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There's a JL at the top of the hill from us as well...

That's the Wycombe one, isn't it??

Never been to that one.

dave brum wrote:No trip to Cardiff as originally planned

Oh no! What happened?

gizzy wrote:

dave brum wrote:No trip to Cardiff as originally planned

Oh no! What happened?

I cannot keep going all that way just for a piano lesson even though she's a wonderful teacher. It's impractical (and common sense, really).

So many minuets for so little spondulicks:

http://www.gumtree.com/p/business-servi ... 1043616470

dave brum wrote:So many minuets for so little spondulicks:

http://www.gumtree.com/p/business-servi ... 1043616470

Really made my day!

Or maybe this one. I like the way he describes graded exams analogically:

http://www.gumtree.com/p/business-servi ... 1043757410

Just recorded a Youtube of my wife playing a C major scale. It'll be going onto my Youtube channel later.

I've just been to Sainsburys with a self-written shopping list which included scourers. Get to Sainsburys and decide it looks more like scousers. Will teach me to write instead of scribble. Reminds me of when I was a child looking through my late grandmothers' letters to my late mother whom at the time was serving with the Naafi in Cyprus. All of her almost ilegible and incorrectly spelled letters would end with 'please excuse terrible wrighting'. Fast forward to the 1980s and a shopping list containing 'marzes bars'.

My friend's shopping list included 'dig bs'. Ever since, digestives have been known as digbys in her house.

Good day at the shop today. Swamped with books but only three classical CD's and absolutely no sheet music. I did put out a copy of The Joy Of Sex, yes, the one with the pencilled illustrations.

I also had to go into town after work. For early January the Bullring was chockablock at 17.40. Had to go into the Body Shop for my wife. She needed a new body.

Me too; get me a small one.

Actually I don't think she needs a new body after all. The essential lavender massage oil for £8 seems to have a better effect on her old body than £11 worth of prescribed medicines. She's been having extremely bad muscular aches and pains all year long, especially in the mornings. And our bedroom isn't that cold, 10 degrees or so. Think we need a new mattress to take our combined weight of 33 stone..

Supposed to get a mattress every 6 years or so, I believe. I don't spose anybody actually does though!

I like the firm feeling of those ortho mattresses and yes, would be easier to wrestle our big fat lardy forms out of in the early bright.

SAD light really does work! When I turned it on instantly I felt like a whole burden had just disappeared from above my eyes. I never have that effect from just putting both my wall and main lights on at the same time! After an hour I was ready to do some very productive piano practice...the increased level of serotonin my body had produced had enabled me to feel fresher, learn more and even produce something else - dopamine!

I have always said, being a British citizen I should be used to dull cloudy and cold days in the winter and even in the summer. But what matters is our anatomical and genetic make up NOT our 'Britishness' and we need daylight to function correctly as living creatures just as much as we need darkness to produce melatonin for relaxation and sleep.

So glad it's working for you Dave. Odd how many people are affected by the light yet others (like me) are perfectly happy in the dark winter days, and hate the long summer days... Still, be a boring world if we were all the same!

Not only that, I've not felt as sluggish today either. I've done loads and loads. The weather has been quite bright though and I didn't need the lamp on until around 3 but I've got it on again now. I'm also hoping that if I feel better I won't need to eat as many cakes and sugary foods that I have been doing since around October or so.

But it's a nice treat on the 29th on my one day holiday in Buckinghamshire!

Best ever popular song lyrics has to be Tony Capstick 'Capstick Comes Home' which was a parody of the Hovis advert.

You great big fat idle ugly waaaaart, 'e said. Ya gret useless spawny eyed parrot faced wazzock!

This got to no3 in the (English) charts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2AcJSkUw6M

I'm doing something new again, working out my practice schedule for next week. I'm taking care however to stay within the boundaries of Lesson 2 of the online course, plus I'm in the process of arranging a tune from Complete Piano Player from one handed 'Double Dutch' (or standard music notation) to my own notation for 2 hands, making it easier to sight read, and co-ordinate my hands. So I'll enjoy it more and not allow it to become obsessive.

My own notation consists of two rows of finger numbers, the letters A to G, and the use of a comma to indicate the beat (e.g 1,3,4,5,,,, and C,E,F,G,,,, for When The Saints.)

I haven't seen Lesson 3 yet but I would imagine the Double Dutch would be introduced then.

I hope so; don't want you forgetting how to read music!

Gill the Piano wrote:I hope so; don't want you forgetting how to read music!

Don't worry Gill, I never could read it properly anyway! I think I can honestly say I can play it better than I can read it.

