New shoes? You choose.

 

No.

Definitely not!

Absolutely no way!

Yes please!

My old friend (and he is older than me) Peter popped around today. As well as giving us (Shelley and I) a really wonderful set of place mats, he also gave me a pair of rather expensive shoes that didn't fit him properly. What a very kind thing to do! Thanks so much, Peter. I wore them today and they are very comfortable. You and Lynn are very kind! Huge thanks!

I got an hour's practice done on the violin today, but it was quite a busy day. My baby (the younger of our two children) turned 40 today. He now has two babies of his own - Harrison 3 years and 4 months and Henry 1 year and 3 1/2 months. Grandkids are a lot of fun, though they do tire you out at times. Well worth it though. 

Well, I'll leave it there for tonight. Huge thanks to Peter and Lynn for their generosity.

Ciao tutti.

Four instruments that I practise.

 

The Gloria (left) and the Bob, my two double basses that are named after my parents. I've had the Bob for a very long time and have played some pretty high pressure gigs on it. Like my dad, it's a real workhorse that came from simple beginnings. It's what is known as a plywood bass, but it plays very well. I bought the Gloria a little less than 20 years ago (2009?), about a year after my mother had died. It's a mighty fine bass. Both basses are great to play and are well set up with great strings. I've basically been playing the Gloria lately but have made a decision to play the Bob more often. It's a great way to keep my parents' memory alive.

Okay, I thought that, since both of my basses have family names, I should name the other two instruments that I practise regularly after my two children and my wife. Hey, it's a good thing that I'm not practising the trumpet anymore because it begs to be named after the first five letters of it's own name! If you look at the picture of my guitar, it is obvious that it has to be named after my son (George). That leaves the violin. This is the instrument that I am presently practising by far the most. So it could be named after two people. Look at the 'f' holes. They could actually be 'S' holes, so I've decided to name my violin after my daughter and my wife. Well, remember that there are two 'S' holes. Say hello to Stephanie Shelley.

The return of the post.

 

Yes, that certainly is an old blogging joke! 

It's a wet Saturday morning here in the Nui. Blogger Peter McDonald Trump often refers to me as an old man and, the way I've been feeling lately, I think I have to accept that title. My three year old grandson likes to be carried but I'm finding that really knocks the wind out of me. Somehow I need to persuade him to walk more. I read that Peter MT is not impressed by my 208 hours of practice so far this year.

Actually, it's how and what you practise that is the important thing. I don't really care what other people think of my practice hours and method because it is working well for me. I just need to try and do more double bass practice. I'm doing quite a bit of work on the guitar, but the violin MUST come first.

I do usually read Rob's blog, though I must admit that the majority of what he writes doesn't make much sense to me. Also, his grammar takes some interesting turns. It seems that another Jesus (Jesus son of Eleazar, son of Sirach) has shown up. I assume that one of those two people is his mother. I guess that Rob will have more praying to do and will perhaps have to add to his rosary time.

My son turns 40 next Friday. Where has all that time gone? He's a great dad - both of his sons adore him. I guess we'll have a small celebration. 

Peter MT is off to Aussie next month. He is doing lots of walking practice. Good on him. My daughter is in Melbourne and really likes the place. Maybe I'll have to visit her sometime in the future?

Shelley is on the mend. You probably read the comment where I mentioned that she spent a couple of nights in hospital. She has had some bug and has quite a bad chest. I must have got a bit of her bug too because my chest hasn't been good. Still, we soldier on. 

I might have something to eat soon.

You're supposed to eat something before taking one of the pills I take. The downside is that eating too early can (and often does) send me to the bathroom. Ah, I wish I was as young as Peter MT!

A photo of Peter MT from a few weeks ago.

Well, that will have to do for this morning. I'll try to do a bit of double bass practice before I return to the violin.

Ciao tutti.

The three instruments that I practise.

 

Violin, double bass and guitar.

Day 200 of 2026 today. 203 hours so far this year.

The taste of success.

 Okay, I might not be going to Heaven, to spend eternity with Robert and Mr. Linford, but I have just received an award.

