Jubing Kristianto , a guitar genius from Indonesia

Jubing Kristianto is four times national winner of "Yamaha Festival Gitar Indonesia" (1987, 1992, 1994, and 1995). He's also a recipient of Distinguished Award at "Yamaha South-East Asia Guitar Festival" in 1984.

He studied classical guitar from Suhartono Lukito and Arthur Sahelangi at Yamaha Music School in Semarang and Jakarta, Indonesia. His formal education is not in music but criminology, from Universitas Indonesia.

After been working as journalist for 13 years, in 2003 Jubing became a full-time guitarist. He's now enjoying activities as guitar teacher, examiner, and endorsee for Yamaha Music Indonesia.

Jubing had been working and performing together with prominent musicians/vocalist in various genre --both in recording or live performing.
Since 2005 he joined Punakawan Quartet together with Jaya Suprana (piano), Heru Kusnadi (bass), and Junaedi Musliman (percussion). Promoting Indonesian folksong, the quartet had performed in Indonesia, Japan, Australia, and Singapore.

Jubing had released three solo guitar albums: Becak Fantasy (2007), (2008), and Hujan Fantasy Delman Fantasy (2009) produced by IMC Record. Most of the pieces is solo guitar music of his own arrangements and compositions. Children songs, folksongs, and pop songs are his favourite materials. His performances and his CD's had received critical acclaims from music-lovers and media in Indonesia. Rolling Stone Indonesia magazine had enlisted his Becak Fantasy as one of "The Best 20 Indonesian Albums of 2008".

Jubing have wrote two books on guitar: Gitarpedia: Buku Pintar Gitaris (2007) and Membongkar Rahasia Chord Gitar (2008), published by prominent book publisher in Indonesia, PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama. He writes regularly for two Indonesian music magazines: "Staccato" and "GitarPlus".

Love,
Adra -

Maksim Mrvica , a piano genius -

Maksim Mrvica knew he wanted to play the piano when, aged just eight, he caught a glimpse of the instrument at his best friend Alexander’s house. That was in 1984 and although 22 years later he is one of the most famous pianists in the world, the journey hasn’t always been easy.

Born in Sibenik, a small, but beautiful medieval town on Croatia’s Adriatic Coast, the odds seemed stacked against Maksim achieveing his dream. His mother Slavica and father Karmel knew nothing about classical music (even now they still prefer to listen to pop music on the radio). But although they were confused by their son’s new passion, they were supportive and lessons were duly arranged.

It wasn’t long before it became obvious to Maksim’s teachers that he had a rare talent and the boy was enrolled in Sibenik’s state music school. It was there that Maksim began to harbour dreams of being a concert pianist and working hard to make those dreams a reality (although he admits now that he didn’t always do quite as much practise as he was supposed to).
He was 15 when war broke out in Croatia and life became almost unbearable for the Mrvica family. Bombs fell almost constantly on Sibenik: Maksim remembers “There were more than 1000 grenades a day. At one point there were seven whole days when we stayed in the basement and didn’t see the sun. “But you got used to it: you had to go on living.” For Maksim, living meant playing the piano. He would meet his teacher Marija Sekso in the basement of Sibenik’s music school and forget the war, losing himself in the music for hours at a time.

As well as grenades, there was the constant threat of being attacked by Serbian snipers – any time spent outside was a danger.
For three years the whole family slept each night on the concrete floor of the shelter in their basement. They occasionally were able to escape to a house on one of the islands off Sibenik’s coast, but although he was away from the bombs, being away from his piano was tortuous for Maksim and, despite the dangers; he always welcomed the family’s return to the city.
Eventually a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Maksim entered his first competition in 1993, practising feverishly to reach the high standards he knew were expected of him. War still raged in Sibenik, but there was peace in Zagreb where the competition was held. The 18 year old Maksim had already charmed the judge and audience just by turning up, but one he played the applause was purely for the music. The judge stopped the competition after Maksim’s performance, immediately announcing him as the winner.
“They said I ought to win just for coming from Sibenik.” He laughs. “They said ‘We know it is hell. Where did you practise?’ But after I played and won there were hundreds of people shouting for me and not because they felt sorry for me.” The pianist says it was one of the best experiences of his life and it seems that however successful he has gone on to be, the joy of that first win remains vivid in his mind.

Maksim went on to study in Zagreb with Vladimir Krpan, one of country’s most revered music professors, then to the Ferenc Liszt conservatoire in Budapest and finally to Paris before returning to Croatia to record his first album Gestures in 2000. He had modest hopes for the record, but it surpassed all expectations, becoming one of the fastest selling albums ever released in Croatia and winning four Porin awards (the country’s equivalent of a Classical Brit).
In 2001 Maksim met Tonci Huljic, a musician and composer who not only wrote some original pieces for the young pianist (and continues to do so), but introduced him to music impresario Mel Bush.

