Enharmonic.

 Okay, I could tell you about the plague of ants I've just dealt with in our kitchen,

or I could comment on TC's self-praising post (though he never took 16 tight heads in one 1st. fifteen rugby match) about his old paedo Catholic school system.

No, instead I want to talk about enharmonic notes in music.*

Most people know (well, maybe not players of the bagpipes) that there are 12 differently named notes in our western music tempered system, five of which have two names. All these12 notes are evenly spaced from each other. Well, actually more than five can have two names - for example, E could be called Fb. The well-known notes with two names are F#/Gb, G#/Ab, A#/Bb, C#/Db and D#/Eb. These are often known as the black notes on the piano. The other seven notes are white. Hey, look at a piano if you don't understand that.

There is no black note between
E & F or B & C.

I've gotten heavily into tritones lately. This was brought on by my love of hearing the #4 (also can be called #11) in jazz solos. A #4 is a tritone from the root in standard scales like the dominant 7th. scale. A tritone, you probably guessed it, is made up of three tones. A tone is where you move up from one note, skip one and go to the next note. The distance from one note to the note right next to it is called a semitone. Here's a tritone: C-C#-D, D-D#-E, E-F-F#. ----> C D E F#. Note - that F# could also be called Gb (enharmonic). So, it could be a #4 or a b5.

Okay, you should know by now that, when I'm improvising on my violin, I often like to play 3/7 chords. Hey, they give a nice sound! Four note chords are often made up of the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th notes of a scale. For example, let's take the scale G7. It contains the notes G A B C D E F G. The G7 chord contains the notes G B D F. The 3rd note is B and the 7th note is F.

Here's a funny thing: Let's take the dominant 7th. scale that would begin on the tritone of G - C#7. This scale has the notes C# D# E# F# G# A# B C#. Let's check out the 3rd and 7th notes. E# and B. Okay, remember the enharmonic thing I told you about? E# = F. I could have also called this C#7 scale Db7 (enharmonic again). Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb Cb Db. Now our two notes are F and Cb (enharmonic again, Cb = B). The same two notes of G7, just in reverse order!

Okay, that's probably enough for today. I know that Peter (and probably his phone) will be in the bath by now and Robert will be off to the church shop.

Let me just finish off with this. If you use, say, 3/7 dominant 7th. chords, There are only six different chord sounds:

1. C7 & F#7 (Gb7)
2. D7 & G#7 (Ab7)
3. E7 & A#7 (Bb7)
4. G7 & C#7 (Db7)
5. A7 & D#7 (Eb7)
6. B7 & E#7 (F7)

I hope you enjoyed that.

Ciao tutti.

* Just stop reading now, if it's not your thing.

"Frankly I don’t …. You know the rest."

Things that people from out of town might find in Newtown, Wellington.

Hey, don't drive your car on the bus lane or try to park on a bicycle lane. There's a fine for driving on a bus lane. Sometimes you'll see people playing music on a footpath. Hey, they're allowed to do this. It's called busking.

Here are three things to guide you, if you're from out of town.

 Not for cars.

Don't park your car here.

A busker. He won't hurt you.

* * *

Someone playing in their own living room, a little way away from Newtown.

The Accordion Lady.

A tune I wrote, in 2001, for a lady in Tauranga who was busking with an accordion. I felt sorry for her because no one seemed to be listening, so I wrote this in her memory. Hey, it's hard work busking on a busy street when no one seems to give a damn! I recorded this version today.

 

A call to wholeness.

I have a brother, named Rob, who lives in a country that has been influenced by the Catholic religion. He was baptised, before he realised what was going on, and was put into a Catholic education system. He seems happy with the outcome. He follows all the rules of this church and writes blog posts about 'the one true religion'. 

Fair enough, I suppose, but what if Rob had been born in India?

In India and Nepal Hinduism has about 1.20 billion followers. Now, if Rob's mum had been born in India, chances are that Rob would be a devout Hindu.

Think about this.

Hindus believe in one all persuasive supreme being who is often referred to as Brahman.

I guess that Rob would still be writing blog posts, but they would be presenting a slightly different theme. However, for him it would still be the one true religion.

I'm sure that Rob the Catholic has no belief in all the other religions. I guess I'm a bit like Rob, except that I believe that one more religion, than he does, is nonsense.