I suspect that it might be from McDonald Trump himself because it has American spelling on it. I can see that The Curmudgeon is mentioned on the certificate, AND The Music Curmudgeon! 

"HAS COMPLETED MUSIC PRACTICE WITH FLYING COLORS!" I think that 'FLYING COLORS' is referring to my study of m7b5, 7b9 and m6 chords. These are indeed colourful (sorry, English spelling) chords! 

It is fitting that today is day 200 of 2026 and, before doing today's practice, I am sitting on 202 hours of practice! That has got to be better than regularly going to mass and saying the rosary!

Robert at confession this week. "Bless me Father, for I have sinned. Both my cello and violin practice have been very erratic. I'm too embarrassed to tell you how much concentrated practice I have done. Needless to say, not much. Should I offer my place in Heaven to my brother Richard?"

* * *

Well, what more can I say? I'm going to be celebrating today. Pies for lunch, I think. I'm also wearing my favourite (sorry, English spelling again) slippers. 

Ciao tutti e fai la tua pratica!

Chi va piano va sano e va lontano.

 Day 199 of 2026.

"He who goes slowly goes healthy and goes a long way."

This is an old Italian saying. Rob seems to have got confused by it and left a comment asking if it came from the Bible (or something to that effect). No, it's just an old Italian saying, the part, "e arriva in ritardo" was added by someone as a joke. "And arrives late." Bloody Catholics! Imagine Rob at confession. "Bless me Father for I have sinned. I also have no sense of humour."

Well, I'm up and have delivered my elderly neighbour's paper. I'll hopefully get some music practice done this morning. I'm enjoying playing my guitar. I'm working on four tunes - Autumn Leaves, Manha De Carnival, Sweet Georgia Brown and Nature Boy. I have been working out nice chord voicings for chords like Bm7b5 and E7b9. It is interesting that Bm7b5 contains the same notes as Dm6 (B D F A / D F A B) and E7b9 contains a diminished chord with its E root (G# B D F). I knew my fellow bloggers would find that interesting.

Well, that's it from me.

Vai a leggere merda nella Bibbia.

Ciao.

Today is day number 198 of 2026 and...

I have just completed 200 hours of music practice!

148 1/2 hours of violin.

29 1/2 hours of double bass.

22 hours of guitar. 

These are concentrated hours of serious practice. They don't include gigs, band rehearsals or jams.

200 hours.

You'll notice that the violin gets priority.

I keep the double bass going for old time's sake and the guitar is a bit of a hobby.

The violin gets priority treatment.

I had my first violin lesson in 1961 when I was eight years old. My mother bought two violins at a local school fair. She brought them home and asked her three sons (the younger two were still a way off being born) who would like to learn to play them. My younger brother and I were quick to put our hands up. We attended lessons with a Catholic nun named Sister Joachim. I think she was a good teacher. I stayed with her until I attended Victoria University and studied with a guy named Gavin Saunders. I didn't do much practice because I spent more time trying to get a girlfriend. I did scrape through level one but then turned to musical composition as my major. I did gain a B.Mus(hons) degree. I failed at getting girlfriends.

I got into playing the bass guitar and, a short time after, started studying the double bass. A bit earlier, around when I was fourteen, I had started fooling around on the guitar. 

The bass guitar and double bass became my main instruments for most of my life. 

In 2012 I started practising the violin again.

At present I teach violin (and a bit of double bass and viola) at two secondary schools, but my main efforts go into picking up my elder grandson, feeding my younger grandson and music practice. In the practice department the violin comes first. In the greater scheme of things my grandsons (and my wife and children) come first. 

Well, there you have it.

At some point I hope to get out and play my 30 tune solo violin repertoire. 

I guess we'll have to see how that unfolds.

Ah well, chi va piano va sano e va lontano, e arriva in ritardo.

Ciao.

When's Wednesday?

 It's today!

AKA Badgrammarday.
Actually, the opening of the speech marks
just got cut off at the top of the picture.

Peter will be busy trying to get rid of his plates and stuff.

Robert offered to take them. Robert who said, in his latest post, "I wonder if blogging has run its course." Well, not if you're trying to scrounge cups and plates, Rob.

Today, Wednesday, the day when my younger grandson has been around for 15 months, is day number 196 of 2026. 

