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"SCRUFFY EAGLE"
MUSIC DIARY for 2008
Copyright (C) 2008, by: scruffyeagle.com
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Revised Include re. visitor counting (of any & all areas) at website : scruffyeagle.com website
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~~~
----- JANUARY, 2008 -----
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----- Sunday, 01/06/08 -----
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I've got mixed feelings tonight, re. my own worthiness as a hand-drummer. I know I'm fairly good, but I witnessed
an excellent hand-drummer in the Casino's lounge this weekend - and, have to admit that he was better than I am.
If I wanted to try to keep this in perspective, I'd take into account that I've only been hand-drumming for 2 years,
and have never had any formal lessons. But, I don't want to make excuses, either. I think the only proper reaction
I should have to this event, is to improve.
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----- Wednesday, 01/23/08 -----
I blew my wad on equipment again, yesterday morning. I spent about $285 to obtain 3 items: A Korg CA-40 Chromatic
Tuner, an M-Audio AudioBuddy pre-amp w/ 2 M-Audio MXL mics (990 & 991) combo package, and a 14-inch Toca Freestyle
mechanically tuned Djembe w/ gig bag.
I've discovered that the Fostex digital multi-tracking recorder I bought isn't good enough. Whenever I put the
machine into record mode, it generates an audible hiss that goes into the recording. I don't know what to do about
this, at the moment. I'd like to return it, but I'm so poor at record-keeping, that I might not have sufficient
documentation to manage obtaining a return. If I can manage to return it, that'll be about $260 that could be
applied in some more useful manner - heck, it would almost cover the cost of the equipment I bought yesterday
morning! I'll have to see what I can do...
I've managed to work out a chord progression for the song "One Among Many". This is a good sign;
an encouraging thing, because that song began as lyrics which then got a single-note progression melody accompaniment
worked out for it, before any chords at all were decided on. By contrast, most of the songs I've ever created
progressed from lyrics to chords, and then maybe recieved single-note progressions for accompaniments.
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----- Monday, 01/28/08 -----
I picked up the musiciansfriend.com order from the Watersmeet P.O., approx. 11:00 a.m. When I got home, I unpacked
the Toca Djembe and inspected it. It seemed okay. Later on, in the evening, I realized that the tape I'd taken note
of on the inner surface of the bottom of the drum, was actually black tape that had been put on there to cover a
flaw in the paintwork. That tape was coming loose, and revealing snow white plastic beneath it. I took a piece of
scotch brand magic tape and taped it to hold it flat against the surface instead of sticking up. The drum was
tuned way too high when I first got it, and that was a task of the evening - to drop the head tension to a
level where it would sound the best. Before bed, I practiced using the new djembe for about an hour. I think that
once I get used to it, this drum will end up advancing my skills, increasing my tonal options & capabilities
as a drummer, and increasing the likelihood that I might actually join a band in the status of hand-drummer. I
unpacked the new Korg chromatic tuner and installed the batteries, but haven't used it yet. It looks okay. I opened
the box containing the M-Audio MXL 990 & 991 microphones, and did a brief inspection. They seem okay. I read all
the documentation that came with them, and will probably need to read it again. The documentation makes them sound
much more fragile than the lower-quality equipment I'm used to working with. I'll need to purchase a wind screen
and 2 shock-mounts, as accessories. I haven't opened the pre-amp box yet.
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----- Thursday, 01/31/08 -----
I went down to Eagle River with my mother today, bringing my recording equipment with me; i.e., Fostex MR-8MKII,
AudioBuddy, 1 mic, 1 stand, headphones, & lots of cables. I set it up in the main room of her church, so
she could record her organ playing. She wants to make some tapes as gifts, while she can still play properly
(so she says) - and, I think it's a great idea. I went out and ran errands, using her car, while she played.
I figured my absence would be helpful for the sake of her concentration. When I came back, I discovered something
I hadn't learned yet about the Fostex digital recorder: When the next counter tick is the 100 minute mark, it
stops, regardless of how much memory is remaining. It won't continue recording into that 100th minute. So,
next time I set it up for a marathon recording session, I'll know that I need to return before that 100th
minute, stop it, and start it recording again onto a different track. I can record 4 tracks w/o need for
"bouncing" existing material onto a higher numbered track - so, that means its capacity (disregarding
memory, which it has oodles of) is a maximum of 396 minutes (disregarding taking breaks to perform a bouncing
operation to free up a primary track). In practice, that will be less, because it would
be unlikely for recording sessions to develop breaks in the flow of music at exactly the 99th minute unless it
was specifically planned to be that way.
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~~~
----- FEBRUARY, 2008 -----
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----- Monday, 02/18/08 -----
I phoned musiciansfriend.com a 2nd time, over the issue of a return label for the defective Korg chromatic tuner.
They should be sending me a label via email, for me to print out. While on the phone, I discussed the Toca Djembe
I'd purchased in the same order, and negotiated return of it. I should be receiving a 2nd return lable via email.
The reasons for returning the Djembe are two-fold: One, is that there are factory defects in the paint on the
inner surface of the body. The places where there were defects were covers with little squares of black electrical
tape. It doesn't affect the functioning of the drum, but it is an actual factory defect. The more important
reason for returning the djembe, is a quality issue stemming from design. The tonal qualities of the drum are
dry and raspy. I worked with the drum for just under a month, frequently adjusting the tuning, modifying my
drumming techniques, etc. - and, I came to the conclusion that this raspiness is an unavoidable result of the
synthetic shell used in the drum's construction. It's not that the drum doesn't function as it was designed to -
it's that the design of the drum doesn't allow it to perform up to my standards. I was online last night,
window-shopping djembe's. My wish list of features includes a wooden body, comfort-style rim, goatskin head,
mechanically tuned, and 14-inch diameter. The only drum I could find online that met those criteria, was
the LP Galaxy Giovanni series Djembe in the 14" size. The going rate is about $480.00 (rounding). That's
approx. 3 times what I paid for the Toca - but, it seems that this is an instance of the old saying, "you get
what you pay for". I've been forced to (extremely reluctantly) conclude that the only way of getting a
professional quality instrument, is to pay a professional scale price. So, my plan of the moment is to wait until
the refund for the Toca Djembe shows up in my checking account balance, and then shell out the necessary weeping,
screaming, kicking, scratching, reluctant dollars to obtain the drum I need.
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----- Saturday, 02/23/08 -----
I changed my mind about the Toca Djembe, and decided to keep it. I simply can't afford to shell out the
necessary bucks for a LP Giovanni Djembe. So, I've been working on tweaking the Toca's tuning, and
have managed to make it sound much better than it did before.
I've been forced to conclude that the pains I've been experiencing in my right wrist & elbow are the result
of playing fiddle. I experimented, taking a couple of days off from fiddle practice, twice in a row - and, this
morning's session produced a sufficient level of proof to use as grounds for decision-making. My wrist &
elbow were fine when I began the practice session, and both hurt by the time I finished it. I don't want to give
up fiddle entirely, because I enjoy it so much - but, I'll need to drastically cut back how much practice I do.
At the moment, I'm thinking that I might be able to manage 20 minutes every 3 or 4 days without harm. I'll need
to test that idea, in order to be able to make informed choices.
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----- Monday, 02/25/08 -----
Saturday evening, I met a guitar player from the "Clue and the Honkeytones" band. (They're from
Nashville.) His name was Jeff Diamond. Aside from the fact that he's an excellent guitar player, meeting him was
notable for the fact that he was a treasure trove of information; contacts, that could change the course of my
existence as a musician. He gave me 2 places to contact for placement into a band, and a number to contact for
low-overhead cost of obtaining equipment I need.
I NEED to follow up on this!
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----- Thursday, 02/28/08 -----
I've been trying to phone the number I got from Jeff Diamond, for the Musicians Referral Service. (I'd lost
the piece of styrofoam Johnny Green wrote the number on.) So far, I've tried the number 3 times today, and
got busy signals each time.
I NEED to follow up on this!
EXTRA NOTE: I followed up on this the next day, and finally got through via the number Jeff Diamond gave me for
reaching MRS. The recorded message was hard to make out, but I'm fairly sure that it said I'd reached some kind of
church. So, I quit calling that number. I also called the equipment source number again; got through to an answering
machine. I left a brief message, and said I'd try back again some other time. But, so far, I haven't done it.
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~~~
----- MARCH, 2008 -----
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----- Monday, 03/10/08 -----
Despite my earnest intention of following up on music industry leads, I didn't. This is at least partially due to the
recent problems w/ severe pain & weakness in my right arm. What really prompted me to make an entry about it
today, is the fact that my evaluation of my problem has changed. It's true that when the condition of my arm is
borderline, fiddling will push it over the edge into heavy pain - but, I've re-evaluated the situation, and the
answer came up differently. I think I've been avoiding facing the truth about this problem I've been having. Here's
why: For quite a while now, I've been considering the activity of hand-drumming as being one with realistic potential
for getting me into a working band. I've considered it to be my best bet; my quickest path to my goal. It's not only
what I'm best at - it's something I'm better at now, than most of the people I've met since I began doing it
(in October, 2005). I grew lax about practicing rhythm guitar, bass guitar, banjo, flute...
Although I did maintain daily practice sessions for violin, it wasn't my primary focus.
The majority of my practice time was devoted to hand-drumming (bongos & djembe).
I'd been avoiding doing any fiddling at all for more than a week, and my arm wasn't getting better. My
re-evaluation led me to seriously consider this possibility: The primary culprit activity, causing problems in my
right arm, was probably hand-drumming. I tested it, by taking several days off from drumming. My arm got better. I
then tested whether practicing violin would cause it to go right back to severe pain (the way it did before) - it
didn't. This past Saturday evening, I was at the Casino watching a country rock band called "Stolen Horses".
They were pretty good, and when they did some songs that I was good at, I drummed along, gently tapping my hands on
the tabletop in front of me. I probably accompanied about 5 songs that way - and, by the end of the evening, the pain
was back in my right arm. The probability that my problems are being brought on strictly by hand-drumming, is running
high. The next level of testing, will be to resume daily violin practice while continuing to avoid doing any
drumming.
If, after resuming normal daily violin practice, the condition of my arm continues to improve, then the situation
will be definite that hand-drumming is the cause of my current infirmity. If I become certain that the hand-drumming
practice is the cause of my problem, then I'll have to be cautious in the future about how much of it I do; i.e.,
no more lengthy sessions. I'll need to wait until my arm is completely healed before resuming any hand-drumming, and
only do short practice sessions, after that. It will also mean that if & when I attempt to join a working band, I
won't be able to present myself for employment based strictly upon my finesse as a hand-drummer; I'll need other
things to offer as primary benefits of hiring me. Without other musicians to practice with on a regular basis, I
don't know if my skills on any of the sringed instruments will ever become good enough to be sufficient.
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----- Sunday, 03/23/08 -----
My problems re. pain in my right arm is still ongoing. I went over a week without doing any drumming or violin
at all, but the pain hasn't gone away entirely (diminished, but not gone). More likely than not, this is due to
2 factors: One, that I've switched focus to guitar playing and been doing exclusively that (but a lot of it);
and two, that I've had to do a fair amount of chopping & shoveling, dealing with the massive ice build-up
across the front of the garage building. Despite the continuing problems in my right arm, I took my djembe up to
the casino last night, and sat in with the "Bear Creek Band". I simply couldn't let the opportunity to
sit in with them pass unused. I think I got away with it (more or less), and the pain in my right arm only increased
a little bit by the time I was done. So, I'm making a new plan: I intend to practice the hand-drumming, but only
allow myself to do it once every two days at most, and keep the sessions down to less than a half hour. The same
applies to violin. I intend to keep doing it, but at a greatly diminished level.
I met a pretty female singer, named "Tammy". She's the new addition to the Bear Creek Band. She's pretty,
sweet, talented, and built like a bunny. I was quite infatuated with her - but, realistically, nothing's likely to
come of it. She lives too far away, I'm too much older than her, my dental condition is unsightly, and I'm not
a successful musician.
Someone compared me to Willie Nelson, again. I guess I must be projecting that kind of image, with my long-ish
hair, hat, and beard. Also: This was a "first" - I signed my first autograph, last night. A woman named
Dianne had just gotten Tammy's autograph, and then asked me for mine. I signed "Scruffy Eagle"; my
stage-name. Before the evening was over, Dianne had talked me into promising to come to Eagle River, and help
motivate her husband Ron into resuming guitar playing. She said he used to be very good, but had stopped when he
had a brain tumor. I'm not sure what I've gotten myself into here, but I'll follow through on it and at least make
an effort to help. The bottom line, of course, is that Ron needs to want to resume guitar playing. If that's
lacking, then there's not a thing I can do to help.
