When I put a video up on Youtube, I post on here, Insta, and FB. I literally get 10 times the reactions on here as I do on either of the others :axolotl_shock: :blobhaj_heart:
I've literally only been on the fedi for half a year, yet it's both better for my music and for my own enjoyment :zerotwo_hearts:
Considering the userbase here isn't even that big, it really feels like a quality-over-quantity situation :charmander_yay:
All the work went into the video already :bugcat_work: I made all of the posts on all of the platforms. I can't even bosst the one on here because it's been all of 1 hour since I made it :blobfox_laugh_sweat:
And now, I just sit here, hoping it gets enough eye-balls to please the algorithm into giving me more eyeballs so that I might, just maybe survive :ditto_yikes:
Also, I feel like I would feel guilty if I posted a mutual aid post? Not quite sure...need to munch on that a bit more :psyduck_sweat:
I wish I had had the medical support to start this half a lifetime ago. Or maybe not? Then I'd have even more videos on my channel featuring not-me (though, even now, the video that has 50 times the views of the next most watched is the old caretaker of this body :cat_dead: )
Concerning Hobbits is, without a doubt, one of my favourite pieces to play (and probably one of my oldest tracks if we're counting in learning order). It's so good at bringing to mind the wonderful scenery of the Shire and the care-free, food-filled lives of the hobbits who inhabit it.
Oddly enough, I get a disproportionate number of people coming up to me and telling me that Concerning Hobbits reminds them of the Titanic movie...Anyway, I hope this is a nice, relaxing track for you (complete with a bit of ambiance) before July 4th blows that all away.
As always, if you like my music and want to help me survive, you can help me for free by boosting and commenting and subscribing, and not-for-free by donating (or even getting me things from my wishlist?). The links are all over on my linktree at https://linktr.ee/octaviaca
Of the various milesones to hit, this might be my favourite. The funniest part of this is that someone with a domain ending in .lol was my 666th follower which, for those of you who have known me for my whole time here, is hopefully amusing :axolotl_shock: :leafeon_giggle:
I know some poeple in that count of 666 might be completely gone from the fediverse :kitty_sad: I'm sure it includes people with multiple accounts (especially close friends). Not everyone in that count is here for my music :shiba_hello: There might be people following me for my rambles. :blobhaj_think: I'm sure there are other things I could say to play down the milestone...
but...
As someone that wants to get back to properly sustaining herself through music, where the audience is the life-blood, it's a sign that I'm doing at least some things right. So, to everyone who took a look at my posts and decided that it was worth having on your timelines..
:pink_moon_and_stars: Thank you for giving this queer bard some hope :zerotwo_flushed: :espeon_love: :shiba_please:
#HilaryHahn's performance of #SamuelBarber's Violin Concerto, Op. 14 (along with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Hugh Wolff) just reminds you why she is Hilary Hahn. Brilliant. #violin#violinist
In my mind, the work ends after I've processed the audio, then edited and rendered the video that goes with it.
In reality, once that gets uploaded, I have to fill in all of the various text boxes for the video, then send out like 7 or 8 different public messages saying that it got uploaded :blobfox_cry_laugh:
With that said, the worst part...the worst part is the waiting that happens after it's all done :axolotl_shock:
Hours and hours of practice to play the piece. At least an hour or two to record (in case of live events, having someone actually be there to record because I haven't figured out how to spawn shadow clones yet). An hour or light audio engineering, another 2 hours of video editing, and an hour doing all of the stuff mentioned in the beginning of this post.
And then you have to sit back and hope that people like it. Hope that it catches peoples' eyes :big_heart_eyes: (speaking of which, I really need to find someone that'd be willing to trade time with me for the thumbnails). Hope that people don't click off of it in seconds. Hope that they click the like, comment, subscribe...all of the things that the algorithm desires :cat_gun:
And hoping that, hopefully, just hopefully, they'll throw me a dollar or two for the effort :leafeon_money:
With live shows, the hard part is mostly in getting it set up and preparing. The show is the easy part, and you can see peoples' immediate responses to it :espeon_love:
Recorded stuff, though? Once everything's out there, you can't do anything. The wait's bloody terrifying :cat_scared:
:zerotwo_wow: Here's a second video in the span of 3 days! This time, it's the Gen 1 opening from the Pokemon game series which is short, sweet, energetic, and bloody fun to play :charmander_yay:
I've added an extra touch or two in the video editing phase this time and I'd be curious to hear how people like or dislike them (along with, as always, any input about the audio). It feels like I'm learning just a few little things about editing with each video I put out, and I'm hoping that I can stick with it and get steady progress (unlike the first years of my channel, I'm using the same software (DaVinci Resolve) for a bunch of videos in a row so I can actually build some skills :blobfox_laugh_sweat:
As always, boosting helps a ton, and if you like my music, please consider donating :leafeon_money: so that I can take care of my violin (and my body, but the violin comes first :leafeon_giggle: )
The Dawn of GCE Day 1 pic that I took last Saturday? On my personal FB page, it got 60 reactions. Meanwhile, the really worthwhile stuff, the stuff that I REALLY want people to see (i.e. the music) gets 3~10 :axolotl_angry:
Is it because I uploaded in the morning? Do I really know that many morning-birds? Grawwrawrawr :shiba_angry: :zerotwo_big_angry:
Here's a little peek into the world of my main display :cat_wow:
We got a thunderstorm today in Portland, which made me switch the night from gym night to whatever the heck this is (I hesitate to call it video editing because everything I'm doing is terribly rudimentary).