I remember learning at school how Louis Braille invented the system of 'touch-reading' based on six dots that bears his name. He did it because, as without vision he could not read the twelve dot system used at his special school in France. So he invented his own system which caught on due to its simplicity. If only someone would invent a system of music notation that I could read. Maybe I should invent one and call it Brum. I don't know. But I've finished 'translating' I Know Where I'm Going' from Double Dutch into 'Brum' and look forward to putting it on my practice schedule next week.

I do need to work out practically and methodically how my simple way will fare outside of the five finger position. Still, where there's a will....

Really miserable today. I wish I'd discovered this guy from Nigeria earlier on today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk4aP0hsen0

Hopefully by the time you've mastered the original position, the notes will be going in and lodging in your brain'ole anyway...

C,G,D major A,D minor 3 times left hand, 3 times right hand @60. Same scales single octave hands together 6 times each. Finally C major hands separately again but @120, 10 time. Then my piece. First line 4 times. Second line 4 times. Both lines 4 times. Third line 4 times. Fourth line 4 times. 3rd and 4th line 4 times, then the whole piece, guess how many times.

If I do it as frequently as slowly and as that I can at least notice things as I touched upon before. I'm looking at viewing lesson 3 on the 25th, and then I can spend as much time as I need to on fully mastering what she says in lesson 2. I watch both of the first two lessons daily just so I don't lose hope.

That's the beauty of having an online piano tutor because a) you can always play back each lesson as often as you like until it sinks in rather than risking brain overload for half an hour in a strange house on a strange piano b) if there's anything you need to ask her, she tells us to use the comments bar to put our questions to her and she DOES answer them (unless they're salacious and irrelevant comments of course) and c) an online tutor cannot patronise or even insult you!!

Underpants coming down is not necessarily a sign of weight loss! Or indeed dodgy elastic!!

If Daft Punk came from Aylzowin instead of France, they'd be called Saft Punk. But 'Get Lucky' will be my practice piece for next week. Now to 'arrange' it...

I like Get Lucky, but that's the only Daft Punk track I'm aware of having heard. Have they been around long?

Yes they've had hits in England in the mid 90s with the superb Around The World:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yca6UsllwYs

and One More Time, great stereo on that one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtQC8ChpUeg

I've never shopped at a branch of the Aldi establishment in my life but this morning I'm going to cast aside my prejudices and take the 'Aldi Challenge'. Looking forward to it, hope the food tastes as good as it is priced.

There are lots of Aldi products that I like and equally, there are products that I don't!

Be warned, Aldi chocolate is cheap and very good:) Cereals, pasta, rice, biscuits, chocolate/sweets, washing liquid, fruit/veg, dairy products etc tend to be on my Aldi list. Toiletries are also very good value for money.

It is worthwhile signing up for email info from them, as the Specials are often interesting.

I managed to fill a big trolley for £91, so quite pleased with myself really. Food will last us and the cats two weeks.

There are loads of branded goods in there, Kelloggs Cornflakes, Colgate, Shredded Wheat etc. but their premium goods are much much lower in price than Morrisons' equivalent goods. They had a whole range of Aberdeen Angus beef products that were quite good, And their chocolate, I never eat anything lower than 85% cocoa and I picked up a 125g bar for only £1.09. That's very good value.

It's Aldi all the way for me from now on!!! We can now afford a Balti with the money we've saved!!!

Everyone I know who has been in Aldi says it's fabulous value for money. We haven't got a branch near us though there is a Lidl - and I haven't managed to get in there yet either!

Another thing I've noticed about Aldi is the fact that they don't have any magazines full of glossy colour plates, recipes and other pretentious bull, and their checkout staff are so quick and efficient. Plus there is no fumbling around for loyalty cards and pockets full of £1 off this and £2 off that valid for 3 days coupons you get at T's, S's and M's.

Their muesli tastes good too, packed with fruit. Sainsburys orange label muesli is 95% oats and sugar. Not tried Lidl though, or Netto.

Only one problem with my SAD light, it's such an effort to keep Sarah Jane away from it. She will not be told. Also a Zedbed which we had for sale went this morning and now she's got nothing to sit upon.

I need a couple of hours by it today as the ironing was quite a job this morning

The light might be doing SJ a power of good; share nicely!

Both Sophie Anne and Sarah Jane like to sunbathe in the window, SJ's black fur absorbs sunlight. But my lightbox generates brighter light than it's been today.

Half an hour of power piano practice thanks to a couple of hours by the light today. And NO ballsups (apologies to Ed). Eight days away from Alison's Lesson 3!

First Aldi product that doesn't meet my approval. Their Colombian coffee (the single country blend we always buy) has a notable peppery aftertaste typical of cheap coffee. Even Waitrose cheap coffee tastes foul. Have to try another brand not necessarily more expensive.