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~~~
----- APRIL, 2008 -----
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----- Wednesday, 04/16/08 -----
I'm still having pain in my right arm, but it's diminished quite a bit. Also, I remembered an incident from a day
or two before the pain started, where I'd hit my arm (HARD) against a hard wooden corner in the dark - and, so I've
changed my opinion re. what really caused this condition to begin. I think I really did get a hairline fracture,
and it just took a day or two before my heavy instrument practices pushed it over the edge to the incapacitating
level. It really comes down to the same thing that's been the cause of virtually every severe injury I've ever had
in my life: Clumsiness and carelessness. A lack of presence of mind, and a failure to predict what was going to
happen next.
In the absence of extended hund-drumming & violin practices, I've spent a lot of time practicing the banjo.
I suppose I could have focused more heavily on guitar, but the banjo is an instrument I purchased and never really
practiced enough to make it useful. A 2nd reason for choosing to practice it, is that after getting the banjo I
made a choice of setting it up as a 4-string w/ { G, D, A, E } tuning. Working on mastering it in that tuning is
also good for enhancing knowledge of the violin (same notes as the top 4 strings). If my arm ever reaches a point
where I can fiddle for extended times again, that extra practice on that tuning will be an advantage.
I had an idea for enhancing my hand-drumming setup in a relatively inexpensive manner, and I might be able to put
it into practice in the near future. I intend to obtain a set of tablas, and combine them with my bongos. It will
necessitate me building a new lap tray for all 4 small hand drums, but I don't see any way around doing that.
I suspect it will be worth the effort. Of course, not ever having had tablas to work with or even try out, my lack
of knowledge about an aspect of the tablas could screw up my plan. A potential glitch, could be if the tablas are
actually too big to fit in with the bongos. I guess it's something I'll discover when the time arrives. Then, of
course, there will be the amplification obstacle. How will I manage to get amplification for all 4 drums? I suspect
I'll end up needing to buy some accessories.
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----- Saturday, 04/26/08 -----
My right arm is still a problem, forcing me to keep the level of practice on hand drums & violin trimmed back
to a low level. I'm starting to wonder if this infirmity will ever go away... I bought an elbow brace, in the hopes
that using it would allow me to practice in a semi-normal manner, but it didn't do the trick.
I'm still spending a lot of time working with the banjo. I suspect there will come a point where I've gained a
good level of control of it, and at that point the novelty will fade - and, I'll spend more time on other things
that have been receiving less attention lately; guitar, for example.
I actually ordered a set of tablas, yesterday. The set I bought isn't quite as good as I'd hoped to obtain, though.
I'd bid upon & won auction for a pair of "Buckingham" deluxe tablas, but the jerk-off who'd run the
auction didn't carry through with actually selling them. It was very disappointing, and wasted my time waiting to
see if the trasaction could somehow be completed. But, the guy who ran the auction never collected the money from
PayPal, didn't answer my emails, or even respond to phone calls. (eBay gave me the number.) So, I cancelled payment
at PayPal, filed negative feedback about the guy at eBay, and ordered tablas from a different supplier. They're
billed as being "professional" tablas, but the photo gave me the impression they're not quite as
excellent instruments as the Buckingham set (which cost 3 times as much, when new). Anyway, I have tablas enroute
now, and I estimate that I should have them in hand by next Friday for learning on.
I attended a free concert at the LVD Casino last night, and met 2 of the musicians. There was Ron Kendricks, who
played rhythm guitar and sang (sounded like Willie Nelson), and was the band leader. The other was Tommy
Graywolf (sp - Greywolf?) - an incredibly talented fiddle player and vocalist. I wish I could be that good...
But, the reality is that having started self-teaching of fiddle at age 50 (3 years ago), and considering the arm
problems I've been having during the past couple of months, it's virtually guaranteed to never happen. The best
I can hope for, I think, is for my fiddle playing to be pleasant to listen to, and entertaining, at some point in
the future. Apart from taking note of some aspects of Tommy's technique on the fiddle, I did pick up one important
detail re. stage presence for fiddle players: Fiddle players should be located stage right - left side, when
viewed from the audience. (Tommy was located stage left, which made this obvious to me.) When a fiddle player is
located stage left, the back of their hand and their curled fingers hides their fingertips. So, the audience can
see their bow work, and can tell something's going on with the left hand - but, they can't see what the fingertips
are doing. If the fiddle player is located stage right, the instrument is much more likely to spend more time being
held in a position where the audience can see the motions of left hand fingertips - which is extra visual detail, for
the sake of holding people's attention and entertaining them.
It's unfortunate that the Ron Kendricks band showed up at the casino on this particular weekend. I really love
it, when there's a band with a fiddle player, so I can try to learn via watching. But, this particular weekend,
is the weekend the WXPR Blues Festival is scheduled to occur, down in Rhinelander at the Taj Mahall Restaurant. I've
been looking forward to this blues festival for about 2 months, waiting for the time to arrive. I'm forced to choose
between going to the blues festival where there's supposed to be several bands, and going to watch the Ron Kendricks
band. I think what I'll end up doing, is going to the blues festival - and, if I don't enjoy myself (which is
unlikely), I'll take off and head up to the casino to catch the tail end of the Ron Kendricks band's show.
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~~~
----- MAY, 2008 -----
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----- Wednesday, 05/14/08 -----
My right arm has improved a bit more, but it's still not up to par. This continues to force me to keep the level of
practice on hand drums & violin trimmed back to a level that's less than I would prefer.
I'm still doing a lot of banjo practice - I guess, mainly because I can't do as much violin or hand-drumming as I'd
like. I'm not really sure why I'm avoiding playing guitar... Maybe I've just exited the stage of life where guitar
fit my muse? Maybe I've changed, and my muse is no longer the same?
The set of "Deuras Professional Tablas" arrived. They were in good condition. They came with a nicely
padded gig bag, and a tuning hammer. I tracked down a website online where the guy who runs the site is a
professional percussionist and has created a set of tabla lessons available free for the downloading. The lessons
include a series of MP3's as examples of what he's trying to teach. I've barely begun learning the tabla techniques,
having only memorized (sort of) the patterns from Lesson One. I intend to work to reach a point where I'm really
fluent in the Lesson One patterns, before proceeding to Lesson Two.
I attended another free concert at the LVD Casino last weekend, and I met the musicians/band-leader Danny Dee.
Danny's an exceptionally talented performer, in his chosen genre. He plays bass guitar and sings. What really
caught my attention re. his stage presence were two things: One, is the dextrous footwork he does at times while
playing. The other, is his outfits. He has a couple of different outfits that are very much in the
"Rhinestone Cowboy" style. For example he had this shirt that was basically a two-toned affair, but had
maroon (I think) strands like the leather fringies you might see on a suede leather jacket, hanging down from the
upper chest area, and I think on the back too. Very fancy. It fit well with the big white cowboy hat. I was
surprised, when he gave me one of his $13.00 CD's, free of charge. I intend to practice to it, and master some of
the songs he does, so next time he shows up I can sit in and do it well. It's worth mentioning, that Danny's
choice of music and performance of that material has influenced me. There were 2 pieces that I wasn't familiar at all
with, that Danny's performance of caused me to go up and inquire about the titles and composer(s); both, were by
Kenny Rogers - so, I intend to track down the original versions of the songs, and practice learning them. One, is
"She Rides Wild Horses", (which, I just absolutely loved) and the other is "Music Man".
I purchased an autoharp online via eBay. I've wanted one for about 30 years, but never went ahead and bought one.
I think it's a matter of the cost... I've always had a hard time justifying the cost of an autoharp, when I don't
know how to play one. But, I'd found a used one that the auction page claimed was in good condition, so I went
ahead and bought it. I've been getting this feeling that if I don't get one soon, I never will. I was terribly
disappointed when it arrived - opening the case, I discovered that it was damaged. I really did NOT want to have
to return it. I wanted to make this turn out well. I hoped that it was only a matter of adjusting the placements of
the parts, and doing so would fix it. So, I disassembled the cover & chord damping bars mechanism, taking good
documentation photos and making a chord layout map as I did so. I discovered that 6 of the posts the bars ride on
were broken off at the base - not fixable, without tracking down and purchasing a replacement for the piece that
has 21 posts on it. To make it really right, I would also need to track down and purchase a new set of strings,
because the set on the autoharp was heavily tarnished to the point they would never sound good again. Just strings
would increase the cost of having an autoharp by another $70.00 (I'd already spent $191.50). For $260.00, I could buy
a brand new autoharp (not to mention, the extra money I'd spend fixing the posts problem). So, I contacted the
seller, reassembled the autoharp, boxed it up again, and shipped it back to him. I'm currently waiting for a refund
of what I spent on this failed endeavor. It's important to include here, that I'd expected a much more complicated
and difficult to work with mechanism beneath the hood cover of the autoharp, than was actually there. It turned out
to be a very simple mechanism, and easy to work with; both, during disassembly and reassembly. I haven't given up on
the idea of obtaining an autoharp, but this experience has made me re-think my choices re. how to go about it, and
what to have as my list of required features.
If I'm going to purchase a brand-new autoharp, I think I should go whole-hog. I failed to do that, when selecting
a djembe, and the result hasn't worked out well. It only took two months to "out-grow" the first djembe,
and I ended up selling it to help fund a better one. I bought a semi-pro quality djembe as my second one, and it
took a month just to get it tuned in a satisfactory manner. Two months later, I'm considering buying a top-quality
djembe without selling the current one first, just to have the pro-level tool to work with; i.e., a djembe I'll
never "out-grow" - the last one I'd ever need to purchase. If I buy an autoharp, it's more likely than
not that within a month or two I'll have attained a fair level of skill playing it. If I buy a cheap one (fewer
chords available, and no built-in amplification components), then I'm going to end up in a situation similar to my
situation re. djembe; i.e., needing to sell off the current tool, to help fund a better one. My window-shopping of
autoharps has led me to select the OS21CE model. What's made me pause, is the availability of customized OS21CE's
via a private luthier. Features being advertised in the customized units, include shortened throw of chord bars,
lighter springs, customized layout of chords, and adjustments to minimize non-musical sounds. The only item from
that list that I have reservations about, is the lighter springs; I wonder if after the autoharp has been used for
a while, whether the chord bars might not end up getting sticky, and not returning properly. Also, once it's been used
for a while, the lighter springs combined with increased drag on the posts might cause a slow release from damping
the strings. There's nobody with 50 miles (more?) to do any maintenance work on musical instruments, so I'd really
be on my own in that respect. I think I should make the choice that includes me being the only maintainer of the
instrument as a fundamental consideration. My experience with the defective autoharp taught me how easy it is to
change the chord layout, so custom layout isn't a needed feature; not worth paying for. I'm confident that I could
learn to do the tweaking to minimize non-musical sounds... I've even got an idea for easily shortening the chord
bar throws, via attaching pads on the upper surfaces of the chord bars. I think the best choice for me, is to buy
a non-customized OS21CE. The next consideration, is who should I buy it from? I need to minimize the cost, but be
willing to pay for reputation of the distributor and features of the distributor in case a need for return of the
instrument arises. I'll need to make some direct inquiries, as I create a list of seller candidates... I also don't
think I should delay purchase, waiting for the refund from the defective autoharp to arrive. The refund is either
going to happen or not - and, either way, I'll end up buying the OS21CE from somewhere. (I can cover the cost of the
OS21CE right now, not relying on the refund's money to do so.) Arrival of the refund would then nudge my finances
back toward having a more secure cushion.
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~~~
----- JUNE, 2008 -----
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----- Tuesday, 06/03/08 -----
I purchased a 5-string amplified acoustic cello today, online via eBay. I also made a separate purchase, immediately
thereafter, of 4 fine-tuners for putting onto the cello (it currently has only 1 installed). There were 2 things that
really drove my choice, re. purchasing a cello. One, is that I've always wanted a cello. The best way of saying why,
is to describe how I feel about the cello's sound. I've always thought that the sound of a saxophone is like the
sound of soul; expressive in the extreme, conveying deep emotion. If I'm allowed to consider the sound of a saxophone
to be the sound of soul, then the sound of a cello is the sound of spirit. It's loftier and more refined, but no
less expressive of the human moment. The 2nd reason for choosing to get a cello, is something I discovered while
fooling around with my viola after a practice session. I was holding the viola like a cello, with the fingerboard
facing out away from my body, working the strings with my left hand and plucking with my right hand. It hit me as
I was doing this, that I could suddenly do a proper tremolo. It only took me a few moments to figure out why:
Holding the viola in standard position, the left hand must have its wrist twisted clockwise to put the fingers into
position for fretting the strings. Holding it in cello position, and thereby changing the orientation of the
fingerboard, allowed me to untwist my wrist. This is very important for me, because of all the ligament, tendon,
and arthritis damage in my wrists. My expectation, is that once I've got the cello in hand, and all the
fine tuners properly installed, my progress at development of skill and finesse will be much quicker than it would
be if I remain focused on viola or violin.
