 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Now here's a curious thing...
I bought a violin so I could once again play Ode to Joy. Not, of course,
that I'll have an entire orchestra to drown out my awful violin skills
this time. :-P
So anyway, I had a look on YouTube, and it's the strangest thing... none
of the recordings I could find sound anything like what I played at
school. In particular, I specifically remember that the piece starts out
pizzicato. I remember this because... well, playing pizzicato is
FRIGGING HARD, actually. You'd think it would be easy; /clearly/ you
haven't met our music teacher! 8-o Scary lady...
None of the recordings I can find have any pizzicato in them. None of
them seem roughly the same tempo. They all have dynamics that rise and
fall seemingly at random. The piece we stayed started very quiet and
gradually got louder and louder. (I don't even know how to PLAY
triple-forte on a violin. It doesn't *go* that loud!!)
That can only mean that either we were playing some strange
rearrangement of the piece, or... I have no idea, actually.
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 14/05/2012 9:27 PM, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:
> I have no idea, actually.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnT7pT6zCcA
:-P
--
Regards
Stephen
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Mon, 14 May 2012 21:27:54 +0100, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:
> Ode to Joy.
Do you mean from the last movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony, or some
other arrangement?
There's no massive pizz section in the 9th symphony (the 5th as a whole
movement done pizz only, so maybe that's what you're remembering?) that I
recall.
As for playing loud - oh, yes, you can - more pressure and faster bow
strokes. If the strokes aren't fast enough, then it sounds scratchy (and
that's no good).
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 5/14/2012 2:34 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Mon, 14 May 2012 21:27:54 +0100, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:
>
>> Ode to Joy.
>
> Do you mean from the last movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony, or some
> other arrangement?
In the case that he's not about able to properly answer this, maybe it
would easiest if he recorded a small audio sample of that he remembers
of it? It's obviously either an (somewhat odd) arrangement or another
song though, since as you say that movement most definitely doesn't
start with pizzicato.
> the 5th as a whole
> movement done pizz only, so maybe that's what you're remembering?)
Uhh... it does? Are you quite sure you're not thinking of the 3rd
movement of Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony instead?
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Mon, 14 May 2012 15:23:37 -0700, Kevin Wampler wrote:
>> the 5th as a whole movement done pizz only, so maybe that's what you're
>> remembering?)
>
> Uhh... it does? Are you quite sure you're not thinking of the 3rd
> movement of Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony instead?
Oh crap, you're right. How I mixed up Beethoven and Tchaikovsky is
beyond me and is completely embarrassing. :)
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 5/14/2012 3:45 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>
> Oh crap, you're right. How I mixed up Beethoven and Tchaikovsky is
> beyond me and is completely embarrassing. :)
>
Well, you know, they were both ummm... composers who were born within a
century of each other? :-)
Of course everyone (my self included) makes mistakes like that from time
to time, but I can't pass up this opportunity to at least poke a little fun!
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Mon, 14 May 2012 15:52:57 -0700, Kevin Wampler wrote:
> On 5/14/2012 3:45 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>
>> Oh crap, you're right. How I mixed up Beethoven and Tchaikovsky is
>> beyond me and is completely embarrassing. :)
>>
>>
> Well, you know, they were both ummm... composers who were born within a
> century of each other? :-)
Yeah, that's it. (I've played all three pieces, maybe that's why I
conflated them....I suppose I could blame that)
> Of course everyone (my self included) makes mistakes like that from time
> to time, but I can't pass up this opportunity to at least poke a little
> fun!
Oh, it was well deserved. As mentioned above, I've played all three, and
for some reason I was thinking of the 3rd movement of B5, which is /
nothing/ like the 3rd mvmt of T4.
For my punishment, I shall have to listen to all three pieces.
Oh, damn. :)
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 5/14/2012 6:06 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>
> Yeah, that's it. (I've played all three pieces, maybe that's why I
> conflated them....I suppose I could blame that)
>
I take it you're a violinist (based on this and your comments to
Invisible)? I was not aware of that, are you still active?
>
> For my punishment, I shall have to listen to all three pieces.
>
> Oh, damn. :)
>
Behold the sad fate of those who disappoint Jim!
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Mon, 14 May 2012 18:28:00 -0700, Kevin Wampler wrote:
> On 5/14/2012 6:06 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>>
>> Yeah, that's it. (I've played all three pieces, maybe that's why I
>> conflated them....I suppose I could blame that)
>>
>>
> I take it you're a violinist (based on this and your comments to
> Invisible)? I was not aware of that, are you still active?
Yep, and haven't played in a while. I need to get my violin repaired,
actually - had some maintenance done several years ago and some varnish
got stuck to the top of the sound post - the repair's going to cost about
$400 to complete (we have a neighbor who's a violin maker who works on
instruments for a few members of the Utah Symphony).
