Yep. Let's do it.
Meme review.
Hello guys.
Hi everyone.
Today we're here with...
spicy...
Thai food.
And we're gonna do a...
crazy mukbang with our special guest,
Hilary Hahn.
And I don't know how to make an introduction to this video
cos this is the first time we're doing this type of video.
Me too.
It's all first time for everyone.
Mmm.
- So...yeah. - There's a lot of firsts about this whole arrangement.
For me.
- Yeah. Same f– yeah, for us as well. - For us as well.
- Yeah. - We...
Mukbang is...
food.
- Yeah. - What is mukbang for those who don't know?
Basically we eat food and we chat.
And then we're going to...
Delve inside...
- The minds. - the secret mind...
- of...yeah. - How to become a soloist.
- Cool. - Practice. - Peel back the layers.
Mm-mmm.
With spicy food.
- Okay. - Yeah. And for those of you that don't know,
Hilary Hahn is an amazing world-class soloist.
She has 3 Grammy Awards?
Did my research, yeah!
*Laughs* And...
I think we made a video about you a long time ago.
We were going to get Hilary to react to it,
- but then we watched it and we were like - We looked at it.
it's so cringy that I can't even watch it.
- Cos it's like one of our earliest videos. - Ohhhh.
- I can't even... - I was cringing watching it.
I don't...I think it will still be fun to see it.
- No no no no... - No?
- Eddy was cringing... - Even if you– it's fun for you, I don't want our–
Why were you cringing?
- Well okay, If you watch it, I don't want to be in the room. - What's cringy about it?
It's just...It was when we first started youtube
so our camera presence was just very awkward.
- And the stuff we were saying just did not make sense. - Yeah.
And...
- Yeah. - Yeah, it just wasn't that funny.
- It was... - I mean we are still not that funny
but it was just very not funny.
In three years time we're gonna look back and say "what are we doing?"
Yeah, like "what is this mukbang?"
Okay, so we have spicy Thai food.
- Let's do it. - They are all spicy except for this one.
Do we use plates?
Yes.
Okay. Chopsticks or utensils? What do you think?
I will use a fork.
Well...
What do you guys think?
Chopsticks or forks?
- I don't know. - I think I will use a fork, just in case.
- I'm not sure their reactions are gonna help us now. - Yeah hahaha.
- Comment from the future. - Yeah, please tell us.
- Alright, let's do this. I'm so hungry! - So there's Thai milk–
Let's see what we got.
- I've not eaten anything today. - Who wants one?
I'll have one.
- Who else wants one? - This is Thai milk tea just in case.
Let me know if it's sweet.
And if it's not sweet then I'll have it.
Cos I'm on a diet. Yay!
I don't care.
Sorry to be a party pooper.
Oh it looks so good.
- Oooh! - We need way more rice for that, it's freaking curry.
- Okay, Pad Thai. - Ooh it's steaming.
Oh vegetable Pad Thai...Woah!
- Eddy it's your favourite, it's mushroom. - I'm just gonna put the lid on the floor.
Urgh.
Eddy's favourite dish.
So I can't stand eating mushroom.
- This is called "healthy tofu fish sauce." - Healthy tofu!
That looks spicy.
- That looks– that doesn't look too bad! - Woo!
- I know... - That looks like it has eggplant in it.
Urgh.
Haha Eddy– yeah you don't...
- Mushroom and eggplant - my two favourite foods in the world. - No?
And green bean.
- I like green bean. - Okay.
- This is the amount of rice. - A lot of vegetables here.
- Yeah this is the rice for those spicy spread. - Guys, ration carefully.
Yeah.
- Alright. - You were...
You were ordering it, just saying "spicy."
- I know! Spicy, spicy! - Spicy.
Okay, here we go.
- Alright, so Hilary, - Move the plate.
- You said you've never done something like this before, right? - Mhm.
- I mean... - Never eaten on camera.
Ohhh!
I mean...
- Okay. - I guess...
Am I supposed to eat with those?
No! Yeah, that's the straw.
Is this the new chopstick?
You're supposed to drink the soup, curry soup. Wait.
- You just– - Why is there only 2?
2 straws? That's alright, I don't...you guys go first.
- I'll save it for the danger zone. - Alright, get some fork for you guys.
This is rice, guys.
Oh man.
So Thai food, I understand it's not supposed to be eaten with chopsticks.
So I'm aware of that.
- Mhm! Did you guys know that? - I saw that.
- I know! I can't get a straw the right way, but... - Wrong way!
- Alright, forks it is. - Alright, so you first. - I'll take a fork.
- Here you go. Would you like some rice? - Okay. I'll take a third.
Take a third, yes.
Do you want lime on your Pad Thai?
Uh...yes please!
Alright, I'll just do it then.
- Okay. - Here. - Yes.
So what are we gonna talk about while eating?
- Um...While eating? - What do people normally talk about?
Uh well,
What do you want to ask Hilary?
What does Hilary want to ask us?
Well, you've been on the road for how long?
8 and a h– 9 weeks now!
9 week...oops.
Yeah.
That might be longer than my record.
- I think my record is 8 weeks. - Really?
- Really? - Wow. - Mhm, yep.
I only did it once.
- Oh. - It's tough! - I think we're only gonna do it once as well.
- Yeah, that's– I think we learnt the hard way. - It's tough! It's great!
You get into the groove, but it's...yes.
- Yeah. - It's different!
It's very different.
Our tour last year was...no that doesn't count
That one didn't count.
That was stupid.
Yeah.
"That was stupid."
So how much, like...
Why was it stupid?
It was just....We had like 1 concert,
and then like 3 weeks break, and then 1 concert.
Ohhh.
- And it just wasn't very... - So financially it was a dumb idea.
Yeah.
It was very–
But you could get more work done on the road probably.
Like more of your other work.
Yeah, theoretically.
- Yeah. - But I think we were just stressing out about...
- Yeah. It was a very...yeah. - Very unorganised.
- Cos we try to do everything ourselves, obviously. - Yeah.
- Yeah so, you know, I don't think people know - And we were inexperienced.
What happens behind the scenes for a tour,
like all the things that need to be organised.
- Oh! - Mhm.
- Yeah. - How much do you organise yours? - I think it's pretty cool. I don't know if you want to...
- Mhm. - enlighten anyone as to...
like all the different tasks that happen in a day?
But...
- You know for me, it's like... - Well.
not as complicated, because things are planned out like
farther in advance, and...
I'm usually a guest
at an organisation that presents it,
so I'm not putting on my own concerts so much.
Mhm.
I don't have to organise any tech,
I don't do....
- like I don't organise the instruments or anything like that. - Oh, that sounds so–
So I kind of show up just with...
Well I don't kind of show up. I show up with the violin.
Mhm.
I do my work in advance.
I learn music, I do rehearsals.
But also there is a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff of different sorts.
Mm.
- Yeah. Well I mean... - Even with that. So you guys have more...
- Bookings are just like... - ...going on.
Well this tour we managed to get up in 2 months.
Ooh I see red pepper flakes.
- Oh no. - Oh.
I think we got it ready in 2 months.
A lot of the stuff is logistical issues.
- Oh this is really good! - And also unknown logistical issues.
- So for example microphones, - Yeah, the last-minute things.
For example microphones should be on the right side.
Not on the left side.
Oh!
Small problems like that.
Or pianos, what type of piano.
- Piano stools. - Piano stools.
We had a venue that had a piano but not piano stools
- Mhm, mhm. - and we didn't know about that until the day.
You have to think about everything.
Everything.
- *Cough cough* Oh that's spicy. - Oh boy.
Is it?
For me it is.
Which one did you have?
Really?
- Okay, I'm gonna start with a piece of tofu. - Good luck. - Alright I'm out.
I don't know how to use a fork,
as embarrassing as that is.
- I'm just like... - You can use 2 forks and make them chopsticks.
Hahaha.
Well we do have chopsticks, so chopsticks are an option.
I think I'll go with chopsticks, cos I actually don't know how to use this fork.
Yeah so, a lot of logistical issues.
I mean, things you don't normally think would be a problem becomes a problem.
Mhm.
When you travel with pianist, you gotta prepare a practice room for pianist.
Mm.
They need a room.
Wow that was spicy.
I shouldn't use this card yet.
And then...
What else is there?
I think...communicating with venues is difficult.
Mhm.
Oftentimes, it's actually waiting for the venue to respond.
Mmm!
Making sure everything is ready....
Sound engineering is something with sound test we have to try.
- Do you have a sound engineer with you? Or you just– - No, we don't.
- Oh, what? - We have sound engineers– I know.
Wow.
So...
So one of you goes out there?
- Doing the soundcheck? - Yeah. Mhm.
I mean, for Europe, we had ourselves.
We just basically ran through with the sound engineer.
But it's...
The work is basic for sound engineer.
Moving the microphones, turning it on and off,
when we play and talk.
And also playing the soundtracks.
So that does take about an hour rehearsing.
- Mhm. - Give and...give or take.
And then with...yeah, I mean...
Just small things that you don't think would be a problem are a problem.
When you prepare beforehand, do you bring soundtracks with you?
What do you...
When you open your suitcase, and you have all the stuff you bring with you,
What is it?
Well.
- The stuff you're gonna talk about– - I don't want to spoil too much of the show.
- But we have some props. - Mhm.
And then we have a USB with the soundtracks required.
And people bring hula hoops?
- Yeah, people in the audience bring the hula hoop. - Mhm.
...to the concert, sometimes they don't.
And then gets awkward cos then we don't have an encore.
So please bring a hula hoop!
And we try to improvise, it's like ahhh...
Yeah.
Sometimes it works out, sometimes not really.
Yeah, I mean...
Brett does most of the...
Bookings related stuff, to be honest, so...
I don't know how much I can add to that, I just...
...dump it all onto Brett.
I'm sweating.
- Really? - Yeah.
It's okay!
Are you finding it spicy?
- No. - It's fine!
Brett's just dying.
Yeah.
So how...like...
You said your record was 8 weeks, how much...
What percentage of the year are you normally on the road?
I actually space it out.
And even then, I find like...it's really hard to...
It's hard to prepare the next things that are coming up.
I don't know why it's hard,
but I don't seem to be able to...
really get into the repertoire for the next tour
while I'm on the previous tour.
- Yeah. - I see, yeah.
I can't memorise stuff. I try.
I'll be practising over and over again
and I think I've got the memory of it
but then until I stop playing things that I'm performing on that tour,
it doesn't stick, whatever I'm trying to memorise for the next one.
- I see. So you have like for each– - So if I'm doing new music, it's terrible.
Because I only have the time...
I can't just memorise it while I'm going to the premiere.
I need to memorise it in advance!
Or not memorise it.
- I need to make a decision about it. - Gotcha.
And then I need to use my in between times...
in between tours to work on the new stuff.
That's why I space it out.
