Feb. 10, 2023

Rocky Lok interview

Rocky Lok interview

Rocky Lok joins me on episode 79. Rocky lives in Hong Kong, where there is a vibrant harmonica scene. Harmonica is taught in many schools there, which is how Rocky got started playing himself almost 50 years ago. He went on to become part of the King's Harmonica Quintet which has played many prestigious concerts, including in front of an audience of twenty thousand, as part of the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch procession and winning the group competition at the World Harmonica Championship in T...

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Season 1 Chromatic Harmonica Classical Chromatic Group Harmonica

Rocky Lok joins me on episode 79.
Rocky lives in Hong Kong, where there is a vibrant harmonica scene. Harmonica is taught in many schools there, which is how Rocky got started playing himself almost 50 years ago. He went on to become part of the King's Harmonica Quintet which has played many prestigious concerts, including in front of an audience of twenty thousand, as part of the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch procession and winning the group competition at the World Harmonica Championship in Trossingen. 
Rocky is a former president of the Hong Kong Harmonica Association where he was involved in setting-up the Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival and is regular judge in the competitions. He also helped organise the current Guinness world record of the most harmonicas playing together, officially 6131 people in Hong Kong.

Links:

King’s Harmonica Quintet:
www.KHQ.HK  

Hong Kong Harmonica Association:
www.hkharmonica.org

The first Hong Kong International Chromatic Harmonica Competition, 2022:
www.ICHC.hkharmonica.org

The first Hong Kong International Composition Competition for Chromatic Harmonica 2021:
https://iccch.hkharmonica.org/

Details on the different chromatics Rocky plays:
https://www.myharmonicastudio.com/rocky-lok-incredible-harmonica-collection/

The 13th Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival 2022:
http://hxharmonica.com/en/index.asp

Upcoming King’s Harmonica Quintet show:
https://www.hk.artsfestival.org/en/programme/kings_harmonica_quintet


Videos:
King's Harmonica Quintet playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1NSxVDARfeZu9bfK9iviZlnBZGCMU2nM

Rocky playing solo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEiWkVf_Fbs&list=PL1NSxVDARfeYAmUSmjwMlGpCVpdgW_ZxG

Rocky interview with Hohner from 2012:
https://www.hohner.de/en/rocky-lok

The 13th Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival 2022 concert:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wJyOhzjBa0&list=PL1NSxVDARfealNufMH0jw_sum_cYRbM2q


Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com  or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
and Blows Me Away Productions:

Support the show

01:29 - Rocky lives in Hong Kong and has been a central part in the thriving harmonica scene there

01:43 - Where Rocky’s name comes from (and no, he doesn’t box)

02:16 - Got started on harmonica at a school club in 1976 when he joined the Hong Kong King’s College band (first formed in 1951)

02:46 - Had a toy harmonica in the drawer at home which he could use in the club as had no money to buy an instrument

03:35 - Harmonica groups are prevalent in Hong Kong

04:25 - Harmonica was very popular in Hong in the 1950s / 1960s, declined somewhat but has become popular again in last twenty years

05:15 - Other areas in Asia where harmonica is taught in schools include Singapore and Kuala Lumpur

06:21 - Harmonica popular instrument in Hong Kong due to cheapness of instrument and convenient size, not connected to the original instrument: Chinese Sheng

07:26 - Chromatic harmonicas can be as expensive as many other instruments

07:49 - Popularity of harmonica goes in cycles both in Asia and in the West

09:05 - Orchestral and tremolo harmonicas are the most popular in Asia, not so much the diatonic

10:38 - Harmonica festivals: Asia Pacific and Seoul International festivals have helped development of harmonica in Asia

11:31 - Asia composers have been writing music for harmonica for last 20-30 years

12:09 - Rocky learnt double bass when younger but now only plays harmonica

13:19 - Rocky who won various harmonica competitions when younger and now is a regular competition judge at the Asian festivals

15:32 - Rocky has been a member of the Kings Harmonica Quintet since 1987

17:06 - The Quintet received support from the Hong Kong government

17:46 - Quintet performed internationally and teach the younger generation

18:27 - Quintet involved in running the Hong Kong Harmonica Association

19:08 - The members of the Quintet all live in Hong Kong and still practise every week after being together for 36 years

19:32 - Had the same five members from 1987 until 2015, when one member left (now replaced), and also used subs when someone couldn’t make it

20:29 - Instruments in the Quintet are 2 12 hole chromatics, 2 16 hole chromatics and a bass harmonica as arranged string quartet music initially

21:31 - Use the single layer Tombo bass harmonica (not double-decker bass harmonica), allowing bass to play more melody

22:09 - Have two ‘tenor’ chromatics to increase loudness of this range in the Quintet and the range available for treble harmonicas

22:56 - Don’t use a microphone when performing

23:12 - Usually tune the harmonicas in the Quintet before a performance

24:03 - Performed during the handover of Hong Kong from the UK back to China in 1997

25:37 - Won the group category at Trossingen World Harmonica Championships in 1997

26:06 - Government in Hong Kong said they were World Champions after winning in Trossingen, which isn’t quite the same thing, but it got the Quintet some good financial support

28:16 - Played in a Cantopop concert to an audience of 20,000 for seven nights in a row and the technical set-up for the Quintet behind such a big concert

31:43 - Played during the broadcast when the 2008 Beijing Olympic Torch was passing through Hong Kong, to an audience of at least 100 million people in China

34:16 - Played live to 25,000 people in Taiwan

34:34 - Rocky involved in organising the current Guiness World record of the most harmonicas playing together, officially 6131 people, on November 13th 2009, in Hong Kong

38:09 - The previous record was set in Trossingen, around 2000 consecutive harmonicas played together

38:17 - How 6131 harmonicas playing together sounded and plans to beat the record again

38:53 - Rocky also plays some harmonica outside of the Kings Harmonica Quintet, including with a ‘real’ harp player

40:20 - Rocky was the President of the Hong Kong Harmonica Association for five years, and now is a Director

41:40 - The Association involvement in the Asia Pacific Harmonica and Seoul Festival

42:22 - Three of the five members of the Kings Harmonica Quintet have been President of the Hong Kong Harmonica Association

42:43 - What the Hong Kong Harmonica Association does

43:57 - Organises concerts in Shanghai

44:41 - Rocky is an International Endorser for Hohner and what that involves

46:49 - Rocky is a collector of harmonica with around 800 harmonicas, many of which can’t be purchased in stores

48:18 - Will be exhibiting collection in April 2023 at the Hong Kong Association chromatic competition

48:44 - More on the chromatic competition with judging panel made up of not musicians who are not just chromatic harmonica players

49:12 - 26 finalists in the competition, whose travel costs are covered by Hong Kong government and details of the competition format

50:23 - Winner of the competition will win equivalents of 12,500 dollars (also prizes for places below the winner)

50:46 - Entries are closed for the competition now

51:13 - There is also a chromatic harmonica composition competition, also funded by the Hong Kong government

52:52 - 10 minute question

53:52 - Rocky’s favourite chromatic harmonica is hard to say because everyone has different needs

55:38 - Embouchre is mostly pucker

56:00 - Does use chromatics in keys besides C

56:22 - Music reading

57:30 - Future plans

WEBVTT

00:00:00.002 --> 00:00:02.285
Rocky Locke joins me on episode 79.

00:00:02.886 --> 00:00:05.809
Rocky lives in Hong Kong where there is a vibrant harmonica scene.

00:00:06.270 --> 00:00:12.138
Harmonica is taught in many schools there, which is how Rocky got started playing himself some 50 plus years ago.

00:00:12.159 --> 00:00:28.140
He went on to become part of the King's Harmonica Quintet, which has played many prestigious concerts, including in front of an audience of 20,000 as part of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and winning the group competition at the World Harmonica Championship in Trossingen.

00:00:28.961 --> 00:00:38.295
Rocky is the former president of the Hong Kong Harmonica Association, where he was involved in setting up the Asia-Pacific Harmonica Festival and is a regular judge in the competitions.

00:00:38.856 --> 00:00:48.429
He also helped organise the current Guinness World Record of the most harmonicas playing together, officially 6,131 people in Hong Kong, in 2009.

00:00:48.490 --> 00:00:51.713
This podcast is sponsored by Zidel Harmonicas.

00:00:52.134 --> 00:01:01.439
Visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world, at www.zidel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at Zidel Harmonicas.

00:01:25.313 --> 00:01:27.275
Hello, Rocky Locke, and welcome to the podcast.

00:01:27.716 --> 00:01:28.737
Nice to meet you over here.

00:01:29.237 --> 00:01:31.760
So we're talking to you, Rocky, in Hong Kong.

00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:32.962
Yep, yeah, I am.

00:01:33.322 --> 00:01:42.772
Great, so we're going to delve into the Hong Kong harmonica scene, which you've been a really integral part of, and, you know, a really great scene that you've got over there by the looks of things.

00:01:43.173 --> 00:01:43.332
Yep.

