Author Topic: Finnish learning thread!  (Read 83587 times)

Ann Marie

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #60 on: April 15, 2015, 09:12:24 PM »
Everything is better with cats!

Heh, I've been following that page on tumblr for a while.  I just never have time for tumblr anymore. 

Pessi, do you sing?  Could I get your opinion on some teachers?  Sirkka Parviainen, Johanna Tuomi, and Sirkku Wahlroos-Kaitila.  They all seem pretty similar from what I can tell, but we're supposed to pick two.  http://www.joutsenonopisto.fi/yksinlaulun-ja-saestyksen-opettajat/
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Pessi

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #61 on: April 16, 2015, 01:59:05 AM »
Yes, I do sing but not on that level. I know nothing more of those three ladies than what the Internet tells about them.

Sirkka Parviainen has studied singing in London and Karlsruhe besides graduating from Sibelius Academy (the Finnish music university). She has won singing competitions both in Finland and abroad and has performed as a visiting artist in many operas as well as giving concerts around Europe. She also seems to have a good sense of humour judging by her contribution to the Finnish Broadcasting Company's humorous "Shower singing competition".

Johanna Tuomi has her very own page in the Finnish Wikipedia, and that page tells she is a professional opera singer whose broad repertoire also includes operetta, gospel and jazz. She has graduated from Sibelius Academy as both singer and music teacher, worked in the Finnish national opera in the 80's, done a myriad of both opera and operetta roles around Finland, sung in the premieres of many Finnish operas and given concerts around Europe. She's been teaching solo singing in Sibelius Academy since 1994.

Of Sirkku Wahlroos-Kaitila the web told very little. Just that she has made a long career as singing teacher in the Sibelius Academy and is also the senior singing teacher in Helsinki conservatory and that she is at present the teacher of at least one professional Finnish opera singer. I also found an old interview in which she states that music is a form of communication so a singer needs to understand the character of each language used, that singing needs some purely physical fitness and a good breathing technique as it's basis and that singing lessons are very personal situations where the teacher must be very responsive to be able to find the best qualities of the student and the best "clang" of the student's voice.

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Ann Marie

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #62 on: April 16, 2015, 03:41:18 AM »
Kiitos paljon!  I'll have my daughter and her teacher look at this and hopefully make a decision.

I hope they don't expect the students to be able to sing on that level.  O.O  I am told my kid sings well, but between my hopeless ear and parental bias, I'm not qualified to judge.  I hope she will fit in, if they even accept her.  Oh dog, what if they don't - we already committed to staying.

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Pessi

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #63 on: April 16, 2015, 07:27:40 AM »
With "level" I only meant that my guided singing has been done in music institutions and Helsinki conservatory without such high level teachers and I've never been committed enough to go to summer courses or other extra teaching thingies.

As far as I've understood those summer courses don't demand that the participants are pro, just that they take their singing seriously and are willing to work to develop their skills.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2015, 07:35:10 AM by Pessi »
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Daéa Reina

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #64 on: April 16, 2015, 12:28:09 PM »
Well, I remember trying to learn Finnish a few years ago, after I read "A Família Moomin" ("The Moomin Family"), but I gave up really soon.
Now I really want to start again. I found a few videos on Youtube and I don't know if someone already posted that, but anyway:
/>
I'll take some time later to go through all the links you guys posted. :)
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Pessi

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #65 on: April 16, 2015, 02:58:08 PM »
Daéa Reina, I'm always touched when someone wants to learn my obscure and mostly useless-to-anyone-who-doesn't-live-in-Finland mother tongue, so if you have any questions or other things I can help with concerning the language, just say.
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Daéa Reina

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #66 on: April 16, 2015, 10:30:52 PM »
Thanks, Pessi! :)
I haven't started studying yet (as I haven't started a LOT of things I want to do), but I'll keep that in mind!
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princeofdoom

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #67 on: April 17, 2015, 12:46:05 AM »
Started some lessons today while running errands. Knowing a language with vowel and consonant length already is helping me. I do have a feeling I'll be mixing up a few vowels in speech, mine and others'. But I even have a hard time understanding spoken English half the time, so I can't expect better in another language.
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Ann Marie

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #68 on: April 17, 2015, 02:26:08 AM »
Pessi, attending a conservatory sounds pretty committed to me!  My daughter will turn 16 this Sunday.  She is more serious about singing than anything else right now, but she's young, so who knows what she'll be serious about in five years. 

