Author Topic: music  (Read 8355 times)

a non-amos

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music
« on: January 11, 2017, 02:32:16 PM »
I know very well that Chihuahua has several musicians.

What inspires you?  What are you working on?  What frustrates you (that the rest of us might avoid, or make better)?  What makes your day a little bit brighter?  What music do you play?  What do you enjoy hearing, whether or not you can play it?  Are you taking/giving lessons?  How is that going?  Advice, in any or all of the above?

I want to hear from you.

- A
Carpe digitus.
(Roughly translated, this is possibly the world's oldest "pull my finger" joke)

guiltypleasure

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Re: music
« Reply #1 on: January 12, 2017, 01:19:02 PM »
Dear A-

I'm a great lover of all things musical and have 'dabbled' with a lot of instruments in the past.  My latest instrument that I'm having lessons on is the euphonium which is the first brass instrument I've ever had a go at.  I'm working up to playing in a local brass band because I love the social aspect of playing with other musicians.  Of course the most frustrating part of learning a new instrument is having to practice and hearing how awful you sound even though you are practising.  The most frustrating instrument I've ever learned to play is by far the highland bagpipes.  I wanted to smash them against a wall so many times >:(

Are you playing any instruments at present?
Linda

a non-amos

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Re: music
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2017, 04:08:02 PM »
I know what you mean about the bagpipes being frustrating.  I have never played the bagpipes, but I have seen the frustration of others in playing and in practicing them (and even just in tuning them).  As a matter of fact, I met Rogue Mother and Rogue Father when our pipe and drum band played in their neighborhood.

These days I play the hammered dulcimer and the bodhrán, and have started taking voice lessons.

Voice can also be frustrating.  I hope it gets better with practice.

The hammered dulcimer was not quite so painful.  There are always challenges in learning new tunes and harmonies and techniques, but the sound was good from the first day.  In that regard it might be something like a piano; even with no experience you can hit a C and it sounds like a C.
Carpe digitus.
(Roughly translated, this is possibly the world's oldest "pull my finger" joke)

guiltypleasure

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Re: music
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2017, 06:06:21 PM »
I don't know anything about dulcimers so I just listened to someone playing 'Whiskey before Breakfast'.  It was a beautiful sound - a little like banjo maybe??  What style music do you play on your dulcimer, -A?  Irish perhaps?  I admire you learning to sing.  I think that's why I play instruments because trying to sing would be even more frustrating than playing the bagpipes.

That is really nice that you can meet up with other Chi players like Rogue Mother :). Where do you all live?  Does Rogue Father still play Chi?

a non-amos

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Re: music
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2017, 02:15:24 PM »
Dear GP,

There are at least three types of dulcimer.  The most common is the lap dulcimer (also known as the mountain dulcimer).  The strings are either strummed or picked with the right hand and fretted with the left hand.  In some ways it sounds like a mandolin, but with a lower pitch.  This instrument is tuned to a specific key, so if you are playing in D and the next one is in G you will need to retune (note to Alan, retune is a real word).

The hammered dulcimer is less common.  Its sound depends on the hammers used and how they are used.  It can sound like a piano or a harpsichord or a harp or like none of the above.  This is the one referred to in the Old Testament.

There is also a bowed dulcimer.  This is extremely rare.  It is played like a cello, and it really does sound a bit like a cello but not with quite as much warmth in the tones.

Our group started out playing only Irish.  Our first ventures into other genres were tentative (it was like pulling teeth) but we eventually gained some expertise in blues and old time country and bluegrass and classical.  Oh hell, every now and then we will even throw in a Christmas carol (you know me; I'm an elf).

- A
Carpe digitus.
(Roughly translated, this is possibly the world's oldest "pull my finger" joke)

a non-amos

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Re: music
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2017, 03:33:25 PM »
This Sunday we had a jam session that went well.

Dave (the fiddler) invited some friends from the Ruritan Club.  They are excellent musicians but they did not play Celtic music.

We had a fine time learning several old Country tunes and teaching a very few Celtic tunes.  And then there was the other stuff.

They really did pick up very quickly on the Celtic tunes.  I might have mentioned that they are extremely good musicians.

The "other stuff" included some classical.  The Bach had them stumped for a while.  They could not put a finger on it; it was familiar but they could not identify it for a while.  The Pachelbel was more properly introduced, and they said they had already heard us play it in December.  Dave mentioned that they might have heard it, but not like this.  They cried.

Their overall skill level was a bit intimidating, but it went well.
Carpe digitus.
(Roughly translated, this is possibly the world's oldest "pull my finger" joke)

guiltypleasure

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Re: music
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2017, 01:44:07 PM »
That sounds amazing, A.  Do you ever put your sessions on youtube?  It's hard to imagine musicians not being familiar with Bach but then to be moved to tears when playing it. What a lovely story...

I'm still plugging away with euphonium at the moment but may switch to tenor horn due to the unlikelihood that I would ever be able to march and play the eupho at the same time.  I'm really looking forward to advancing to the point where I can play in the band, and do gigs, etc, because that is where the real enjoyment and sense of fulfillment comes, for me anyway :)

BTW I'll be looking out for any dulcimer playing at the upcoming Blue Mountains Folk Festival...


a non-amos

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Re: music
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2017, 02:44:15 PM »
We did not record this.  There were good reasons not to do this.

