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"SCRUFFY EAGLE"
2005 MUSIC DIARY NOTES ARCHIVE
Copyright (C) 2005 thru 2009, by: scruffyeagle.com
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----- JANUARY, 2005 -----
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----- Sunday, 01-09-05 -----
Time keeps slipping by,... I still don't have a fully
functional computer of my own to work with. This current
music diary entry is being typed in on a computer I've had
as my hopeful project every since the main machine crashed.
It's a 1998 HP6360 Pavilion which has never worked right,
from the moment I first brought it home from the CompUSA
store in Highland Park, IL. It had been billed as a
"refurbished" system. Parts were missing, no OS CD
- and, it crashed within a week of having it home. Problem
was, I'd misplaced the receipt from purchasing it, and my
wife of the time was making life extremely uncertain in
every way she could manage; it was difficult to set aside
the time for a proper search of my overly cluttered work
area. CompUSA wouldn't cooperate to satisfy me as a
customer, and HP refused to support this model computer
unless customers paid a premium despite it being a brand new
model. I've never been able to make any OS work properly in
it, although I've managed a few times to set up OS's that
worked about 90% correctly - till, of course, they crashed
and died. At the moment, I've installed a 40 GB HD into it,
partitioned it into seven compartments of storage, and
managed to set up 3 different versions of Linux that work
with varying degress of success; each has its unique
shortcomings and disfunctions. I'm typing this in using
OpenOffice v1.0.2, under RedHat Linux v9.0 Pro.
My recording activities which came to a screeching halt at
the start of November, 2005 when my previous computer's
motherboard crashed, and have yet to be resumed. I've come
to the conclusion that I need to return to traditional
recording methods, if I'm to have a sustainable, reliable
method of creating music I can distribute and/or share with
others. (I don't know when or if I'll be able to afford
another computer; that fancy soundcard I bought and
installed in the machine that died, is now tucked away in
its box for safekeeping.) I've been thinking that the best
method of proceeding would be to start researching 4-track
cassette recorders and mixing boards; perhaps, 4-track
recorders w/ integrated mixing boards? I'll have to see
what's available, and what the costs would be re. the
options.
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----- FEBRUARY, 2005 -----
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----- Saturday, 02-19-05 -----
I've got a few things which should probably be documented in the
MUSIC DIARY notes:
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My long nightmare with the dental problem is now almost over.
I had the upper left rear molar extracted at a dental clinic
in Ewing, MI, last Tuesday (02-15-05). Now I'm trying to make
sure that injured portion of my gums heals properly. So, you
could say that the "light at the end of the tunnel"
has now become visible. Once that healing process has progressed
a bit, I can resume struggling to gain some competence with the
instruments I'd been fiddling with before the dental infection
began; i.e., Cornet, Flute, and Saxophone.
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I had a very short (10 min.) practice session with Flute, last
night. It was both encouraging and disheartening. Encouraging,
because I was able to make nice clear notes without any difficulty.
Disheartening, because the muscular endurance re. embrochure (which
I'd developed last year), was now completely gone. My ability to
reach easily into the 2nd register of the Flute was also gone. (I
could get there, but not easily.) I'm taking this in stride, though.
I know that given regular practice, I'll regain what competence I'd
developed last year, and proceed beyond.
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I've had a "nibble" re. my search for practice partners,
from a man in Rhinelander, WI. Apparently, that guy (named,
"Wayne") has a friend named "Jeff" that he
practices with. My info about them is really limited at this point.
I know that Wayne has a car, but no phone. Jeff has a cell phone,
but no car. Wayne plays several instruments, and has some classical
training. I don't have any idea what instrument(s) Jeff plays, or
what skill level he has. I'm hoping that if Wayne is an accomplished
musician, and chooses to practice with Jeff, that Jeff will be turn
out to be fairly accomplished also.
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*)
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I've been working on what is my first-ever attempt at writing out
in "tab" format, a bass line & lyrics set page for
a song I've written, titled "A Token Of My Love". Doing
so is a follow-up to discussing the still-unrecorded song in the
amateur musicians newsgroup; an attempt at sharing ti with the
people there.
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----- Saturday, 02-26-05 -----
I had a session with Wayne and Jeff, down in Rhinelander, WI
on this day. We met at the arranged place (Hodag Music) at
1:00 PM, and drove to Wayne's house. There, we set up the
equipment in Wayne's living room, and had our practice
session till about 4:30 PM. I realized fairly quickly that
it wasn't going to work out, but stuck it out in the hopes
that as we worked with it, things would fall into place.
Sadly, it really didn't. They're both nice guys, and devoted
to their craft, but that "magic something" didn't
emerge as we practiced. I'm not going to attempt to present
a critique here in this music diary entry, of them as
musicians, or attempt an explanation of why we couldn't get
into the groove while playing; that would be improper, and
probably a bit unfair (since I only had that one session
with them). Instead, I'm just going to enter the basic data
that it didn't work - and, that I intend to attempt another
practice session with them at some point in the future.