Daéa Reina, welcome!  I never saw or read or even heard of Moomins when I was little, but we've started watching the show (in English, since my younger daughter objected to Finnish :-P) and it's charming. 

I even have a hard time understanding spoken English half the time, so I can't expect better in another language.

I have this same problem.  How am I going to understand different Finnish dialects when I don't understand so many English ones? 
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FinnishViking

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #69 on: April 17, 2015, 08:41:09 AM »
Hmm here be some videos related to the topic.

/>
/>
/>

I dare say that dialects aren't *that* bad since most people don't speak in that heavy of a dialect anymore and while you can hear the difference most people you can understand perfectly fine. Really only old people who still remember how to speak in the heavy dialect are hard to understand even for me personally and if they also happen to speak another dialect on top of that i sometimes can't understand them, but most people from young to old these days speak pritty similiarly so don't be intimidated.

Pessi

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #70 on: April 17, 2015, 09:05:12 AM »
Pessi, attending a conservatory sounds pretty committed to me!

I was only a pedagogic student, aka a training piece for a young lady studying to become a singing teacher. But she was
the most inspired and inspiring one of the five teachers I had during the ten years I took lessons =)

Olin vain pedagoginen oppilas, toisin sanottuna harjoituskappale eräälle nuorelle naiselle, joka opiskeli tullakseen laulunopettajaksi. Mutta hän oli innostunein ja innostavin kaikista viidestä opettajasta, jotka minulla oli niiden kymmenen vuoden aikana, jolloin kävin tunneilla =)

Moomins btw were originally written in Swedish. All that Finnish stuff is just translations.

Muumit on muuten kirjoitettu alkujaan ruotsiksi. Kaikki suomenkieliset versiot ovat vain käännöksiä.

(Edit: Added the Finnish translations for the message, this is after all the Finnish learning thread.)
« Last Edit: April 17, 2015, 09:16:27 AM by Pessi »
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starfallz

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #71 on: April 17, 2015, 09:08:48 AM »
Daéa Reina, I'm always touched when someone wants to learn my obscure and mostly useless-to-anyone-who-doesn't-live-in-Finland mother tongue, so if you have any questions or other things I can help with concerning the language, just say.

I know this wasn't directed at me, but it makes me feel happy. I've been very slow at picking up anything and really only know various greetings, numbers, and days of the week so I was getting disheartened. This helped pick up my spirits. :)
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Pessi

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #72 on: April 17, 2015, 09:12:57 AM »
Well, it wasn't directed personally to you, but it applies to anyone wanting and trying to learn Finnish =)

No joo, sitä ei ollut osoitettu sinulle henkilökohtaisesti, mutta se koskee kaikkia, jotka haluavat ja yrittävät oppia suomea =)
« Last Edit: April 17, 2015, 09:15:31 AM by Pessi »
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Ann Marie

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #73 on: April 19, 2015, 03:03:34 AM »
Muumit on muuten kirjoitettu alkujaan ruotsiksi.

I missed this bit - I'd been wondering if she wrote in Finnish or Swedish and kept forgetting (like I forget most things) to look it up.  Now I know!  I don't know if the animated show was originally produced in Swedish, though.  I had assumed Finnish and Japanese.  I'd specifically downloaded it in Finnish on the suggestion of someone here that it might be a good learning tool.  One day I'll find out.  :-P
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Sunflower

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Re: Finnish learning thread!
« Reply #74 on: April 19, 2015, 04:15:54 AM »
I hope you don't mind a question about Finnish *culture* rather than *language.*

I was listening via YouTube to songs by the '80s a cappella group The Nylons (which I've loved for years).  One of my favorite songs, their arrangement of "(Na Na Hey Hey) Kiss Him Goodbye," was from a very strange source: "Hockey Fever," a 1995 album of (I guess) music played at Finnish ice hockey games?!?

I realize the original song is popular at sporting events in the U.S.  Finnish hockey, though?  Plus, the combination struck me as funny -- one of the roughest, toughest team sports in the world listening to (if I may say) a musical group that's more glittery and fabulous than Freddie Mercury and Wham! put together. 
"The music of what happens," said great Fionn, "that is the finest music in the world."
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