00:01:43.692 --> 00:01:46.355
Well, first of all, let's start with your name, because it's a great name, Rocky.

00:01:47.156 --> 00:01:48.058
Where's that name come from?

00:01:48.397 --> 00:01:52.061
Actually, you know, my Chinese syllable is Loc Ying Kei.

00:01:52.194 --> 00:01:58.078
And then Kate and Locke is basically very close to the, you know, fanatics of Rocky.

00:01:58.418 --> 00:02:05.986
Actually, some of my friends make jokes on me that even the American star Stallone, he was stealing my name in the olden time.

00:02:06.867 --> 00:02:07.808
Did you have it first?

00:02:08.187 --> 00:02:08.747
Yes, I did.

00:02:08.888 --> 00:02:12.651
I did it first, like something like 40, 50 years ago.

00:02:12.951 --> 00:02:13.793
You're not a boxer then?

00:02:14.173 --> 00:02:15.153
I am not, of course.

00:02:16.294 --> 00:02:18.236
So what got you started off playing harmonica?

00:02:18.257 --> 00:02:22.159
I understand you joined the Hong Kong King's College Harmonica Band.

00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:24.382
and that's what got you started, is that right?

00:02:24.622 --> 00:02:25.163
Yeah,

00:02:25.402 --> 00:02:33.391
you know, talking about the King's College Harmonica Bank, it just ran through 70 years of history since the establishment in 1951.

00:02:33.532 --> 00:02:46.786
I got the chance of being admitted in the year of 76, and it had been a tradition of the school that every junior high student got to have a sports and also a cultural education on top of your book work.

00:02:46.885 --> 00:03:01.581
So at that time, when Hong Kong was still in this poverty, I chose harmonica simply because of the reason in that there's a toy harmonica in the drawer of my humble room and then I have to choose this because I don't have the money to spend on other disciplines.

00:03:01.801 --> 00:03:05.847
So I started my harmonica journey almost for 50 years now.

00:03:06.026 --> 00:03:08.569
Was this a school band or was this outside of school?

00:03:08.990 --> 00:03:16.397
It is a school band ranging from a first former to seven formers, you know, like the British system in the olden days.

00:03:16.638 --> 00:03:35.241
So the students are taking courses around the age of 12, taught by senior students That's fantastic that

00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:37.022
you've got harmonica bands.

00:03:37.304 --> 00:03:41.990
Is that quite common in Hong Kong or was it just this school which had a harmonica band?

00:03:42.337 --> 00:03:49.508
During the 50s or 60s, Hong Kong was still not yet a commercial centre, a financial commercial centre in the world.

00:03:49.948 --> 00:03:56.195
So the people are having less than the nowadays available choices in their hobbies.

00:03:56.537 --> 00:04:07.350
So playing with harmonicas or playing with a simple Chinese instrument or doing those kind of chess, simple extracurricular activities are quite normal in those days.

00:04:07.891 --> 00:04:17.262
During the 60s or 70s, about 20 if not 30 people primary or secondary school did have their harmonica band inside the school.

00:04:17.603 --> 00:04:25.211
So we are playing inside the school, and also we are playing outside the school in those inter-school activities.

00:04:25.730 --> 00:04:37.502
It is quite popular in the 50s, 60s, 70s, but encountering a kind of downtrending starting the 80s when the Hong Kong economy started its upsurge.

00:04:37.903 --> 00:04:50.658
And until the recent 20 years, the trend seems to be coming back thanks to the more advanced design of instrument, more composers started to write for us.

00:04:51.459 --> 00:05:08.014
Nowadays, we are coming back to the historical scene by having 20, 30 or even 40 schools, including universities, having harmonica group or harmonica band or even harmonica orchestra inside their academic establishments.

00:05:08.553 --> 00:05:15.000
Yeah, that's fantastic and fantastic for the harmonica to have such a swell of teaching at that level of young people.

00:05:15.581 --> 00:05:20.485
Is that unique to Hong Kong or is there other countries in Asia which follow a similar model?

00:05:21.047 --> 00:05:28.915
It is, I would say, quite related to the demography of the country or how people are packed together in city centre.

00:05:29.175 --> 00:05:39.545
We are living densely and then that created a simplicity and convenience for harmonica playing after school for adults who are already working in the society.

00:05:39.906 --> 00:05:48.519
we have three lives, the business life, the social life after six, and then I lay dinner back home by 11, 12, and then starting another day.

00:05:48.819 --> 00:05:55.964
So the living condition in Hong Kong is quite suitable for this kind of grooming of the packed harmonica playing culture.

00:05:56.365 --> 00:06:06.254
Similarly applicable to Singapore, similarly applicable to Kuala Lumpur, and also Tokyo and other countries where living conditions are similarly comparable.

00:06:06.555 --> 00:06:09.576
But of course, when I try to compare this with U.S.

00:06:09.637 --> 00:06:20.788
counterpart or Canada, where some of my friends had immigrant They miss this kind of convenience where they can easily enjoy group playing, group game, you know, every day in a week.

00:06:21.028 --> 00:06:24.172
Do you know why the harmonica particularly was chosen?

00:06:24.192 --> 00:06:30.057
I know you've already touched on there that I think in the history of Hong Kong, it was quite a poor place.

00:06:30.137 --> 00:06:31.920
And so, you know, the harmonica was cheap.

00:06:31.939 --> 00:06:33.081
So maybe that was one reason.

00:06:33.281 --> 00:06:40.269
I mean, we associate in the West and Europe and the US, certainly, that, you know, the harmonica kind of came from Germany.

00:06:40.288 --> 00:06:44.553
But of course, originally, the Chinese show was the first sort of harmonica.

00:06:44.797 --> 00:06:52.259
So do you feel that Was it part of that connection to that original Chinese instrument or, you know, what other reason for the harmonica being chosen?

00:06:52.579 --> 00:07:01.326
Actually, if you stand on today's scene, you know, the shang and the harmonica basically had departed from each other for so long a time.

00:07:01.728 --> 00:07:09.113
People even missed the interpretation that shang is actually the ancestor of harmonica as far as sounding mechanism is concerned.

00:07:09.514 --> 00:07:11.495
You know, harmonica is seen to be cheap.

00:07:11.716 --> 00:07:24.048
Yes, it could be in the ten-hole harmonicas, the diatonic or the chime could be, but bear in mind that even, you know, the ten-hole harmonica diatonic or tremolo harmonica could be particularly expensive.

00:07:24.209 --> 00:07:25.709
I would say non-economical.

00:07:26.071 --> 00:07:31.377
And then when talking about the chromatic, prices could be comparable to a western standard instrument.

00:07:31.697 --> 00:07:38.363
I quote in the, you know, sterling pounds, in the range of a thousand pounds or even ten thousand pounds.

00:07:38.744 --> 00:08:19.242
Particularly coming up with those latest customizers, designers, or you know, the certain, the you know high-end you know the models coming from the factories back to harmonica you know asia versus the west it's a matter of cycle if we look back into the i mean a typical trio setup like the marie's you know the harmonic cat or many other big names, like the Father McGonagall of the Netherlands or the Adler Trio of Israel.

00:08:19.281 --> 00:08:24.050
They were, you know, the top of the top in the 50s, 60s, 70s.

00:08:24.812 --> 00:08:32.916
And then when the, you know, Western age, aging situation had not, been as serious as nowadays.

00:08:33.216 --> 00:08:41.683
People are having more time in playing this humble instrument in their backyard, school, home or social arena.

00:08:42.104 --> 00:08:45.748
Asia, Hong Kong follow the footprint very much closely.

00:08:45.947 --> 00:08:48.809
Similar evolution of the aging situation.

00:08:49.171 --> 00:08:52.913
Even nowadays we are seeing quite a big group of people playing harmonica.

00:08:52.933 --> 00:09:00.663
I'm not sure in 20 to 30 years time whether this instrument would be stepping onto their sunset era following the rest.

00:09:00.903 --> 00:09:04.902
I have no idea but can hope that this moment would not come so soon.

00:09:05.443 --> 00:09:25.980
One thing which is probably notable is that there's lots of orchestral orchestras harmonicas being used in Hong Kong yes all chromatics and chords and basses because you're playing in trios and up to orchestra sizes so is that fair to say that most people are playing orchestral and chromatic harmonicas and not so much diatonic or you know how popular is the diatonic harmonica over there

00:09:26.039 --> 00:10:10.284
I think it is quite related to the cultural evolution in this part of the world say when the Filipinos they are good at rhythm good at singing good at guitar good at drumming but many of the Orientals are less good in these areas so if you talk about Asia or even Hong Kong as a mediator playing ten holes diatonic harmonica are quite a minority but it does not mean that we don't have you know the excellent player but in terms of quantity we are less comparable to the States or the Europe I mean by large because you know by default you know playing jazz or blues are not the mainstream over here.

00:10:10.304 --> 00:10:22.398
The second third of the three thirds of harmonica is the tremolo, which is more for the folk playing, like, you know, the Chinese folk songs, like, you know, Korean folk songs, Japanese folk songs.