I played in the Greater Twin Cities' Youth Symphonies in Minneapolis as a
kid - and toured the USSR in 1988 with the orchestra.
>> For my punishment, I shall have to listen to all three pieces.
>>
>> Oh, damn. :)
>>
>>
> Behold the sad fate of those who disappoint Jim!
LOL
Fortunately, I have good recordings of all three pieces. :)
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 5/14/2012 7:05 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Mon, 14 May 2012 18:28:00 -0700, Kevin Wampler wrote:
>
> (we have a neighbor who's a violin maker who works on
> instruments for a few members of the Utah Symphony).
Am I then correct in my assumption that you're an athiest who lives in
Salt Lake City? If so, how is that? The other non-Mormons who I know
who live there sometimes seem a little frustrated. (Feel free not to
answer if too personal/inflammatory for a semi-public setting like this).
> I played in the Greater Twin Cities' Youth Symphonies in Minneapolis as a
> kid - and toured the USSR in 1988 with the orchestra.
That's awesome!
> Fortunately, I have good recordings of all three pieces. :)
Out of curiosity, who are the recordings by? I've always taken to
Karajan for Beethoven and have a soft spot for Maazel's Tchaikovsky
symphonies, but I've focused on breadth rather than depth in my
classical music listening so I'm pretty ignorant on this matter.
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
>> Ode to Joy.
>
> Do you mean from the last movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony, or some
> other arrangement?
IDE. I just played what they put in front of me.
> There's no massive pizz section in the 9th symphony
It only /started/ pizzicato. After that it went arco again.
> As for playing loud - oh, yes, you can - more pressure and faster bow
> strokes. If the strokes aren't fast enough, then it sounds scratchy (and
> that's no good).
Hmm, interesting.
As I say, I haven't played violin for about 20 years. So having one in
my hands again, I'm struggling to remember what you're actually supposed
to do with it... I guess the long and short of it is that I need to find
a professional violin teacher.
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
>> Oh crap, you're right. How I mixed up Beethoven and Tchaikovsky is
>> beyond me and is completely embarrassing. :)
>
> Well, you know, they were both ummm... composers who were born within a
> century of each other? :-)
That's nothing. I keep confusing Euler and Euclid. And apparently, in
spite of the almost identical names, they actually lived /two millennia/
apart!
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Mon, 14 May 2012 22:48:33 -0700, Kevin Wampler wrote:
> On 5/14/2012 7:05 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Mon, 14 May 2012 18:28:00 -0700, Kevin Wampler wrote:
>>
>> (we have a neighbor who's a violin maker who works on
>> instruments for a few members of the Utah Symphony).
>
> Am I then correct in my assumption that you're an athiest who lives in
> Salt Lake City? If so, how is that? The other non-Mormons who I know
> who live there sometimes seem a little frustrated. (Feel free not to
> answer if too personal/inflammatory for a semi-public setting like
> this).
You are correct in your assumption. It's not bad, but we want to move to
Portland (our son graduated from the University of Utah last year, and he
and his girlfriend are moving to a place in town in July if all goes to
plan).
We're actually in the downtown area, so being an atheist (but not really
"out" per se to our neighbors) isn't bad. Working in Utah County can be
interesting, but I've got a number of good friends who are members of the
church.
Sometimes when I get together with lunch with more than one of them,
though, the talk turns to what's going on in their respective wards,
which isn't of as much interest to me as what's going on with them. But
it's one of the side effects of being in this kind of culture.
It also can be frustrating as Utah is a place with the highest incidence
of scams (and successful scammers). It's an interesting correlation.
But I've had some really good philosophical discussions with my former
boss (who's a good friend as well). It can be difficult to find someone
who's secure enough in their beliefs that they're willing to have a
discussion that has the potential to challenge those beliefs, but in the
instances where I have, the discussions have been very good.
>> I played in the Greater Twin Cities' Youth Symphonies in Minneapolis as
>> a kid - and toured the USSR in 1988 with the orchestra.
>
> That's awesome!
It's one of the best memories I have of growing up. :) We played mostly
American music, though there was a Bartok violin concerto that a sub-
group performed, and a few other things (like "Moscow Nights"). But lots
of Copeland and music written by American composers on that trip.
But one year we did perform the Tchaikovsky 4th, and that was just /
fun/. That orchestra didn't do the Beethoven when I was in it, but I had
a high school orchestra director who was /awesome/ who wasn't afraid to
give us original scores rather than simplified arrangements. We read
through Beethoven's 2nd and 5th there, and I remember doing the 9th (the
final movement only, IIRC, it's been a while) at some point along the way.
>> Fortunately, I have good recordings of all three pieces. :)
>
> Out of curiosity, who are the recordings by? I've always taken to
> Karajan for Beethoven and have a soft spot for Maazel's Tchaikovsky
> symphonies, but I've focused on breadth rather than depth in my
> classical music listening so I'm pretty ignorant on this matter.
