WOW!
Hello guys!
Why I am taking my jumper off?
It's so you can see my merch.
"You guys always wear your merch!"
That's right, we DO always wear our merch!
Because it's so comfy!
We just weirded out like, 90% of potential new viewers.
They're just like,
"I think I'm in the wrong... wrong section of YouTube."
- This is their first misconception of classical music. - Go back...
This is what happens when you practice 40 hours a day.
You lose your sanity slowly but... but surely.
Just... Goes out the window.
- Welcome... - Oh yeah.
...to an episode of TwoSet Violin.
Today we are going to be talking about the
You know, as classical violinists
of 21, 22 years,
these are general misconceptions that we've heard
throughout our careers, and we are going to
address them!
Today!
- Brett: Yes! - Eddy: Once and for all!
For you guys to know the truth...
...about classical musicians!
This is our life.
Number o...one!
Bald and old and, you know, a bit greasy.
So spot-on, she got it right!
Have you seen all the competitions with the s...
- 12-year-old prodigies? - I know.
They're not old.
Maybe if you play so in tune,
your hair like, would like grow back.
Out of respect.
Do you think that's true? I don't think so.
I think when we made a video about
talent shows, and the lady said that,
- the comments section spoke for itself. - Yep.
What about Hilary Hahn?
What about Ray Chen?
What about Janine Jansen?
And what about you, watching this?
What about us?
- Yes. - I mean, we're getting old I guess.
Brett: But a majority—
I... think most of us, it's a nice range of people.
No, I think— You know what it is?
It's because classical music has a longer
career lifespan than, say, sports.
That's true.
People aren't used to seeing
- 60-year-old people still in - Soccer players.
the prime of their musical careers.
- That's true. Mhmm. - You know, look at old conductors.
- They're 60 and they're still active. - Because— Yeah,
there's a longer career. They get better.
Well, this is a...
complicated one.
Because yes, it is true
that, when you look out into the audience,
you will often see a sea of white hair.
But have you been to our concerts?
Eddy: Have you?
Have you??
Yes, because,
from what I remember...
There was more colored hair than white hair!
I think there's actually a...
wider audience out there that...
- Not just an older audience - Yeah.
that enjoys classical music.
Whenever we introduce
classical music to a friend of ours that's not a musician,
most often than not, they're quite...
enthusiastic and passionate,
and excited to learn about it.
And they love it.
I remember I introduced...
Sibelius to Patrick.
- Yeah. - He's like, this rowing Aussie dude.
Never touched an instrument in his life, and he loved it.
He still listens to it today.
- Yeah. - He's like, yeahh! Best song!
- Yeah. - I think it's just a...
It's more a matter of...
- Exposure, - Yeah.
as opposed to...
Young people don't like classical music,
'cause that's definitely false.
Not true!
- From what we've experienced at least. - Yes.
Point number 3!
Or it's just
relaxing music,
- to relax and study with! - Yeah...
Yeah! So relaxing sometimes.
But have you practiced 40 hours a day?!
That's right, you haven't!
Classical music is not boring!
Okay, maybe some pieces are boring.
BUT!
Classical music is very intricate, very delicate.
Some places is so—
- Very dramatic in other places. - Yeah, dramatic.
Very— It could be crazy,
it could represent different emotions,
different stories, different pictures.
I think when people think classical music, they...
automatically think like,
Ave Maria.
- It's just like, this kinda like... - Yeah.
And... and people are sitting there just going like,
And then meanwhile,
BOOM! Shostakovich.
Freaking Symphony No. 12.
And then Mahler is like, pain.
Yeah yeah yeah, like this guy's literally
- having a heart attack writing his symphony. - Like, AHH, come on!
And Bach is like,
"My kids all died!"
Last Partita!
I think it's because,
given the technology back then
compared to now, as well.
Back then we only had certain instruments
to represent what...
they wanted to write, you know?
That is true. Today we have freaking like,
- hardcore synthesizers. - Synthesizers.
Yeah, you just turn it up!
For the sake of a complete argument...
- Mhmm. - Going the other way.
Modern pop music is designed to be
as overstimulating as possible though.
They're all like, two minutes long.
It's true.
With technology, our attention span is gone.
So, we have less ability to appreciate
the subtle differences in classical music.
That... truly is a big difference.
- Yeah. - You have to really pay attention to it.
Anyway, not dissing pop music.
It's like, it's pretty cool.
(both) Just different.
Number 4!
Musical geniuses are born, not created.
Prodigies.
I wish I was a genius.
- There's prodigies everywhere, hey, like... - Yeah.
What's the point?
Different people may have been
born with different amounts of
- "Giftedness"... - Gifted. Yeah, giftedness.
But!
At the end of the day,
the biggest factor...
- is still... - Is...
That's right.
You have to
And if you don't, you'll fall behind.
So you have to
To get better, you have to
Not to mention,
I don't want to say any names,
but...
It's very interesting...
The ones that are
often are not the ones that become
professional musicians.
Exactly!
So, the moral of the story is
Gotta practice!
It's about the journey!
Number 5.
I think...
The history of classical music, yes,
there's definitely periods in the history where
classical music was for the aristocratic class.
But it's 2019!