00:10:22.557 --> 00:10:30.385
By Chinese, it includes the mainland, the Taiwanese, and also other parts of the world where Chinese community are everywhere.

00:10:30.706 --> 00:10:34.850
So those kind of folk songs are best deployed with the tremolo harmonica.

00:10:35.292 --> 00:10:49.605
Back to the chromatic harmonica, where you described that more people are playing It is thanks to the evolution in the past 30 years that there are uncountable harmonica festivals being held in this part of the world.

00:10:49.904 --> 00:10:54.249
The Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival since middle of the 90s, every even years.

00:10:54.509 --> 00:11:00.975
And it is so international harmonica festival since 2013, every year since then.

00:11:01.014 --> 00:11:04.017
And we have these harmonica festivals.

00:11:04.337 --> 00:11:55.716
We have people coming out to work on to harmonica music, playing harmonica music, teaching or nurturing you know the schools as their main career and the people are starting to take the you know the harmonica performance in the choice of education in university or other music institute people are making a decent life by way of earnings comparable to 10 to 20 or 30 years ago composers are starting to write original music dedicated to chromatic harmonicas for the past 20 or 30 years all these added together helped to create a bigger group of, I would say, decent audience so that we have better stages for people to grow around harmonica music making circles so that it is becoming bigger and bigger when comparing to other parts of the world.

00:12:09.826 --> 00:12:12.528
Other instrument-wise, I think you played some double bass.

00:12:13.169 --> 00:12:13.450
I do.

00:12:14.010 --> 00:12:16.754
Did you start that after you started playing harmonica?

00:12:17.315 --> 00:12:29.009
You know, my very first musical instrument lesson started when I was still a teen, like at my age of 12, as I first admitted to the Hong Kong King's College.

00:12:29.370 --> 00:12:38.961
Of course, you know, I then was admitted to the harmonica band, and then the people were talking about something as a diversification away from just playing harmonica.

00:12:39.265 --> 00:12:42.470
So I started my double bass lesson when I was 15.

00:12:42.809 --> 00:12:56.527
And then by 16 or 17, I was admitted to another Western instrumental orchestra playing the double bass part and also playing in certain Chinese, you know, the orchestra.

00:12:56.827 --> 00:13:10.172
So all this worked out for me as a double bassist since I was 15 all the way until I was mid-20s or late-20s, whereby I totally stopped for career reasons.

00:13:10.392 --> 00:13:14.716
I don't have the time to deploy anymore for too many things at one time.

00:13:15.357 --> 00:13:15.798
Sure, yeah.

00:13:16.318 --> 00:13:18.061
So you devoted yourself to harmonica.

00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:18.740
Good to hear that.

00:13:19.481 --> 00:13:23.225
I think I've talked to the Asian players and people who visit Asia.

00:13:23.826 --> 00:13:27.191
Competitions are quite a big thing over there, aren't they, for the people?

00:13:27.270 --> 00:13:32.956
And you won a competition yourself, well, various competitions yourself in the 1980s when you were young, yeah?

00:13:33.437 --> 00:13:33.758
Yep.

00:13:34.210 --> 00:13:38.738
So what role do competitions play in the harmonica scene over there?

00:13:39.018 --> 00:13:45.349
Competition is basically a very important element for the musical instrument learning journey.

00:13:45.590 --> 00:13:51.821
Particularly good for starting during the teens age.

00:13:52.322 --> 00:13:57.049
Like for myself, my very first champion was data all the way back.

00:13:57.313 --> 00:13:59.057
when I was 15.

00:13:59.619 --> 00:14:09.297
And then, you know, for my own, as a soloist competition, I participated in a solo competition in the Hong Kong Festival when I was 10.

00:14:09.778 --> 00:14:19.717
And then I participated in the World Harmonica Festival in 1995 and 1996, winning a certain position, although not the first three.

00:14:20.001 --> 00:14:34.903
And then thereafter, I started to be judges for World Harmonica Festival, Asia Pacific, Seoul International, and also certain of the Hong Kong local harmonica competition or festival competition.

00:14:35.504 --> 00:14:39.509
So I saw my own shadows, like the later comers.

00:14:40.033 --> 00:14:43.118
of my students, students, students, students.

00:14:43.678 --> 00:14:46.964
So they participated in the competition as part of their learning.

00:14:47.684 --> 00:14:50.609
Certain non-harmonica players are invited as well.

00:14:51.110 --> 00:14:58.179
They are musicians, they are vocalists, they are conductors, they are music teachers, not necessarily in the area of harmonica.

00:14:58.561 --> 00:15:32.166
So if you talk about the function of competition leading to further enhancement of the harmonica playing, Competition is basically a very indispensable element, but the more important thing is involve more people who are not harmonicists, and then they yet share your joy and share your philosophy of enabling harmonica to be a full, recognizable instrument comparable to the violin or flute or the guitar or the saxophone whatsoever.

00:15:32.418 --> 00:15:33.820
Talking some more about your own playing then.

00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:38.147
So you've been part of the King's Harmonica Quintet for a while since, I think?

00:15:38.167 --> 00:15:38.687
87.

00:15:38.788 --> 00:15:39.048
The

00:15:56.557 --> 00:16:09.599
quintet collaboration has actually started almost 10 years before 87, when we five were still, you know, the common alumnus of the same secondary school.

00:16:10.100 --> 00:16:10.340
Why?

00:16:10.379 --> 00:16:14.024
Because we are all coming from different years of the same school.

00:16:14.345 --> 00:16:16.768
And then we are playing a little bit better than the others.

00:16:17.229 --> 00:16:19.572
So we play and play and play.

00:16:19.792 --> 00:16:23.798
Even we graduated from secondary, we enter into different universities.

00:16:24.193 --> 00:16:27.499
We make use of the weekend and play together.

00:16:27.519 --> 00:16:39.836
And then soon when we are approaching graduation, I mean, at the age of 23, 24, so we are facing a threat that we are no longer having good opportunity of coming to play together.

00:16:39.875 --> 00:16:44.263
So we started off with an idea of continuing the hobby.

00:16:44.702 --> 00:16:48.107
So we created this King's Harmonical Quintet in 87.

00:16:48.889 --> 00:16:52.053
And then since 87, we practice, practice, practice.

00:16:52.354 --> 00:16:55.227
to prepare for our premier concert in 90.

00:16:55.522 --> 00:17:05.830
And then we do concert and concert and concert again until we step overseas in 95 and 97, the competition in World Harmonica Festival, gaining good position.

00:17:06.290 --> 00:17:14.959
We return back to Hong Kong, talking to the government, and it's actually starting 97, which is the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the quintet.

00:17:15.338 --> 00:17:18.402
We receive whatever kind of government support.

00:17:18.821 --> 00:17:57.083
We were given, I mean, a monetary reward whenever we took our students overseas for attending festivals we were given a good venue like the concert hall or the theatre whenever we are organising the concert or we are using the venue for festivals we got the venue support and then as time goes on the Quintet interacts with the professional orchestras and then we perform both in Hong Kong and overseas and it is like a layer after layer we are overlaying onto our part I mean accomplishment.

00:17:57.423 --> 00:18:02.832
So that nowadays we are still keeping on the effort and the fire is still on.

00:18:02.872 --> 00:18:11.345
And then we are taking our students of the students of the students of the students of our own students to overseas.

00:18:11.546 --> 00:18:14.109
So it is like a kind of a generation after generation.

00:18:14.465 --> 00:18:19.073
For myself, the King's Harmonica Quintet is a major segment.

00:18:19.513 --> 00:18:27.566
I myself still, you know, involved in certain solo engagement, both locally and overseas, but in a less massive scale when compared to the quintet.

00:18:27.866 --> 00:18:35.979
And V5 also collaborated with other, you know, sort of enthusiasts in operating the Hong Kong Harmonica Association.

00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:40.286
I mean, they're working on to an even bigger scale than a chamber group.

00:18:40.577 --> 00:18:50.557
We are organizing the regional festivals, international events, both taking Hong Kong people outside or taking overseas people into Hong Kong.

00:18:50.657 --> 00:18:51.519
That's fantastic.

00:18:51.538 --> 00:18:56.526
So you get government support for your activities, which is amazing, you know, great to see.

00:18:56.566 --> 00:18:57.287
Very much, yeah.

00:18:58.028 --> 00:19:02.575
Yeah, which again, we probably don't get to see so much in the West, certainly in the UK where I am.

00:19:03.035 --> 00:19:07.300
And so the group's been going now for what, 36 years this year?

00:19:07.481 --> 00:19:08.061
Correct.

00:19:08.082 --> 00:19:09.423
So you all live in Hong Kong, do you?

00:19:09.463 --> 00:19:11.807
So you can all physically get together to practice?

00:19:11.827 --> 00:19:13.349
I think you still practice every week, do you?

00:19:13.602 --> 00:19:14.143
Correct.

00:19:14.222 --> 00:19:20.232
Normally, our practicing time would be either Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon.

00:19:32.112 --> 00:19:38.142
So, I believe one of your members left recently, but have you had basically the same members for all that time?

