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Too right - yes, I'll be there in person. What is needs of course is the Love of a Good Woman but meanwhile the Stranglehold of the Wicked Witch of the East will have to do (wll, I love him to bits as well obviously or I wouldn't be there). I'll pass on your good wishes.

from Gizzy in Cambridge

Yeah I got a job - 10 years not working and someone had faith in me so booked piano lessons - trial one this morning and she started me on sight reading from the minute I sat down! have that, beginner adult book and theory to get on with. task master one thinks she says sight reading is mind over matter and not to go on whinging about it as it makes it worse. I said about dave from brum and she said "he probably moans about everything so ignore his random rants and enjoy sight reading

rambling on I am but i am excited and she has made it all fun and simple so davebrum/himself who goes on like a stuck record - change that record and shut up being a whinge and enjoy sight reading. I can read music basic so don`t patronise me too much!

oh my sight reading books - are for kids but she says they work well as fun and structured, pauline hall, its a blue one with little symbols. love it and will do a few each morning b4 work and then the rest afterwards. she says I could be doing pre graded one exam by xmas

Kids' books are often the best ones - and usually more fun than the ones for humans...
Glad to hear your news, let us know how you progress, won't you?

Ar well, you see, there's sight-reading and "doing sight-reading" I spent five years between the ages of 10 and 15 (admittedly I was doing theory, msucianship, cello, singing...) not having lessons at all, and sight-reading everythng that came my way, got from sub-g1 to g6 in that time. And becasue nobody forced me to do otherwise, I was allowed to stop-start. And correct myself, And keep bashing out the same note while working it out. At not much past g1 standard I read through Beethoven sonata in G, the one with the triplets; it took me about two hours. And you know what? It made me an excellent sight-reader when I had to do the entirely unnatural way they ask you to in exam, because I was fearless about looking at the music.

(and btw - no, dave brum does not moan about everything, just pass that on to your teacher, he's brilliant and funny and it was just the sight-reading and the fact that he was a bit of a perfectionist that was getting him down a bit. He's now learning to play wrong notes and like it, and can't get enough of it! (personally I think there are a lot of people who could benefit from more playing by ear - this feeds back into the s/r as well, actually)

Gizzy in Cambridge

Good boy, that's the spirit!

dave brum wrote:

doreen dangle wrote: Yeah Doreen, I just can't stop myself from ranting and whingeing, can I???

Oh, right, mate, so here am I doing my best to talk you up and say you're not like that at all, and what do you go and do? What was that thing I was trying to get you to repeat a thousand times a day?

I hope you realise there will be no piano for you on Saturday and Sunday until I've heard it three times. With conviction. And expression. And... um...

Just have to say that if all I'd ever heard from you was whingeing, I wouldn't be coming over on Saturday

Gizzy, I'm so glad you're hammering the positive thinking/confidence vibe too! Have you read all my past posts?
How handy with you with a ruler...?
Dave, I'm so pleased you're ready to give it a go - there's a free shouty piano lesson if you ever make it here from Brum!

dave brum wrote:You've not heard me play yet, Ghislaine!

Oh. You mean those aren't your hands in your YT videos? Oh, potty. I rather fancied those hands. Ah well, tell me whose they are and I'll go there instead, then.

Was it the same person who was transposing tunes to order over the phone last night? Cos that one was pretty quick of the mark.

(You narna)

Gizzy in Cambridge

Yay! I'm so glad you are going for it Brummers! Proud of you!

I'm having a piano lesson next we'd, my first since my exam! G5 here we came although I think we're going to have to start working on theory now, haven't done much of this before so im a bit anxious! I've bought a G5 theory practice book but I think maybe I should start at G1 lol!

Gill the Piano wrote: How handy with you with a ruler...?

I'm not bad with a tape-measure. They do respond to that as well, in a slightly different way, of course

But I thought ALL piano lessons were sweary and smacky?

dave brum wrote:You know Gizzy will be coming to stay later so no church for me in the morning and no hymn singing. Except if I'm nice to her she could play something from A&M Revised (as I got it out of the library, not sure if I may have said this already) and I could have a bit of a wail at it.....

I'll introduce you to Trumpet of God Sound High as like wot my Dad used to raise the roof with

(I don't suppose you want to sneak out to church right at the end of the service and hide behind a tree and just point out Ada Boggins or whatever her name was? No, that would be naughty. Not going to be into naughty this weekend. Or ever, of course) <whistling>

I was supposed to have 2 gigs tomorrow but have stupidly spoken to my friend (one of the butters from dosbarth Cymraeg) on the telephone and managed to catch her bug via the telephone wires. Since neither church is blessed with a privy, I thought it prudent to let them know I won't be there!