I take...
I'll be on the road for 2 weeks
and I'll be back for 2 weeks.
I'll take summers off,
I take a month or two off in the course of a year.
So like this year, I have January off,
I think I have March off,
- I had most of September off, - Gotcha.
And when I go out on the road,
then...
I'll do a week, or a few weeks of tour.
- So... - I don't generally go beyond a month of tour,
although this spring I have like a six-week tour coming up.
Is it optimal rest time? Optimal travel time?
- It's like a proportion. - Proportion.
Mhm.
Cos we've talked to some musicians, solosists
And they say,
They're on tour like...they're like on the road
70-80% of the year.
- And to us, that just sounds crazy. - Yeah.
It's hard!
- Yeah! - I don't know how they do it,
but maybe they get in a groove.
It does happen, like you can get in a groove and...
you have a little...kind of a routine.
It's hard to have a routine per se,
- Yeah. - because everything is different every day.
- You get so lonely too! - Even where the light switches are in the room is different.
- Yeah. - Who you know in that city is different.
You're constantly thinking...
what am I gonna be doing that's predictable,
If you wanna get a good cup of coffee,
you're yelping for half an hour trying to sort through–
- Coffee! - read between the lines. - That's all we– yeah.
So we're not the only ones.
- We spend... - And I'll be sitting there in the hotel
on Yelp or on something,
- just trying to sort through what's near, what's where... - We almost missed a flight.
- Yeah. - Really?
- Yeah we almost missed a flight for coffee. - Because of coffee, yeah.
You were searching out coffee in the airport?
- No, just– - No, we went to get coffee before a flight.
Yeah, and Eddy even called an Uber to get a coffee,
to make sure we get the coffee and back
- That's how se– - But when you're on tour, caffeine is just like...
- It keeps you going. - necessary.
- Mhm. - Just...yeah.
You have late shows.
Mmm.
- You have...a lot of excitement. - Jetlag.
Like there's a lot of adrenaline in the show.
It's really hard for the body after the adrenaline...
tanks.
Yeah.
You get up the next morning and you're still...
dragging, but that's the day that you travel.
- Mhm. - Yeah.
And you arrive, and then you're trying to...
You're still tired from travelling a little bit,
you're trying to reset, get checked in,
there might be something wrong with the hotel room.
But...usually there is not.
But there might be.
So then you might spend like half an hour trying to get
- the hotel key to work! - Oh right.
Going back down to the desk.
Finally got your luggage to the hotel door.
- Yeah. - And you try and get the key to work.
Yeah.
Doesn't work. Do you leave the luggage?
Do you take it with you?
- It's always the small things. - So many decisions!
- I know. - Mhm.
We once had a fire alarm go off.
Argh!
- At 3am. - Argh!
No!
No, not even kidding. In our room, hotel room at 3 am.
- It was the– - Did you a– What did you do?
Nothing! It's just the battery ran out.
We had to call someone,
- And then... - and the security guy
- Oh no! - that this biggest, buffest guy came in at 3am - Security dude!
- And we're just in our bed like... - we were just like–
Help!
And he reached up to...he can reach the ceilings essentially.
- No! - He just went...turns it off.
- Yeah. - I mean it was the night where we needed to sleep the most.
Mhm.
- And it just happened and I was like "ugh oh my god. Why?" - Mhm.
I mean, I guess it's just small logistical things that...
everything kinda adds up.
Yeah, you think you're gonna have a certain amount of time to do this or that,
and the at the end of the day,
you do get the things you need to get done, done!
But as far as the other stuff that's
- You push through it. - secondary on the list...
- Yeah. - Yeah.
This food is not very spicy!
- It's not that spicy! - No.
Damn it, guys.
Just stop being so weak.
- Go practice. - Which one is the spiciest?
I haven't had this one yet, but that one got me.
- Really? - I haven't had that one yet.
- Aha! - Oh I see.
Which one is– this one?
Yeah that one.
Good luck.
Reaching over you.
I'm sweating already.
But it's okay.
That's good!
- Should've got an extra spicy. - Oh yeah, it has the oil in it.
Mhm.
So it probably has...more spice.
The Pad Thai's spicy as well!
Okay. I have my work cut out for me.
There's something I really want to talk about is...
This was based off a conversation we had the other day.
But you said that...
In Korea,
- A certain... - Haha.
I mean uh...
- I don't know how to say, newspaper or press? - Oh yeah, this is a little spicier.
They like to call you the "Ice Princess."
What do you think about being known as the "Ice Princess?"
How does that make you feel?
That's kind of apparently my nickname in the Korean press.
I've never...
- Just checking the mic. - seen...
I've never seen how it's used
because I only get translations.
Mhm.
So I don't know contextually what it means.
Mhm.
But at least in America,
for an artist type to be called a princess
is not necessarily a compliment.
It kinda feels like it means your prissy
- or you expect fancy behaviour, - A lot of things.
or you're a diva, or...
you know, you have like a lot of...
requirements,
- and stuff like that. - Do you have a lot of requirements?
I don't think so?
- What's your backstage requirements? It's like "I need a... - I don't think so? What's normal?
- 16..." - My rider? What's in my rider?
Yeah yeah.
Only white M&M's you mean?
Yeah *laughs*
White M&M's, gummy bears...
Yeah, my rider? You wanna know what's in my rider?
- If you're allowed to talk about it. - Yeah, I mean...
Yeah! It's...
It's veggies and hummus.
- Veggies and hummus! - Hummus!
- If possible. - Like cooked veggies? or raw salad?
Like chopped pieces of vegetable.
- Woah! - It's not that complicated. - Okay.
- Okay. - They can even just give me a whole bell pepper,
a whole carrot or something and that will make...
That will make do.
- Okay. - So yeah, veggies and hummus, and...
- That sounds very healthy. - A selection of tea, coffee, whatever.
- Mmm. - Okay. - Whatever works. And...
Yeah, I think that's about it. A bottle of water.
- Water. - Oh that's quite simple.
Yeah.
We...Do we have anything? We don't really have anything.
We just want caffeine.
- Yeah just coffee. - Coffee. Keep us awake.
Oh I'd like 2 copies of the programme.
2 copies of the programme!
Yeah! To save.
But that's like...
Now that's getting prissy.
*laughs*
- I don't think that's very princessy. - 2 exactly! No more than 2.
I'll take 3, I'll take 4.
I...I don't know! I think I have...
I have high standards musically, when I'm working.
There's that. And I'm very serious when I play
because I'm in the music.
I don't really...
I'm not being...
Not frowning at people or anything,
I'm just thinking.
- I'm not...I'm not so visual... - And do you think people...
I'm not so visual because I'm completely in it.
- I..I'm just...I'm listening a ton. - You play it inside the–
I'm watching the violin.
I'm...
thinking ahead. I'm...
absorbing what's happening
There's a lot going on.
- Mmm. - Okay. - And it's hard for me to...
pretend anything other than what's going on.
I'm not saying that people who are more visual are pretending.
- I don't think they are, I think it's genuine. - Yeah.
It's just my genuine is really being sort of in the middle...
sort of the eye of the storm.
- And gathering from all of these things... - That's a cool way to– - That's a great way to put it.
...that are spinning around, like
grabbing the things that are interesting to me.
And putting my own spin on them and sort of tossing them back out there.
So then what do you think about performers that like move a lot?
I mean you said you think it's genuine, but like...
- I think for them it is! - Yeah?
If I were to do it, it would look weird.
Because it's not...
- I don't know, it was pretty amazing before, - It's not me!
when you did the dance.
- Yeah, that was incredible! - We made another video.
- You probably see it. Yeah. - But dancing is naturally me too, in a way!
- So that's not that... - But just all your focus is on the music and the sound maybe?
Yeah! I'm...I'm just...that's
That's my focused face.
- So I think a lot of our viewers– - But also people think that I'm not moving!
They think I'm not doing anything.
- Yeah, yeah. - If you zoom in on me playing,
I'm going in and out of the camera!
So I don't know how I could do much more than I do sometimes.
- I feel like...maybe I could do more with my face? - The cameraman can...
But my face doesn't actually do those things
that other people's faces do!
I don't know, I just don't have that face!
Yeah.
But as far as...
actual range of motion, I am moving a fair amount.
So I really don't know what more I'd have to do to meet those expectations.
I have a question for you.
Yeah.
If you were to rate how much you move on stage
- on a scale from 0...1 to 10, - Okay.
1 is like...
- Just...I don't know, the stillest player. - Still?
- Mmm. - Mhm.
Heifetz?
- Yeah okay. So let's say Heifetz. - Heifetz.
- 10 is Lindsey S– - And 10 is like...
Lindsey Stirling?
Not even Lindsey. Like, let's say just classical soloists.
So I don't know. Someone like...
Who moves a lot?
- Joshua Bell. - Joshua Bell. Okay.
Where would you put yourself on 1 to 10?
- Oh this is very sweet. Just so you know. - Oh okay, I won't have it.
- Ah Imma have some. - Thank you.
Um...
What measure are we using?
- Well just...like width... - Are we talking about like how far I'm moving?
- Yeah, do you– - Yeah, pure like
- movement and facial expression as well, so like... - Yeah.
- And how will you move you feet– - Okay facial expression, if Heifetz is 1,
I would say I'm probably 3.
- Okay. - Okay.
- Scale of 1 to 10. - I can see that.
- Mhm. - Mhm.
As far as physical...
...motion, up-down, side-side,
if you were to frame it,
- up-down...It's such a scientific way... - up-down side-side.
It's just like...here's a graph
- X Y axes. - X Y axes. - Because there's not much front to back
- without falling back. - Yeah, you can't see much front–
Or falling off the stage.
I would say I'm probably...
7 out of 10?
- I see. Okay. - Ooohh.
But I keep...
...a frame to my plane.
- I can see that, I can see that. - So I'm not... - Yeah.
- I don't... - Yeah.
Because that's how I play, I have a frame
that I play within.
And it's actually a very comfortable thing,
and it's flexible.
But it's just not...
I don't do like...my...I don't do the high elbow,
I wasn't taught that.
I don't do sort of extreme...
hold? Or extreme grip, or like extreme...
- ...scroll. - Do you go really low with the scroll? or...
Sometimes yeah! Like my scroll's at my waist.
- And then...yes! - At your waist?
If you were to freeze frame, you would see!
- Sometimes my scroll is as low as my waist. - Yeah I've seen that.
Yeah. And then it goes up as far as this.
So that's actually like...
- So what gives the impression of everyone thinking that... - I don't know, it seems like a lot.
- I think it's the face. - Your face right? - I think it's the frame, and it's the face.
Cos if the frame is moving, it doesn't look like things are changing so much.
- And the face is not moving a lot either. - Do you move your head a lot with your body?
- Are they moving in one unit when you move? - The face, the face.
Just the face.
Not my face, "the" face.