00:19:38.433 --> 00:19:48.522
Since 87, we have been together all the way until 2015, when one of us, you know, they elect to immigrate to Australia for good.

00:19:48.883 --> 00:19:55.469
For the first, you know, 28 years, since 87 to 2015, we have been playing together.

00:19:55.489 --> 00:20:00.792
And occasionally, due to work commitment, certain of us may not be able to turn up.

00:20:01.134 --> 00:20:12.084
So the refund replacement, having regard to the technical ability and the musical cooperative, you know, the quality we have replacement for the first 28 years already.

00:20:12.443 --> 00:20:21.493
So this time with the departure of one of us, you know, we selected very regularly another one who is able to go along with us for the West.

00:20:21.874 --> 00:20:28.821
So starting 2015, this replacement have been with us for more of the occasion than the other replacements.

00:20:29.221 --> 00:20:34.567
So talking about the lineup of the quintet then, so I understand you play the tenor harmonica, which is...

00:20:34.788 --> 00:20:35.088
Yep.

00:20:35.509 --> 00:20:38.152
Explain what that is and the other harmonicas in the group.

00:20:38.352 --> 00:20:42.155
Okay, the quintet journey started back in 87.

00:20:42.496 --> 00:20:50.765
We have been arranging different types of music formations for 10 years before we started the quintet formation in 87.

00:20:50.884 --> 00:20:56.590
So the very first music we arranged are basically string quartets.

00:20:56.912 --> 00:20:57.873
Why string quartets?

00:20:58.032 --> 00:21:00.935
First, they are more challenging than other pieces.

00:21:01.356 --> 00:21:03.499
And then, why not others?

00:21:03.679 --> 00:21:07.722
Because others are less applicable for our quintet formation.

00:21:08.023 --> 00:21:15.232
Back to the formation, you know, with a quintet, we have two persons playing the 12-fold harmonicas, which we name them as treble.

00:21:15.532 --> 00:21:19.617
We have two persons playing the 16, we name them tenors.

00:21:19.958 --> 00:21:20.719
Why tenors?

00:21:20.940 --> 00:21:29.369
Because, you know, the first two missed the lower registers when we go for the middle voices, which is an accent of the music.

00:21:29.602 --> 00:21:31.182
depending on what music it is.

00:21:31.483 --> 00:21:32.884
So the fifth one is a bass.

00:21:33.164 --> 00:21:34.807
We don't engage the double decker.

00:21:35.106 --> 00:21:46.457
We engage the tombo blended single decker, you know, the bass having two octaves from middle C all the way down to the double bass with two staff line on the below.

00:21:46.497 --> 00:21:52.422
So the five together embraces something like six octaves, if not more.

00:21:52.801 --> 00:22:09.499
The reason for not using the double decker is that single decker can enable the bass to play more legato melody because there is no drum between the decks, no lower deck and upper deck, where the physics of moving from one to the other must involve a separation of the notes.

00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:18.808
And then the reason why we have two tenors when compared to a string quartet, which is violin, violin, viola, cello, is because of the natural limitation of harmonica.

00:22:19.068 --> 00:22:22.311
Middle voices are lower in voice, in volume, I mean.

00:22:22.553 --> 00:22:24.535
So we have to double up the tenors.

00:22:24.954 --> 00:22:33.483
And then another reason for doubling up the tenors is that the two trebles, some cannot go together beyond the middle C on the lower direction.

00:22:33.743 --> 00:22:39.509
Then in these cases, the two tenors would pick up whatever that are missing from the two trebles.

00:22:39.869 --> 00:22:46.517
So the two tenors sometimes would move up, sometimes would move down to bridge up the gap between the bass and the tenors.

00:22:46.717 --> 00:22:52.903
So the five all together work up as so specific a formation in the harmonica world.

00:22:53.403 --> 00:22:54.443
We don't use chord.

00:22:54.785 --> 00:22:56.165
We don't use double decker.

00:22:56.385 --> 00:22:59.089
And most importantly, we don't use a microphone.

00:22:59.329 --> 00:23:06.219
So in a hall of 300, 400, 500 audience, we use the true sound of harmonica for projection.

00:23:06.619 --> 00:23:07.882
No microphones on stands.

00:23:08.162 --> 00:23:08.542
Correct.

00:23:08.883 --> 00:23:09.763
Unplugged.

00:23:09.923 --> 00:23:12.228
So they must listen very closely, the audience.

00:23:13.028 --> 00:23:22.121
So what about tuning the chromatics, particularly if you're playing the same range of chromatics, do you have to make sure that they are really tuned very closely together?

00:23:22.161 --> 00:23:22.221
Yes.

00:23:22.945 --> 00:23:29.758
And then we all turn on to a frequency of 442 for whatever, you know, the physics.

00:23:29.857 --> 00:23:33.480
reasons or for whatever, you know, the musical sense reasons.

00:23:33.721 --> 00:23:34.142
We tune.

00:23:34.422 --> 00:23:39.086
And actually, you know, we are tuning every instrument whenever there is any concert upcoming.

00:23:39.365 --> 00:23:42.048
We tune for everybody, you know, two to three sets.

00:23:42.429 --> 00:23:45.951
One being the, you know, the default usage and the other two being backup.

00:23:46.172 --> 00:23:48.034
Yeah, so tuning is, as you say, very key.

00:23:48.054 --> 00:23:48.713
That's good to hear.

00:23:49.015 --> 00:23:53.218
So let's talk about some of the great things you've done with the Quintet and also by yourself as well.

00:23:53.278 --> 00:24:02.626
So, you know, you guys have done some great shows and, you know, you've been on the radio and television over there in Hong Kong and elsewhere So, you know, picking some of the things out that you've done.

00:24:02.747 --> 00:24:08.512
So you did the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a solitary handover.

00:24:08.532 --> 00:24:11.096
Is that when Hong Kong went back to China?

00:24:11.336 --> 00:24:11.676
Correct.

00:24:11.717 --> 00:24:20.766
You know, that was the year 1997 when British government hand over the administration of Hong Kong back to China.

00:24:21.146 --> 00:24:25.571
And it was in 2007, the 10th anniversary of the handover.

00:24:26.112 --> 00:24:30.416
The Radio Television Hong Kong, which is supposed to be the official radio for Hong Kong.

00:24:30.797 --> 00:24:40.987
The government runs the stations, having many channels and many radio and TVs, and now it's also onto the internet segment.

00:24:41.287 --> 00:24:46.711
They compiled, they set the title being gifted, CD audio compilation.

00:24:46.991 --> 00:25:20.738
The Quintet was one of the invitees, and so the five of us, we have a special arrangement for Enescu's Romanian Rhapsody, number one and then there is a very special arrangement where five of us play together picking up all the parts of the orchestra together with one of our juniors who is also a world champion in the world harmonica festival 2005 in trotsingen germany so the six of us you know then make up that uh you know the recording

00:25:37.634 --> 00:25:42.612
And in the same year, in 1997, you mentioned the World Harmonica Championship.

00:25:42.632 --> 00:25:45.260
So you guys won the championship.

00:25:45.602 --> 00:25:50.077
That was with Dvorak, the American quartet song.

00:26:06.433 --> 00:26:09.599
Another glorious story for this world champion.

00:26:10.201 --> 00:26:22.461
You know, in 1997, shortly after the handover, which was June the 30th over to July the 1st, the quintet joined the World Harmonica Festival in Trotsingen, Germany in 1997.

00:26:22.982 --> 00:26:29.034
We were commented that world champion was the very first Hong Kong world champion after the handover.

00:26:29.442 --> 00:26:32.565
Because we don't have too many world champions in the olden days.

00:26:33.045 --> 00:26:45.955
But the world champion of the quintet was the very first Hong Kong special administrative region world champion since the Hanover in July the 1st, 1997.

00:26:46.497 --> 00:26:49.499
A very glorious thing we always have in mind.

00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:52.261
Still having some sour feeling on my nose.

00:26:52.602 --> 00:26:53.103
Great, yeah.

00:26:53.123 --> 00:26:54.723
So what's the population of Hong Kong?

00:26:55.084 --> 00:26:57.546
Now it's 7 million and a little bit.

00:26:57.665 --> 00:26:59.188
Between 7.2 million to 7.5 million.

00:26:59.407 --> 00:26:59.768
So

00:26:59.989 --> 00:27:03.491
you got a lot of attention in the press then.

00:27:04.132 --> 00:27:07.875
It was big news, was it, in Hong Kong when you won the competition?

00:27:08.195 --> 00:27:16.723
Put it this way, in the year of 1997, we were not known that that was the very first world champion after the handover.

00:27:17.104 --> 00:27:21.248
I mean, we were not that socially connected by 1997.

00:27:22.008 --> 00:27:24.210
So it was only the news.

00:27:24.411 --> 00:27:27.913
Because, you know, we were also having our 10th anniversary concert.

00:27:28.321 --> 00:27:29.864
on 97th December.