This will please you greatly Gill. I haven't done any Gàidhlig for over 2 weeks. Reason being I'm putting all of my academic energy into learning

Splendid. But you can still do a bit of garlic for fun...

I picked up some Gaelic music in the Library of Birmingham today, along with some Creole hits from Haiti to stick in my walkman for the journey into and home from the shop tomorrow.

I couldn't see that book of easy play hymens (you know the one I mean Gill) as it was out, as was the 'It's Easy To Play: Hymens'. There was a 'reluctant organist's Hymn Book' there, as if there are absolutely no one in the realms of the christian church that actually likes being either cajoled or in some cases pressganged into playing the organ on a Sunday.

dave brum wrote:as if there are absolutely no one in the realms of the christian church that actually likes being either cajoled or in some cases pressganged into playing the organ on a Sunday.

Got that right, boy! I only play because I didn't move fast enough...

What a gay old time at the shop today. A piano teacher came in asking about easy piano books for one of his sub-grade 1 pupils. He stank of cigars though - fortunately I was able to flog him some stuff he would have paid a fortune for in Stratford or Worcester. I was in the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time!!!

Keep Fit was good today. She never usually plays bhangra but British Asian music usually has remarkable effects on my levels of serotonin and dopamine.

She also tends to steer clear of the 'Cheeky Girls'' top pop smash 'Touch My Posterior' but yes, that old chestnut was given a debut airing. And no looks of shock or hands on mouths from the little old ladies in the class, either.

I think I may have twisted the other knee to the one I fell down on last week, sustaining a 2cm cut. My legs are becoming bent and straightening them is too much effort. Honestly, I feel like an old great grandad, and I'm not even a dad!

Leamington tomorrow if the weather's nice. There's a very good music shop there.

Perhaps the LOLs are not familiar with the lyrics of the Cheeky Girls? Frankly, if I were ding keep fit the last thing I'd be concentrating on would be the words of what I was wheezing and wobbling along to... Well done you for going to it; you'll have to take earplugs for the cruddy songs.
Some people wear strappy wotsits if they have a weak knee; could you try that?

Some blokes who go there have dodgy other regions and wear supports for that, if you know what I mean. Things you can't even get in Marks and Sparks any more. Fortunately I don't need to wear any supports for anything - yet but the exercises I have the most difficulty with are mat ones. I used to find squatting and stretching really difficult but they're not so much trouble now. Instructor likes to sing along to the music in a broad Brummie accent and gets us to join in just to take our minds off the strenuousness of the workout! Quite comedic and rather a lot of merriment and fun, I think

Last year, when something of mine twinged and gave way during a floor exercise, I inadvertently uttered 'OOOH, ME BALLS!!!' and the whole class heard it and burst out laughing!

Aldi frozen pies are packed full of meat and are quite deep, I am well and truly converted to shopping at Aldi now.

Just watching my Youtube clip playing the piano at the LoB made me think of Anna Moonlight (remember her) She would have been in her element mucking around on that piano with me.

I wonder what she's doing now

The Internet is full of UK based piano teachers whose websites are an oracle of FREE information and useful hints and tips for anyone teaching themselves. I found this one last week:

http://www.carolinehogarth.co.uk/index.php

(she has a good 'Useful Information' section too)

And this bloke whom I discovered yesterday:

http://www.johnhancockmusic.f2s.com/

Mr.Hancock has one of the best websites a 'freegan' learner can read, including some great Youtube clips of his learners - and this inspirational little piece of literary wisdom:

http://www.johnhancockmusic.f2s.com/Zen ... ssons.html

Wonder if he pronounces his name 'Han-coe'?

Call in at the Oxfam Bookshop on the Alcester Road in Moseley and stare in amazement at a work of art created by myself from piano tutorial and easy piano books interwoven with some classical piano CDs. With a strong 'LEARN THE PIANO' advertising message....not though I'm biased in any way!

I even picked up a lovely Edition Peters book. I can't play a bloody note from it but every one of those volumes are collectors' items and they're lovely to have out on display.

Peace lovers everywhere will be saddened to hear of the death of this bloke:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Seeger

his songs are so inspirational - a time for peace, I swear it's not too late just as relevant for today's planet as it was when the song was composed. From a pianists' point of view, his arrangement of 'Guantanamera' for The Sandpipers was included in Complete Piano Player bk2, which made me more aware of his influence through his philosophies, inspiration of a generation, and his subsequent proscription by the government of the so-called 'land of the free'.

I personally regard Paul Robeson as the finest folk musician America has ever produced, Pete Seeger came a very close second. RIP Pete.

Like 'Nineteen Eighty Four'; visionary, prophetic, false - but substituting the dystopia for Dankworth:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/tomorrowsworld/8019.shtml