I managed to tie the music practice session in with the need
for getting a bunch of errands done (shopping for things not
available near where I live), so the 100(+) mile round-trip
journey did double-duty re. usefulness. The only real flops
of this shopping happened when I was at the place for the
most on-topic of my errands - the Hodag Music store. I'd
intended to buy two of the little rubber pick holders which
tuck in among the string just above the nut on the headstock
of the guitar; one for each of my good acoustics. (I won't
use the style of pick holder which sticks on via foam tape,
on those fine instruments.) To my disappointment, the store
was sold out of that item. The other disappointment, was re.
my electric guitar. I'd had several discussion during the
past year, re. finding a replacement whammy bar for my Dean
"Z". I'd been told they had the item, but it was
in storage at their other store. This visit, though, when
Rod examined my guitar's bridge, he concluded he wouldn't be
able to replace the whammy bar without also replacing the
entire bridge assembly. So, my Dean "Z" will
continue it's useful life as it's been since I bought it -
no whammy bar.
It's worth mentioning here, that I actually worked with the
Cornet, the Flute, and the Viola the other night,... To do
so is a bit of a resumption of what I'd been attempting to
develop before the dental infection hit around the start of
November, 2005.
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----- MARCH, 2005 -----
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----- Monday, 03-14-05 -----
I finally had enough money set aside, to be able to go out
and buy a hardshell guitar case for protecting my Alvarez
12-string acoustic guitar. I've added details about it onto
the Scruffy Equipment page about the Alvarez.
I've been contacted by a guy named "Brian", who
lives about 30(+?) miles north of me. He saw one of the small
ads I've been tacking up on local bulletin boards (seeking
practice partners), and was calling to check me out. (It seems
like a fair amount of synchronicity, in the fact that the day
he chose to initiate contact was the same day I finally went
to buy the proper case for the Alvarez!) I called him back
today, and we talked for about an hour today on the phone;
basically, just making the first steps in getting to know each
other. By the end of the call, I was feeling quite optimistic
(sp?) about the whole thing. He's played guitar since he was
about 8 years old (34, now), and talked about using playing
techniques which people don't attempt until they'd gained a
fair level of mastery of the instrument. He described to me
several stage appearances he's had, which included cameo work
sitting in with a couple of major artists. He told me he's
available for frequent practice sessions, and is willing to
do the driving to come down here where I live for them. I
intend to set up an initial practice session, and see where
it goes from there.
Synchronicity was still in gear tonight, when out of the blue
I received a phone call from my long-time, no-see, dear friend,
"Fisherman Rich" Simmel (the drummer). He's just moved
to a nice apartment in Berlin, WI, and wanted to let me know his
new contact info. His new landlord owns a pair of bongos, and
Richie plans to give the guy lessons. Also, he's already made
contact with a guitar player he'd known in the past, and begun
plans to get together and jam. The most thrilling news he had,
though, was a total surprise - he saw his son! Apparently, his
ex-wife (now, re-married) is working in Berlin, WI, and living
in a very nearby community. He was in the restaurant where she
works, and his son came walking in unexpected and unannounced;
had a day off from school, and was stopping by to talk to his
mother. Richie, who's been wrongfully kept from having contact
with his only child for 8 years, was overwhelmed. He managed to
talk to his son for a few minutes, then excused himself to go
off and sit in his customary seat in a corner of the restaurant.
There, he sat, alone, and silently cried. I've said it before,
and I'll repeat it here: Women who wrongfully separate their
children from having daily contact with the kids' father(s)
are monsters; publicly endorsed criminals, committing
blatant crimes against humanity for the sake of power and greed.
(Wake up, America!) I think I should write a song using
that line,...
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----- APRIL, 2005 -----
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----- Sunday, 04-10-05 -----
I've given up on trying to get together with Brian Lux (from Paulding, MI),
for practice sessions. I've phoned his number at least 20 times. Most of
the time, there's no answer. The few times I've actually been able to
connect with him, he's unavailable and incapable of setting up an initial
practice session. After the initial phone calls he made to get through to
me and talk that first day, he's never called back - not even once.
Because of that, he's now received all the consideration and effort he's
ever going to receive from me. (Thanks for nothing, Brian!) So, I'll resume
placing my little ads on bulletin boards throughout the region.
At the start of this month, I followed through on something I'd been
considering. I bought a used Gibson SG guitar from Rod, the
co-owner/manager of the Hodag Music Center in Rhinelander. This was a
personal transaction, not a store's sale transaction; i.e., I bought it
from him, not the store. It's a beautiful instrument, having a
"natural" finish (so the actual wood of the guitar's body is
visible), and the price was right - $200.00. The guitar had been
the property of Rod's kid, who is apparently quite a talented musician.
When I asked why they were selling it, they told me the kid just
"didn't like it". Pressing for details got me nowhere; all I
could do was evaluate the instrument, and then decide whether I wanted to
buy it. I guess I "talked myself into it", in retrospect. I
wanted so badly to be able to replace that Dean Z and be rid of the
memories associating guitar music with Mary, that I was willing to take a
loss while I was at it.