The face.
The face!
Well tell you something!
So I was taught to play with the posture of Heifetz.
- Ohhh okay. - In the sense that my teacher was Russian school.
And I was taught to have my foot pointing in one direction.
- The right foot would be like down the aisle, - Ahhh yeah yeah yeah.
- and the left foot would be sort of like out this angle. - It's very...
- And the violin would be this way. - Do you still play that way?
So that was what I played like until I was 10.
I see.
So then when... And very stoic.
There was no need to do any kind of expression.
It was in the...in the playing.
And then when I went to my teacher when I was 10
and I started at Curtis,
He told me, "Sweetheart, people have eyes as well as ears."
Oh no!
And he would push my shoulders.
Really?
Side to side when I was playing if I got too still.
- He was a quartet leader. - That's so funny.
- So he was saying you have to show the music. - Okay, so he was all about-
- That is true. - You have to give some cues.
And then when I was playing in a quartet when I was 12,
I've played in chamber music before,
but I hadn't... had my... had a steady group so much.
Not one that I'd selected and
friends that I knew I was playing with.
So they would just...
I would have to cue, and...
Cuz I was playing first...
I wanted to play second,
but they wanted me to play first
because the second violinist
didn't wanna play the parts.
- Didn't wanna play the high stuff. - She's like I'll be in your quartet,
but I don't wanna play first.
Yeah...
Like "please please please!"
"No, I'll play second, but I'll be in your quartet." - That's funny.
- So- - Wow...
I was cuing,
and I was the youngest member of the quartet,
and I didn't know how to cue.
So...
Bam!
I would cue, and they would just look at me.
I...
- Yup. - "We can't read your cue."
"Can you try it again?"
That was... yeah.
So I cued and I-
It's actually really hard to like-
- To lead, right? - Yeah. - People wouldn't have come in the right time.
Yeah.
And that's how I learned how to show the...
the way I'm playing and be very clear.
So apparently, I'm pretty clear to play with,
but I think for the audience, I'm not quite as emotive.
But I'm very tuned in to everything around me.
So...
I think I'm not projecting maybe as much as I'm feeling,
and, as the people around me are picking up on.
I mean, I think...
Personally, I think what you do is...
good
like I don't think you should try to-
I do me.
Yeah exactly, like
you shouldn't try to be what you're not.
But I'm just thinking about
the Ling Ling workout challenge
that we just filmed and...
I wish one of the challenge was that
- you had to express your facial expression out. - Aw, that would be funny!
Cuz I would love to see that.
Here's a question that's like...
Kind of related to this topic but not really.
Mhm.
Um...
And...
I don't know if it's appropriate.
So if it's not appropriate, we can always cut it out.
But um...
Would you rather, if you had to choose...
Cuz we actually had a friend.
He had like, um,
really bad stomach.
Hmm.
And he...
- Ohhh, here we go. - He was known for-
Oh no!
Are we getting into the toilet realm?
- Is that what we're doing? - Yeah.
So there was one particular quartet concert-
Aww...
- where he just felt... didn't feel too good. - Oh no.
- Yeah, I know where this is going. - But, because everyone was like
"We need to get on stage."
So he just went on stage.
And then, during the middle of the concert, he...
He...
- Pooped his pants. - You know, he pooped his pants.
*gasps* Mhm.
- And he just kept going- - He kept going-
- Oh my god! - And it was an intimate chamber setting
- where the audience- - What are you supposed to do?
How can you get out of that situation?
- Like, you just kinda have to stay there, right? - Well, I would've just walked off, man.
I would've just walked off.
But how?
Apparently it was just like-
Pick up your chair?
Yeah!
- No, apparently the stain is still there. - "Excuse me, I gotta go."
It's, like, everything just-
- Don't know if that's true, but that's all I know. - We're eating- We're talking about this with food.
- I know hahahaha! - I'm just looking at this.
Hopefully this is not the situation tomorrow.
Yeah. Oh no.
Oh yeah, we got a concert tomorrow.
Eating spicy food is probably not the best idea.
So the question I would ask is
would you rather-
Okay, okay.
- Like I said it, this is a big concert. - Okay.
It's being recorded.
It's like with a world-class orchestra.
Would you rather-
Oh god, here we go...
Poop your pants on stage,
but then you played the best you've ever played,
and it's recorded.
Mmm!
- But everyone... people will smell it. - But everyone smells it,
- they can see it trickling down... - They can see it. They're like,
They know it's you.
They're like "Oh my god, it's you."
But I wear a floor-length gown.
- They can just see the puddles on the stage. - Yeah, it just...
Like every movement you do...
Every movement you do just-
- Like a whaff! - Just, whaff just come goes out.
Whoof! Whoof!
Or...
Would you not have that,
but you have to
sight read the concerto on stage.
Ohh...
- I mean, I don't know how good your sight reading is. - Ohh...
- It's probably still pretty good. - That's a tough one.
I am a terrible sight reader.
Oh!
Okay...
Hmm, how about you guys?
- I mean, either way is pretty bad. So... - What would you rather do?
I would rather sight read.
I think I would rather sight read, too. Because I think-
Because our standards are just...
That's my standard anyway.
Eddy: Yeah like, people don't really- Hilary: You have to think
which is more immortal though?
Okay, we're back again!
- Can you backtrack to the beginning? yeah yeah. - Immortal, immortal, immortal.
- I saw it when it flicked. - Yeah, okay.
So the recording of you sight reading...
Mhm?
It's a video recording or an audio recording?
Audio. So they don't know that you-
Yeah, they don't know.
Yeah.
- They can't smell it. They can't see it. - They might hear the poop noises.
Woah! Woh!
Shuffling around.
Okay but yeah, they don't see it.
They don't know.
Mhm.
- The context always gets lost with the recordings. - Mhm.
- People just take them at face value. - Mhm.
So...
What is more important to your legacy?
That people...
And also,
isn't it super impressive if you play it amazingly,
and you're going through that?
- That will be like a PR story! - That would be legendary! - It'd be a PR stunt.
- Like, not only is this the best recording, - That would be legendary!
but they did it under...
- Pressure. - poop situation.
Poop pressure.
I mean I think-
- So you'd pick the poop. - There's no explanation for
why you're sight reading a concerto
other than that you didn't prepare,
- you don't care, you don't value your audience. - Yeah. Yeah.
I mean...
- Oh man... - Oh my god.
- Like that's- And it's recorded forever. - But I feel so sorry for the front row though.
I know!
*laughs*
No, imagine the whole hall stunk up.
I know but,
- no one can smell it on the recording. - That's true.
Maybe the secret...
And it'll be like a whole PR.
And the secret just-
No, I'm just picturing like a 45-minute concerto.
- Yeah. - And the poop-
I feel like you want me to give a different answer.
No, I mean-
It's a good answer.
Nah, I think-
- You have to weigh what's valuable here. - Yeah.
- Yeah, that's true. - Right.
- We always do this would-you-rather. - I'm taking it super seriously.
Okay.
- So okay- - I would say...
She's a strict professional.
She truely-
No matter what happens-
- cares about the music. - I hope that never happens.
*laughs*
I would probably find a way to kind of...
- Get off stage? - Disappear?
What I would do is probably...
*sighs*
I would excuse myself.
Oh no.
They can't... They can't...
Like there's no point in recording
when I'm not there, right?
Yeah.
Excuse myself like,
take care of whatever needs to be done,
come back.
Oh man...
- What would you say- - Spare the audience.
- Yeah, spare the audience, like " Guys, sorry," - Let people clean up.
- "an accident just happened." - You know, like
spare people the misery of
dealing with that in the audience,
and dealing with a bad performance on the recording.
That's so funny.
I'm trying to find some way-
Some balance.
- Some way, yeah. - Best of both worlds.
That's so funny.
What would you do?
If I had to...
- If I had to do sight reading I would tell the audience- - Sight reading. - Sight reading.
It was because this is my only other option.
Sorry guys.
I was given this choice.
- And I want to make you have a better experience. - Yeah.
So I'm gonna do my best sight reading.
I don't want to put you through the torture of
that other circumstance.
- That's the only way I can think- - Then they will be supportive then, I guess.
That's the only way I can think to make it okay!
Mhm.
They will definitely be supp-
Oh, hopefully be supportive.
Wow, okay.
Yum yum!
- This is- - Hahahaha!
That was go- Yeah!
Mm!
That's not too spicy.
- It's not too bad. - I think it was this one that got me.
Yeah.
How's the milk tea, is it good?
It's good. It's saving me.
- Yup. - It's just like a...
You're actually dying.
Yeah, that's fine.
Oh wow.
What are your other would-you-rather's?
Um...
Well, this isn't a would-you-rather, but,
I like asking this question to people.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Yeah, that's a good one.
Mmm...
Do more stuff with my face?
- Not be called the Ice Princess! - Not be Ice Princess.
Dude, Ice Princess is pretty cool.
It's like you're the-
- Maybe, yeah... - The cool Ice Queen that-
- The popular Ice Queen- - I'd rather be Ice Queen, or Snow Queen.
I see...
Do you like Frozen? The movie?
I've never seen it.
Me neither!
We haven't seen it.
Yeah.
- There you go. - Dude, everyone's gonna be like triggered.
How can you not see it!?
We were practicing!
I know, yeah, exactly.
Well, Ice Queen, you're the eye of the hurricane,
the storm. I love that.
- Superpower... - Mm!
Hmm...
I don't know!
I don't have any answers to that.
- I've never thought about it. - I love how like...
Most people will be like...
"To play in tune."
And then Hilary is like "to have facial expressions"
"cuz I already play in tune."
Yeah, OHHHH!!!
TwoSet: That, that is when you dab!
- OHhhHHhHh! - That's when you dab!
Yeah.
That's the dab.
Yeah.
Superpower, I mean, you could be like, fly,
you could be invisble.
Mhm.
Time dilation, time travel.
Yes, slow time down,
Walk through walls.
Have a s... ultimate sme... like really good smelling.
- Not get checked at Customs. - That one would be really awesome.
It's like if...
I think if I could
If I could-
- Is that a thing you've been dealing with? - He, he, he,
- Airports, man. - He gets caught up every time in Custom.
And they always like...
- Whenever I walk through that thing- - Does it happen to you at Heathrow?
Oh, Customs? Or just like security?
- Actually no, mostly securities, not so much Customs. - Security, okay.
Sometimes but-
Security always gets on Eddy.
When I do that machine, they always
siren something's up.
And they always start like feeling me up.
- And it just so like unpleasant. - Do you eat a lot of iron or something?
I don't know... I was-
I don't know what would...
Hmm.
Yeah, that would be a nice superpower
- not to be felt up at every- - Maybe I went to Japan.
- I know, dude. - Every stop.
No okay, this is...
- This is awkward. - Okay, I think I'd have a weird...
- Mhm. - A weird, very esoteric superpower though.