We were trying to figure out how to work a new mixer/sound board.  There were wiring issues and stupid user issues and all that could be expected when using a new piece of gear for the first time.  Do we need to use a preamp on this instrument?  On that  microphone?  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  What happens when I push that button?  Hey, Rocky, want to see me pull a rabbit out of my hat?  Hooking this up to a recording device would have been another layer of complexity that we were not prepared to deal with.  Baby steps first.  We got it to work.

The tears were not for the Bach, but for the Pachelbel.  They had heard us play Pachelbel in a previous performance.  When I did a classical solo they assumed it was Pachelbel.  They figured out that it was Bach, not Pachelbel.  They really liked it, but no tears involved.

Later in the evening we played Pachelbel for them, but we played it more in the spirit of how I would like to play it and not like what they had heard us play previously.  That's what inspired the waterfalls.

I would very much like to do the Bach that well.  That will take some work.  It's a better tune with astounding harmonies, but we have not yet done as much with it.

Oh, yes, we also need to work on the Earl Scruggs . . .
Carpe digitus.
(Roughly translated, this is possibly the world's oldest "pull my finger" joke)

a non-amos

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Re: music
« Reply #8 on: February 08, 2017, 03:21:56 PM »
Oh, yeah, I'm also taking up a new instrument.  This is completely foreign to me, so I am really a newbie on this.

Back to school.  This time I am actually taking lessons.  Life is full of adventures.

Carpe digitus.
(Roughly translated, this is possibly the world's oldest "pull my finger" joke)

guiltypleasure

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Re: music
« Reply #9 on: February 08, 2017, 08:02:00 PM »
What are you taking up?  I've just switched to tenor horn and about to start playing with the band (a bit scary!).  I think it's good to have lessons - it moves you along a lot quicker and reduces the tendency to give up in despair or just lose motivation.

Good to see a musical term in today's standard puzzle...

a non-amos

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Re: music
« Reply #10 on: February 09, 2017, 03:29:18 PM »
Dear GP,

I absolutely do understand how scary this is.  When I first joined a band I did not have butterflies in my stomach; I had a swarm of locusts. 

What helped me was a ton of practice, practicing until I got it right and then practicing until I couldn't get it wrong.  Then I practiced with the band and got it wrong anyway.  More practice, with and without the band.  The locusts came back for our first real performance, but my hands knew what to do and we all came through it OK.  A year or two later (after many other performances) it became more like second nature.  The whole group could play this stuff in our sleep.  If someone was absent, we could play each other's part.  That's when we got a lot better.

New instrument.  Egads.  Almost all musicians can sing, but I came into music via the back door.  Now I am taking voice lessons.  The instructor seems to have booked me for a public performance at a local festival.  Egads, yet again.  Here come the locusts.
Carpe digitus.
(Roughly translated, this is possibly the world's oldest "pull my finger" joke)

birdy

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Re: music
« Reply #11 on: February 10, 2017, 05:38:26 AM »
Good luck at exterminating those locusts, a non-amos.

I'm very reluctant to subject people to my musical voice - they would almost certainly pay me NOT to sing.  But I find myself humming and whistling a lot (at least in private).

Hobbit

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Re: music
« Reply #12 on: February 10, 2017, 06:10:34 AM »
Know what you mean Birdy.  I'm verging on tone deaf! :( I like to sing when I'm driving on my own.  That way I'm not inflicting the sound of a cat being tormented on any poor unsuspecting eardrums :laugh:
Good luck squashing those locusts A-
If life gives you lemons, add a large gin & some tonic...

a non-amos

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Re: music
« Reply #13 on: February 10, 2017, 03:33:46 PM »
I would interject that many people can sing better than they do.  There are tricks to improving, and they don't always involve paying an instructor.

I would also add that we can be our own worst critics; except for some politicians, we generally do not like to hear the sound of our own voices.

- A
Carpe digitus.
(Roughly translated, this is possibly the world's oldest "pull my finger" joke)

Les303

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Re: music
« Reply #14 on: February 10, 2017, 06:21:45 PM »
Hobbit , as I share your gift of being virtually tone deaf & as I am incapable of even singing intune , I usually reserve my performances for in the shower or singing in the car where my voice is drowned out by the radio.
As far as actually singing in front of other people , well this would only ever occur at a function after just the right amount of alcohol had been consumed.
All allegations the next day that I was trying to sing & generally acting like a pork chop were simply met with denials & assertions that " it was a gee up ' as I would never do anything like that no matter how drunk.
This worked pretty well for me until about 15 years ago at my nephew's 21st.
After a very late night  , we  had just finished our mandatory bacon & eggs on the barbie when we were asked to gather in the lounge room.
To my horror , one of the kids had recorded the entire evening on their phone & was uploading it to the large screen T.V.
While watching myself gyrating on top of a table , shirt unbuttoned , trying to emulate Elvis , before ungraciously falling off , was a little embarrassing but it was worth it for the amount of laughter that it generated that morning.
The following week we had another family gathering for my sister's birthday and the next morning the only thing everyone was interested in was watching the recording.
While there was some disappointment that Les had behaved himself , there were plenty of other characters & situations that provided much laughter.
The intimate moments caught between particular family members , the absolute honesty of kids when asked to speak into the microphone , the true reflection of the night caught on video , to be able to be shown to those kids in years to come.
All I have from my 21st is a few grainy photos , how wonderful it would be to be able to simply put in a disc to re - live that night.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2017, 10:27:12 PM by Les303 »