Hmm, that tape measure did work wonders, didn't it?

Good, you'll find octaves easier now, won't you?

dave brum wrote:...and now for Gill's ruler, tongue, birch, cane, cat o'nine tails, pitbull, soft cushions etc.

If only I'd known that about you when I was there... all we did, honestly, was the Comfy Chair.

dave brum wrote: I didn't even mention the piano wire.....I'm guessing they sell that in Marleux-sur-la-Tamese

Got a car boot full of it, dear...

When is your birthday, Dave? I've purchased words of encouragement to hang above your instrument...

I have to add it wasn't a bottle of liquid paraffin

No, humans take it as well; it's actually an excellent introduction to exam conditions, and there's no pass or fail, just a report on your playing. I think there are two little pieces and a study dressed up as a piece; Colin or Marky will tell you mnore, or you can look at the ABRSM website.

I look forward to the day when Dave is back in whingeing mode but this time because he can't get near the piano because Mrs Brum is playing it all the time. You'll just have to find something to do in the shed instead, me dear.

My #1 daughter (you knows what a grand girl she is, db) often buys the Daily Mail as a sort of purgative. She likes to be able to get angry and burn it out of her system!

Ah, well, remember she's not a Daily Mail Reader. She buys it (not so much nowadays) becasue it makes her angry (with the paper, not with the things the paper pretends to be angry about) and she says "I just feel the need to be angry and get it out of my system". Not so much nowadays - what's happening on the wards is getting plenty of her anger.

More like Her Majesty buying the Socialist Worker for the Corgis - - -

As Bob Monkhouse said "I only buy the Sun for the dog results. He won't do it on any other paper"

You can get the Morning Star at our local Budgens )

Thinking in bed last night. The jolly jolly bouncy bouncy theme tune to Strictly Come Dancing is actually in a minor key, whereas 'No Future' and 'Panic (On the Streets Of London)' are both in the major.

That augmented seventh sticks out a mile in the sequins, glitterballs, and hackneyed catchphrases!

And the fact you noticed that means you REALLY ought to be playing by ear a bit more! I never notice stuff like that...

Gill the Piano wrote:And the fact you noticed that means you REALLY ought to be playing by ear a bit more! I never notice stuff like that...

Ah well, probably because the composer of the Strictly tune wanted something that would stick in the mind, so he wrote it in a minor key, but as for Morrissey and Johnny Rotten, if the whole world said black, they would make a tremendous amount of capital from saying white.

I always regard David Arch (musical director) as the real Mister Strictly. There WOULD be no show without him, yet it's Bruce, Tess and the four judges who get all the credit.

I don't waste my time watching it...never have had time for dancing. Was a guest in a box (NOT cardboard) at the Royal Opera to see Darcy Bussell in Cinderella and kept shutting my eyes because all the fidgeting onstage was putting me off the moosic.

(original post deleted)

So, is it just me and thee, Gill?? Where have Feg, Markymark, Nutroast, etc. bunked off to??? Are things that bad???? To think of the wonderful times I've had on here, even mucking around with Moonlight in London TWICE! And Blodwen?? Used to be fun.

Yep, ain't nobody here but us chickens, as the song says!

Gill the Piano wrote:Yep, ain't nobody here but us chickens, as the song says!

Ahem, I'm still here although more inclined to keep my own counsel these days

Feg wrote:

Gill the Piano wrote:Yep, ain't nobody here but us chickens, as the song says!

Ahem, I'm still here although more inclined to keep my own counsel these days

So that's three with Fiona Feg. Now, where's Markymark lurking?? (obviously not in the moderator's rest room!)

Looking through Gumtree, musicteachers.co.uk and yell.com, it's quite an irony that there are more piano teachers called Joanna in the UK than one would expect (for those who may not be aware of Cockney rhyming slang, Joanna is a piano/pianna). I know of at least 3 that use Gumtree alone!

I have a music teacher friend called Joanna...but she also teaches clarinet (well, woodwind generally) and guitar!

Gill the Piano wrote:I have a music teacher friend called Joanna...but she also teaches clarinet (well, woodwind generally) and guitar!

She's not your guitar tutor by any chance, Gill? How are you getting on with your guitar, as I've not asked???

Now, where's Markymark lurking?? (obviously not in the moderator's rest room!)

Hi, dave - I thought you'd be back.

