Collaborations - Part II

Magical Music Syncs

“One of the most important lessons for me is open your heart, let the energy rise and you can't go wrong.” - Takayoshi Sasano

One of my favorite memories from childhood is of learning the song “White Coral Bells” as a round. I was enchanted by how the harmonies fit together and the way an entire class (in this case 16 students) could sing so well together. When we got it right, the whole room hummed - we were “in sync!”

This experience was repeated and intensified while singing in high school and college choirs. By then I could read music and had the knowledge and vocabulary to explain what was happening in terms of notation and harmonics, but nothing really explained the joy - the incredible sense of being part of a perfectly tuned whole - that I got out of singing harmony in small, acapella groups.

My fascination with how music collaborations can initiate synchronicity continues to this day, and I’ve been asking musicians who regularly collaborate to talk about and share their experiences.

The two I’ll introduce you to today are an unlikely pair - a classically trained harpist who hails from Germany, and a pianist and singer living in Finland. Their names are Takayoshi (Yoshi) Sasano and Sanni Halla. They first met on a live streaming platform called Twitch.

To hear either Yoshi or Sanni play separately, you’d think they were rather serious people. Here, for example, is Yoshi playing “La Source” by Alphones Hasselmans:

And here is Sanni playing “Nuku nuku nurmilintu,” a traditional Finnish lullaby:

But their meeting on Twitch, and subsequent decision to collaborate on "Priscilla’s Song,” seem to have created a deep bond and tickled their funny bones as well. Let’s listen to what happened when a bug interrupted their practice session:

Sanni’s Version
https://clips.twitch.tv/CharmingYummyMomCharlieBitMe-2XjEqC2yA8dTi11U

Takayoshi’s Version
https://clips.twitch.tv/FrailSparklyAdminGivePLZ-h1ePRqxWgyLzvJq1

“Priscilla’s Song,” the duo’s first “serious” collaboration is another matter entirely and illustrates what both musicians describe as a magical connection.

“Collaboration is a unique way of communication that exceeds everything you could express using words. In my opinion, you cannot lie when playing music. It also creates a deep connection between musicians. The phenomenon is - you just know what the other person is going to do before it happens…you can experience complete harmony together.” - Yoshi

“The best thing about collaborating is that you will get a totally new perspective on the music. There is this whole new feeling when playing together. In the moment you are connected and all the musical elements blend together beautifully. Music connects people, and when it happens it's pure magic.” - Sanni

So tell me, what do you think is happening when two musicians are able to become so in sync that they intuitively know what the other will do?

Have you ever experienced an “in sync” moment? What prompted it?

Do you think musicians and audiences can get “in sync?” How?

Let the discussion begin!

Jena

LINKS
Takayoshi Sasano website: https://www.sasano.eu
Takayoshi Sasano Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/takayoshisasano
Takayoshi Sasano YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/tacesa

Sanni Hallo Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/sannihalla/about
Sanni Halla Twitter: @sannihallamusic
Sanni Halla YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SanniHalla
Sanni Halla Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sannihallamusic/

Copyright 2021 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved.