Violinist Ray Chen | ASK ME ANYTHING

VC LIVE | We’re coming to you from live from Philadelphia this afternoon for the launch of the new VC AMA (Ask Me Anything) Series | Today’s special guest, ready to get up close and personal: superstar Australian violinist, VC Artist Ray Chen | Go ahead, ask Ray anything … ( just please keep things PG-13)
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[@tesah179]

I love how you tried to talk in German. And as a native speaker I can say, you definitly did better than Twoset 😂😂

[@myrtillegrandesoreilles8275]

that isn't very hard to do tho xD

[@damisstrysdiary3160]

Oh, you didn't hear twoset's Russian 😂 I love twoset 🖤

[@emilia1911]

Jaaa 😂😂

[@angelinarogatch2933]

HAHAHA that's so true, their Russian is hilarious 😂

[@benoitpaquette2866]

Very funny and teasing

[@MattLeGroulx]

Re: Beginning as an adult. I started playing violin when I was 36. I'm 38 now and can play some Bach and a few other things and have played plenty of concerts. I've been playing various instruments for over 20 years and I've found the biggest factor in my development has been knowing how to practice. Because I've been playing and teaching music for so long I know how to practice and how much of a difference being efficient in your practice makes. It's very easy after playing for a long time to forget that if you practice mindfully you'll keep progressing and getting better. The most important thing for me has been just knowing that if I put in the time I'll keep improving. When you're young it's very difficult to have that discipline because like you said Ray, you don't have the experience. After 20 years of playing music I know what I have to do. My daughter is learning the flute and it's hard to convince her that putting in the practice will really pay off whereas for me I know from decades of experience that it will.

[@AlanNess]

I always practiced without clear goals and thought practicing is hell. I haven stopped opening my violin case for a few years and lost the passion to continue

[@0925florida]

Thank u for such great advice!!

[@MattLeGroulx]

@Nico Silverman-Lloyd Sorry! Just saw this now, months later. It's different for everyone. For me it's learning pieces I like rather than blasting through scales and arpeggios and stuff. I'm motivated to play the music, not to be a technician even if I'm not playing a piece perfectly or even very well. The joy is in playing music I love. I'd like to make a point that it's very personal, you need to know what motivates you and also what your goals are. Obviously Ray's goals as a world-class soloist are very different than mine and yours are as well, I would imagine. The way to practice efficiently is to know how you do it best. But you need to know yourself and that only comes with time and reflection, there are no shortcuts. If I jump into to learning a piece that's beyond my abilities, maybe I can't play it, maybe I'll never play it all the way through but just going through that process improves my playing in so many ways and the techniques I pick up in one piece will be applicable in so many others. Like I said, if you put in the time you'll get better but if you have limited time you really must know yourself and how you improve the fastest. Mind you, I've never had a teacher, that would probably help! One thing I will say that has helped me tremendously is thinking about playing when I'm doing other things. My biggest road block is memory, the more I run through a piece or passage in my mind the easier it is the next time I pick up my instrument. Sorry it took so long to respond, I wasn't notified of the comment when you posted it. I hope this helps!

[@MattLeGroulx]

@@AlanNess I can only speak for myself but practicing without clear goals has been better for me than not practicing at all. Even absent-minded practicing beats doing nothing! I hope you've picked up your violin in the last seven months since you posted this comment. We practice to make music because making music is awesome. Don't let practicing get in the way of music-making, the joy in playing is what we're after!

[@MattLeGroulx]

@@janellekohcc I hear you! I play a bunch of instruments so I'm no virtuoso on any of them and my fingers often don't do what my brain wants them to. It helps me to improvise. I just play anything and that kind of gets the ball rolling. I start very slowly and let my stupid fingers take me places my brain would not have thought of. If you're not into improvising I find it fun to take a piece, maybe it's a fast piece, and play it very slowly. Take a fast piece and just try to make it as beautiful as possible playing very slowly. There's so much that you can miss in a fast piece when it's played at tempo but when you slow it down, if it's a great piece there are details there you might not have heard. I just try to make it sound as good as I can and this helps a lot in so many facets of your playing. I also find it very enjoyable. Don't get too frustrated, music is always there for you!

[@someoneelse361]

Who is Ray? Where is Hank?

[@platypusmusic8843]

He's locked in his basement! We must free him!

[@DiegoCarrillo3]

Who's Ray?

[@abhinavivaturi3387]

I am confoojun

[@caitlin5930]

i’m gonna get the beginning on repeat so i can listen to ray’s bach

[@benoitpaquette2866]

You are so true, honest and inspiring, dear Mr Ray. Play, play

[@pia7057]

My favorite violinist!

[@oxoelfoxo]

Ray is so articulate. And I like that he doesn't skip "interesting" questions.

[@liamderosa2157]

I believe that Ray normally uses: E- Vision heavy A- dominant medium D- dominant light G- Peter Infeld When he's not using prototype Thomastik-Infeld strings. I can get nerdy about strings too haha

[@ssatjapot]

This is so funny. Ray has so much energy. I needed this.

[@angelinarogatch2933]

Can't believe he is the person who said he didn't like celery on an earlier VC interview... This Q&A is wonderful, thank you Ray!

[@iristhehooman]

NANI? Haha! This interview is so fun yet insightful!

[@lad4694]

First? Hoh fire 🔥👏 Ray!!! What are you doing sneaking here 😫

[@brandondejesusflotatoralla8946]

Is a grand performance!

[@milagritosuwu5062]

I am a violinist and his pinky leght is equals my index now imagine my pinky -cries in pinky vibrato-

[@owdy3973]

Oh dude, my middle finger Is as long as his pinky if not shorter

[@xangraneko2290]

Thank you, Ray, for answering these questions. Also, it was interesting to know how disciplined you were when you're younger and about your sister hahaha.

[@nb7524]

Thank you Violin Channel for having Ray Chen. I love his Bach and Debussy. Oh my, his Clair de Lune is SO very lovely. I did not want him to stop playing.

[@jason101other]

Ray, you're very charming. Thank you!

[@cecilia7259]

Well, ok. Now I have new respect for your parents especially your mom. Normally the oldest is expected to be the doctor while the youngest can choose to be an artist. But your mom raised you opposite from what people would normally think. That is awesome! I mean, I try to teach discipline to my kids and all I can say is that it remains a dream of mine. Don't think it's ever happening. LOL

[@jshum02]

Oh so nice to hear him play the one that means something to me cause i played it

[@ich4660]

Your sound is absolutely marvelous and Cristal clear ! By the way , Gaudí painting ? I think you meant Dali painting .. Thanjs s lot for your channel. Isaac (Spain)

[@oxoelfoxo]

Yeah, I wondered if he was talking about some obscure painter I'd never heard of...

[@amychen1803]

ty for answering the questions!:)

[@amychen1803]

It is a nice balance of insight into who u r as a player and tips to all musicians out there. very well done interview.

[@TheDanrach]

Absolutely phenomenal playing. I'm astounded.

[@MikaSato]

Thank you💐

[@ealston0826]

String and bow diary! Love it!!!

[@steelrehn4702]

Why do I hear Eddy singing no vibrato?

[@Viewer13128]

where?

[@aleksandarvojneski8761]

Very good video!

[@davidlowther8886]

Is the Discord Channel what eventually became Tonic or is it still out there? When I’m on Tonic people talk about their Discord channels.

[@rawenpasha]

"why your video quality is so good". meanwhile the highest quality setting is at 360p

[@ayu3565]

Yesss❤️

[@AlejandroCabreraCano]

Nice

[@rebeccaklempner9666]

By the way, a violinist's left hand will only be bigger than their right if they started playing when they were a child.

[@LucaCanetti]

Could you play Ysaye's violin Sonata n. 3?

[@mevans4715]

Your fingers are so long, Ray! I have short fingers that are big. I have to come around the shoulder more and finger replacements are so necessary higher on the fingerboard!!! LOL.

[@candy4901]

What's the piece Ray is playing at the beginning? I've heard it before but I don't know the name. I absolutely loved it :)

[@phileaevangelista8019]

It's Bach violin sonata no. 1 in G minor: Adagio

[@jeansibelius5843]

Chaconne?

[@andrewdang2902]

its the bach sonata not the chaconne.

[@practicboi40hrs46]

@@jeansibelius5843 how dare u sibeluis

[@practicboi40hrs46]

@@jeansibelius5843 love ur violin concerto btw

[@user-do5hd7zb4x]

I think your darn smart to keep a string log. You are one together fella! I would do the same except I might confuse myself. I hold with an average stringset lasting 1 month. The Eva Pirazzis are giving more value for my money than any other but I have not tryed all brands nor are all brands available. MY next brand if I try a other brand would be Infeld red I think they are by Thomastic. I am biased twords gut strings because that is what I learned on. But lately oddly enough and inspired by Nicola Benedetti ; through complete torture and bewilderment my dealer just happened to have a set of green Eva Pirazzis in stock. I THANK NICOLA B. AND MY DEALER and God otherwise I might not have been able to purchase such a professional string set. I think I can possibly get 3 months out of eva pirazzis but would not want to bet on it. My spare strings should I be endowed with them would be infeld red. My third runner up would be Dominants. I can not in all.stretching of my imagination conceive that I would be happy with any other string set than the much loaded Eva Pirazzi green pack with loop e string. I have been extremely blessed by Nicola Benedetti in that she was saying that Eva Pirazzis were the most reliable of the strings she has tryed. I humbly thank her. If it were not for her recommendation of Pierre Guillaume violin rosin I would be seriously handicapped. She asks her students to trust her and that is what I have done. I like to give credit where it is due. I am blessed by your vidio Mr. RAY CHEN AND THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME AN OPTION OF SYNTHETIC BLUE BOW STRINGS. I THINK IN A PINCH I MIGHT TRY THEM. KOODOS, OVER AND OUT.CEUSA

[@samtsang8471]

I love David Oistrakh too.