That would be very cool.
Okay.
If...
- You know how you- - Esoteric... What does that mean?
- Like, like- - Esoteric?
Ah, my mouth %^#&*
- Sorry I'm just- - Yeah.
So yeah yeah.
Obscure maybe.
Okay, obscure, mhm.
Or something academic, or...
Whatever.
Mhm.
You know how you think
sometimes you get to a point in life and
you could go this way or that way.
Mhm.
And I would like to be able to
like pause this version,
and go that way to see where it goes.
And then come back,
pause that version, and try the other way.
I think it would be really cool
to be able to have parallel versions-
- Like timelines? - of your life.
Yeah!
- Yeah, that you can jump between- - So jumping timelines? Here we go.
- Okay. - And see what it's like.
- Experience- - Does it-
- different versions. - Do you actually live out the different versions?
Or you just a-
that you're kinda see into the future.
No, live them!
Yeah? So you get to live all-
Like fast forward, rewind, fast forward, rewind.
- So that's time manipulation, jumping timelines. - I guess so.
And just...
That would be really fun.
That would be crazy...
Mhm.
It's not like you get to choose
- which way you go on. - But you can't change... Like do-
- Would you want to change things in the timeline? - It becomes very confusing, right?
- You know there's an effect- - Because it becomes infinite.
It would be confusing!
- Like "where am I?" - Yeah.
- You forget which timeline you're in. - "Where? Which one?"
Yeah.
"Which one is the one I belong in?"
"Which one do I want? I don't know!"
- Wow... - Very confusing.
- But it would be- - That would be cool.
It would be cool to be able to-
So what would you do if you didn't have violin?
be different versions of yourself, to-
Yeah, imagine you chose the timeline
- where you didn't do violin. - No violin.
- No violin? - Yeah.
Hm. Probably I'd be a visual artist of some sort.
Ooh, okay.
Mhm.
- Visual artist! - Mmm!
It's not that different, I guess.
- And you don't move to much with your... - I don't know why. Cuz I always did a lot of crafting.
Expression!
Yeah.
But I love... I love the...
interpersonal aspect of performing.
So if you're a visual artist, you don't get that.
So I think I would-
That's true.
feel like something was missing in a sense,
but I wouldn't know it's missing.
Mhm.
Cuz I wouldn't know what's it's like-
That's true.
What would you do?
Mm...
What's something nerdy?
Something that like-
Something...
Scientific innovation-
- In MIT? - that'll benefit society.
Yeah.
Innovate the future!
I don't know.
What would you do?
- Mm... - What were you good at in school?
Or what were you not good at in school?
What would you have whelmed up?
What would you have followed?
Architecture, you were gonna do that for a while.
I would, but I don't know if I was gonna be good at it.
Yeah.
But um...
Oh greens!
I think I always like to change things up.
So I'd do a lot of everything.
Mhm.
I could do architect for a while.
Then I'll be, might be interested in
Invent... creating something, building things, maybe.
Well like, designing.
Mhm.
Maybe another instrument.
Um...
Yeah, I don't know.
My mum was an artist.
But I was never good at art.
Hm.
So in my high school, I came home with a drawing,
my mom was like "What is that?"
And then she fixed it up.
Then I went back to school.
My art teacher was just like...
"Wow, Brett." Very confused.
I was like "Yeah... Mm... haha!"
- "Yeah, spent some time on that." - Awkward. Haha!
Yeah homework. I actually did it.
I don't know, I like to dabble in things.
But I need to...
I feel like I need to be obsessed with it.
Creating something or some-
Hmm...
Yeah.
Are you obsessed with this?
This?
Yeah.
Of course.
- Yeah. Yeah. - That was...
a long pause.
Yeah, I was like "Was that a trick question?"
Yeah, of course, I love it.
Because you create a lot with-
Mhm.
It's fun.
this, I guess it's a job? I don't know how you'd call it.
It almost doesn't feel like a job.
Yeah, that's what I mean.
- Didn't feel like a job. - It's just... - I don't know what you would call it.
work is... Oh, I actually love working on this, so-
Mhm.
- Um... - Yup.
Even if we're just so tired, we still do it.
It's just fun.
Why did you start?
What was the first thing that started you doing this?
Do you remember? I remember we were in that dorm.
Yup.
We were at a music camp.
Mhm.
Um...
Like Australian Youth Orchestra music camp.
Mhm.
And then, we watched a video, you know, PSY?
Gangnam Style, this dance?
It was the first video to get a billion views on YouTube,
4 or 5 years ago.
Mhm.
And then, so we thought "Maybe we can do that as well."
Um...
And that idea started like
"We should make a music video."
- Which is our very first video. We danced to- - Well, we danced with the violin. It was stupid.
- Nah. Yeah, we took it off. - It was so bad.
We took it off. It's so bad.
And then... That's when it started.
The idea started.
Mhm.
Took us about a year or two... Two years I'd say,
to really get into the videos.
Mhm.
Because we were still...
We just finishing uni, right?
Yeah, it was our last year at uni.
Everyone in uni was like "What are you guys doing?"
Yeah, everyone was like "What are you gonna do?"
Um, we made some stupid...
I mean, yeah-
Wait, they said "what were you doing"
because you were thinking of doing it full-time?
Professionally?
- Or was it because- - We weren't even thinking that far.
- Just random videos you were making- - We weren't thinking. We started trying new things.
- Just trying things. - They would say "Why aren't you practicing?"
Yeah.
"What are you guys dancing on camera for?"
"You should be studying here. You should-"
"You should continue your studies here."
- Yeah. - Wait, who were saying this?
I mean-
Your fellow students? Or like...
- Or the dean? Or your teachers, or- - Everyone.
- Everyone, everyone. - Hm.
I mean, cuz it was kinda like the path that was paven.
Paven? Is that a word, paven?
Paven.
Paved!
- Spicy food! - Pove!
Poved.
Poven.
(paved) for us.
And then we kinda just started to make videos
and tried other things.
Yeah.
And we got into it.
That's how we got into video editing,
started learning new things.
It was kind of a breath of fresh air for me.
Mm.
Um...
I mean a lot of people we know all go overseas.
I didn't feel like it was the right thing for me to do yet.
Mm.
But well, everyone was pushing us to do it.
Mhm.
Yeah.
Both of us actually at the same time
"You should go overseas now!"
"Go here, go there."
Overseas meant what?
- To study. Continue to like- - Yeah.
- But like where? - London, America...
Yeah, where were people going?
But... people were going to London, mostly.
Or... from Australia.
And if not London, then either Germany or America.
Yeah.
And it was just a thing everyone did.
And so...
When we chose not to do that, it was like a blast for me.
- Hm. - It's like...
- It almost seemed rebellious or something. - You're just wasting your-
- Wasting your potential. - Wasting your potential, wasting your...
all this hard work.
I mean I think some teachers...
- Yeah, you would never become successful like-
Yeah. Well...
Yeah.
- Yeah, it was like that's your one chance, - They were wrong.
- at going for it. - They were so wrong.
I mean...
I understand like I think they're worried about us.
And so they felt like a responsibility.
Mm.
Um...
I mean I...
It's-
I don't wanna say talk badly
because I love her, but...
I know she was quite worried and she was just like...
"I don't think this Internet thing would work."
Like she literally said that, and...
Yeah, and I remember people like...
friends of us...
apparently would like...
talked-
- Oh they talked- - behind our back.
Yeah, they talked down on it.
They were just kinda like...
Very close.
Did you ever have experiences like that?
Or is it... not so much?
Because not everyone had- goes through
that kind of a rebellious thing.
- What is your- - Like being discouraged from doing-
- Yeah. - Yeah, from what you're doing.
"You won't be able to make it,"
or "What are you think you're doing?"
You don't have that?
There you go.
It's cuz she can play in tune,
- and we can't! - Yeah, cuz we couldn't.
That's why our teachers were just like
"Aw, guys you gotta get the basics."
But I mean you get feedback
people don't like what you do.
Mhm.
Okay.
People have a certain idea of who you are or they...
think you're a certain kind of player,
or they think you're trying to do this or that
when you're actually not.
Mhm.
- How do you feel- - It's a bit disconnect between...
what you want to do in the music
and what comes across.
I see.
- I see. - It's sometimes hard to link those two.
Can I have a chopsticks?
Yeah.
Ooh.
- The noodles just go flying, yeah. - I know! It's impossible! Yes.
So how do you deal with... I mean do you get a lot of...
I mean obviously you get a lot of good feedback,
but do you get bad feedback?
- And how do you deal with it? - Sometimes.
Um.
Does it affect you? Or you kinda just like
ignore it? Do you-
Well,
So Jaime Laredo said,
"If you are gonna listen to the good stuff,"
"you have to listen to the bad."
Mhm.
So either you-
Makes sense.
Disregard it all, or you read it all.
Yeah.
And these days, you can't pick and choose
what you read because it's all mixed in together.
Yeah.
You never know what you're gonna see in the review.
But then there was this one time I did a concert
where there were 4 reviews
just because of the location it was in,
and because it was a big Gala Concert thing that I was-
I was relatively young and...
I think I was maybe 15 or 16...
Woah!
And I was a part of the concert,
but I was not the main thing in the concert, so it was...
It was a big deal, but not...
Not crushing if I got one review kind...
one kind of a review or another kind of review.
So...
There were 4 reviews
that were entirely different from each other.
- Mm. - And that's the moment when I realized
"Okay, it's a perspective."
Yup.
But it's interesting when you keep getting a consistent
type of comment on your playing, and you're trying
- so hard to not get that kind of comment. - Really?
It's not very helpful
to try to not get that certain kind of reaction.
It's more helpful to think about what you're trying to do
and aim in that direction.
- So what's something you get- - Aim positive instead of aiming "not negative."
Oh, that's a good point.
Aim positi-
So do you get some... Do you mind sharing what you-
And what's that thing you didn't-
Ice Princess!
Ice Pincess, ohhh!
In a nutshell.
Mhm.
- So okay- - But I see where it comes from.
I totally see where it comes from.
And I don't entirely understand the nickname.
And I think it's good
when you do see that people have
a consistent impression of your work.
- It's good to think about that. - Mm.
Why do they keep thinking that?
Is that really what you are?
What is their frame of reference?
Mhm.
Why did... Like why do...
Why is their mind to go to that,
and what are they comparing it to?
And I think I just realized after a while that...
Worrying about having a certain impression
or not having a certain impression was keeping me from
just playing the way I wanted to play.
- Mm. - I see.
So I just needed to completely
dive into what I wanted to do.
Not apologize for the preempted,
or wonder if it was the right thing to do. Just do it.
- Just focus on what you want, - Do it, focus on what you-
which is the music.
Yeah.
And not... yeah!
Also, what is my instinct telling me...
I think it's really hard when you are in school,
you have all this feedback.
