Three Chairs!

 

Just a quick post to remind you that Peter will be posting today.

"My new computer chair arrived today. I assembled it and have positioned it in the study. Lynn was impressed and made me a cup of tea. She came down from the top floor and made my tea on the middle floor, then she brought it down to the ground floor. That's enough to make me want to write a post."

Oh, and Robert is back too with a post about sewerage and sin.

"Have fun but don't sin..." For it is from within that evil intentions emerge: Sewerage problems, bloody cycle lanes and all the rest." Mark 7:14"

Well, I'd say that those two old boys have blog posting covered today, so I'm off to work. I'll go in early and do some violin practice before the students arrive. 

Ciao tutti.

Wednesday Morning.

 Okay, okay, I made that up!

Well, after all, Jesus does wear makeup.

Pictures don't lie.

Okay, it's actually Tuesday evening.

Peter is promising a new post tomorrow because his new computer chair has arrived. Bear in mind his old chair, and Lynn's chair, and it's three chairs for Peter!

Evidently, according to Peter, Robert's blog has been wiped clean again. Does anyone really give a fuck?

Okay, I'll leave it there for today. It has been a busy day and I'm a bit tired.

Ciao tutti.

Back to work.

 There'll be no violin this morning because I'm going back to work.

Hang on! My job is to teach violin.*

Yes! My violin comes to work too!

Well, it's a better job than cleaning the Presbyterian Hall or ringing someone to bring you a cup of tea.

AND I don't have to go to a chapel and say the bloody rosary.

Catholics can keep these!

I guess I'd better get going. Work calls.

Ciao tutti.

* I also have a viola student.

Today is the feast day of Brent of Borneo.

 Who is Brent of Borneo, I hear you ask?

Actually, I just made that up because I needed a catchy title for today's blog post.

Sorry.

Yesterday I only got 30 minutes of practice done and I didn't get to cut the lawns. At the last minute I got a grandson sitting gig and then, a little later, a friend of Shelley's popped by. I finished up going to bed quite early. Still, today is another day and I've already got Brent of Borneo out of the way. 

Yesterday Peter did a post on his telephone system. It wasn't a long post. The short story is that they have a telephone system in their house and Peter made a bit of a nuisance of himself by ringing Lynn and asking for a cup of tea. 

This morning Robert's post was even shorter. He simply said, "Good morning." That was it. 

I guess that whatever I write will outdo those two dreamers.

I think I'm going to risk a cup of coffee. Hold on a sec.

Okay, I'm back.

Yesterday I bought a book that I know Rob has been listening to. Yes, listening to.

I needed something to read in the evening and I'm a bit over action stories at the moment. I was having trouble finding something when I spotted Rob's book and decided to give it a go. I've started reading it and so far I'm not really impressed, but I will read on. It has to be better than looking at Facebook. I think I might go and read a bit now, while I'm waiting for the coffee to call out, "Bathroom!" I'll keep you informed on how it turns out. At least it is something to put in a blog post that is more interesting than using a telephone to ask for a cup of tea or just saying, "Good morning."

That's it for this morning.

Ciao tutti.

Metronome Day.

 

I thought I'd play through most of my 30 tune repertoire this morning with a backing track. That's like practising with a metronome. Playing those tunes like that is also good tone practice. I can't really start playing until after 9am, so I might as well write a post. It's a sunny morning in the Nui. I plan to tidy up a bit of the section later today. "Softly, softly catchee monkey." as my dad used to say. 

For those of you who don't know what day it is, it's Sunday. Also known as God Botherer Day. There'll be a fair bit of transubstantiation happening in Catholic churches today. Church shops will be making a few bucks too. Money, money, money!

I was about to practise my scales yesterday and I thought, "Wouldn't it be a good idea to take one of my repertoire pieces and practise the scales that go with that?" It makes sense really. Like killing two birds with one stone.

I guess that, as I go through my repertoire today, there'll be chances to run a few scales, and arpeggios.

Wow, it's getting close to 9am. That's practice time. 

No new post from TC yet this morning. I doubt that his new computer chair will arrive on a Sunday. I did read Robert's post. "I here you say but I thought you said your destination was Feilding." No Rob, I was more concerned about your grammar. 

Ciao tutti. Hey, it might be a good day for a sin or two.

Try the tritone.

 'Diabolus in musica' is what silly religious people once called the tritone because it was associated with dissonance and, therefore, bad things.

It was said that the devil in music surrounded the three tones of the Holy Trinity. What bullshit!

In Jazz the #4 has become a very special sound and is probably my personal favourite sound of all time. It just adds a lovely bit of tension to a solo line. 

In the key of C it shows up between the notes F and B. The Lydian (IV) mode starts with it and it appears on the violin as four stretched fingers.

I'd better leave the tritone there. My readers aren't into music theory.

