The [Disco Chives] Misplaced Parrot Complaint Thread

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  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 101,097

    beregar said:

    LeatherGryphon said:

    Non-complaint:  Music to DAZ by;  A musical picture of the life of a river.  From its birth as a babbling brook through its growth, the calm periods and the turbulent periods.  The river, "Vlatava" or (The Moldau) from the music suite "Ma Vlast" by Bedrich Smetana.  I've mentioned this a couple times before.  The typical performance is with full orchestra with the woodwinds(flute, clarinet, etc.) taking the lead, like this  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6kqu2mk-Kw  But today I'm going expose you to a fantastic performance of it as a harp solo.  The natural gliding capability of the harp lends itself perfectly to this piece.yes  Everything from the idle slowness, to the swiftly moving stream, and through chaotic rapids.  Wonderful happy piece.heart Its amazing how she gets so much of the character of the piece into just one instrument.smiley  And the second part (3:58) takes on a whole new character that I never noticed in the orchestral version.  The 3rd part (5:50) takes you into a slow shady pooling area.  The river gradually picks up speed during minute 7 towards the rapids around minute 8.  And the finish is full of wonderful harp gliding arpeggios as she swirls her hands up and down the strings as the river settles down into flowing peacefully onward.  Beautiful.  I don't find all harp music easy to listen to, but this song seems made for it.

    I have to admit I just can't get into classical music. I think it's because I can't really appreciate the individual instruments or the technical skill that goes into the composition. I mean the one you linked is not terrible but I wouldn't pay to go listen that, and I found parts of it made me feel mildly nauseated. It's the same deal for Opera to me. The voices are just too harsh and rely too much on the person's ability to produce large volume of sound which strips the warmth out of them.

    I think I'd be more into musicals like the Cats or the Phantom of the Opera but I haven't actually seen either performed live and in truth I just like the Phantom of the Opera (the Song) and don't particularly care for the Angel of Music or the Music of the Night. Plus I like it best when it's performed with a bit of theatrics like, say, how Floor Jansen does. I'm super picky about my songs because there might be only a single song I like from a band, but in general I find myself more gravitated towards both classical and symphonic rock as well as in general "epic music". My faves would be something like Poets of the Fall but even for them I only like stuff like Carnival of Rust or the Sweet Escape. They are both relatively low on complexity but Marko just has such a soft and pleasant voice.

    If I had to pick classical music I'd go for contemporary one like Ludovico Einaudi's stuff because he has some really simple and pleasant compositions which just make you forget yourself when you listen them. Only some though...

    Eh but I digress...

    I don't know if they would help (and the target age may well hinder) but both peter and the Wolf and the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra both give a kind of introduction to isntrumentation.

  • kyoto kidkyoto kid Posts: 41,070
    edited March 16

    ...I'm the opposite, I have no interest inmost popular music these days (and I grew up in the era of top 40 radio with music of the Beatles Rolling, Stones, Moody Blues, the Beach Boys, Chicago Motown, etc. which I listened to religiously.  My mum did like classical and I did not find it necessarily "boring" but like any teenager the contemporary music of the day was "the boss". 

    Then I went to college where I had more exposure to classical music as well as access to a piano, and began loving it (basically a "late bloomer" so to say) .  I always loved the sound of the piano and enjoyed the big orchestral film soundtracks of the day but we never had the money for piano lessons let alone a piano.   I originally entered college as a double major in art and theatre but within the first year tacked on the a third major in music.  Within a couple years I had become rather  accomplished on the keyboard (as well as studied a few other instruments), was studying theory/composition and not only performed  recitals but was even composing my own works. 

    As the popular music world seemed to depend less on musicianship and originality and more on image and pure showmanship I drifted away until eventually severing myself from it.  I still loved the old R&R, Blues and the era of "symphonic" rock (Moody Blues and even Queen for example)  but I was pretty much done as so much of it became studio tricks, overdubbing & such  to the point some pieces could never could be performed live anymore.  When more automated synthesismade inraods taking the place of actual performing on an instrument, I figured it was all over. and dove even more into "classical" (actually a pretty broad term)  as well as jazz and blues. The final straw was the use of pitch correction which allows poorly skilled singers to sound perfect.

