Welcome to my completely non-glorious studio blogging. Laura mentioned before that I get to se many beautiful places, that may be true, but unfortunately I have been to all those places without really “being there”. You come to the concert hall, and most concert halls looks pretty crappy backstage, even Suntory Hall in Tokyo has a very…simple…feel once you leave this incredible concert hall:
Now, recordings, then you really NEED to forget where you are, and that can take half a day. Or I should say, it normally takes at least half a day. So here I am, at 9.51 in the evening having done so little today that I should be spanked with an audio cable. But luckily I know by now that this is how it is, and the only thing you have to be is patient and strong.
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I filmed the Bottleneck encore in Västerås, but used some funky “straight-to-DVD” bullshit camera, and now I can’t convert it to a format that makes me being able to put it up here. Bummer. Instead I give you this little radio interview before the recent concerts. (Sorry for those who doesn’t understand Swedish)
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Speaking about Per Bjurman, he says that he is not entirely happy with the way he writes right now. Just like I am not happy with this first day of recording. And then, what does one do when you feel that you are working without getting where you want? I guess we all have our own way. I know most people would say “take a break, don’t put too much pressure on yourself”. Maybe. But I’m just not convinced of that. I think the best thing is to just keep working even harder, in combination with two things:
1) A moment of a refreshing truth-telling to yourself how bad you are doing
2) Never be afraid of changing everything you thought you knew how to do
And then, just keep working hard, and TOMORROW will be another day. You will profit from all this he next day. But just walking away from your work thinking it will be different tomorrow. Well, I’m not talented enough for that.
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Only Majsan liked the Emery story. But you know, I watched an interview with him, he owned a hummer (the car) and got stopped by the police 27 times in 3 years…every time it was a “routine check”. He is, of course, black. So, it’s understandable he is a little angry, no? Marianne, that was not the real competition, the real one is still to come, with a very nice price. That price just got much better today, actually. Soon…
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Although I have a fancy concert hall as my recording studio, nothing else is very fancy. I work by myself. I listen to the takes, and 90% of them are not good enough. One minute of music can take hours if there is a day like today.
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Today was really crappy. No good. Let’s see if tomorrow is better and I’ll be happy to let you know, okay?
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New Jersey is the home of the meanest people in the world. Or, well, they are not all mean, they are just completely indifferent to each other. Except if you annoy them, then they let you know.
Sitting in the train from a rehearsal with NJSO…a man is talking quite loudly on his cellphone,
Another man shouts:
HEY, PLEASE TALK LOUDER SO WE ALL CAN HEAR ABOUT YOUR STUPID SHIT. LOUDER, PLEASE, THE PEOPLE IN THE NEXT CAR CAN’T HEAR YOU. COME ON, LOUDER, YOU IDIOT.
Welcome to New Jersey.
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Hi Hi .
Had some sort of virus in my laptop, hope you did not get any crazy messages from me.
Laptop is now cured .I just write here to tell you that Your comment above about not being talented enough to leave Your work…. That comment came at the perfect moment for me.
this stubborness have always been one of Your secret weapons. Right now I need it
to take me a short distance further .All kind of stuff comes up and needs to be fixed. Distracting as hell . I really needed to read this simple words but i actually think that
it is a sign of belief in ones talent that gives that confidence that allows us to stay on course even when we get stuck. Once one get used to walking away fro m difficulties
even for a day ones confidence gets eroded and a general feeling of powerlesness
easily sets in . At least it works this way for me . i just need to be reminded sometimes.
Good luck . I look forvard to heraing Your sonata cycle.
Hello Per!
Why do write “non-glorious study blogging”? We instead believe it is very well done! But above all, it is very strange that an artist like you answer personally our comments.
Sorry if I was a bit shallow in my previous point: of course I know that in your work there are negative moments, but I hope that positive ones are more!
Your anecdote on the train made me laugh: what do you want to do, some people have no problem to annoy and to make known to others their personal affairs …
Good day and good week!
Wrong writing:
“Why do write —> why do you write”
No no, not “very strange”, it’s awesome!!
I do agree with Emma! Absolutly fantastic that Per is writing this Blogg and comunicats with us!!!
But I used ’strange’ in a positive sense, as ’singular’, ‘unique’, ‘not common’!
Thanks Per!
And have a nice Halloween. I am tired (just started working on a new job) but I want you to know that I really is thankfull for the interview. And everything you write so we can follow you. With all of my heart I give you all my respect, you know that!
