Will someone say something interesting?

[wishful thinker]

Or witty, or both?  Tis v. dull in here today 

[counterpoint]

Don't wait for it - do it yourself 

[wishful thinker]

Ah well, I think that I have painted myself into a corner now. Who am I to judge whether my ramblings are either interesting or witty? 

[johnny-boy]

Something interesting

[ahinton]

Something interesting

But you haven't said anything interesting here; you have instead written "Something interesting".

Best,

Alistair

[prometheus]

One must lead by example.

[pianistimo]

yes.  we wait for you, wishful thinker. 

[elspeth]

No pressure...

[pianistimo]

yes. take your time - but make it good.

oh.  oh.  i have something.  ok.  are you readY?

music for the Eb alto saxophone is written a major sixth above the actual sound.  now, music for the Bb tenor saxophone is written one octave plus a major second above the actual sound.  music for the Eb baritone sax is written one octave plus a major sixth above the actual sound. 

now, somebody write something witty about this.  i already know it's terribly interesting.  no takers?  must i think?  hmmm.  well, ok.  i used this finale 2007 and was typing a song into it - and then wanted to transpose it.  what does it do?  it moves it an octave higher?  i think 'what the heck?'  i didn't tell it to do that!  then, i realize there's this question right before you transpose asking if you want it higher or lower.  i think i accidentally had it on some key before that was tricking the computer into thinking that an octave higher would be the next key change.  anyways - i fudged with the higher/lower thing - and finally got it right. 

[pianistimo]

next topic.  what do you think about these hyped computer magazines that have articles on 'how to build your own $1,500. pc'  if i did that - it would be like remodeling my house on my own.  how good is that going to turn out?

ps  and what about the sound card?  where's the sound card?

[pianistimo]

back to transposing.  what i think is interesting is reading orchestral scores.  i mean - how does a conductor translate all this so fast in his/her head?  i'm just taking first things first again.  (having forgotten everything i learned in orchestration 20 years ago).

square one:

Bb instruments - music for these instruments must be written in a key which is a M2nd higher than concert pitch.  (therefore: subtract two flats or add two sharps).

Eb instruments - music for these instruments must be written in a key that is a minor third lower than concert pitch.  (therefore: subtract three flats or add three sharps)

F instruments - music for these instruments must be written in a key that is a perfect fourth lower than concert pitch.  (therefore:  subtract one flat or add one sharp).


*note the words  'higher and lower.'  it is these little words that can really mess everything up in your head.  i mean - it has me writing out the entire order of the sharps and flats and scratching my head and trying to make sense.  finally , i say - just follow the proscribed procedure.  it is technically correct - and is like a math formula.  you don't really need to think of each step of the process. just get the answer quick.  before you lose your mind.

[berrt]

ps  and what about the sound card?  where's the sound card?

When playing cards, it is the card you smack on the table with the loudest sound  

Theres's one in your computer, too. To find it, open the case and listen closely on the different cards you see there.

B.

[pianistimo]

we don't have one.  our computer upstairs is jerry rigged.

sound card?!  that is funny.  you know, when my  husband or son takes the cover off the computer - i can't hardly look.  it is like open heart surgery to me.  if something gets messed up - who can fix it?  i certainly can't.  i just pray they get the cover back on before something goes majorly wrong.

[ahinton]

oh.  oh.  i have something.  ok.  are you readY?

music for the Eb alto saxophone is written a major sixth above the actual sound.  now, music for the Bb tenor saxophone is written one octave plus a major second above the actual sound.  music for the Eb baritone sax is written one octave plus a major sixth above the actual sound. 

now, somebody write something witty about this.  i already know it's terribly interesting.  no takers?  must i think?  hmmm.  well, ok.  i used this finale 2007 and was typing a song into it - and then wanted to transpose it.  what does it do?  it moves it an octave higher?  i think 'what the heck?'  i didn't tell it to do that!  then, i realize there's this question right before you transpose asking if you want it higher or lower.  i think i accidentally had it on some key before that was tricking the computer into thinking that an octave higher would be the next key change.  anyways - i fudged with the higher/lower thing - and finally got it right. 

Well, you did ask - and what I have to say about it is not,  I fear, likely to be witty even if it may possibly be instructive to all those who do not want so to be instructed.

You are correct, of course, in what you say about the transposition arrangements for the three members of the sax family that you mention, but what you wrote was far from complete (not that I am at all criticising you for this).

OK - so, it's time for a little sax education.

All members of the saxophone family are pitched either in B flat or E flat. The "standard" members of the family are the alto (in E flat), tenor (in B flat) and baritone (in E flat), as you correctly state. There are others outside this, however and all those above the alto are into straight sax - i.e. consist of a straight piece of tubing (facing forwards when trhe instrument is played), unlike the so-called "standard" members, each of whom sports a traditionally recognised saxophone shape (with a main tube facing more or less downwards and an upturned bell at the end, abit like the bass clarinet); these are, in upward order of pitch range, the soprano sax (in B flat), the much less used sopranino sax (in E flat) and the almost never used soprillo (in B flat - sounds like a cigar, does it not?!). Of these, only the soprano has ever really had any significant use in big band jazz. Going down, beneath the baritone there is the bass (in B flat) and the contrabass (in E flat), of the latter of which only a very few have ever been manufactured; only the bass sax has ever had any real used in big band jazz and even then only fairly sporadically. The biggest problem with the contrabass sax (apart from sheer rarity!) is its inability to deal easily with florid passage-work; it may be partly due to this fact and partly due to the additional problem of its physically unwieldy nature (try taking one of them on a plane in economy!) that the tubax was recently invented. The tubax has the same range as the contrabass sax but has an appearance rather more like that of a metal contrabassoon, with its tubing bent back upon itself; it also has the advantage over the contrabass sax that access to its keys is easier, the keys themselves are mostly smaller (making them easier to depress) and - perhaps most importantly of all from the player's standpoint - it is designed to take a standard baritone sax mouthpiece, so a player does not have to feel such a need to be quite so big-mouthed as does a contrabass sax player (and the thing fits into a far more practical-sized case). All these advantages mean that the tubax is capable of more florid passage-work in the hands of an adept player; the disadvantage (to the extent that it is one at all) is that, its tubing bore being smaller than that of the contrabass sax, its tone is somewhat less rich than that of its taller, bigger and less physically practical second-cousin-half-removed (try lisening to Scott Robinson playing the odd solo on the contrabass sax and you'll likely perceive what I mean about the astonishingly rich, creamy tone of the true contrabass sax).

There is now actually both a sub-contrabass sax and an equivalent-range tubax, both pitched in B flat, although the likely use of either seems open the the gravest doubt and they are each as rare as a perfect oboe reed; the lowest sounding note on each is the A flat a tone below the lowest note on the contrabassoon (i.e. the A flat a semitone below the lowest A on the standard 88-note piano keyboard).

It is perhaps also worth noting that the contrabass clarinet in B flat (pitched an octave below the bass clarinet in B flat and two octaves below the standard clarinet in B flat) is, like the bass clarinet, similar in shape to the bass clarinet with the sax-like upturned bell, although those "ends" of the bass and contrabass clarinet are somewhat smaller than those of the equivalent pitched members of the sax family. The bass clarinet's range is almost analogous to that of the baritione sax and that of the contrabass clarinet almost analogoue to that of the contrabass sax and tubax.

I had something of a preoccupation with all this a while ago when working at a piece called Concerto for 22 Instruments, of which all are wind instruments and almost all are different from one another (the only real duplication being in the three members of the flute section where one plays only piccolo, the second plays flute doubling piccolo and the third plays alto flute doubling flute); I use four different sizes of clarinet (piccolo in E flat, standard in B flat, bass and contrabass) as well as four members of the sax family (soprano in B flat, alto in E flat, baritone in E flat and contrabass or tubax [subject to the player's choice] in E flat.

Anyway, to return to the sub-subject of the thread, the music for all saxes is customarily written at the same pitch range, i.e. from the B flat immeditely below middle C to the F two octaves and a perfect fifth above this - and the tradition in clarinet writing has been largely the same. Being the lazy / practical sod that I am, I wrote all instruments at sounding pitch in the full score of my concerto except the piccolo/s (written, as usual, an octave below sounding pitch) and the contrabassoon (written, as usual, an octave above sounding pitch).

OK - end of lecture; now - hands up anyone daft enought to have been remotely interested in reading beyond the first sentence! Now, hands up all those who got bored immediately and instead went off to have sax...

OK - now WILL SOMEONE SAY SOMETHING INTERESTING?...

Best,

Alistair

[elspeth]

You mean you don't use piccolos tuned in D flat? I ended up playing from a D-flat score on a standard C picc once, my that was a headache. Should have been easy but you try playing Wood's Fantasia on British Sea Songs in a different key at sight... it's the hornpipe that's a swine - it's not difficult as such, just very fast!

Being a flute player... you can have flutes tuned an octave lower in C, in F, in E flat, standard concert flute in C, piccolos in C or D flat an octave up... I love the lower-range flutes, they have such a rich sound.

[thalbergmad]

Da Great Pyramid

The pyramid is estimated to have about 2,300,000 stone blocks weighing from 2-30 Tons each with some weighing as much as 70 tons.
 
 There is so much stone mass in the pyramid that the interior temperature is constant and equals the average temperature of the earth, 20 Degrees Celsius (68 Degrees Fahrenheit).
 
 Two types of limestone were used for construction. A soft limestone either pure or nummulitic was used for the bulk of the core blocks and a hard white limestone for the mantle. Hard limestone becomes more polished with age.
 
 The base of the pyramid covers 55,000m2 (592,000 ft2) with each side greater than 20,000m2 (218,000 ft2) in area.
 
 The outer mantle was composed of 144,000 casing stones, all highly polished and flat to an accuracy of 1/100th of an inch, about 100 inches thick and weighing about 15 tons each.
 
 The average casing stone on the lowest level was 5 ft. long by 5 ft. high by 6 ft. deep and weighed 15 tons.
 
 The mortar used is of an unknown origin. It has been analyzed and its chemical composition is known but it can't be reproduced. It is stronger than the stone and still holding up today.
 
 The cornerstone foundations of the pyramid have ball and socket construction capable of dealing with heat expansion and earthquakes.
 
 There are no hieroglyphics or writing in the Great Pyramid.
 
 With the mantle in place, the Great Pyramid could be seen from the mountains in Israel and probably the moon as well.
 
 Its polished surfaces would have reflected light like a beacon.
 
 Aligned True North: The Great Pyramid is the most accurately aligned structure in existence and faces true north with only 3/60th of a degree of error. The position of the North Pole moves over time and the pyramid was exactly aligned at one time.
 
 Centre of Land Mass: The Great Pyramid is located at the centre of the land mass of the earth. The east/west parallel that crosses the most land and the north/south meridian that crosses the most land intersect in two places on the earth, one in the ocean and the other at the Great Pyramid.
 
 The relationship between Pi (p) and Phi (F) is expressed in the fundamental proportions of the Great Pyramid.
 

[ronde_des_sylphes]

 The relationship between Pi (p) and Phi (F) is expressed in the fundamental proportions of the Great Pyramid.
 

Not in the American state (I forget which one) which declared pi, by statute, equal to four sometime around the end of the 19th century.

[johnny-boy]

But you haven't said anything interesting here; you have instead written "Something interesting".

Best,

Alistair

The topic subject ask me to say "something interesting". So I did. I guess it went over your head.

John

[thalbergmad]

Not in the American state (I forget which one) which declared pi, by statute, equal to four sometime around the end of the 19th century.

Strange lot the yanks.

Thal

[Mozartian]

Life... is like a grapefruit.

[beethoven2]

Crocodiles can't stick their tongues out.   

Cat pea glows under a blacklight.

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class. 

Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors. 

Sorry if any of this is incorrect information...

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors. 

Sorry if any of this is incorrect information...

I have also heard that one, so my guess is that it probably is true.

Further oddities..

The jazz musician Joe "Poolie" Newman, a notorious womanizer, decided in 1989 to maintain his reputation by "enhancing" himself with a penile implant. Unfortunately, one night in a restaurant, a build-up of pressure caused a, shall we say, undesired explosion and he haemorrhaged to death.

Quite infamously, Pickles the dog, who discovered the World Cup trophy under a bush after its theft in 1966, later strangled himself on his own lead whilst chasing a cat.

