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Post by pavane on Sept 27, 2023 9:29:48 GMT
My music stand has developed this habit of starting off tall at the beginning of the day and then ending up extremely low to the ground.
It's hard to win with music stands. A few years ago I treated myself to a Manhasset stand that seemed pretty expensive (to me at least) but had some good features like small footprint etc and lots of good reviews; its particular claim to fame was height adjustment without a locking screw. I'm sure you can see where this is going... the height adjustment depended on the extending inner tube being kept in place by friction grip by the fixed lower tube. Within a very short space of time the friction had reduced to the point that if I tried to write anything on a score the whole upper part would rotate, so writing almost impossible unless using the hand that was still clutching a recorder to steady the thing, and the rotation in turn caused the whole upper section to drop down into the lower section. Basically, I would end up with an almost illegible note done with a very soft pencil in the hope that it would need so little pressure the stand wouldn't rotate, and after about 3 such notes, I'd have to give up, raise the stand back to the height I needed, and go over the notes so I could read them. I solved the problem by buying the shaft lock accessory for a mere (ha ha) €13 which works well but completely undoes the whole "simple adjustment" alleged virtue of the stand. The accessory shelf for pencils was a piece of complete rubbish - so bad I binned it and got a Thomann own-brand one that is many times better for about half the price. Everything now works and I can put quite a lot of weight on it so it does the job, but overall not exactly the music stand of my dreams.
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Post by Zi on Sept 27, 2023 10:04:43 GMT
That's what I have. I have two in fact. One in my study and one in the music room. Mr Z bought me the one in my study - ages ago but I bought the one in the music room because I didn't want to carry a stand upstairs and down again. They're different colours - which is another factor in their favour.
Where did you get the shaft lock? I'm never going to learn not to load heavy books on the thing and it sounds like a solution though - as you say - it totally defeats the 'easily adjustable' thing....
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Post by pavane on Sept 27, 2023 11:25:01 GMT
I got it from Thomann but if you're not buying anything else the postage is quite expensive. Amazon sell it: it's rather more expensive but that's probably because of all the tax Amazon has to pay Other places probably stock it. It's a lot of money for a plastic clamp but, as I said, it does solve the problem.
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Post by Zi on Sept 28, 2023 11:19:31 GMT
Amazon and I departed company some time ago. Either, I learn not to use the music stand like a bookcase or I buy something else from Thomann thus justifying the postal cost which I agree makes the national debt look small... There are other alternatives but these two seem the simpler. Thanks for the linkies though! Saved me from DuckDuckGo ing!
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Post by pavane on Sept 28, 2023 14:19:27 GMT
The thing I find about Thomann is that their website is a sort of online Aladin's Cave of musical goodies. I have long been intending to get one of their bass recorders if I was ever about €100 short of a free postage order, though I have missed the boat a bit there as it used to be a super bargain at €99 and now it's just an everyday bargain at €122. But, who could resist a Gopichand? Or a ErHu? Maybe it's time to start a Christmas song on a Hurdy Gurdy? (That one will definitely get you up to the free postage threshold!) Or maybe just relax with some sort of weird and wonderful Meditation Instrument?
Or you could just reconcile yourself to a shrinking music stand
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Post by Zi on Sept 29, 2023 9:21:53 GMT
Agree over the Aladdin's Cave thing. Bass recorder at £122 is very good. I'll watch the review. Mr Z uses meditation (and has done courses and things). I'd never be able to sit still long enough... I'm really tempted by the bowls though as I know he has expressed a liking of them and the Christmas thing is coming up... so if I do anything about all that then I'll stick the shaft lock thing on. At the moment I'm training myself that a music stand is not a book shelf...