00:27:30.163 --> 00:27:36.932
So we make up a proposal to the government telling them that, oh, we just won a champion in the World Harmonica Festival.

00:27:37.394 --> 00:27:46.586
Hey, listen, this is a champion in the World Harmonica Festival, not necessarily the same as a world champion in a harmonica festival.

00:27:46.727 --> 00:27:48.709
But the government make it as a world champion.

00:27:49.150 --> 00:27:51.192
I mean, we have no good reason to refuse.

00:27:51.492 --> 00:27:58.201
And then as long as they, ah, this is a world champion of Hong Kong, why don't we reject your application?

00:27:58.433 --> 00:28:00.637
And then we extend our invitation to you.

00:28:00.998 --> 00:28:02.540
So you will be paid artistry.

00:28:02.902 --> 00:28:09.252
Let us take care of all the propaganda, promotion, brand new, ticketing, whatsoever, news, media.

00:28:09.732 --> 00:28:13.759
And what an honor to be converted from the application into invitation.

00:28:14.141 --> 00:28:21.753
Another great achievement you guys had is you played in a canto pop concert, which is in front of 20,000 people.

00:28:22.015 --> 00:28:23.998
Played saber dance there.

00:28:40.001 --> 00:29:00.167
Since 2001, we started to be having collaboration with the professional orchestra, including but not limited to the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and also two to three second-tier professional orchestras in Hong Kong, Western or Chinese.

00:29:00.528 --> 00:29:12.047
And then by 2011, a certain of our mutual friends, is quite a, you know, the famous Canton pop singers in Hong Kong, who is known to the region.

00:29:12.508 --> 00:29:17.013
And he is having a world singing tour every couple of years.

00:29:17.314 --> 00:29:18.997
His name is Hakan Lee.

00:29:19.657 --> 00:29:29.351
And then singing quite some Canton pop songs, not necessarily in the popular manner, but also in a very classical manner with Western orchestra accompanying.

00:29:29.871 --> 00:29:31.614
His manager approached us.

00:29:31.874 --> 00:29:45.192
And then saying, hey, we have a big brand new thing in the Hong Kong Coliseum, which is having a big capacity, like in the region of 20 audience seats in one go.

00:29:45.573 --> 00:29:47.394
And then this is a one week occasion.

00:29:47.836 --> 00:29:49.698
Are you happy to go along with us?

00:29:50.439 --> 00:29:51.601
We were a little bit puzzled.

00:29:51.941 --> 00:29:57.990
Then the manager kept on saying, oh, this is a 15 minutes, 20 minutes per night only, not the whole length.

00:29:58.369 --> 00:29:59.971
which is three hours per night.

00:30:00.292 --> 00:30:04.018
And then we were more than happy, and then we reconfirmed.

00:30:04.719 --> 00:30:13.432
And then only upon when we were staging on the Coliseum, we came to know that it is all full house in a row of six to seven nights.

00:30:13.732 --> 00:30:23.105
So 20,000 audience a day at night times seven, it is in the region of 150 to 160 audience in one go in a week in a row.

00:30:23.626 --> 00:31:07.152
And then the one extra thing that very few harmonic harmonica player we got the chance of this experience is that every player of us are having a earplug monitor and every one of us are giving a clip microphone on the chest and then the conductor shout out okay let's follow whatever rhythm and then let the volume be handled by the sound engineer at the top of the top of our auditorium so we took this with pleasure okay play the rhythm Okay, and then the second statement from the conductor is that whenever the drums comes up, don't look at me, listen to the drum because the drum will be dominating over whatever body motion of the two hands of the conductors.

00:31:07.653 --> 00:31:14.678
And then the other story is that The sound engineer only arrived three hours before live staging.

00:31:14.938 --> 00:31:16.361
We don't know what the volume is.

00:31:16.681 --> 00:31:22.971
And then within an hour, the sound engineer try with all of us five minutes for each song.

00:31:23.291 --> 00:31:25.655
So in 10 to 15 minutes, okay, this is done.

00:31:26.017 --> 00:31:26.657
Count on me.

00:31:27.009 --> 00:31:28.972
you have no worry, just play the rhythm.

00:31:29.272 --> 00:31:32.137
And then the Seven Knights was made up in such a manner.

00:31:32.417 --> 00:31:38.948
And then later on, CDs, Blu-ray, DVD, radio, are all publicly sold in the market.

00:31:39.249 --> 00:31:40.750
Great to play to such a big audience.

00:31:40.770 --> 00:31:42.933
That must have been quite nerve-wracking.

00:31:43.194 --> 00:31:43.375
Yep.

00:31:43.775 --> 00:31:55.477
Another thing that you've done, which is very monumental, is that you played to a live global broadcast when the 2008 Beijing Olympics Olympic torch was passed through Hong Kong.

00:31:55.537 --> 00:31:57.880
So this is a song called Voices of the Mountains.

00:32:16.465 --> 00:32:22.770
In early 2008, we were approached by the Hong Kong government for a certain staging commercially.

00:32:23.050 --> 00:32:25.653
We were scratching our heads, hey, what kind of story is it?

00:32:25.952 --> 00:32:38.723
And then later on, with certain, you know, clarification, the government said that, okay, the Olympic torch will be passing to Hong Kong, first time into a Chinese place, because at that time, Hong Kong is already part of China.

00:32:39.144 --> 00:32:46.550
So, Hong Kong, we are organizing the so-called torch passing closing ceremony, Olympic torch landing.

00:32:47.011 --> 00:33:00.650
We are lighting up, you know, certain pop song singers, you know, the Chinese orchestra, Western orchestra, I mean, a superb soloist, violin, or other, you know, instrumentalists.

00:33:00.951 --> 00:33:08.943
We want the quintet to play a live 60 seconds, no less than 58, no more than 62, just 60.

00:33:09.644 --> 00:33:18.501
The rest would be onto the editing team, to cut out whatever so as to suit the commercial time on TV broadcast live.

00:33:18.942 --> 00:33:26.452
So we locate our good friend composer, hey, the song of the mountain, we need 60 seconds, please help.

00:33:26.894 --> 00:33:35.164
And then the composer just make up within days that tune, and then we play live in front of the television shooter.

00:33:35.586 --> 00:33:39.592
We believe that, you know, that is part of the Beijing Olympics.

00:33:39.791 --> 00:33:43.934
You know, when talking about China, 100 millions is the starting point.

00:33:44.194 --> 00:33:47.662
So we humbly quoted, hey, we were playing to 100 million people.

00:33:47.701 --> 00:33:55.296
And then for certain other programs, if you talk about China, hundreds of millions are easily touched.

00:33:55.797 --> 00:33:58.201
Our 100 million is just the minimum.

00:33:58.402 --> 00:34:09.181
So that was the number story behind the 2008 Olympic torch, a Hong Kong ceremony with the King's Harmonic Quintet playing for that 60 seconds.

00:34:09.481 --> 00:34:13.248
That must be one of the largest audiences a harmonica has ever been played to, Rocky.

00:34:13.789 --> 00:34:15.614
I believe so, but that is not live.

00:34:15.938 --> 00:34:20.342
Live in one goal should be sometime in Taiwan 96.

00:34:20.521 --> 00:34:25.806
We were playing to 25,000 people in one goal in a stadium.

00:34:26.047 --> 00:34:31.331
I mean, the open air and cover with loads of microphone and then loudspeakers.

00:34:31.351 --> 00:34:34.373
35 or 25, 35, I can't remember exactly.

00:34:34.634 --> 00:34:43.581
So while we're on these sorts of numbers, let's pick up on the, so you've been involved in setting the Guinness World Record for the most harmonica players played at one point.

00:34:43.621 --> 00:34:51.210
So this was on November the 13th in 2000 You were involved in 6,131 people playing the harmonica together.

00:34:51.271 --> 00:34:52.612
So, yeah, tell us about that.

00:34:52.952 --> 00:34:53.092
That

00:34:53.172 --> 00:34:55.315
is a very interesting story in 2009.

00:34:55.335 --> 00:35:03.465
Now, 2009, it just happened to be, I mean, of the same month as the Trotsingen Germany Philharmonic Festival.

00:35:04.047 --> 00:35:13.217
So we were having one of the largest, you know, delegation going from Hong Kong to Trotsingen, something like 90, if not 100.

00:35:13.538 --> 00:35:14.539
in the year of 2009.

00:35:15.280 --> 00:35:16.844
So we divided our effort.

00:35:17.204 --> 00:35:29.789
In Hong Kong, in order to jack up the November 13th evening event, quite some, you know, the liaison work has to be done in the four to six weeks before in Hong Kong.

00:35:30.110 --> 00:35:40.402
So the Hong Kong Harmonic Association, of which I was still a vice president in 2009, I became the president for 11 to 16.

00:35:40.764 --> 00:35:45.896
So we lined up people in Hong Kong via whatever kind of announcement.

00:35:45.936 --> 00:35:50.306
Hey, whoever wants to join, make an enrollment, and then we will take you in.

