finally a qualified doctor now.I quit learning violin when I was 15, went to med school when I was 19, picked up my violin again when I was 20, and now I’m 25, I found my passion back in music.In July this year, I’ve participated in the Ötztal Masterclass in Austria, which I had a great week of lessons with Benjamin Morrison (1st violin of Wiener Philharmoniker), Adela Frasineanu (1st violin of Wiener Philharmoniker), and Mátyás András (1st violin of Graz Philharmoniker). 10 days well spent in Ötztal!! I met a bunch of great violinists there, and since I hadn’t had regular violin lessons for almost 10 years, I definitely learned a loooootttttt from the teachers and other peers. I felt grateful and thrilled to be able to perform in the closing concert of Ötztal Masterclass with pianist Miki Aoki. For a non-musician like me, it was really a precious and unforgettable experience.
Tchaikovsky Meditation from Souvenir dun Lieu Cher (Live Competition at 好聲藝集) Melody W. 柔涵 2023-03-30 | I‘ll be graduating from med school this June.In February and March, I’ve done several interviews with medical centers and hospitals where I wished to undergo my PGY (post-graduate year) and residency training program at. One of the most asked questions in interviews was “How will you manage to balance your time between clinical practice and music?” “Clinical training and research will be my first priority at this stage, because as a doctor it’s important to be well trained. For music, what I’m already doing is that I participate in competitions to keep myself practicing,” I answered.I found that an explicit goal such as participating in local competitions or performing opportunities keeps me motivated to practice. I learn and play the pieces I enjoyed, instead of playing pieces that has more advantages to earn prizes. This is a live recording of me playing in 好聲之星新秀選拔. There were some mistakes (out of tune notes and wrong notes), my bow kept sliding, and my sound could have been thicker. At first I didn’t feel comfortable to share this recording, but later on I felt it’s ok to make mistakes on stage, and it’s what every performer has been through--the stress and nervousness. It’s my journey of learning the violin, and I would like to share this process with you.Imperfection is what makes live performances so valuable; it is real, raw, and unfiltered. Recorded live on 2023/02/25 at 好聲藝集
魏如萱 - 陪著你 (cover) feat. 品安 Melody W. 柔涵 2020-09-07 | by 王柔涵 Melody Wang、品安這次是比較輕鬆的路線，跟我的摯友品安一起彈琴唱歌！簡簡單單，純淨空靈的歌聲、沒有華麗的編曲、星期日的悠閒早晨。歌詞 lyrics /從什麼時候開始 你變得如此敏感看什麼都不順眼 動不動覺得好累在你設定的世界 規矩就是斑馬線很多人站在那邊 卻很難走到對面生命本來就有脆弱 腐蝕生活的恐懼不應該 那麼多做自己的太陽 你就能當別人的光親愛的我希望 你能找回單純的勇敢love y'all xx, melody
River Flows In You - piano cover + 衛武營 small tour Melody W. 柔涵 2020-09-04 | cover by 王柔涵 Melody Wanginspired by HAUSER CELLOfilmed by Stephanie Wang我其實不太喜歡曝光度過高的曲子，所以以前不太喜歡這首歌。一直到去年十一月聽了HAUSER CELLO的 river flows in you - cello cover，被深深感動，所以有了這首 cover，很推薦大家可以去聽HAUSER拉大提琴，mv也拍得很美。 今年一月底就拍好的影片，一直拖到八月中才錄音。其實拍完很長一段時間都覺得很害羞，所以就一直放著，但想想既然拍了影片就來完成它吧！衛武營是我很喜歡的地方，所以拍了一些衛武營的榕樹下廣場。榕樹下廣場的一個山洞裡有黑色三角鋼琴，每次去衛武營都會去彈幾首蕭邦和貝多芬，也每次都能吸引到幾位觀眾，挺開心。推薦大家也可以去參加衛武營的導覽解說，真的是很棒的建築設計！總之，希望大家喜歡這支影片。love y'all xx, melody
Bless the Broken Road-piano cover Melody W. 柔涵 2020-07-30 | by 王柔涵 Melody Wang四月初的夜晚，開車在台東的路上，spotify隨機播放出現了這首歌--Bless the Broken Road。當時聽完很喜歡，便存進了喜愛的歌曲，但後來也沒有再特別回去聽。又過了一陣子，播放了spotify的喜愛歌曲循環，這首歌的旋律又抓住了我，上網查了歌詞後實在太喜歡這首歌，所以自己改編成了鋼琴版。還有很多可以進步的地方，慢慢成長，希望你們會喜歡我的鋼琴改編。love y‘all xx, melody附上令我感動的歌詞：I set out on a narrow way many years agoHoping I would find true love along the broken roadBut I got lost a time or twoWiped my brow and kept pushing throughI couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to youEvery long lost dream led me to where you areOthers who broke my heart, they were like Northern starsPointing me on my way into your loving armsThis much I know is trueThat God blessed the broken roadThat led me straight to youI think about the years I spent just passin' throughI'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to youBut you just smile and take my handYou've been there, you understandIt's all part of a grander plan that is coming true