At present my practice stands as:

Double Bass 29 hours.

Guitar 20 1/2 hours.

Violin 146 1/2 hours.

Total = 196 hours.

Not a bad effort.

Better than trying to sell old crockery. 

I'll get into some violin practice soon. I might take the time to play through my entire repertoire from memory, That should take about 2 1/2 hours. I'll have to get onto it soon. The double bass comes next, but maybe tomorrow. 

I'll see Henry this afternoon, after picking up his elder brother from childcare. For those who don't know, Henry is the guy who is 15 months old today. 

Well, that's it from me for this Wednesday.

Ciao tutti.

Sabato.

Oggi, poco dopo le cinque, guarderò la partita della nazionale italiana di rugby contro gli All Blacks.

In the style of 'third person' Rob I got rid of my four very short blog posts. I'll leave that style of blog writing to Peter. Talking of Rob, his blog posts have disappeared again. No big surprise there.

Peter's latest blogging attempts seem to be all about his bloody computer. Boring. Though The Whine Guy did go on about how wine is packaged. I had to speed read that one!

Shelley and I have had a long period of not feeling very well. Fortunately, though, our computer seems to be working okay. I have kept my practice up through this time, doing an hour of violin practice every day. Unfortunately the guitar and double bass have been missing out. I'll get them back up to speed when my energy levels rise. 

I've been working on memorisation. I've also been working on the four dominant 7th scale fingerings. For those who haven't been paying enough attention to what I've written in previous posts, let me regurgitate. There are four possible ways to finger a major scale on the violin. Each major scale (there are 12 different keys) contains seven modes. These are called Ionian (another name for the major scale), Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian. These modes all contain the notes in the major scale but starting on a different note. For example, the Dorian mode in C major is D E F G A B C D. All these modes are very useful in Jazz, but the 'main' three are the Ionian (major), Dorian (minor with a #6) and the Mixolydian (also known as the dominant 7th). 

Because these modes are all derived from the major scale, they will derive four fingerings from the major scale. They just start in different places. These 'main' three scales form a progression known as the II - V - I (or II - V7 - I). There is also a minor version of this progression but we won't go into that today. 

Anyway, I'm working through the four Mixolydian forms and the four Dorian forms. 

There you go.

That's all I have to tell you for today. 

Stay warm and enjoy the rugby. 

Go the All Blacks!

I forget. I remember. Final.

 Wednesday 8th of July.

Feast of Saint Duncan of Taihape. "Every good boy deserves fruit? Most would probably prefer an ice cream or even a glass of wine."

I see that Robert is now into Acrostic Mnemonics. I blame Sister Joachim for that.

"Chris Can't Eat Eggs
Alan Ate Dead Dogs
Everyone Eats Ants Already
Dead Dogs Dread God"

Wouldn't he be better off just learning the chords to All Of Me?

Cmaj7    E7    A7    Dm7    || E7    Am7    D7    Dm7 G7    || etc.

Notice how these chords are either major 7, dominant 7 or minor 7. To know this is very important when improvising over the chords. I don't see how Chris not being able to eat eggs is really going to help here. No, better just to memorise the chords. It probably wouldn't take much longer than learning those silly words.

Anyway, moving on.

Still no new post from Peter. That's nothing this week. What is he doing on these incredibly wet days that takes up all of his time?

I know he's not practising the violin NOR the bagpipes. He certainly won't be worrying about Acrostic Mnemonics. Okay, I know, I know, he did have to drive Lynn to work but that would only take about half an hour, at most. Come on Peter! Get your A into G!

I might as well leave it there for today. I've started making preparations for going to Hell. I won't be packing warm clothes. A pair of togs might be handy. I'll take my water bottle too.

Ciao tutti.

I forget. I remember. PART 2.

 

Unfortunately, I can never forget this picture! 

Or this one!

But I'm here today to talk about memorising music.