Bush had been looking for a classical pianist for some time, having masterminded the success of all-girl string quartet Bond he was convinced that there was huge potential for a pianist to break into the classical/pop crossover market, but hadn’t been able to find the right person. On meeting Maksim he was immediately impressed by his charisma and signed him on the spot after hearing him play just one piece. Maksim’s first crossover album for EMI Classical, The Piano Player, was a huge success in 2003. It went Gold in Malaysia, China and Indonesia and Platinum in Taiwan, Singapore and his home country Croatai and Double Platinum in Hong Kong. It contained what has become, to many, his signature piece: a particularly energetic version of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight Of The Bumblebee. He is particularly proud that there is now an annual competition named after him in which amateur pianists play the piece.

Variations I&II in 2004 won him yet more fans and a platinum disc for sales in Taiwan. On a tour of South East Asia fans received him like a rock star as he played his unique crossover music accompanied by strobe lights and video screens and dates in Japan where he played in a more purely classical style accompanied by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra were greeted just as rapturously. Earlier in 2006 Maksim pushed the boundaries of crossover with his third album, A New World, toured again in Japan and Asia and was delighted to play a outdoor ‘homecoming’ show in Zagreb.

The trajectory of his fame rose even steeper with the release of Elektric and a tour of Asia, where he performed both crossover concerts with his band and classical concerts with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. He then returns to Asia for a solo piano concert tour at the end of April 2007.

Maksim is married to childhood sweetheart Ana and the couple have a daughter named LeeLoo (after Milla Jojovovich’s character in The Fifth Element). They divide their time between Sibenik and London.

Henry Lau

♥ -- he's so cute .. uwaa @@ -- ♥

hi guys ! while i was searching for proffesional violist , i found a violist , named Henry Lau .
He is cute and awesome ! he is the member of suju ( super junior) . ---a
he has a really great ability in playing the violin . uwaa @@

he can play piano as well . what a talented boy ! he is 2o years old now .

Chinese Name: Liu Xian Hua
English Name: Henry Lau
Education: A.Y. Jackson
Birthday: 11/10/1989
Country: Canada (Toronto)
Family: Father (Hong Kong), Mother (Taiwanese)
Expertise: Violin, piano, breakdance, drums, ballet, latin dance, singing

He is fluent in two languages : English and Mandarin and proficient in Cantonese and Korean with English being his primary language .
Henry Lau learned to play violin at the age of 6 and learned a unique form of dancing called boogaloo popping while in high school .

Henry's areas of expertise lie in playing the piano , the violin , popping and singing . He began violin lesson at the age of six ,
altough apparently he used to cry when he had his violin lesson . He has won many awards for piano and violin ,
such as the Silver Medal in Level 10 Violin for the Canadian Royal Conservatory Award and awards for his dancing as well .
That's great !

I think that he can be an inspiration for many people , including me . Thanks Henry for inspiring many people to practice, practice , and practice their musical skill so that they can be like you . i know that before you succeeded as now , you must be having an intensive practice . woowww ! i can't imagine that .

i love you henry !

i wanna be a violist --

fiuuhhh .. i have a dream to be a great musician someday . i wanna play an instrument in an orchestra . since i was in the 5th grade , i dreamt to play a violin . for me , it is a really unique classic instrument , its sound touches my heart and soul . ehrn you hear the sound ,
feels like it is connected to your heart .

but at that time , i didn't learn it coz my mom said that it's useless . she said that being a violin player wouldn't be as rich as a piano player . but now , i realiza that i need to learn violin , because i love it more and more . but don't worry , i still love the piano and guitar .

each music instrument has its characteristic . when you are listening to a piano , you will feel soft , calm, and sometimes energetic . its sound is really soft . when you're listening to guitar , it gives you a strong feeling . it is energetic . but when you are listening to a violin, it feels different . it can be soft , energetic , and to play violin is almost the same as piano .

if you don't have senses of music , you can't play it beautifully . they said that to become a violist is hard . but i;m sure that i can make it . i've just bought a violin two weeks ago . i can play some songs myself . i don't take a lesson on it , or even asking my friends . i only asked my friends on how to hold the violin . i think that i have a talent on it , on piano and guitar as well . i've asked my mom for me to have a violin course in order to make me expert in this instrument , but there's no response . fiuuhh --

i'm sure that i can be fast in learning this instrument , coz i have been learning the piano and guitar as well . hheeee ^^ . i've ever had a dream too that when i play the violin , a violin teacher said to me that i am talented , and i need to learn about it more and more . aarrgggghh-- hope that i can have the violin lesson soon .. =)

love the music !

