♪♫ Musical Expertise in South Korea is Extraordinary

100% agree. My grandmother thought my mum was silly for sending me to piano lessons. She tried to talk her out of it because it wasn’t something that boys in small country towns really did in my day. As it turns out, though, it was the best gift I’ve ever been given.

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@choitrio, your children play this incredibly well. They work together as a team that let’s each member shine. All are competent players. I really enjoyed listening. I was impressed :slight_smile: Thanks for posting.

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Wow! @vivi_1485, while I know a number of the artists in the clip, I haven’t heard any of these performances before. I’m really glad you posted them. They’re brilliant.

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And now for something completely different… whether you love or hate beat-boxing, this guy is extraordinary. I have no idea how he can make drums, synth sounds and say words and then weave them all together to create a tapestry of musical entertainment. He mesmerises me.

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I love this song by G.O.D.

Even though it’s now 20 years old, South Korean artists still perform it regularly. This is from a time when K-pop hadn’t even been heard of.

“One Candle” is my favourite song. It never fails to make me smile and feel good, and want to be able to sing and to rap in Korean.

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Oh my goodness! :heart_eyes::heart_eyes: I’ve seen beat-boxers before, but the way he transitions so smoothly from sounds to singing is so mesmerizingly wonderful!!

I’m always amazed at music which sounds better live than the studio-recorded version!


I think this one sounds better just because they’re all just enjoying themselves with ad-libs and not really “performing”, just having fun:

And this one’s lyrics are just beautiful. They sang it at the WHO for World Mental Health Day last year. The harmony and melody fusion really makes you believe “there’s gonna be better days.”

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K-pop artists put a huge effort into mastering their skills. It’s when I watch them live, and see flawless performances, that I understand all that effort.

Here’s Chen and Onestar in duet. Their performance is extraordinary.

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Speaking of live performances… This version of the traditional Maori song, Pokarekare Ana, sends shivers up and down my spine. Ten tenors and one soprano. It’s from a 2008 performance. Soprano Kim Eun-Kyong makes singing look so effortless. Her musical phrasing is superb.

Interesting fact
Pokarekare Ana ended up in Korea during the Korean war because of New Zealand soldiers. Apparently the song is as well known in Korea as it is in New Zealand.

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Here’s Ukelele boy playing his arrangement of Pokarekare Ana. I posted this because @choitrio mentioned that one of her children was into ukelele. Ukelele boy has transcribed a book of songs for the Uke (according to his YouTube site).

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Lee Junho - 2pm

Watching him lyrical dance is amazing and this song is beautiful - I’m a little bias - because I think he is so talented and amazing! But there is no limit to what he can do! All by himself he commands that entire room! He also won a competition at a very young age out of thousands.

This Song gives me chills! I love it.

@my_happy_place
I believe you agree! :purple_heart:

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Ok if you have not met Bii - he does have family in S. Korea where he was raised but he is Taiwanese/Korean
Absolutely beautiful talented singer and actor


And of course Henry - Who is from Canada but based out of S. Korea
So TALENTED and speaks several languages
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HENRYYYYYYY
I LOVE his duets but I posted it in another thread so I’m wondering if it’s okay to do it again…
I loved this performance, too… starts out with just his voice and a piano, he switches to a violin and then we have Jeon Jae on the electric guitar :star_struck: This clip is from the variety show “Begin Again” where popular kpop artists busk all over Korea to cheer up people affected during these times

Oh my goodness Chen is my absolute FAVORITE Korean male vocalist ever! I love this duet!!:heart_eyes::heart_eyes: Chen’s the one who made me first fall in love with kpop, along with Chanyeol.
I feel like this is Korea’s favorite sad love song :joy: millions of singers have covered it but this is my favorite version: I have a soft spot for acoustic ballads and this one is so good because I love the harmony of the baritone and Chen’s beautiful tenor/soprano/whatever idk :sweat_smile:

have y’all heard of Gaho(the Itaewon Class - Start Here singer)? He’s another of my favorite live vocals… SO GOOD :heart_eyes:


and this duet with Woojin is another powerful collab… Gaho gives his own flavor to the covers he does.
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This version of the William Tell Overture from a 2008 drama is brilliant. You’ll want to stand up and clap at the end of it! Many of the Korean actors in this orchestra are still appearing in dramas today.

When the video clip hits 2:10, I’m pretty sure everyone will know this piece of music.

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE…

Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation ( MBC: 주식회사문화방송) has its own YouTube Channel. They’ve made many dramas free viewing for the world.

So if you’d like to see the above 2008 series, it’s called Beethoven Virus and it’s a really enjoyable drama set against a backdrop of fine classical music.

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Jung Sungha inspired my kids to take up guitar playing. His finger style playing is amazing.

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Hi @choitrio :slight_smile:

Jung Sungha is incredible! Not too many people can do what he does. I’m awestruck!

Here’s another young guy who can be classed in the “Outstanding” category. Yohan Kim often plays jazz. While this is a rock piece, you can hear the jazz influence underlying it. I wonder what your piano-playing son thinks of this?

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That was just Beautiful!!
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Loved It!!
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Time Stamp 1:22, and leading up to it, was so it! :blush::+1:t5:

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Lee Junho is a very, very talented man in many direction. I’ve also read that he’s one of the hardest working people in the entertainment industry.

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Love the arrangement! Thanks for sharing!

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"Songs and poems will not bring back the dead," I said. But then someone told me, "They are not for the dead, Adrian. They are for the living."

So thank you so much for sharing this with us. Since I suffered so much when I heard about those poor children, and still do, I really appreciate your post. :heart:

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The Sewel Ferry disaster was awful. Even now I can’t think about it without tears coming to my eyes. While I’m not Korean, I’m a teacher and I’ve seen the heartbreak of parents-losing-children and children-losing-parents many times over the years. It always impacts on me. Thank you for your reply.

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There is no better cover of Dolly Parton’s song, I Will Always Love You, than this one. I always thought Whitney Houston’s version was the best and could not be topped. I changed my mind after hearing Ailee.