[@MarLeiX2]

1. Toilet paper: over OF COURSE! There is only one way! It is sooo disturbing the other way... 2. Asian parents. Oh, you don't wanna practice? OK Dr Chen! (got the message? Either a soloist or a doctor!) 3. Where are those bad photos?!? Fishing for compliments?? 4. Bad performances... As a student I once went blank on stage. I never stopped playing but I couldn't recall the beginning of the next group of bars so I repeated twice or 3 times the same 1 or two bars that were giving me a hard time. I was feeling ashamed of myself for about a month? I couldn't face my teachers... Another time, while playing a chopin nocturne my right hand played all the right notes. My left hand I guess decided to improvise and I played 2 or 3 wrong chords before I managed to catch up. Again I didn't stop playing but those chords were really painful... Anyone non musicuan could have heard that something had gone wrong (I heard my recording later and I went like "outch! Outch! That hurt!"). However, after my lame performance a much older than me musician expressed his warm admiration to me. He was really impressed. I heard him, I felt him but I was like "are you serious? I messed everything up! What is there to appreciate about it?" but I never said anything like this to him. I kindly thanked him but I think I looked surpised enough 😂

[@user-do5hd7zb4x]

I didn't mean to overlook your playing you sound every bit as accomplished as Mr. JOSEPH Sylverstein in the great violin mystery. That is one of my favorite passages. He plays a Guarnieri Del Geso. One of my favorite sounding instruments . OTHERS KNOCK THE del Geso claiming it's too hard to get high register out of a Guarnieri. That may be so . But I have never had the opportunity to play a bonnafide Del Geso. I WOULD BE TERRIFYED THAT I MIGHT ACCIDENTLY DROP ONE ANYWAY. THOUGH I PROBABLY WOULD STRANGLE IT FIRST BEFORE ID DROP IT! HOLDING A 15 MILLION DOLLAR INSTRUMENT MIGHT MAKE ME QUEEZY! THOUGH I WOULD DEARLY LOVE TO IF CIRCUMSTANCES WERE RIGHT.BYE OVER AND OUT.

[@antonioblidar6542]

Have you ever tried romanian folk Music? You should:))))

[@joeshah8789]

Are your professional musical critics more forgiving when you are more creative with the music, or do they prefer "old school" straight forward stick to the rhythm and to what is written style. Do you feel as you get older, the critics allow you more stylistic freedom?

[@fionayitongxie7595]

Why are my parents 100% the same when it comes to practice?

[@liamnevilleviolist1809]

29:20 .... Ray's fingers.... good lord. He could be the world's greatest proctologist! Nah... let's stick with his extraordinary musical abilities please :) K thx.

[@kimyoung3484]

,❤️❤️

[@catherinetypist2371]

And the promised pinky length reveal?

[@guolongwang2611]

Does anyone know what violin is he playing in this video?

[@sophiewilliams9934]

I just want to know why he broke up with sumina

[@milagritosuwu5062]

He was with Sumina?? :0

[@caitlin5930]

they were so cute together

[@practicboi40hrs46]

Still dont know but i think its better to not talk about now he said he doesnt want such personal questions

[@juliejules7780]

Probably cuz being in a relationship is a burden. You don't have to answer to someone all the time. I'm happier being alone as well. But they were cute.

[@juliejules7780]

He should've married Sumina

[@j.m.9002]

why do so many east asians play western classical music?

[@practicboi40hrs46]

Because western classical music is where its at :)

[@MikaSato]

Because it’s different than the music “old people“ likes that we feel it cool when we were little...then we just got used to it and made it became our habit.

[@susius4211]

@@MikaSato Don't make such generalizations for us all. I study classical music because I love its complexity intimacy, and the wide degree of overwhelming emotions; and not because of the reason that you outlined. I never started because I wanted to be "cool" or for the reason of setting myself apart from the previous generations. In my mind, such objectives are meaningless. You do bring up an interesting point though, and I greatly enjoyed reading your thoughts.

[@MikaSato]

@@susius4211 I understand what you said. Actually Asian classics are also with complexity intimacy, and the wide degree of overwhelming emotions… for example I like Cantonese opera, if you go into the details you will know it, no big differences with western music. My point of view is, when I started to learning western classical music in my toddlerhood, I totally have no idea of what “complexity intimacy, and the wide degree of overwhelming emotions” at all, I think most of kids are like so-you like it naturally or your parents forced you to learn it. I was just kind of joking to tell “because it’s cool “, since that’s a good reason to explain why you started to learn something. It’s just cool.

[@susius4211]

@@MikaSato Thank you for your response Mike! It was really enlightening to read your elaborations/wise insights. I am from the US (never lived elsewhere much), so it is hard for me to fully grasp what an international perspective is like, but your post definitely exposed me to a important line of thought. Again, thanks for your replies.