And you're growing up and
you have lessons, you have um. ..
You know,
people are in the next room when you're practicing.
Yeah.
Mhm.
You just always have the awareness that
there's someone else that's a part of your playing.
And there's someone to measure up to.
Then when you graduate, you're in your own apartment.
You're not practicing next door
to anyone in the conservatory.
- You become antisocial. - You don't have lessons.
- Yes! - Antisocial practice-
Check out the merch, guys!
www.twosetviolin.com
- Anyway. - That stupid plug.
YAY!
*cheers*
I was waiting for that.
Like here we go.
"Time time time... Ding ding ding!"
Are you gonna drink that?
- Do you guys want that? - No.
Not that one.
Can I steal it?
Yeah.
- Go for it. - I'm dying.
- Sorry to cut you off for the merch plug. - Well, there are only two straws.
- Yeah, yeah there you go. - That's why.
They knew.
- One person needed to have two. - I needed two.
I'll put this here.
Would you like a serviette?
Serviette.
Yeah, so- Oh thank you.
Yeah, so I think that...
- When you're a member of Antisocial Practice Club, - Yeah
and you don't have lessons,
and...
people are expecting professional things from you,
I think that's a really weird place to be in.
You might be doing auditions, you might be performing.
In my case,
I was already established as a certain kind of player.
Yup.
And I had to decide
am I going to maintain that expectation.
Is that really who I am?
What's natural to me as a player?
I had to learn how to listen to my own instincts and...
Develop my own sense of direction.
And ultimately, I'm still the same player.
So it wasn't like there was a major shift in anything
because I still...
All that training, all those aesthetics were deeply rooted.
And I just had to figure out
a different way of relating to it
- for myself. - How did you... like...
maintain your career?
Because... I mean there's... We see a lot...
And you probably as well... So it's...
Amazing musicians that come out at a young age.
But then all of a sudden,
you don't hear about them anymore.
Or doing... they're not performing as much.
Sometime it's the reputation, sometimes is their playing.
Sometimes is they don't wanna play.
Or, yeah. So it could- there's balance of both.
And for you, it seems like it's... just...
Like you're still there. Like you're still going,
improving, continuously... like...
Were you always aware of that?
Or is it something you kinda actively try to manage?
Just...
- Is it a good management, or is it like how'd you- - Well...
A lot of things, I think.
I have always done...
I don't know, let's see, where do I start with that...
I don't know what it's like to not have it be
the way I've had it.
I only know my own...
Sequence of events.
But a lot of the career stuff
in classical music is word-of-mouth.
So...
If there's anything that's not working with colleagues,
it can really negatively affect your career.
But, because concerts are booked out
a couple years in advance,
you do have a bit of a grace period.
Once you have a certain level of...
Of booking and of career and of...
- Collaborations and stuff like that - - Our bookings are like two months in advance...
The way you're doing your own tour is actually
the old fashion way, that's how people used to do it.
Really?
- Yeah, like, people like Maud Powell, violinist, - I didn't know that.
She would..
I'm sure other people did it as well.
- I just know about this from her, from her... - Really?
- Biography. But she would... - Okay.
Get on a train,
go to the next city,
see when the hall was available,
book the hall, hang up the posters...
Sell the tickets.
We're old-fashioned.
Yeah, didn't Paganini do that?
Probably.
We're all Paganini.
- No social media, no advanced notice, no pre booking, - That would be so hard.
you know, just going from city to city.
- With all the posters, you put them up, and then, - Yeah.
you take them down, go to the next place on the stop.
We heard Paganini collects his own money at the front.
If someone comes in, he is just there taking the money.
He is his own cashier.
- He has his own - Yeah. - It's just like a jazz club or something, I don't know.
And he gets his own music out,
and he takes it all back after rehearsals.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's how it's used to be.
But now I mean...
Now it's booked out.
I think the reason things are booked out
so far in advance,
is just the number of things that need to coordinate.
So you have to coordinate all the repertoire.
Orchestras have to coordinate all the parts.
The rental parts and...
They have to coordinate, you know,
if they want a certain soloist,
when that soloist is gonna be available that week and
- if the conductor, they want the conductor... - Conductors, wow.
Soloist and then that repertoire for the soloist...
It's just so many... Logistics.
That's why operas are booked out so far in advance.
- So much further. - Really?
- Operas? - 4 or 5 years?
- A lot of conductors who do operas - What?! - 4 or 5 years??
are booked about 5 years in advance.
Are the singers booked five years in advance?
Maybe?
Dude, I don't even know what I'm doing like, tomorrow.
Yeah.
I can't imagine five years...
I can do two or three cause I'm used to it, but...
Yeah.
Five years?
- Might not even be playing violin in five years. - Dude...
- Nah, I'm joking. I'm practicing. - Oof.
- Might be a violist in f - Oooh! - Be a violist by five years? Oooh!
Aw... Poor violists.
- Do you... - It's a beautiful instrument!
Mm...
Beautiful.
- I love em. - I think it is.
Viola gang.
Um... Do you...
- I mean this might be a dumb question - - Oh, wait.
- So, I don't think I answered your question. - Oh, yeah, sorry. Yeah, yeah.
- Um... - What was the question? I forgot.
- The question was how I sustain... - Career, sustain career. - Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Sorry, I will just...
You know, I think I've just always been...
If I'm interested in pursuing a project,
I'll try to find a way to do it.
And even if it doesn't make sense
to other people, I'll just do it.
So then, people know who I am over time...
And I can pursue one...
Area of interest or another area of interest.
It doesn't mean that I'm changing as a musician.
Does that make sense?
What do you mean areas of interest?
So, if I want to do...
You know, contemporary music.
- I'll do a contemporary music project. - Okay. Okay.
But then, I'll also go and do...
A Bach project or I'll do a number of different pieces
in the course of the season and that's just an example,
that's a repertoire example.
But also who I am as a person I pretty much represent...
I try not to get...
Put in a category that's not me.
- That's cool. - Yeah.
So if people say that -
If people consistently say that
I'm something that I'm personally not...
I try to just...
Um...
Keep doing the things that I do.
Like prodigy.
If - If people say... when people would say
I'm a prodigy or something like that.
I was actually just a musician who was young.
I see. Yeah.
It's not - I don't live the life of prodigy.
I just do the work. I just keep doing the work.
I keep trying to improve every day.
Doing my lessons or not doing lessons if I graduated.
I'm just doing the work, just very steadily keeping at it.
Yeah, it's a fun...
Interesting term, people talk about prodigies.
Mmm.
It's almost like...
It seems like an unattainable...
Mhm.
Situation.
Dude, I was being called prodigy at 29.
And I'm thinking...
- Wow. - When does it end?
Yeah.
- Prodigy at 29. - To which I just said...
Okay, I'm not a prodigy, I'm 29.
Just like - Just - Let's find a different word here.
Yeah.
- I'm a musician. - The second I turn 30, the word's gone.
Really?
- Wow. - So weird.
That is weird.
29?
I felt like when I turned 30...
The people I worked with
took me a little bit more seriously.
The...
Um...
You know, other people thought that
I was older or something... I don't know.
- It's like 30 is the magic moment that kind of makes... - Yeah.
Wraps everything up as a prodigy.
Well, as a violinist,
if you're a soloist, you're considered to be in your prime
somewhere around 40 to 60.
I see.
- That's so different. - So...
Wow.
For conductors,
they're in their prime when they are like 60 to 70.
Wow.
You know and so they have to deal with being called
young conductors when they're 45... 50...
Wow.
- Well, that's a little exaggerated. - How does -
- But if they're 30, they're still a...
- Young, upcoming conductor. - Young conductor.
- But that's so annoying, because it's not like... Yeah. - A violinist would not be a young violinist, but still...
Because it's not like when you're 29 and you turn 30,
you magically mature tenfold musically.
I know!
- But then... But then, - It's all a gradual process but the number... - There's no difference!
that one day like on your birthday,
- suddenly you're a musician not a prodigy, right? - I'm glad for it, but...
Must be a time lapse thing, you jump time lines
- like boom. - Yeah, yeah.
- Where you live a different life. - Yeah.
But I get where it comes from.
- Mhm. - Yeah.
- It's just that they really think - - but it's also convenient for...
- I think... media's - - People need titles.
They need titles to...
- Media is words. - Yeah.
- Have you ever been called a prodigy? - You have to -
- No. No. - Neither have I.
- Far from it. Yup. - We dodged that bullet.
I'm gonna try for the spicy one, again.
Good luck.
I have not been outspiced yet.
- This is getting spicier towards the bottom. - It is spicy.
- I took a bite and thought... It's stacking up on me. - Yeah.
So, what do you think about Ling Ling?
- Yes. - Do you know who Ling Ling is?
I do not know who Lin -
I can't even say it.
It's that name I can't say.
Ling Ling.
- Ling Ling is... - I don't know.
I don't know who Ling Ling is.
*Gasp*
- Wow. - People in the comment section are just like...
They're gonna go crazy.
Guys, comment who Ling Ling is below.
Well, you guys don't know who Ling Ling is either?
Or you do?
- It's a mythical - - Well, we know Ling Ling - What Ling Ling represents.
Ling Ling represents the...
Embodiment of practice.
- Yeah. - And 40 hours a day.
- Okay, I think that's hilarious though. - But Ling Ling can do everything.
Ling Ling can... Ling Ling can...
Do backflips and practice 40 hours a day.
- And never get injured. - And never... Yeah, never get injured.
Ling Ling can play
and practice five instruments at a time.
Ling Ling can do everything, I mean...
Yeah.
I think it's pretty awesome
there's a Ling Ling out there somewhere.
Yeah. People that are called Ling Ling, they're like...
- We - We met um... - That's true.
Have you met a Ling Ling?
- No, we met someone who said... - A literal Ling Ling?
His cousin, I think? Or niece?
Her name was called Ling Ling
and she plays violin and apparently...
- She got a lot of - - She gained a lot of instagram followers purely by
- being called Ling Ling. - Called Ling Ling.
- Yeah. Yeah. - And having a display pic with a violin.
There you go.
There's a YouTube video said Ling Ling play something,
- by someone by uploading Beethoven something. - Really?
- They were like: "lol, lol, Ling Ling, Ling Ling." - That's so funny.
- Poor Ling Ling. - Yeah, poor Ling Ling.
- It's like, guys, I am not. - What, what?
- That's so funny. - It's a person.
Well. I'm not - I'm not Ling Ling.
*Gasp*
There you guys have it.
- So, I'll continue our quest. To find the one and true... - Yeah, we'll find Ling Ling.
- One day... - Should I have said that I am Ling Ling?
- Okay, jump time line. - What do you -
What do you need?
What do you need from me right now?
- Wow. - It's alright.
I'm sure when everyone sees your Ling Ling workout...
- They'll just be like, holy crap. - I mean...
