The Musical Instrument Thread

[HecticArt]

After some time off, you'll forget TONS.
It does come back faster than it took to learn the first time though.
Good luck, and have fun with it!

I mentioned somewhere around here that my lifelong local guitar shop closed down shortly after the covid lock-downs ended. The owners retired and there wasn't really anyone to take over a small family owned guitar shop.
I bought my last guitar from them (a black Yamaha acoustic) and a store t-shirt.
The owners closed the shop and moved down south to enjoy their retirement.
About 3 months, I realized that I should have picked up a couple more shirts.
The shop has been closed for almost 4 years now.

They made a facebook post a couple of weeks ago asking if anyone would be interested in some new shirts.
They got 120 orders and brought them up to Toledo this weekend.
I met up with them today and a there were a lot of people hanging out. A 15 minute trip to pick up a couple of shirts turned out to be a 3 hour trip down memory lane. Caught up with some old palls, learned a lot about local music history, guitar manufacturer history, shared some old stories, and picked up a couple of shirts.
It was a good time.

 

[scotchandcigar]

Last night was a big night for me (and no, it has nothing to do with eating dogs or cats). I'm not sure if I went over all of this, so I'll possibly repeat it all here.

Starting at the beginning, there was Adam and Eve. But after that, in 2007, I started playing in the community band that rehearsed down the road from us, at the regional school in southern NH. That was the Timberlane Community Band. In 2016, the same year that we moved out of our NH home, I had a falling-out with some of the leaders of the band; and besides, we had moved into a rental in Massachusetts, while we designed the house in Maine. So I left the NH community band, and the following year, I found that the Merrimack Valley Concert Band rehearsed right down the street from where we were renting. Also, several former Timberlane members had already defected to there, so I joined in 2017.

In 2018, we moved into the house in York ME. But I was still commuting to work in Mass, and the new band was right along my way home. So I stuck with them, and enjoyed my time there. In 2019, I started working from home half-time, but I arranged it so I'd drive into the office on the days I had band rehearsal, and everything was good. We stopped rehearsing in 2020, and started back in 2021. But I was full-time remote by then (as I still am now). The band became the one weekly commute I still had. I didn't mind it too much, but most of the places we performed at (other than York Beach) were also way down in Massachusetts.

On top of that, the band was approaching its 20th anniversary celebration. And having been there only 7 years, plus being from outside the area, I never really jelled with many members of the band. In the spring, one of the members asked me if I had looked into the Seacoast Wind Ensemble. Well, I had, but I wasn't sure where they rehearsed, and I got the impression they were more of an outlet for part-time professional players - like band directors, music teachers, musicians, etc. Anyway, I found out that shortly before covid, they moved their rehearsal location to Kittery, as in Kittery ME, a town I border on.

The first rehearsal was last night. The rehearsal venue is about 4 miles from my house. The section lead for the clarinets sat next to me, and evaluated me as I tried to sight-read all the new-to-me music. It was a bit stressful, but to be honest, I'm a better player than the typical community band member, so I did OK. I also recognized a few people that I had played with before. At the end of the evening, the director made a point to chat with me, which was nice.

Fortunately, my current/former band is wrapping-up the summer concert season, so they aren't rehearsing yet; which allows me to try out the new band without any conflicts (for now). I have another rehearsal next Tuesday, then (bizarrely) we have a concert the following weekend. It was rescheduled from the summer. So I'll be able to decide pretty quickly what I think of the new group.

 

[sadchild]

Cool!

and no, it has nothing to do with eating dogs or cats

there was Adam and Eve

Dude, you're on fiya

 

[HecticArt]

Cool!


Dude, you're on fiya

My thoughts too.

That post was about as long as the Bible (new testament, not old) but I found it to be just as enlightening! Good luck with the new band.

Where will you go to get your dog and cat meat now????

 

[sadchild]

it has nothing to do with eating dogs or cats

 

[scotchandcigar]

the band was approaching its 20th anniversary celebration.

my current/former band is wrapping-up the summer concert season

Against my better judgement, I'm sharing this stupid clip, because how often do I get on TV?

At the end of one of our summer concerts (where we had to play for a town's "Old Home Day") they told us to make it look like we were playing, and then we stopped for the director to announce our 20th anniversary, and end with the tag-line "Good morning Eye-Opener!" (the nickname for the channel's morning news).

 

[sadchild]

Nice!

Sparked an old memory of me with my instrument back in 2009. Appeared in the Worcester Telegram.

 

[Channel98]

I recognized Arabian Nights from Disney's Aladdin movie. The original lyrics said, "I come from a land from a faraway place where the caravan camels roam, where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face – it's barbaric but, hey, it's home."