* * *

I had a good sleep last night though, as usually happens, I was awake for a couple of hours. This was fine because I got thinking about the tritone. 'The Devil's Interval', as it was once called. When I'm playing jazz tunes I often like to use 3/7 chords. This is where you express the chord by using the 3rd and 7th notes of the chord. For example, G7 (G B D F) would contain B & F. Now here's an interesting thing, if you turn these two notes around (F & B or Cb [enharmonic name]) you get a Db7 chord. This is why the 'tritone substitution' works - Dm7 G7 Cmaj7 is replaced by Dm7 Db7 Cmaj7.

* * *

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

Remember that Brahman loves you and has given you a set of rules to live by.

Ciao tutti.

Time was moving on.

 

Not the actual time. 
It's just after 8am.

It hadn't been his best night's sleep. Yet here he was, unlike those other lazy two bloggers, writing a post. Today he would take his daughter and his oldest niece to the airport, after stopping for lunch with George and Shelley. They were off to Ireland, Iceland and France. With picking people up and lunch thrown in this would take up a good part of the day, but he was happy to spend time with his whanau. 

There would be time for some quality violin practice too. His gig (on Sept. 2nd.) was getting close, but he knew he was ready. He was presently running through his less practiced tunes. Obviously, atomic habits would happen first. These days his mind was often on the #4 (#11) note, as well as the b9 and #9. He also kept the #5 in mind. These were the interesting notes, when used in the right place.

His first job, after a small breakfast, would be taking all those bloody pills. He noted how Peter seemed to like his last post. Then his mind turned to Armistice Day (November 11th). He realised that he would be working at 11am on that day. Then he thought about the Facebook page 'Love Wainuiomata' and how he had been treated. He thought to himself a sentence that only contained two words, of which the second was 'them'. The lady who had arranged to interview him, for the post that never happened, had said that she was now one of the organisers of ANZAC activities. "Time for her to learn how to play the Last Post." he thought.

He thought briefly again about Peter. Peter loved to see some pictures on a post.

He thought of one.

Like cycles, these vehicles often have a special lane 
of their own on Wellington roads.

They are called bus lanes. This can be a tricky concept for newcomers to Wellington, especially those who come from the far north. There don't appear to be any in Moera. Maybe Peter might be better off living there? He'd be close to Robert too.

Maybe Robert could teach Peter
to play the cello?

I don't think that cello and bagpipes would really make a successful duo.

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

Ciao tutti.

Oh yes, and don't get uptight about sinning. Just be kind.

Sii gentile.

What/who was Jeremiah?

 The popular song says that he was a bullfrog.

What Jeremiah is now famous for being.

It seems that there was also a guy, who looked like this, with the same name.

Born c.650BC Anathoth, died c.570BC Egypt,
Occupation - prophet. 

I suspect that the picture was painted quite a bit later. Quite a bit later.


Like this one.

Note the belly buttons.

Okay, we all know about Adam and Eve, but let's check out Jeremiah.

"According to the narrative of the Book of Jeremiah, the prophet emerged as a significant figure in the kingdom of Judah in the late 7th and early 6th centuries BC. Born into a Priestly lineage, Jeremiah reluctantly accepted his call to prophethood, embarking on a tumultuous ministry more than five decades long. His life was marked by opposition, imprisonment, and personal struggles, according to Jeremiah 32 and 37. Central to Jeremiah's message were prophecies of impending divine judgement, forewarning of the nation's idolatry, social injustices, and moral decay. According to the Bible, he prophesied the siege of Jerusalem and Babylonian captivity as consequences for disobedience. Jeremiah's teachings encompassed lamentations, oracles, and symbolic acts, emphasizing the urgency of repentance and the restoration of a covenant relationship with God."

So, how does this all fit in with the 'bulldog' bit?

Jeremiah was a bullfrog,
Was a good friend of mine.
I never understood a single word he said
But I helped him a-drink his wine,
And he always had some mighty fine wine.

Singin'...
Joy to the world,
All the boys and girls now,
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea,
Joy to you and me.

If I were the king of the world,
Tell you what I'd do.
I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the war,
Make sweet love to you.

Sing it now...
Joy to the world,
All the boys and girls,
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea,
Joy to you and me.

