A Thoughtful Pause for Friends & “One Armed Scissor”

Today I met up with some of my fellow ambassador bloggers in Chinatown to ring in the Chinese New Year. Unfortunately, in typical London fashion, the weather was cold, gray and rainy. But, surrounded by my insightful colleagues, I tried to take a moment to reflect on my blog—what it’s detailed thus far and where it’s going.

When I had originally conceived this blog, I had intended to talk more about the curious characters I would encounter in London and less about myself. Perhaps in the very nature of blogging, which is somewhat like an extension of journal writing, I feature a rather prominent role in my posts. Some of the new people in my life have preferred to remain nameless, which I respect, no questions asked. Despite that, I’ve decided to be more outgoing with my “friend” requests. This post marks the first installment on the Londoners in my life.

A fellow SOASian and blogger, Sebastian and I met several months ago, rather haphazardly, outside of our student building. Even though we have different regional and academic focuses—he’s studying Musicology with an emphasis on Korea—our conversations always leave me feeling reflective and contemplative. It is likely due to our “differences” that Sebastian inspires new observations in me.

Back in November, whilst slaving over my final essays in Russell Square, we ran into each other.  After chatting mindlessly about this and that, Sebastian mentioned that he’d booked a room at school to practice piano. I knew that he was based in Musicology and thought this practice session had something to do with his course work. With a quiet smile, Sebastian explained one of his dearest hobbies; transcribing alternative rock songs into piano pieces.

Although I consider myself a fan of music, I’ve no technical knowledge. The process of taking a song originally composed for several instruments and transforming into a piece for the piano seems nearly beyond comprehension. It isn’t that Sebastian selects one instrument, like the guitar, and alters it for the piano. On the contrary, he studies the song and selects different parts to transcribe, so that the main feeling of the song remains intact.

On this particular day, back in November, I was moved by such a thoughtful and creative pastime. Although he’d yet to finish transcribing “One Armed Scissor” by At the Drive-In, Sebastian sheepishly invited me to listen to what he had completed. Upon hearing him play, I was instantly 16 again, driving too fast in California, with my music too loud. I was so transfixed in the visceral experience of the flashback that when he reached the end of his transcription, mid-song, I was snapped rather abruptly back into the room. I made him play it 2 more times.

I was, and remain, struck by the fact that Sebastian didn’t simply cover this song. In playing “One Armed Scissor” on the piano, he had created something entirely new. He had chosen which aspects of the song, from guitar riffs to the base line, were important to the overall feeling. In making that selection, Sebastian created something new, effectively transforming a rather chaotic song into something beautiful.

“One Armed Scissor” by At the Drive-In: http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/One+Armed+Scissor/2VlTLk?src=5

Sebastian’s blog can be found here: http://protenor.blogspot.co.uk/