It's very early in the morning but I'm drinking a coffee!

 WHY?

[Hey, Richard (of RBB), you know where you'll be taking a trip to soon!]

Yes, yes, I know. Let me explain.

Yesterday morning I was fooling around with the LINKS on my blog. I can't remember quite what I was trying to do but somehow, I managed to delete all my links except for one.

Look...

Only one link left! TC's.

I can probably reestablish some, like Richard's Bass Bag 2 & 3, but others will be gone for good.

[Oops, bathroom time is getting close.]

Bob's discombobulate Bobadilish is certainly gone for good (I'd kept a link). Ah well, it didn't look like he was ever coming back. So, at present I just have the one link.

Isolation.

Ah well, life goes on.

On the upside I did 2 1/2 hours of practice yesterday - 2 hours of violin and 1/2 an hour of double bass. Not too bad! I chose to do more violin because I have 12 tunes to cover there, as opposed to 5 on the bass. I've been working on that thing I showed you in yesterday's post. It's an extension on another idea but it has taken a bit of sorting out. I'm also working on the chord progression for Anthropology.

[Bathroom time.]

[Done.]

As you all in the North Island know, we're expecting a storm a bit later today. Cyclone Vaianu. Hopefully our area will get the least of it. Thorndon should be okay too. Peter should be safe on his third floor. He might even be able to ring for a cup of tea. 

Well, I think I've covered all my topics for this morning. I was pleased to see the Hurricanes have a good win yesterday. 

42 - 19 over the blues. Yes!

Go, the Hurricanes!

Ciao tutti.

Okay, what's all this about?

 

Well, I'm just working on something for my tune The Immigrants. I don't think you'll be interested, but it should give me a really good intro to the tune. I had a very busy day yesterday, what with lawns and things, and only achieved half an hour of practice. I certainly hope to put that right today. However, it was good that Daryl came around and helped me straighten the bridge on The Bob.* Thanks Daryl.

I'll also need to do more practice on Anthropology today. Actually, I need to do more practice on all my 17 chosen pieces. Busy times.

It was good to see Peter write two posts in quick succession yesterday. The poor fellow turned up at golf but forgot his 'boarding pass'. Ah well, he got a walk out of it. Seems like he'll be looking for a new playing partner since his old one disappeared from the blogging scene. Good luck with that, Peter. No one has heard from Rob for nearly two weeks now. Maybe the Catholic church turned him into a martyr?

Saint Robert of Moera.

He'd turned up to what was to be a quiet evening mass with a possible few runs through the rosary. The church shop was well and truly shut up. It was definitely a bring your own rosary beads night. He was near the back and said a quiet prayer to Mary. There was a small group of old ladies sitting in the front pew. One had a baseball bat and one held a rather big knife. The priest who entered was a little fat fellow who was dressed in all the mass gear. He signaled the man sitting at the back to move up to the front. The priest spoke to him. "We need a patron saint. Someone who is prepared to give their life for Gsus." "It's spelt J-E-S-U-S." the man said. "Gsus is a musical term, used by people like my sinning brother. I've recently left his blogging community because he's going to Hell for eternity. Jesus certainly doesn't want him in Heaven." "Well, you'd better make an effort to get on with Mr. Linford." quipped the little fat priest. "Not everyone up there is going to be fun. Here's the deal, we let these ladies chop you up a bit and you become a martyr. We get our patron saint, and you walk into Heaven untouched and you don't have to live anywhere near Mr. Linford."

* One of my two double basses.

I did two good hours of practice yesterday.

 

Okay, okay, I know that no one really cares about my practice, especially not the blogger referred to as TC. The reality is that I only know of one regular reader of my blog and that's TC, aka Racoon Hat Man.

Sooooo, I might as well write whatever I like. Gsus wept!

Hey, before I get onto my practice schedule, please let me inform you that the Roman Catholic Church is a place full of bullshit. 

There, that's done and out of the way.

I did an hour on each instrument yesterday and only stopped to protect my hands that have been a bit sensitive lately, especially my left hand, around the little fingers. I guess that I just have to be careful. Well, that coffee I just had wasn't really a test of being careful.

[Bathroom trip soon.]

[Now, actually]

[Done, though a second trip might be necessary yet.]

I'm practising 17 pieces between my two instruments at present. I'm really pushing for precision in my playing with timing, intonation, bow accuracy, etc. 

I know that, if my 'Playing with myself' concert goes ahead, my pieces with have to catch the attention of the audience and sound complete and interesting. To that end I'm working on a new technique on The Immigrants. Well, it's not really a new technique, but it might turn a few heads. Who knows?

I think I'll leave it there for today. I have got a few things to do.

Have a good Friday.

Ciao tutti.

All hands on dick.

All hands on dick. Oops, I  meant...

ALL HANDS ON DECK!

