Me playing Itzhak Perlman's rendition of Gardel's "Por Una Cabeza"

[sanmattia]

bravo, you are amazing Ben. LOVE you

[zhuzhela]

u just made want to practise more on volin!!!thanks and I LOVE UR MUSIC

[777mrpiano777]

That is perfect. u are a legend way to go man!!!!

[uncreativemind]

you have no idea how much i love that you transcribe your stuff on your website and post on here for us to play along with.

[19daydreamer93]

ahhh 1:38

makes me wanna melt...and reminds me of cartoons :D

[beauapple]

Amazing! :O

[DemolisherZamorak]

Soo pro!

[vanganini]

Very Nice! It was nice to listen to you from Puerto Rico!!

[vlhere]

muah!!!! youre SOOOOO goood!!!

[Jotunspor]

Very nice and skillful, and you got me as a subscriber now!

[TorontoCA2]

xskysealx, fyi the original is not Scent of a Woman but Por Una Cabeza by Carlos Gardel. This music was used in the Tango dance number of the movie Scent of a Woman and John Williams did the arrangement,

BenChan, you played great!

[midnightfiddler]

That is not true. Ten years befor the movie Tango Proyect made the arrengement that they played in the scene where Al Pacino dance. John Williams has nothing to do in this case, beside I love his arrengement.

[CatlyCat]

I haven't seen Itzhak Perlman's version of this but you're absolutely amazing.

Just awesome! Great Job!!!

[j1717the317]

Great I have always loved this piece, as well as Itzhak's rendition

[kelric6]

Did you ever make that better rendition you were talking about?

[princessxoxomelody]

Amazing! Man, I wish I could play like that ^^

[clarinet4evristutter]

holy cheese. awesome

[pikachoi2007]

outstanding teacher ben. 5 stars. hehehe

[RainyLittleGhost]

For a head?

[hxio21]

puedes enviarme la partitura

[xskysealx]

i thought it was in the movie Scent of a Woman for the original melody which is a lot simpler than Williams' arrangement. this arrangement is crazy haha williams is a monster

[natzjustlookinaround]

You are awsum :D

[shinningshine]

nice....

[lucianopavan1956]

Complimenti Maestro!

Lei è molto bravo e con un orchestra al seguito sarebbe ancora più bravo!

i miei migliori auguri

luciano pavan, lago maggiore italia..

il suo è un violino italiano?

lago maggiore 1 marzo 2009,

[ellerylatino]

damn nice job ben im a subscriber yet I randomly eneded up in this video i heard your voice and i wa s like hmm that sounds like ben haha

[breannaXbandimonium]

^-^ don't you just love John Williams? :D I really admie "Schindlers list" ^-^ And I love when you play it too! :D

also I just realized you had a shoulder rest (I don't know if thats what they're called can't remeber)! :] I didn'tknow you used one! hurts without it dosen't it? lol

[ThoruBR]

A great song and a great violin player.

Congratulations.

[diogodvd]

I love this instrument!!!!

You´re great...Congratulations from Brazil!

[alpha754293]

AWESOME!!!

[ericgable]

hey ben how do i work on my wrist n spiccato like can u plz tell me n wat r sum ways to work on my sattia spicatto

[pentiumradeon]

i love this piece you play it pretty good, id love to see a transcription for this from ya! i definately dont have the time to make one, i just play it by ear every once in a blue moon, when i actually grab my violin :P

and hell ya perlman has skillz ha!

[BenChanViolin]

I popped a transcription in the Downloads section of my personal website- have a gander! You just have to register (mostly a formality).

[tektek678]

I am going to do what you said and learn this song. (or alteast try to) you are amazing.

[dosergiobr]

very good job

[kreut77]

Hola a todos alguien me podría ayudar con esta partitura? alguien la tiene o sabe de algun enlace donde buscarla? agradecería mucho su ayuda. Gracias

[Talkitivedevil81]

On 3:48 through 4:00 I thought the violin was crying. lol.

