What's new around the blogs this morning?

 

We do know that Peter is busy downsizing; and changing things.

The snooker room is just a boring old second lounge now.

The toilets have been replaced...

...with a more modern look.

The study (aka the office) has been replaced with a tennis court.

Peter's head has been tidied up so that it will better fit into his favourite Wellington hat.

And Robert?

He's busy cleaning churches for the opposition.

I think this one is Presbyterian.

He is also annoying entertaining the neighbours with lots of cello practice. For their sakes, let's just hope that he is checking his notes with mother's piano.

* * *

So, that just leaves me here to keep you informed on life or, at least, parts of it.

I'm off to do some violin practice. I won't give you the details today.

Ciao tutti.

I'm trying to keep my 'tempering' under control while reading comments on my blog posts.

 Evidently, we argue the existence of a Christian god with logic and it can be proven.

Then a 'grammar expert' finds bad grammar in this sentence.

"I guess it's like grammar. Though people with bad grammar look or sound stupid. Oops, it's the same!"

A 'grammar expert' who is still struggling to start a sentence with a capital letter and end it with a full stop. A guy who uses the verb 'practise' as a noun. This guy also says that playing the violin in tune is not important. Not necessary. 

Then tempering in music is mentioned. Statements like this occur, "I'm settled down in my arm chair with a coffee. Tempering?" Is he cooling the coffee or playing with his own dick?

Okay, hold your temper, what is tempering?

Here's a simple introduction to tempering.

Look at the piano keyboard.

There are 12 different notes that repeat in higher and lower octaves, but there are only 12 different sounds.

The white notes are called A  B  C  D  E  F  G. The black notes are called A# or Bb    C# or Db     D# or Eb     F# or Gb     G# or Ab.

Why do the black notes have two names? 

There is nothing in nature that makes these 12 notes fit together in perfect tune. Many cultures found that you could get five notes pretty well in tune but, after that, it got a bit tricky. Well before the Europeans, the Chinese worked out how to add 'in tune' notes to these original five, but they decided that they liked those original five, on their own, better. To this day, like many other cultures, traditional Chinese music uses the pentatonic scale - C D E G A. Blues and rock guitarists liked this sound too. You'll hear it in a lot of rock music. Blues guitarists like to add one more note.     

Sometime, in the 1700s, they were struggling with pianos because a lot of the keys (there are 12 major keys) sounded awful (read 'out of tune'). They decided to slightly shift all the notes so that the distances between them were all even. This gave all the keys the same sound. In this process A# and Bb, for example, were shifted so that they became the same note. 

Remember that there is a lot more detail to tempering and I'm just trying to tell you the basics.

The two well known tempered instruments are the keyboard and the guitar. Most other instruments, like the violin, the oboe, the clarinet and the trumpet, just 'play into this system'. For example, on the violin, there are no frets and any note is possible. Hey, but if a violinist plays outside of this system, when playing with a pianoforte, it is going to sound 'wrong'. Define wrong? Well, it'll sound weird to most ears.

A man named Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a famous work called The Well Tempered Clavier.* This consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard.

This guy obviously liked tempering.

He also liked wigs.

There you go. If you leave a silly comment, I'll tell you so.

And don't play with yourself while drinking coffee. You might spill hot coffee onto it.

Ciao tutti.

* The clavier is an early form of piano.

A quick summary of what's happening around the blogs.

 Good morning.

Here's the quick summary, as promised.

NOTHING.

Peter is moving furniture around and Robert has a poisonous Coca-Cola, oops, Vulcanicola plant from Brazil, or somewhere. Peter is not playing snooker anymore, but he'll probably go to the tip a few more times. His next post will be complaining about people who can't back trailers. Predictable.

Actually, things have been a bit boring around here too. I've been a bit off colour, so my practice is behind. Though, I did visit Bob, Gloria and Aunty the other day.

Aunty's grave is very close to Gloria and Bob's. 

Okay, here's the exciting news!

Today I have to drive into Wellington, to The Body Shop,* to pick up some makeup for Shelley. They'd run out of the exact colour she needs in Lower Hutt. I know now that makeup colours need to be exact. It's sort of like playing a violin in tune - you just can't say, "Well, that's near enough."

I'll drive over the Wainuiomata Hill but, remember what the locals say, "You can take the boy out of Wainuiomata, but you can't take Wainuiomata out of the boy."

Then I'll drive past Seaview and head down The Esplanade to the motorway. I'll keep going until I go through the Terrace Tunnel, then I'll look for a park in Vivian Street (I almost always park there when I visit Wellington). Then I'll walk down Cuba Street. The Body Shop is just before Manners Street. I might pop into The Rock Shop,** just to have a look around. It's good to check their violin stock, just in case any students want to buy one.

Then I'll return to my car and head back towards the Terrace Tunnel. Then it's back to Wainuiomata (where the girls are smarter).

I hope that was at least up there with Robert working in his garden and Peter moving furniture around.

Just thinking, you know how Peter has that silly woolen hat? Maybe I won't wear my green and black Wainuiomata scarf in Wellington. Just to be on the safe side.

Yes, I'm talking
about this hat.

Well, there you go, you're up to date with the blogs now.

Ciao tutti.

* They don't really have bodies there.

** They don't sell rocks.

Peter's Bagpipes Bag.*

 To get back at Peter, I'm thinking of setting up a blog that copies his!

The Dragmudin Ink

Oops! Sorry Peter!

