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The quailty of Military bands has been uneven. When I joined the AF Band in 69, many of the best musicians in the world were in the bands. (We were all dodging the draft, what can I say.) But, when the war ended, the quality of the bands took a big dip. By 74, I was playing in the 23rd Army Band. (Utah National Guard) It was awsome. But, there were other reserve bands that were just plain sloppy. There are far fewer bands now. And, the ones I have heard in the last 10 years have been very professional. The 23rd Army band is still awsome! If I had more hair and less rest of me, I would lie about my age just to play with them again.
AND Mr. Portorero Head, don't you listen to Public Radio? What are you, some kind of Republican? They often have bluegrass banjo on A Prairie Home Companion.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
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I play guitar and piano and sing, but none of it very well. My dad was the real musician in the family. I just play for fun. I love to play, though, and especially to listen to other people playing. Live music is just fun, particularly live participatory music. Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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When I saw the topic "instruments" though, I was thinking of instrumentation and control systems for industrial processes. So I should mention that I play the pressure transmitter, the flow meter, and the thermocouple extremely well. Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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quote:Mr. Portorero Head, don't you listen to Public Radio? What are you, some kind of Republican? They often have bluegrass banjo on A Prairie Home Companion.
A) I am Republican B) I do listen to NPR C) I do listen to Praire Home Companion D) I don't consider NPR general "radio" -- I consider it "NPR"
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It is somehow comforting to find that there are Republicans that listen to NPR. Keep up the good work. I wouldn't know about General Radio as I never listen to anything else.
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I play my cat... I get different notes by pushing in different areas and with different pressure on his tummy. I adjust volume by holding him in different positions.
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quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: A) I am Republican B) I do listen to NPR C) I do listen to Praire Home Companion D) I don't consider NPR general "radio" -- I consider it "NPR"
Wow, Porter, we have 3 out of 4 in common!
Also, I can't stand listening to the Country station, either.
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Tante, here are a few sites. Also, CMT has a wonderful video program that is more American. I cannot remember the name of the program, but there are great bands like Old Crow Medicine Show, Buddy Miller, and others. More Americana/Alt country than country.
Oh, I listen to banjo bluegrass on the internet. I've got Pandora set to my favorite "Dueling Banjos" station right now! But mostly I listen to the radio when I am driving in my Shvestermobile, which is fully loaded with both AM and FM! (It also has power everything, if by "everything" you mean steering and brakes.) But there are no banjo stations broadcasting (that I can find) in the middle of New Jersey.
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I play guitar and bass and a little bit of drums and piano (piano is fairly easy since I know scales- just don't expect me to start busting out piano concertos or anything).
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I've been playing the piano for about 20 years, and the guitar for just shy of nine. I also played the trombone for six years, but haven't played it in about that long.
I still harbour secret dreams of rock stardom. Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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My secret dream is for our future family band to be good enough that people ask us to play and will even give us gas money to do so.
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When I start working earnestly on my next album, I'm planning to look into what it would take to get it distributed via iTMS. The 2005 Canadian indie rock explosion has been heartening in this respect.
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No. Plus, your kids would have to wear really goofy 70's clothes. Oh, wait. Kids DO wear goofy 70's clothese these days!
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Come on along there's a song that we're singing, to make you happeeeeee! A whole lot of lovin' is what we'll be bringin', to make you happeeeeee!Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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Hm...I'm a band director, hence the screen name, so no, I don't play any instruments.
Actually, I consider it shameful if there is an instrument in my band that I CAN'T play - and right now, that list includes oboe, bassoon, tuba, and to a lesser extent, horn.
However, I'm reasonably competent on trombone and clarinet, good at percussion and trumpet, and can play the trumpet pretty darn well, if I may say so. But my primary instrument is the flute. Why? Because it rhymes with woot! of course.
(Nevermind that woot didn't exist as a word until well after I started to play the flute.)
Posts: 1099 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Bando, with a good student bassoon, a soft reed and a long weekend I (or you) could fix the bassoon part of your list. It dosen't take the physical prowess that the oboe or tuba take. The problem is most music teachers take the double reed pedegogy class with no one to find them a good soft reed. So, they are scared of it. It's just a conical whistle, so it overblows at an octive and a fifth just like a clarinet does. It has an older fingering system (pre-bohem) so there are a few forks in the higher regester. But, its really close to the same.
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MORE for Bando When I left the Air Force Band, the guy they had hired (recruited) to take my place couldn't even put a bassoon together. He was a fine jazz sax guy. (And the war was all but over.) That was why they wanted him. I put the thing together for him, and gave him a 45 minute lesson. He went in and passed the audition.
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It depends on the opening. Bassoon and oboe usually stand alone because they are harder to find. Clarinet might be tested on Sax too. And If you can play in several styles of group, ie rock (guitar)or country it is surely a plus. I'm not sure about brass. But, everyone had to have an instrument that they could play for a marching band. The oboe guy got by with a pair of cymbals. I played sax on the march. But, I didn't want to play in a big band and have to work in the afternoon. So, I generally left off the sharps and flats whenever anyone was listening to my sax. It didn't work. I ended up as the libriarian and had to work afternoons anyway.
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Getting a SOUND on bassoon isn't the problem. I get a great sound and play well in tune with good vibrato. It's that, well, I'm NOT all thumbs, which is what you have to be to play bassoon, apparently. There are, what, six keys for the left hand thumb, and four for the right? Crazy.
In other words, I just need more practice at the bassoon, particularly as it relates to fingerings, learning scales, etc. In truth, the bassoon should have gone onto my "reasonably competent" list. Oboe might join it, if I had a better beginner reed, since the fingerings are so similar to my primary.
Posts: 1099 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Yeah, the only instruments (besides what I play now) that I plan to learn are the clarinet, percussion, and maybe oboe.
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My dad was the real musician in the family. I just play for fun. I love to play, though, and especially to listen to other people playing. Live music is just fun, particularly live participatory music. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
So I should mention that I play the pressure transmitter, the flow meter, and the thermocouple extremely well. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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Don't look at me! I backed off politics when Bush became a retard.