    While I've performed works of composers from Bach to contemporary i latched on to a French 20th century composer named Oliver Messiaen. as his music wasn't what I referred to as random "clang-honk-squeak" modern music but one that has a style and form of its own and has a number of "natural" influences/.  I actually studied  his Technique de mon langage musical [The Technique of My Musical Languageand found his structures, harmonies, rhythms, and musical influences to be amazing. (I had to learn how to read French  to get through it).  I consider his work a watershed in music like Bach was in the 17th & 18th century, and he's had a profound effect on my own work as well as such composers as Chopin, Franck, and Debussy.  

    Sadly arthritis has made it very difficult to play anymore even for the aspect of improvisation and working on compositions and I really miss it.

    Post edited by kyoto kid on
  • Sfariah DSfariah D Posts: 26,317

    I was looking at some outfit for Genesis 9.  I can't remember if I purchased it or not, but I saw it had an editorial use only clause somewhere.  What does that mean?

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,533
    edited March 16

    I started listening to music on my little child's phonograph player, when I was about 9 or 10.  Mostly I had children's records, on small red or yellow vinyl, 78 RPM records.  But my favorite was one of my parent's records.  "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?" sung by Patti Page (below), from the '40s or early '50s. 

    At about age 12 (1960) I had a clock radio next to my bed, and on Sunday nights the local Jamestown radio station would broadcast (I think it was in FM)  a major classical piece for an hour or so.  I made sure I was in bed for the occasions.  At age 7 my mother had sent me off each week to the local piano teacher in town.  I learned the basics of reading music but essentially zero about theory.  I became a biological machine attempting to mechanically make a sound for each note on the page, and learning the limits of rote memorization.  Later though, I did learn how to try to make it flow a bit better.  But without theory I was just banging at dishes.frown 

    I did win a local talent contest by playing Beethoven's short piece "Fur Elise" when I was 12 at the "Ellington Town Picnic"(whoopty-doo) and got a $10 prize.(big money in those days for a kid).  Much later after dropping out of college I tried my hand at organ, violin, and flute, but couldn't GROK them, and retrieved my old spinet-sized piano (the short upright ones) and started practicing again.  I then tried to teach myself chord theory.  With some theory I was able to play patterns instead of notes, which made it easier to memorize.  I made progress and did start experimenting with my own "songs".  Never really good at it, but I did continue learning more sophisticated piano pieces.  i.e. concertos by Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Saint-Saens, Rachmaninoff.  Never learned anything all the way through, but I could play some amazingly beautiful parts of them.smiley 

    However, I was never good at playing music with others.  I'm totally singular (which has been, pretty much, the story of my life).  After I went back to college and finally graduated and got my computer career going, I bought a brand new piano (a Yamaha "P2F", satin black, tall upright).  'Twas a beautiful sounding instrument.yes  Later I added a nice full size, electronic piano and a hundred year old, antique 8-foot concert grandcool(wonderful rosewood cabinet with fancy carved legs & music rack, all its real ivory keycaps & real ebony black keys. Playable but not in top condition acoustically).  But after my world collapsed I had to sell them, along with everything else.  I haven't had my own piano in 25 years, nor even touched a piano in 18 years.sad 

    But as I look back on it, my musical status was always just "Frustrated Amateur".indecision  The only other music I resonate with are things like Simon & Garfunkel, and Moody Blues, i.e. late '60s & early '70s rock (Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, etc.).  Rhythm is not my thing, I'm a harmony & melody man.  It's gotta flow, not shatter my ears or rattle my balls.indecision

    Post edited by LeatherGryphon on
  • butterflyfishbutterflyfish Posts: 1,246

    Sfariah D said:

    I was looking at some outfit for Genesis 9.  I can't remember if I purchased it or not, but I saw it had an editorial use only clause somewhere.  What does that mean?