[jakev2.0]

https://homepage.eircom.net/~melw/images/blog/blondechickwithnicepussy.jpg

[gilad]

this is the coolest thread i have seen here for a long time.

i have nothing more to say.

ok wait, there is this from wikipedia

"The world's temperature extremes are:
53.9 °C , recorded in the Death Valley
−89.2 °C , recorded in Vostok, Antarctica, on 21 July 1983

The reading of 57.7C at Al Azizia is plain false and it was taken during a sandstorm (the temperature in the same day at Tripoli, few miles away was around 30C)."

i like this thread.

[le_poete_mourant]

Women will break your leg, break your heart, and then break up with you. 

Asking for anything interesting is wishful thinking. 

Porcupines are neither pork nor pine. 

Chinese people call Chinese food, "food." 

The NHL has the highest dental bill of all professional sporting organizations. 

David Beckham is being paid $2 million to play, and $248 million to retain his accent. 

The Star of David was actually first designed by his brother, Bob. 

[ahinton]

The topic subject ask me to say "something interesting". So I did. I guess it went over your head.

John

Not really. The topic asked for "someone" to "say something interesting". I didn't hear you SAY anything. I ony saw that you'd WRITTEN something. I guess my remark went over your head.

Best,

Alistair

[rc]

Life... is like a grapefruit.

Juicy and delicious!

[wishful thinker]

or rather sour 

Now, what interesting things have we learned so far?  Chiefly that Mr Hinton knows far more about saxophony than is healthy in a man  , and that Paraguay is the perfect romantic destination for Pianistimo and Thal to meet 

Did you know that Robert Zimmerman and his brother David have bought a house in the scotch highlands?

As he once said "how many times must a man look up, before he can see the sky".

But this is something pigs can never do.   

[pianolearner]

 

Asking for anything interesting is wishful thinking. 

Wrong. It is Wishful Thinker who asked.

[mycrabface]

You mean you don't use piccolos tuned in D flat? I ended up playing from a D-flat score on a standard C picc once, my that was a headache. Should have been easy but you try playing Wood's Fantasia on British Sea Songs in a different key at sight... it's the hornpipe that's a swine - it's not difficult as such, just very fast!

Being a flute player... you can have flutes tuned an octave lower in C, in F, in E flat, standard concert flute in C, piccolos in C or D flat an octave up... I love the lower-range flutes, they have such a rich sound.

You play flute? Its not fair - you can flutter.. I can flutter too, but it sounds weird on the clarinet.

[ahinton]

Now, what interesting things have we learned so far?  Chiefly that Mr Hinton knows far more about saxophony than is healthy in a man  ,

But whoever said that composition was a healthy activity? (especially the kind of composing that I do!)...

and that Paraguay is the perfect romantic destination for Pianistimo and Thal to meet 

I rather doubt that it would work out in practice, though - such a meeting, I mean - simply because Susanistimo seems to find such difficulty in getting from one place to another if more than one country is involved in the journey; witness, for example, all the fraughtness of her erstwhile attempts to navigate herself from Pennsylvania to London last November. Now, being a mother, she may have some understanding of Concepción and being a Christian she may have equal grasp of Asunción but that does not of itself guarantee her ability successfully to convey herself from the environs of Philadelphia to the centre of South America, even with the incentive of meeting Thal there (although Thal would probably rather be on a Scottish island than roasting himself in sub-tropical Paraguay in any case).

Did you know that Robert Zimmerman and his brother David have bought a house in the scotch highlands?

As he once said "how many times must a man look up, before he can see the sky".

But this is something pigs can never do.   

Indeed - I have never encountered a pig able - let alone motivated - to purchase a property in the highlands of my country either - and, speaking of that country, "Scotch" is a term for whisky, whereas those particular highlands are "Scottish"...

Best,

Alistair

[elspeth]

Susanistimo seems to find such difficulty in getting from one place to another if more than one country is involved in the journey;

If we ever had a convention, it'd definitely have to be on the other side of the pond so Susan could come... a PS convention, there's a scary thought, imagine the carnage that'd probably ensue!

[henrah]

Yeah I can't imagine what arguements on here might turn out like in real life!