The low price I paid isn't actually quite as good a deal as it might seem
at first glance. The SG needs repairs invested, before it will become truly
useful. The 5th and 6th strings buzz heavily at the 1st and 2nd frets,
because the elevation at the nut's grooves is too low. Rod told me this is
probably the result of the strings being changed over and over; cutting the
groove down as each new set is adjusted and used. I guess I can accept that
explanation,... What was a bit shady, was their refusal to state
explicitly, why the guitar was being sold. So, yes, I bought this thing
with my eyes wide open, and even with having figured out that it buzzed at
the low end of the scale - but, they weren't entirely straight with me; a
refusal to state a known fact to someone whose interests might be harmed by
the lack of knowledge of that fact, is the concealment of vital information
- and, is a lie via omission.
When I discussed the guitar's nut with Rod, he told me it would probably
cost about $10.00 to fix, and I could probably even do the repair myself. A
couple of days ago, I investigated it via the internet. What I discovered,
is that $10.00 is about right for the part - however, the actual repair is
an entirely different story. Performing the repair to meet Gibson spec for
the SG requires about $300.00 worth of special saws, files, gages, and
clamps. Even if I had the equipment, the actual process of cutting the
grooves in the new nut blank is a detailed, meticulously measured
procedure. I'm probably capable of it, but I could expect the guitar to be
completely unusable for at least a month while I crawl my way through the
task. Should I spend $300.00 to get the tools to repair the nut? I really
like this guitar; the natural wood finish is truly beautiful - capable of
generating "Oooh's" and "Ahhh's" when people see it.
Having such an instrument in proper playing condition would be wonderful.
If I had any intention of taking up the luthier trade, spending the money
on the tools (slowly accumulating the funds during the next year) and then
fixing the guitar myself would be a good idea. However, I don't intend on
becoming an instrument repair technician, and it doesn't seem sensible to
spend $300.00(+) to repair an instrument I paid $200.00 for. I think a much
more sensible tactic would be to track down an experienced, skilled luthier
and hand the instrument over into more capable hands; pay the wage, and be
done with it.
I left my Dean Z guitar there, to be sold "on consigment" in the
shop. I told him all I expect out of it is $100.00. Part of the deal is
that I'm obligated to leave the instrument there for sale at least 30 days.
During the time since I dropped off the Dean, I've lived with the Gibson.
As a result, I've come to the conclusion that until I can get the SG
repaired, it's not sensible to dispose of the Dean Z; the alternative is
the equivalent of not having any electric guitar to play; i.e., not usable
equals not available. Rod told me he intends to replace the strings on the
Dean before placing it out for sale, polish it, etc. I think what I should
do, is plan a trip down there; to occur, after that 30-day waiting
period has expired. If the Dean hasn't sold yet, I'll pay Rod for the
strings he put on the Dean, and withdraw it from consignment sale until I
have the SG repaired - then, return it for consignment sale. Considering
that I expect to spend at least $100.00 (more?) having the nut on the SG
fixed, I think clean-up work on the Dean will be fair compensation to me,
as trade for the SG repair work he wasn't willing to discuss in realistic
terms before I bought the SG.
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----- MAY, 2005 -----
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----- Wednesday, 05-04-05 -----
A fair amount has happened, since my last entry. I'll try to make this a
general update, without going too deeply into the specifics,...
Opportunity arose, for sending the Gibson SG I bought from Rod, down to
the Music Gallery in Highwood, IL, for repair. My mother was going on a
trip to see relatives there, and the guitar could travel with her as vs.
paying shipping charges. I wrote & sent a few emails, corresponding
back & forth with the staff at the Music Gallery, before sending the
guitar to have it inspected and/or the nut replaced.
It hit me as I was planning the drive to get her to Oshkosh, WI where
she'd be picked up by an Illinois relative, that being there put me very
close to where Fisherman Rich now lives. Planning shifted slightly to
include putting my dog into a kennel for 4 days, and me going to Berlin, WI
to see Rich. It worked out beautifully, and I had a great visit w/ Rich; we
spent several fulfilling hours jamming together, before I left.
After getting back home, I received word from the Music Gallery that there
was a problem fixing the SG. After a few phone calls, I decided to not have
the SG repaired there, and seek getting my money back for it. Later,
talking w/ Rod, he told me he could fix it w/o any problem at all - so,
I'll give him the chance to do so. SPECIAL NOTE, RE. ROD: During my
discussion w/ Rod, he told me at first that he could fix the guitar
"for nothing". A couple of minutes later, I asked him how much it
would cost me - and, he told me he could do it for "$50.00 or
less". This is Rod's modus operandi; he'll tell you one price, but
during the negotiations with him, the price always gets jacked up. He's got
a finely tuned sense of how far he can push this and get away with it.
Something similar happened when I purchased my Alvarez 12-string from him;
I ended up spending $30.00(+?) more than he'd first told me. Because of
this, I've decided that once I've got my Dean Z back and the issues re. the
SG are settled, that will be the last business dealings I'll allow to
happen involving him. As for why I'd go through with allowing him the
chance to repair & get paid for fixing the SG,... The way I see it, I
was willing to spend that $50.00 for it to be done in Highwood, so why
would I balk at paying that same fair price in Rhinelander? That only
shady part of the deal, is that his price changes in the blink of an eye -
and, always, as an increase.
I'm still practicing the Fender JP-90 electric bass guitar for an hour
each morning, and have begun a renewed initiative to actually practice on
the antique(?) Dresden-made viola I own. (I had repairs done on it a couple
of years ago, and it's in fine shape now.)
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----- Saturday, 05-07-05 -----
I managed to make it down into Rhinelander, WI, to the Hodag Music Center.
While there, I attended to electric guitar stuff. I dropped off the Gibson
SG for the neck repairs & adjustments it needs. I also retrieved the
Dean Z. I'll need to buy a new pickup holder for it, because the old one
was removed in the process of prepping it for consignment sale. (I should
have expected that, but didn't.) I took advantage of being there, to play
an acoustic bass guitar from the store's wall; doing so is a wise thing,
since I've had it in mind to eventually get an instrument of that type. I
need some experience working with such instruments, in order to be able to
make a wise purchase decision if & when the time comes to actually
spend the money.
I attended the LVD Casino's music nights, this week. I've been doing this
for about a monthy now. There's no cover charge, and a live band on each
Friday and Saturday night, from 9 PM to 1 AM. I don't drink or gamble while
I'm there - I just sit and watch the show and the people, and drink the
complimentary coffee. I figure this is good activity for me in two
respects; musically, and socially. Being out in public is something I don't
get much of on an average day. It's not good to be such a hermit; getting
out and interacting with people is a psychologically health-promoting
activity. Also, who knows? I might end up meeting some beauty, and
starting up a new relationship; one that actually meets my standards and is
beneficial, as vs. the nasty waste of life I indulged in with Mary. Being
where I can observe other musicians applying their craft is a valuable
resource. I'll tend to pick up tidbits of technique that will find their
way back into my bag of skills and knowledge, both good and bad. What I
mean by that, is that there will be times when I notice something about the
stage setup, or music, and think - Oh! I don't want to do that! Or, notice
something, and think - Cool. I gotta remember that, and try to do it later.
So, in general, I think attending the music evenings there is a beneficial
thing for me to be doing.
I've been talking with some of the musicians I meet at the Casino, and
mentioning my music website. Last night I wrote down the address on little
slips of paper and handed it to a couple of the guys I met. (Dennis, the
Bass player for the band Haze (sp?), and Wade, the lead guitarist who'd
joined the group for the gig.) This handing out of the website address
makes me think I should be spending a little more time maintaining the
website, and tidy it up a bit. For example, I think I'm going to refashion
the Main Page again, to reinstall a list of links for the website's pages.
(I'd trimmed the Main Page down to only a picture which had links
embedded.)
I've been working on the bass line for the song, "White Rabbit",
and worked out the notes for "America the Beautiful". I've also
figured out that "Silent Night" is best thought of as being in
the key of G, when starting with the note C; i.e., whatever is used as the
starting note for the song is the fourth of the major scale being worked
in.
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----- Thursday, 05-19-05 -----
Last Saturday night, while attending the free music at the LVD Casino,
I managed to get a little advice from a guy named Jack Marlin. He's the
lead guitarist and fiddle player for the band "The Marlinaires".
I asked him what the correct way to hold the bow was, and he described it
to me. (Yes, I learned that I'd been doing it wrong.) Unfortunately, I
didn't feel comfortable enough to request that he actually show me,
demonstrating what he was saying via his bow. Today, I made an effort to
put into practice the new technique he described. I think I'm
doing it right,...!!!
At the LVD Casino, Saturday night, I also met a woman who told me she's
the aunt of the lead guitar player in the band, "The Fabulous
Thunderbirds". (Big deal, right?) She was very nice, but a bit
intoxicated.
I've been working on it, and I've got the melody down now, for playing
"America The Beautiful" on Bass guitar. I've reached the point
where I can go through it without pauses for the sake of remembering what
the next note is. Today, I re-worked out the melody for "Bonnie and
Clyde". (I used to know it, but hadn't played it in such a long time
that I'd forgotten it.)
I checked in at the Hodag Music shop in Rhinelander, WI, yesterday. Rod
hadn't done what he told me he would: The Gibson SG repairs weren't finished,
despite his having had two weeks instead of the one week he said he'd have
it done within. I''d told him that I might be able to return the next weekend
to get the guitar, but wasn't sure. If not, then I'd be coming down for it
after the start of the next month. So, did part of the work, but put off
attending to the final steps of finishing it, thinking that I wouldn't be
there till the later of the two potential dates. He promised me he'd finish
it in the next day or two. Lynn, the owner, was there and heard all this. Rod
went off to conduct a guitar lesson for a kid who'd just walked in. Lynn told
me he'd drop the guitar off to me at my home, if it turned out that he needed
to drive to Watersmeet for repossessing a clarinet. I thanked him.
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----- Sunday, 05-29-05 -----
I had another telephone conversation with Rod, at the Hodag Music Center,
re. the guitar I bought from him near the start of April 2005 and haven't
yet been able to make use of. He took the stance that the guitar had been
just fine, when he finished work on it - stated that both he and someone
else present had tested it, and that the other person present had wanted
to buy it. I told him that I'd tested it before paying the repair tab,
found it wrong, and had Lynn (the owner of the shop) test it also. He said
I was too picky, expecting no buzz, saying he remembered how when I'd first
come to the shop I'd checked out virtually all the guitars there seeking one
I could be satisfied with. (Good memory, Rod! You really don't
"forget" stuff after all, do you?) I responded that regarding my
assessments of guitars, it's not pickiness - it's a matter of skill, experience,
and being observant. Regarding where we go from here, I told him there are exactly
3 outcomes possible at this point:
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1)
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He can fix the guitar into proper playing condition, at no
further charge to me. (I've already spent $25.00 more on
repairs than he told me it would cost at the time I purchased
it from him.)
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2)
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He can refund my money to me. Or,
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3)
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I'll never do business with him again.
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During our conversation, he finally corrected me regarding the brand
of the guitar. The marking "Tradition" on the headstock
isn't a budget model line of Gibson - it's an independant brand name.
He seemed to think it was funny, that I'd never understood that this
wasn't a Gibson guitar. He told me that if it had been a genuine
Gibson, he wouldn't have sold it to me for the $200.00; he would have
put it up for sale on eBay for $1000.00. I consider it to have been a
type of fraud committed by him, to avoid correcting me regarding this
until two months had passed - when, I'd been repeatedly, continuously
referring to it as a Gibson whenever I discussed the guitar with him.
I've been ripped off, and now I need to decide what to do about it.
An aspect of this guitar situation which may or may not be useful obtaining
proper compensation to me, is the fact that when the transaction occurred
of Rod selling me the guitar, he was on duty at the Hodag Music Center.
As a company employee, drawing company payment for his services, within
company premises, he was obligated by his business agreements with the
company, to be a proper representative of the company; i.e., being on the
clock within company premises, he couldn't legally step out of his role as
a company employee. Despite the fact that what he was selling me was his
personal property, this might make the Hodag Music Center liable for his
actions and fraudulent representation of the merchandise I purchased.
As I said, he seemed to think it was funny, that I'd been tricked via his
allowing me to continue thinking it was a Gibson. Although he didn't say
it outright, his words and tones conveyed to me that he thought that I'd
been stupid. This really pisses me off. In fact, it pisses me off to the
point that I'm considering showing him just how stupid I truly am, and
hauling him into court over this. I feel that I should sue him for just
compensation; i.e., recovering every penny I've invested in this guitar,
proper fees for my services attempting to fix it, cost of gasoline I've
spent while traveling on guitar-related matters, interest on my money based
on 2 months of investment into a savings account (as the alternative to it
having been in his pocket during that time), plus a proper punitive additional
money judgement award as a deterrent to him ever doing it again. (I'll let
the court decide the amount of that.) Knowing that this was being considered
might be sufficient leverage to get my money back,...(?) Or, maybe not.
The truth is, it would be worth the court fees, simply to have had the
satisfaction of dragging him into court to show him that not everyone is
going to be complacent about being ripped off.
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On lighter topics, I've been continuing my recent effort at learning viola.
I've continued to devote a half hour minimum to practicing it, in the hopes
that this will eventually add up to having developed some level of
competency with the instrument. As an accessory to this effort, I've retuned
my banjo into an Irish tuning, so the intervals between the four strings are
all fifths. Although the banjo is in { G, D, A, E } and the viola in
{ C, G, D, A } (down a fifth), using the banjo in Irish tuning will help me
to become accustomed to the patterns of physical relationships regarding
placements of notes for scales and chords within the fifths-tuning environment.
To make this more clear, when playing a major scale on a guitar, there's a
pattern occurring over the set of strings. Move the pattern, and you've changed
the key as all the notes get shifted together. On the fifths-intervals tuning,
the pattern is different, but consistent to anything tuned in fifths; i.e.,
move the pattern, and the key changes accordingly. As such, if I learn a
pattern on the Irish banjo, and play that pattern at the same fret's placement
on the viola, the resulting key will be changed by exactly one fifth.
Knowing the patterns and understanding transpositions, whatever is developed
on either Irish banjo or viola can be easily transferred from one instrument
to the other. It's worth mentioning for the violinists in the crowd (perhaps,
already noticed?), that the Irish banjo tuning is the same as the violin - so
things would transfer directly without the need for transposition.
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~~~
----- JUNE, 2005 -----
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----- Sunday, 06-19-05 -----
I had the chance to go down into Rhinelander, WI, early in the month -
about three days before the date I'd arranged with Rod that I would show
up to drop off the SG. The date I'd arranged wasn't going to work out,
since the car I intended to borrow wasn't going to be available - so I
took advantage of the opportunity available, drove the SG down to the
Hodag Music Center and dropped it off there with Lynn, the owner. While
there, I had a moderate discussion with Lynn, re. the SG, how I was
tricked into buying it, and other issues re. Rod. I haven't heard anything
from them since then, and the guitar is still down there (as far as I know).
Lynn seems to have adopted the stance that whatever occurred was strictly
between me and Rod, despite the circumstances it occurred within (company
employee, on company time, within company premises). I have the impression
that he won't help - that, I'm strictly on my own in this matter. I, for my
part, feel that I've done all I can to get things set straight. And, failed.