Thanks go to Rob for introducing the word 'mnemonic'. Memorising music is all about getting it into long term memory and being able to retrieve it. I have been successful and unsuccessful with this process. In my latest attempt (yesterday) I even tried using the mnemonic process. It did help with memorising chord progressions. For example, for A7 Dm7 G7 C, I thought of the strings on a viola. I also had three dominant 7th chords that led into key changes after sections of the piece - D7, A7 and G7. I thought of the word 'dag'. That did help. Then I thought of how I never forget names of family and old friends and how I never forget the times tables I learnt in primary school, yes, that same time when I looked up a girl's skirt. 

I spent half an hour working on an easy piece that just contained a tune, in three different keys, and chords that are not complicated. Obviously repetition plays an important role. I didn't put much effort into learning my brothers' names. I guess that a lot of repetition was involved but not noticed. When memorising 'Peter' maybe, without much thought, I used a mnemonic for the male organ? 

Okay, this music memorisation thing is still a work in progress. I'll push on with it today.

Maybe there will be a PART 3 to this project?

Maybe Peter will write another post before Christmas?

Time will tell.

Ciao tutti.

Make sure you get your music practice done.

I forget. I remember.

I've been sick for the last couple of weeks and it has been rather unpleasant. Among other things, I have been low on energy.

?

Before you start panicking, I have kept my instrument practice up and, at the time of writing, I am sitting on 186 1/2 hours for the year so far.

However, the 'low on energy' thing does mean that I have spent quite a bit of time laying on the couch and looking at my phone.* I always seem to finish up scrolling through Facebook. Facebook is full of SO MUCH SHIT! I have only got myself to blame, I know. However, one thing that caught my attention was people writing about how to memorise music for performance. There have been quite a lot of people who have written on this topic. They go on for quite a while and, when it's time for some helpful answers, they tell you that they want money before they will tell you anything more. This pisses me off. If I had the answers to this 'problem', I'd just tell everyone. Why do so many things always have to be about making money?

I have been thinking about memorisation quite a bit lately. Evidently there are three steps involved in the memory process: Encoding (short term memory), Consolidation (long term memory) and Retrieval (recalling).

As you know, I have 30 pieces in my solo violin repertoire and they are all memorised to a degree. I can play all the pieces in this repertoire by memory, but some could use a bit more work to really lock them into my memory. Hence I think quite a bit about memorisation. I also continue to work on these particular pieces.

I had a thought the other day. Don't get me wrong, I'm not as old as Peter, but I have noticed that I have a tendency to forget names of people who I haven't seen for a while or I don't know well. I have little tricks that I use to recall these names or to not forget them. One thing I do is make up an association. I know a guy called Cory, so when I think of him I think of an apple core.

I needed to remember the name of a lady named Denise at work. I think of Dennis the Menace.

Now, don't get me wrong, this lady is nothing like the comic character. It's just that a bit of humour seems to help the connection and is easier to remember. In these situations I never tell people how I remember their names.

When my first grandson was born I found his name hard to remember. The name Harrison was not a name that I had much experience with. Then I put his father's name in front of it. George Harrison. We all know who George Harrison was!

There are some names I just never forget and they don't need prompting - parents, brothers, children, very old friends, the list goes on. I mean, I don't have to say, "Peter McDonald Trump." to remember Peter's name. I just use that one because it is fun!

I'm going to leave you there for today, but this topic is not finished.

To be continued.

* That thing that Peter keeps dropping into his bath.

Here we go again...

 Happy as can be,

All good friends and

Jolly good company.

Another cold morning. Our heat pump has decided to stop working. Peter has already left a comment on Rob's latest post. He thinks that Rob has got his facts wrong. 

"Quintilis. In 44 BC the Romans change it to July in honour of Julius Caesar; though I doubt TC would accept that as he thinks everything back then was myth. Around that time Luke had written the first account of the life of Jesus or was it Mark?"

No doubt the boys will fight over this for a while. Ah well, it keeps them busy on a very cold morning. It's evidently 2 degrees in the Nui. It'll be warmer in Thorndon because it is considered a posh suburb. I think they have heat pumps on the side of Peter's street. 

I don't think that is the case in Moera. Evidently the temperature here is 4 degrees now. Both our car windows are covered in ice. At least it's not raining. That means that Peter won't have to drive Lynn to work. Though I suppose he still could. He could wear his new pants.