    It means you can't use it in any renders where you make money from them. 

  • beregarberegar Posts: 269
    edited March 17

    Richard Haseltine said:

    I don't know if they would help (and the target age may well hinder) but both peter and the Wolf and the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra both give a kind of introduction to isntrumentation.

    I think they made a good job explaining how it works in those videos but this is not exactly what I meant. I mean I get that there is a role in each instrument and they tell a "story" or have role in the overall theme.

    I just don't often find the whole enjoyable *even* if I knew which role the instrument played - and I usually don't. They actually work the best for me when they are accompanied by visuals or with an actual story (as in story being told), so the music becomes part of the story. For me what's making music enjoyable, which is the sounds of combined instruments, is not particularly enjoyable in most classical compositions. It's a bit like how people say "it's a really good song with a strong message" and I'm like... I don't really listen to the words of a song, so it's all the same to me. I listen to the sounds produced by the instruments *including* the voice if there are vocals.

    The words play more like a secondary or a tertiary role, so if you have enjoyable composition I enjoy the music. I mean I have nothing against instrumental music because for me everything in a composition is always about instruments. Why I don't.enjoy classical music because it often feels like the instruments are just mashed together because they are forced to play a "role" in the story rather than make pleasant and enjoyable sound.

    Like if I had to give an example of an instrumental piece that I enjoy it would be Comptine d'un autre été. This is of course not classical music. It's a composition from Amélie by Yann Tiersen played by Rousseau on one of my favorite instruments. It's extremely simple and pleasant. I also feel that.. I dunno... Symphonic Rock (if this counts as one) is much better put together than most classical compositions from the perspective of producing a pleasant whole. Like in the example you have also voices working as an instrument.

    Post edited by beregar on
  • GordigGordig Posts: 10,082

    Give the Camel album the Snow Goose a spin. It's a concept album inspired by a novel, written for a small ensemble with fairly short songs, which makes it pretty accessible.

  • beregarberegar Posts: 269

    Gordig said:

    Give the Camel album the Snow Goose a spin. It's a concept album inspired by a novel, written for a small ensemble with fairly short songs, which makes it pretty accessible.

    Thanks for the recommendation. It was an interesting piece that reminded me of a lot of 80s an early 90s game music. Like the first notes of the "Rhayader Goes To Town" made me jump into "hey, this sounds a bit like Duck Tales game (I mean who doesn't like the moon theme?)" but I quickly realised it's more about the style than the notes. It looks like the Album is from the mid 70s, so it predates the whole 8-bit era quite a bit... but I could swear I've heard the whole "Preparation" - "Dunkirk" - "Epitaph" line used in games.

    All in all not something I'd listen for the sake of music but if (at least parts of it) were part of a game or played in the background I wouldn't clap hands on my ears and jump out of the window.

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,533
    edited March 17

    Non-complaint:  Just saw the news of a fatal shooting in Washington DC.  But when I heard the location I was not surprised to hear the exact location.  Just 1 block and within sight of my old house.surprise  I lived on the northeast corner of 6th & P streets NW.  The shooting was at recreation facilities one block west, at 7th and P street NW.  I guess the "O Street Gang" is still in operation as they were back before I moved out in the early '90s.  Back in the day, we would hear shots in the night in the area of 5th and O ("O Street Gang" territory), and one night a fatally stabbed person staggered into our yard and died.frown  It's been 30 years, and modern Google Street View images of the area show a lot of fix-up and gentrification of the area, but I wouldn't move back.cheeky  I'm too old for that shxt anymore.  In fact my only personal trouble with denizens of the neighborhood was at the 7th & P area also.  But that's a story for another time.devil

     

     

    Post edited by LeatherGryphon on
  • PerttiAPerttiA Posts: 10,024
    edited March 18

    Non-complaint; Light is winning smiley

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  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,533

    PerttiA said:

    Non-complaint; Light is winning smiley

    Yay, Day!yes 

  • Sfariah DSfariah D Posts: 26,317

    I drew an orchid.  Actually doodled it.  I had to crop the picture as it was uploaded wrong.