So, I've decided to adopt the attitude that there's really no effective action
I can take to obtain satisfaction - that, all I can really do is "write
off" the guitar as a bad investment, never do business there again,
and recommend to others that they boycott the shop also. I don't even care very
much, whether or not I get that guitar back. It can't be made playable anyway,
without an excessive investment, so why bother? If and when I find that I can
afford to buy my replacement electric guitar, I intend to purchase it via
Musiciansfriend.com.
I had an interesting moment last night, while watching a band performing at
the LVD casino. I was watching the bass player, who was pretty good, and thought
to myself that I was better. In so many respects, this is completely false,
since that pro has so many different songs and bare-hand picking techniques
under his belt - but, in terms of tone qualities, attack, sustain, decay,
vibrato, tremolo, slurs; I felt that my ability to work the "voice"
of the notes was better controlled and more expressive.
I've continued working with my viola, and feel that I've continued to make
progress. The way I'm currently phrasing it when I talk about it with anyone,
is that I'm not sounding so horrible; that, it's actually beginning to sound
like music when I'm practicing. Yes - progress, not perfection.
I've also returned to investing more time on my daily practice, re. rhythm
guitar. I felt that my skills had slipped slightly; a bit off tempo, not quite
as dextrous picking within chords, etc. There's been some progress, getting
the edge back, but there's also a bit more to accomplish before I'll consider
myself as skilled as I was last Fall before the dental infections began.
My mother's health is declining. She had another stroke today, and there really
wasn't anything I could do to affect the course of the event. I waited a while
for it to diminish, then took my 12-string Alvarez into her house and played
some music for her for a while. I think it at least took her mind off the
incapacitation she was experiencing, until the event had faded and she became
able to communicate again. (When it happens, she can listen and understand, but
can't communicate back via voice or writing.) It's a crime, that my
stolen daughter, Eileen, won't ever have the chance to know her grandmother, or
have the chance to hear her grandmother play music. (She's highly skilled at
playing both piano and church organ.) Somewhere, a feminazi is giggling with glee,
at the criminal damage being done to this family by Mary, my ex.
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----- Tuesday, 06-21-05 -----
A couple of days ago, I ran an errand for my mother. She needed aspirin, and my
Uncle Jim had some - so, I drove over to fetch it. I realized this was an
opportunity to do something I'd been wanting to do, so when I went over there
I dragged along my viola. You see, when Uncle Jim was a young boy, he'd had
violin lessons. It occurred to me a little while back, that having had lessons,
he'd probably be able to show me the correct way to hold the bow. Sure enough,
after only a few minutes of fooling around with the instrument, his early
training had taken hold and he was holding it in the proper manner. We discussed
what he was doing, he let me really scrutinize how his hand was holding the bow,
and now I know! All that's left, is for to practice it and make use of this new
knowledge.
It's also worth making mention of in this entry, that I feel that my decision
to stick with the Irish banjo tuning was the correct choice. Practicing banjo
today while watching T.V. (during commercials), I realized that becoming familiar
with the patterns on the first 3 strings translates directly over to the viola;
i.e., that {G,D,A,E} (on banjo) and {C,G,D,A} (on viola) have the sequence of
{G,D,A} in common. So whatever familiarity I gain doing melodies on the {G,D,A}
strings of the banjo will enhance any attempts to replicate those melodies on
viola. Therefore, I'm hopeful that working with the banjo in that tuning will
accelerate how quickly I can gain some skill using the viola.
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~~~
----- JULY, 2005 -----
~~~
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----- Tuesday, 07/12/05 -----
I retrieved the Tradition SG guitar, which I'd left at the Hodag Music Center
in the hopes of it actually being repaired. I gave it a quick check before I
left, and discovered it was still buzzing on 1st & 2nd frets on 5th &
6th strings. It seemed better, at the moment I tested it, but it still wasn't
right. I made comment re. this to the owner, who was sitting there tending the
shop, and then left.
Arriving home, later, I sat down and played it for about an hour. My conclusion
was that it was exactly the same condition as when I dropped it off at the
Hodag Music Center in Rhinelander, WI, at the start of June, 2005; i.e., absolutely
nothing had been done to it during the more than a full month it sat there.
From this moment on, I boycott that shop and advocate that others do the same.
While in Rhinelander, I made a pit stop at the newly established music store
in the uptown district. I bought a set of "DR" brand electric guitar
strings, to be used on the Dean Z guitar I still haven't managed to unburden myself
of.
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----- Thursday, 07/14/05 -----
I changed the strings on the Dean Z guitar today. I'd had a set of phosphor
bronze acoustic strings on it (for tone quality considerations), and now was
switching it back to using nickel-wound electric guitar strings. (The DR set
I bought on Tuesday.) I was surprised when I tuned the instrument up, to find
that there were now lots and lots of places where the strings were buzzing on
the neck. In fact, it's so bad that the buzzing on the SG seems extremely minor
in comparison. I'm not sure what I'll do about this,... Maybe, switch back to
bronze-wounds for that guitar, since those didn't buzz at all.
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----- Sunday, 07/17/05 -----
Responding to an earnest request, I used my Seagull S6 to perform the
song "Helpless" (by Neil Young) for a guy sitting by a campfire
in the middle of the night. He was impressed. I'm entering note re. the
event here, because it adds at least one more person in the area who
actually knows how good I am musically.