It'll make it look like Lynn is being driven to 
work by a tradesman. Cool!

I'm off work today, which is good because it takes the rush out of my morning when one is not feeling 100%. I was offered a break today because I am going in to assess performances tomorrow. 

I have a new routine in my practice. Every week day (Monday to Friday) I play 6 of my 30 repertoire tunes so that, over five days I've played every tune. I still practise on the weekend and it doesn't mean that I won't do extra practice on tunes that need it. It's just a way to make sure that no tunes are neglected. Peter will be pleased to hear that. I also MUST get some double bass practice done.

Well, that should do for today. 

Oggi la mia pratica inizia con la melodia numero tredici e arriva alla numero diciotto.

Ciao tutti.

Richard's Bass Bag* WET SATURDAY QUIZ.

 

Welcome to our WET SATURDAY QUIZ. This quiz is open to anyone who happens to read this blog. Good luck to all the competitors. Anyone who was in 3P in 1966 should find this quiz easy! Anyone who attended music lessons at St. Mary's College in the 1960s should do well too.

Here we go...

1. Mount Victoria in Wellington is named after which of these people? a) Donald Trump b) Father Bliss c) an English queen d) Victoria Tucker.

2. Richard (of RBB) is carrying his violin to a gig (yes, he does have one). How many violin strings are in his violin case?

3. Which one of these people has never played or practised the violin? a) Robert Prowse b) Itzhak Perlman c) Peter McDonald d) Hilary Hahn.

4. Which one of these people was not in 3P at St. Patrick's College in 1966? a) Peter McDonald b) Noel Kidson c) Danny Cotteral d) Ferruccio Baldas.

5. What are the four notes that make up the chord C#dim7?

6. Who taught the standard four boys at Marist Thorndon in 1963? a) Brother Benedict b) Father Woodcock c) Mrs. Carr d) Brother Leon.

7. One of these boys has the nickname Prowsey but has never played in the Prowse Brothers Band. Which one? a) Daryl Prowse b) Rodney Prowse c) Henry Prowse d) Robert Prowse.

8. On the violin I put my first finger on Eb on the D string, my second finger on C on the A string and my third finger on A on the E string. Then I rock my bow over these strings. Then I move each finger up a minor third, then another minor third and then another minor third. Which of these chords am I playing over? a) Ebm7 b) D7b9 c) Cmaj7 d) C7#9.

9. Which blog in this little community also runs a sightseeing extravaganza in the Wellington region? a) The Wine Guy b) The The The Guy c) Richard's Bass Bag* d) The Food Curmudgeon.

10. An Italian looks at The Curmudgeon's latest attempt at a quiz and says, "Che stronzata!" Which answer best sums up his feeling about the quiz? a) Fantastic! b) Silly questions! c) It's good that he never took up the violin! d) What a load of bullshit!

Well, wasn't that fun! Get your answers in, quick!

Ciao.

* the original bass bagging site

Tickle my arse with a feather.*

 

Excuse me, but I think you misheard me.

I said, "Particularly nasty weather."

There will be no golf or tennis for Peter today. At least Robert will still be able to clean the shit off toilets. I guess Shelley and I will wait and see what happens to the weather around lunchtime. I've just been out delivering our elderly neighbour's paper. I also put the lids back on a couple of neighbours' rubbish bins and pushed another couple up tight against a fence. It's rubbish day in the Nui today. The wind has been very strong and the rain is pissing down.

Like this but much worse.

If we do make it to Greytown, I've been asked to play some violin. I know the people at dinner are not really keen on jazz. As Peter remembers, one guy is a big Neil Diamond fan and he'll no doubt want to play tunes from Hot August Night. He's not a musician but will want to run his phone through my little amp. I've dug up my charts for 24 Irish tunes. The guy running the dinner is Irish, so that will win him over. 

I spent a lot of time playing through those Irish tunes yesterday and will do the same this morning. 

Well, that's enough from me for this morning.

Fai il solletico al mio sedere con una piuma.

Ciao tutti.

* A very old joke. Peter may remember it.

Blog posts around here are getting shorter.

 

That's Peter, second from the left, and Robert next, to his right.