Anyone with Internet access...
...can listen.
Maybe that's the point.
We ARE the wealthy.
And the people
(both) that don't have Internet...
...cannot appreciate it!
We can get serious about the music, but...
I think there's also like, this image
that all the great soloists are very serious.
Oh, yeah!
- But... - Case in hand, Hilary Hahn.
She's not serious at all.
Well I mean, she's serious about music.
- Very serious about music. - But in person, she is the most
loveliest person ever.
Hi Hilary!
Number 7!
...hate pop music.
As illustrated before...
- Oh my god, we're contradicting ourselves. - Oh no. Oh no, no.
I think some classical musicians hate pop music -
But not everyone.
Just because I like Bach
doesn't mean I can't like BTS!
- Yes. - Okay?
Come on!
My bias is Mozart,
and it can also be Jimin at the same time.
EXACTLY!
Actually, I would also argue...
A lot of...
pop idols...
were classically trained.
Yeah! 'Cause guess what?
You know that chord progression you're hearing?
It's the stuff you learn in music theory.
Yeah!
And it's rooted from classical music.
Yeah.
- It all started from... - It started there.
So technically, pop music IS classical music.
Maybe -
Do you think maybe in like,
a hundred years they'll listen to like, Justin Bieber and...
- and then study it in this music conservatorium? - Classical— Yeah.
"Classical music, 21st century" is a new type of music!
Yeah. Because by then maybe music will just be like, one note -
One note.
Maybe they'll inject music.
Like, straight into your brain.
Yeah. Download chip in your brain.
This is what you're supposed to enjoy, just deal with it.
Number 8,
Say that to all the orchestral musicians out there.
And all the freelance musicians out there.
"It's not a real job."
"Wow!"
"You get to make a career out of music! You are so lucky!"
No, it's 'cause I PRACTICED!
And you didn't practice!
I practiced much harder than everyone else.
Classical music IS a job!
Alright, real talk time right here now, classical talk.
You gotta follow your dreams, alright. Don't—
- Don't let those haters tell you - - Follow your dreams.
You see that goal in front of you,
and you practice every day.
Don't give up, guys.
It is tough, but it's definitely worth it!
Practice.
Number 9.
I think this is a misconception.
- I see people that don't understand classical music. - Mhmm.
They tend to associate it with kind of just...
Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, this type of sound.
Classical music generally
refers to a lot of periods,
spanning over many different nations.
It actually has a longer history than pop music.
Yeah. From 1600s to...
Now.
- Compare a Corelli Sonata. - "Corelli."
- Corelli with Brahms. - Yeah.
There you go.
Sonatas—
- Now they use the same words, - Yeah.
But just look— If you look at the music carefully,
it's completely changed.
Then you can, within the same composer,
you can compare a violin sonata...
- And... - with a symphony.
It's not one style.
So there is a lot of variety to be explored,
and I think that's one of the reasons why
classical music is so...
fascinating and fulfilling.
- The fact that these works - Yes.
have stood the test of time.
And...
The more you understand the context
of these pieces, the more...
You realise how different it is.
And I just think it's because it's easier to
- box classical music into one thing. - Yeah.
Last one,
Well, this is a loaded misconception.
It's dying. Yeah guys, it's dying.
The most popular interview question
to all classical musicians is:
"Hey! How do you feel about the future of classical music?"
If you were with us during the Kickstarter times,
you would have known
that we kinda pointed out that
there are many...
things within the classical music industry -
That's not really working.
What we've learned in TwoSet though however,
is that there's an ever-growing and massive
audience of young people,
passionate about classical music...
- Mhmm. - ...that love it,
even though they're not musicians.
And... there's definitely a demand in today's youth.
[They] want something in their lives
that is more substantial and deeper
than, say, the pop songs
that keep changing every two months.
- The next one, next one, next one... - Yeah.
It brings a different side to...
To enjoyment of music.
It's the way it's being presented
by everyone else that makes it hard for young people
and people that don't even know anything
- about classical music to access. - Mhmm.
So, you can't just expect someone
to go to a classical concert and be like,
"Don't clap there. Don't do this." They're like,
- "I'm out." - Mhmm.
Because they'll be intimidated.
They'd be in— Of course you'd be intimidated,
you want to naturally fit in.
But it's too much to expect people to just fit in like that.
Classical music is not dying, or maybe I don't know.
For sure the way it's been presented
needs to change.
Well, I mean our audiences, you guys,
the person watching there.
Hello.
What are you doing? Are you a musician?
Maybe you are. Maybe you're not even a musician.
There are many times when non-musicians come up.
- Yeah. - They say, "I don't do anything about music,
- but I love classical music." - Mm. Yeah.
"I saw my first concert. I picked up an instrument."
It's like, there you go.
If you look at it in traditional ways, it might look...
scary.
But...
From interacting with all of you out there in real life,
just, as a feeling,
- I mean I can't prove - - Yeah.
No one knows what's gonna [happen in the] future,
but I'm confident...
(both) We can do it.
And... that people love it.
Alright guys!
Hope you enjoyed this episode.
Subscribe.
The more subscriptions, the more the classical lovers we have.
- Yep. - And see you guys next time.