It's our first time... Making this type of a video. Today is the first time we will be making a video about our first times. And this is the first time that Eddy made an announcement that's our first time making a video about our first time. Eddy: Mmm. In today's video, we've got a list of, I guess, prompts or events... - Mhm.
- In our life. And we will be talking about our first time experiencing these things. Many of these are musical experiences, what it felt like to, for example, have a first violin lesson or first performance. I'd like to say that it would be a fun video, but I wouldn't know 'cause it's our first time doing it. Ahahahahahah. First question. First time performing as a soloist. Ooo la la~ Mine was 17 with Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2. Just the first movement... Or was it the whole thing? But I remember later that year, I played the whole thing. - I had won this competition.
- Oh, the... I remember. Which let me play with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Which I eventually worked in there for a bit. To have this professional orchestra accompany me, while I played the solo part was... It was a very extraordinary experience, but I was super nervous. It was in the most prestigious concert hall in Brisbane, the QPAC. Big hall, 2000 seats. I remember I was super nervous for the first rehearsal. But the concert felt really good. I remember my bow. I think that's when you roasted me for my bow. Oh, 'cause you... - I bowed with my legs open.
- Yeah. Walking there, like... In an orchestra performance, the soloist walks on with the conductor. I shake the concertmaster's hand. Yeah, you gotta remember all that stuff. And then I bowed but my legs were like that. I was like... Yeah, he was so - Looks super awkward. What was my one? I think it was Tchaikovsky. At the Con? Yeah, 19 or 20 years old. I just remember the day preparing for it. I had two bananas and I took like a whole nap. Yeah. I practiced my ass off. I still remember walking on stage... You don't really see the audience, it's just blurry. You just play. - And you hit the zone.
- I remember who the concertmaster was. It was [beep]. Oh yeah. I remember 'cause it was a school, 'cause like uni orchestra, right? And our conductor was not following you. So, you're trying to push ahead, but he was dragging. So the orchestra started to kind of get messed up. In my mind I was like... The music needs to be together, so I followed you. And I remember [beep] told me off, she was like... Don't follow the soloist, always follow the conductor, even if the conductor is wrong. Really? And then I was just like... F***. But I mean I kind of get it like 'cause the conductor... Is meant to keep the orchestra together. But I also think when the conductor's wrong, The concertmaster should take charge to lead to the soloist. In professional orchestras, the conductors get lost, it has happened. - Yeah.
- The concertmaster goes... Wapam! Like, with the soloist. - Like, this is it.
- Yeah. Like it doesn't make sense, the music is... No, 'cause like, Dene Olding, right? When the conductor messes up. Or the soloist messed up and then they need to get together. - Boom! The concertmaster needs to fix it.
- Exactly. Dene Olding was an ex Sydney Symphony Orchestra concertmaster. Like he does a lot of... This, I've seen it happen like... You can see an orchestra's freaking out and then he just goes... - Wa-bam!
- Wa-bam! Everyone comes back together, you're like... Yes, saved! We're all saved. Yeah. I mean, how did you feel about your first time playing with an orchestra? - Pretty awesome. It went really quick.
- Yeah? Were you nervous? I think I was more nervous at the beginning. I reckon like I... By the time I hit the cadenza, I felt pretty comfortable. Actually, you know what? I found that I was always most nervous on first rehearsals than in performance. - Yes.
- Because first rehearsal, - you know all the other musicians are gonna be like...
- Oh yeah, they're judging you. - They're judging you.
- How does this soloist sound? Whereas in the actual performance, it's like... - Music appreciators, just there to listen.
- Yeah, exactly, exactly. Not judging you. The second time I had a solo, it was with the QYO, I played the Prokofiev. And Prokofiev 2nd sonata - 2nd concerto... It starts piano, only violin. - And you... That's so annoying.