So, let's assume that Jeremiah the prophet had a bit of a thing about wine. It appears that, when he was pissed, he was hard to understand. Did he preach joy? Remember that he faced personal struggles, like being in prison and sometimes not being understood. He was worried about moral decay and idolatry, but he was also pushing worshiping a certain god. Maybe poor old earlier Jeremiah was too into wine drinking too? Then a little later, in his song, he talks about doing away with cars and bars and war. The question is, by 'bars', does he mean prison bars or bars serving wine? It appears that he's also into bonking - 'make sweet love to you'.

Anyway, these days he seems to be a guy who is often quoted - Jeremiah 22:37, Jeremiah 15:63, Jeremiah this:and that.

Let's have a look at some of the things he is quoted for saying.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)

"Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it and find rest for your souls." (Jeremiah 6:16)

So, quote No.1 sounds that he has been talking directly with this guy called LORD. This LORD cares so much about us, but Hell is not mentioned.

In quote No.2 he is telling us that what is in our hearts is bad. A bit of a generalization?

In the final quote he is telling us that the 'ancient paths' contain the right answers. I wonder if he still believes this, all these years later?

Personally, I think he did better as a singing, wine drinking bullfrog.

I'll leave you there for this afternoon.

Hey, don't do really cruel things but also trust your heart. 

What is a sin and what isn't?

Morals are about what gives the best deal to most people.

You don't need to suck up to some 'divine' creator.

Ciao tutti.

When's Wednesday?

     TODAY!

That means I'm off to work again, with my trusty old violin.

A young cowboy named Billy Joe

Grew restless on the farm.

A boy filled with wonder lust

Who really meant no harm.

He was tired of lying in,

So instead of taking guns to town,

He took his violin.

So, back to Upper Hutt for me. I know the drive very well because I do it twice a week. Over the Wainui hill, right at the lights and into Waiwhetu Road and head to Naenae. Then get to the lights that head onto State Highway 2 and turn right. I'll try to get the car up near to 100kph, but I'll still get passed by cars and trucks going faster. I finish up driving down Shakespeare Road in southern Upper Hutt and then I'm at work.

I'm generally early, which leaves time for a violin warmup of about 25 minutes. Long bows first, of course. Then scales and double stops plus the three diminished 7 chords which I play over dominant 7b9 chords. Each one works over four of them - magic!

Pretty special for a musician 
to have a car named 'Note'.

Robert made the effort to write a short gospel lecture post this morning. Well done, Rob. Of course, nothing from Peter. Oh yes, and Robert tells us not to sin. To be fair, maybe Peter has dropped his phone in the bath again. Getting your phone dry would obviously be a priority. 

Well boys, that's it for this morning. I have pills to take. It's a delicate procedure. I take one separately and eight together. Taking eight little tablets is a delicate operation. Fortunately, these tablets will reduce by one every week. So, 6 1/2 weeks, I'll only have to take one. Thank the powers of the universe that there are only 3 diminished 7th chords!*

That's it. I'd better start moving.

Ciao tutti.

* Beware! The 7th is 'double flattened'. Quite a few people seem to get confused about this.

Work today and tree fellers wanted.

Two Irishmen are walking along, and they see a sign saying, "Tree fellers wanted."

One says to the other, "'Tis a pity Sean isn't here, we could have gone for that job!"

Old Irish joke.

A guy is coming to check out some trees on our property today. I'll be at work, so Shelley will deal with him. Years ago, a nutty neighbour (he's long gone now) planted Ivy all along our back fence. Consequently, the fence is falling down and needs replacing. We have a group of trees that are close to the fence that will have to go. Hey, they're getting a bit too big. We've got the same guys coming back who removed some trees from the front of our property not long ago. They are very good at their job.

My practice is back on track.

I put some good time in yesterday. I'll aim to do the same today. Remember to always start with long bows. Peter, on the bagpipes you'd start by blowing long notes. Talking about long notes, it's almost time for me to start doing some trumpet practice for Armistice Day - the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. There are normally about four or five of us there in total, but it's a job that has got to be done. It'll be interesting to see if anyone from 'Love Wainuiomata' turns up. Personally, I doubt it. They'll be too busy taking pictures of local netball players, or something.

No post from Robert this morning. I wonder if Peter is up yet. He's spending a lot of time watching women's rugby. Actually, I don't blame him because they play some great running rugby. I think the ABs could learn from them. Peter has done his post for the next three weeks, so I wouldn't expect to see anything new for a while.

Well, I've taken my strong pills and it's time to get ready for work. With my condition bowel care (including pills) is my first priority. Yeah, yeah, I know that, with Peter, it's bagpipes practice. With Robert it's probably saying the rosary. 

