(cough...splutter...'jesus, that sunlight is strong'...hack)

tutsi has been let out of his box as his mission has priority ('and, for my sins, they gave me a mission...' name that movie) I have discovered that my Thai family may be interested in western music and am now keen to assist with their pursuit thereof...so, the question is have any of you sodom(ahem) bedlamites attempted to turn yer thai family's ear in the direction of western popular classical music? If so what was the result?

Like most things...this effort has a story. I was attempting to mind my own business at the Suphanburi tescos and then observed that there was a stall holder selling cheap guitars. Now, tutsi was an ace 35 years ago and has always thought about buying an axe to tool around with during retirement/declining years. The maniac stall holder had a Yamaha drednought same as I bought Summer of 1973 in Prince George, Canada when working inna sawmilll near there. 'Gotta have it' I said and paid 4450 baht (same one in Canada cost 110 Canadian dollars in 1973...about the same). My fingers were burning all the back to the ranch and then, on arrival I cut loose with whatever came to mind...my 7 y.o. niece solemnly watching and obviously disturbed. Eventually, the instrument was deposited in tutsi's room with tutsi's books, videos and momentoes...the Maniac guitar seller threw in a guitar stand for free.

My wife was watching with a wry grin and said "I was waiting for when you would do that (buy a guitar). I've been thinking about a keyboard." Once after wonderful sex some years ago I poured a vodka and put on Chopin's Nocturnes and shouted 'THIS IS AS GOOD AS SEX IF NOT BETTER!' The wife just smiled.

Well...she had been thinking about this falang music thing all the while. I shouted once in exasperation with pigheaded Thainess 'DO YOU KNOW WHO THE BEATLES ARE?'. she replied 'no...so what?' But now she wants to learn piano. She will lead the houshold as she is the boss. For my favorite niece who is 14 I loaded up a MP3 player with Chopin, Bach, Beetoven, Mozart and Schubert. I said listen to this darling...later she smiled like on heroin. I got the hook in her too.

So...have any of youse attempted to introduce classical falang music into yer thai household and have you been successful?

let's hear it...buy the way; the niece has been cleaning tutsi's room and casting glances at the guitar. I said I'll get you the finest piano in the land but don't touch the guitar.

So...have any of youse attempted to introduce classical falang music into yer thai household and have you been successful?

Definitely! (and vice versa).

Only about a year ago my bf started to use the internet properly, thats how it started (the western music appreciation). The joys of the net included getting into youtube. Started sending him emails with some links to different songs (as personally I preferred to give him a link to look at if and when he felt like it, rather than feeling im forcing him to sit and listen with me). Quite mellow at first such as Louis Armstrong and Eagles. Some songs he had heard before but didnt know who had sang them. He loved some of them so much he printed out the lyrics, which I helped him to learn to sing correctly to. (At New Year we took a trip up Pai way for camping with his kids, and sang western songs together. Mainly fun ones like Zabé - Day-o, and Thats Amore'. I think the kids thought we were both nuts! But was a lot of fun.) Now its become a tradition for us to send each other songs to listen to for when we have time. At the moment he is listening to a lot of Scot/Celtic songs (his search/choice) because he wanted to hear traditional music from my country. Was very touched to receive a link in my email only today to a beautiful Scottish song where he said that I must feel so proud of the music from my country. I think youtube can be very helpful for introducing songs, particularly those which have the music lyrics on screen. I know my bf appreciates that, and helps him to further his English as I can explain some of the expressions/slang and meanings of the songs.

As for classical, not yet, but I have a feeling he will appreciate it. I think I will look up some Beethoven (my personal favorite) on youtube for him, and see what he thinks.

yeah, but...popular music is a different issue. I have had the family listen to Robert Plant in his intro to 'I can't quit you babe' and they were not impressed...thought that he was being tortured. Within the genre, yes a good effort for those that are familiar...but difficult to convey to the uninitiated.