- I just don't... - It's pretty amazing.
- I don't practice like that. - Yeah.
- Yeah, how many hours do you practice? - Yeah.
- Are you allowed to say that? - I practice the minutes that I can find.
Ohhh.
That's a nice answer.
- I practice the minutes I can find! Yes! - We can use that one from now on.
Yeah, I can find.
- I put in a ton of time earlier. - Mhm.
And I also got injured at one point,
so I had to learn how to practice efficiently.
- I see. - So...
So how do you practice efficiently?
Um...
I think I've learned -
Is there a... A cappella group outside?
They are serenading us. These are the fans
- Ling Ling. - who were in the hall.
It's Ling Ling?
It's Ling Ling.
- Singing 40 parts at once. - Singing 40 parts at once. - Singing... Yeah, 40 parts at once.
No, I guess I just have learned how to fix the things
that I need to fix and then...
I daydream a lot when I practice.
- Daydream? - You daydream a lot?
Yeah, I don't practice full volume all the time.
I don't practice like I'm performing.
I'm daydreaming about the music.
I'm playing it, but I'm thinking what could I do?
Can I....
- Do more of this here or could I do more of that there? - That's interesting...
I just kind of leave my mind blank
to see if something suddenly occurs to me
that I wanna then...
Practice, expound upon in the practice session.
Do you visualize?
Sorry, guys.
There's Acappella singing in the background.
It's like Ah~~
Are they outside?
It's not even Christmas carols or anything.
Not sure what it is.
Getting warmed up for it.
This is how these students warm up.
Yeah.
Singing Christmas carols.
*Brett singing*
- Or like... I mean... - I don't do visualizations, I guess. I don't know.
- Do you - - I'll be practicing and I'll think...
Well, I kind of want to...
Someone is singing so -
Is someone's phone playing?
- No, I think people are singing outside. - No, They are singing outside. - Okay.
Is that okay for you guys?
- It's fine, it's fine. - That's fine. I don't think the audio will pick it up. - Oh, okay.
- Okay. - It won't pick it up.
So the - I mean, you talk about...
- Tinkering with practice. - Yeah.
How does that work? because it's - I mean -
I think a lot of people watching this would love
- to know how to... - Just to know how...
Even help their own practice
- improve in efficiency, right? - Like what goes in the mind of Hilary Hahn.
I could do a little demo at some point.
- Okay. Let's do that. That'd be cool. - Oh, yeah.
- Yeah, not right now. - Yeah, okay.
- Yeah. When - Yeah, yeah. - When we finish with this? - We have to wash our hands. Yeah.
I can demo like what...
What occurs to me while I'm practicing...
- That'll be so cool knows. - Where my mind goes.
Yeah.
- Yeah. - Should we leave ten minutes of that at least?
- Yeah. - We should wrap this up like in five. - Definitely, let's finish this in five.
- Yeah, awesome. - Because...
To me when I hear daydreaming that sounds...
- Spacing out. - To me or like to anyone...
They might - they might misinterpret that as they...
Like you're giving them permission to like not focus.
Yeah, not thinking.
- Cause they - - No, no, no, no.
Cause someone might be like... Oh... Daydream...
- What am I eating for - - I'm not daydreaming about other things
I'm daydreaming about what the music could be.
So, how do you do that?
Do you hear it?
- Do you see like characters playing a story? - Do you see yourself doing it? Do you see colors?
Do you feel something?
- Smell? Taste? - Let's see. So...
I'm trying to think of a...
Sort of a parallel...
- Timeline. - In another...
Parallel timeline.
In another topic because it's really hard to describe...
Yeah.
It's like, if you are...
if you just have a blank piece of paper
and you have a pen and you draw a line...
What else can you do with that line?
Are you gonna draw another line off of that line?
Are you then gonna do like a circle? It's kind of doodling.
It's mental doodling, with phrasing, with tempo, with...
Everything...
I kind of start with a blank slate.
I reverse the assumptions that I have.
I just neutralize everything.
I play something and then I'm...
Kind of letting my mind wander.
I'm thinking about what is going on with the orchestra.
Waiting for something to occur to me.
I think people don't ever think that happens in practice.
For a lot of people, I think practice is about being...
More accurate, improving your playing...
Being more expressive, being this or being that.
But for me...
Yes, there's that but...
Those are the tools to get to the point where you can
let your mind wander and get ideas.
- So... - Or it's like having a bunch of Legos.
What are you gonna build with those Legos?
You put - You know...
You put one Lego on top of another
and it kind of looks like a house.
But then you realize, oh, I have these other Legos.
Am I gonna build more in this house? Or am I gonna...
Go off in that direction?
I'll think about basic things like
do I want a crescendo when it goes up
or a decrescendo when it goes up?
- I see. - I'm always trying to trigger in my mind into new...
Phrasing ideas, so I don't get stuck
and so that when I'm working with other people...
I don't have a lot of rehearsal time
and I need to present a unified concert.
So, when I'm working with other people, how can I...
Play it in a way that's authentic to me, but...
Really coincides with what they're doing
and brings out a better version of the music than
we could arrive at ourselves separately.
- So do you develop your technique with that? - Have to be adaptable.
- I mean, I mean cause it seems - Okay. - I change my technique all the time too.
I change...
I tinker with the angle of my thumb,
the angle of my hand and
I notice something's getting inexplicably tired.
So, I'm playing and thinking
why is that - why is that tired?
- So it's a very creative process. - Is there something in my -
Yeah.
- And it seems like you are very aware of everything. - Is it something in my shoulder?
Am I doing this weird or what is it? What's happening?
Why is this... Is it how I'm... It's like...
What is it? I'm just asking questions.
What - Why is this happening? Where is this going?
What...
What's that about?
I think you said something really cool.
- About what you said... - Doodling.
- That um... - Yeah.
You like to...
Question assumptions.
- Mhm. - Mhm.
Um...
Because I actually found, personally with me...
Like you said...
After uni, when you are kind of like just by yourself...
A lot of my playing improved from actually...
Going against kind of traditional things that are taught.
Mhm.
I don't know just...
- It was very interesting. - Do you have an instinct to do that?
Well, I think it's not - I think it's like...
Rather than just following like
a textbook of being told what to do is right,
you start really questioning, why...
Certain things are done.
and then you kind of play around with it.
But then I guess...
The flip side of that is...
Like how much do you think
one should balance between just self experimentation
and that creativity versus
having like a strong kind of teacher or guide?
Because you'd - someone could just experiment and
just - they could just spend 40 hours experimenting on
- the most random things and not get anywhere, right? - 40 hours. Yeah. - Yeah, and then you don't wind up with any...
- Result. - I guess... How do you know when?
- Yeah, well, how do you... - Let your -
- Optimize that experimentation, right? - Give yourself permission to kind of
move ahead forward, like okay, this is done.
- Yeah. - Now it's time for me to...
- Take it to another level. - I know it's good when I get goosebumps.
Woah.
- Dab. - Well, obviously I've never played -
It's like - Ah, god.
- No, but like in a concert I'll be playing... - So I have never played...
I'll be playing a concerto
and I'll be playing with the orchestra
and I'll know it was a good moment because I feel it.
It's not necessarily that I gave myself goosebumps.
It's that the whole...
Every - Just - There's something in the air...
You know something just...
Happened.
And it's just this feeling maybe the
orchestra played something that was really powerful or
someone took a little bit more time in a certain place,
totally changed your perspective on
what that part means in the whole piece.
Or...
You feel like the audience was just 100% silent...
For a second and that second felt like forever.
It's just wow something magical just happened.
I don't know how, I don't know what, but...
That was good.
- It's a really amazing feeling. That's when I know. - Yeah.
- And so that's what I'm going for. - Does that happen to you?
And that's how I...
That's how my instincts tell me...
That it's going in the right direction.
I can't make it happen.
- But I know what that feels like... - You know when it happens. Yeah.
And I know what it felt like
right when that was happening.
Wow.
What about you guys? Cause you have a different...
You have a different performance.
You were very interactive...
You have to read the room...
- I mean we both - Everyone does, right? - I mean, yeah.
- For us is - Instincts. I mean, yeah. - Instincts. Do you -
Do you get that? Like goosebumps?
- I'm very curious. - A long time ago.
- I don't think I have. I mean... - Not now. I've kind of lost that.
- I mean sometimes - Yeah, my s - - You have very smooth skin now.
- My skin is mmm... - You can't - You can't goosebump.
- Yeah. - You lost it. - Do you think -
Do you think that's something everyone has?
- Like a... Like a... - What?
- Instinct. - Natural... Inner...
I don't know if it's instinct but like...
- Because I'm picturing the idea and then - I think it's there.
everyone just kind of just...
Tinkers with their instrument until
they find something that speaks to themselves?
Yeah, I mean, you can...
It's harder for me to know that in a practice room.
I don't know it until I'm on the stage.
- Ohhhh. - Ohhhh.
- That's interesting. - It's a stage thing.
It's an audience thing, stage thing, colleagues thing...
There's a feeling in the hall.
It's like someone just changed the lighting or something.
That's fascinating.
It... It's something about...
- I mean, something - - So it's - - The performance, so when I'm practicing, I'm...
Trying different things that I then have in my...
Toolbox, so to speak, for the concerts.
- So that I have that. - Preparing all these -
And that...
That mindset of trying things, of being free, of...
Of being flexible is really really helpful in a concert
to get to those moments.
- Yup. - Because if you feel you're in that moment,
you want to hold on to that moment.
You might want to change the tempo a little bit.
You might want to change the dynamics,
do something you've never done before
because you just noticed something about the piece
that you've never noticed before.
So, to be able to be flexible
and be comfortable within that flexibility,
maybe that's what it is that I'm practicing, I don't know.
- I - I think we talked about this a lot how... - Yup.
Ever since we started touring...
- There's a massive improvement... - We've felt so much more comfortable...
That doesn't come from the practice room,
- like it's impossible to get like... Just... - Mhm.
Something about playing on stage
- and that constant experience and like - and the succession...
- compressed as well, a lot of it... - Yeah, compressed.
- You get a lot of... - This ease but also...
- It - It feels like - But you can feel like - - So pa- Yeah, part of it is like the ease, but there's also -
You can tap into new things.
- Well, do new things - Physical like - - I think it's physical too.
Like try things, but still within the music.
- And there's - Yeah. - It's adrenaline too, right?
- Yeah, and the adrenaline - - It changes your brain.
It changes your brain. It feels like
you have some control over this amazing power.
Adrenaline. Excitement.
- Yeah. - Mhm.
Before, it's the first time, you're like...
It just overwhelms you.
I mean, it was interesting because we're playing
and then we can always...
We can feel the room as well.
- We can feel the room . - What you said is very interesting. - Mhm.
The audience's energy... The... How they're responding.
Um...
You wouldn't be able to run with it.
- Yeah. - Like, if you're a...