[a1rb0rne101]

no but one of perlmans daughters is a lesbian

[yamsef]

are you Itzhak's son???.

Five stars for you.

Jejeje

[vampgirl109]

YOU ARE SO AMAIZING! it had to be said =]

you = awesomness.

i just started violin and you inspire me =]

[zhuzunwei]

are you chinese??

[Jessicarijos]

this is a beautiful song, but it needs to be played powerfully. At the beginning, I was somewhat disapointed, but about midway through, you got it right. Keep on updating, your music is great.

[Kephissos]

WOW! Trying to play ANY piece composed by Perlman is extremely difficult. He's on the same par as Horowitz, Helfgott and Rachmaninov.. Impressive!

[duhhh86]

hi kephissos, this piece isn't composed by perlman. the original tune was composed by carlos gardel and this version for solo violin was written by john williams...

[Navi003]

Is this the song that they used in that Arnold movie, True Lies? O:

Fantastic job, btw. I'm going to learn it.

[Stormhammer87]

I'll have to agree, this is a BEAUTIFUL song. Honestly, the first time I ever heard it was in the movie True Lies in the tango scene, which for the record, is a simpler version with less nuances ( if you want to take a shot at it - its more basic )

[Smebninja]

Great great great, now ill try to play this too.

I think its very trickey and maybe i'll ask you some fingerings.

Thanks a lot.

[everks]

hi, where can i get the scores of this lovely music?

[tindus13]

This is really good Ben. I have always loved this Perlman's rendition, I heard it on a Cinema Serenade cd. It is truly one of a kind and your performance is equally amazing, especially since you transcribed this yourself. It seems almost impossible to capture the delicacy that Perlman does when he plays the segment in your video from 2:18 to 2:24, but you are the closest I have ever heard. I really hope you wouldn't mind sharing the transcription, because I would love to try to play this.

[megahappyjim]

stunning

[violinfan321]

hey ben

i am a huge fan of your talent

do you think you can play

Zigeunerweisen

by sarasate

please?

i think the song is gorgeous

[chubichuchubi]

Nice playing! I'd wish you played "Roxanne's tango" from Moulin Rouge. Anyway, you did an excelent job.

[OniisanXI]

Oh goodness yes! I always find myself just waiting for the bow to hit the strings in that song. I just love how powerful the violin can sound.

[allielew89]

i lovee it im also a violinist and im playing this piece also! not nearly as amazing thoough, great job!

[Mrcow09]

your really good

[mYrecHelLer]

ooohhh....

[katrakk]

you will can tie de notes , this tango is more sweet ,piazzola uses more staccato ,this tango talks about the love , the end of your version is like is out context

let go!!!

your are brillant!!

but this tango is more sentimental

sorry my english ,i talk spanish

from Chile

bye

=)

[BenChanViolin]

"This tango talks about the love, the end of your version is like is out of context"

Care to explain a bit more in the context of actual violin playing? A suggestion remains merely a suggestion unless backed up with things that will actually help me understand what you mean playing-wise, as everything you've mentioned is abstract and without any relevance to me until you've explained the techniques involved. Thanks for the effort, but this isn't helpful to me.

[gnrtacos]

As katrakk said, this song is about love, passion. Tango is very passionate. When you play tango, you don't need to care about any techniques, or sheets or arrangements... "everything you've mentioned is abstract"; LOVE and PASSION are abstract. Feel the song! think of it as if you're playing it for you girlfriend or wife. I'm your fan, you play really awesome! But please, try to get the original Gardel recording, and you'll presence the REAL tango.

[BenChanViolin]

Care to demonstrate your personal take on this through a YouTube video? That actually would help me understand these abstract concepts, rather than trying to explain an abstract idea in words.

[PlatypusofCalifornia]

I lol'd.