Peter wrote a post yesterday. Nothing from Robert's blog for over ten days. No biblical quotes, no advice from Gsus or the one true church. It seems that we only have Peter's posts to go by now. 

"It's sad really but at least here, in Thorndon, we have the fire engines to look at."

Okay, you get the idea, a pretty average TC post.

I intend to start with some double bass practice shortly this morning. My hands have felt a bit vulnerable lately, so I'll try to take it gently. I'd like to get the first 32 bars of My Gentle Giant well memorised. The piece starts with pizzicato and then 32 bars of the arco tune. My intention is to play both parts twice. 

I'm on standby to help with my son's family today, so I need to be ready to go very quickly, if needed. I guess I'm a bit like that fireman from Peter's post.

Ah Thorndon - firemen, cars speeding around, it's all happening there. They've also got rid of the raccoons. It certainly is a lot more peaceful in the Nui. Obviously, no one knows what is going on in Moera these days. 

I've started working on Anthropology. It is not an easy piece but it's a piece that I've played for quite a while, so I'm onto it. The backing chords take a bit of practice. I found a quote about this piece in the bible.

Nigel 2:17 Gsus was not a chord that would be needed in Anthropology but there are probably places that you could drop it in, maybe at the start of those two Bb7 chords? Yes, that would work. A Bb blues scale is also a nice way to play over that A section. Then you can define the chords of the B section. Gsus has spoken.

Well, I'm being a bit naughty and have had a coffee, so I'm going to need to leave the computer for a short while.

[Okay, I'm back.]

I'll wrap it up there for today.

Ciao tutti.

Nothing to report.

 

Rhythm Changes.

 

A section: || Bbmaj7  G7b9 | Cm7  F7 | Dm7  G7 | Cm7  F7 | Bb7    | Eb7 Edim7 | Dm7 G7b9 | Cm7 F7 ||

                 || Bbmaj7  G7b9 | Cm7  F7 | Dm7  G7 | Cm7  F7 | Bb7    | Eb7 Edim7 | Bb7     | Bb7     ||

This is the section that I need fluent chords over. Oh sorry, I'm talking about Anthropology. Remember that I'm playing it unaccompanied, so I need to make the chord progression heard, as well as solos and the tune. At times a bit of each. The B section just contains four dominant 7th chords a 4th apart, so that's pretty easy. The form is A A B A.

Okay, I've got a few jobs to do today, but then I'll get stuck into Anthropology, along with other tunes.

A few jobs?

• Drop my daughter off at Waterloo station.
• Tidy up the back bank and lawn.
• Touch up paint on the bathroom door.
• Pick up my grandson from childcare.

Those are the main jobs that I know about.

Hey, but I'll get that practice done, that's for damn sure.

Ciao.

Add two.

 

Good morning. Here are two good pieces of news for Easter Monday.

• Gsus has risen from the dead, yet again. It is a widely used chord.
• I have added two more tunes to my 10 violin unaccompanied solos.

Let's deal with the second piece of good news. Ah, I know that my reader isn't interested in Gsus chords.

I have added Autumn Leaves and Anthropology to my violin unaccompanied solos. Autumn Leaves is a classic jazz standard that has some special significance for me, but I won't go into that. Anthropology is a Bebop tune that has a lot of notes in the tune and is what we call a rhythm changes tune. That means that it basically follows the same chord changes as 'I Got Rhythm'. Well, who could ask for anything more?

I got rhythm, I got music
I got my man
Who could ask for anything more?
I got daisies, in green pastures
I got my man
Who could ask for anything more?

Old man trouble
I don't mind him
You won't find him 'round my door
I got starlight
I got sweet dreams
I got my man
Who could ask for anything more?

That means that I now have 17 tunes to practise. Don't forget those 5 double bass tunes - Sii Gentile, Almost Blues, Gypsy Feet, My Gentle Giant and Shelley My Dear. All originals. I intend to practise those first today.

* * *

I'm having a coffee this morning. Special Easter treat.

With consequences. (Well, let's see how the new meds hold up.)

Boy, that last post from Peter was a long one! Well done, that man though! 

* * *

Did you notice the first picture on this post? I bought it when I needed to erect some big shelves in what has become our storage room. Yes, it's a rubber hammer.

The handle is made of wood, but
the 'hitting part' is made of very
dense rubber.

Very dense rubber.

Okay, I'm not a violent guy, but imagine that someone tried to break into our house in the middle of the night. I need something to defend myself. A gun? A machete? A very sharp knife? A crowbar? A spear? I'm not a fighter, and I'm a bit old, so I'd need something to help me protect us all.

Okay, you wouldn't immediately think of a rubber hammer in this situation, but I believe that it would be the best weapon for self defence. That rubber is like rock! It could be used like a very hard fist. I wouldn't want to come up against it!