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Post by pavane on Oct 20, 2023 10:27:56 GMT
I'm having a bit of a Bach fest at the moment. Amongst other things, I'm trying to play some of the solo cello music on the bass clarinet - this is a not-uncommon endeavour as the instruments have much the same range. I say "some of the cello music" but what I mean is the first section (Prelude) of the first sonata - the well-known one that one hears quite a lot (BWV1007). It is hard! There are two approaches to playing it on the BC: if you have a BC that goes down to low C you can play it as written and it will sound a tone lower; alternatively, you can transpose it up a tone. My BC only goes down to low D so I've gone for the latter approach which maybe makes it even harder as it's now in A rather than G, but it probably doesn't make a huge difference. I'm quite pleased to have got to the stage where you can at least tell what it's supposed to be! In contrast, I've also been playing the Bourrée Anglaise from the flute partita BWV1013 which is commonly set as a Grade 8 piece for recorder (so I have tried it before), and I can almost zip through that!!! (Zip is, of course, a relative term here)
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Post by Zi on Oct 22, 2023 9:21:41 GMT
you can at least tell what it's supposed to be! I love that stage. It makes me want to dance and sing... It reminds me of a friend of mine who worked in AI and who once (many many many years ago) built a piece of software which 'spoke' Japanese - it wasn't his native language. He was delighted with it and proudly showed it to a native Japanese speaker, asking what the opinion was. The answer was: What is it? It sounds a bit like Japanese... Mr Z often says to be that what I've played sounds a bit like Bach's Whatever... and I'm so proud! Zip is, of course, a relative term here I so identify with that one too... I'm being tardy. I have an excuse. But when I'm not being tardy I'm still working on Paul's Tudor tutor - it's really fun. It's inspired me to reread some Tudor history as well... I'm all EM Forster - only connect...
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Post by keff on Oct 22, 2023 10:16:52 GMT
Had a couple of days away from home so I am reacquainting with the music stand!
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Post by Zi on Oct 22, 2023 11:23:08 GMT
I know that feeling. Sometimes I feel like I need a Ispy book to help me recognise mine!
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Post by Zi on Oct 26, 2023 12:13:30 GMT
How's it going people? I actually played the descant yesterday. My expectations were so low that it went well... I'm still playing from the tutor book but I've now reached some Bach...
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Post by keff on Oct 30, 2023 14:33:41 GMT
I was happy with the way that the Haydn sonata hobXVI/8 went at the piano group on Saturday. Someone had left the piano stool high and I was looking down on the music and at the keyboard which seemed to help. On my piano I naturally look down on the music. I may start to learn hobXVI/9. However still two days to go before getting out my jazzed up version of Christmas carols.
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Post by Zi on Oct 30, 2023 15:50:12 GMT
I'm glad it went well. I do enjoy hearing about the group and how things are going. Having the music at a different angle can make a serious difference. I've noticed that too.
hobXVI/9 is seriously pretty and the version I heard was seriously fast. Some of it sounds horrendously difficult.
I too have noticed that the day approaches...
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Post by Zi on Apr 4, 2024 10:04:03 GMT
What are people playing? I haven't played in a while as we're just way too busy with the garden and some life things. Mr Z is also a whisker or two away from his big birthday. I had mine last year. So we'll probably take the day off then or perhaps not... The jobs seem to be piling up rather...
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Post by keff on Apr 4, 2024 10:52:45 GMT
This week I have been concentrating on three pieces; the secondo part to the Berceuse from Dolly suite (Listen with Mother theme), the largo from the New World symphony (shortened and simplified) and Forgotten Dreams by Leroy Anderson. The reason is that the Salvation Army have asked if members of the piano group can play in a fund raising concert at the end of June. The funds are to provide Christmas presents to needy families...last Christmas the branch wrapped over one thousand.
A fellow piano group member suggested a duet and this is why I am trying to learn the Berceuse. The secondo part is not easy but after almost two weeks of practice it is getting there even if at a slower tempo. The largo is reasonably easy but in my mind I hear the tune at quite a slow tempo and it takes 8 minutes. I need to get used to reducing it to six.
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