- Doo~ Doo~ Doo~ Doo~ And I got shaky bow. Like my bow started shaking. So I had to stop. You know what the conductor said? What? He turns around and goes... Well, that's embarrassing. In front of the entire orchestra, he said that to me. I couldn't tell if that was like a... Well intentioned joke or if there was some like... 'Cause I also know like... I skipped a rehearsal once, I think he like held a grudge against me for skipping a rehearsal. First time playing in a professional orchestra. It was Mahler 6. I remember at the time, I was already going through... Some of the... Mental... Issues that we mentioned in our... Mental health video. I was very paranoid about intonation - Mhm.
- At that point. And actually I didn't mention this point, it's... To this day, I don't know if it is psychological or physical. - Mhm.
- But sometimes like when I get really clogged up, my sinus... My hearing kind of gets distorted, a little bit. It still happens every now and then... - Oh, I remember you talking about that phase.
- But back then it was extended. So I think the extension was probably caused from stress. I remember I couldn't really hear if I was playing in tune or not. So I was very paranoid, it was my first time playing. But you know... The orchestra was very nice to me, they said I played really well. And professional orchestra has its own like culture. - That's very different from a youth orchestra.
- Oh, it's so unspoken as well. - It is unspoken, you need to learn it. For example...
- You need to know it. If a wind is having a solo, don't turn around and look. If someone in front of you changed the bowing, - you change it straight away.
- you have to change, yes. - Always bring a 2B.
- Yeah. It can't be HB, HB is too light. But it was good. It was good. - It's nice.
- I liked it. I don't remember my first time. But I remember the first time at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It's like Mahler 7. It was the hardest freaking - You know like... I don't know it that well. I - I - I - To be honest, I didn't know it before. Yeah. Until I played it, I was like, "Crap, I still don't know it." - Yeah.
- 'Cause the tempo changes was like every... - Two lines tempo changes.
- Yeah. But it was fun. - First time...
- First time teaching violin. Oh, I remember mine. 15! I was 15 years old. Guess who I taught? My neighbor. The kid I think was like five, six years old. He was a very happy kid, he came in was like... "Helloooo!" Just comes in, rocks up, you know, has a little bit of cash. - Mhm.
- So I think I charged like... $10 or something. Yeah? For like a half an hour lesson. - Yeah.
- Came in... Came to the lounge, sits down, I'm like, "So, uh..." "Play for me." And he goes... I've never played before. How did you get this lesson - Uh, like, student? Is it family referral or... No, I actually went to knock on their door. Brett: I was like, "Hi, I'm a violin teacher." "Uh, does your kid want to learn violin?" Dude, I didn't know this story. Yeah, I just remembered it. - I was so - Actually...
- Dude... Pre-teaching, I was so scared to knock. - Dude, that's like cold sales person.
- Yeah, you know why I did it though? 'Cause I wanted tuck shop money. Tuck shop is like the school canteen, - but in Australia we call it tuck shop.
- That's right, we call it tuck shop. I remember I was like so scared. I was like, I walked out of my house. I was like, "No, I don't think I can..." But then my dad was like, "Just go." "Okay, I will." Knock on the door... I still remember, the house was like gray... - Bro...
- Oh... And then... The dad opens the door, "Hello." I'm like, "Hi, my name is Brett. I'm from next door." Just wondering if your kid wanted to learn... The violin, 'cause I teach violin. He's like, "Oh, yeah, let me think about it." And he called the kid's name, I forgot the name. And did they buy a violin just for that? Yeah, they bought a violin just to learn. I taught him for a year, I think. - Aw, that's pretty cool. That's pretty cool.
- If I remember correctly, yeah. I don't remember much about my first lesson. It's one thing to understand how to play the violin... It's another thing to understand how to teach violin. But, I think the thing I had no appreciation for... Is how to structure... The growth of a student. A new student, you have to know... The sequence of things they must learn. Yeah, you can't teach them intonation. - When they can't even put their hand in place, for example.