All that I need to do now is get it uploaded to youtube and fill out the various fields that that'll need :zerotwo_learn:
For not having been in DaVinci Resolve for a hell of a long time, I'm honestly surprised at how much I remembered. It only took me...uh...2 hours? And that was with being on the Fedi on the side :cat_bongo:
I really should make a non-default thumbnail, but at this point, I really can't be bothered since that's a whole 'nother skillset that would be another barrier to entry for me to get videos uploaded :bugcat_work:
(I'm rather envious of people that can just hire someone to make them a nice thumbnail :cat_lurk: )
I just sat here and did all of the sound engineering work for the video I need to get out while ignoring my phone's plea to please go check the drier to see if my clothes are dry :ditto_yikes:
I really want to skip gym to do the video part and get it out there and over with and finally get another video out on my youtube channel (who knows, that might even lead to donations so I can get things I need), but I know I need to train so my biological equipment doesn't fail on me, just like I try to maintain my violin :zerotwo_cry:
Anyway, here's the audio track. I won't have the video stuff done for at least another day or two, unfortunately :kitty_sad:
It's the first morning of #GeekCraftExpo PDX! I'm with my friends at Geek Girl Stuff waiting for my 12:0013:00 set (I'll also have a 14:0015:00 set today!)
Come by the Oregon Convention Center to see a whole hall full of geeky merch :sylveon_squish: :espeon_love:
(I also play tomorrow from 11:0012:00 and 13:0014:00)
Hi, I'm a professional violinist who plays soundtracks :sylveon_squish:
Ok, #Introduction over. I'm a musician, not a wordsmith :growlithe_derp:
... ... ...
I'm being gently informed by my responsible half that I'm to write a proper intro, as she puts it...
... ... ...
<wall-o'-text>
Hi Fedi/Mastodon, I'm Octavia, a 30ish Japanese and USian violinist (and composer) whose mother introduced her to the violin at age 5 and Super Mario Brothers at age 3. This would go on to have profound consequences, chief amongst which was that the majority of the activities I enjoy involve fingertip dexterity. The secondary effect was that I would go on to use the classical training I received throughout my childhood to, for the most part, play soundtracks while letting my classical repertoire languish :blobhaj_peek:
Nintendo classics like Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Pokemon, and Smash, JRPG classics like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy (IX and X specifically), movie soundtracks including a bunch of Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki Hayao works, Disney, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Carribbean, and Master & Commander (which is just my excuse to play the Bach Cello Suite no. 1: Prelude :leafeon_giggle: ), and a few anime pieces here and there (along with at least one My Little Pony theme :blobhaj_jam: ) are the bulk of what I play when I perform solo. I do play classical pieces here and there, but they mostly tend to be various movements from the Bach Cello Suites, along with a smattering of Celtic music, though I try to mix everything together in my sets, leaving people guessing as to what's a soundtrack and what's not :blobhaj_peek:
I perform at various conventions in the Pacific Northwest of the US (formerly in Brook and Link cosplays), whether inside or outside, and also perform as part of Troupe Seven Stars at faires in the area over the summer months while filling the rest of my time playing solo or ensemble shows, mostly near Portland. About half of Saturdays are spent performing at Fleur de Lis Bakery & Cafe in the Hollywood district.
I tend to spend my free time dissociating in the shower, overcoming whatever ADHD lobs my way, and running out the door like an alternate-universe fusion of Bilbo Baggins and the March Hare from Alice in Wonderland (though, to my astonishment, I've only been late to 2 gigs in my life that I remember). What crumbs of time are spared from those tend to be spent on gaming, reading manga/watching anime, listening to and sharing music (yes, mostly soundtracks), and enjoying what the internet has to offer.
Aside from needing to hop instances, I've found my time on the Fedi to be enjoyable, and I hope to keep meeting interesting, genuine people and sharing time and conversations together :espeon_love:
</wall-o'-text>
:shiba_hello: Hiii, it's time to actually start to post my own art again. In lieu of recordings from my most recent performance (I'm working on processing them), here's the piece I'm most well-known for. :zerotwo_cheeky: The original video broke 20k views recently, buuut that's not really me anymore, so here's the updated one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IRb707R01w
Do you all have any fond memories of this piece, or perhaps Howl's Moving Castle in general? :eevee_joy:
p.s. I'm curious what my current reach is in terms of instances. If you're not on cutie.city (which is most of you), can you please drop me a quick reply to help me figure out where you saw this? :blobhaj_plead: