1 Topic by still_larva

(1 replies, posted in Other string instruments)

My bandmates surprised me this birthday with a generous (for poor student's standards) sum of money for a new uke as they seem to be concerned about the condition of my current one.

Well, I wish they were more specific though. I have a Dimavery UK300 baritone that does have 2 nasty cracks and some random dings and was never super high quality to begin with, but luckily they aren't spreading too much and it sounds still decent, keeps in tune well, and though any instrument with fine cracks is a ticking time bomb, this one seems to stick to it's dear life, and I suspect I might still be able to play it for years ur if the cracks get worse, get it mended.

I've got 60 euros from my mates, and could add max another 30 on top of that, but that's including shipping and a set of nice strings. And I live in the middle of nowhere, so I guess the 60 is about the price I'm looking at.

The options are either getting another baritone or getting a smaller sized uke. to be honest my heart isn't exactly excited about another similar quality baritone. That leaves me with getting something smaller. I was thinking concert size (I've held my cousin's soprano, an that's getting a tad ridiculous how tiny it is, but I still want that tiny jumping flea feel)

What are my options? What should I look at, which brands? I guess I'm more likely to buy online, as here most music stores carry mostly the 20 euro brightly coloured soprano uke kind of stuff.

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2 Topic by still_larva

(1 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Asking on a behalf of a friend who asked me and I had no idea how to answer.

After trying out my baritone uke, which is strung with Aquila red series strings and noticing how different they feel from regular nylon, my friend now wishes to string his 3/4 size thrifted classical guitar (scale length roughly 60cm/23.6inch) with something that feels similar.

I have no idea how to pick strings in this case though, knowing that this in not a standard scale length and nylgut can be a lot more sensitive to tension that does not match the intended one and though I consider my strings the best investment possible, they are super pricy and buying a set just to find out they do not work would honestly suck.

So basically I'm asking if any of the Aquila nylgut  classical guitar strings will work on 60cm scale lenght.

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3 Reply by still_larva

(9 replies, posted in Music theory)

Thanks guys!  That should solve the theoretical problem! Regarding the actual results, well, I suppose there is no need to spazz about it too much, itš not like we are applying for ''Singing Families'' just yet!

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4 Topic by still_larva

(9 replies, posted in Music theory)

Good news, apparently I have improved so much my mom is pretty willing to not only hang around but to do a little sing-a-long if I pick songs she likes, that is pretty cool!

However, she insists she needs ''to see the notes to get it right'' as her short term memory is somewhat challenged and she has trouble remembering the melody of the whole verse. Luckily it is not that hard to find sheet music for vocals, and that makes her happy on her part. Me not so much...

How do you determine in what key the song is, if you see the vocals sheet? (I'm aware this might be a silly question, I'm somehow just barely staring to grasp the whole math under music) If I could figure that out, I could transpose chords no problem (most of what we are willing to do is 3-4 chord stuff maximum, nothing fancy) to fit the key, and we would be good to go. (Gosh, so many things to learn...)

Second thought: I'm not even sure if this problem exists. (Yey for being pitch challenged)  I'm not sure how my mom reads that sheet music (as she does not really understand any more music theory than I do, probably less), and if she actually translates it to notes, I suspect that she just uses it as a visual up/down guide and starts from whatever note I start. However I don't trust my ears on this one at all...

Anyhow, it would be nice to know that we are at least theoretically on the same key...

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5 Reply by still_larva

(6 replies, posted in Other string instruments)

Thanks guys! Bought a pack of those guys http://www.ebay.com/itm/220762582007?ss … 1439.l2649 and it arrived today (shipping was super fast, but, well, I have a bit of a fishy feeling the seller is messing with something legal-wise, tax slip was filled funny, but I haven't investigated, and well, that's the price you pay for inexpensive ebay stuff)

Anyhow, not dissapointed. OK, I find thin felt covered floppy plastic ones useless, but the leather one is exactly what I have been looking for, sounds almost exactly like my finger strumming but a lot less traumatizing. The fat felt ones actually might work well too,  have to explore that further.

Also my new set of aquila strings arrived today, super nervous about changing them, they cost a fortune and I kinda have *assisted on* changing strings on a *classical guitar* *once*

I know how to tie the knots, but the other end and tightening them properly totally scares me, and I also have heard that if you screw up they are very likely to snap in the changing process, and I can't really afford any more strings at the moment. They also look heaps thinner than the factory ones.

Maybe any of you have some tips on changing?