[I'm going to risk it and have a coffee]

Gosh, I'm living dangerously this morning!

First sip of coffee - lovely!

On the blog front, we got a post from Peter yesterday and a post from Robert this morning. I'm not sure if Peter has his new computer chair yet. Robert said of me, "Mea noa givea damn." I think he was referring to his trip up to Cricket Town today and what I would say about it. Ah well, mea noa givea damn. That'll make him feel fulfilled, silly Catholic.

My elder grandson might pop around today with his dad. He'll be three years old at the end of next month. Nearly as old as me! He's into bubbles big time at the moment, so we bought him a bubble maker yesterday.  He really had no need for a new computer chair. He writes less posts than Peter. 

I practised violin for 1 1/2 hours yesterday. I spent a lot of time on scales, arpeggios and 6th. and 5th. double stops. I think it was time well spent. I also listened a lot to my tone. I put a video up on Facebook the other day. A silly old folkie left a comment, "Your tone is certainly improving. Congratulations." I removed his comment and unfriended him. I don't respect his opinion, but the negative comment did unsettle me.

[Oops, might be bathroom time soon!]

It really is silly to worry about what other people say or think because they quite frequently don't know what they are talking about. I think that Rob's listening to a book on this topic at present. Listening to a book? I thought you were supposed to read them. 

When I was a young violinist, I was lazy and didn't do much practice. I was more interested in getting a girlfriend. Maybe that time would have been better spent practising the violin? At university I don't remember the teacher saying anything nice about my playing. To be fair, though, I did tell him I was doing about four hours of practice a day. Liar! Perhaps it was my fault, though I did scrape through violin with a pass. Now I am a violin teacher. I put a lot of effort into building up my students' confidence. I tell them that their ears work wonderfully and just need to be used. I tell them that they can certainly be successful with their violin playing. I am not lying to them. I have done quite a lot of study in this field. People like to confer talent onto certain people and, while there is often a good reason for this, a lot of their success comes down to hard work. Maybe they were good at getting girlfriends too?

[Coffee finished. Still waiting for a result. Shouldn't be too far away.] 

[Oops, the time has arrived! Back soon.]

[The coffee has moved on.]

Now, where was I?

Oh yes, I was talking about tritones.

In the modes of the major scale there is only one tritone, though it pops up in each mode.

• C D E F G A B C
• D E F G A B C D
• E F G A B C D E
• F G A B C D E F
• G A B C D E F G
• A B C D E F G A
• B C D E F G A B

Obviously, you can place a #4 anywhere by simply raising the second note by a semitone. C F to C F#, G C to G C#, B E to B E#, etc.

Oops, sorry, I said I'd finished with tritones.

I'm running out of things to tell you. Maybe I'll go and take my tablets. Then I could do some violin practice.

"Don't forget to take the tablets!"

Ciao tutti.

Good morning.

 Waitangi Day.

Today we remember the signing of a treaty. A treaty that hopefully has united our people. Let's show respect for everyone and their cultures and let's learn from each other. In the words of our great former prime minister, "Be kind."

In a very touching gesture, my neighbour Jim contacted me this morning. He said, "Hey Richard, please feel free to practise that violin inside your house today." What a touching gesture!

Confession: I only practised for half an hour yesterday. Sorry. I intend to make up time today. It'll be nice to be able to practise inside the house. A treat. 

I didn't get any feedback on the scale information I shared with you in my last post. Actually, I only know of one violinist who reads this blog and I think he might have buggered off to Cricket Town.

Anyway, I'll run through those scales today.

My son and his family are moving shortly. They've bought a townhouse in the Nui. A two minute drive away. It's easier to get carparks near his place than it is in Thorndon. Hey, speaking of Thorndon, Peter wrote a new post yesterday! Yes, I know it is quite hard to believe. It tells us about buying computer chair mats. Interesting. Well, maybe 'interesting' is too strong a word. Peter got stuck with the camouflage mat. 

That's Peter's mat on the left.

It'll be good to have if he ever joins the army. His final bit of information is that he has bought a new computer chair. For some reason he can't write another post until the new chair arrives. For some reason, comments have been a bit slow coming in on his post. I wonder why?

Though, to be fair, sharing valuable information about violin scales doesn't pull in heaps of comments either. 

I guess I'll leave it there for today. I'll go and do some violin practice.

Enjoy your Waitangi Day.

Ciao.

Let's comment.

 

I've talked quite a bit lately, although no one seems that interested, about playing scales on the violin. On my last post I said, "The next paragraph would contain things that I find very interesting, but I won't expose them here. "

Then I slipped an idea into a comment.

Robert replied and I replied to him.

A human hand has four fingers and a thumb.