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----- Wednesday, 06/18/08 -----
I never received the 5-string amplified cello. I submitted payment, and the seller refused to sell it at the
eBay auction winning price - instead, demanding almost double the amount. I refused to cater to that type of
bait-and-switch, and cancelled the transaction (yes, I retrieved all my money while I was at it).
I window-shopped for at least another week, wrestling with the available options & prices until I'd finally
figured out what the best choice was. That might not seem like much, but I'd spent the previous month (or more)
doing extensive window-shopping & comparisons before selecting the 5-string amplified cello. All that previous
research was a still-valid foundation for the process of revising my selection. There weren't any more 5-string
cellos available within my price range, so I ended up choosing an unamplified 4-string Cecilio brand
"Series IV" package ("CC-400" model) cello. It's scheduled delivery date via UPS is tomorrow.
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----- Saturday, 06/21/08 -----
The Cecilio CC-400 cello outfit ("Series IV") arrived as scheduled. The only defective item in the
box, was the cello pitch pipe; the "C" note wouldn't sound when I blew into it. I contacted the vendor
("Mendini Music") and let them know there'd been a problem. They emailed me back right away, and told
me they intend to send me a new pitch pipe. They didn't even request return of the defective one. I guess, that's
because the pitch pipes which are being distributed are a very inexpensive item... I recommend doing business
with this company. Not only are they going to replace the defective pitch pipe, but before I purchased the cello
outfit I pestered them with 4 or 5 emails asking questions galore. They patiently and promptly answered all my
questions. Anyway, I spent my evening on Thursday 06/19/08 setting up my new cello. That involved figuring out
placement of the bridge, and repeatedly increasing the tension on the strings until they (finally) remained at
close to the correct pitches. My biggest problem, was getting the new bow & rosin initialized. I spent
several hours, repeatedly rosining the bow with the new rosin - but, just couldn't get it to make the strings
sound properly.
The next evening (Friday 06/20/08), I came up with a solution to my dilemna. I took the bow from my violin, and used
it on the cello. It worked fine - which told me that my difficulties of the previous evening weren't caused by
too-slick strings that wouldn't acquire a thin crust of rosin. I then used the rosin from my violin on the new cello
bow. The bow took up the old rosin without any problem; soon, becoming sufficiently rosined to make the strings sound
properly. That told me that the hairs on the new bow weren't defective via some contaminant causing it to not acquire
rosin. I then used the new rosin on the new bow. As I expected, at first the resistance of rosin on hairs diminished.
Some of the rosin I'd applied was moving from hairs onto rosin cake. As I continued, the resistance (drag) of the
rosin cake on the hairs increased again. This, I also expected - that, the coating of rosin on the hairs would
help initialize the new rosin cake to the point where it would begin to release itself onto the hairs; i.e., caused
by the increased friction created by the coating of violin rosin on the new cello bow. So, problem solved. I used
the cello for a couple of hours last night, using only the new rosin cake to re-rosin the bow, and had no further
problems.
Now that I've got a cello, I intend to learn how to play it. Having spent 3 years now, learning to play violin,
that experience should give me a head-start on playing cello. Although the positionment of the left hand is
advantageous compared to violin, the right hand work might turn out to be a problem. The cello bow is a bit heavier
than the violin bow, and holding the bow roughly horizontal makes my hand wear out fairly quickly. I look at it
this way: One of two things is going to happen over the course of the next year. Either I'll acquire some skill
at cello playing, and be justified in seeking to acquire a better cello, or I'll have (more or less) quit playing
the cello in favor of the 5-string violin. Either outcome would lead to me seeking to sell the cello I have now,
to defray the cost of some better bowed instrument. I put it that way, because I've had it in mind for a long time
now, that I need to acquire a better 5-string violin. (The cheap one I have doesn't have very good tonal quality.)
Of course, who knows? Maybe in a year from now, I'll be entirely satisfied with my current cello. It's got a
wonderful sound from the 2 lower strings - and perhaps, as my skill improves, the upper 2 strings will sound just as
good? Time will tell.
I made yet another instrument purchase today. I've been window-shopping banjitars (6-string banjos tuned like
guitars) for over a month now, motivated by the fact that the isntrument I choose to drag around with me most
frequently, is my 4-string banjo. I've had it in mind, that I could sound even better than I do now, if I acquire a
quality instrument. (My current tenor banjo is actually an inexpensive 5-string bluegrass banjo, that I converted to
4-string by removing the 5th string and restringing it to fit {G, D, A, E}. I'd be very surprised, if a better
instrument didn't sound better too. And, some of the better banjos come with the option of having a pickup installed;
i.e., they're electric instruments, like an electric guitar. Without that pickup installed, the options are stick-on
acoustic pickups or playing in front of a microphone. What caused me to actually go ahead and purchase a banjitar,
was the fact that I found a Gold Tone banjitar on eBay for only $300.00. There's some question re. which model the
banjitar I purchased is. The photo made the body of the banjitar look like it's dark wood, and the head is frosted
white; those are like the features on the Cripple Creek model. However, the resonator of the guitar and the back of
the neck are light-colored, like the features on the GT-500 model. The banjitar comes with a pickup, which wasn't
installed by the previous owner. That, also, makes me think of the Cripple Creek model, because I think
that the GT-500 model always comes with pickup installed; whereas, the pickup is just an available option on the
Cripple Creek model. Of course, maybe this wasn't always the case, re. GT-500...(?) Either way, I'll figure it
out when the banjitar arrives. I intend to find a shop I'm sure does quality work, and have the pickup professionally
installed. For perspective, I'll include this info. : The Cripple Creek model costs about $560.00 when new, without
including the cost of a pickup. The GT-500 model costs over $800.00 when new. So, either way, if the banjitar is
in as good condition as the seller claimed, I've managed to latch down a very good deal. As far as musicality goes,
I believe the banjitar will provide my music with something "extra" and relatively unique - especially,
when run through an effects unit into an amplifier.
