Episode 45 Stringraphy

Stringraphy

This whole room is a a string instrument!  (Feat. Kazue Mizushima)

📍Tokyo, Japan

Thoughts and Reflections

I love doing episodes like these; firstly, the flow of it felt incredibly natural, especially thanks for Bobby who came along with me and our fantastic hosts who prepared very well for our arrival. I discovered this group accidentally, I don't exactly remember how or where, but it must have appeared on my social media. I reached out initially with the intentions of filming short content, but the more I listened to their video performances and what they had to offer, I realized that there was a much richer story to tell than what a 3-minute video could do, so at the last moment, I decided to make it a full video, and rightfully so. 

We had great conversations, laughed a lot, and they performed a wide repertoire for us.

One of the sections I removed was one of their original pieces they performed, it was a gorgeous piece about a lunar eclipse and clouds floating in front of the moon as the light ebbs and flows. I might upload this video later (with their permission). 

Another section I removed, because it was mostly for bragging, where when Kazue mentioned she graduated from UC San Diego with a Masters in Composition, I shared that my uncle, Lei Liang, is currently the Head of Composition there. He's "uncle" in a Chinese sense where he is a bit further removed than the brother of my mother or father. Anyways, we also talked about how my background is also in Composition. But speaking of which, they invited me to write a composition for them, so I'm looking forward to this opportunity; it would be an incredible challenge. 

They do some incredible work, especially with their educational programs they do with children; if you are visiting Tokyo, I suggest you message them and ask for a paid performance! 

I also really appreciated Mion, the younger player there (in her 20s I mean). She learned about Stringraphy when she was 5 years old, was immediately hooked and basically visited often and became a member. If I lived nearby, I would be visiting so often just to play it. Basically, in a different life, I could have been Mion. 

I am also baffled at how easy the concept of this instrument is. But, this is the only one in the world that's played like this and to this extent. I could easily see this as a jumping off point for ensembles all over the world; it isn't bound by any one culture or musics. So I see ensembles of different sizes and of different amount of strings in all sort of different scales. I also appreciate the kind of dance elements too and I think ensembles can get very creative with it.