Teacup Café XLI

[Tessar]

eeeeeEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! I'm so excited! I ordered a G Major Irish flute! I think it's gonna get here some time next week!

Since my penny whistle stuff is going so well, I thought I might give the side-blown flute a try. I can do the required embouchure a bit already on an old flute that I have... but the flute is problematic because one of the springs is broken, so it doesn't work right.

It's this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9zcGVndX3M

Only in a slightly higher key. I believe that one might be in D, so it's about a fourth lower than mine will be.

[Earniel]

A penny whistle, irish flute, violin AND singing, aren't you extending yourself a bit too far in different instruments? You're a braver person than I, I wouldn't even be able to handle one.

[Noble Elf Lord]

Originally Posted by Aikanáro

Speaking of signatures, by the way - Emilie Autumn is awesome.

She is! It's a pity her records are so rare in Finland, I own three: Opheliac deluxe, A Bit Of This And That, and Laced/Unlaced. Hope I'll find more in London. Abney Park's too.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

As for me, all I play is the CD.

[Tessar]

Originally Posted by Eärniel

A penny whistle, irish flute, violin AND singing, aren't you extending yourself a bit too far in different instruments? You're a braver person than I, I wouldn't even be able to handle one.

And a little guitar and piano.

The thing is that it's my hobby AND passion, so... eh? I know people who play many more instruments than I do, and luckily for me many of my musical skills translate from one instrument to another.

For instance the breathing I learned in singing translated very nicely into penny whistle and flute. The idea of creating a flowing, musical line on a flute/penny whistle/violin (basically 'sustained' instruments) is also a direct translation from voice. The finger dexterity from piano translates to the flute/whistle/guitar/violin. The hand strength from guitar translates to stronger piano hands. The calluses from guitar and violin help with each of those other instruments.

.... and so forth. It doesn't feel like having to learn a 'whole new' instrument to me, like it used to, it feels more like just expanding my musical range a little because I can already read sheet music (and that is a tremendous boon for learning any instrument). Also the violin would be much, much more difficult without the sight-singing and ear training that I had when I was a music major. Some people just picking up the violin can tell when they play a wrong note, but they don't yet have the ear training to tell if they're a little under, or a little over, etc.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Oh, Trader Joe's. You're every bit as awesome as I remembered, and more.

[Tessar]

^like

[Gwaimir Windgem]

So I went on the last round of kitchen-building shopping today. It was far and away the most arduous round of the quest yet. I made it home juggling waaaaay too many bags, unpacked everything, scrubbed down the narsties on the lower level of the fridge, arranged everything, drew a breath to declare my kitchen complete, and . . .

Realized I'm forgotten the cutting board.

FML. ><

[Tessar]

I had the strangest dream last night.

I was at the summer opera workshop I've been to the last two years, but my sister was there too. Odd, since my sister is not an opera singer. Even weirder, the 82 year-old director that I used to work with (he hired me to my current singing position before retiring) was there... and he and I were double-cast singing a duet from Don Giovanni (La Ci Darem La Mano http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqPcb1nKZYg) and my sister was the soprano.

The whole dream was REALLY bizarre. O_o I woke up thinking, "WTF?!"

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Tessar

And a little guitar and piano.

The thing is that it's my hobby AND passion, so... eh? I know people who play many more instruments than I do, and luckily for me many of my musical skills translate from one instrument to another.

My. It's just that to someone like me with no musical training whatsoever, and no musician in the family, all that together looks vastly overwhelming, if not unimaginably for someone to do this willingly. But it's nice you can crossover things you've learned for one instrument to the other.

[Acalewia]

I used to play flute.

I really need to get back into it.

[Mari]

It's kinda sad when your treat of the day is a dry biscuit. Relishing every flavour of it is probably even sadder.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Okay, this is weird.

I ordered a new phone and plane with Sprint, being south of the border again and all. They apparently have some wonkiness with something being outstanding on my name/previous account that I had with them before I was in Canuckistan. But I was pretty sure I cancelled that account, and anyway, I just checked my credit scores, and they are in the mid-700s. Surely some kind of long-standing irregularity with Sprint with have seriously damaged my credit scores?

[Noble Elf Lord]

The patches of forget-me-not's are soooo pretty here. Blueness. <3

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Currently making risotto. Holy crap, this is a lot of stirring! It better be worth it . . .

[Tessar]

Gah. 'tis happenin'! O_o

Finally talked to my best friend about the folk group and she was super enthusiastic about the idea. Apparently her husband has been getting on her case for a while about her not performing enough, so she was totally up for the idea.

YESSSSSSSS!!!! 'TIS TOTES HAPPENIN' YEE WEE LADS AND LASSIES!!! >.<

So now we have whistle, three singers, piano, violin, and guitar. I think that's a decent combination for some arranging.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Yay! David is here! We had risotto for dinner, and tomorrow caramelized onion and blue cheese burgers. But even more importantly: YAY FOR THE REUNION OF THE TWINS!

[Midge]

FLEAS!!! I hate fleas! They get into your head and you think they're all over you...

I feel bad going to people's houses because I don't want to bring the fleas to them, but I do NOT want to stay at home with the fleas!

I'm going crazy here!

[Tessar]

Originally Posted by RÃ*an

That is so fantastic!!! I wish I could play harp for you, but I've hardly been able to touch it since the Evil Shoulder Surgery From Hell But I have a lot of songs to recommend ... like my favorite, "She Moved Through the Fair"

a version with nice pennywhistle but it cuts off the top note

Here's another version with Loreena McKennitt (but she's not playing the harp right - she's playing it like a guitar)

Ryan, Loreena McKennitt is one of my absolute all-time favorite artists. I love her with a burning, fiery passion that is second to none.

That's a tune I'm very fond of. Check out this version... not exactly authentic 'folk' voice, but an Irish Tenor, so...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2CVdm5iRpo

I can't get over how beautifully melodic his voice is.

[Grey_Wolf]

Originally Posted by Midge

FLEAS!!! I hate fleas! They get into your head and you think they're all over you...

I feel bad going to people's houses because I don't want to bring the fleas to them, but I do NOT want to stay at home with the fleas!

I'm going crazy here!

How come you have this affliction? Have you had visitations from vagrants or other personages of migratory nature?