Author Topic: Readers' Instruments  (Read 164230 times)

andytheflyer

  • Andytheex-flyer.....
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #200 on: 21 February, 2018, 08:07:43 am »
Probably enough for a YACF jazz band (to drown out the mandolin and banjo players)

 ;D

That'll be why I'm banished to the conservatory to do my practice, while SWMBO gets a nice warm bedroom for her flute practice......

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #201 on: 21 February, 2018, 08:16:12 am »
Probably enough for a YACF jazz band (to drown out the mandolin and banjo players)


By the time the jazz crowd have finished stroking their beards, adjusting their berets and agreeing what key to play in the folkies will have finished their set and be at the bar - except the banjo that's still trying to tune up ;D

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #202 on: 21 February, 2018, 08:29:42 am »
Probably enough for a YACF jazz band (to drown out the mandolin and banjo players)


It actually takes very little to drown out a mandolin...



Of course I could always deploy this:






Apparently it goes all the way up to 11


T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #203 on: 21 February, 2018, 09:09:13 am »
I retired in 2016 and knew I needed a mental challenge, and some daily structure, having worked in environmental and civil engineering for 40 years as an engineering geologist.  I'd always liked jazz and the sound of the sax in particular, so I had his sax serviced (a Buescher) and found a teacher, who also plays in a Big Band.

Yeah...  Two years ago, being off the road for a couple of months, I dug out my old 12-string, which I had passed to my daughter 20 years earlier. She too had subsequently buggered off to uni etc., leaving it in her bedroom, where it had lain for 10 years at least.  I brought it downstairs, cleaned it up, put new strings on, and started to get acquainted again, not having played much since the 90s and not having replaced the 12.

Two weeks later, she and her partner came for lunch. She saw the 12 all bright and shiny, said "cool" and walked off with it.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #204 on: 21 February, 2018, 09:11:05 am »
Probably enough for a YACF jazz band (to drown out the mandolin and banjo players)


It actually takes very little to drown out a mandolin...


And a banjo is like a woman*.

* q.v. Otis Lee Crenshaw
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Steph

  • Fast. Fast and bulbous. But fluffy.
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #205 on: 21 February, 2018, 05:28:33 pm »
No it isn't. Nobody cries when you cut up a banjo.
Mae angen arnaf i byw, a fe fydda'i

andytheflyer

  • Andytheex-flyer.....
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #206 on: 21 February, 2018, 06:18:04 pm »
Two weeks later, she and her partner came for lunch. She saw the 12 all bright and shiny, said "cool" and walked off with it.

Son (and family) came over from Alberta for Christmas, and I hoped that he'd be persuaded to get his old sax out and play some duets with me.  No chance as it turned out, which was a pity as he is Grade 5 sax and seems to be able to play any instrument/tune he picks up.  Annoyingly..... (but at least I have a spare sax for when my Yamaha goes for service :)  But maybe I should buy a tenor sax as well.....  Does the n+1 rule apply to instruments?)

He did, however, dig out a cheapy acoustic guitar that he took with him on his world trip a few years ago and regale us with some rock classics, so I was partly recompensed.  He doesn't do Steve Hackett or Daryl Stuermer though, so Clapton and Jimmy Page had to suffice.

Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #207 on: 21 February, 2018, 06:29:21 pm »
But maybe I should buy a tenor sax as well.....  Does the n+1 rule apply to instruments?)

But of course. Even more so than with bikes! :facepalm:

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #208 on: 21 February, 2018, 06:34:21 pm »
But maybe I should buy a tenor sax as well.....  Does the n+1 rule apply to instruments?)

But of course. Even more so than with bikes! :facepalm:
Yup. I've got 12.
There's no vibrations, but wait.

menthel

  • Jim is my real, actual name
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #209 on: 21 February, 2018, 07:22:55 pm »
No it isn't. Nobody cries when you cut up a banjo.

I wouldn't cry. I might hurt people.

(Or more likely cry...)

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #210 on: 21 February, 2018, 10:32:56 pm »
Hmm.. 2 wooden clarinets (Both Bb), two alto sax, one in need of repair. A few recorders and penny whistles. Would like a tenor or baritone sax. Not sure I can justify it. (failed grade 5 because I was a poor student and tried to sight read the study - I considered a 3 point margin a good performance in that light)
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

andytheflyer

  • Andytheex-flyer.....
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #211 on: 23 March, 2018, 08:51:59 am »
My youngster alto sax (Yamaha YAS 280) and its new companion, a grown-up tenor (Yamaha YTS 32), made between 1980 and 1991.

https://flic.kr/p/HhkAQh

I've hankered after a tenor to go with my alto, and have idly browsed eBay for a while, seeing an awful lot of battered and bent dross, and then this popped up.  There's no way I'd buy a used sax without consulting my music teacher and my servicing technician - but both said it was worth a look.  Particularly since it was only about 10 miles away.  Would normally go for the student level but this one is the intermediate.

Had a look last Saturday night with teach, and she pronounced it gorgeous, and managed to win the auction for about £90 over my advisers' guide price, and £300 less than the cost of a new student model.  It's immaculate.  Been played but not a mark on it and it came with a hard case, 3 mouthpieces, some reeds (which are old and will go in the bin), some music and a sax stand.