Hmm?
If you're a snowball...
Ohhh.
Rolling down a hill...
You want to be able to become an avalanche.
- Yeah. - I see.
- I thought there was going to be ice princess reference. - I don't mean it that way.
No, I was not thinking that.
- Let it go~ - Let it go.
No, I like to think of music as a roller coaster.
- Mhm. - So...
If you - If -
If you start to feel that momentum
you want to be able to go with it.
You want to be able to accelerate down into that
and then you want to be able to let it take its time
where it wants to and then really go with it.
You don't want to be holding on.
You don't want to hold,
like, try to put on the brakes on a roller coaster
or try to accelerate up the up.
- Yeah, I see. - You know, when you're going up a roller coaster
at the very beginning, it's like ahhh!
That suspense is so powerful.
- Mhm . - And then you crest,
you start to go down and
your heart just is in a different place from your stomach.
Mmm.
It's just a different place from your head.
And that speed...
If that speed started to be, you know, steady.
It wouldn't have any effect.
So, when you practice, it's helpful to be aware of it.
Things can just...
cascade in ways that you've never expected before,
and you want to be able to go with it.
So it's how about having the flexibility so that you can...
Adapt to whatever...
- Inspiration or whatever...happens in the moment... - The moment that comes. - Yeah.
Like the technique to be able—if you get that...
I don't know, I call it a sort of an attack instinct.
If I'm doing a masterclass and I sense that a student is not...
Is holding back for some reason,
but they really wanna attack the music,
they want to...like jump in in a moment and play faster or play louder, but they're thinking,
"Oh I probably shouldn't, it wouldn't be in good taste."
I can kind of tell when they're not engaging with that,
so...I might ask them,
"Do you feel like you have an attack instinct in life?
Do you feel like you see something and
there's just this inexplicable thing in you that wants to...
Pick at something, or jump on something, or..."
- Um...you know, do you... - Um...
For example, like do you love to drive fast,
or something like that?"
You know, some instinct,
something that is some reward system to that kind of....
Sort of aggression or creativity, you know,
whatever, whatever it might be.
And if you can identify those things in yourself and find ways to reflect them in the music,
then it's really exciting for the audience,
and I'm sure it's the same when you're doing um...
A show that's so dependent on the audiences being with you.
You know when you should do things,
you know what you should do...you can just sense [it].
And if you don't engage with it, I'm guessing it doesn't work.
- Stuff doesn't land if you don't...listen to those instincts. - Mmm...yeah.
Yeah, that's—there's always pulling and pushing,
kinda like there's this fine sweet spot.
- Mm-hmm. - We need to flow with the audience.
How do you know what that is?
I mean, ours was a bit more obvious,
- because we do a lot of comedy as well as playing. - Mm-hmm.
And so when it's like stand-up comedy,
it's very obvious whether they laugh or not.
Yeah, but you need to know where to go with it.
- Yeah...! Well... - How do you know where to go with it to get it back?
I mean...I think it's like...
It's not that we know so much, I mean,
- I think we're still learning. But, it's like... - Oh yeah, we're still...
One thing for sure, is you can't...
- Just do the same script, because... - Yeah.
If you do the same thing that worked,
the next time it might not work, because...
Maybe something slightly was different, and then you...
- You have to go with it. You have to improv off it. - Yeah.
Say, the audience...
- Screams, or like... - Yells, or laughs, or says a certain thing.
If you go, "I'm gonna stick to what I've always done."
- Then...that doesn't work, what you have to kinda... - It's not funny anymore. - Yeah.
"Oh, I'll play with what the person said." or...
Yeah, they call things out....I see as new material.
- I try to do something but... *chuckles* - Mm-hmm.
My brain at split second decides if it's gonna be useful,
or am I gonna just...
Screw myself over or like bail out. So I...
And also I think it as well depends [on] how we feel.
- Yeah, yeah. - Very heavily of how we feel on stage.
So we're feeling not...quite odd, takes some time to...
Get into the momentum.
Um...
And jokes we like to do spontaneous things.
- Because I think the audience feels what we feel as well, - Mm-hmm.
So whatever...we find it funny,
the audience find it funny.
- So we're trying to keep it fun for us. - Mm-hmm.
And despite knowing the script might work,
We'll always go for the thing that makes us feel like...
it's gonna spark a fire or sort of light.
- Because otherwise it's not authentic to the moment, right? - Yeah, humour.
- Yeah. - Because if you feel a certain way,
but then you choose to stick to the script,
- That's opposed to what you're feeling, - Yeah.
- then you're just doing a scripted performance. - Yeah.
It's kinda similar with interpretation,
but we have the same notes.
- You can't...deviate from the notes. - Yeah, yeah...play different notes. *laughs*
But say like, maybe on a...
In chamber music, maybe someone on the moment might decide to play a little bit softer than usual.
- Yeah. - And then you have to respond. - You have to go—
If you just keep going, "This is how we always play",
- then it wouldn't work. - That's not right, yeah.
Yeah, it's the same with solo stuff. - Yeah, like orchestra,
- or even how you feel on a moment like this. - Mm-hmm.
Can you tell how each other is feeling?
- Can you tell if you're having... - Yep.
- Do you know in advance if it's gonna be an off... - Oh, yeah. Yep.
- Uh...I think... - ...day? Or is it in the moment when you're on stage.
You just look at each other and you just...can tell.
I think we can tell more, like...
Because we've obviously done this so much with each other,
so we can tell. But I don't know.
'Cause there are different kinds of duos.
There're the duos where one person picks up the slack
when the other person isn't quite so...
- Ohh, I see. - You know that...
- Yeah. - It's always gonna...
Roll a certain way, and...
If you're not feeling it, if you don't have a lot of energy,
or just...can't quite get in your groove,
The other person will hold it together until you can find it.
- They'll kind of pull you along with it. - Mmm.
And then there are duos where you're both in the same boat,
and you're trying to...
Be there together, and then you're finding a different way...
to get to where you're...where you're trying to go.
- Those were the negative aspects. - Yeah.
And then there are other times, when you just...
- I think we feel each other out... - Play off of each other.
- Play off each other on stage. Um... - Mm-hmm. - Yeah.
I do think probably one of the bigger challenges on this tour...
It's 'cause we were...
We underestimated a lot of...the cities,
and so we actually booked too small, too little, venues.
- Ohh. - Which meant some...
- A lot of times we actually had to do [an] afternoon concert - 2 shows.
and a night concert.
- Ohh. - After each other. - And I just think because of that, probably the biggest...
...challenge for us was energy levels.
Is it because you were in a certain flow
with the arc of the whole day,
and people were arriving...
With...like they were in a beginning
when you were in a middle of the day?
No, I think—well,
I mean, I'm just thinking about one particular concert.
Um...
We were—I think it was just actually exhaustion,
and then um...
I mean, I think...
I think when that happens,
one of the other one's tries to like amp it up,
and then the other person's like, "Oh yeah, okay." Like...
- It's a reminder, like...c'mon, like... - Mm-hmm.
- But um...that doesn't happen that often. - It must be hard to restart.
- Yeah. - It's almost like your...
Physiology and...
- Both body and mind has to come in sync. - Mm-hmm. Yeah.
If your mind's tired, your body's like, "...Guh!"
I try to move or do something to keep it going.
If your body's tired, your mind's like "C'mon."
- Yeah. - Do something, like we got to get in sync.
- So the audience can also understand that we're there. - I'm like literally backstage,
like during bits where I go off, I'm just like... *hyped mumble*
and like the stage manager's just like, "What the hell?"
*laughs* So what do you...he gotta...eats a lot just like... *mumble*
- I'm trying to like...pump myself up. - And then he walk on stage...yeah. - Mm-hmm.
And it's always...a good...yeah.
I mean, I used to never touch coffee,
because I get nervous playing on stage.
- But it got to a point where I needed to have a coffee before stage. - Mm-hmm.
- Which is probably not a good thing. - But also because we uh...... *chuckles*
So we—like Eddy said, we booked a tour...
...that says it's like 400 seater or 350 seater.
It sold out so quick,
so we had to double up the shows.
- So that wasn't also within our calculations of... - Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Like um, the second one in Maryland,
the second one in Toronto, second one in Chicago,
- second one in LA, second one in Vancouver. - Yeah...you're just extending, extending, extending. - And we do S—yeah.
So you're seeing like, 7 extra shows already.
Booked San Francisco, third show!
Ooh!
- So there's 8 extra shows that wasn't with our calculations. - Yeah.
And...a lot of it is—
- I feel like my voice is going from the chilli— - Mmm.
A lot of it is just...
*clears throat* Any reserve we have, we tried like...
Like pump it up, um...
We got to a point where we had coffee and Coca-Cola.
*laughs* - Yeah. - I remember going on stage, I was like...
*excited mumble* I was like, "Oh! I'm here!" *laughs*
I actually kind of got shaky from it, coz it was so much.
- Yeah. - But I needed it...oh, so... *sighs*
- Yeah. - It's a new challenge.
- It's a challenge and it's like controlling it and... - Yeah.
So I mean it's fun, it's great. Yeah.
- It's [for] good reasons, but it's... - Yeah.
- It's...it's new ground. - It's new ground, so it's all new to us.
- I think next time we'll be even better. - Yeah.
What I found is, instead of fighting,
and this is the difference between our performances, instead of...
If I have low energy,
instead of trying to amp it up, I play...
...more mellow.
- Oh that's cool. - And I play even more mellow than I am. I slow it down.
I...go much more introspective,
and then all of a sudden because I'm in that zone,
I've relaxed, I get a jolt of energy.
And...for example,
the fast passage will show up in the music,
and uh...that's when I attack.
So...I'll just jump on that passage,
- and I'll go suddenly much faster than I've ever played it, - Ohh.
and...that is like...
"Whoa!!!"
- For, I think...for the– - Mmm. Yeah.
I feel like the audience feels that way,
because they've been lulled into a certain zone,
and then they feel that jump.
- So everyone then...is in it together, because it's real. - Mmm.
It's not something I planned, like...
- "Oh, here I should be more exciting." - Yeah.
- It doesn't come across as forced. - Yeah. - It wanted to happen, and I just...
...went with it, and I see also in my colleagues,
they can see, if I'm playing with orchestra or with a conductor,
I do actually have a lot of eye contact with the conductor,
because I kind of um...
I indicate some things that I might be doing
- a little bit in advance, just so that he or she...knows. - Oh. Okay. -Mmm.
And it's just a little look, but it doesn't take very much.
And so, I'll...
You know, I'll be playing kind of like...
And then I'll go like...
*laughs*
And the conductor like, goes to the front of the podium, *chuckles*
Musicians are like, "What?!"
*laughs* What's happening?
And...you know...will—
I'll...like, push the tempo all of a sudden a lot,
and everyone's like..
*gasp* "Whoa!!!"