Thanks Per for your Studio blog! I love your non-glorious blogging! For me it is fantastic to get personal greetings from far away a dull , dark November morning. And remember that your daily routines are thrilling news for me ! Mine looks in another way.
But of course Per you can bring a photo from your morning dress to the blog!
And to all of you! Welcome to Svanö, my island where we all greet each other nicely and we never lock our doors.( It´s not a joke!)
Damn, I want to move to Svanö!
I would love that!
First, Thank you Per for the radio interview! It was great to hear for us Swedish speakers.
Then about rehearsing and recording… it did strake me for a moment during your performance at the Swedish royal Castle, just how many hours of work that comes before a performance as that! Of cause you’ve got to have a talent to begin with and a love for what you are doing, but most of the time we who are listening don’t think of all the hours of rehearsing. Someone brought up a question of what you are doing to strengthen your fingers and hands?
I like the title of this blog, since a lot of us probably are thinking of The Arks Studio blog… Yes it must be a very big difference even if some parts of it are the same. And again we are thankful to you for given The Ark this blog idea!
And I am looking forward to both the recordings to end up as CDs at my home some days!
BTW, I had a discussion with friends at home the other day. I told them about the old days, when telephones were very new and very, very “hot”. Everyone on the same line could hear each other. Housewives listened to the phone all day in order to overhear the conversations from their neighbours …
You know? Overhearing someone else’s private phone conversations – yum! YUMMM!
“And now”, I told my friends, “we sit on the train and wish we caould be spared from it …”
I have no idea why people are getting so indiscrete when they use cell phones in these days! I was on the train (to Malmö, to a certain release party last year, actually), and there was this guy speaking ALOUD to someone at home about – someone going to the toilet? You know, all the details. Huh?
Haha, Per, what’s up with everybody today? Sp, Per Bjurman is complaining. Today I read a posting in The Ark’s studio blog that shows a not-very-glamouros-rehearsal-place in Rottne. Not very fancy. Yesterday I made an ironic comment in my Facebook that “this is my version of studio blog, I’m very hip”.
Because being a writer is extremely un-fancy. You sit at your desk and you write. And write, and write. Sometimes I decide to go flashy and lights a scented candle to amuse myself. Yeah, that is the level of it. And still it is the most wonderful job in the world, because your dreamworld within is everything anyone can ask for. Only problem is, it does not LOOK like that for a spectator. Nothing to make a glamour blog about, so to speak.
One minute of music can take hours, you say … well, it happens that once sentence takes hours for me. Literally. And the next day I decide it is crappy writing, and I erase it again.
Although I completely agree with you in “point 1 and 2″, I have a third suggestion to add: make a pause in your present work and play something else. Don’t leave the piano, but play something else for a while. Wanna bet? In the middle of that “something else” you will get new ideas for your main work. You know what I mean, don’t you? It is a way of releasing tension when you are stuck, and still you are not running away from your work. Well – I’m not that naive, I know you have done this too … but let me remind you of it.
Creative persons are not even. They have their ups and downs, otherwise they wouldn’t be creative, I suppose. That is what I’m trying to comfort myself with, when I feel untalented, bad, boring, stuck, blocked …
Like, ehrm, today?
Typo correction!
Sp = So
once sentence = one sentence
Not just my writing itself is crappy today, obviously. Gaah!
Hahahaha…actually, that was a really funny story. I hate listening to other peoples conversations over the phone too, probably because I have to put up with it every day on the train as well. Maybe someday I will shout like that too. I always bring my IPod though so I don’t have to listen to all that pointless crap (sorry, but I think it is).
This reminds me of a trip I made one morning to the university. I was on the subway and someone talked really really REALLY load on their cell phone. I could tell most of us were quite annoyed. One girl told the guy on the phone to shut up because she had to study for an exam. Hmm. Then he told her (and everybody else on the train) that the only reason he talked so loud was because he used a certain phone operator (he named it, but I can’t remember the name) and it was so damn cheap. Then, 10 minutes later the same exact incidence took place again (but with different actors). Yes, actors, cause I realized it was just a very different kind of commercial with actors.
People here in Stockholm act the same way as people in New Jersey. I think it’s a big city phenomenon. It really bugs me. The customers at my job rarely says hi, they rarely look at me, and they certainly don’t talk to me (no, see, they’re talking on their cell phones). But the second I happen to annoy them they’ll certainly let me know I’m alive.