Basically this is what he is saying, your phrasing doesn't exhibit certain aspects of the music.

Theres a sentence you can use for a million situations XD.

I'll try to get a video up.

[mYrecHelLer]

tnx 4 playing... perlman is my fav. and serves as an inspiration.. right now, i'm taking up tutorial and indeed playing violin is amazing...

[drshock007]

excellent...you are very talented :)

[gbritaney]

Nice! I like your version of this peice^^

[nycfemale2008]

beautiful!

[emmu12]

wow u are one of the best

please play

the storm

by yanni

:)

cheers

[weaver2109]

1:38 - 1:43 sounds like Super Mario Galaxy :p

Awesome!

[yamsef]

Por cierto... algun dia podrias tocar Beethoven Virus??

[yamsef]

La verdad no se como le haces pero... me sorprendes muchisimo, jejeje ojalá algun dia conozca en persona al gran violinista BENJAMIN CHAN!!! jeje, greetings from Mexico.

[johncho7799]

haha Thank you Ben for playing the music i requested from message xD

I think this is really good. Im sure you will be Izthak Perlman in later life xD GREat stuff keep it up xD

[carloslaran]

did u listen to vadim repin's version of por una cabeza. its on google video.

[GeneralNemesis]

Great playing!! Where can I get a hold of the sheet music for this particular rendition? I've registered to your site and cannot find it.

[takkarse]

oh mah gah... yOU'RE AMAHZING!!! the double stops are freaking CLEAN!!

[BenChanViolin]

Thanks! I personally tore myself apart on my doubles because they were the uncleannest part of the piece, but at the very least you liked them, so that's good to hear :-)

[artgirl1028]

I, too, admire you Ben... I'm just learning the violin, and this encourages me to get it back out and practice some more. You make it look so easy, and vibrato is wonderful. Any tips to achieving vibrato? I've watched and read many things on vibrato, but none seem to help. Anything would be much appreciated. Again... I admire your skill, and hope I too can one day make my violin sing!

[violaplayer1995]

it just appens i saw this piece played 1 month ago you do it great ben!

[adriangiardino]

i looooooooove this piece!!

ben... i was wondering if you might have the music sheet for "to zanarkand" from final fantasy and if you could play it

[8violin8]

It doesnt even look like your trying. That's how good your playing. It's a hard piece, well at the level im at LOL. Great job!!

[violinistforJesus]

:0 That was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!! I am a HUGE fan of Itzhak Perlman! I absolutely LOVED your rendition! I am adding this video directly to my favorites. Thanks for posting the great vid!

[265472]

Oh wow. O.O Now I feel like picking my Violin after not practicing for a week.

[BenChanViolin]

Ok! Now, make good on that feeling- I even posted a bunch of videos + sheet music on my personal site (see "About this Video" for a link to it) for you to practice if you'd like!

[pviola314]

ben i respect your videos but Por Una Cabeza is by Carlos Gardel and don't confuse Perlman's transciption by saying Perlman's Por Una Cabeza haha. I know it's picky but as an Argentine who loves his tango it hurts to see it titled thus haha. respects as always to the playing

[BenChanViolin]

My apologies- I'll add that to the "about this video" section for clarification.

[BenChanViolin]

Ok, thusly modified- how's it look? Title is different, and I explained the relationships in the "About My Video" section.

[googleman65]

This Was just great very close to the original if not exact! I thouruoghly enjoyes this

[omega770]

Those ricochets gave me goosebumps man LOL. Brilliantly executed.

Itzhak Perlman is also my favorites too! I have his CD where he plays Paganini's caprice's. If you can get a chance, you should hear it sometime, it's just astounding O_O

Nevertheless, hearing a piece from you played by Perlman just made my day man, I never knew you were a fan! Excellent performance Ben

[sweetdreamer77]

Good enough? I thought it was great! But then again I don't really know anything about violin.lol

[iKhiavDim]

one word - DANG!