It looks like it's going to be a wet weekend. They say it's even colder in the Wairarapa. Yes, I'll get some face masks today. Peter told me what to do on his last short post. 

I'll take my violin with me, if we make it to the Wire Wrapper. Just so that I can get some practice done on Saturday. Don't worry Peter, I'll use a mute in the motel room. There is a good chance that we may not go. Time will tell.

Some pieces in my 30 tune repertoire need some work, so I need to keep working through those tunes. My double bass has been a bit neglected lately. Maybe I should give it some time today? Guitar practice happens when it happens. 

Compared to efforts of the other two bloggers, this can now be considered a long post. 

So, I'll sign off there.

Ho letto da qualche parte che questo è l'inverno più caldo mai registrato. Sì, e io sono il papa!

Bye.

I've picked up a bug.

 

A bug.

I have a cough and a sore throat and am a bit short of breath so I'm staying home from school today. I guess that means I have time to write a post.

I see that Robert is back. He's going on about Original Sin and how three people were born without it. That doesn't seem fair. The story goes that God the Farter Father inflicted it onto everyone because Eve bit his favourite apple. This 'all loving god' evidently let three people off. 888 was one of those three people. Hang on, he's part of the three entities in one god. One of the other two was a woman who became 888's earthly mother. Then there was a bloke named John. I don't know why he was so highly respected by this third of a god. Is God the Farter Father supposed to be older than 888? Well, they have both evidently been around for eternity, along with Karen. That makes them both very old, by human standards. If this father - son stuff is true, Karen MUST be the real mother and not Mary. Robert should start saying the rosary to Karen.

"Hi, I'm Karen, 888's 'real' mother."

In case anyone is wondering, my practice is presently one hour ahead of schedule - 175 hours, as of yesterday (day 174). Wow, if there really was a god, that should be enough to make me free from Original Sin! You'd better correct that last post, Rob, and change the number to four. 888, Mary, John and Richard of RBB*.

This is not the coldest morning I've experienced so far this year. Still, it's nice to be sitting near the heater. Shelley and I are due to spend a couple of nights in Greytown this coming weekend. I hope we're both feeling a bit better (Shelley is not well either). It'll be nice to get away for a couple of nights. Don't worry, Peter, I'll take my violin and keep the practice up. Evidently there are big celebrations on in Greytown on the Saturday night for Winter Christmas. Evidently the celebrations go on for a month. In my present state, I'd be happy just sleeping in our motel. We have friends who will be there too. One couple has a house in Greytown and the rest of the people are staying there. I chose a motel so that I'll have a better chance of finding an empty bathroom. 

Well, I guess that's it from me this morning.

No need to say the rosary for me. Well, I am one of the chosen four, at least I think I am.

Ciao.

* the original bass bagging site

Very cold.

 Off to work soon but having a little bit of time in front of the heat-him.

Today is going to be a busy day. Fitting in my practice is always a bit tricky on a Tuesday, but I'll do my best. Where there's a will there's a way.

888 it's cold!

I'm off to get my morning 'jobs' done.

Hey, this post is as short as some of Peter's posts!

"It's cold! I'm glad I 
brought my hat to Thorndon!"

Ciao.

God the Father, God the Son and Karen.

 

I don't think the Holy Spirit (formerly the Holy Ghost) is a bird, I think it is more likely to be God the Mother. Catholics tell us that there are three entities in one god. Supposedly they have always been there, so the labels father, son and mother are a bit silly. This god has existed forever. Imagine just a little bit of this eternity, before man was created and God the Father sent his 'only begotten' son down to Earth.

Here is just a little bit of this pre JC time...

1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years.

Hey, eternity is a very long time!

I suspect that the whole mum and dad thing only came along when '888' was sent down to Earth to die on a cross. 

* * *

Rob's blog has gone again.

Hey, it's just like old times!

* * *

Well, the good news is that my left hand is feeling better this morning. That means more violin practice today. I've kept my practice up to date during the worrying time of an injured hand. I got some cream from our chemist shop and it seems that has done the trick. Thank you, young lady in the chemist shop who served me!

I guess I'll wrap it up there for today.

Ciao Peter (he's the only known post reader left).