I met a skinny blond woman named, "Martie", at the LVD Casino's
music event. She's significant, in that she used to run an Open Mic Karaoke
event in Eagle River. I don't know whether having met her will turn out to
be of any value toward increasing my chances of success musically, but as a
general rule, it's advantageous to know such people, who have business
experience in managing music events,...
I've found a nice combination of instruments for long practice sessions.
If I set up both viola and bongos prepped for use, it works out very well.
I can start a CD and play straight through it, when both are available;
i.e., when the muscles required for playing one of those instruments get
tired, or the inspiration begins to fade, switching to the other instrument
ends up feeling freshly approached. Using this method allowed me to practice
all the way through a ZZ Top CD immediately followed by a Janis Joplin CD.
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----- Friday, 07/29/05 -----
I played bongos today for about an hour and a half, accompanying the music on a Bob
Dylan CD. I brought the mini-bongos down off the shelf where they reside, and used
them to enhance the regular set, placing the mini-bongos on the desk in front of me,
and the regular set across my lap; i.e., expanding the set so that I would have four
drums available, instead of just two.
Using the mini-bongos again, reminded me of the designs I'd toyed with last year, re.
making a lap rack to hold both sets in a useful relative positionment. I'd like to
have the mini-bongos centered behind the regular set, with their tops just slightly
higher than the tops of the regular bongos. An added advantage of having a rack that
could be set across the lap, would be that the bases of the drums in the regular-size
set wouldn't be down against my thighs any more when I'm playing them. Yes, I know
the recommended bongo-playing method involves holding them between the knees with the
heads slanted outward away from the player - but, this pair is way too heavy (Siam Oak),
and the hardware both hurts my legs and makes it difficult to keep the bongos from
sliding around during use. Being elevated off my thighs while being played, would
allow the sound to escape properly from the bases of the drums instead of being muffled.
I thought about all the lathe (snow fencing slats) I have hanging around in the garage,
and wondered whether or not I could construct the bongos rack using it. I selected four
lengths of what seemed like fairly good pieces of lathe, and started the project. By the
time I was finished working on it today, I'd measured & cut 4 sections to create a
pair of base rails, and 4 sections to be used as rails for the metal stems/feet of the
large set of bongos to rest on. I glued & clamped, for the base rails, and now I
need to wait for that glue to fully set. Next step will be to glue & clamp the feet
rails as connectors between the base rails. After that,... Well, I'm not entirely sure,
what the next step should be. I know it seems like a rather stupid method of proceeding,
as per the business folk-wisdom of "failure to plan, is planning for failure"
- but, when I approached this task last year, I began by trying to draft up a drawing w/
specifications; that attempt died still-born, and never reached the point of cutting the
first piece. So, this time, I'm approaching it via the method of Art. It will be constructed
bit by bit, in an off-the-cuff manner, with only the general design spec of the desired
relative positionments of the two sets of bongos as my determining guide. The previous
design had sought to incorporate an integral carrying case w/ handle into the project; i.e.,
open (or remove) the upper portion of the case, and there's the bongos on the rack, ready to
be played. This current design is being constructed with the idea that the rack will be
entirely separate from the case; i.e., open the case, take out the rack w/ bongos on it,
set the case aside, place the rack across your lap, and then play.
The biggest design consideration that might be difficult, will be figuring out how to
prevent the bongos from flopping around inside the case when it's being transported from
place to place. At the moment, I'm thinking about either using padding tucked in there to
take up any extra space, or perhaps careful use of bungie straps. The biggest misgiving I
have about the design & construction method I'm using, involves the fact that I'm using
lathe as the wood. I decided to go with lathe, because it's a very light weight wood - weight,
being an important consideration, regarding something which might sit across someone's thighs
for most of a two or three hour session. I don't know if the impacts from being stuck while
played, & vibrations of the drums resonating, will cause an eventual failure of the glue
bonds. Of course, lathe is fairly inexpensive, and the lathe I'm using is wood which would
basically go unused otherwise; if I discover this first rack project doesn't endure, I can
always re-design it and make a new one using different materials and bonding methods.
A final thought, is that after the rack is completed, it might be more comfortable if I had
padding between the bottom of the rack and my thighs; perhaps, a pillow to be stored inside
the case with the drums? Maybe a section of padded comforter? Maybe, upholster the bottom
surfaces of the rack (cotton batting or foam padding, & fabric)? I'll decide about that,
if & when the rack is finished. Whatever's chosen, I think it will need to minimize the
thickness of the padding, for the sake of minimizing resultant increase of the vertical height
placement of the drumheads.
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~~~
----- SEPTEMBER, 2005 -----
~~~
(No entries during August?)
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----- Sunday, 09/11/05 -----
Last night, I dragged my bongos and 12-string guitar up to the Casino. I left all the
equipment in the car's trunk, but after the show was over took the 12-string inside and
played a couple of songs for a couple of the guys from the band that was there this weekend.
