Musical Musings: Interpretation vs. Copying

From a 1 hour classical guitar lesson...




As you’re learning to play/phrase a piece of music, listen to how others do the same work. If you hear some part of someone else’s phrasing/interpretation that you like, incorporate it into your playing. The fact that you like it means that it resonates with your own musical thought—it’s already a part of your own interpretation. This differs from “copying,” which is imitating something when you don’t necessarily agree or are convinced by it. Audiences won’t be convinced either.

Look to others for inspiration. What is our own interpretation but a mix of what we like in others’?

I had a guitar lesson today. My teacher and I went through Bach’s “Presto” from his first violin sonata (BWV 1001) transcribed for guitar. This is what I learned.

Chicken Katsu

Figure 1. Remains after my
roommate and I ate dinner...

I bought chicken breasts at a 2-for-1 deal at QFC. Originally, I was thinking of doing a stir-fry, but as I thought about it, chicken katsu became more and more appealing to me. As a bonus, I had a bag of "coleslaw mix" (pre-shredded cabbage) sitting in the fridge. The cabbage will help to cut the grease and goes quite well with the katsu. Simple, but oh-so-good!

So...without further ado, chicken katsu:

2 chicken breasts (around 1 lb)
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1.5 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
Canola oil (enough to create a thin layer on the bottom of a flat fry-pan)
salt & pepper to taste

1) Use a meat-tenderizer to pound the chicken breasts into thinner pieces. I also cut the breasts in half.
2) Lay flour onto a large plate and mix in some pepper. Beat the egg and place it on a separate plate. Spread out the panko on a third plate.
3) Coat the chicken breasts one-at-a-time in the flour mixture.
4) Put the oil in a fry-pan, set the burner to medium-high.
5) Now coat the chicken breasts on-at-a-time in the egg.
6) Transfer the chicken to the panko plate, coating the chicken with panko.
7) Place the chicken breasts onto the fry-pan as a single layer--if it seems like it will be a tight fit, cook in 2 batches.
8) Fry on one side until it is golden or slightly brown (4-8 minutes). DO NOT DISTURB THE CHICKEN UNLESS YOU'RE TURNING THEM OVER.
9) Flip the chicken over sprinkle some salt & pepper onto it, repeat step 8.
10) Check to see if the chicken is cooked (slice into the thickest part, if the juice comes out clear, it is cooked. If red, it is undercooked--put it back into the fry-pan). If ready, slice the chicken into strips and serve over rice with cabbage on the side.

I recommend putting some "Bulldog" brand vegetable-fruit sauce over the katsu when eating. Or you can make a ketchup-base sauce (take ketchup and add some garlic, a dash of worcestershire sauce and sugar into it). Enjoy!