Well some friends of Buffy played a funny joke and they took her stuff and now she wants us to help get it back from her friends who sleep all day and have no tans.

Xander ,'Lessons'


Buffista Music 4: Needs More Cowbell!

There's a lady plays her fav'rite records/On the jukebox ev'ry day/All day long she plays the same old songs/And she believes the things that they say/She sings along with all the saddest songs/And she believes the stories are real/She lets the music dictate the way that she feels.


tommyrot - Dec 14, 2008 3:20:48 pm PST #124 of 6436
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

I have a shitload of albums (most bought from iTunes) that have the year of the CD being reissued as the year in my iTunes database. Most annoying.

I think I need to spend a weekend afternoon just fixing my iTunes data.


Laga - Dec 14, 2008 3:30:37 pm PST #125 of 6436
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.

The Clash did a version of Pressure Drop in the 80s. It's on "Black Market Clash"

Bone Machine

If I listen to this album will I understand the Pixies song?


tommyrot - Dec 14, 2008 3:37:55 pm PST #126 of 6436
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

If I listen to this album will I understand the Pixies song?

No.


tommyrot - Dec 14, 2008 3:44:07 pm PST #127 of 6436
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

Jon, any recommendations on theremins? I'm starting to like soldering, so a kit would be cool too. Of course, I'd only be interested in a real (not optical) theremin.

Are the more expensive ones easier to play? (If that's the case, then I have to decide if I just want to fart around, in which case a cheap one would do, or do I really want to learn to play one, in which case I should invest more in a better one.)


DavidS - Dec 14, 2008 5:09:06 pm PST #128 of 6436
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

If I listen to this album will I understand the Pixies song?

The Pixies song predates the Tom Waits album. (And Black Francis did the intro to the collection of Waits interviews, so he presumably took it as a compliment.)

What's to understand? "My heart's got a bone machine!" We're bone machines.


tommyrot - Dec 14, 2008 5:16:25 pm PST #129 of 6436
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

We're bone machines.

At least until we're just dirt in the ground. But in the meantime, we're chained to the world and we all gotta pull.

I think Bone Machine is my favorite Waits album.


Jon B. - Dec 14, 2008 5:19:46 pm PST #130 of 6436
A turkey in every toilet -- only in America!

Are the more expensive ones easier to play?

Generally, yes. If you want a decent kit that will require a lot of soldering, the Paia Theremax is the way to go. It's very reasonably priced, especially if you supply your own cabinet: [link]

Playability is OK. The biggest complaint I've heard about it is that the volume control is close to binary -- It's difficult to be very expressive with it. However, there are people who've improved it and there are supposedly mods out there if you look around.

If you really want to learn to play, the Moog Etherwave is the best bargain out there: [link] (5% off with code AFF01) I've linked to the kit version (there's also a finished version) because it will save you some money, but if you're looking for a challenging project, this isn't it. It comes with a finished circuit board to which you'll only need to solder the knobs and antennae. The final product is an excellent instrument -- It's the one I used for many years.

If you go with the Etherwave, my link above is the cheapest I've seen it, plus it's my affiliate link, so please use it :)


tommyrot - Dec 14, 2008 5:30:59 pm PST #131 of 6436
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

If you really want to learn to play, the Moog Etherwave is the best bargain out there: [link] (5% off with code AFF01)

Ooh, that one looks nice. I think I'll just make sure I'm getting an X-mas bonus this year before I buy it.

Is there a term for musical instruments that can play any pitch and that force the musician to find the right notes by ear? Like, say, the trombone, violin (and other fretless instruments) and theremin? (But at least trombones and violins let you memorize positions to get the right pitch for notes.)


Jon B. - Dec 14, 2008 5:37:49 pm PST #132 of 6436
A turkey in every toilet -- only in America!

Is there a term for musical instruments that can play any pitch and that force the musician to find the right notes by ear?

There should be!

Hey, I just leaned of an even better deal with the link I gave you above. Instead of AFF01, use coupon code 15%COUPON at checkout for a 15% discount on your InstrumentPro order over $99!


tommyrot - Dec 14, 2008 5:45:57 pm PST #133 of 6436
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

a 15% discount on your InstrumentPro order over $99!

Yay!

Any idea how long that deal lasts?

ION, Jon, did you see I bought this? [link]

Sadly, my Arduino is too old, so I have to wait for the one I just ordered to show up before I can try it out.

The sound it produces is pretty basic/retro-synth, but it has source code I can play with... getting into the algorithms of a synth sounds like fun.