Forum Activity for @strumelia

I myself don't find it offputting.  

@larrys , that is really nice, I enjoyed the little video of the tongue drum!  Looks like a lot of fun, and it's a pretty sound too.

I find that with any activity I take on for enjoyment alone, the natural tendency is to give it the lowest priority after first attending to all the work and chores. That means that too often I'm too tired to give it importance at the end of a busy day, and I wind up skipping it. 
I've learned that I must carve out the time for practicing the things i love and schedule it right into my day, rather than as an afterthought. Even if it's only ten minutes, I must make the time to do my music or art or other hobby, giving it the same importance as I give to work or the other items on my "to do" list for each day. Doesn't really matter if I make any creative advances that day, it's often just the act of doing or 'honoring it' that benefits me. Whenever i carve out that 15 minutes or so in a normal or in a hectic day, I have never regretted it.

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Do you have favorite videos on youtube to use for slowing down the speed so that you can learn a beginner tune or a technique by playing along?  -I guess they'd need to be clear both visually and audibly. I find it hard to see what those flying fingers are actually doing!

I hear you.  
The actual process of learning helps keep us young !

Well the good news is that although dulcimers are more expensive than most whistles, they still usually cost less money than most guitars, fiddles, or mandolins.

I also want to caution you that just because you may see a relationship between the modes/scales on both whistle and dulcimer, that doesn't mean it's not an entirely new learning curve involved in each instrument. String and wind instruments are very different animals for sure. Both are challenging!

Honestly, I'm a complete amateur at whistles. But whistle holes are laid out in much the same way as dulcimer frets, and i know a couple things about that. ;)
It helped me to think of 'finding the tune from different starting locations' on my whistle. Much the same as if you sang a song and found it too high to sing so you restart singing it a little lower. (incidentally i found that plaintive/minor keys on the whistle are often home-based around the hole that's second from the bottom hole... that's one quick way to get a minor scale)

Many common tunes dip a couple of notes below their 'home' or Key note at some point in the tune. That's why so many whistle players will play a G tune on a D whistle, but start the tune with the Home note (G) being the third hole up on the d whistle rather than all fingers down (D). That way, they can dip down to the lower D, E, or F note if needed in the tune.   --> alternately, if one plays a tune in the higher octave of a whistle, you'll get all the lower notes you could possibly want (if your ears don't mind the high octave).

Amazing Slowdowner is not expensive, and you can use the little sliders in it to not only raise or lower the key of a tune file you are playing on it, but also just to speed it up or slow it down. That's so handy for practicing!

Wow you've explained that really well, thank you!

Sometimes to play along with a recording i like (with whatever type of instrument I'm using), I'll use the sweet little program called Amazing Slowdowner to lower or raise the pitch of the recording without effecting the speed. I can change the key of the recording to be the key i want to play in... it's so cool. If i get a nice result i can SAVE the tweaked recording file on my computer so i can practice with it later without having to adjust the recording again.

But I guess playing with other live players or in jams is the most compelling reason to have a few diff key whistles on hand.
That said, most good whistle players can nimbly play in the keys of both G and D on their D whistle. Some say G is best played on a D whistle, as you get the handy lower 3 notes down from the tonic when in the second octave. (i think i have this right, correct me if not!)

Bill, tell me how and why you are using whistles in different keys (in other words, why do you like having various key whistles?)

This is kinda cool as well, if you have a piece of thin leather hanging around..
https://pennywhistleclub.com/forums/forum/general-penny-whistle-or-music-discussions/54/cool-way-to-make-a-simple-leather-whistle-case

It's really hard to get a decently playable dulcimer for $100, unless you stumble upon a lucky playable used one at Goodwill or a pawn shop. About ten yrs ago it was easier, but now the starting level for decent ones is closer to $200. Be careful about cheap ones made in China or Pakistan etc... some can be difficult to play.

Clever to use the placemats that way! They remind me a bit of the fabric rollup cases I use for my double-pointed knitting needles in various sizes. Usually the needle cases have a flap you fold down before rolling the case up, so the needles can't slip out. (needles being thinner and more likely to slip out than whistles) They tie with a satin ribbon that's attached to the case. I love nifty pocket cases like these!