00:35:50.768 --> 00:35:54.978
So at the end of the day, we lined up with Horner, who was sent off.

00:35:55.170 --> 00:35:56.592
two to three representatives.

00:35:56.952 --> 00:36:07.429
They sponsor the four-hole harmonica, the bigger one, not the little lady one, to gift every of the participants one such harmonica, four holes.

00:36:07.889 --> 00:36:13.998
And then the distributor in Hong Kong also gave out a certificate to whoever participating.

00:36:14.480 --> 00:36:27.052
And then we work with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in the racing course of Hong Kong, which is capable of hosting 30, if not 40,000 people I mean, uncover on the grassland in one go.

00:36:27.454 --> 00:36:37.358
So just like an hour before the play, I coached the, I think the people attending the coach was something like 8,000, if not 9,000.

00:36:37.634 --> 00:36:40.759
because of the registration they previously done.

00:36:41.278 --> 00:36:43.643
And then that was the number we have in mind.

00:36:43.943 --> 00:36:46.606
And then of course, you know, teaching them the tunes.

00:36:49.692 --> 00:36:56.021
It is like 32 bars of music repetitive.

00:36:56.382 --> 00:37:01.769
So the play is that the Hong Kong Philharmonic would continue playing along with us two minutes.

00:37:02.210 --> 00:37:15.420
and then they fade out, leaving only the harmonica people continuing playing the tunes for five minutes, and then the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra joining again, playing the finale, you know, the verse.

00:37:15.900 --> 00:37:17.385
Why less than the 8,000?

00:37:17.625 --> 00:37:21.434
Because some of them were forgetting to bring their Hong Kong ID?

00:37:21.697 --> 00:37:26.585
or are not able to show their passport, and then their identity cannot be anchored.

00:37:26.925 --> 00:37:42.585
So with the certification coming from the Guinness Record, and also two notary public certifying the 6,181, so that becomes the Guinness Record all the way kept till now since 2009, a row of 13 years already.

00:37:42.882 --> 00:37:44.985
I believe it was 31, Rocky, so just to check.

00:37:45.005 --> 00:37:47.086
6131, you are correct.

00:37:47.206 --> 00:37:50.130
I mean, 6131, you are correct.

00:37:50.311 --> 00:37:52.954
Right, so there were more than that.

00:37:53.014 --> 00:37:55.077
It was just they weren't all registered.

00:37:55.336 --> 00:38:05.809
Yeah, registered to have taken a harmonica gift, to have taken the search, but their registration was, you know, I would say default because their identity was not complete.

00:38:06.242 --> 00:38:08.324
Yeah, and this was in Hong Kong that this was...

00:38:08.625 --> 00:38:08.965
Correct.

00:38:09.266 --> 00:38:15.132
And then the further last one was in Trotsingen, which is 2005, in the 2004 or 2003.

00:38:15.612 --> 00:38:17.414
So we broke the record by folds.

00:38:17.936 --> 00:38:22.221
Yeah, and how did it sound when we had these thousands of harmonica splints again?

00:38:22.280 --> 00:38:37.722
I would say very warm, because harmonica, when blowing long notes, by a lot of people playing together, unplugged the sound could be very warm and very harmonious

00:38:38.081 --> 00:38:39.706
great that it sounded good and not bad

00:38:40.266 --> 00:38:40.568
yeah

00:38:40.907 --> 00:38:45.257
so that the fantastic achievement there so you've still got this world record that you're involved with

00:38:45.356 --> 00:38:51.550
yeah and then we may be thinking of another even bigger record in the years to come let's see

00:38:51.746 --> 00:38:52.927
Yeah, no, that'd be great.

00:38:52.947 --> 00:38:53.128
Yeah.

00:38:53.489 --> 00:39:00.760
So as well as playing in the groups and the harmonica, the King's Harmonica Quintet, you also play some solo harmonicas, as you mentioned.

00:39:00.802 --> 00:39:04.748
So got some clips of you playing with a harp, a real harp player.

00:39:04.768 --> 00:39:11.492
That was a sort of a prelim trial with the harpist, with the renowned harpist, Dan Yu.

00:39:12.273 --> 00:39:21.492
She was renowned as a northeastern Chinese, been neutralized to Hong Kong for more than a decade, having educated in the States.

00:39:21.932 --> 00:39:28.847
I would say she may be having the highest number of students around the world, if you are talking about the hub.

00:39:29.108 --> 00:39:35.929
So she has 100 to almost 1,000 HUB students after teaching in Hong Kong for 12, 13 years.

00:39:36.210 --> 00:39:44.201
So the quintet was having an idea of inviting her for collaboration, but not having the confidence of whether compatible or not.

00:39:44.440 --> 00:39:46.023
So I took the courage of trying out.

00:39:46.364 --> 00:39:51.289
Would it be a good idea if we try out some simple pieces so that we know each other well?

00:39:51.309 --> 00:39:57.038
And then we came up with that collaboration in her student concert, which was held annually.

00:39:57.237 --> 00:40:03.514
So we played two simple tunes, Nightingale, and also the everlasting amazing grace.

00:40:20.295 --> 00:40:31.739
So as well as this, you've also had a lot of involvement with the Hong Kong Harmonica Association, which is over there in Hong Kong, which is a group organising harmonica activities, etc.

00:40:31.780 --> 00:40:35.623
So you were the president of the association from 2011 to 2016.

00:40:35.963 --> 00:40:38.385
Now the director is still involved?

00:40:38.706 --> 00:40:39.005
Correct.

00:40:39.226 --> 00:40:44.070
I mean, some three to five statements about the history of this organisation.

00:40:44.431 --> 00:40:47.574
It was established in 2002, January.

00:40:47.853 --> 00:40:49.775
Counting our fingers, it's 21 years.

00:40:50.135 --> 00:40:50.856
I mean, complete.

00:40:51.097 --> 00:41:05.514
The reason why we have to have this organisation is that all the way back to 2004, actually 2000, when the quintet was discontented with the way how a bad Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival could be.

00:41:05.914 --> 00:41:11.465
We take the courage of organizing to 2004, back in Hong Kong, four years after that discontent.

00:41:11.905 --> 00:41:14.911
And then we established the Hong Kong Harmonica Association.

00:41:15.152 --> 00:41:34.811
We lined up a lot of similar enthusiasts so that we have a big group of 50, if not 80, I mean, we all are willing to sacrifice our evening time, sleeping time, midnight time in order to go through all those emailing, communication arrangement, whatsoever, whatsoever, da, da, da.

00:41:34.992 --> 00:41:38.057
So there comes the Hong Kong harmonica up in the scene.

00:41:38.369 --> 00:41:39.693
for the past 20 years.

00:41:40.173 --> 00:41:49.074
The Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival, the fifth one, 2004 in Hong Kong, was said to be the role model of many of the harmonica festivals.

00:41:49.436 --> 00:41:59.123
So from then on, in the past 20 years, many of the festivals were copying that protocol, meaning Try your best to have government support.

00:41:59.425 --> 00:42:06.193
Try your best to have venue support, commercial support, and also outsourcing management, event management company.

00:42:06.233 --> 00:42:12.981
And then you involve more people with the standard venue rather than a simple, I mean, the community hall.

00:42:13.443 --> 00:42:15.865
Better to be concert hall, this kind of high ranking.

00:42:15.925 --> 00:42:17.668
So it was to raise the image of harmonica.

00:42:18.208 --> 00:42:21.813
So a little bit back to the normal business of this Hong Kong Harmonica Association.

00:42:21.974 --> 00:42:30.286
The three of the five of the quintet have been president for 20 years since 2002 until now.

00:42:31.106 --> 00:42:36.891
But we don't want the quintet to be overshadowing the Hong Kong Harmonica Association.

00:42:37.172 --> 00:42:43.097
So apart from the three, we are having much more non-quintet members than quintet members.

00:42:43.557 --> 00:42:45.298
Okay, what is this organization doing?

00:42:45.820 --> 00:42:47.280
Harmonica Festival, correct.

00:42:47.521 --> 00:42:53.106
But whenever we are having a harmonica festival, it is talking about a nine-month continuing effort.

00:42:53.365 --> 00:43:11.980
From the organizing the Delegation Enrollment Teaching music arrangement, more competition, and also taking the delegation to overseas, back Hong Kong, organizing the celebration concert, you know, dinner we kept, and then the evaluation.

00:43:12.360 --> 00:43:18.088
Every four years, well, every two years, Asia Pacific, almost every year sold.

00:43:18.489 --> 00:43:32.297
And on top of this, we also have community project where government give the money and then we give the effort in deepening the reach of harmonica music, making culture onto the community level.

00:43:32.639 --> 00:43:48.735
Say, teaching them casual playing, teaching them social playing like folk tunes, teaching them all this kind of simple playing so that within weeks, people can stand up onto a humble stage to play some tunes in front of friends.

00:43:48.976 --> 00:43:57.306
So that has been done in the past 15, 20 years under the umbrella of the Hong Kong Harmonica Association.