I don't expect to be buying any further instruments for a while - at least, not until I've managed to sell off some
of the ones I have but don't use any more. My intention re. future purchases, is that I'll be seeking to upgrade the
quality level of my tools. For example, once I sell off my current electric guitar, that would be the time to start
window-shopping to find the best deal on an American Fender Stratocaster w/ Floyd Rose tremolo system installed.
(I like the "Arctic White" model best.) As general operating procedure, the money from selling a current
instrument, would be strictly used to defray the cost of obtaining the next. When I'm ready to replace my 5-string
violin, I'd sell both that and my acoustic viola; the total from the two would defray the cost of a better
amplified 5-string violin. So, I need to master the process of performing an auction on eBay, and then shipping
what I've sold to reach the purchaser.
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----- Saturday, 06/28/08 -----
Because of my visiting & reading messages at the Fiddle Forum, I found an excellent website for learning about
classical violin playing, this past week. It's called
"Violin Master Class". I've picked up valuable information about the proper classical method for
holding & using the bow, things about stance & posture, neck rest & shoulder rest, and left hand fretting
methods. I feel that my fiddling has already improved, via what I've learned there, and that it will continue to
improve as I learn more. I wish I could somewhere this good, re. cello playing!
On Wednesday this week, I woke inspired to write down a verse of lyrics. Later in the day, I worked out a set of
banjo chords to go with the lyrics. I set up my recording equipment, connected to the computer, and recorded the
banjo part. After 7 takes, I felt it was good enough. I decided to add some tabla for a drumming part. That took
another 7 takes. By this point, the melody had become fairly well defined in my head - so, I brought out my old
viola and did a viola melody. That ended taking a long time till I got it just the way I wanted; about 10
run-through's w/o recording, and then about 5 takes of recording. Singing the lyrics was a lot easier than
any other part I'd done, but it still took 5 takes before I was satisfied with the vocal work. I decided to create
a duet effect, and re-recorded it for stereo separation into left & right channels. As a final topper, I
used my voice for a bass guitar effect to go into the center. Tweaking panning, I ended up with viola at 70%
left, banjo at 70% right, voice 1 at 50% left, voice 2 at 50% right, and both tabla & voice 3 in center. I
trimmed the file to leave about a half-second extra at start & end, saved it as a WAV file, and then re-saved
it as an MP3 file. By this time, I'd decided that I should name it, "Sad Life, Bad Boy". I posted the MP3
file into the amateur's newsgroup, and then posted it at the soundclick website on my band page. I sent an email to
Tammy the next day, telling her about my new cello and about the new short song I'd posted. (It's only 58 seconds
long.) Since then, I've come up with most of a 2nd verse for the song - which means, of course, that I'll need to
re-record all of the stuff I did in creating the first copy. Next time should be easier, though, since all the
work I did defining and practicing the various parts for the first version will apply directly to the 2nd (as long
as I don't change the chord sequence!).
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~~~
----- JULY, 2008 -----
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----- Tuesday, 07/01/08 -----
My newly-acquired 2nd-hand Gold Tone banjitar arrived today, via UPS. I've opened the package and inspected the
contents. Everything looks like it's in mint condition. I think I've managed an excellent bargain this time, on a
musical tool. Except the gig bag case, which looks a bit scuffed and smudged - but, that doesn't bother me.
I'm still not sure which model of banjitar this is. It's either a "Cripple Creek" model with some
upgrading of "GT-500" features, or a "GT-500" that was downgraded with "Cripple Creek"
features. I've contacted the Gold Tone company, seeking information re. identifying the banjitar and inquiring
re. upgrading the armrest (which, I'd rather have be wooden). I've inspected the SMP pickup package, and read
the documentation re. installation. It doesn't look very difficult. I might even attempt it myself, if I don't
have the opportunity to have an expert do it for me (paid, of course) in the near future. The biggest issue of
the moment, is the fact that I'll need to remove the resonator for the sake of tightening the banjo head. It seems
a bit slack, and I think it's deadening the sound slightly the way it's adjusted right now. I might attempt that
(very carefully) tomorrow. On the plus side, once I've removed the resonator, I'll be able to inspect the
interior of the banjitar that's currently hidden, and assess its quality level, as I've done for everything
visible.
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----- Wednesday, 07/02/08 -----
I did the first stage of setup for my newly-acquired 2nd-hand Gold Tone banjitar, today. That involved removing
the resonator and tightening the brackets to increase the tension in the head. It was too loose, when it first
arrived; now, it's much tighter, and the banjitar sounds much better. In the process of doing this task, I discovered
that there's a pair of stickers on the inner surface of the resonator. So, now I know: The banjitar I have in hand
is a "Cripple Creek" model, and has a serial number. I didn't discover any hidden flaws, during this
process, so I'm still rating the banjitar as Excellent Condition. The next task I'll undertake, will be to adjust
the tailpiece. It's currently in its upmost orientation, and I think dropping it closer to the banjitar's face
will make the instrument sound better; it should make the sound brighter - more like I'd want a banjo to sound.
As long as doing this adjustment doesn't make it lose sustain or clarity, I think it's the right choice.
Now that I've had some practice to acclimate myself to the new Cello, I did a little test today to make sure I
really want to continue using the dropped tuning. I tuned it back up to Cello standard (C,G,D,A), and found that
it still sounded way too shrill & tinny on the upper 2 strings - so, I tuned it back down to (G,D,A,E).
I intend to leave it that way. It's melodic placement within my music will probably be a mixture of bass lines
as per its pitch, and violin lines as per placement of its range re. scales. I LIKE IT. The only problems I'm
having, is adjusting to its scale size, and the fact that my right hand gets tired out very quickly when bowing
in that orientation.
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----- Wednesday, 07/03/08 -----
I just finished the next stage of setup for my newly-acquired banjitar. This involved loosening all the strings,
adjusting the tailpiece so the edge of it is closer to the banjitar's head, and then tuning it back up again.
While I was at it, I included a second detail of good setup: After retuning the strings back to pitch, I loosened
them one by one. I put a drop of lubricant under each string in the corresponding groove of the nut, before
tighten each back up and beginning work on the next one. The process of doing this let me find that the groove
for the "D" string had been mis-cut; it was pinching the string so tightly, I had to use the flat of
a screwdriver to lever it up out of the groove. Luckily for me, the diameter of the "D" string is
wider than the thickness of the nailfile on my nail clippers. I used the nailfile from my fingernail clippers,
to file the sides of the groove slightly; far enough, that it doesn't pinch the string any more. This will make
a huge difference, every time I go to adjust the tuning of that string in the future. The banjitar now sounds
and plays much better than when I first received it. I'll be assessing during the next few times I play it,
whether I now need to re-adjust the tensioning of the head to compensate for the adjustment of the tailpiece.
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~~~
----- AUGUST, 2008 -----
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Shame on me... no entries at all, during August!
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----- SEPTEMBER, 2008 -----
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----- Thursday, 09/11/08 -----
I no longer consider it to be my "newly-acquired" banjitar, but issues of tweaking setup still are of high
importance. I've purchased & installed new strings. I bought "Elixir polyweb electric guitar strings"
in the ultra-light gauge. As soon as they were on the instrument, the tone and playability improved a lot.
I purchased & installed an "Emerson Sweet Power II" banjo bridge, in the 1/2" height. As soon
as it was on, the playability increased again, although I didn't notice a huge increase in tone quality. The
increase of playability can be attributed to 2 things: One (probably the major point), is that the new bridge is a
flat-top bridge, instead of a radiused bridge. (The bridge on it when it arrived, was a radiused bridge.) My primary
method of playing, is strumming chords. With a radiused bridge, it's higher in the center than at the ends - and,
that interferes with a good smooth strum; i.e., with a radiused bridge, the player's hand would need to move in an
arc during each strumming motion, to be able to maintain a constant depth of bite with the tip of the pick while
moving across the set. It's a factor I've been fighting with, ever since I received the banjitar. Now that it has
a flat-top bridge that puts all the strings at the same height off the face, I can do a proper strum on it.
The other factor increasing playability, is that the new bridge is lower than what was on there before; the
previous bridge was about 9/16", and the new one is 1/2". I'll still need to purchase a torque wrench
for adjusting the tension of the drum head, but that might be done sometime before this month's over.
I've gradually returned to what had previously been my normal level of practice, re. violin. I now practice a full
hour each day, as part of my morning wake-up routine. My skill level continues to adabiatically improve, and I've
begun to think that at some point in the near future, I'll be able to properly perform the violin part for my
song, "Thanks For The Rain". I've actually made one attempt at it, so far. I came away from that attempt
feeling encouraged, although not satisfied. I'll try it again, soon.
My level of guitar practice has increased during the past week. It's probably partially the result of the fact that
I've entirely ceased practicing djembe. Although the djembe seemed to have high probability of leading to an
income, I've concluded that the physical requirements of playing it have been preventing proper healing of my
right forearm. It's a matter of leverage during impact. The playing of djembe causes the impact to travel up my
forearms, because the playing is done much more from the elbow (as vs. bongos). Bongos are done much more from
the wrist, and my use of a lap tray causes my forearms to have elbows lowered when the impacts are occurring,
instead of level with (or even slightly elevated above) the wrists. A side-effect of this cessation of djembe
playing, is that I'll need to seek some way of selling the djembe to retrieve the money I've invested into it.
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----- Friday, 09/19/08 -----
I've been finding it to be a little more challenging than I expected, acclimating myself to the banjitar.
The strings don't react in the same manner while being played, as vs. a guitar. This is probably, because the bridge
is a floating bridge resting on top of a drum surface; i.e., the bridge moves a lot more under the strings, and
the drum head causes the vibrations to be dampened much more quickly than on a guitar. I do still feel that it
was a smart move for me, musically, to get a banjitar. The obvious effect, comes from the difference in tonality -
it opens up a new range of sounds for me. A less obvious effect, is that the changed playing characteristics forces
me to improve my flat-picking skills; i.e., I need to have an improved level of control of the pick, in order to be
able to switch instruments, going from guitar to banjitar and back again. What I hadn't expected, is that in
playing the banjitar, I tend to shift melodic & flat-picking styles making it sound much more like a standard
banjo than a guitar. Where is this headed? I don't know. Check back with me in 3 years, and I'll probably be
able to tell you.
I'm still practicing a full hour each day on violin, as part of my morning wake-up routine. It's become so
ingrained to do so, that I've been choosing it every time as my morning instrument, instead of switching to
bass guitar every 3rd day or so. Although I think this will cause my violin playing to improve more quickly,
it's bad news for my ability to play bass guitar; I haven't practiced bass for at least a week now, and if I
don't find someplace in my routines for doing so, I'll end up being not acclimated to the scale length any more.
I'm still avoiding playing the djembe, but my level of drumming practice has increased again via using the bongos.
I'd really slacked off on using them, to the point of losing familiarity with their response characteristics.
Now, each time I begin practice, it takes a few minutes to become re-acclimated, and I don't start feeling like
I'm playing at a pro level until 10 or 15 minutes have passed - but, I expect that will change, as more time passes
with them being my primary percussion tool. The down(?) side of this, is that I find myself repeatedly fighting the
urge to buy an upgraded (3 drum) set of bongos. The drum heads on my current set of Aspires have aged, and aren't
as responsive as they were when new... I could replace the drum heads, but (if I could afford to do it), I'd
probably gain much more benefit from having 3 (new, and instead of 2!) drums.
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~~~
----- OCTOBER, 2008 -----
~~~
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----- Friday, 10/17/08 -----
During the past week, I made an effort to buy a "Dahlia" violin. I'd been saving up all year, scrimping
and tucking money away, for this purpose - and, my savings had finally hit a point where combined with money from
my checking account, I could cover the cost of the Dahlia. I had several contacts via telephone and emails, with
Gary Bartig who owns and operates G. Edward Lutherie in Minneapolis, MN. I ordered a Dahlia with internal pickup
installed - but, in the course of communicating with him, I discovered that he provides no warranty at all for
the instruments he makes & sells. By the end of our discussions, he was suggesting that I should seek a local
shop to do business with instead of buying from him. In other words, he got fed up with my questions (etc.) re.
warranty, and decided he didn't want to do business with me.
