People have called me twice today about rescuing a mother and ducklings who hatched in inappropriate places, like a fraternity house. I can’t take them to Botany Pond, where they’ll get pecked to death, so the alternative is to separate them from the mothers and take them to rehab. I will check out one situation on my way home, but I can already feel the anxiety building (and it’s very hot as well). I can’t bear to separate mom and babies (I’m told that the mom attacked the physical plant people sent to retrieve the babies on my request, so they gave up; but ducks don’t have teeth!), but what is the alternative if they’re to live? And they are said to be hiding in the bushes.
No more writing for me today; listen instead to this amazing version of Tina S playing a heavy metal cover of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” on electric guitar. It is stunning!
I was just wondering the other day if we had reached the end of popular interpretations of the classics. To be fair, I haven’t been looking for them, but did hear “A Fifth of Beethoven” on the radio, which got me thinking.
Waterfowl and their newly hatched young can cover considerable distances by walking; the ability of the parents to lead them to appropriate circumstances should not be underestimated.
GCM
But if they go into Botany Pond, they’re dead ducks. They’ll be pecked to death.
Where literal converges with metaphorical.
I’ll stick with the piano version, thanks.
Tina S is what Frank Zappa used to call a “stunt guitarist.” Meant to be more humorous than pejorative, but “shredders” are a polarizing topic in the guitar community.
Here’s an antidote for those who gravitate to more “musical” forms. Just watch the first 5 minutes of the master Tom Bukovac on a Hank Williams J.r tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULcRSTciSoQ&t=207s
Tom (“Uncle Larry”) has a must see channel (HomeSkoolin) for guitar and music fans. Many think he’s the best working guitarist today, mostly Nashville session work. His mastery and range is unmatched.
Ha! His studio is a “storage” garage.
Yep, that’s sort of the theme, emerging from COVID. Watch the whole video, and you will see Tom is at the the apex of session guitarists. If you’re a guitarist and don’t learn something from that vid (or any of his 150 other ones), there’s nothing to be done.
Isn’t he the guy who played “The Dude”? Must be.
No. She’s the real deal.
> Tina S is what Frank Zappa used to call a “stunt guitarist.”
I have to disagree, Tina S has range and seems able to play almost anything. I think you need to go to her Youtube channel and listen to a lot more of her playing. She is really quite phenomenal and I decided long ago that she is not a (mere) shredder. I don’t have a lot of respect for shredders unless they can include genuine melody in their playing, and most cannot. Tina S can.
Impressive playing! I wonder what she could do with the final movement of Chopin’s Second Piano Sonata. That movement has to be the craziest piece of piano music from the nineteenth century. It’s almost dissonant, but of course it isn’t, and it might lend itself well to an electric guitar.
I liked that a lot! Good title, too: “Beethoven plugged”
Plugged because it’s electric, as opposed to the acoustic unplugged.
I used to be able to play the first two movements on the piano, but this third one was waaaayy too fact for my fingers.
Really a great performance byTina S .
I like Marcin Patrzalek’s interpretation too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQ7m0c4ReI
An in order to know what Tina S is inspired by, a more classical rendition (It was written for keyboards, a piano):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tr0otuiQuU
Marcin is amazing. Tina too. I’ve been watching Tina S videos for quite a few years but just came across Marcin 1 – 2 years ago.
What would this Walkure, Tina S -she obviously is one-, do with with Wagner’s ‘Walkure’? Difficult to get ‘heavier ‘ than that, I’d think. But I maybe mistaken.
Yep, frat boys can hatch in some unusual places, all right. 🙂
I assumed she was going to play the first movement, which I couldn’t quite see as heavy metal. But of course it’s the last movement—it all makes sense.
My late mother, a classically trained pianist and a purist, would have had a fit if she’d heard that, but I rather liked it. The speed and dexterity is astonishing. I wonder what Beethoven would have made of it.
I like Joe Parrish’s acoustic/electric cover of Mars, Bringer of War:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHANdi0IbPY
Love it. Thanks for the link.
Helluva performance.
Wonder what deaf Ludwig van would’ve made of her fretboard fingering.
Also check out:
10 Famous Classic Composers Rock Medley | Andre Antunes
https://youtu.be/FxNAwnTDrWc
Amazing. Beethoven would have loved this. It’s cool enough to raise him from the deaf.
Yeah, I think so, too. In the same way that they say of great ballplayers that “game recognizes game,” so too among musicians, cats knows cats.