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  • NylonGirlNylonGirl Posts: 1,834

    It looks like an orchid.

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,533
    edited March 19

    Complaint then Non-complaint:  Had to go uptown today(Monday) for a blood test, for Urologist appointment on Wednesday.  Everytime I go out of the house I end up spending at least $40 ($2 bus, $10 breakfast, $30 UBER to get home, plus anything I buy, and doctor charges)sad.  So, I try to limit my trips.  But today I realized that the 8:00AM bus that I take in the morning (the only bus from home to the city) is not a normal bus route, but is somewhat flexible.  I've been using their feature of calling and arranging for pickup at my house, and drop off at specific, limited locations in the city and near the medical center, (because ancient people walk badly).  But today I realized that some of the people on the bus are getting dropped of at work near the mall area(it's way on the other side of the city), which is not shown on the bus route map for the bus I take.  This is good news because I've been trying to find a way to get to the mall area without having to wait an hour to transfer bus routes.  So next time I get a bee-in-my-bonnet about going up to the mall, I should be able to do it.  Just arrange for a pickup at home and a drop off at the mall.  I'll still have to get an UBER back, but it is a lot cheaper than my previous plan of using two UBERs.  One to get to the mall after being dropped off by the bus at the medical area of the city, and then having to take another UBER to get home.  Yay for the old people's bus!yes  

    Yeah, yeah, I could take the bus back home, but there is only one, and it runs at 3:00 in the afternoon, so I'd have to wait several hours but I can't stand up for very long so I'd have to sit.  I could sit in a restaurant, but they expect you to spend money.  I'll keep trying to find a way to use the bus more, but for now, it looks like I've found a way to expand my range a bit without incurring too much extra cost.  Cool.cool

    Post edited by LeatherGryphon on
  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,533
    edited March 19

    Complaint:  Wild prices (image below) on graphics cards again?surprisefrown

    Arghhh...:  Weather today and tomorrow, snow, snow, snow...frown  And particiularly heinous because tomorrow is another day out of my cave.  The bus drops me off at Tim Hortons* at 8:30AM where I have breakfast, but my Urologist appointment is at 10:00AM, three city blocks away, up a hill.  Too short to justify an UBER, and no timely bus route, and not quite long enough to forbid walking.  Oh, my aching feet, knees, hips, back, and blood oxygen level.crying  Better take my cane with me.enlightened

     

    *Note:  Yeah, yeah, Tim Hortons is nothing special in restaurant ambience, but it is a mini-adventure for me.  Wheee... franchise food.devil  And I get to buy a couple of donuts and a delicious muffin to take home for breakfast the next couple of days.yes

     

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  • Sfariah DSfariah D Posts: 26,317

    NylonGirl said:

    It looks like an orchid.

    Thanks!

     

    I am wanting a snack, but not sure if I have the type of snacks I crave. 

  • AgitatedRiotAgitatedRiot Posts: 4,437

    Chocolate Cicadas

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,533

    Fried millipedes

  • Sfariah DSfariah D Posts: 26,317

    I'm not hungry now.

    I was looking up free 3D rendering software and found one called DAZ.  I wonder if it is same as DS.

     

    I don't like these ads while browsing on my iPhone.  It is hard to see which buttons to actually use and which ones are ads.

     

     

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,533
    edited March 20

    Complaint:  My bus was late.  New inexperienced driver, and an out-of-order pickup list.frown  Got on the bus 20 minutes late, driver didn't know the roads, went 10 miles south to pickup some people, doubled back into my town to pick up a person that was missed.  By now the morons on the bus were screaming conflicting directions to the bus driver, one of them with an incredibly high annoying voice behind me was screeching in my ear.  But at that point we were back in my hometown near the grocery store but it's an hour late.  So I just got off the bus.  Messed up my whole schedule for the day.  Screw it!cheeky

    Non-complaint:  Yay, now no uphill trudge in the snow, no UBER charge today, and I get my grocery shopping done and only have to walk 2 blocks home instead of a round trip.  And consequently, no Urology bill today, and no UBER bill today, and no breakfast charge at Tim Hortons today either.  Saved nearly $100 altogether.yes  Wheee..., I'm rich until next month, when I have to try this all over again.​indecision  And a bonus:  the weather has turned really nasty, so I would have been trudging up hill in the worst of conditions.  So perhaps it's all for the best.  Funny how things work out like that.indecision

    Post edited by LeatherGryphon on
  • Sfariah DSfariah D Posts: 26,317

    Wo ist meine Maus?

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,533
    edited March 20

    Sfariah D said:

    Wo ist meine Maus?

    Translation?:  I have a tiny mouse and I think its name is Wo.devil

     

    Only 16 pages more to go.  "OT:  The way off-topic unimportant but cathartic, complaint thread"

    Post edited by LeatherGryphon on
  • NylonGirlNylonGirl Posts: 1,834

    Ah yes, 16 pages before you never have to hear about a chive again...

  • AgitatedRiotAgitatedRiot Posts: 4,437

    The garden is silent, the air is still,
    As we stand by Disco chives' hill;
    His leaves are fading, his stem so frail,
    Soon he'll leave us, and we'll all wail.

    Disco chives, you brought us such delight,
    With your moves so groovy and your colors so bright;
    But now your dance is slowing down,
    And soon you'll join the garden's crown.

    Oh, Disco chives, how we'll miss your beat,
    Your moves so smooth and your rhythm so sweet;
    We'll remember you in our hearts always,
    And honor your life with grateful praise.

    So let us say our final goodbyes,
    As the stars twinkle in the night skies;
    May Disco chives find peace and rest,
    And may his memory always be blessed.

  • PerttiAPerttiA Posts: 10,024

    Non-Complaint; Finland is the happiest country in the world for the seventh time in a row
    https://us.cnn.com/travel/worlds-happiest-countries-2024-wellness/index.html

    Another study says, the three least polluted cities can also be found here
    https://www.iqair.com/us/world-most-polluted-cities

    Winter is coming to an end, light is winning over darkness smiley

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,533
    edited March 20

    Visit Finlandyes

    Post edited by LeatherGryphon on
  • NylonGirlNylonGirl Posts: 1,834

    It says chives "are a native coastal plant in Finland".

  • AgitatedRiotAgitatedRiot Posts: 4,437

    Have you ever sat down to ponder something, only to find your brain stubbornly refuses to access that information?

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,533
    edited March 21

    AgitatedRiot said:

    Have you ever sat down to ponder something, only to find your brain stubbornly refuses to access that information?

     

     Thermodynamics.  Failed it twice.blush  Had to get advisor to waive it & substitute something so I could graduate.frown 

    I just could not GROK Thermodynamics, I couldn't find the patterns in it [see note].  It all seemed to be long equations without sound, bottom-up derivation, just a bunch of rules discovered by accident, experiment, and approximations.  It also didn't help that I wasn't that good at differential equations.  So, yeah certain things like thermodynamics and sports game fanatics are complete mysteries to me.indecision

    Note:  That was back in the late '60s, perhaps they've properly quantized Thermodynamics by now, and have a more derivitive explanation of it.  But at this point in my life I just don't give a shxt.  Got along fine without it for the last 55 years.wink

     

    Worried Query:  Where's McGyver?sad

    Post edited by LeatherGryphon on
  • AgitatedRiotAgitatedRiot Posts: 4,437

    This time, logarithms presented a challenge for me. Grasping the complexities of the logarithmic function in thermodynamics can be challenging. I was analyzing meteorological data just before the coming eclipse. Considering the wind currents and Earth's rotation, the balloon is expected to ascend to a certain altitude before bursting. Indeed, home hobbies can be costly. I understand math more than anything. 

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