After the deal re. the Dahlia fell through, I received some info from Richard (of Sonic Violins). It was a link
to a place to buy 5-string tailpieces w/ built-in fine tuners (the same components he uses on his violins). I
bought one. After buying the tailpiece, I went window-shopping on eBay. There, I found what seemed like an
excellent deal on 5-string violins. There were 4 of them w/ nearly identical ads, but a difference of $5.00 between
two of them and the other two. I sent an inquiry email to the company, to find out if there was any difference in
the products causing that difference between one pair and the next. Today, I received the reply (no, no difference).
Satisfied, I went back to eBay and purchased one. After completing the transaction, I went to the Fiddle Forum
and posted a follow-up message to a thread I'd started re. the Dahlia's lack of warranty. (Inquiring if this was
normal for instruments in this price range from lutheries.) I mentioned in the message that I'd just purchased
the violin, and that there were 3 more just like it; I posted links to easily find them. Now, I need to decide what
I'm going to do with that 5-string tailpiece. I'd intended to use it on my cheap 5-string electric, but it might
be a lot smarter to use it on the new 5-string acoustic instead; i.e., replace the acoustic's tailpiece the
moment it arrives, never even using the one it comes with. After all, this new tailpiece is a component that's
usually used as an upgrade or as original equipment on high-priced violins. The most likely result of using it on
the new acoustic, would be an improvement over whatever it would have otherwise been. Which, of course, leaves my
cheap import without having its tailpiece replaced - unless I use the tailpiece from the new acoustic
on my cheap import electric. That current tailpiece needs replacing because it buzzes when the instrument's played.
Maybe the new acoustic's tailpiece would be sufficient to stop the buzzing? I think I'm going to try it. This whole
sequence re. trying to buy a Dahlia, failure of the deal, and purchase of the new tailpiece and the new violin,
makes me think of that old saying I like so much: "When life serves you lemons, make lemonade."
So, almost exactly 3 years after I began teaching myself to play fiddle, I'm finally purchasing what I have hopes
will be a better instrument. I'm motivated by realization that my skill has increased to the point where the
cheap equipment I've learned on is now holding me back; i.e., that my skill level now justifies investment in
better equipment. I don't know if this will ever happen again...
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----- Sunday, 10/26/08 -----
The fiddle I purchased arrived, and seems to be in good shape. My only disappointment with it right now, is that
the finish isn't as good as it was billed to be, and the wood doesn't seem "highly flamed". I've searched
the internet, trying to discover a luthier located within normal driving distance of where I live, and didn't find
anyone at all for working on fiddles; the closest one seems to be about 200 miles away. So, I'll have to try to do
the setup of this new fiddle by myself. I think if I just take it very slow, I'll be able to do an acceptable job.
I've purchased an Oscar Schmidt by Washburn OM10EWH white electric a-style mandolin w/ gig bag. It should match up
nicely, with my white 5-string electric violin. It was at sale price on
Instrument Alley's website, for about $50 less than its normal price. (I also saved about $30 on the price of
the gig bag.) I went back later, window-shopping guitars - and, discovered they have foam cases to fit this
mandolin. I sent an email, requesting upgrade. I'll need to wait for a response, and see if they can do it or
not. (They might have already shipped the stuff, or might be unwilling to change the order.) If they haven't
already shipped it, it would be smart for them to do it; it would increase the amount of the sale by about $25.
I finally purchased the Neary torque wrench that I need, for adjusting the head tension of my banjitar. It's also
useful for tuning drums, if I ever get any drums that need tuning.
I've seen an old 4-string banjo in very good condition, that's just gorgeous, being auctioned at eBay. It's being
sold w/ its original(?) hard case, that looks just as good as the banjo. The price when I last checked was over
$200, with 3 days left in the auction. We'll have to see how high the bidding drives the price. I haven't decided
yet, at what point I'll decide it's too much... But, as I said, it's definitely a thing of beauty.
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~~~
----- NOVEMBER, 2008 -----
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----- Sunday, 11/02/08 -----
I did all the setup work I could, prepping the new violin for use; cutting down the bridge height, and replacing
the stock tailpiece with the new one w/ built-in fine tuners. I've tuned it up and played it 3 times now; i.e.,
about 3 hours of playing time. This has meant a grueling series of re-tunings; i.e., tune it up, play it 5 minutes,
tune it up again, play it 5 minutes, tune it again, check the bridge, adjust the bridge, tune it again, play 5
minutes, ad nauseum. I think the strings are getting close to fully stretched out now, because the last time I
played it tonight (about an 8-minute song) it only barely lost it pitch in 3 of the 5 strings.
The new Oscar Schmidt by Washburn OM10EWH white electric a-style mandolin hasn't arrived yet. The deal was only
finalized this past Thursday (10/30/08) - which took much longer than I'd expected. I'd been fully prepared to
send notice that I was cancelling the order if Friday came & things weren't settled, because I'd had so much
trouble getting through to talk to Ben at Instrument Alley (about 10 times, getting the answerng machine). But,
I did eventually get through, and now I'm glad I hung in there. The final state of the order includes the
mandolin, a Guardian CG-010 foam case w/ packpack straps, and a Kyser KBMB Banjo/Mandolin Capo; all, for under
$200.00 S&H included. It's a great deal.
I haven't phoned the Post Office to check, but I suspect the Neary torque wrench wouldn't be there yet.
I decided to not buy the antique banjo I'd been considering. I don't have enough money to buy something like
that without knowing for sure it's an instrument I'll be able to play for years & years without need for
repairs. I still have most of the money I'd originally intended to spend on the Dahlia violin, so I'm considering
buying a set of LP Compact Bongos & Congas w/ stand. The hand-drumming is the stuff that gets me onto stage,
after all, so I'm considering how to invest in what seems to be my musical strong suit re. chances of income.
Once I've got them (if I get them), I'll need to experiment & test to find the best method of amplifying
them - necessary, for when I'm playing with bands.
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----- DECEMBER, 2008 -----
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"MUSIC DIARY ARCHIVES LIST" include: "SCRUFFY EAGLE" website
ALL AVAILABLE "SCRUFFY EAGLE" WEBSITE MUSIC DIARY ARCHIVES:
( Music Diary was begun in 2004. )
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----- IN CONCLUSION -----
I hope you've enjoyed reading the music diary!
More will added as events occur.
May you be guided and protected
as you pass through life!
~~~
Scruffy Eagle
~~~
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