Hey how's it going? Welcome back to another episode of TwoSet Violin. Today, your favourite online Internet Violin Detectives have taken on the grand job of reviewing K-pop idols playing musical instruments. I know there's a lot of K-pop fans out there, um, this is strictly [for] educational purposes. So now we need a bit of Ling Ling Insurance! (Brett) Ling Ling Insurance! Alright, let's go. Okay, I think you need to tune your violin first. Alright, so we have BTS V here, and uh, he's playing the violin! And like Brett said, the A string is a bit flat, also your bow there looks a bit too tight. Common misconception for beginners or people that don't play violin, if the hair is here, the wood should always be bending towards [it], it should not be like an archery bow, bending out. Oh, if it's an archery bow, be careful. Unless it's like a Baroque bow, the wood needs to be bent that away, otherwise it might snap. - But for a beginner, that bow's alright.
- That's alright, it's alright, like, it's not on the fingerboard, it's not on the other side of the bridge... - And it's a decent posture!
- It's a decent posture, it doesn't look too awkward, right? - It's always pretty obvious, to uh, experienced violinists,
- Mmm. when you see someone new holding a violin bow, - it's like, you claw onto it.
- Yeah. - Okay, I see the stickers there too!
- (Eddy) Yeah, he's got them on, hey! People new to the channel might not know, beginners need to put little stickers so they know where to put their fingers, because violin is not like guitars or bass, who cheat, and have frets, - because they don't know how to play in tune without frets.
- Life is so much easier with frets. I know, right? Bro— - Bro, what the f—?!
- Ohhhh!!! At least she was like...you can tell she's played before. Yeah. You can hear the contact of the horse hair - on the bow and the string.
- It was solid contact! It's like, pretty good contact! This guy just...! You don't do that! You don't interrupt someone in an audition after two seconds to be like, "CaN yOu PlAy FaStEr?" And that's not relevant anyway, 'cause you can play it slower, but musically. - Yeah, it doesn't matter.
- It's not a piece designed... - For speed, yeah.
- ...to be...a speed piece. - I'm gonna get my violin, just...ugh!
- Yeah. So first of all, let me just demonstrate what we mean by like, she's got a solid contact, alright? So... Someone that's a beginner often would sound like... You can hear the notes are crushed too much. Or like... ...like out of tune. She just has a solid... - It's good textbook foundation, for a beginner.
- That was pretty solid too. Oh, thank you. 'Cause I practiced. But then this guy goes, "Can you play faster, like..." - Yeah I can play it faster, but it sounds bad now.
- It sounds... - Vivaldi didn't want it to be like that!
- Yeah ! Oh my god. Why did she have to do that? Now you just look like a complete... Douche, she's just like, "I can do it!" And she's using the same violin... Whoa! Okay, that bridge is way too bent, by the way. Okay actually this is a really good tip for violinists, musicians, so, the back side of the bridge, and there's different philosophies, but generally the back side of the bridge should be perpendicular to the face. As you'll see, a lot of times if you've been playing, or it's not a good instrument, or it's not set up well, 'cause [when] you tune, you're constantly pulling that way, the bridge will start bending forward, so you have to actually adjust and pull back. If you don't know what you're doing, don't do it yourself. - Yeah...
- Get someone experienced, like a teacher, or a luthier to do it, but you should be paying attention, 'cause if it keeps leaning forward, - It's gonna go...
- A) It might fall, the sound changes and because this distance is getting smaller, your intonation you're practising [to] is changing, - Mm-hmm.
- so it's not good. Okay, see, here's the thing. Yeah it's faster, and one could argue that tempo might be more pleasing, but now it's not as clean. - Her playing.
- You can...you can hear that... The contact point of the bow and the string is - missing every now and then.
- Yeah, exactly! The tone is not as consistent. He's saying it's better, but it's not! - It's worse now.
- It's actually worse, because you're practising in bad habits as well! Don't listen to these people! You can listen to us! On this channel we give plenty of good violin advice. If K-pop industries need violin teachers, we are here, we'll give free lessons...! That's such a bad like, cut ending. I'm sorry, sorry. Like... His playing is actually really, really good, but, 'cause the piece goes for 8 minutes, so you can tell they're like, "Just cut it to 20 seconds." So you just... I'm not gonna demonstrate, 'cause this is one of the pieces that you actually need to practice. That's how it's meant to end. First of all, he slowed down which, I'm not a big fan of. - And he stopped at A major, I'm like...