Fifteen - Taylor Swift

You take a deep breath and you walk through the doors
It's the morning of your very first day
And you say hi to your friends you ain't seen in a while
Try and stay out of everybody's way

It's your freshman year and you're gonna be here
For the next four years in this town
Hoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say
"You know, I haven't seen you around before"

'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen feeling like there's nothing to figure out
Well, count to ten, take it in
This is life before you know who you're gonna be
Fifteen

You sit in class next to a redhead named Abigail
And soon enough you're best friends
Laughing at the other girls who think they're so cool
We'll be outta here as soon as we can

And then you're on your very first date and he's got a car
And you're feeling like flying
And you're momma's waiting up and you're thinking he's the one
And you're dancing 'round your room when the night ends
When the night ends

'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
When you're fifteen and your first kiss
Makes your head spin 'round
But in your life you'll do things greater than
Dating the boy on the football team
But I didn't know it at fifteen

When all you wanted was to be wanted
Wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now

Back then I swore I was gonna marry him someday
But I realized some bigger dreams of mine
And Abigail gave everything she had to a boy
Who changed his mind and we both cried

'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen, don't forget to look before you fall
I've found time can heal most anything
And you just might find who you're supposed to be
I didn't know who I was supposed to be at fifteen

Your very first day
Take a deep breath girl
Take a deep breath as you walk through the doors

Secondhand Serenade

Have you ever heard Secondhand Serenade ? It is an acoustic rock solo project fronted by vocalist and guitarist John Vesely. The solo project began in 2004. Vesely has released two studio albums to date under the name Secondhand Serenade, Awake in 2007 and A Twist in My Story in 2008.

His songs are great ! the lyrics are awesome . John Joseph Vesely formed Secondhand Serenade in his home town of Menlo Park in California, USA, in 2004. Vesely was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area in a musical family and as the son of a professional jazz musician father, commenting that "getting into music was a natural thing" for him. He spent 8 years playing bass in local bands, featuring in a number of acts ranging in style from ska and hardcore to rock and pop .

One of the bands he played in, Sounds Like Life, included fellow Bay Area artist Ronnie Day. After years of playing bass, he opted for an acoustic guitar.
Vesely began writing his own songs when he met his wife Candice Vesely. She had wanted him to play a song and "serenading her with a bass guitar was out of the question." He has admitted he found his "true calling" when he picked up the guitar. The pseudonym Secondhand Serenade is a reference to the way in which his songs were 'serenades' sung to his wife Candice, with whom he has two young sons. People around the world are merely getting to hear the songs 'second-hand.' While Vesely continues to market the affectionate biography the couple broke up in 2008. Vesely was heart broken as we can see in many of his songs. He released "A Twist In My Story" as a reference to the divorce. In 2005, Vesely released his debut album titled Awake. It was recorded as a demo, after booking a few days at a Ontario studio earlier in 2005, "using just an acoustic guitar and his multi-tracked vocals."

The album was promoted through the Secondhand Serenade Myspace page and by playing local shows. The CD's were originally sold through mail order with a PayPal account by Vesely, eventually he signed up with distributor TuneCore, making Secondhand Serenade's songs available on music portals including iTunes. The album experienced tremendous online support, and by the end of 2006 Secondhand Serenade had received millions of plays on Myspace and had been the social-networking site's No. 1 Independent Artist for months. Financially, he was said to be bringing in up to $20,000 a month from downloads and merchandise sales out of his home. He sold over 15,000 copies of the album on his own, and on the strength of these sales and the support, naturally, the labels came knocking. Secondhand Serenade was signed by longtime label executive Daniel Glass, on his new label Glassnote Records, which is distributed through Warner's Independent Label Group.

In 2006, Rolling Stone announced Secondhand Serenade as #3 in the magazine's reader's poll for Best Myspace Artist.A Twist in My Story was released on February 19, 2008 and features songs from Awake such as "Maybe" and "Your Call," but reproduced with a full band. The bulk of the album however is a list of new songs written by John Vesely and recorded with a full band. Two tracks on A Twist In My Story were produced by famed producer Butch Walker, while the others were produced by former Nine Inch Nails member Danny Lohner. The first single, "Fall for You," was released January 21, 2008. The album was leaked, and was made available for download one month before its official release. On January 28, 2008 the music video for the first single from the album "Fall for You" premiered on the MTV show TRL.

In support of the release, Secondhand Serenade spent most of March and April touring with American bands Making April, Automatic Loveletter, and The White Tie Affair. Members of his touring band include John Harvey on bass guitar, Lukas Vesely (Vesely's brother) on keys/vox, Ryan Cook(former bassist of the White Tie Affair) on lead guitar/vox, and Tom Breyfogle on drums.Secondhand Serenade is currently in the studio recording a new album for an upcoming release. On September 27, 2009, while performing live in Columbus, Ohio Vesely announced their new album would most likely be released in January or February.

The forthcoming album is tentatively being called "Partly Liars." In a recent interview, Vesely stated that the new record will be more upbeat than his last album which focused on relationships.