EDIT Changed them, I still think the way I attached them to pegs is somewhat odd and I damaged the winding on D string a teeny bit by trying to tune octave higher than supposed (shouldn't trust my mother's ears, apparently I'm not the only pitch-challenged one in my family, ended up using a frequency measuring software to make sure I was in the right octave), but nothing has snapped so far, doing to try strings to settle tomorrow morning, tonight my family just has had enough out-of-tune horridnes

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6 Reply by still_larva

(6 replies, posted in Other string instruments)

Maybe you happen to know some place online, where I could order a bunch of different ones as a set or in a ''mix'n'match'' sorta fashion? Physical stores around here are kinda deserted once it comes to something even a little bit unusual, and, well, I haven't spent ages googling, but most places seem to sell them as 3 or 5 of the same kind, and shipping to this middle of nowhere (atm we don't even have government... again... yey) really adds up!

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7 Topic by still_larva

(6 replies, posted in Other string instruments)

I'm back again with more silly questions (but at least that means I'm back to playing)

The crack situation got solved in an amazingly silly way, after 2 months of not being able to find anyone to take a look at her I finally found someone who after an examination said that sadly the crack was too tight fit to  fix it and I should just keep playing until it splits further and opens up, and it might not happen for years. She also stays in tune ok now, even though timbre is not the nicest in the world, so she's pretty much playable.

Anyway, I always used to strum with my fingertips before that  2-3 month break and it seemed aye-ok. Just does not seem to work anymore. I seem to become so much more heavy handed and less coordinated since than (happened to man up and drop all my anti depressants and tranquilizers during that gap, and, well my mind might be a lot clearer, but my body just gets horrible tension buildup) and not only I end up digging into and yanking strings instead of strumming gently, I also have caught myself of developing a habit of knuckle-strumming, that inevitably leads to ripped up knuckles.

I found a few of those generic nylon-string picks that get thrown in with any purchase and they seem to work on at least keeping me away from doing horrible things, but the sound is dissapointing. I seem to hear pick plastic snapping against strings just as much as I do strings ringing if I'm trying to keep volume down to an indoors-acceptable level. Might be a pet peeve of mine but that plasticky sharp sound annoys me a lot.

I was wondering if I might benefit from a felt pick or something of that sort.

Also, honestly, just trying to figure out how to tune down the anxiety I have around playing, I mean, I totally have enough anxiety in my life in general and this should be a thing that is enjoyable and soothing not nerve-wrecking...

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8 Topic by still_larva

(1 replies, posted in Other string instruments)

I just got a mini heart attack. I found a crack in the body of my baritone uke.
It's about 1 inch long, on the side part (not the soundboard) bottom end on the E string side, about the middle of the side and paralel to soundboard plane. There is no visible hole but it seems to not be level, so I doubt it is just a bad scratch, she also sounds funny (timbre is different and E string as far as I dared to try will not get in tune, I did not wanna risk letting it too loose in case the tension change splits it further)
The uke is Dimavery UK-300 with a nato body.
I might have banged her against something hard while I was taking her on a train, as I only have a thin fabric bag, I rally hope it's not the case though. (I'm already near tears thinking it might be something serious)

What do I do now? I have no idea what to do!

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9 Reply by still_larva

(12 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Awesome, this will be my motivation to master the F chord finally! I suppose it sounds  rather different in my head than yours, but there is something in a song that tells a good story!

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10 Reply by still_larva

(173 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Does Incy Wincy Spider count as a song? Goodness, I still use it as a warmup piece. The first ''song'' song probably was this folk song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgtTEtu20F0 (''there was a red rose growing in a garden'') followed by a drinking song that features the same chords and lyrics include phrases like ''My father rides horses, but I ride hoes'', and Hillsong's ''Light of the world''

I guess I pretty much learned a little bit of everything, folk, drinking, worship big_smile

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11 Topic by still_larva

(1 replies, posted in Other string instruments)

Hi there! Some might remember me from ages ago, when I first picked up a classical guitar and was struggling through my first few chords. The guitar was our church property and was never intended to stay in one pair of hands for too long, so around Christmas time we had to part and she travelled to a rest home of disabled elderly in a small rural town. Some tears were shed on the parting day, but over all she left happy memories and some very basic skills.

Anyhow, my family was relieved to have some silence at last, but my fingers were itching for playing. However I never really managed to get my head around the 4 fingers/6 strings part and struggled greatly. In my aimmless, instumentless life spent surfing net I became aware of existance of ukes. Found out my cousin owns one. Tried to hold his soprano uke. God, I hated that thing. Yes, comfy for the fretting hand, but the sound was less than appealing to me, and the whole thing just seemed so hideously tiny and toylike. Looking for something similar but more guitar like, I found about baritones. They are hideously rare here, I could not find one to get my hands on. Heck, I could only find one online store that stocked them, and only than only one model. I decided to risk, anyhow they weren't that expensive, like 50$, so I made puppy eyes and said to my dad ''The weather is nice today, you know what I would like for my birthday?''

On 27th of march early in the morning we met. Love from the first sight. Dimavery UK-300 in natural finish, nato body with rosewood bridge and the most carelessly assambled plywood fretboard (chipped than painted over, frets had sharp ends that scratched fingers when playing, fixed that with a metal file) and nylon stings for baritone tuning. Came with extra metal baritone tuning strings, and a nylon set for soprano tuning and actually a bag as well. Over all, less than perfect , but perfect for my needs.

We have had so much fun! She actually sounds more like a guitar than uke, has really low action compared to anything else I have ever tried (I finally can barre, not yet on the first fret, but anywhere else is not a problem), stays in tune for a week solid, she is just the right size to be portable, yet not toylike, I expanded my chord library nearly twice in a month and it's still growing, and I can actually play songs now!

I really wanted to ask for any general advice folks here would be ready to give, as well as where to order strings (the ones she came with sound allright by now, but eventually I will need a change, and I want them to be nylon, but they are never stocked in shops here)

Also, she seems to have changed the timbre dramatically in the last week or so. She used to be rather muted, soft, sort of fuzzy/fluffy. Now she rings totally beutifully, with a bit sharper, more metallic sound (allmost shimmery), it also seems that she has gone a lot louder and requires more gentle strumming. Do instruments mature like that? Or maybe it is just the summer weather and she has balanced the moisture level? (In winter we have terribly dry air indoors)

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12 Reply by still_larva

(8 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

beamer wrote:

Hmmm I wonder what the teaching method was?  Starvation if tehy dont get it? how many hours  a day were they made to sit there?  I may sound extreem, but it really is how some countries do things.  Just look at teh BS 6 yr old beauty queens with the sadistic moms who were never good enough to win on their own, and now they are giving them even more attention with a tv show?????

ok off my soap box.

True, sorry guys their playing is awesome, no offence to that, but it does have an aura of child abuse around it. I have had a good deal of contact with Asian kids and, believe me, even outside of Asia there are crazy thing going on in their communities. I remember having this classmate who was 17 and in severe depression as he got scolded by his family that he is not achieving good enough. He was a stable A student, in some kind of sports team, in 2 or 3 comitees at any given time and performed Phantom parts of ''Phantom of the Opera'' in school musical with a great skill, but after performance couldn't look his family in the eyes.

No offence to Asians in general in this comment, I know also amazing close knit families, but, their culture makes them competitive as, and I bet those children played till their fingers bled and well past that, and I m not sure if it happened from their free will.

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13 Reply by still_larva

(6 replies, posted in Song requests)

Thanks guys, it is indeed the right song. So you suggest me to start with the chorus and pray inspiration comes for the verse? Sounds like a plan. Btw, thanks, I had forgotten how beautiful this song is and what a joy it is to worship. Had a bit of a emmm, unsuccessful week, had forgotten about the simple pleasures of being His child.

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14 Topic by still_larva

(6 replies, posted in Song requests)

could someone please help me figure out a suitable strumming pattern for this worship song?
(the one here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M61u, I'm sure there are at least 3 with that name)
I can't even think of where to begin to build it, especially in the verses. Should I start with 4 or 8 beats per line? And how to develop it further? Nothing seems to sound right. Any ideas welcome smile

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15 Reply by still_larva

(139 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Black Panther, a traditional drinking song!

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16 Reply by still_larva

(7 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Changed them (after the suggestion of a friend/anyhow store only had 2 types of nylon around to D'Addario EJ45) and, yes, they do not jump around anymore.

How long should it take to play them in properly so they do not go out of tune in 20 minutes? I understand the knots have to settle in (and I'm pretty sure my knots are far from perfect) and stuff, but is there anything else I can do wrong?

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17 Reply by still_larva

(7 replies, posted in Acoustic)

bluejeep wrote:

Strings do not last forever, I believe you should put on some new strings, it can't hurt and they are not that expensive. medium or medium/lights should serve the purpose.

Well, I took a closer look and found the problem, and, yes, it's strings. They are actually so worn they are starting to go fluffy around the nut. Silly me, how could I be so blind big_smile So I guess off to the store I go. Thank you! I learn something new every day smile

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18 Topic by still_larva

(7 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Trying to tune my made in China plywood classical guitar using this http://www.proguitartuner.com/guitar-tuner/ tuner with my laptop inbuilt mic. It has always worked nicely, but lately I seem to have a lot of trouble with the bottom strings, B in particular, it has gone really stubborn. When I get close enough to B, it starts to behave in an odd way. It starts off ringing as B for half a second or something and than jumps to F sharp (always exactly F sharp, never anything else). I am a bit on the tone deaf side and total noob, but it sounds weird even to my ear (it sounds, well, broken)
Could the problem just be in dead old strings? (they should be dead old from what I know about the history of the instrument, it's the one that goes around our church so everyone has fiddled around it but I guess no one has bothered to invest in new strings, neither have I) Or is it something natural? Or is it something bad?

