YouTube

So I decided that if I am going to vlog I needed a new camera because my current camera has underwhelming video quality. I bought it 5 years ago (and it was not a new model. I always wait for a newer model to come out when the price will drop) and it was a serious upgrade for still photography. I have taken some videos with it and will be testing out some video editors to see what works for me. The camera I ordered is a used Canon Powershot S100. I really want to upgrade my camera and keep using my lenses, but compact cameras are much more convenient for travel vlogs.

I'm really excited to start making videos. I hope it keeps me from sitting around watching YouTube videos and I have plenty of ideas for what I want to record. I wish I had a cello or some kind of bass instrument so that I could record quartets and make covers. Not that I know what I would cover, considering I have bought approximately 6 albums in the last 3 years. Let's just say that I have been introduced to more than one hit single via Weird Al. But having a 2nd instrument (particularly with a lower register) would be very cool.

My camera should arrive by Thursday, and hopefully by then I'll have a working understanding of video editing. I think people back home will enjoy seeing Vienna. I bought a Michelin guide for all of Austria, so I have plenty to explore and lots of experiences to share. In preparation I should also get back to studying German. I want to make videos about my learning process, but I have to work out the best format. Right now I'm just using Rosetta Stone and I have several books to translate. Reading German sentences poorly for the camera will likely be included. I apologize to my German teachers, I just forget everything so quickly. There's plenty to read around the city, too.

Yesterday I went to one of the conservatories where a friend had booked a room / small hall where we could run through pieces for each other. I sounded bad but it was the first time I had played the Kreisler (Recitativo and Scherzo) in front of anyone, from memory. Only 3 of us came today, but we are all trying to get together hopefully weekly, kind of like a studio class. I'm glad I went, because live performances tell you exactly where you stand. I have a lot to work on but I'm starting to be satisfied with my progress. Consistency has always been my problem, though. If I do well on my lesson, which I think is on Monday, I will probably play in our Klassenabend, or class recital, on Thursday. Luckily it's a solo piece so I don't have to worry about playing with piano.

Before I go I want to share this piano piece, Ballade by John Ireland, that I heard yesterday. Piano repertoire is not something I have explored much, which I would like to change. I'm thinking I'd like to have a piece of the week that I can listen to and reflect on and maybe study. Then I could justify buying new scores.