by Jenny O'Connor | Oct 24, 2011 | Blog, Videos
My heart skipped a beat when I heard that “The Hot Violinist” which features the full length performance of The Kiss and just passed 900,000 views was removed from YouTube. But now it’s back! It was a little sad to see it go (so close to a million!), but I can’t complain because Contragear, the original poster, has been so super supportive of me! Apparently he wanted to clean up the ending of the video so here it is in its new and improved form:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVbu8bh7SWk&w=420&h=315]
I’m glad it’s back, because without the reference of the original popular YouTube video I appear to be a crazy girl seemingly going around calling myself Hot all the time! Please share this video with your friends if you feel inclined to help me rebuild the groovy momentum that the original video had going for it. Thanks guys!
by Jenny O'Connor | Oct 21, 2011 | Blog, Videos
Attention fiddlers! This will get you started on the ornamentation needed to play this tune:
I will soon be posting the follow up Parts 2-4 as well as some beginner tips, so hop on over to the YouTube channel to subscribe if you don’t wanna miss one. If you still need the sheet music, just use the sign up form in the sidebar to join the mailing list and receive the FREE sheet music.
Soon we will have a worldwide orchestra playing this tune~ Muah-hahaha!
Oh! If you get a chance to try this technique, please leave me a comment and let us all know how it’s going for you.
by Jenny O'Connor | Oct 16, 2011 | Blog
I met a new friend at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. She’s a brilliant costume designer and is keeping a blog about her adventures. She did a nice write up and about my band and my travels:
http://lacewingcostumes.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/the-hot-violinist/
Go show her some love!
by Jenny O'Connor | Sep 2, 2011 | Blog
Jordi Wave, thank you for the kind and thoughtful comment:
“From inside, this is the secret
It is clear that the music flows in you.”
I wanted to respond because I feel like I am on to a little secret of how to connect with music in a way that will help listeners to respond emotionally. I actually didn’t realize what I was doing until a recent experience in an acting class in which the topic was “Inner Imagery.” Actors use this technique to help performances be honest and real by holding specific mental images.
So, here’s the secret: When I play these songs, I think about stories and moments in my life and others that I’ve heard or could imagine.
An Armenian Harvest Dance, for example, could inspire me with the image of a tribal woman from 100 years ago working to prepare grain just brought in from the field. I imagine a pain in her back and the colors and smells of spices on her shelf. Or maybe I would think of a personal experience that goes with the feel of the song. No one in the audience has to know what you’re thinking. It creates a circle where the thoughts make the notes come out a bit differently, and the notes coming out in rhythm conjure new emotions or thoughts.
The most fun is to look out into the audience, and see a facial expression that reminds me of something I’ve felt before. So then I focus on that experience.
This way of responding to the audience personally feeds the moment and makes the performance feel fresh and different each time. And helps immensely with nerves and stage fright.
I’ve played that Last of the Mohicans song literally thousands of times, and without this technique I’d probably have gone crazy. Do you guys do this when you play? Anyone care to share a song that brings up images for you?
by Jenny O'Connor | Aug 11, 2011 | Blog
I wanted to share some music from our recent performances in Ohio:
[youtube http://youtu.be/ubpuz1yRvPw]
This is an original tune, written by me and Mark Varelas, in a Gypsy style. We used an exotic scale that was introduced to me as the Greek Hitzaz scale. Here are the notes of the scale in A:
A, Bb, C#, D, E, F, G, A
The G can also be sharped while improvising, which sounds especially good while going up the scale.
Sorry the camera is kinda shakey. I handed my flip cam to a fan in the crowd who couldn’t seem to stop dancing. Next time I’ll pick someone who seems to like the music less 😉
The inspiration to yell “hela!” came from a very old recording I heard that sounded like it was in an actual hash den in Turkey. You could hear the background noise of the room. There was a sparse instrumental intro but when the singer yells “hela” a cacophony symphony of flutes, drums, plucked strings and violins comes in. The next time I heard that word was it was being shouted in the distance of a Ren Faire campground. I followed it to investigate and found the whole crew of the Greek gyro booth trying to push a truck out of the mud.
I’ve since been told that it means “come on!” or “bring it!”
Would you guys like sheet music for this? If I have enough interest I will write it out.
by Jenny O'Connor | Jul 25, 2011 | Blog
Some questions have been rolling in regarding the tune I’m playing in this video. The lilting main riff comes from a tune called The Gael written by Dougie MacLean, the Scottish fiddler. Trevor Jones adapted it for use in The Last of the Mohicans, adding those long slow notes that fit so sweetly over the riff when the two are played together, hence the soundtrack titles, Promontory or The Kiss.
Since I’m just one fiddle, I fancy imagining the sound of one part when I’m playing the other. You shouldn’t be able to hear that, but maybe it makes me dig in a little differently…
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVbu8bh7SWk&w=420&h=315]
