TULANMEN - 4 UGAYMEN, WE R VERY TULAN

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Dear Michael,

Michael! I’m very very happy today!! In fact I’m so elated today that I totally skipped my dinner! You know what happened?!! Cos this evening I received the parcel posted by my brother!! I literally tore the parcel open, just grabbed those piano books and ran off to my college’s piano room and played for 2 hours!! I’ve never been happier to play those songs!! I played again and again and again! ooh!!! It’s like today I’ve been given a new lease of life!! The sky suddenly look so blue today!! All because of the music that you have been teaching me for 2 ½ years! I hugged those books and almost wanted to kiss those books!!! I think if you’re here, I surely would be so happy that I would have kissed you!! Without the music that you teach me, life here is so intolerable and dull!

Michael, I have never forgotten to write you this testimonial..it’s that I’m waiting for an inspirational day and time…and today is really so inspirational!!! Just now when I play the pieces, it’s so emotional to me…I almost cried when I play!! Cos it made me recall all the wonderful time that I have spent with you during your piano lessons! Actually you have not only taught me music, real music that is, but you have also taught me to be a better person. To tell you the truth, I really respect you.

I personally think that you’re a very successful and courageous person…You’re taking your musical path because of your sincere and passionate love for music…although other people may see that your this path probably would not have a light at the end of the tunnel….but you believe in your passion and your dream and you pursuing it valiantly!! Michael, I really, really, really respect you!! I always tell xuehua that you’re one of the very few people that I have great respect for. I always remind xuehua to be grateful that our paths cross with yours….Michael, actually I really do not know how I can repay you for all the things that you have taught me about jazz music and about piano playing and about life and about being a person.

I still remember the very first time I come to know of your existence is during the 2003 JFJ competition, where you and your Uglymen sang Si Ai Bin on the stage and I was totally taken aback by your song and by your performance!! I was totally shocked because I think your song and your performance is very daring and raw. I still remember that you actually looked at your lyrics when you’re singing it on stage!! Really, looks can be deceiving….i never have thought that you’re so good in jazz piano and that one day I would be one of those to have the great honour to be under your tutelage!!! Actually I love it so much everytime you play the piano during our lessons…cos you really play with such real feelings…you can bring out all types of feelings of songs just by using piano!! And you’re not only a great master in piano, but you have total mastery over the guitar as well!! My God, it’s such a blatant contrast!!…playing rock songs on your electric guitar with distortions and stuffs like that and playing jazz songs on your piano with such dynamics and control on every aspect of music…timing, tempo, rhythm, melody, harmony…….Michael, to me, you’re already a demi-god!!

Michael….so far, you’re the ONLY person who can answer my EVERY question about music stuffs…and well sometimes about other stuffs as well….and I am totally satisfied with all your answers. Everytime after you explain something, e.g. music theory to me, I will totally understand it…although sometimes I may forget cos of infrequent application… J To me, there would be NO OTHER music tutor who can teach me the way that you have taught me before!! And I don’t want to have another music tutor!!! I just want to learn music under you!!!…..(actually, you’re making me cry now….my tears are swelling now….). I’m really very torn between coming here to NZ to do PhD and continue to be under your music tutelage. Your music lessons are one of the few things that I feel so, so, so, SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO heavy-hearted to leave behind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Without my conscious knowing, you have instilled in me the love for music. Before I met you, I love music too, but not at this level right now…….right now, I can’t seem to listen to a piece of music without analyzing it. Before this, when I listen to songs, I just listen to the main vocal….now, the main vocal would be the last thing that I listen to cos I would be listening to the music arrangements, how each instrument is played and why they are played in such ways, what mood the music wants to bring in each different section of the song, what voice (1, 3 or 5?) are the harmonies singing in, how the song start off and build into a climax and how it brings it back…..before this, I never knew that I can listen for so many things and can learn so much things from just one song!!! So now, I can’t listen to songs when I’m doing things, but when I listen to songs, I must totally stop whatever that I’m doing and just concentrate on the music.

Michael, actually I’m writing all these in the …………

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