- Exactly. Yeah. But I mean, the students liked me, I think... The student's mum liked me a lot. So... Like I don't know why. Because I don't think I was that great of a teacher. I think I was all right. But... Brett... I get paranoid when the student doesn't improve, I'm like... The parents are gonna know. The kid's like coming back, they're playing the same thing for the last few weeks. - Yeah.
- Like, where's the improvement? - Yeah.
- I'm like, "Oh my god. They -" "Gotta listen, gotta listen. Hey, come on, man." "Just gotta push through." I also remember like when I first started teaching I was like... I forgot it... A few times. - Ohhohoho.
- You know what I mean? - Yeah.
- I forgot I was meant to teach, And then they're like messaging me, it's like... "Uh, where are you?" I'm like... Yeah. - I meant to be home.
- "Uh... I'm just..." "Stuck in traffic, I'll come right now." - Bro... Some bull****.
- So stressful. I know. - Yeah.
- Aw, yeah, I know what you mean. Our first time... Meeting a fan in public. I remember my first time. 100% This was like a few years ago, it was in Sydney... At the Sydney Conservatorium. I went to get a lesson with a teacher there... I was just waiting outside, you know, you're a student. just waiting outside. And I think there were some like... High school girls that walked by, like three of them. Yeah. I saw them walk by, I was just like whatever... And they pop their heads back. I'm like, "Uh oh..." I, to be honest, I panicked. I actually panicked a lot. I was like... I thought... It was probably to do with the lesson. Mhm. Like, "Oh, it's Brett!" I can't remember my reaction, I didn't know how to react to that. - I know.
- It's your first time, you're like... "Oh, haha..." "Thank... You..." Just smile and stay calm. I mean, I don't remember my exact first... Time being recognized, but I do remember... The first few times... I felt like I was more nervous than the fan. Yeah. 'Cause I didn't know how I should... - Act.
- Yeah. And it was a big deal for me. It was like... "Holy moly." It was like a... You know, we read all these beautiful comments of people supportive on our videos, but it was the first time that someone showed their appreciation in real life. - Yeah, it's so different.
- To me, it was a really meaningful and... Big moment and I want to act... - Appreciative.
- Well. - Yeah.
- I wanted to be as good to them as possible, right? I remember I was like, "Oh, hi, yeah." "Thanks." "Uh, so did you want to take a photo?" And they're like, "Nah, I'm all good." And they walked off. Eddy: And that's when I realized... Sometimes they're not necessarily fans. They just know who you are. And they're like, "Oh, you're that YouTube dude." But they don't really care. I always remember that, I was like, "Okay..." - "Chill, it's not that big of a deal."
- Oh, that's so funny. You're not freaking BTS, like... - Oh, that's so funny.
- Chill. It was really funny. I'll always remember that. Actually, to be honest, I will confess... One time I freaked out and ran away. This was like one of the first few times. They're like, "Brett!" And it was like kind of in public, so everyone is looking. - Yeah.
- So, it's not just them... - Yeah.
- And you, it's like... Everyone around you, you know they're like looking like, "Oh, what's this?" I'm like... Too much... Tension... Ngh... "Hi, yeah... Nice to meet you. Gotta go, bye bye!" Alright, so first time getting nervous on stage. I feel like I've gotten nervous on stage every time, so... Yeah, so it's like... I can't remember when I haven't been nervous on stage. Yeah, it's always there, so like it's just... Every time I go on stage, it feels like it's the first time. "Damn it, I thought I had this in the bag," but I walk on, I'm like... Woo, woo, woo, woo! "Oh, hands are cold and sweaty." "Ooo, gotta work, let's do it." Like even the recent Sibelius... - Concerto livestream. I was still so nervous.
- Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I was freaking nervous as well playing the orchestra part, I was like, "Oh my god." I'm gonna - It's just - It never... I don't think it ever will truly go away. I mean there have been occasionally smaller concerts where I... Wasn't nervous, but typically those only happen... When A, I'm so exhausted and B, I've been having back to back performances. If you're performing like twice every day. You kind of become a bit more used to it temporarily. But then you stop performing for like two months again and it comes back. Imagine us doing a concert live now. Oh bro... It's been two years since we've done our live concert. No... Go away, corona. I wanna do a live tour. Anyway, can't wait to tour guys, once this whole corona thing is over. We'll do a whole world tour. - Yup.
- And then see how we play. I can't remember my first... Time getting nervous because - It must've been like, Eisteddfod or something. But... I remember the first time I got really bad performance anxiety. I played Poulenc Violin Sonata with my sister accompanying. I just remember there was this part... In the second movement, where it's like... Pianissimo thirds and slow notes. I just remember like... My bow... This is how it felt. - Yeah, it's having anxiety right there.
- It's just like, falling apart. It's like, ha ha. I remember my bow was like... Oh my god, that's the worst. And I was... I felt so bad. I mean I think I've gotten a lot better now. Especially since touring and performing. And also 'cause I think I fixed my technique. - Yeah.
- I think my technique... There was a technical aspect to it as well, right. But I remember when we came up with our first concert tour program script... For those that went to the show, you'll know, I deliberately made the opening that you played the first note. - I remember yeah, yeah.
- And then I do the shaky bow. That was like the joke, you know how I start doing shaky bow in the beginning? Yeah. That's not a lie, like... That's legit. But I copped it. - I had to play Meditation. And then Meditation...
- Yeah, you couldn't play Meditation properly. Da ~ It's like, argh! I remember. I was like, argh, every time. I had to get my s*** together. Just like... I had to play it well. And you had to play the proper Tchaikovsky first. And I get to just start the concert with a... - Joke about getting shaky bow, but...
- Shaky bow. - Actually, that's 'cause I do get shaky bows.
- All right, next tour you're shaking first. - No, I'm shaking first.
- You're shaky, yeah. First time crying while listening to music. I don't know if you have this... If this is like normal or if it's just me because I'm weird, but when I was a teenager, I went through this period where like I was very not in touch with my feelings. I know that sounds weird, but just roll with me and I'll tell you what I mean, like... I just remember, I went through like a... I don't know, it's like an angsty, apathetic stage where... I just couldn't cry. I think - I remember for like five years I never cried. - Wow.
- Not once. Right, I think I was like, 13 to 17. And then I remember the day the whole thing came undone. And I started crying. It was like - Actually, it's so funny. I was playing Final Fantasy X on PlayStation 2. Best game, all right, best game. One of the best plots, plot twists... - In like video game history.
- Mhm. I just remember like... I think the background music was like, To Zanarkand, it's like this piano like, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo~ I started f***ing bawling my eyes out. Dude, I'm thinking about it now and I'm like wanna cry. Actually, I think I cried once playing a game. Which game? RuneScape. I got scammed. I still remember the name. Shorinji. I'm never gonna forget that name. Lil scumbag, Shorinji. He stole - He stole my Halloween mask. I spent my whole life and energy playing. And I still remember like giving it to him, it's like, "Yeah, it's fine." Then, he just logged out. And disappeared. Brett: I never saw him again. At that moment, young Brett realized... - The world is a harsh place.
- Yeah, yeah. - I can't trust people.
- Like, I believed you man! Why would you run away with my Halloween mask. It was a green one, it had two horns, I still remember it. Shorinji! You evil bastard. - All right.
- Yeah, that's it. I hope you all enjoyed joining us in our first time... Talking about our first times. And hope this wasn't the first time that you finished the whole video as well. And I also hope this isn't the first time that you'll go practice! Thank you very much. Accent that like button. And first time... P - Ff - Pizzicato the subscribe button. - Ah. Yeah.
- I got a question for you Brett. When was the first time you kissed someone? Oh, good question. Shoringe!