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19 Reply by still_larva

(13 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Woot! Success!
Was playing around the other morning, when my mum suddenly started singing along. And it actually was the song I was playing smile Ok, that was a 3 chord folk song, but anyway, it was recognazible. Woot!

I start to apreciate I am Latvian. We have like millions of those folk songs having only a few chords, so there is heaps of fun material to prectice on taking one chord at the time smile

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20 Reply by still_larva

(10 replies, posted in Acoustic)

I struggle with the urge to strum EXACTLY as the rythm of lyrics goes badly. I means, sometimes it works (ok, worked for an amazing drinking song, but, hmm, I doubt if it is possible to strum anything more complex when you are intoxicated enough to decide to play that one) but other times it does not at all. And if I get off that urge, it usually turns into down, pause, down, up. Any suggestions?

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21 Reply by still_larva

(148 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Well, struggling with F as well, so far the only way how I seem to get all four strings actually ringing and none mute is by using 4 fingers instead of three, have to practice more to see if I can actually manage to change to F in a reasonable amount of time. (or is this considered a rape of guitar/my hand/etc?)

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22 Reply by still_larva

(13 replies, posted in Acoustic)

bensonp wrote:

I just looked up this ailment in Wikipedia.  It seems there are a few musicians with this.  Duke Ellington, Leonard Bernstein, Billy Joel, Eddie Van Halen and Stevie Wonder.  Here is the site where it explains how these people see colors for different things.  I feel for you, bud.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pe … ynesthesia

Duke Ellington? Pretty awesome. That really explains why there are Duke Ellington references all over Froth on the Daydream by Boris Vian.
I wouldn't call it ailment though. For me it's a way to compensate for what I don't have.

Anyway, I guess I just have to get over myself and get someone who knows the stuff to teach me or at least guide me the right direction, so I get the basic techniques right (don't think I'll ever get much further than basics, but the whole point of all this affair is mostly having some fun by myself, a bit of individual worship maybe) and than, let's see.

Thank's for encouragement, guys!

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23 Reply by still_larva

(13 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Russell_Harding wrote:

I think you should share what your smoking smile

Sadly can't share that, it seems to be that there are natural quirks in my neuro-chem  (or soviets put something in baby-formula),doctors tried to fix that with little white circular thingies, but, well, didn't work out quite well...

Anyway, so you say that is not common?

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24 Topic by still_larva

(13 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Well, where to start...
After years of telling myself that it's not gonna work and I better bury my unrealistic dreams, I decided that the one who does not take risks, does not drink champagne, and decided to pick up an instrument.
The problem is-technically I am tone deaf. Badly. Neither I am gifted with a sense of rythm even close to average. Regarding this, I probably shouldn't be even interested in music, and I would probably end up listening to it only for lyrics if listening ever, if not a lucky coincidence.
When I was in primary school, they were testing a new music curriculum that involved not only singing our traditional folk songs (most of them similar in their level to nursery rhymes, I managed do be terrible at that) as the previous one, but also a huge amount of simply listening to classical and symphonic music and than verbalizing your experience.
That's when I discovered I was able to see/feel physical motion of ribbons, liquids, solid particles, while I was listening to music. At that time I didn't understand it was something unusual, it was just fun to get immersed in it while listening to Grieg's Peer Gynt ot Straus's Wiener Waltzer, and as it did not really help me to sing in tune, as soon as our music teacher changed, I was not very politely asked to shut up and please be silent while others were singing, so my enthusiasm about music kinda faded.
Only years after that I found out that the thing happening to me is probably a mild form of sound->motion synesthesia (I usually pay no attention to it, even though it's present all the time, sometimes, when I'm bored, I just walk down the street and watch the funny shapes made by street noises, but on most days I pay no more attention to it than to my breathing)
Anyway, I have just picked up the guitar, playing around with it (too embarrased to get any lessons at the moment) for a few weeks by now and it kinda seems to work. (Not like it sounds any good yet, but it feels good, I sleep better, and I'm generally happier person, I guess it's just that my fears of an instrument shattering just by me touching it didn't prove right, and as some little bits actually work I have hope that I'm not hopeless)

Are there any synestates out there who could share their experience and tell if their ''special skills'' have helped them in any way, and how to explore them? So far I have found out that there is very little correlation between the tones played and the ''picture'' at least the same tone on different instruments looks rather different, and the experience is hard to  record in any way as I rather feel it spatially than ''see'' it. It probably has something more to do wit rhytm but it's not a straight forward correlation either.

I know every synestate is different and experiences are unique, I was just wondering, should I explore it further, or just try to train basic skills from sctratch?

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