Von Karajan for the Beethoven - I've got the 1950's recordings on CD (and
ripped to MP3, naturally). Maazel does good with the Tchaikovsky, but
I've got a few different recordings. The thing that gets me often is
that there are certain tempos that just feel "right", and often when I'm
listening to a recording, I'll say "too slow" or "too fast" because it
doesn't feel right to me. That's part of the reason the Von Karajan
recordings work so well for me - they're pretty much definitive as far as
I'm concerned for tempos.
I'll have to look at who I've got doing the Tchaikovsky at home - I
didn't get a chance to listen last night as I had an interview to prep
for this morning (which didn't go off due to a technical glitch in the
phones on my end), but by the end of the week I'll have listened to them
all again. :)
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Tue, 15 May 2012 10:15:43 +0100, Invisible wrote:
>>> Ode to Joy.
>>
>> Do you mean from the last movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony, or some
>> other arrangement?
>
> IDE. I just played what they put in front of me.
>
>> There's no massive pizz section in the 9th symphony
>
> It only /started/ pizzicato. After that it went arco again.
There again, I don't recall there being any pizz in the last movement of
the 9th. But it /has/ been a while.
>> As for playing loud - oh, yes, you can - more pressure and faster bow
>> strokes. If the strokes aren't fast enough, then it sounds scratchy
>> (and that's no good).
>
> Hmm, interesting.
>
> As I say, I haven't played violin for about 20 years. So having one in
> my hands again, I'm struggling to remember what you're actually supposed
> to do with it... I guess the long and short of it is that I need to find
> a professional violin teacher.
That probably would help, yes - even if just for a refresher. Maybe a
local school orchestra director would be willing to take a few hours and
sit down with you?
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 15/05/2012 2:06 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> For my punishment, I shall have to listen to all three pieces.
>
> Oh, damn.:)
Maybe you all would like to do a musicality test.
https://ssl.bbc.co.uk/labuk/experiments/musicality/
Just to let you know, I scored low for everything. Hmm!
--
Regards
Stephen
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Tue, 15 May 2012 20:41:56 +0100, Stephen wrote:
> On 15/05/2012 2:06 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> For my punishment, I shall have to listen to all three pieces.
>>
>> Oh, damn.:)
>
> Maybe you all would like to do a musicality test.
>
> https://ssl.bbc.co.uk/labuk/experiments/musicality/
>
> Just to let you know, I scored low for everything. Hmm!
Will have to check that out when I get home. :)
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Mon, 14 May 2012 22:48:33 -0700, Kevin Wampler wrote:
> Out of curiosity, who are the recordings by?
On Slacker.com, I found a recording of the T4 by the USSR State Symphony,
listening to it now. The first movement has been good, but getting up
towards the slowdown near the end of the movement, their tempo is a bit
fast for my taste.
But it is kinda hard to criticize the USSR State Symphony, particularly
playing music of a Russian composer. :)
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Tue, 15 May 2012 20:41:56 +0100, Stephen wrote:
> On 15/05/2012 2:06 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> For my punishment, I shall have to listen to all three pieces.
>>
>> Oh, damn.:)
>
> Maybe you all would like to do a musicality test.
>
> https://ssl.bbc.co.uk/labuk/experiments/musicality/
>
> Just to let you know, I scored low for everything. Hmm!
I didn't do too bad - better than I thought for the memory test (only
missed one). Classification was an interesting one - didn't get it
perfect for any of them, but was pretty close on most of them.
Very interesting, thanks for sharing that. :)
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
>> As I say, I haven't played violin for about 20 years. So having one in
>> my hands again, I'm struggling to remember what you're actually supposed
>> to do with it... I guess the long and short of it is that I need to find
>> a professional violin teacher.
>
> That probably would help, yes - even if just for a refresher. Maybe a
> local school orchestra director would be willing to take a few hours and
> sit down with you?
Yeah, maybe.
OTOH, last night I got my violin out, and found the D-string loose. When
I tried to tighten it, it snapped in half. So /that/ should be cheap to
fix... >_<
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 16/05/2012 5:27 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> I didn't do too bad - better than I thought for the memory test (only
> missed one). Classification was an interesting one - didn't get it
> perfect for any of them, but was pretty close on most of them.
>
> Very interesting, thanks for sharing that.:)
I did not classify any correctly. My excuse is that I never listen to
those groups of music. Now if it had been Baroque, Classical and
Romantic I might have done better. :-P
The one test I did best at was beating time which is strange because I
gave up playing a musical instrument because I cannot keep time.
--
Regards
Stephen
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Le 2012-05-16 04:12, Invisible a écrit :
>>> As I say, I haven't played violin for about 20 years. So having one in
>>> my hands again, I'm struggling to remember what you're actually supposed
>>> to do with it... I guess the long and short of it is that I need to find
>>> a professional violin teacher.