I'm off.

Ciao tutti,

PBs Open Mic done.

 

Rodney Jonathan and Richard (of RBB)
fooling around on different instruments.

Our PBs play went well. It was really nice to see everyone. We played quite a few traditional folk songs which I found good for practising playing melodies by ear. We'll evidently have another play in a few months.

My violin practice has been a bit short this last week, but I do think about techniques while lying in bed. I'll try to put in some good time today. I have my art exhibition gigs coming up next week.

Zach is a young artist and a friend of my daughter. I guess his work could be described as abstract - hey, it's really worth a look! The opening starts on Monday 2nd. September at 4.30pm with music (me), drinks and food. I'll also be popping in through the week to help out and to play a bit of music.

Well, there you go. You're lucky to get this post this morning because I had a broken night's sleep. I'm not long up. I'm the same size, actually. 

Ciao tutti.

PBs Day.

 

So, the PBs are having a play today. It's advertised as an open mic. Should be fun. Rob can't make it, due to another commitment, but may pop in to say, "Hi." There have been lots of humorous emails going back and forth about this 'gig'.  Ah, that keeps the old boys busy!

I need to get some quality practice done this morning. Not because of the PBs thing, but I'm a bit behind on how much practice I expect me to do. I need to get onto that double bass sometime soon too. I've been a bit listless, due to my condition lately, but I'm back onto a steroid from this morning. That should give me a kick along. Why do medical pills and procedures always have funny big names? I wonder if Peter learnt them in 3P?

Talking of Peter, I see that he didn't get off his fine for driving in a bus lane in Newtown. 

I don't think he was altogether happy
when he wrote this.

He also took a shot, on a post, at bicycle lanes. I agree with him there. You only see a few bicycles using them, with the loss of many carparks and now narrow roads. 

Maybe there's a song in all that?

Am                                          E7

So, you head on out to visit a shop.

Dm                                          Am

All you need is somewhere to stop.

Dm              Am

Ah, what a pain!

C                 D7        E7

All I see is bloody bike lanes!

Well, time to take my steroids and get some practice done.

Ciao tutti.

Playing unaccompanied (solo) violin.

 That's my bag these days.

A bag.

I have a very large repertoire that I play with a backing track, and will use this on September 2nd., when I play at an art exhibition opening in Cuba Street. An unaccompanied repertoire requires more care to build up, because it is just you playing. You have to supply everything yourself - maybe some backing chords, maybe some arpeggios that work from the chord progression. I approach these pieces a bit like a solo jazz guitarist would.

I have six pieces that I try to practise every day - three originals and three others. This means that, if I get to play at an open mic night, I am prepared. One piece is a Bluegrass piece, one is a Bossa Nova tune and the other four fit into what you could call the jazz style. 

I see that my older brother is hosting an event, for the PBs, that he refers to as an open mic event. Presumably, we all get to play a couple of tunes. Maybe he's just joking, and it'll be more like a brotherly jam? Time will tell. In any case, my pieces will be ready. 

 That's it for today. 

Ciao.

Really no time to post today.

Though it's not really a problem around here. I mean, Robert's last post just ran out. Hey, good technique! I might try that here.

Picture needed.

Things you should know about helicopters.

• They have a big propeller thing on top.
• The body is made out of metal.
• There's a little propeller at the back.
• 
  

Some things never change.

 

Were you looking to read a new post? Well, don't waste your time going to The Cornmuncher Ink.

He evidently, as his name would imply, likes to munch on this stuff.

In fact, he's too busy munching corn to post.

SAD.

I mean, even Rob has done a post. He tells us that, once he gets his piano tuned, he'll be able to tune his cello and his violin. In Moera you're not allowed to download a tuning fork app onto your phone.

If Rob doesn't get his piano tuned, he may never be able to play the cello or the violin again!

Holy shit!

They serve the body and the blood of Jesus at mass, but I don't think they serve holy shit. 

Ah well, time for me to move on.

Chow mein.

Great to wake up to!

 YES!

Both the old boys (Peter & Rob) have written a post this morning!

AND they are both interesting posts!

Here's a couple of quotes to save you having to visit their blogs.

Peter tells us that yesterday he actually went hunting.