[emmu12]

OMG!

u r great!

i love my violin

and watching your videos

is an insporation for me thanks :D

[sharon4773]

wow

ur rrly good

ithak is awsome

ever heard of heifeitz?

most ppl classify him as THE BEST

including me

but urs sounds amazing as well

i love to practice

makes me want to practice more!

[BenChanViolin]

Glad to motivate you!  Heifetz was a spectacular violinist indeed!

[bradby2007]

sounds good

[D0ug16]

I cannot play violin, guitar is my thing but I'm still in love with the instrument. You and Itzhak are my absolute favourite violinists. Hearing either of you play can either bring chills down my spine or bring a ecstasy that nothing else on this planet can rival.

I'm so lucky that I can access you at the touch of a button, and I'm lucky enough to get a ticket for my birthda to Itzhak Perlman live in Ottawa, Canada!

I'd like to thank you again for posting these videos -- please continue :)

[BenChanViolin]

Wow, that's great! Have an excellent time watching the master at work! And thanks so much for watching my vids- glad to help out!

[azngurl6461]

Watching your videos and you playing makes me regret that I gave up violin. :/ ^^;

[FullMoon1189]

i loved it, i love playing my violin, but i can never find the time to practice, i had to drop it for a few weeks so i could get ready for school, i hope i can find the time to play once again, if i do, i would love to be as good as you :)

~Emilie

[BenChanViolin]

You can do this too! Look for a YouTube video you like and play along with the video. Better yet, come to my personal website and download some of the sheet music I have in the "downloads" section, then watch the videos in the "free videos" section and play along! I typically play video game / anime theme music when I'm bored, so that's what you'll get by way of sheet music and videos to play along with!

[MaceCro]

Man nice going, now you made me to go practice...;)

[BenChanViolin]

Great!

[pikachoi2007]

Its my piece for viola duet with a very good violinist friend of mine. Nice version Ben. 5 stars

[lilchw21]

yeah tht was super good...but you should play itzak perlmans Chairmans Waltz...he worked with john williams on that one tooooooo...and i dont thing it would be(even though i never really played it) that hard but it's a pretty song. Please =(

[BenChanViolin]

Just listened to a YouTube video of the piece (and I also own the Memoirs of a Geisha DVD) and I think I'll do it! Good suggestion.

[Mvegeta11]

nooo we want more!!! lol

you are like so awesome Ben. you inspire me to become a better player O_O

[harvy]

nice ben.. i like listening to the music you play.

[lottemh]

wow.. you are so fantastic!

[juliaCSL]

gosh ben you're so so pro. awesome.

[AndromedaAiken]

That was excellent! I can't wait to see your rendition when you've mastered this! =D

[whoryhobopowers]

OMG.

@_@

Not quite my "thing", but still quite pretty.

I'd like to hear it with the original recording, since I kinda like how the rest of the orchestra helped make it pop more.

And I'm doing what you just said.

XD

I've really been into Bond, and I've listened to a lot of their stuff.

I'm just starting off with my violin, but I will ONE day, attempt to play one of their sixteenth note filled tracks.

Maybe Victory or Feugo.

XD

[Starangelz57]

You're Amazing!!

[DartanianQ8]

this is nice

[aznjj103]

omg nice job ben chan you should place this with your brother!!! i have this on cd and its really beautiful. NICE JOB YOU ALWAYS IMPRESS ME!!!

[wakizashi333]

Great job, Ben! Keep it up, you are a great inspiration!

[KittyKatMage]

How can you make every single song sound absolutely BEAUTIFUL?

ALL THE TIME?!

[/envy]

[galeofblades]

do you play FFXI? lol it seems like it cause your name suggests a Mithra and you put /envy lol

[TheTennisStore]

oh man.. one of my favorite pieces! i have the parts for string quartet if you want it...

[Jaesango]

ohhh i love this song!!!

i like the main theme of it