00:43:57.666 --> 00:44:08.782
And further to that, we also have international invitations like the World Expo in Shanghai, where we play seven different concerts with orchestra.

00:44:09.143 --> 00:44:17.516
And also certain other international non-harmonica related events, 15 if not 20, apart from the Harmonica Festival Arena.

00:44:17.777 --> 00:44:19.259
Fantastic.

00:44:19.278 --> 00:44:20.842
And you've got an orchestra as well?

00:44:21.121 --> 00:44:21.483
Correct.

00:44:40.737 --> 00:44:45.362
Another role that you have is that you're an international endorser for Honour.

00:44:45.822 --> 00:44:46.623
What does that involve?

00:44:46.862 --> 00:44:56.931
That was in 2010 when Honour officially started to send over representatives to Asia Pacific Harmonica festivals.

00:44:57.371 --> 00:45:03.257
Shortly after Honour acquired the Hub Online business.

00:45:03.597 --> 00:45:13.186
And that was nowadays when we see the eShop, which is the descendant of the Hub Online, where Horner acquired in 2009, 2008.

00:45:13.867 --> 00:45:31.862
And then in 2011, when the quintet was having a, when we were having an Eastern European concert tour in the station of Munich, and then certain of the Horner management came to our concert playing.

00:45:32.282 --> 00:45:44.961
And of course, you know, before that, they talked with us to see whether we, I mean, I myself and also my buddy, Johnny Kwan, bass player of the quintet, and also the current president of the Hong Kong Harmonic Association, he succeeded me.

00:45:45.282 --> 00:46:13.248
So Horner was sincere in a way that he asked whether we are pleased to join Horner with some different missions, like joining the team of the research and development on the product, joining the deepening of Horner in Asia, whenever talking about product penetration or music penetration or event sponsorship, et cetera, and also sending local Asian Here's

00:46:27.992 --> 00:46:30.936
a quick word from the podcast sponsor, Blows Me Way Productions.

00:46:31.521 --> 00:46:35.829
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00:46:35.849 --> 00:46:43.222
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00:46:46.427 --> 00:46:48.030
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00:46:48.961 --> 00:46:52.467
Another thing that you have, you were a collector of harmonicas, yes?

00:46:52.786 --> 00:46:53.728
Yeah.

00:46:53.748 --> 00:46:55.731
Quite a significant collection of harmonicas.

00:46:55.931 --> 00:46:56.893
Yeah, so tell us about that.

00:46:57.092 --> 00:47:03.262
For collectors, I mean the off-the-shelf models or unit models dedicated to me.

00:47:03.661 --> 00:47:08.668
I have something like 800 pieces, of which 500 to 600 are chromatics.

00:47:09.010 --> 00:47:11.873
And of the 500, a third are unit.

00:47:12.253 --> 00:47:15.237
People are not able to buy in the outside world.

00:47:15.478 --> 00:47:20.646
So as to say the branded ones are off-the-shelf, you name it, a brand, I have all the models chromatically.

00:47:20.987 --> 00:47:27.056
So onto those unique models that may be, you know, of different material.

00:47:27.096 --> 00:47:42.097
It may be like a stainless steel or titanium or gold-plated brass or silver-plated brass or alloy or, you know, acrylic or one of the latest model is quartz.

00:47:42.398 --> 00:47:43.119
You know quartz?

00:47:43.500 --> 00:47:43.659
No.

00:47:44.420 --> 00:47:47.485
It's the umbrella family of crystal.

00:47:47.842 --> 00:47:49.469
The transparent one.

00:47:49.951 --> 00:47:56.016
And then certain of these are having a different mechanism or unit mechanism like totally no school.

00:47:56.289 --> 00:48:00.233
you can swap your cover within seconds with another harmonica, no screws.

00:48:00.574 --> 00:48:04.478
And even no screws for replay, you can change your replay within 10 seconds.

00:48:04.757 --> 00:48:17.909
And then there are certain special air chamber or certain comb enlargement for volume building or certain being modular in structure and then you can make up your own harmonica just like a Lego.

00:48:18.291 --> 00:48:25.398
I mean, all these kind of funny things that I will be exhibiting in April 2023.

00:48:26.081 --> 00:48:34.804
when the Hong Kong Harmonica Association is launching the first international chromatic harmonica competition, which is delayed for a year.

00:48:35.170 --> 00:48:36.592
due to COVID in 2022.

00:48:36.932 --> 00:48:44.262
So many of my unique models will be exhibiting in the exhibition hall in April 2023.

00:48:44.282 --> 00:48:44.563
Yeah,

00:48:45.164 --> 00:48:45.585
fantastic.

00:48:45.605 --> 00:48:46.806
And you mentioned there the competition.

00:48:46.867 --> 00:48:48.869
So yeah, there's a competition coming up this year.

00:48:49.010 --> 00:48:50.050
The launch

00:48:50.110 --> 00:48:51.552
was all the way back to 2020.

00:48:51.914 --> 00:48:56.380
And then inviting a big group of fans globally.

00:48:56.860 --> 00:49:03.130
I mean, the jurisdiction coverage is more than 10, you know, participating with a video submission.

00:49:03.393 --> 00:49:12.083
We have a panel of super players of big names, musicians, conductors, not just necessarily, you know, harmonists.

00:49:12.382 --> 00:49:19.769
So they selected a total of 26 who will be fully course cover to Hong Kong with the government budget.

00:49:20.030 --> 00:49:25.335
They will play in Hong Kong for stage 2, 3, 4, live, not the video shooting.

00:49:25.956 --> 00:49:29.420
Stage 2 is unaccompanied and also piano accompaniment.

00:49:29.739 --> 00:49:31.442
26 would be trimmed down to 8.

00:49:32.034 --> 00:49:37.922
And to the age will be playing with a string quartet to demonstrate the ability of collaboration with true musicians.

00:49:38.364 --> 00:49:46.275
From age, they will be chosen four to enter into the final, which is supposed to be a true concert arena.

00:49:46.577 --> 00:49:51.664
They will be playing with the standard orchestra, a test piece together with a chosen piece.

00:49:51.985 --> 00:49:57.213
And then in order to make the competition even more challenging, they are given four choices.

00:49:57.601 --> 00:50:10.077
but they can only choose when being sorted out, shortlisted after the 8th, meaning in the evening of April the 7th, they know whether they are entering into the final four, and then they start to pick up the choice.

00:50:10.496 --> 00:50:21.550
If you are the lowest mark in the string quartet, you will be choosing only the latest, then you will be left with the most difficult piece after the three choosing.

00:50:21.922 --> 00:50:29.873
So this is the competition, and it is open news that the cash prize for the final four is very attractive.

00:50:30.213 --> 00:50:37.503
In terms of HKD, it would be HK$100,000, HK$70,000, HK$50,000 and HK$30,000 per each of them.

00:50:38.204 --> 00:50:45.353
HK$100,000 is the equivalent of HK$12,500 for the soloist as the first prize.

00:50:45.697 --> 00:50:46.257
Fantastic.

00:50:46.278 --> 00:50:46.418
Yeah.

00:50:46.498 --> 00:50:48.059
And you've already got your finalists for this.

00:50:48.840 --> 00:50:50.461
So people can't enter now.

00:50:50.541 --> 00:50:51.422
I can't

00:50:51.523 --> 00:50:58.548
enter now because the 26th had gone through the video submission in 2021 and then shortlisted in 2021-4.

00:51:00.251 --> 00:51:04.755
Because of COVID, the 2022 section has to be delayed for a year.

00:51:04.795 --> 00:51:08.237
And that's why we are picking up by quarter for 2022.

00:51:08.538 --> 00:51:10.619
And then we needed the engine.

00:51:10.880 --> 00:51:13.581
So it will be launching in no more than two months time.

00:51:13.842 --> 00:51:13.943
Great.

00:51:13.963 --> 00:51:15.664
And there's also a composition competition.

00:51:15.664 --> 00:51:16.824
That

00:51:16.885 --> 00:51:25.456
composition is another project funded by another Hong Kong government agency called the Art Development Council.

00:51:25.795 --> 00:51:34.907
And then they have a mission to fulfill that they can give money for sustaining or regrowing of certain art forms.

00:51:35.246 --> 00:51:45.541
So again, in 2020, we made the application by pooling a sitting fund of HK$300,000 and then the government matched So we got a whole bunch of money.

00:51:46.001 --> 00:51:48.947
And then we invited a global submission.

00:51:49.327 --> 00:51:57.744
And then altogether, we have 25 jurisdictions from even small countries that we may not have encountered, like Iran.

00:51:57.983 --> 00:52:04.958
And then from the 25 jurisdictions, we have altogether 58 valid submissions, 25 of such.

00:52:05.217 --> 00:52:09.943
piano accompaniment, another 30-odd orchestra accompaniment.

00:52:10.224 --> 00:52:15.251
So after the selection, after the debate of the panel team, the prizes are given.

00:52:15.291 --> 00:52:19.056
You can browse into the website to see who are the winners.