"Yesterday I did something that I've never seriously done before. I went Raccoon hunting! Yes, that's right. You see, I have this hat and I really think that I could sell hats like this when I return to Wellington. I mean, it is very warm and kind of cool. I don't have a gun, so I made a bow and arrows out of the wood from a Sycamore tree that we have on our Whangarei property. The wood is quite springy and made a very good bow. The arrows have worked out well too! I walked over all the hills behind our house but, unfortunately, I couldn't find any Raccoons. I might try again today."

Should I tell him that there are no Raccoons in this country? I'll post a comment on his post when I've finished this post.

Comment: Hey Peter, there are no Raccoons in Aotearoa.

* * *

Robert's post was a bit unusual, for him, too.

"Sunday and I'm on Church Shop duty. I thought I might take in some Rainbow flags to sell. The concept of the flags seems to fit in well with what I have been reading in the Bible. I suspect that Father Grapefruit really likes them. I saw a nun proudly carrying one the other day. Enjoy your Sunday but don't sin."

Well, there you have it. Good to see both boys posting.

Shower tutti.

 

The Assumption.

Assumption: Something that you accept as truth without question or proof.

Well, I needed something to start this post because I couldn't think of anything to write about this morning.

I need a picture to get this post going.

Okay, we're rolling along now.

It's Friday 15th. I had a very late night last night because I was helping out at a school concert. I assume that I'll get some violin practice done today. I've been a bit slack on my practice over the last couple of days. You'll probably assume that I have been rather busy. Today I assume that Robert is at work. I also assume that Peter is making sure that his house is very tidy. I hope I'm not making too many assumptions.

I'll take the dog for a walk shortly.

I call him Terry. There's no real reason for that name, it just seemed to fit. The weather is nice here, so we'll walk down to Richard Pro se Park.

That's a nice area for him to have a good run around. I'll throw a stick for him.

Hang on. Sorry, I was just assuming that I had a dog. 

I need a new subject. Let's think.

Rainbows are interesting. They contain lots of colours. They remind me of that lovely old song.

Somewhere over the rainbow,

Weigh a pie.

I wonder how much this pie weighs?

If I guessed its weight, that would be an assumption.

Damn! We're back on assumptions!

Maybe I should leave it there for today?

Have fun, but don't drop your phone in the bath.

A credit to old Island Bay is McNamara's band.

Oh, the drums go bang and the cymbals clang
And the horns they blaze away
McCarthy pumps the old bassoon
While I the pipes do play

And Henessee Tennessee tootles the flute
And the music is somethin' grand
A credit to old Island Bay
Is McNamara's Band.




In 1969 Peter went out with the lady who ran this band. [See comments on my last post.]
As a youngster Peter had many one, possibly two, girlfriends for very brief periods. I actually had none, but I did admire many from afar. Hey, I was too busy for a girlfriend. I had homework that I sometimes did, a paper run for a while and lots of other things, like not doing my violin practice and getting into trouble. AND I was in those very prestigious 'G' classes at St. Pat's College. The teachers were so proud of me that they asked me to do UE (University Entrance) for two years, instead of one, just so that they could have me around!

Things are different now. Just recently I was interviewed by 'Love Wainuiomata' for my services to ANZAC Day, over many years, and my well known association with a local park.

Oops, sorry, they never got back and the interview was never used. I guess that anybody can play the Last Post at ANZAC Day. Hey, in the Nui, people are lining up for a turn!

NOT.

Actually, without somebody playing the Last Post, an ANZAC ceremony would sound a bit empty. I play it twice a year and, each time, spend a month getting my chops up. 'Chops' are what many brass players refer to as their lips and other facial parts that have to be fit to play the trumpet. 

Ah well, I have a girlfriend now. We've only been married for 41 years, so I'm still waiting to see if it is going to work out. [I used one of my grandad's old jokes there.]

I've also made friends with two young chaps named Harrison and Henry. Henry doesn't speak to me (it's an age thing) but Harrison calls me andad and my girlfriend andma. Harrison and I play in a band called Handandad. He sings and strums my guitar and I place the chords on the guitar. His singing is great, but his strumming still needs a bit of work.

Well, I'd better leave it there. I have to play at a school concert this evening and have to write out a bass part for one of the tunes that they've asked me to play double bass on. The string orchestra that I formed is playing too. I play second violin in that. I heard one of the first violinist calling me 'second' the other day. [A joke for Rob.]

Shower tutti [I spelt that wrong so that Rob would feel at home here.]