Bond – Electric String Quartet

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Vilma

The above video shows the electric Australian/British string quartet Bond playing “Duel” from their 2000 debut album, Born. The album reached Platinum in 12 countries, Gold in 14, and was on top of the UK Classical charts until it was removed for “sounding too much like pop music.”

Despite this relative popularity, there are several critics proclaiming that although they’re talented, they oversimplify great classical pieces and are likened to a “classical Spice Girls.” An article called “Sex in the Symphony” in TIME sums up this sentiment:

“Say what you will about the liberties the bond string quartet takes with a piece of classical music, you can’t fault its sexually charged performances for being off key. Off color, yes. A bond concert is a melodic lap dance: the four sylphs do energetic things with their orchestral instruments, not to mention their hips, that would compel Stradivari to order an exorcism.”

However, Bond has been described as the best selling string quartet of all time, especially popular in Asia. They were the first major classical crossover music group, at least that I had ever heard about, and made classical music more accessible to millions of people. Perhaps they even served as a gateway into actual classical music concerts for some people – I wouldn’t be surprised if symphony orchestra concerts saw a rise in attendance through their influence. Besides, they played mostly their original pieces on tour anyway.

And although I agree that these types of groups’ sometimes have dull and repetitive interpretations, I wouldn’t mind seeing most of them in concert. They get to be rock stars with what others see as quirky cool instruments. At least Bond doesn’t overdo the glitter glam strutting and suggestive twirling of their bows like some quartets I see on YouTube today:

Ah but I shouldn’t poke too much fun – I’m sure the above group satisfies their own particular target audience, and I’m fine with that. Anyway, I’d like to hear what other classically-trained now electric violinists feel about classical crossover groups today. Thoughts?

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Vanessa Mae – Electric Violinist

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Vilma

When I was 8 or 9 and just starting to play violin, my dad gave me a Vanessa Mae CD. I was in awe of her self-described “violin techno-acoustic fusion” and started talking about her to anybody who’d listen. I heard a lot of “Oh no, the composers of these tremendous classical pieces are rolling in their graves” and “Using sex appeal and over-simplifying the songs are disgraceful methods to bring classical music to the masses.”

However, I still today think these types of acts are fun and love listening to what new technology can do for electric violins and effects. After all, when people do cover songs, the best ones add their own spin to the song. That’s exactly what some electric violin artists are doing.

Besides, I’ve read crazy stories of several famous composers who knew how to have fun and seemed pretty open-minded. I bet they’d be intrigued by what new technology and interpretation could do to their pieces. And if I could see the strange contraptions playing my own compositions a hundred years from now, I’m sure I’d love whatever people did to my music.

But regarding Vanessa Mae again, here’s a strange music video in which she floats down on an iceberg and later surfs on a violin. It’s so ridiculous that I just have to type that again. She floats on an iceberg and surfs on a violin.

Since Vanessa Mae, several talented “electric string crossover quartets” with pretty corny dance moves have spawned like Bond, Scala, Siren, and Infinity. I may poke fun at them, but I find them interesting. More on them in a later post.

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Poll: Most preferred strings for electric violin?

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Vilma

Strings

After lurking around several forums, blogs and online stores, I’ve found the below answers to be most common preferences for electric violin strings. I’ll publish the results of your preferences, but I’m mostly hoping to stir up a conversation on strings in the comments section. And as a side note for those about to purchase strings, make sure the strings are compatible with your pickups. For example, an electromagnetic pickup can only be played with metal strings.

What strings do you prefer for electric violin?

View Results

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Waltz for the Moon from Final Fantasy VIII

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Vilma

Dear Master’s Thesis,

I miss playing music and video games. I’m going to take a break and play the song “Waltz for the Moon” from Final Fantasy VIII. The below was done on a whim and in one take though, so please excuse some imperfections.

For those of you who want to relive this charming scene, check it out below:

Over and out.

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Electric Violinists in Costume

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Vilma

In honor of April Fools’ Day, I found a couple odd electric violin performances for you. My favorite videos happened to be of people playing rockin’ versions of Canon in D in strange yet awesome costumes. Both videos have a Yamaha electric violin. And appropriately, this first one has a rabbit violinist. Anybody else blame ’90s Nickelodeon for instilling the need to say “Rabbit Rabbit” after waking on the first of each month?

And here’s the Joker performing:

Earlier this afternoon, I started wondering what makes a YouTube electric violinist popular. At first glance around the ‘Tube, the order seems to be talent, the song played, an amusing background and good lighting, emotion and moving around, appearance, and then gimmicks like costumes. What do you think? Maybe I’ll expand these thoughts in a later post. Anyway, Happy April Fools’ Day!

Posted in Random, Yamaha | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments