Recent content by Jack E

I have absolutely NO idea what you're talking about. WHAT concert? And, frankly, I find it pretty damn insulting for you to claim that I could listen to a concert and not even notice that "the violins were out of time, the clarinets were out of tune, the oboe was in a different time zone to...

Sorry, I've only just spotted this post, and can add some information which may be of help to others. The symptom I spotted was a very large floater, which prompted me to call into the opticians. She asked me if I'd noticed any other problems, and I said: "Oh, yes - now you come to ask. When...

@Heskyhorn Good afternoon, Mark - many thanks for that suggestion, I will check it out and let you know how I get on. With best regards, Jack

Don't worry, trumpetb - I'm receiving you loud and clear. It did remind me of a record made many years ago, under the names (I think) of Jonathan and Darlene Edwards - but actually made by Jo Stafford, who other singers said had a very fine voice, accompanied by her husband Paul Weston on piano...

Good evening, @Heskyhorn - and welcome aboard! Even though I've been playing for much longer, I'm still playing in a training band. On a couple of occasions, with previous bands, I've felt I was being pressurised into going up into the main band; but when I tried it, I felt stressed out the...

You're welcome, trumpetb - now do me a favour, and stop putting yourself down! With best regards, Jack

Actually, at least some woodwind instruments can be tuned, David. Last November, I started learning clarinet, as my lungs are starting to go (exposed to a toxic gas when I was 19), and clarinets take a heck of a lot less air than a baritone. Clarinets are built in five sections; at the top is...

Don't worry, mate - I won't snitch on you if you won't snitch on me! :cool: With best regards, Jack

That's exactly what happens, trumpetb. I used to work as a support tech for a company making synthetic oils for the food and pharma industries, and that 'turning to gum' is a common problem with mineral oils which are exposed to a combination of moisture, warmth and bacteria. In fact, one...

TBH, I think that's giving me more credit than I deserve, and yourself less credit than you deserve. But wouldn't it be a dull world if we were all the same? With best regards, Jack

"I believe that your not appreciating the shakuhachi could be explained by the fact that you are a more formal and more classically trained musician than I am with tastes firmly rooted in formal music and perhaps the shakuhachi goes against your training and expectations of a good performance."...

I can only say, that recording went right past me, and didn't come within long cannon-shot of reaching my soul. After about a minute and a half, I'd had enough - a combination of boredom and irritation. Much the same as my reaction to the atonal music which came in during the early 20th...

I remember from one of the earliest lessons I had on baritone, the tutor (solo cornet) said to me, "The most important thing is, can you make a beautiful sound with your instrument? If you can, you can play 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star', and make it a lovely piece of music. If your sound is...

trumpetb - how can security staff ban you from an entire city? I can accept that security staff have the right to eject you from private property - but they have NO legal authority outside of those premises. What police state was this in? With best regards, Jack

I totally agree on this point. However much you enjoy making music, at least some of it is down to slogging repetition; scales, arpeggios, thirds, rhythm exercises, and so on. For myself, I find that can get pretty tedious, even though I know how important getting those basic skills are. But...