>>
>> That probably would help, yes - even if just for a refresher. Maybe a
>> local school orchestra director would be willing to take a few hours and
>> sit down with you?
>
> Yeah, maybe.
>
> OTOH, last night I got my violin out, and found the D-string loose. When
> I tried to tighten it, it snapped in half. So /that/ should be cheap to
> fix... >_<
Amazon has them from $5.99 all the way to $75.99 for a 4 string set.
I'm sure you'll be able to find something locally in the same price
range, so you won't have to pay shipping from South Korea. :P
--
/*Francois Labreque*/#local a=x+y;#local b=x+a;#local c=a+b;#macro P(F//
/* flabreque */L)polygon{5,F,F+z,L+z,L,F pigment{rgb 9}}#end union
/* @ */{P(0,a)P(a,b)P(b,c)P(2*a,2*b)P(2*b,b+c)P(b+c,<2,3>)
/* gmail.com */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Le 2012-05-15 15:41, Stephen a écrit :
> On 15/05/2012 2:06 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> For my punishment, I shall have to listen to all three pieces.
>>
>> Oh, damn.:)
>
> Maybe you all would like to do a musicality test.
>
> https://ssl.bbc.co.uk/labuk/experiments/musicality/
>
> Just to let you know, I scored low for everything. Hmm!
>
I had three lows and a medium. And I consider myself a music enthusiast!
FWIW, I thought the test was biases towards musicians. They should also
have had follow-up questions. Instead of just "How many hours per day
do you play an instrument?" they should have asked "Why? ( ) No interest
( ) Not enough time ( ) Too Expensive ( ) Wife won't let me install a
pipe organ in the living room" etc... Instead of simply assuming that
there's no reason other than my lack of interest to explain why I don't
play more than I do.
And there was no question where I could brag about the size of my...
...CD collection.
--
/*Francois Labreque*/#local a=x+y;#local b=x+a;#local c=a+b;#macro P(F//
/* flabreque */L)polygon{5,F,F+z,L+z,L,F pigment{rgb 9}}#end union
/* @ */{P(0,a)P(a,b)P(b,c)P(2*a,2*b)P(2*b,b+c)P(b+c,<2,3>)
/* gmail.com */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
> ( ) Wife won't let me install a pipeorgan in the living room.
Well, you /say/ that...
http://www.die-orgelseite.de/kurioses_e.htm#hausorgel
(Alabama. I rest my case.)
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 16/05/2012 1:52 PM, Francois Labreque wrote:
>
> I had three lows and a medium. And I consider myself a music enthusiast!
>
So do I. I go to concerts occasionally but to the opera at least once a
month.
> FWIW, I thought the test was biases towards musicians.
And people who can sing. I have no singing voice so a lot of my answers
were "definitely not".
> Wife won't let me install a
> pipe organ in the living room" etc...
I have the opposite problem. No not installing a pipe organ but
installing the Hi Fi. She records a lot from the radio so muggins has to
connect the DAT recorders, Naks, HDD recorder to the system. I have even
been on the roof installing a FM radio.
>
> And there was no question where I could brag about the size of my...
>
> ....CD collection.
Oh! You have moved on to CDs. :-P
--
Regards
Stephen
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
>> OTOH, last night I got my violin out, and found the D-string loose. When
>> I tried to tighten it, it snapped in half. So /that/ should be cheap to
>> fix... >_<
>
> Amazon has them from $5.99 all the way to $75.99 for a 4 string set. I'm
> sure you'll be able to find something locally in the same price range,
> so you won't have to pay shipping from South Korea. :P
You laugh - apparently the violin itself was made in Korea...
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Wed, 16 May 2012 10:40:49 +0100, Stephen wrote:
> On 16/05/2012 5:27 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> I didn't do too bad - better than I thought for the memory test (only
>> missed one). Classification was an interesting one - didn't get it
>> perfect for any of them, but was pretty close on most of them.
>>
>> Very interesting, thanks for sharing that.:)
>
> I did not classify any correctly. My excuse is that I never listen to
> those groups of music.
I don't routinely listen to any of them either. I did best on Jazz,
which isn't surprising since I do like the occasional bit of jazz.
Hip-Hop/R&B/Rock? Not so much.
> Now if it had been Baroque, Classical and
> Romantic I might have done better. :-P The one test I did best at was
> beating time which is strange because I gave up playing a musical
> instrument because I cannot keep time.
Oddly, my violin teacher said I couldn't count my way out of a wet paper
bag, but I did OK here. He must be achieving high torque about now (he
passed away a few years back).
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Wed, 16 May 2012 18:06:14 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>> FWIW, I thought the test was biases towards musicians.
>
> And people who can sing. I have no singing voice so a lot of my answers
> were "definitely not".
Yeah, I had a problem with those questions too, because while I'm a
musician (inactive, but I played for more than a decade and have formal
music theory training as well as performance training), I can't sing
worth a damn. My voice has a range of maybe a minor fifth. :)
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Wed, 16 May 2012 09:12:00 +0100, Invisible wrote:
>>> As I say, I haven't played violin for about 20 years. So having one in
>>> my hands again, I'm struggling to remember what you're actually
>>> supposed to do with it... I guess the long and short of it is that I
>>> need to find a professional violin teacher.
>>
>> That probably would help, yes - even if just for a refresher. Maybe a
>> local school orchestra director would be willing to take a few hours
>> and sit down with you?
>
> Yeah, maybe.
>
> OTOH, last night I got my violin out, and found the D-string loose. When
> I tried to tighten it, it snapped in half. So /that/ should be cheap to
> fix... >_<
I'd have that problem now with mine as well - and I need to get the D
string peg replaced, because it's worn down to the point of not
sticking. I know you can get "peg dope" to make it stick better, but in
the end I think a good fitting replacement is a better long-term strategy.
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
> Yeah, I had a problem with those questions too, because while I'm a
> musician (inactive, but I played for more than a decade and have formal
> music theory training as well as performance training), I can't sing
> worth a damn. My voice has a range of maybe a minor fifth. :)
My voice has a range of an octave and a half, maybe more if I use
falsetto as well.
None of which compensates for the fact that I can't reliably sing in
tune, my throat hurts after a minute or two, and I'm constantly out of
breath. Also, my voice just sounds awful. :-P
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
>> OTOH, last night I got my violin out, and found the D-string loose. When
>> I tried to tighten it, it snapped in half. So /that/ should be cheap to
>> fix...>_<
>
> I'd have that problem now with mine as well - and I need to get the D
> string peg replaced, because it's worn down to the point of not
> sticking. I know you can get "peg dope" to make it stick better, but in
> the end I think a good fitting replacement is a better long-term strategy.
It took be about an hour to tune the violin when I first brought it
home. As soon as I let go on the tuning peg, it would instantly go slack
again. Took me ages to make it stick. Not sure if worn out or just
poorly made in the first place...
I'm wondering whether I should pay to have the violin restringed, or
just buy a decent-quality violin. Given my playing skills, probably the
former...
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Le 2012-05-16 13:06, Stephen a écrit :
> On 16/05/2012 1:52 PM, Francois Labreque wrote:
>>
>> And there was no question where I could brag about the size of my...
>>
>> ....CD collection.
>
> Oh! You have moved on to CDs. :-P
>
Well I do have a few dozens records, but I was a poor student back in
those days, so I couldn't buy as many as I would have liked.
--
/*Francois Labreque*/#local a=x+y;#local b=x+a;#local c=a+b;#macro P(F//
/* flabreque */L)polygon{5,F,F+z,L+z,L,F pigment{rgb 9}}#end union
/* @ */{P(0,a)P(a,b)P(b,c)P(2*a,2*b)P(2*b,b+c)P(b+c,<2,3>)
/* gmail.com */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 17/05/2012 12:44 PM, Francois Labreque wrote:
> Well I do have a few dozens records, but I was a poor student back in
> those days, so I couldn't buy as many as I would have liked.
I was just pulling your leg, Franccois. :-P
I've still got a lot of vinyl but they are a pain to keep clean, you
need to turn them over and change them too often and I need to replace
the turntable bearing on my Pink Triangle. All in all CDs are better for
listening to an opera or a concert. IMO
--
Regards
Stephen
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Thu, 17 May 2012 09:12:49 +0100, Invisible wrote:
> It took be about an hour to tune the violin when I first brought it
> home. As soon as I let go on the tuning peg, it would instantly go slack
> again. Took me ages to make it stick. Not sure if worn out or just
> poorly made in the first place...
Sounds like it's worn to me. Peg Dope (which IIRC is the actual product
name) is supposed to help with that.
> I'm wondering whether I should pay to have the violin restringed, or
> just buy a decent-quality violin. Given my playing skills, probably the
> former...
Replacing the strings is easy. I wouldn't pay someone to do it, just buy
a set of Dominant or similar and replace them one by one.
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 17/05/2012 1:35 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> I can't sing worth a damn. My voice has a range of maybe a minor fifth.:)
I have no idea what my range would be. I've not sang out loud since I
was told not to when I was about 5 yo.
--
Regards
Stephen
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Thu, 17 May 2012 18:12:38 +0100, Stephen wrote:
> On 17/05/2012 1:35 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> I can't sing worth a damn. My voice has a range of maybe a minor
>> fifth.:)
>
> I have no idea what my range would be. I've not sang out loud since I
> was told not to when I was about 5 yo.
I'm suddenly reminded of the story Tim Minchin told on Desert Island
Discs a couple weeks ago - that his mother would yell at him to shut the
door when he was playing the piano - and later she had a second door
installed so she couldn't hear it. :)
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 17/05/2012 6:18 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> I'm suddenly reminded of the story Tim Minchin told on Desert Island
> Discs a couple weeks ago - that his mother would yell at him to shut the
> door when he was playing the piano - and later she had a second door
> installed so she couldn't hear it.:)
What? Couldn't hear him shutting the first door? ;-)
--
Regards
Stephen
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Thu, 17 May 2012 18:49:28 +0100, Stephen wrote:
> On 17/05/2012 6:18 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> I'm suddenly reminded of the story Tim Minchin told on Desert Island
>> Discs a couple weeks ago - that his mother would yell at him to shut
>> the door when he was playing the piano - and later she had a second
>> door installed so she couldn't hear it.:)
>
> What? Couldn't hear him shutting the first door? ;-)
I guess the first door was insufficient to prevent her hearing his piano
playing. :)
It was a highly entertaining interview. Though I'm not sure that I
believed his "remorse" over the Phil Daoust song (given that he released
an album with that on it last year IIRC).
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 17/05/2012 7:01 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> It was a highly entertaining interview. Though I'm not sure that I
> believed his "remorse" over the Phil Daoust song (given that he released
> an album with that on it last year IIRC).
I had to look it up having never heard of Tim Minchin.
Oh! For the days of sail ships when it took six months to travel between
GB and Oz.
From the clip I heard I don't think he is very good.
http://www.giantbomb.com/forums/off-topic/31/tim-minchin-versus-phil-daoust/411441/
--
Regards
Stephen
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Thu, 17 May 2012 19:43:04 +0100, Stephen wrote:
> On 17/05/2012 7:01 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> It was a highly entertaining interview. Though I'm not sure that I
>> believed his "remorse" over the Phil Daoust song (given that he
>> released an album with that on it last year IIRC).
>
> I had to look it up having never heard of Tim Minchin.
Oh, I thought you had originally mentioned him to me (along with a few
other people who did).
> Oh! For the days of sail ships when it took six months to travel between
> GB and Oz.
>
> From the clip I heard I don't think he is very good.
>
> http://www.giantbomb.com/forums/off-topic/31/tim-minchin-versus-phil-
daoust/411441/
I've found most of his stuff to be quite funny. His lullaby is very
good, if only because it says the things you'd never dare say. :)
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 5/17/2012 1:11, Invisible wrote:
>> Yeah, I had a problem with those questions too, because while I'm a
>> musician (inactive, but I played for more than a decade and have formal
>> music theory training as well as performance training), I can't sing
>> worth a damn. My voice has a range of maybe a minor fifth. :)
>
> My voice has a range of an octave and a half, maybe more if I use falsetto
> as well.
>
> None of which compensates for the fact that I can't reliably sing in tune,
> my throat hurts after a minute or two, and I'm constantly out of breath.
> Also, my voice just sounds awful. :-P
I'm betting you'd improve if you actually took some lessons.
--
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
"Oh no! We're out of code juice!"
"Don't panic. There's beans and filters
in the cabinet."
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 17/05/2012 8:14 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Thu, 17 May 2012 19:43:04 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>
>> I had to look it up having never heard of Tim Minchin.
>
> Oh, I thought you had originally mentioned him to me (along with a few
> other people who did).
>
You're talking to someone who thinks "Clue" is cutting edge. :-P
>
> I've found most of his stuff to be quite funny. His lullaby is very
> good, if only because it says the things you'd never dare say. :)
>
I will take your word on it.
--
Regards
Stephen
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
>> My voice has a range of an octave and a half, maybe more if I use
>> falsetto
>> as well.
>>
>> None of which compensates for the fact that I can't reliably sing in
>> tune,
>> my throat hurts after a minute or two, and I'm constantly out of breath.
>> Also, my voice just sounds awful. :-P
>
> I'm betting you'd improve if you actually took some lessons.
Yeah, you're probably right about that. Trouble is, I'd never have the
nerve to actually sing out loud in front of somebody else... o_O
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 17/05/2012 06:12 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Thu, 17 May 2012 09:12:49 +0100, Invisible wrote:
>
>> It took be about an hour to tune the violin when I first brought it
>> home. As soon as I let go on the tuning peg, it would instantly go slack
>> again. Took me ages to make it stick. Not sure if worn out or just
>> poorly made in the first place...
>
> Sounds like it's worn to me. Peg Dope (which IIRC is the actual product
> name) is supposed to help with that.
Possibly doesn't help that I've never tuned a violin in my life.
Obviously, having your instrument correctly tuned is crucially
important. So at school, the teacher always did that for us.