My favourite metal interpretation of moonlight sonata
https://youtu.be/-uRmn0aUMK4
“I’ve got blisters on me fingers!!”
Makes a change from Yngwie Malmsteen. (Altogether now, “I know, it’s only baroque and roll…”): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S9r1xRVcigw
As someone who’s played this insanity on piano, let me say her performance is completely spot on. She adjusts which octave is being played due to the piano’s greater range (and so her version is compressed into a fewer number of octaves), but otherwise gets the melody and speed completely right. Beethoven would have loved this!
Yep. Non-guitarists think she’s a gimmick.
She’s the real deal.
She has disappeared from playing online for some years now – rumour is she went to uni to get a degree.
We hope she is also writing her own music,and will re-appear.
She started as a classical guitarist, and branched out.
(Don’t know why I’m telling you all this!)
It makes me sad when people can’t differentiate between ‘gimmick’ and real artist., or ‘only the piano for me’ because there is ONLY one way etc.
I see nobody here calling her a gimmick, where does that come from?
I think it was a great performance, she got the essence of the later movement, she’s good.
As others have mentioned, if he hadn’t been deaf and dead, Ludwig would probably have loved it.
I only see positive reactions, unless I missed a negative post.
That bit at 2:00 was…mind bending cool. I’ve always loved classical music played with metal flair. My first encounter with this type of “translation” was from the 1986 movie Crossroads, where Ralph Macchio’s character (the good guy) plays against Steve Vai (satan’s guy) to save his (Macchio’s) soul. It was basically a movie version of “Devil Goes Down to Georgia”.
As JezGrove mentions above, I later encountered Malmsteen, and am still a fan.
I don’t listen to this type of music much, but it is a treat and thanks for the post.
How could I forget (googled it) that Ry Cooter wrote the music for Crossroads? I wonder how well that movie has held up. Haven’t seen it in decades.
Holds up really well. Great movie.
Macchio does the BEST job I have ever seen of faking classical guitar playing. It is spot on.
And the guitar battle with Steve Vai!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXfZtlAPUNc
Love it.
Thanks for your input…and the link!
Here is a classical guitar version of the 3rd movement of Moonlight Sonata:
Is anyone aware of Charles Berthoud? He’s a Swiss bass player who has most of the chops that Tina S has, but on bass. Look him up, his YT channel is named after him. He is anything BUT a shredder, very musical. And like Tina, he doesn’t talk, he just plays.
Couldn’t resist sharing the following – also had to rewrite over many days :
Paul Gilbert arranged Mozart Sonata No. 10 K. 330 III. Allegretto for two overdubbed electric guitars, which he playfully named “Whole Lotta Sonata” : (link below – because of WordPress gremlins).
The same sonata movement played with a light, childlike joy and liveliness by Mitsuko Uchida :(link below).
Listen for how closely Gilbert preserves the sonata form, and plays it as if it has the biggest smile on its face – and with the scream expected of an electric guitar.
If you like that, Gilbert also arranged and performed the Haydn Symphony No. 88 II. Largo for all electric guitars :(see below/next for links).
Listen again how closely the composer’s original ideas are preserved, and especially how skilled the dynamic range is treated on the guitar.
Links : WordPress gremlins, please do not eat :
——
Paul Gilbert – Whole Lotta Sonata (Arrangement of Mozart K. 330
No. 10 in C III. Allegretto for two electric guitars)
https://youtu.be/SHXbNLZLrbU
Compare to original :
Mitsuko Uchida, piano : Mozart K. 330
No. 10 in C III. Allegretto https://youtu.be/5lBDMEWmmaM
——-
Paul Gilbert, electric guitar arrangement of Haydn Symphony no. 88 IV. Finale – Allegro Con Spirito
https://youtu.be/qyZACyXFIVI
Compare to original :
Haydn Symphony no. 88 IV. Finale – Allegro Con Spirito –
Eugen Jochum conducting the Weiner Philharmoniker in 1962 on Deutsche Gramophon
https://youtu.be/1sWWAo59mhU
——
… I hope that shows the wide range of expression of new/old music out there – it did for me when I heard it!
Hooray! The links have appeared!
I hope someone finds these as delightful and enlightening as I do.
(… links were submitted, but WordPress has indigestion…)…
Paul Gilbert – Whole Lotta Sonata (Arrangement of Mozart K. 330
No. 10 in C III. Allegretto for two electric guitars)