I am here.... though I haven't been for a long time. I made a couple of posts on digital pianos and this is one of my first posts on Piano Lounge for ages. Certainly not in the moderators' echelon anymore - and that was my own choosing. When I finally decided to call it a day, I PM-ed Barrie who very graciously thanked me and wished me well on my future endeavours. However, when I announced this to the forum, (http://www.piano-tuners.org/piano-forum ... 13&t=10186), the thread remains without response, despite having had some 500-odd views. Says it all, really.

I joined this forum some 8 years ago to share and GET information, but as time went on, I was finding myself becoming increasingly a consultant as well as a moderator and getting nothing back from the forum except complaints and gripes. Things just couldn't continue as they were. Needless to say, I have no plans to return as a regular poster and certainly not as a moderator, I'm afraid.

(original post deleted)

My 18 1/2 year old cat Sophie is not at all well and my wife and I are very concerned.

Poor Sophie; it's horrible when cats get old. Can you get some of the cheap v.v.v.v.v.thinly sliced chicken that the supermarkets all sell? My cat loves it and it's fairly bland so might not upset Sophie's stomach too much. Keep us posted on how she gets on, won't you Dave?

At the moment, she's on small amounts of John West sardines and cream. However nothing passed her lips between Friday evening and Monday morning. So she is eating now but we'll have to see what the vet says, we have to be there at 10.20 in the morning. In addition, we've both got health centre appointments later today.

Sophie's not half as energetic as Sarah Jane my other cat, but she is very affectionate, curious and knows when feeding time is. However she's been doing nothing but hiding in her basket all day, we've had to get her out to feed, and then we put her into her cat loo. She does nothing, despite having her stomach massaged. All she'll do is try to hide in the litter box, and we have to get her out. Then she'll go back in her basket. She's drinking water though, but presently, everything else has to be spoonfed to her.

So you're a meowleycat lady as well as a piano one, Gill?

My cat's called Tuppence and she's 7, but we had Trouble who lived to 19 and a half and Gingerbits who was 20. I like all animals really. Unless you class a spider as an animal...

Update on Sophie, we went to a branch of a well known UK supermarket and got some plain cooked chicken, and she's had a few small pieces which she seemed to initially enjoy, but soon lose interest in. She's also had some licks of custard. Extremely languid and still not herself.

Sophie had a normal sized portion of chicken this morning, and we didn't have to spoon feed het. Then Teresa put her on the litter tray and she didn't hide in the corner. She actually used it for its proper purpose and not as a hideyhole.

Biggest problem for her is Sarah Jane. She's scared stiff of her and she always comes up to Sophie when we're trying to feed her. Normally though, they'll feed together.

She's still going to the vets though as we need to know why she went off her food all of a sudden and become scared and poorly

Well fingers crossed for you all that it's a stomach upset and nothing else...

There's nothing clinically wrong with Sophie that a vet can cure, so they said. It's just down to her age and that she may be getting a little bit senile. However if there's no improvement by next Wednesday (13.11.13) then she's going back. She hasn't had a stroke and her temperature is normal.

I feel a bit more reassured now she's actually seen a vet and been examined.

Vets bill was £25, much less than I was initially fearing.

Sophie was much less alert this morning, I had to take her out of the basket and then she found her own way into the kitchen to feed. She had most of her breakfast (some Kitekat) of her own accord but she had to be tempted to finish off the last four chunks and the splash of milk I put her. She's drunk almost a bowlful of water in 24 hours. Her appetite is coming back but very slowly.

But how did you get on at the vet? Well not YOU, but Sophie? Let us know.

Gill the Piano wrote:But how did you get on at the vet? Well not YOU, but Sophie? Let us know.

The vet examined her thoroughly, had a good feel around her body, looked into her eyes with the spot torch and took her temperature. But she just said that her illness was just down to the fact she is very old. Like old humans 'have the odd funny turn' sort of thing. She hasn't got a furball blocking her stomach, and she hasn't had a stroke like I thought she'd had. We agreed to bring her back to the vet on Wednesday for a blood test if there is no marked improvement in her health and general perkiness by then but we may need to take her up sooner if she doesn't improve. At the moment she has to be supervised when feeding, also done so away from Sarah Jane.

I went out earlier and when I came back, she was sitting on the sunny windowsill to welcome me back. She's in her basket now, but she's a little more active today, so that's a glimmer of hope.

Soaps was really down in the dumps last night. It took me half an hour to feed her but she only had half of her bowl, and she didn't drink her milk either. She'll just stand there and stare at her food. Then I put her on the litter tray and she just sat and stared Until Sarah Jane comes out of nowhere and punches her on the face. Normally when that happens she meows and runs away. But that didn't happen this time, she just stayed put. She did however have a small piece of cheese.

This morning, she made up for the food she didn't have last night. Her belly must be full to bursting point now though.