I played both "Helpless" and "Harvest"; both, by Neil Young. I usually
play "Helpless" as a warm-up song, because it's easy. I chose "Harvest"
as the 2nd piece, because following up by a song from the same artist seemed like the right
thing to do - a more complex piece. Having already heard one Neil Young song, they'd be more
likely to be receptive to the performance.
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----- Tuesday, 09/20/05 -----
I've been feeling lately, as if I should drop the "Scruffy Eagle" moniker and all that's
been associated with it. I guess, in terms of totem, I've been feeling as if it misses being
descriptive of a central characteristic of me - that, I'm primarily nocturnal. There's also
a feeling I've been having, that the person it describes was the person who was enduring the
continuous attacks for the sake of his child; trying to balance endurance of vicious assaults
for the sake of his beloved child, against the need to violate his beliefs in nonviolence in
order to put an end to those wrongful assaults - and, I'm not that person any more. I put an
end to the assaults by side-stepping them; escaping to the U.P., and abandoning my child as
being beyond my ability to continue protecting. In doing so, I lost a major portion of all
that I'd ever believed in, and all I'd ever achieved. I'm simply not the same person, any more.
So, who am I now? I guess, that's the real question,...
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~~~
----- NOVEMBER, 2005 -----
~~~
(No entries during October?)
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----- Wednesday, 11/23/05 -----
Well, time came, to renew the scruffyeagle.com ownership - and, I didn't have anything better
to use, so I stuck with it. So, I guess I'm Scruffy Eagle for another year. I still don't have
my own computer again, or any other means of recording & editing music - so, I still haven't
recorded anything new; over a full year of no recordings, now.
I wrote earlier in the year, that I believed my long nightmare with the dental infection was
over, and I could resume work on the Flute. My saying so was premature. The dental infection was
only in remission. It's been over a month now without any serious problems - which, I attribute to
maintaining a high level of brushing & flossing. I've played Flute again about five times in
the past week. No problems, so again I'm feeling hopeful of resuming it as a useful instrument in
my repertoire.
For perhaps the past month and a half, I've been practicing the Viola on a nearly daily basis.
I've reached a point where I can find the notes I'm after in a fairly reliable manner without
needing to pause & figure it out, or hunt for them by ear. My bow usage has improved to the
point where production of beat, rhythms, sustain, etc. re. playing melodies are much more precise.
I've even been window-shopping electric 5-string violins, with the idea that my playing will
continue to improve in mind.
I did build a "bongos lap tray", and have been using it on an almost daily basis for
at least 3 weeks now. It works well - very useful; however, I decided there were some shortcomings
in my design, and so I'm currently working on building the new improved version. My hand-drumming
has improved to the point where I'm confident that I could be an asset to most bands I might
encounter; I can play bongos with just about any musical genre, and have it sound good. As an
additional instrument, I've been working on the tambourine.
The focus of my intentions re. music practice and goals of musicianship, can be summed up in
2 areas:
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I'm working to improve my hand-drumming in all respects, in the hopes that one of these
days I'll be able to link up with an already-established working band. If that happens, and
there's an income flow being generated by that activity, then soon thereafter I'll invest in
a good set of Congas.
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2)
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I'm working to improve my sense of melody, pitch, etc. re. single-note runs - primarily, via
learning the vocal lines of simple traditional songs. My learning of the melodies usually occurs
via practicing on banjo or flute. Once I've got a melody memorized, then I take what I've learned
and apply it onto each of the other melody instruments I practice. For example, if I memorized a
melody on Banjo, I would then have the goal of being able to reproduce that melody on Flute,
6-string guitar, Bass Guitar, and Viola.
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I'm not sure whether I've covered all I should write into the music diary, or not,... I've run out
of steam, and run out of time for writing, though - so, I'm going to wrap up this entry and call it
good enough.
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~~~
----- DECEMBER, 2005 -----
~~~
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----- Wednesday, 12/14/05 -----
I've been taking out my flute and practicing it for a couple of weeks (at least) now,
and last night I ran into a problem. The plug in the end near where the player blows was
loose; so loose, it was flopping outward whenever I tilted the flute in that direction.
It won't play right, when it's doing that - so, it needed to be fixed. A downside of the
reality of living off in the woods here, is that there aren't any music stores available
without driving at least 100 miles. I don't know if or when I'll have access to a skilled
repair person, for fixing the flute - so, I did the kind of repair job that makes me shudder:
I took duct tape, carefully cut off small pieces from the roll, and taped the end of the
flute to pin the plug into place. It doesn't look bad, since the duct tape is kind of a dull
silver that doesn't contrast with the metal of the flute, and I really used a very small
amount of it, carefully applied. Now, it works again, and the repair will last indefinitely;
until I manage to find someone properly skilled at fixing an antique flute such as this one.
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----- IN CONCLUSION -----
That completes the entries that have been archived here for my music diary.
I hope you've enjoyed reading them!
May you be guided and protected
as you pass through life!
~~~
Scruffy Eagle
~~~
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"MUSIC DIARY (Archived)S LIST" include: "SCRUFFY EAGLE" website
ALL AVAILABLE "SCRUFFY EAGLE" WEBSITE MUSIC DIARY DOCUMENTS:
( Music Diary was begun in 2004. )
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