> Replacing the strings is easy. I wouldn't pay someone to do it, just buy
> a set of Dominant or similar and replace them one by one.
Yeah, I already read that you shouldn't remove all the strings at once.
I wonder how many other gotchas there are? Apparently it's also fairly
important to have the strings properly routed through the pegbox... In
all, I figure I should probably leave this one to the professionals. It
probably won't even cost that much.
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Fri, 18 May 2012 08:56:54 +0100, Stephen wrote:
> On 17/05/2012 8:14 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Thu, 17 May 2012 19:43:04 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>>
>>> I had to look it up having never heard of Tim Minchin.
>>
>> Oh, I thought you had originally mentioned him to me (along with a few
>> other people who did).
>>
>>
> You're talking to someone who thinks "Clue" is cutting edge. :-P
LOL. :) BTW, I was shocked (shocked, I say!) that there was no Mornington
Crescent in the last series.
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Fri, 18 May 2012 09:05:31 +0100, Invisible wrote:
>> Sounds like it's worn to me. Peg Dope (which IIRC is the actual
>> product name) is supposed to help with that.
>
> Possibly doesn't help that I've never tuned a violin in my life.
>
> Obviously, having your instrument correctly tuned is crucially
> important. So at school, the teacher always did that for us.
Seems like a poor excuse for a teacher, then. The point of playing in
school isn't to sound good, but to learn how to play (which includes
tuning the instrument).
>> Replacing the strings is easy. I wouldn't pay someone to do it, just
>> buy a set of Dominant or similar and replace them one by one.
>
> Yeah, I already read that you shouldn't remove all the strings at once.
> I wonder how many other gotchas there are? Apparently it's also fairly
> important to have the strings properly routed through the pegbox... In
> all, I figure I should probably leave this one to the professionals. It
> probably won't even cost that much.
Probably not, if you've never done this before. But I'm surprised that
you haven't, as I recall you say you played for years. But given your
above comment that you've never tuned a violin before, it seems that your
self-described "suckiness" at playing is attributable in a HUGE part to
having a crap teacher who didn't actually teach you anything about
playing the violin beyond "put your fingers here" and "move the bow like
this".
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
>> Possibly doesn't help that I've never tuned a violin in my life.
>>
>> Obviously, having your instrument correctly tuned is crucially
>> important. So at school, the teacher always did that for us.
>
> Seems like a poor excuse for a teacher, then. The point of playing in
> school isn't to sound good, but to learn how to play (which includes
> tuning the instrument).
Well, you know, we're talking about 9 year old kids here.
> Probably not, if you've never done this before. But I'm surprised that
> you haven't, as I recall you say you played for years.
I played for about 2 years, total. And that was 20 years ago...
> But given your
> above comment that you've never tuned a violin before, it seems that your
> self-described "suckiness" at playing is attributable in a HUGE part to
> having a crap teacher who didn't actually teach you anything about
> playing the violin beyond "put your fingers here" and "move the bow like
> this".
Perhaps.
Then again, the violin is a very hard instrument to play. Basically,
it's /sensitive/. That means that in experienced hands, you can do all
this really expressive playing, which is what the violin is famous for
of course. But because it's /sensitive/, it also means that in
inexperienced hands, every slightly glitch is magnified drastically, and
it sounds plain AWFUL! >_<
So far, I basically haven't used the E-string at all. The pressure of
the bow on the string seems to be enough to put it out of tune. And as
soon as I put a finger on it, it becomes almost completely mute.
Also, I have bruised fingertips now. :-/
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On Fri, 18 May 2012 21:47:45 +0100, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:
>>> Possibly doesn't help that I've never tuned a violin in my life.
>>>
>>> Obviously, having your instrument correctly tuned is crucially
>>> important. So at school, the teacher always did that for us.
>>
>> Seems like a poor excuse for a teacher, then. The point of playing in
>> school isn't to sound good, but to learn how to play (which includes
>> tuning the instrument).
>
> Well, you know, we're talking about 9 year old kids here.
I don't remember precisely, but ISTR that when I was 9, I had at that
point been taught how to tune my instrument.
>> Probably not, if you've never done this before. But I'm surprised that
>> you haven't, as I recall you say you played for years.
>
> I played for about 2 years, total. And that was 20 years ago...
See, the impression you gave about this previously was that you had many
years' experience playing. 2 years isn't enough to get a lot of
expertise in playing an instrument. You said you sucked at it. You
didn't say that you only played for 2 years when you were < 11 years old.
That makes a difference.
> Then again, the violin is a very hard instrument to play.
It certainly takes more than 2 years practice as a prepubescent teen to
get any competence at it, yes. (I played from the time I was 9 until I
was about 20 or 21).
If it were /easy/, then everyone could play like Itzhak Perlman.
