I am learning to let go

I am learning to let go... what more can I say. My injury is life altering to say the least. But I will get something from it, something positive. I am learning to let go...

WOW

WOW!!!! http://youtube.com/watch?v=s1qAWcd4rr0&feature=related
And some info on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Kleiber
I am studying this piece right now and this one of the best performaces of this I have heard so far. His conducting is amazing I must say... Look at him, the music is in his whole body and mind, and he is liking it. Love the smile!

New video's added, the Improvisation at the Thomaskerk on 27-05-08

Dear Council for Culture

Dear Council for Culture!

STEIM is an important Dutch institution that has had and should have more influence on the Dutch music life. From my own experience in the more or less \\'traditional\\' classical and contemporary music world I can say that STEIM has influenced the Dutch contemporary music scene in general and brought forth many musicians who are masters of their acoustic instruments but expanded their sound with STEIM developed instruments.

Although STEIM has the image of sub culture, if it  would disappear from the Dutch cultural landscape, one important initiator of Dutch innovation would disappear. Holland is a front runner in contemporary music, also because of its work with new media. This would have never been like this without STEIM.

But \\'new media\\' is not finished developing yet. It\\'s a small child that needs an education. I know that STEIM is the only one that can teach Holland to deal with new media and to develop tools that are accesible for everyone. Who else can do this? Nobody!

I hope you will reconsider your decision.

Yours truly,

Ties Mellema

The Amsterdam Canal festival announces its new programme for 2008, a.o. Ties Mellema and Hans Eijsackers with 'On the Other Hand'.

Tokafi website reports news about Ties Mellema

Composer Martin Fondse in a 2 hour interview in Cantina. He plays a.o. his own composition 'Roots' performed  by Ties Mellema and Hans Eijsackers in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

i finished my updates to the site with help of my webmaster, Peter Gro...

i finished my updates to the site with help of my webmaster, Peter Grond, also a very gifted violinist. Now there's audio and video of my concerts. Schapenwolk will film some concerts this year and I will have all my concerts (when I can) with an Edirol R-09HR, which is great quality, even without external mic.

Video registration of the first try-out of 'On the Other Hand', May 19, 2008. Keep checking back, videos will be uploaded periodically!

On the Other Hand, 19 May, 2008, Try-out at Huize d'Ansembourg. Works by Cornelius, Lago, Wilson, Comitas, Bach, Manneke, Rossini, Van Klaveren.
Please check back for more of this concert periodically!

On The Other Hand from joan on Vimeo.
Peter Cornelius - Ein Ton Ties Mellema - saxophone, Hans Eijsackers piano


Ties explains what happened from joan on Vimeo.

Check out my Monday night concert on this site, click on the about tie...

Check out my Monday night concert on this site, click on the about ties mellema button. It's a start after two months of not playing...

New on www.tiesmellema.nl: Concert registrations, embedded via MOG.com, go to 'about ties mellema'

Yesterday I was a host in the radio show 'Opium' on behalf of the Amst...

Yesterday I was a host in the radio show 'Opium' on behalf of the Amstel Quartet. I was a bit nervous but I decided to just talk and see what happened. And it worked. I had a good time and I was relaxed. I played a bit to demonstrate what I can still do with my right hand (A Bach Sarabande, what a gift!!!!) and they pllayed from the new quartet CD, Sicilienne.

Hand therapy this morning

Hand therapy this morning. My therapist thinks there might be another nerve undamaged because I have so much feeling left in my hand. There's just a relatively small part which is completely 'deaf'.
Also, I was wondering about the tingling sensation in my hand. It doesn't spread to the thumb side of the hand, which is logical: there I have feeling so there are no sensory nerves growing there, and that's where the tingling sensation comes from!

I ordered Piano Technique by Walter Giesking to learn about mental pra...

I ordered Piano Technique by Walter Giesking to learn about mental practicing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Gieseking

Listening to Toots Thielemans and Kenny Werner now

Listening to Toots Thielemans and Kenny Werner now. I will be studying with Mr. Werner this August on his 'Effortless' Mastery'. It's something I want to learn more about. In this time I think these are worthwhile to learn about. Also Frederic Chiu's method although aimed at pianists seems to be something I want dive into.
In the mean time I am trying to get my printer to print black and not red.... Argh!

Things are still ok

Things are still ok... the hand is functioning more or less. But if course I still have to wait for the nerve to make contact with the muscles. I am expecting this to happen in more or less 3 weeks....
I am studying mentally now a lot. It's an experiment. I hope to learn this in this period... I hope it makes the imagination stronger... because I am not making noise when I am trying to imagine the music :-)

Dit bloggen!

What a lovely day

What a lovely day. Heading out to the centre to do some shopping with my sister. Haven't practiced yet today, but I think I can get an hour tonight. It's great to be playing again! But I am also enjoying the time without pressure of performing musically! I had a lesson with Anner Bijlsma some days ago and that was great. I played Sarabande from the Partita for Flute and everything came together. Unbelievable after 6 weeks not playing...
Yesterday Ruud Jacobs' birthday at the BIMhuis. What a great nigth. Especially Peter Beets was a discovery for me again. What a great musician, very creative and very very funky!!!!

News letter for Dutch programmers (Dutch language only), May '08: Here

Not much news

Not much news. I feel some tingling in the area in the palm of the hand about two centimeters above the wound. That might be some neurones that have started trying to find their way...
I am not wearing my brace anymore during the day and next week I am totally without. I hhave started playing the left hand pieces and that works out great. Today I had a lesson with Anner Bijlsma. I found out I can also still play the Sarabande from the Partital for flute (no D# and low C and beyond).
Trying to do my exercises which is hard because they are boring, but essential!

News letter April '08, online version