It's actually that other blogger, Robert, who likes to steal copy my online presence.

That's a fake beard.

When Robert set up on Facebook, he stole my 'signature' - Riccardo Testore. On his latest blog post he hinted at the idea of Robert's Cello Bag** but evidently changed his mind.

"I had thought of creating a new blog with this name. But after the Testore debacle I decided not to go there." said Robert on his latest post.

The Testore debacle?

Mr. Originality seems to have left the building.

Okay, okay, he seems to look up to me as an older brother, even though I'm going to Hell. 

Maybe I should make my blog more like his? 

For a start, I could steal his heading.

Rich 2025

"I'd rather be an openminded member of the damned than a naive member of the elect." Tent Horn "The Holy Spirit has promised you nothing because he/she/it is a fantasy. Don't be sucked into these silly Catholic ideas." I. Yabbayabbayabba

Have fun boys.

* the original haggis bagging site

** the unoriginal cello bagging site

Poetic justice.

 At the time of writing these are the comments on The Curmudgeon's latest post. I wrote the first one because I felt sorry for him having no comments. Hey, I'm a kind guy.

* * *

Friday, January 3rd. 2025.

Peter was up pretty early. He checked Robert's blog, as he generally did. There was no new post quoting some religious nutter/writer with a weird name like K.Zeerdtk or R.Rrrrren. He decided not to bother with Richard's because 1) he didn't like hearing about his practice and 2) he wanted to make an early trip to the tip. This time of year there were always lots of idiots with trailers who didn't know how to back them. Sheesh, they were a nuisance! The Old Girl was in the her office and Peter knew not to disturb her. She'd just look up from her work and say, "Go, Matey, but don't forget to pick up that stuff for dinner. Hey, and no more Cleanskins. If Richard finds out you've been drinking those, it'll be all over his blog!" Peter left a note on the kitchen bench and headed outside. He was not wearing his silly furry hat. 

He couldn't believe what he saw!

There were workmen on the back plot of his property and they were ripping off foliage and flattening the dirt that was left behind. He hurried across. A guy who looked in charge walked casually across to meet him.

"Hi, I'm Ron. Are you the guy who lives on this property/"

"I'm the owner! Well, along with my partner. What the hell are you doing?"

"We're clearing this plot. It's no longer yours."

"You can't do that! What right have you got?"

"Well, me and that guy in the digger were reading the comments on The Curmudgeon's latest post. We decided that you're losing the plot."

"Oh. Okay."

January 2nd. - the second day of my latest practice diary.

 I practised both double bass and violin yesterday and I was very specific about what I practised - I wrote it down.

That's not me. I'm
left handed.

I have been keeping a record of my practice hours for many, many years - well over thirty.

Does it help?

Well, it does for me. In 2024 I decided to stop this practice. I lasted until August. You can't lie about how much practice you've done when you keep an accurate record. 

However, the important thing is what you do in your practice time. Are you just watching the clock?

It is important to have a goal for each practice session. Yesterday I started with the double bass.

I thought about what was the most important thing, after tone and intonation, to practise on the double bass. Robert said something to the effect that the double bass wasn't really a melodic instrument. I decided that I would take my book of bass melodies that I had written over many years and practise some of them with a metronome. I didn't just play the melodies, I actually spent more time on the chord progressions. I played pizzicato and decided that I should do this every day. Then I picked up my bow and worked on a movement from one of the Bach cello suites - playing in the range that it was written for the cello. 

Later in the day, I picked up my violin.

I thought about tone production before I began, and I ran through my major scales. Then I practised chords in different keys. To finish off, I played some major scales in thirds and sixths. Then I worked on my solo version of The Orange Blossom Special. 

That was a thoughtful day's practice. Now my job is to do it again today.

I bet that the boys (Peter and Robert) are enjoying reading this.

"I'd rather bite my lip than read this."

"I'd rather distribute rainbow flags
than sit through a double bass
attempt at a melody."

Ungrateful buggers!

Well, practice won't do itself. I think I'll start my double bass practice with a tune of mine called 'Autumn Left'. That name is a pun on 'Autumn Leaves' and the tune uses the same chords. I'll also continue working on the Bach. I think The Orange Blossom Special could use a bit more practice today, but I'll try to also get in some time on Sally Goodin'.

Ciao tutti.

The last day of the year.

 31/12/24.

I just reread Peter's (aka The Curmudgeon) latest self-congratulatory post.

I heard that he's thinking of changing his blogging name from The Curmudgeon to Mr. Perfect.

The first thing that is standing in his way is proofreading.

Let's check out his latest post for accuracy.

1) Can you find it?

Well, The Curmudgeon couldn't. Or perhaps The Curmudgeon Ink welcomes sloppiness.

2) Have you ever played tennis tennis or rugby rugby?

Is there such a thing as tennis golf or netball rugby?
I might have a game chess wrestling. (Notice too, the absence of 'of'.)

If I were giving a report card to The Curmudgeon's blog, I'd simply write, "Sloppy. E+. Learn to proofread before you start judging other blogs."

Okay, okay, I was generous with the E+.

By the way, out of all the other blogs TC seems to have rated Robert's in first place. 

Well, I assume that this comment means he is rated highest, "The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ judging panel awarded high points for its modern layout, minimalistic prose-style, edgy photography and this wrap-up which provided a classic Trent Horn quote."

That's maybe because they're both probably MAGA supporters. 

Ciao tutti.

See you next year.