> Basically,
> it's /sensitive/. That means that in experienced hands, you can do all
> this really expressive playing, which is what the violin is famous for
> of course. But because it's /sensitive/, it also means that in
> inexperienced hands, every slightly glitch is magnified drastically, and
> it sounds plain AWFUL! >_<
You expect to get instant expertise. It takes years (more than *2*) to
get to that level of playing.
> So far, I basically haven't used the E-string at all. The pressure of
> the bow on the string seems to be enough to put it out of tune. And as
> soon as I put a finger on it, it becomes almost completely mute.
That tells me that the pegs are definitely not right for the peg holes,
and you should get someone to take a look at it.
> Also, I have bruised fingertips now. :-/
Yep, that'll happen until you get callouses on your fingertips. That's
part of the reason I haven't played in several years - I don't have those
callouses, but I have the dexterity, and it does hurt to play. Feels
like I'm cutting into my fingertips with a dull knife.
Jim
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 18/05/2012 8:57 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> LOL.:) BTW, I was shocked (shocked, I say!)
Bzzz! Repetition.
> that there was no Mornington Crescent in the last series.
I did not really notice. It's one song to the tune of another that I
look forward to.
--
Regards
Stephen
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
>> I played for about 2 years, total. And that was 20 years ago...
>
> See, the impression you gave about this previously was that you had many
> years' experience playing. 2 years isn't enough to get a lot of
> expertise in playing an instrument. You said you sucked at it. You
> didn't say that you only played for 2 years when you were< 11 years old.
>
> That makes a difference.
I did say I wasn't much good in the first place. ;-)
As you presumably know, the characteristic sound of the violin comes
from playing with vibrato - which is absurdly difficult. They don't
teach you how to do that until you're already a really good player.
> If it were /easy/, then everyone could play like Itzhak Perlman.
Uh... who?
I did find some page on the Internet which shows you how to hold the
violin itself and the bow. And then it says "already, bring on the
Paganini!" As if anybody is going to be able to play Paganini after
reading a few web pages...
>> Basically,
>> it's /sensitive/. That means that in experienced hands, you can do all
>> this really expressive playing, which is what the violin is famous for
>> of course. But because it's /sensitive/, it also means that in
>> inexperienced hands, every slightly glitch is magnified drastically, and
>> it sounds plain AWFUL!>_<
>
> You expect to get instant expertise. It takes years (more than *2*) to
> get to that level of playing.
What I'm saying is, you can pick up a guitar and make a half-decent
sound with it in about ten minutes. Because a guitar is not a
particularly sensitive instrument. A violin is much, much harder.
Because it's very, very sensitive. That means you can do much more with
it, but also that it takes far more effort.
Having just said all that, I haven't played a violin for 20 years. I
wasn't that good in the first place. But I have now reached the point
where, provided I stick to the key of D major, I can play simple
melodies which sound more or less in tune, with a tone that isn't
horrifyingly awful. When you consider how long it took to get that good
the /first/ time around, that's not bad...
>> So far, I basically haven't used the E-string at all. The pressure of
>> the bow on the string seems to be enough to put it out of tune. And as
>> soon as I put a finger on it, it becomes almost completely mute.
>
> That tells me that the pegs are definitely not right for the peg holes,
> and you should get someone to take a look at it.
It strikes me that this violin was probably on sale in a charity shop
/for a reason/. ;-)
I'm hoping to pay a visit to the local music shop tomorrow. (Like all
shops, they deliberately open an hour after I leave for work, and shut
an hour before I get home again.) I'll get them to take a look at it and
see what they say. I might also be able to pick up a new violin and see
if there's any noticeable difference in sound quality.
>> Also, I have bruised fingertips now. :-/
>
> Yep, that'll happen until you get callouses on your fingertips. That's
> part of the reason I haven't played in several years - I don't have those
> callouses, but I have the dexterity, and it does hurt to play. Feels
> like I'm cutting into my fingertips with a dull knife.
Even when I was being taught by professionals, I always hated the
E-string. That thing is /basically/ a piece of cheese wire. That's what
it is, you're pressing a cheese wire into your fingertips. Ouch! >_<
I'm really excited to have a violin in my life again. But everybody else
I've told about it has said "urgh, I *hate* violin!" Ho hum. Forever
unappreciated, eh? It would be nice to be able to play well, but
realistically I doubt I have the time or money to make that a reality.
So I'm just going to see how far I can get with it. We'll see what
happens after that.
PS. Ever tried playing flute? That's pretty hard too. When I was first
given one, it took the entire household about a month to collectively
figure out how to get a single note out of it... ;-)
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
On 18/05/2012 11:27 PM, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:
> PS. Ever tried playing flute? That's pretty hard too. When I was first
> given one, it took the entire household about a month to collectively
> figure out how to get a single note out of it... ;-)
I can get a tune out of a tin whistle. Is that close? ;-)
--
Regards
Stephen
Post a reply to this message
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