- A major chord! Ugh! - But...
- It is a hard piece, it is a hard piece. We're...we're picking on things that's not relevant to his playing. His playing is actually good. I'll tell you why it's good, for those of you that might not know. First thing, his vibrato, I was immediately impressed by... It's got that articulation, the sizzle. - Yeah.
- The sizzle. It's not like... - Mmm...yeah, yeah.
- ...or like something weird, right? He definitely plays violin, he's got the string crossing going, he knows how to move around with the left hand shifting up and down, good clean shift on the left hand! And he's got that character as well, it's not like... It's like... ...you know, he added that weight. Biggest thing though, that makes me love this so much, it's real playing! They're not dubbing anything, they're not putting anything on top. At least based on what we see, right? Somehow even the imperfections of it makes it... - Yeah, yeah.
- ...real to me, like I know it's a real violin. Yeah, it's not bad. - Here and there, you know, slight intonation things,
- Yeah. but, it's good. - This guy's a full-time K-pop idol,
- Yeah, - so you don't...
- the fact that he can get this practice in... - It's pretty good. And then on stage,
- It's very impressive.. the pressure is high. It's not easy, you have to practice, you can't just go on stage and wing it. He's the only one so far that plays with dynamics. I'm just saying. Any up-and-coming K-pop idols out there, play with dynamics, - instantly shoot above the rest of the competition.
- Oh, yeah, I'll give you another tip, in case you want to come to TwoSet classes. If you add in crescendos, it's like instant...instant level up. B.I.G Benji! Oh! Big Dynamics! Can't tell if we're just like, lowering our standards or like... Okay, stop! He's definitely played violin before, 'cause he can hold his violin and move his hands like that. (both) Yeah. Bro, he's got a ring! (Brett) Oh! You don't play a violin with the ring on the index, 'cause it's gonna scrape against the wood. And sometimes if you do big vibrato, depending on the size of your hand, you're gonna like... ...make dents in your... You'll be like... And the pegs, and also the wood... (offscreen) Wow! Take, uh...I take my word back. - Let's...let's not judge.
- His...he's bowing between the fingerboard and the bridge. - It's good.
- Yeah, let's not judge. Oh no, noooooo! You poor thing! He's like, "Damn, what's the notes?" - I'll tell you why, because he started on the wrong key.
- Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, whatever key he's playing, it's not the right one, which is why when he got to the open string, it became the wrong key. - He kind of got warmed up into it.
- I was gonna say, beginning his tone was like, he was skidding, he was like... - Yeah.
- And I also feel like, his elbow is a bit like... It's a bit locked. Down to the hand it's a bit like... Here, and I think that's what's causing your tone inconsistencies. I'm not saying this to be...compare them, but just for our viewers to have an understanding, right? The Vivaldi piece is an easier piece, - but this was played less...nicely, if that makes sense,
- Nicely...yeah, yeah. So I would actually, as a violinist, be more impressed at that Vivaldi, - even though it's like a student piece...
- Oh, 100%. 'Cause you can tell when he was shifting up, - it wasn't, quote unquote, "tasteful" in the shift,
- Yeah. See how Eddy...glissando-ed in a, - more of a tasteful way.
- Mmm. Harmonically, it goes nicer. It sounds to me like, you've played before, you haven't been practising, and you've been asked to play, - and you're not that warmed up into it.
- Yeah. I'd just say, work on having a solid... ...contact. And not skid. - Not bad.
- Dude! YangYang's got it! My only tip would be uh, your body is somehow...stiff. Bow change I hear... - Like...
- Yeah. A lot of violin playing is just being aware of these tensions, 'cause...he probably is not realising that he's doing that - 100%, yeah.
- with his body, right? - But it's not bad, it's good.
- Nice! And last but not least... Oh, it's The Oil Guy! Dude, what is he doing, this guy? Why is he doing it like this?! What a...douchebag! That's it for today, everyone! Please accent the like button, legato the subscribe button, and remember, if you want to one-up everyone in the industry, just put in dynamics. And of course, you have to practise.
