Ah, the pitter patter of tiny feet in huge combat boots. Shut up!

Mal ,'War Stories'


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.


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.


DavidS - Dec 14, 2008 6:34:51 pm PST #134 of 6436
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

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

Aren't they called variable pitch instruments? Musical saw, slide whistle, fretless bass, theremin....


shrift - Dec 14, 2008 8:43:39 pm PST #135 of 6436
"You can't put a price on the joy of not giving a shit." -Zenkitty

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

Dude, I'd need way more than an afternoon.


Liese S. - Dec 14, 2008 9:05:46 pm PST #136 of 6436
"Faded like the lilac, he thought."

We say fretless to mean even things like trombone. But that's just shorthand, not anything proper.


Jon B. - Dec 15, 2008 2:22:50 am PST #137 of 6436
A turkey in every toilet -- only in America!

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

Neat!

No idea how long the 15% off coupon lasts. Don't Delay! Buy it today!!!