Okay, enough about violence. I'm just trying to put forward the idea of unique solutions. I mean, who wants to come and hear an old guy playing tunes (lots of unpopular jazz, for that matter) on an unaccompanied violin and an unaccompanied double bass? I really don't know. But does it matter if no one shows up? I see that the brothers are organising another jam for later this month. I remember going to one and I played a song I wrote in my early twenties. It's called 'Shy Boy'. No one was impressed. Actually, the reaction was the opposite. It's an important piece for me. I didn't have much self confidence when I was young and I often paid a price. That lack of self belief certainly affected my music. Now here I am, too old to care. What I do is what I do. I'm a rubber hammer guy, so watch out!

Okay, that's it from me for this morning.

Sii gentile.

Moderate Sunday.

 It looks like Robert's blog is gone for good. I thought that he might use today to 'rise from the dead' but it seems that won't be happening.

Gone for good?

Well, it's Easter Egg Day today. My two grandsons are coming around this morning. They're not interested in people rising from the dead, but they ARE interested in Easter eggs. I can promise you that.

I'm not sure if Peter is allowed to eat Easter eggs. I do know that he was instrumental in driving raccoons out of Thorndon and reestablishing cats in the area.

Is this just so that he can wear his silly hat?

Maybe Easter Sunday should be known as Silly Hat Day?

I wonder if Robert is wearing a silly hat today? Maybe he's just carrying his favourite flag.

Ah well, everyone to their own.

I'm off now. I have things to do. No, I'm not rising from the dead but maybe a few Easter eggs will feature in my immediate future.

Ciao tutti.

Good Saturday.

 Good morning Peter, and anyone else who looks at this blog.

Okay, perhaps that's being a little bit optimistic.

Cut all the crap about Gsus, today is a good day for me because I got through last night without spending half of it in the bathroom.

That's all thanks to a med I'm taking that you can't take all the time. Hey, I'll hopefully even be able to have a little breakfast a bit later. Well, I'm writing a post at the moment. I can't do both at the same time. 

I got 1 1/2 hours of practice done on Not Too Bad Friday. Not too bad at all! First thing today will be some more double bass practice. Yes, that's right, I have a potential solo concert coming up in late August playing both violin and double bass. Really the building up for the concert is the most important part. I'm sure that a lot of people might not like what I'm doing, but who cares? It doesn't really matter. Some people need to protect their own egos. I know people like that. Quite a few. No, I'm doing this for myself. To keep me moving forward. 

That was bad news about old Peter* losing his favourite biscuits. I hope he can score an Easter egg tomorrow. Maybe a sugar free Easter egg, or two, would do the trick?

Well, I'll sign off there for today.**

Sii gentile.

Ciao.

* He is quite a bit older than me.

** On a day that I can go to the supermarket!

Not Too Bad Friday.

 

Tim bumped into his old acquaintance Brian, and he was pleased to see him. "How's it going, Brian?" he asked. Brian replied, "Not too bad."

This phrase is used a lot, in places like supermarkets, when two people meet unexpectedly. It's a positive statement because it's really one up on, "My life is a mess!" It is also not as positive as, "Very good, thanks." which can be seen as a bit of a brag.

Well, supermarkets are closed today. Among other things, that means that you can't buy wine. I hope you stocked up yesterday! Many people will be happy because they don't need to go to work today. For others it will present a bit of an inconvenience. Especially when there is another 'supermarkets closed' day on Sunday.

The term 'Good Friday' may be overdoing things a bit, especially with all the problems going on around the world at present. I've heard a rumour that institutions, like the Roman Catholic Church, have got together and agreed to tone down the name from Good Friday to Not Too Bad Friday. I feel that this is a good decision.

* * *

Is there a direct link to God (the one true one) in music? Yes, there is.

In music there is a chord called Gsus, mostly referring to the chord Gsus4. This chord contains the notes G, C and D. Traditionally it would be resolved onto the chord with G B D (G major).

It is important, on Not Too Bad Friday, to spare a thought for Gsus. This is a chord that creates tension but then is resolved, sort of like Gsus rising from the dead a few days later and closing supermarkets again. Oops, sorry, I meant Jesus.

* * *

I have to take some new tablets, starting this morning, for 8 weeks. Hopefully they will quieten down my present issues.

As God said to Moses, "Don't forget to take the tablets."

I was told to take them with food. Okay, you probably know that food doesn't work too well for me in the morning. Is this like medical officials suggesting that a coffee might be a good idea too? Well, I suppose that would be one way to celebrate Not Too Bad Friday. I'll give it some thought as I write.

* * *

I started writing this blog in 2007. Soon after, two other people joined into this little blogging community. Nineteen years later we all get lots of comments from many different people. It seems that one of these bloggers has left.