00:52:19.195 --> 00:52:20.257
Yeah, I'll put the link on for

00:52:20.617 --> 00:52:20.737
that.

00:52:20.878 --> 00:52:27.748
Eight of the 60 were selected to compile the audio CD album, freely distributed.

00:52:28.387 --> 00:52:34.795
We are in the course of organizing the next performance staging for the rest of the composition.

00:52:34.936 --> 00:52:41.849
Because composition, once submitted, being good, is making no sense by keeping in a library or keeping in a computer folder.

00:52:42.469 --> 00:52:52.530
You know, publishing them, playing them, sharing them is the indispensable principle in order to make the promotion for this instrument to be a great one.

00:52:52.865 --> 00:52:58.414
So the question I ask each time, Rocky, is if you had 10 minutes to practice, what would you spend those 10 minutes doing?

00:52:58.876 --> 00:52:59.096
Before

00:52:59.115 --> 00:53:10.873
the practice, of course, you know, you spend some minutes in warming up your chromatics, particularly the wind savers, allowing them to gain your body temperature closer rather than just in the room temperature.

00:53:11.034 --> 00:53:12.436
That is the pre-10 minutes.

00:53:12.818 --> 00:53:15.481
And then the first 2-3 minutes must be scales.

00:53:15.762 --> 00:53:26.824
Chromatic or diatonic scale, starting from whatever would be F sharp or A flat, starting with whatever scale, going up two octaves, coming down two octaves.

00:53:27.045 --> 00:53:30.148
So that is the unavoidable part of your practice.

00:53:30.489 --> 00:53:41.701
And then the remaining, you know, eight minutes could be four minutes for the fast passages, four minutes for those, you know, long notes and, you know, the nice piece that you love both.

00:53:42.101 --> 00:53:46.045
And of course, you know, the five pieces would be your most favorite of three.

00:53:46.369 --> 00:53:50.014
The soft pieces would be another three of your most favorite.

00:53:50.255 --> 00:53:52.476
So it is two, three, three, three, three.

00:53:52.858 --> 00:53:55.760
And what about the chromatic harmonica that you play?

00:53:55.820 --> 00:54:00.327
I see there's a link where you talk about some of your sort of five favorite chromatics.

00:54:00.367 --> 00:54:01.387
I'll put a link onto that.

00:54:01.427 --> 00:54:05.693
And you've got one of the polyharmonicas made in Norway and a silver concerto.

00:54:06.213 --> 00:54:08.757
So what's your favorite chromatic to play?

00:54:08.996 --> 00:54:10.298
This is one question

00:54:10.478 --> 00:54:12.420
that would never having an answer.

00:54:12.981 --> 00:54:17.568
You know, the reason is that, I mean, if you ask me, What is my favorite?

00:54:17.867 --> 00:54:22.115
And then you ask another who is a teen or a lady.

00:54:22.476 --> 00:54:26.362
Having the same 600 collection, the three answers will be different.

00:54:26.744 --> 00:54:26.943
Why?

00:54:27.324 --> 00:54:34.557
Because different piece would call for different, you know, the better configuration of the harmonica in order to express well.

00:54:34.945 --> 00:54:37.510
Wood and metal are definitely two dimensions.

00:54:38.030 --> 00:54:44.659
And then the in thing, they're having less, I mean, having a stronger bow and draw than a mature person.

00:54:45.219 --> 00:54:46.561
So back to my collection.

00:54:46.782 --> 00:54:54.132
I mean, I won't quote all of them, but, you know, what I quoted in the website of Yvonne Prine.

00:54:54.152 --> 00:54:57.617
You know Yvonne Prine, the Frenchman who lives in New York?

00:54:58.114 --> 00:55:05.914
And then in the email dialogue with him, he was trying to convince me to nail down to three.

00:55:05.934 --> 00:55:06.876
I said, never.

00:55:06.916 --> 00:55:09.844
It is not a good direction for people to learn.

00:55:10.246 --> 00:55:14.617
So the answer to that one is that there is no best harmonica in the world.

00:55:15.041 --> 00:55:19.128
there could be a most suitable harmonica for your most favourite piece.

00:55:19.688 --> 00:55:20.130
Sure, yeah.

00:55:20.190 --> 00:55:22.393
So yeah, you use the right one for the right situation.

00:55:22.653 --> 00:55:22.853
Yep.

00:55:23.175 --> 00:55:27.360
But of course, it makes no sense for you to talk about 20 or 30 harmonicas in a go.

00:55:27.702 --> 00:55:30.766
Some three to five, you know, are the best.

00:55:31.306 --> 00:55:38.057
So if you really want me to quote one, I would say something being a mix of wood and metal.

00:55:38.599 --> 00:55:41.302
And what number should you use playing the chromatic?

00:55:41.724 --> 00:55:42.985
I am more onto the plucker.

00:55:43.425 --> 00:55:52.418
Tongue blocking is in those, you know, really legato demanding and also fast moving that I cannot handle with a plucker.

00:55:52.858 --> 00:56:00.369
I'm at 80% or even 90% plucker versus 10% to 20% tongue blocking.

00:56:00.869 --> 00:56:03.293
Are all your chromatics in the key of C?

00:56:03.713 --> 00:56:09.021
No, 70% of mine are C, many in A, quite some in G.

00:56:09.282 --> 00:56:14.728
and then a fill in B-flat or even E or even D, even the tenor tune.

00:56:15.108 --> 00:56:21.456
You're reading music, at least initially, to learn songs, and so you choose the key that is appropriate to the piece, do you?

00:56:22.456 --> 00:56:25.380
Yes or no, depending on your orientation.

00:56:25.699 --> 00:56:32.568
I used to be a bass player, so I read the bass clef to start with my music reading when talking about notes and stuff.

00:56:32.768 --> 00:56:34.329
So bass clef to me is easy.

00:56:34.690 --> 00:56:39.297
And then soon, later on, I revert back to my treble clef for reading.

00:56:39.637 --> 00:56:43.603
So reading treble clef is also one of my abilities.

00:56:44.043 --> 00:56:49.911
But the composer made me a joke that they wrote me tenor clef, the C clef, for quintet playing.

00:56:50.393 --> 00:56:58.905
And then certain composers are written in alternative ways, say, written in the treble clef, but with an 8 underneath, meaning playing an octave lower.

00:56:59.646 --> 00:57:01.690
And occasionally, I bought my...

00:57:02.081 --> 00:57:29.826
wrong key harmonica so I have to play right away with practices I developed the ability of reading into whatever clef written you know the music and then trying two three minutes on my different scale with the different starting getting familiar and then I read music for two three minutes having that in mind and then I play right away even if I don't bring the correct keyed chromatic and the written music is not in the clef that I wish it to be

00:57:30.045 --> 00:57:43.079
final question then Rocky and just about what coming up you've got a show with the King's Harmonica Quintet on February the 17th so just a few days after this podcast episode coming out so what else have you got coming up this year

00:57:43.320 --> 00:58:06.206
back to this you know Hong Kong Art Festival but affected by COVID that is delayed to this so this is our third time staging in the Hong Kong Art Festival which is one of the most prestigious occasion in Asia so we are honored to be invited again for the first time and then of course you know the We are playing a full-length concert with the quintet formation.

00:58:06.467 --> 00:58:16.862
Further after this would be, as I said, the April occasion where we have a master concert after this, you know, the International Chromatic Harmonica Competition week.

00:58:17.443 --> 00:58:20.929
So there would be a collaboration with Sigmund Gruven.

00:58:21.289 --> 00:58:21.469
So...

00:58:21.858 --> 00:58:22.599
That's fantastic.

00:58:22.659 --> 00:58:28.065
Great to speak to you today, Rocky, and tell us all about the wonderful harmonica scene in Hong Kong and Asia and beyond.

00:58:28.146 --> 00:58:30.548
So thanks very much for joining today, Rocky Locke.

00:58:30.789 --> 00:58:31.650
My pleasure indeed.

00:58:31.789 --> 00:58:31.949
Thank

00:58:32.010 --> 00:58:32.731
you very much, Neil,

00:58:32.831 --> 00:58:33.072
for the

00:58:33.371 --> 00:58:33.813
invitation.

00:58:35.114 --> 00:58:37.677
Once again, thanks to Zydle for sponsoring the podcast.

00:58:37.958 --> 00:58:47.849
Be sure to check out the great range of harmonicas and products at www.zydle1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at Zydle Harmonicas.

00:58:48.951 --> 00:58:50.893
Many thanks to Rocky for joining me today.

00:58:51.266 --> 00:58:59.215
What a harmonica scene there is in Hong Kong, helped by excellent support from the government, and it would be great to see some more harmonica groups performing around the world.

00:58:59.576 --> 00:59:07.164
Remember to check out the podcast website at harmonicahappyhour.com, where there is the option to make a donation to help with the running costs of the podcast.

00:59:07.545 --> 00:59:15.454
I'll leave you now with Rocky playing us out with the King's Harmonica Quintet, joined by another player to make up a sextet group.

00:59:23.650 --> 00:59:23.965
Thank you.