When I put the recordings on my niece's MP3 player I agonised over whether to include the Chorale from the Ninth Symphony...any skid road low life knows the 'Ode to Joy' but could not take it in it's entirety. I opted for another Brandenburg instead...more happy and accessible.

btw: how did you like Scorcese's use of celtic music in The Departed? It can be compelling...I was inna republican pub in Kilburn in London back in 1988 and the squeeze box player whipped us into a frenzy ready to rush into the night and murder...you coulda hit that dude with a bat and he wouldn't flinch...sawdust on the floor and the air heavy with violence...

Ahh...gotcha. Sorry, i didnt read your post well enough.

I havent introduced popular music, no. But, he does like Jem though, as its also his ringtone. Personally i like quite a lot of rock (more soft rock now though, such as Nickleback. I also like quite a few of the Thai rock bands too.). BUt I think its way too soon for me to try introduce some of the music i like along those lines to him. I personally would prefer to let his ear tune into different things and work his way around different genres, then he gets a feel for what he likes and doesnt. Im happy to send him links that would lead up to some more contemporary music that i like, but done over time. But, in the end i dont mind if we share different music tastes though.

I've blasted the wife with a few numbers by Andrea Bocelli ... don't think she really gets it tho

totster

I've blasted the wife with a few numbers by Andrea Bocelli ... don't think she really gets it tho

totster

bbbut what about the well known 'Ode to Joy', cleanliness and crazyassed MFs like Rubinstein and Heifitz??? surely hundreds of years of western civilization has something to offer?

Try them with Lascia ch'io Pianga and Cara Sposa from Handel's "Rinaldo". If they don't get tingles down their spines they have hearts of stone.

Try them with Lascia ch'io Pianga and Cara Sposa from Handel's "Rinaldo". If they don't get tingles down their spines they have hearts of stone.

I can recommend Andreas Scholl's countertenor version, though Maralyn Horne's version has a lot going for it.

Fantastic piece, thanks "endure" for reminding me, I need to put this on my next C.D. shopping list.

Perhaps you'll like Vivaldi's "Stabat Mater" also .

.

Try them with Lascia ch'io Pianga and Cara Sposa from Handel's "Rinaldo". If they don't get tingles down their spines they have hearts of stone.

Try them with Lascia ch'io Pianga and Cara Sposa from Handel's "Rinaldo". If they don't get tingles down their spines they have hearts of stone.

I can recommend Andreas Scholl's countertenor version, though Maralyn Horne's version has a lot going for it.

Fantastic piece, thanks "endure" for reminding me, I need to put this on my next C.D. shopping list.

Perhaps you'll like Vivaldi's "Stabat Mater" also .

.

sounds great but have any of your thai associates expressed an interest that would take things further like wanting to hear more or to fool around with an instrument? As far as my household is concerned I was amazed that they had any interest at all. Now I want to encourage them but not really sure how to proceed. I'm presently home on leave and will be at home permanently when the job finishes and I want to leave something here (like a keyboard and a recorder) to promote things in my absence.

Any suggestions?

Try getting the littun' a recorder and a self-teach book, which will show her which holes to put her fingers over to make the different sounds. Perhaps they have the books at school or a bookstore. That way she can wow you with her virtuosity when you come home!! And then you can progress onto the piano or whatever...

Yahama make good recorders - i'm still waiting for mine back from a friend who borrowed it in 1976...

yeah...we're goin' into BKK the night before I gotta go back to work an' I need to buy a case for the guitar so I'll be on the lookout for a recorder and a book. The wife hasn't taken the keyboard issue any further.

'I got blisters on me fingers!' from not playing for so long; even a simple chord progression from Gram Parsons' 'Love Hurts' is painful. The guitar is not new, btw...the strings are old and the pick guard has got scratches, otherwise in new condition. The tuning pegs are as sweet as I remember; you can tune down to an open tuning and up again without effort. I grabbed a drinking glass and tried out some of my old slide riffs...folks were impressed. Gotta get a proper bottle neck when I get to BKK to look fer the case.

the niece likes her classical walkman; she's re-charged the battery on the computer USB port 4 times already...gotta winner there.

Rry off the youngest one with the recorder . she may graduate to a great saxaphone player I didm't as mine was stolen in 1976