- *chuckles* Yeah. - And it's not really anything that you would think is any novel idea,
- It's just different from what we did in rehearsal. - Mmm.
- It's different from what people were expecting, - Mm-hmm.
and it's genuine, and I feel like sometimes
I feel very aggressive onstage, like I have...
...frustrations from the day, or I just have a lot of energy or something.
And so I will play really hard and really like dig in,
until I get that out of my system.
Until I can have a little bit more nuance in my playing,
and...that's helped me immensely to not fight against the...
The changes in mood that are natural in life are...
You know, in tour, but people don't expect me to play...
Exciting or mellow or anything;
they expect the piece that I'm playing.
- So I play the piece they expect. - That's true.
An emotional experience of some sort,
whatever that's gonna be.
They don't know what to expect either,
because their day has been different from any other day when they went to a concert.
But, I think for you,
there is a different set of expectations.
Is there...
What would you say the expectations tend to be,
when someone is seeing before the show?
- Well... - They expect us to not be able to play the violin.
That's the one that's going, it was like,
"We're pleasantly surprised that..."
- "You guys can actually play!" - "You can actually play violin!" *laughs*
- "Coz in your videos, you guys just shred it." - Yeah.
- So I guess— - You can't shred well if you can't play well.
OhhhhhHHHHHhhhhhhh!!!!!
- If you can— - You can't shred well if you can't play well!
- Yeah, that's a new—that's a new line. - New T-shirt, new T- shirt guys. *laughs*
Yeah, I mean...I think we set the bar so low.
- In terms of playing-wise. - Yeah.
And I think—well, also because we have no...
- We try to keep it very mysterious. - Yeah.
Um...we don't have much footage online,
- so people don't know what to expect. - Yeah.
Um...but I do think...yeah, it's...
- It's definitely fun, like... - Do they expect to be entertained? Do they expect...
Well...
Do they expect skits? What do you think they expect,
- without giving away what you actually do? - Yeah.
What do you think they are...
- I honestly think people don't know what to expect. -Yeah.
They just come in being like,
- "What's it gonna be about?" And they have no idea. - That's kind of a mystery, and they...
- And um... - They like our video so they kinda just like, "Okay."
- Well, let's see what TwoSet cooks up this time. - Yeah.
But live, you know. Um...
Yeah, I—no one's really give us a frame of what they actually expected.
- I think because of like...yeah. - It's the best place to be in. - Yeah.
Most people...
I mean, I don't think that for anyone [to] be disappointed after concert.
- I think...everyone... - I think it's because there's no expectations,
- Yeah... *laughs* - so they can't be disappointed. *laughs*
- There's like, "Wow!!!" there's like, "I didn't expect this!!" - Your lines are crazy though! Your signing lines.
Ohh...
- So you have a lot of support, that's awesome. - Yes, yes, that's crazy. I mean, we stayed back—
- We like, signed for at least one hour every concert. - Yeah.
- And that's like, "One , two, three, boom!" - And we tried to get through it, coz everyone...
"One, two, three, boom! One, two, three..."
- And I do think 80% of the people at the concert do stay. - Mm-hmm. - Yeah.
- And that's another logistical problem. For example... - That's a real testament.
Yeah, I mean, I tell the venues—I'm like, "Guys, it'll be..."
They all [went], "Really? No, no, we got this."
- I'm like, "No, no...like, it's..." - They're like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
- Yeah, yeah—no, no...San Fran Con, - And then they freak out.
They lined up to third floor.
The security guards was just like, "I've never seen this before in my li..."
- I'm like, "I...We have to..." - I told you something.
I told you we had to prepare and it's gonna be chaos.
- I mean, they're not chaotic, our fans are all like... - But for people who aren't used to it in the venue.
There's a lot and they've got fire rules,
and people can't stay in one area, and just so like...
- Guys we need some plan, where's this line gonna go... - Yeah.
- Yeah. But anyway. - Yeah.
- Should we do the...wrap things up? - That's cool.
- Yeah, yeah! Let's wrap up. - Oh my God, it's nine! - We don't have time to...
- Haha. - Oh okay.
- We're gonna get kicked out of our practice room. - I know.
- Food. *chuckles* - This isn't a practice room.
- Yeah. - This is our...dining hall.
Dining hall, yeah. *laughs*
- Um...yeah. So... - Cool. That was fun. - Yeah.
Thank you guys so much for watching.
I'm so full. Um...
- Yeah. - Hah......yes!
Go...check out Hilary if you haven't.
But I'm sure you guys all know.
- Uh...go to her concerts. Um... - Mmm.
- Go to your concerts. -Yeah, come to our concerts.
I mean, I guess by the time this video's out we'll be done.
- Yeah. - Not forever.
Forever.
- Not forever! You'll be back! - Not forever! *laughs*
- Yes, we'll be back, so...check it out. - Yeah.
- Hope you guys enjoyed this, let us know in the comments... - Mm-hmm.
What you liked and what you wanted to hear—
What you want to hear in the future.
Smash the subscribe button.
- Yeah. - Bye.
Bye.
*clap*
Practice review! *claps*
Practice! C'mon! Okay. *claps* *laughs*
So, Hilary's gonna demonstrate how she practices.
- Tinkering practice, doodling practice. Uh... - Mm-hmm.
- Daydreaming. - Daydreaming while practice—
- In practice. - Mmm!
- Challenging assumptions practice. - Yeah.
Practice.
So I thought that I could...
- Demonstrate with a phrase or two. - Mm-hmm.
- Where my mind is going when I say that I'm daydreaming or tinkering. - Okay.
So, most people know the beginning of the Tchaikovsky.
That solo.
It's not the whole beginning, it's the beginning of the violin part.
- Mm-hmm. - Um...
- That phrase. - Yeah.
So, there's a technical aspect to playing,
and of course you want to work on the technique when you're practicing.
Um...
So that might be intonation. So...
If I were playing out-of-tune,
I would notice, maybe something sounds weird.
Something...
Something with the shift.
Is it sharp or flat?
And then I find where it is,
I kind of memorize where it feels like it is...
Okay, next.
That doesn't want to extend.
So is it because my pinky has hopped...
So that kind of thing,
just figuring out...the basics.
Why is this thing happening or what can I do to make it better.
- So...once you get all of that out of the way, - Mm-hmm.
what do you want to do with the phrasing?
What do you want to do with the tone?
Let me just kind of play it...
So this is how I would play it when I'm not sure what I want to do.
So right there,
I heard the violin kicked into a certain resonance.
And I was really listening for that.
And that felt like it had a certain tone quality I like.
And that feels good, so that gave me a little bit of inspiration—
Let's go back to the beginning.
"Do I want to do a long diminuendo like that?"
That just occurred to me.
I'll go for it.
And this is bigger now.
That's more aggressive, how do I carry that through?
I'm like, "Ahh I'm just gonna mess around with it."
Perhaps if I take that further...
How quiet can I go?
How long can I hold it?
Could I get away with that?
I imagine the conductor's looking at me like...
*laughs*
Okay, that was kind of fun.
So I know how long if I ever want to play a little joke, or have a moment, like okay.
I know I can go that quiet for that long.
How do I actually want to phrase it today?
Let's see.
Might want to play that flatter, because it adds more tension.
I could use more contrast.
You know, right there,
when I went to 16th notes I assumed it was supposed to accelerate,
but maybe it's supposed to expand.
But I expanded, so what am I gonna do to catch up?
Those grace notes, hmm.
- So then I've practiced that phrase. - Whoa.
I don't know what I'm gonna do...
That's not what I was trying to do just now.
On another day, I might...say,
"Okay, I want to actually answer some of those questions,
but...
...I just spent a lot of time with that,
and now I'm kind of having fun and my brain's...
...a little primed to be creative, and...
I feel like I just cleansed the whole bunch of stuff out of my system,
because I just got rid of some instinct."
Like something I might have been holding in,
I just put it in the music.
I got it out and then something else popped up,
and I put that into the music. So now...
Just like I got a mental creative workout,
and now I can go on to the next thing.
- That's so cool. - Yeah.
- That's like a framework of getting the questions to the surface. - Mm-hmm.
And then...
The next time you come back, it's like...
- The answers, you're trying to find, some—or more questions. - Right.
- I don't know. - Yeah, you just don't know.
You plant those seeds, and then...
You might get answers in different ways at different times,
but you can actually act on those answers when they occur to you.
It's helpful sometimes to create a definite structure though.
So some days I might...
...have a definite structure that arises out of that process.
Or I might not have any questions,
and then I just do my best to play it.
- In a way that feels good, and the I move on. *chuckles* - Yeah.
That—you know what's so crazy about that? It's like...
What you said then,
is so similar to kinda how we make videos.
Ohh!!!
So a lot of—the big question we always get is like...
How do you come up with so many video ideas.
One of the things we find is...
Actually if you have an idea,
- but you don't do it, it kind of stays there. - Yeah.
But, if you have an idea,
and you do it—and every time you just kind of let it flow through you,
New ideas will naturally come in.
Whereas if you don't do the ideas, it'll almost kind of like...
- It's stuck. - Clogs it up. - Mm-hmm.
Which reminded me of what you said, it's just like...
A cleansing, like...
- You have musical ideas and you have to do it, which then... - Mm-hmm.
- Gets that through out your...I don't know, it's so weird. - It's like you need to get it out, and then you kinda just... - Yeah..
And it keeps flowing—and it's so—it's deliberate, as well, some of the things.
- Yeah. - It's really like, "Ah. Another one. Let's try it." - Is that what happens for you?
Yeah, well, ideas just come. So, "Oh, here. We have this...just write that down."
- We write that down, and we're gonna do it. - We try to elaborate on it, and do it.
Do you have to make the video in order to clear it out of your system,
or do you have to plan it, structure it, just think about it...
How—what counts?
- Bit of both. - We um...
Most of the time we make the video. I mean...
- In the beginning, it was like any idea we'll do it, - Yeah.
and then over time, through experience...
You...
You know some like may be 10% of the ideas you get.
You just know they won't...ke—
- Like you don't need to make it work but, whatever, but... - Yeah.
- You learn your own shortcuts, too. - Yeah.
- You get a feel from it, as well, you're like... - Yeah!
- "This will work." - That's what practice helps with.
*murmurs in agreement* - Yeah. - Practice!
- *chuckles* You learn— - Battery's dying, so...
You learn how to do it, and then you...
- ...know how to get there faster the next time. - Yeah. - Mm-hmm.
It's not you always do it the same way,
but if you choose to go in that direction...
- We can...starting point's here. - You know what that is.
-Yeah. - And if we want to go back and explore, we can always...
- That's like this video, this video's like a new idea. - Yeah.
- And we just have to try! - We did it, we did it!
So here you go guys.
So if you like the idea and want to practice more,
Yes, do it. Just do it! *laughs*
Just do it!
Practice.