We use the left hand for fingering scales on the violin. Fingers 1, 2, 3 and 4. There are quite a few scales in Western Music, but there is a set of seven scales that belong together because they all are made up of the same notes. These are what we call modes. Each mode contains a different chord. For instance, in the key of C major, The Locrian mode (BCDEFGA) produces a minor7b5 chord (BDFA). This would be the VII chord in C major. 

There are four fingerings that you can use to play a major scale on a violin:

• 1 2 3-4 1 2 3-4  (- is a semitone, the rest are tones)
• 4 1 2-3 4 1 2-3
• 3 4 1-2 3 4 1-2
• 2 3 4-1 2 3 4(-1) (the last note is the first fingering starting again)

In Classical music two scales that appear a lot are the harmonic minor scale and the melodic minor scale. Both of these scales come from mode VI, with adjusted notes. So, ABCDEFGA becomes ABCDEF#GA or A BCDEF#G#AG(no#)F(no#)EDCBA. They both are altered forms of mode VI. 

So, here are the seven fingerings with a different scale starting on each first finger:

• I: CDEFGABC   Cmaj7         (1 2 3-4)
• V: GABCDEFG   G7             (1 2 3-4)
• II: DEFGABCD   Dm6          (1 2-3 4)
• VI: ABCDEFGA   Am           (1 2-3 4)
• III: EFGABCDE   Emb2       (1-2 3 4)
• VII: BCDEFGAB   Bm7b5   (1-2 3 4)
• IV: FGABCGEF   Fmaj7#4   (1 2 3 4)

Obviously, each scale can also start on a 2, a 3 or a 4. So, there are four fingerings for each mode.

Isn't music theory fun!

Let's hope that Robert thinks more before his next comment.

Ciao.

Why do I write blog posts?

 Well, on my last post, an old reader said,

"Oh dear. No comments so far. For you that must be devastating."

Actually, that is not the case. I write posts because I like writing. I actually started writing posts on Richard's Bass Bag* before the other two bloggers around here showed up. I've now been updating this blog for around nineteen years.

I'll be honest, I don't really give two shits what those two old blokes think about what I write. Remember too that I do visit the bathroom quite frequently.

So, two shits can happen in quite a short time.

Okay, I know that my last post contained a paragraph about violin fingering. That would have been heavy going for either of my two old readers. For me the joy came from expressing what I think could really help my students become better violinists.

The next paragraph would contain things that I find very interesting, but I won't expose them here. I'll save them for next time I visit a zoo. I think I'd get a better audience there.

So long.

* the original bass bagging site

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!

 

"Robert uses two mics on his cello,
and cellotape to hold them in place."

Recording is a very good thing to do to help with your practice. Over the last few days I've managed to do an hour (each day) on my 10 unaccompanied violin pieces. I'm trying to really get inside each piece.

A front door is something that lets you get inside.

This means being very comfortable with the chord progression so that I can play it in various ways (chords, arpeggios, etc.), getting a nice big sound on the tune and making the piece sound complete. Yes, doing some recordings would be a good idea. I'm also hoping to get out and play these pieces at some point, though I don't know where. Anyway, I do open our front sliding door and play them to the neighbours. My neighbour Jim, who wants me to practise in my shed, will be enjoying that!

I had a very bad night's sleep last night, which is caused by a couple of side effects to my condition. So, as a pick me up, I'm having a coffee. This will no doubt bring it's own 'reward', but it's worth it.

Back to school next week. I wonder how much practice my students have done over the holidays? I bet that, even with my sick days, I've done more than them. Ah well, I've got some interesting technical things to go over with them. It'll be nice to see them all.

Have you ever thought about how scales are laid out on the violin? In what we call Western Music it's not too hard to list all the main scales. Most fit under five headings - major, minor, dominant 7th., augmented and diminished. There is also a scale that contains the 12 notes of Western Music. This is called the chromatic scale. Remember that there are only 12 different notes in Western Music. A major scale, for example, can start on any one of these notes. This gives us 12 different keys. There are 7 notes in a major scale and, if you start this scale on each note, you get 7 modes. Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian.

Each of these modes fits somewhere into our major, minor, dominant 7th., augmented and diminished scales. Though there is also a diminished and an augmented scale.

On the violin there are only four fingerings for playing a major scale, or any of the other six modes. 

Knowing these scale fingerings really helps you to get around the violin.

I'm not using any mics or
violintape here. Hey, I haven't
even tucked my shirt in!

One question I often get asked is, "When will The Curmudgeon update his blog?"

This is like asking, "Why does God let innocent people and children die horrific deaths?"

There is no sure answer to either question.

You have to understand that TC has a computer room, in his house, with two computers in it. However, there are only certain times that he is allowed to go in there. Yes, yes, with a name like The Curmudgeon, people assume that TC is the boss, but he isn't.

[Oops, coffee release time!]

[Done.]