I assume your wife has a sewing machine? Maybe as a birthday present you can go with her to a fabric store and pick out 1 yard of a fabric that really appeals to you, and she can make you another customized case. If you buy lower toned whistles you'll need a longer/bigger case. (because I bet you will be buying more whistles!) 

Reminder. If you have not yet clicked the "Join Group" button and joined a special interest Group, you will only see the first post of each discussion there, not all the replies. And you'll not be able to post in the group. So do Join any group that interests you! (and just click "Unjoin" to easily undo that whenever you like.)

Forums, however, do not need to be 'joined' in order to see them and participate. The Forums here are a different thing than the Groups. The Groups are for more focused connections on specific subjects.
Do explore the different main links here, such as Photos, Videos, Groups, Forums, Members...

However, the spacing I notice can be significantly different when comparing different brands to each other in the same key whistle. It's enough to have to make a purposeful adjustment if you switch quickly. One brand might be easier to play than another for some folks, espec those with smaller hands.

Brad, no matter what key the sheet music is in or a YT video is in, it's most important that you know for sure what key your choir is singing it in. You must be in the same key and picking your whistle depends on knowing the key for sure.

Since you experiencing 'missing' lower notes on your D whistle, you have two choices: 1) play the melody in the higher D octave on that d whistle so you'll have the lower notes, or 2) use a lower key whistle and play in the key of D on it.

The trouble with solution 1) is that you'll be playing really high up and it may sound shrill and annoying to others unless you are a skilled and nuanced player.

Solution 2) may work well, if the choir is singing in key of D. Get a key of A whistle and play it in the key of D. (This is just like when people so often play in the key of G on their D whistle.) You would base your tonic key note on the D note you get with your top three fingers down. That way, by putting down more fingers you also have available the A, B, and C# notes that are lower in pitch than your 'home'/key note of D. That should cover most lower notes in the tune that you might be 'lacking' if your tonic note is with all fingers down as on a high D whistle.

Another thought is to play it on a LOW D big whistle but in the higher octave on it. But that seems more fussy than to simply play in key of D on an A whistle.

Hope I'm getting this right in my head!

I believe that your official 'signature' can be anything really- as long as it's consistent on all various documents, so that it can be confirmed as your particular 'mark'.

I have heard about this myself over some years now, in NY state. Heard they are no longer teaching cursive (script) or 'penmanship' at all in school. Seems hard to believe. Cursive writing used to be so beautiful to see long ago. Guess we're just hopeless old farts now.  lol

Funny how grains can smell so wonderful when you toast them a bit.
My husband orders special organic corn tortillas. He toasts them very lightly in a skillet before he adds his filling for lunch. The aroma of those damn tortillas toasting drives me crazy. Oddly, they smell like some divine Japanese incense wafting through the house... unbelievably lovely smell. I try not to eat them because they don't fit in my eating plan very well. D'oh! 

Is the rice or barley already cooked when you pan toast it? Or raw grain?

I like toasting raw pine nuts (pignoli) lightly in a pan before adding them to pesto pasta or salads. It really brings out the wonderful aroma and flavor.

I do love Gen-mai Cha as well.

Golden milk recipes can vary, but most involve both some hot milk and some turmeric... plus a few other spices like cinnamon, cardomom, pepper, etc...and perhaps a sweetener.
I eat some turmeric in one form or another every day, for its anti-inflammatory properties. It seems to work well and agrees with me.

Lapsang- i guess I am not as much into it these days, not sure why.

Dreams- I regularly have all kinds of wild adventurous vivid dreams.. a little more than I'd even like to have, so no 'dream tea' for me! 

If you could only drink one kind of tea, what would it be?
A hard choice, but I guess mine might be Kukicha.

I used to love Lapsang Souchong tea. I would sometimes visit Chinatown in NYC and get teas, or order from a Japanese site online.

When my daughters were in middle school, sometimes when they got home from school they take a sniff in the kitchen and say "Mommy are you making that ham tea again?" (meaning the lapsang s. which kinda smells like smoked ham if you think about it)

There's a nice traditional spice chai tea powder I like, made by Blue Lotus. I make it with half hot milk, and I also add some turmeric and ground black pepper, so it's a bit like 'golden milk'. Really warms me up on cold evenings.