There has been nothing on this blog for about a week. Okay, this blog often wipes all its posts, but I think it really has gone this time. Ah well, there's still one other blogger out there.

Peter (the other blogger) keeps us updated about rooms in his house, politics (sometimes), clothes he has that don't fit properly, golf and tennis. What an interesting mix! 

* * *

Well, that's just about me for Not Too Bad Friday. This should be a good day to get some practice done. Remember that the concept of sin is just Christian church bullshit. Just try and be nice to people.

Sii gentile.

Ciao.

April 1st.

 

"April Fools’ Day, in most countries the first day of April. It received its name from the custom of playing practical jokes on this day—for example, telling friends that their shoelaces are untied or sending them on so-called fools’ errands. A successful April Fools’ Day prank ends with the exclamation of the phrase “April Fool!” by the prankster."

* * *

It was great this morning to wake to such a great post by Peter. This new post has nothing to do with rooms in his house or clothing that doesn't fit properly or is a bit worn out.

He is making a big effort to choose topics that may be interesting to readers and promises to post more often.

Also, Robert is back posting and has promised to give all that biblical shit a rest. He also admits that the record of Catholic clergy, 14% up to 'no good' since 1950, is a disgrace to the church. He actually advises people to give the silly church a wide birth.

APRIL FOOL!

April is not far away.

 Hi, this is the only new blog post you'll see around here this morning. Robert's blog seems all locked up and Raccoon Man only posts about once a year.

"It's not just my shoes,
my pants feel tight too!
I wonder if Richard or
Rob would like them?"

I think that Rob is pissed off because of this statement that got posted recently, "New Zealand’s Catholic church admits 14% of clergy have been accused of abuse since 1950."

"Those bloody atheists are
always picking on the one
true church!"

So, just to be clear, 14 out of every 100 Catholic clergy have been accused of abuse (since 1950). These are God's representatives of Earth, for Christ's sake!

Ah well, moving right along.

Tomorrow is the last day of March. March 31st.  On that day my elder grandson turns 3. Mum and dad put on a party for him last Saturday. I've saved his present for tomorrow. The main part of his present is a model of his favourite action figure, Iron Man.

Iron Man's preferred weapon.

My younger grandson has been a bit unwell. I'm hoping hugely that he's on the mend. He turns 1 on April 15th.

Well, that's it from me. 

Ciao.

The supermarkets close for two days over Easter.

 I assume that's so all the staff can go and say the rosary.

No post from either of the old boys (Robert and Peter) so far this morning. At least I don't have to read about articles of clothing that don't fit Peter properly or wise fairytales taken from the bible.

No practice for me yesterday on either of my instruments. More important things came up and saying the rosary wasn't one of them. Hey, just for the record, all my shoes fit okay.

I think I might have a piece of pizza and a coffee [and an extra trip or two to the bathroom] for breakfast this morning. Why the hell not! Well, while dealing with events that happened yesterday, I missed out on dinner. This morning's breakfast could be like dinner.

Well, that's it from me this morning.

Ciao.

One day closer to my concert.

 

It's not going to be like this.

Probably more like this.

I guess it might be considered a success if I don't have to stop halfway through to use the bathroom.

Playing improvised unaccompanied music is a lot different from playing with accompaniment. Ah, I won't go into detail. No one around here will be really interested. I'd be better off talking about golf or quoting from the bible. Boring for me.

I'm off.

Ciao.

Playing with myself.

 

Whoops! I need to be careful!

Preparation for 'Playing with myself' is going pretty well. I'm getting in practice on both instruments and I'm working on all 15 tunes. Remember that I have 5 double bass unaccompanied tunes and 10 violin unaccompanied tunes. I'll probably use 7 violin tunes and 5 bass tunes at my (slowly getting) planned first concert. That should make the performance about an hour long. I think that's long enough. Remember that the concert is tentatively planned for late August. Today is day 7 of my practice schedule.

No post from Robert this morning, but Peter wrote a very good post yesterday. Hey, I loved that porcupine joke! What Peter did showed a lot of guts. I'm proud of you, Peter!

My hero!

I think that people who need to speed in their car haven't got much happening in their lives. They should do something, like take up the violin. I see them racing along as I drive to work, speeding over the Nui hill. There are always dents in the road barriers that tell of drivers who didn't make it. Near the bottom of the Nui hill there are traffic lights. This causes a short delay and means that I catch up to lots of speeding drivers. Why do they bother? When I'm going somewhere, I always set off a bit too early. This means that I have no need to panic or rush. Peter obviously uses the same principal when he walks to Moore Wilson's. Remember how long we had to wait, last time, for the post that he promised to write on his return.

Well, that's about it from me. No coffee this morning. God, I love those coffees, but not the extra trip they cause.

Please don't worry about sinning and stay well away from Catholic confession.

Ciao tutti. Ehi, sto ancora pensando a quel caffè!