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

Timetodosomedamnpractice!

I'll make some recordings. Not for show, but just so that I can hear the reality.

Buonafortuna. (yes, Italians like long words too!)

Rubberscrotumwearers.

 I've noticed that the other two bloggers around here like to use big words.

They don't seem too concerned about grammar or taking time to proofread, but they show their 'intelligence' by their use of big words. Sometimes I find myself needing to look these words up. Rob has taken it one step further with the name of his blog (though I think Peter helped with that one) - Bob's discombobulate Bobadilish. Discombobulated means to be confused and disconcerted. Bobadilish sort of means a braggart or a swaggering boaster.

It occurred to me yesterday that you can actually make up big words. I made up this one, "Stickasharpthingupyouranus." Now, that's a big word!

Now I have the ability to out word both of the old boys.

* * *

I'm off to have another infusion this morning, so I'd better get moving. The main thing that means is a long time sitting in a chair, though I did get some uncomfortable side effects from the last one.

I guess I'd better leave you with a big word. Well, a biggish one, anyway.

Here goes.

Throwsininthebin.

Hey, this is fun!

Em7 / A7 / | Am7 / D7 / |

 

Oh, Lady Be Good!

It is 7.48pm in Tunisia.

Exactly 12 hours behind Wainuiomata. Soon be night there. Morning here.

A   F    C#   E

I'm going to have a coffee. It could lead to an extra trip to the bathroom, but who cares?

[Makes a coffee.]

Sweet G B!

D7   | D7   | G7   |G7   | C7...

I tidied up my lawns yesterday, after telling my new lawn mowing man that I wouldn't need him anymore.

He did well on the deal and I didn't give his company any negative press. Now I'm back to cutting my lawns. I'll do a much better job than him.

|| Dm7 / / / | Em7b5 / A7b9 / ||

Nature boy.

My practice felt good yesterday. I was pleased with my tone.

| Am / / / | Em7b5 / A7b9 / | Am / / / | Em7b5 / A7b9 / |

Manhã, tão bonita manhã.

In this country trains have generally had names like 'The Auckland Overnight Express'. We have never had more imaginative names. For example, I've never heard of 'The Kiwi Fruit Flyer' or 'The Cleanskin Special'.

I have a tune in my repertoire about a train. Hey, but you won't be interested.

[Hey, so far the coffee has stayed up!]

[Though, maybe not for much longer.]

[Actually, it's time. Back soon.]

[Back, with much less coffee inside.]

It is now 8.33pm in Tunisia.

Bass riff | Eb G Bb Eb Bb G | D F A B A F |

That's it - fine (as in finish).

Be good and don't sin. Oh, Lady Be Good!

|| Gmaj7 | C9 | Gmaj7 C9 | Bm7 E7| Am7 | D7 | G6 Em7 | Am7 D7 ||

Amsterdam.

 

Amsterdam is colloquially referred to as the 'Venice of the North' because it has a large number of canals. It was originally a small fishing city in the 12th. century. It became a major world port during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th. century when the Netherlands was an economic powerhouse. Amsterdam was the leading centre of finance and trade.

So, why am I writing about Amsterdam?

Well, anything is more exciting than reading the blogs of Peter and Robert. With Peter you get a short post about him moving or opening boxes. Then he takes a quick snipe at the other bloggers. With Robert you get told whether or not he has cleaned the Presbyterian Hall. Then it's a quick few lines from the bible and a lecture on sin. Bloody sin!

Boring.

I won't tell you about my violin practice today because someone is bound to complain about that. 

I drove Peter and Lynn to a 'remembrance get together' yesterday. I was driving my Note.

It was a tricky drive for me because it turns out that they are both experts at driving around Wellington. I was given unasked for directions all the way to Lyall Bay. This was a real distraction. It even led to me making a few mistakes. Passengers should know when to shut up, or simply catch a bus.

I need to do a tidy up around our section today. The guy we got in to cut our lawns turned out to be a bit useless, so I think I'll have to say goodbye to him. He missed quite a bit of grass around the back of the section. I'll need to cut that today. Such is life. There are a couple of other jobs to do as well.

That's it for today. I hope you found the bit about Amsterdam interesting.

Buona giornata.

A round hole in the ground.

 Still no post from Peter. 

A variation on the old 'post' joke.

We're meeting up today to go to a 'function' in memory of a lady we knew who died. It's in a brewery, of all places, in Lyall Bay. We don't intend to stay long, but it will be a chance for Peter to have a ride in the Note.

Lucky Peter.

I read Robert's blog after getting up but I'm not going to quote from it. That wouldn't take us anywhere positive.

I practised for an hour yesterday and ran through bits of each of my ten unaccompanied violin tunes. I thought that was a good workout. 

Well, there you go. That's it for today.

Buona giornata.