For every day I like either Tazo's lotus blossom green tea, or Harney's black Ceylon decaf.

One of my grown daughters is addicted to rooibos tea and drinks it at least twice a day for years now. I can dig it. Rooisbos reminds me of root beer or sassafras. 

Michael did you have a 2022 NewYear resolution you are working towards?

Lots of people 'slip up' but then get back on track again. 
Many people do adopt crazy diets and then give it up because the diet was hard to stick with. 
What's the point?

Everyone's different. I've been having good success in changing my lifestyle so that I eat smarter and do more physical activities that i enjoy. Most 'diets' have an end and give only temporary success, but lifestyle changes are way more sustainable.

I've been trying to get healthier and hope to continue that into the new year. Losing weight and exercising more. 

There will always be people who do weird things like borrowing icky used masks from strangers.

It takes me a minute to properly adjust my mask, my hat, my hair, and my eyeglasses in sequence. So if I just went to the drugstore and am then driving a few blocks to go into the supermarket, I'm not going to take all that off and put it back on again just because I'm in my car for 2 minutes. So yeah you might see me driving alone in my car with my mask on... I'm in the middle of doing multiple stops and errands where I'll need my mask on.

Well I imagine Arizona has a way lower infection rate right now than for example NY, CA, or MA. When infection rates were way lower here where i live during the late Summer, masks were optional in various stores. However hospitals are now overflowing (children's hospitals too) so we can't just pretend everything's fine anymore and ignore safety precautions.

I went to the supermarket today. 99% of everyone was wearing a mask. Signs at the door said "No mask No entry"... but there seemed to be no one enforcing anything at the door. I did see 3 people wandering around without masks on like they were privileged and didn't care if they infected others, but happily almost everyone had masks on.

These days I'm wearing a KN95 with a 3-fold cloth mask over it. The KN95 and N95 masks i have are actually comfy because they keep a bit of space between the mask material and my mouth. Cloth masks and surgical masks often touch your mouth on the front, which can be annoying.

My husband (we're both seniors) went to the hardware store two days ago and all the customers were wearing masks but the young man at the register wasn't bothering to wear anything. Hell of a thing!

Oh, I meant to say that New York state has a new law requiring all indoor businesses open to the public have a mask required policy. It's because infections and hospitalizations are going through the roof right now in our state. Hopefully infections will go down soon.

Larry I have only bought whistles online. I don't think a music shop is likely to let you try out whistles anyway, especially with the pandemic going on. It's not safe.
My experience is good in buying online. I usually look for several youtube videos first that show someone playing the whistle i'm interested in. That gives a general idea of the tone before I buy.

Just wanted to wish folks everywhere a merry Christmas happy Hanukkuh happy holidays and festive Festivus! May your week be cozy, safe, and lovely. 🎄

I find I've gotten more used to wearing masks. Of course I think though it must be hard to wear one for many hours. A well fitting one does make a difference in comfort. I bet as more and more folks get vaccinated and protected, the risk and numbers of sick will continue to drop until we can all be relatively safe again. Here's hoping!

My favorite whistle brand to play is probably the Jerry Freeman-tweaked 'Blackbird'. It does not require a lot of huffing and puffing to play, and has a very sweet sound to it.

I can say my favorite key is probably Bb, it seems the best of both worlds and is easier on my ears than high D.

Michael, that's checked yes by default, though you can uncheck it before posting something. It makes it so the post or comment you make will appear in the activity feed on the site's main/home page, visible to all who go to the home page. Having comments appear there makes it easy to see what been happening lately on the site when you just go check the main home page. :)

If the harp is chromatic (it can play in any key), then if the harpist plays one tune in G and then plays the next tune in Bb... you will have to change whistles even though they don't need to change harps. (I don't know anything about harps specifically, but this would apply to all chromatic instruments)

Well, don't you have to just play in the same key as whatever other musician you are playing with?

What materials and/or brands are you looking for in a low G?

Good resource for tunes from interesting regions- thanks!