Been able to play some scales and basic tunes as the keywork is exactly the same as my alto.  But I'm going to put it to one side for a few weeks until my first ever music exam is out of the way as I need to keep my eyes on the initial prize.

Phew!  The low notes don't half rattle the windows.....

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #212 on: 23 March, 2018, 09:03:19 am »
Very nice!
What exam are you doing?
There's no vibrations, but wait.

andytheflyer

  • Andytheex-flyer.....
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #213 on: 23 March, 2018, 02:25:55 pm »
Very nice!
What exam are you doing?

Only Grade 1 AMRSM.  I last played an instrument at school - over 50 years ago. Took up the sax 2 years ago when I retired and stopped travelling for work and have had weekly lessons more or less ever since.  My teacher says I'm well beyond Grade 1, but we'll start with that and hope to get a strong pass.  We will see. The exam experience will be good for further exams to come.

I'm more nervous about that than I was about my model aeroplane flying test, years ago!

I do about 7-10 hours a week practice, but I had spinal surgery on my neck in 2010 which has affected my hands, so my dexterity and finger speed is not as good as it might otherwise be, and I can't stand up for more than a few minutes so I have to play sitting down.  Takes me quite a long time to get the muscle memory to kick in, and find the fingering that works best for me.  Mixture of classical and jazz.

But I really love playing the sax........  Maybe one day I'll be good enough to get into a pub band!

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #214 on: 23 March, 2018, 02:31:39 pm »
Good luck!
There's no vibrations, but wait.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #215 on: 06 June, 2018, 09:17:53 am »


My first guitar build: 24-"fret" fretless 3-string cigar-box guitar, tuned E-B-E.

Sapele neck, pearwood fingerboard, homemade plywood box. Top flamed using old cassette sprockets as stencils, then waxed and stained with Diamine Majestic Purple and Twilight inks. Soundhole "rosette" is an old 30T chainring. Tailpiece is a 13T sprocket.  Pickups from an old PJ bass, faced with mahogany veneer then stained.

Fret slots cut but left empty for use with slide: side-dots on neck.

Calling it The Oops because it is full of beginner's mistakes, not to be repeated and mostly hidden: but it works!

Still needs a headstock badge: I'll probably just nail on a couple of chain links. Haven't quite got the courage to try an inlay - next time maybe.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #216 on: 06 June, 2018, 12:34:00 pm »
Bonkers! But I love it!

Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #217 on: 06 June, 2018, 01:16:18 pm »
That's awesome! Totally in the spirit of cigar box guitars!
Those wonderful norks are never far from my thoughts, oh yeah!

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #218 on: 06 June, 2018, 03:35:49 pm »
:thumbsup: Cheers both! 

Going to have to put a plexiglas shield over the right lower bout, though: When I tried it in my nice cool workshop the colours were fast, but when I played it with a sweaty arm I got a purple wrist.

Apart from that, I had so much fun building it that now I'm bereft, so the next one will be on the stocks by the end of the week - cat-bowl resonator.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #219 on: 11 June, 2018, 01:24:11 pm »
Just discovered these in one of our hidey-holes:



The other half of the set went into an Appachian dulcimer I built 50 years ago. I knew they'd come in handy some day.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #220 on: 21 June, 2018, 02:40:36 pm »
Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce Judas



Primarily bought because, in technical terms, my playing is "a bit crap" and this allows me to practice with headphones on

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #221 on: 21 June, 2018, 04:03:16 pm »
Looks like fun, and I bet I'm crapper than you.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #222 on: 22 June, 2018, 05:27:01 pm »
I sincerely doubt that ;D

andytheflyer

  • Andytheex-flyer.....
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #223 on: 30 June, 2018, 12:29:59 pm »
My youngster alto sax (Yamaha YAS 280) and its new companion, a grown-up tenor (Yamaha YTS 32), made between 1980 and 1991.

https://flic.kr/p/HhkAQh

I've hankered after a tenor to go with my alto, and have idly browsed eBay for a while, seeing an awful lot of battered and bent dross, and then this popped up.  There's no way I'd buy a used sax without consulting my music teacher and my servicing technician - but both said it was worth a look.  Particularly since it was only about 10 miles away.  Would normally go for the student level but this one is the intermediate.

Had a look last Saturday night with teach, and she pronounced it gorgeous, and managed to win the auction for about £90 over my advisers' guide price, and £300 less than the cost of a new student model.  It's immaculate.  Been played but not a mark on it and it came with a hard case, 3 mouthpieces, some reeds (which are old and will go in the bin), some music and a sax stand.


Gave my new (to me) tenor sax to my music teacher (and technician) for her to give it the once over. a few weeks ago.  Took her a while but I got it back this week - she pronounced it immaculate. Bought some new Van Doren reeds, which arrived this morning.  I've been having a go this week with a very old VD reed that came with the sax, and had mixed results.  But the new reeds are much better. I managed to get to be squeak-free after about 10 minutes, and was soon playing my alto sax practice and exam pieces.

Very different instrument to play, even though the keywork is all the same as the alto.  But I love it, and I think it'll become my main instrument, over the alto.


PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: Reader's Instruments
« Reply #224 on: 13 July, 2018, 09:40:34 am »
I built Judas somewhere to live ;D