Following protests from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, whose members apparently thought the animated film was supposed to be factual, Disney changed the lyrics for the video release of the film. The "cut off your ear" line was replaced with "where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense." With the change, the "barbaric" reference now makes no sense. The sheet music for the song was also reissued with the new lyrics.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Not instrument related but stupid media related. Back in December 1985 I went out to the Toronto Zoo to try to get a glimpse of Haileys Coment. There was less city lights. Well one of the local TV stations was there wanting pictures of people looking for the comet. Of course they had lights from hell which means anybody on camera couldn't see a damn thing ... nor could anyone else for that matter. The group of us just did it to shut them up and send them on their way.

 

[scotchandcigar]

I recognized Arabian Nights from Disney's Aladdin movie.

We play an Aladdin medley at concerts, but for this video clip, they just needed a certain number of seconds of music. So they picked an awkward spot somewhere in the piece to start, and then it would be edited to seem like they happened to come along while we were in the middle of something. But I don't think they did any editing.

 

[scotchandcigar]

Nice!

Sparked an old memory of me with my instrument back in 2009. Appeared in the Worcester Telegram.

View attachment 9920

You look intense!

 

[sadchild]

In my heavy bands, I always did ugly-face. Well, I'm ugly anyway but I put on ugly expressions too. But one of my biggest shticks was walking on the bar or getting on someone's shoulders while playing.

 

[HecticArt]

I always did ugly-face. Well, I'm ugly anyway

Old musicians advice:
Don't practice till you get it right,
Practice till you can’t get it wrong.
……mission accomplished?

one of my biggest shticks was walking on the bar or getting on someone's shoulders while playing.

That was kind of rude when you were heavy….

 

[sadchild]

When I was 150/160 I would get on people's shoulders. At 180, I wouldn't do it unless I found The Hulk.

 

[scotchandcigar]

Fortunately, my current/former band is wrapping-up the summer concert season, so they aren't rehearsing yet; which allows me to try out the new band without any conflicts (for now). I have another rehearsal next Tuesday, then (bizarrely) we have a concert the following weekend. It was rescheduled from the summer. So I'll be able to decide pretty quickly what I think of the new group.

The concert with the new band was Sunday; it went really well. It's insane how packed with people (many with dogs) the downtown Kennebunk/Kennebunkport area was. I posted this to let people know I'd be performing



But before I posted it, I got an email from my old band, saying that Tuesday (tonight) would be our first rehearsal of the schoolyear. Tonight is also a rehearsal night for the new band, so the time had come for me to take that fork in the road. I sent an email to the head people in the old band, telling them my decision to move on. I received well wishes from the clarinet section lead, which was nice.

Later this morning, I'll be driving in to work to do some lab stuff. But on my way, I'm stopping at the school the old band rehearses at, to drop-off my summer music.

 

[HecticArt]

I haven't been on-line much this week.
Tuesday night I left the dentist after a cleaning and a little extra work. I got a phone call from my singer asking what I was doing Friday night.
I said "nothing".....he said "you are now!"
A local bar had a last minute opening and he grabbed it before someone else did. It's a blue-collar, neighborhood kind of a place. Big room, casual vibe, and a giant stage for a neighborhood joint.

We've been wanting to get out of our bass player's basement for a while now. The last time we played out was at a party 6 years ago. This version of the band hasn't played a full night at a bar before, just a half dozen parties or so.
We had to pick 48 songs that we could pull off, get one last practice in, and pack up all of our equipment that hasn't been moved in years.

We loaded in to the bar at 4:00, set up, had a sound check at 6:00, home by 7:00 to clean up and change, then back at 8:00. First set was at 9:00.
There was a bigger crowd than I expected. There were more than 50 people for the first couple of sets.
It turned out to be a pretty good time. The crowd was responsive, we sounded pretty good, got paid, and invited back!
There were a few fuck-ups and a couple of equipment glitches that we dealt with, but nothing too bad. It was a good casual place to work out the kinks before trying to play some of the more high profile places.
Wrapped up just after 1:00, packed up, load-out and dropped our stuff back at the bass players house after 2:30, then it was Waffle House at 3:30 and home at 4:30.
That was a long freaking day for an old guy. I pretty much hurt all over. This rock and roll thing is for younger men, but it was still a blast.

The boys.


Your hero: Hectic.

 

[Aaron]

Rock and Roll! That’s awesome!
Yeah at our ages staying up past midnight hits different.

 

[sadchild]

YER A FUGGIN RAWK STAR BABY!! LOVE IT

 

[HecticArt]

YER A FUGGIN RAWK STAR BABY!! LOVE IT

Is there a more accurate name for an old guy in a cover band that people won't remember by Monday?

 

[scotchandcigar]

But you weren't too tired to entertain the groupies, right?