[ahinton]

If we ever had a convention, it'd definitely have to be on the other side of the pond so Susan could come...

I suppose that you (or someone) could send that Big Red Fire Engine to pick her up...

Best,

Alistair

[wishful thinker]

Yeah I can't imagine what arguements on here might turn out like in real life!

Arguements, which arguments? Merely discussions old boy, musician style 

We are passionate people no?  At least that is what we like to think, an excuse for eccentricities that would not be acceptable in any other sort of person 

[elspeth]

Since when do we need excuses for being eccentric? lol!

[pianistimo]

let's meet in philadelphia.  i can find my way there.  although - i have trouble navigating out of it.

[ahinton]

let's meet in philadelphia.  i can find my way there.  although - i have trouble navigating out of it.

Now let's get this clear; are you advocating that the recently posited Piano Forum Convention be hosted in Philadelphia or that you'd rather meet Thal there than in Paraguay (or both)?

Best,

Alistair

[wishful thinker]

Now let's get this clear

First time for everything?   

[ahinton]

First time for everything?   

I don't know about "first time ", but the question of whether this matter will or won't be made clear at any time is clearly down to Pianistimo herself, so those interested must necessarily await her response (if any) in due course.

Best,

Alistair

[beethoven2]

All porcupines float. 

[thalbergmad]

The ooh aah bird lays square eggs.

Thal

[rc]

or rather sour 

NO!

That's why we chop it up and sprinkle sugar on top.

...At least we can agree they are yellow.  Life is yellow.

I'll bet a grapefruit could be dangerous, in the wrong hands.  I once saw someone hit with a simple orange, those things can really fly! He limped for a few days, a grapefruit would have crippled him!

[rc]

All porcupines float. 

All cats can fly, with a little help.

[pianowolfi]

All porcupines float. 

Nice surrealistic imagination!

[pianistimo]

i've never seen a porcupine float.  you all need to come to the convention here.  i fear most of you are too citified.  you see, only about 30 minutes away you can see dead deer by the roads and byways.  and, all manner of rabbits, bobcats, squirrels, etc. run over.   i suppose, now that i think about it, they do float - because they are dead bodies. 

well, in any case - if you all came here for a piano convention - i could meet all of you.  including thal.  we have a pretty cool wannamaker organ at the kimmel center.  that would be worth coming all this way for.  and, of course, west chester's all steinway new music building.  and i could introduce you to dr's carl cranmer and dr. veleta (who, btw, is an expert at explaining piano concertos).  and, then off to cunningham pianos, and steinway factory and hall.  and then, the ny metropolitan museum of art.  and, the franklin museum in philly.  it's really cool.  all that electrical stuff.  you can actually see a lightening bolt made in this electrically charge tunnel glass thingy.  and, the old steam engine.  the first sewing machines.  many 'first' inventions.  i think it even talks about glass harmonicas.  my leg was broken when i visited the first time so i had to go around in this moped.  which meant i couldn't get very close to things.

[ahinton]

All cats can fly, with a little help.

...subject to whether and where such help might be forthcoming; not all airlines are prepared to fly cats (the low-cost ones being especially resistant to doing so).

Best,

Alistair

[wishful thinker]

All cats can fly, with a little help.

This is true.  If one drops a cat from the second floor window it will simply fall.  Thud.  But if one kicks it out of the window, then it will indeed fly, at least for some distance.  To the nay sayers who will say that such ejaculation is not "flying" in the true sense, I say that neither is a trip on a Ryanair "flight". 

[elspeth]

i fear most of you are too citified.  you see, only about 30 minutes away you can see dead deer by the roads and byways.  and, all manner of rabbits, bobcats, squirrels, etc. run over. 

You might be pleasantly surprised about how us urban types can adapt... After all, Thal goes mountain climbing and I spend as much time as I can photographing bears in the wild... Can't speak for anyone else, though!

[beethoven2]

you see, only about 30 minutes away you can see dead deer by the roads and byways. and, all manner of rabbits, bobcats, squirrels, etc. run over.

I know someone who once crossed a train track and saw something weird up on top of a telephone pole.  She eventually found out/came to the conclusion that it was a deer that had been hit by a train and had been thrown/flew up there.  We have dead animals by the roads ALL the time...