in my early days of flute playing I bought a flute, made by a young English Flute Maker, from a junk store in Abergavenny (Y Fenni) South Wales UK ..a few months later after buying a very early new Sam Murray I sold this 'Chris Wilkes' Flute for £125 !!! *** !!! F ** F**&!! etc etc etc
...funny ...when my partner of many many years split from me and moved away and took my faithful collie with her ..it appears that my well "played in" Ruby dissappeared too. i now play a Seary plastic thing ...Women ..Cant live with 'em Can't shoot 'em ...or trust them with yer flutes or dogs !!!
I once spent the most wonderful summer going out with a fellow piano box player. She was a lovely Canadian girl who had come over to spend a few months with her grandmother in Ardoyne and she played a gorgeous Paolo Soprani. We spent that whole summer playing music, going to sessions - even went to Willie Clancy week togetheer. I had up to then only ever played crap second-hand instruments and she would graciously lend me her accordion whenever I asked. The first time I played a note on that accordion it seemed to beg to be played; it was like rediscovering music.
Alas, the summer came to an end only too quickly. She and the accordion departed on a big jumbo one Saturday morning. I did, I admit, shed a bucketful of tears. And for the romantics among you, it was over her not the accordion. ;¬)
Footnote: she's married now, and I have a nice accordion of my own!
I inherited my grandfather's fiddle. It was an old factory-made fiddle in one of those pressed-paper cases. I was in what I now refer to as a $hite band and on a slight tour of the midwest in my fellow band-members parents' car. It was an old town car or some other huge tank with leather seats, electric. We packed the car full and made our way to St. Louis. Stretching our legs later, we used the electrics to push the seat back.
It wasn't until I opened the case at the gig that I realized the sound we heard was that of the bridge pushing into the body of the fiddle. I had stored it on the floor behind the seat, figuring it a pretty safe place. I cried.
Sadly, we were later told it wasn't nice enought to even fix. Recently, when my uncle gave up his fiddle, he was a nice fiddler, he gave it to my brother!
In another twist of fate that I have only recognized now, I received another fiddle from my great aunt's family. It had been sitting in a cardboard box in their barn for years and years. The glue had melted away and the fiddle was in bits. Literally. Nicely formed bits.
God Jim I'm glad someone told you at last, we had a lottery to see who would be the person to break the news that you'd been playing out of tune for years!!!
"just in case list" eh? Ok conan... I can see through your cheap charade. You're just telling squishy, sentimental sob stories to get the babes on the list lusting after you. I've seen all this before… you cad.
i used to be pretty good at the flute, in middle school. not the best, but the upper part of the huge section. then i started sucking, then i sucked worse. then i could barely play. i was confused. i found out years later my flute was broken. so i rubber banded it up and got better! i now have a new flute. i practice all the time now, dont wonder why i can barely play, and am doing quite well!
the upside of having a broken flute for so many is a can usually tell whats wrong with someone else's flute cuz i'm used to it.
my only regret is rubber banding it up. it stripped the silver plating off. i'm gonna fix my old flute (once i learn how), and make it playable again. it'll be really ugly tho. i'm sure that will make it better tho. i think it'll only be used as a lend out to poeple who want to learn or for me when i am going to go somewhere liable to get mugged like marching band (i use the schools flute for marching band... my nice new flute doesnt go near there!).
I got a fiddle, case, and bow for $150. The bow alone was worth $150. It came from an appalaichan fiddler who hadn't used it in years. this was one special fiddle...I'd had more than one fiddler offer (seriously) to buy it from me on-the-spot for its value. people would pick it up and just light up with its sound and playability. It had such a sweet but not saccharine, driving tone...perfect for ITM, in fact as if the Gods of ITM had made a fiddle and given it to me.
I couldn't really play fiddle back then, but I had a friend who could, and I recorded him (low quality) playing it, and I treasure those recordings, but anyways.
The back plates started to seperate...no big deal, right? so I brought it in for repair, and once the tailpiece was off you could see the front of it was cracked quite badly...
luckily, the block was not cracked. and it's not supposed to have hurt the sound much. but here's the thing. the tone bar got moved while it was being repaired (obviously). I have not been able to get it to be the same again. apparently it was *just* in the absolute perfect sweet spot to have that special something that makes a pretty decent fiddle into an outstanding one which just has something in the sound. I brought it back to my friend who I recorded, and didn't tell him what happened. he played it and...well, he played a few bars of a song and put it down and looked at me puzzled and said "what happened? Its just not the same fiddle anymore." I cried that night, to say the least. I quit fiddling for quite a while, 'til I happened upon borrowing a decent fiddle from someone else and it got me into it. I now play on the original quite a lot, but I miss what it used to sound like...
I still have hope...it needs a new bridge. maybe that'll help get some of it back. It's still a nice fiddle, but it's not this godly perfect fiddle sound anymore.
As a college graduation present to myself, I purchased a Vega 'Little Wonder' tenor banjo. I had been looking at it for months hanging on the wall at the shop. It was blonde in color, and dated 1927. It needed a new head, so I got a clear one, and it was lovely to see the beautiful insides of this gorgeous instrument.
It was so dear to my heart, that banjo. It had such a nice feel and sound, and smelled like a smoky old man from the mountains. I practiced and practiced for hours.
Then, a year or two later, The Tendonitis came into my life. It was terribly painful and I had it bad and my hands would go numb. I tried everything, long periods of time without playing, doctor visits, ibuprofen, exercises, you name it. I had to quit playing guitar, and eventually, my dear little beloved banjo.
I took my banjo back to the shop where I bought it and they agreed to sell it for me. Every now and then I would stop by there to see if it had been sold. Some months later, I decided I couldn't live without it, and couldn't bear it just hanging there on it's own....so I went to the shop to get it. It had been sold the day before. So I got a check from the shop and I cried all the way home.
As I type, I'm cryin on the inside Paddywhack, Sifu and Jode.
I've broken some good fiddles in my time,(about three to date through anger, stupidity and carelessness - but a mate of mine who is famous for getting himself into a state of exitus cranium (brilliant musician of course)was off to do a gig in the 80's. His fiddle case had disappeared so he wrapt it up in a heavy blanket and put his fiddle in the back of the station wagon. He stopped to pick up friends and beer and their instruments and when he got to the gig and everyone lifted their stuff out he was left with a heavy heart and a ruined Collin-Mezzin.
It's times like these that you wish Jeremy had included an Edit feature for old posts. But hey, that would probably spoil all the wacky, crazy fun I'm having .
SifuDave, there are people that can help you with that fiddle!! Seek professional help!
The woman I purchased my fiddle from can listen to me play, tap on the bridge here and there and make the instrument sing! She is an instrument maker and knows the ins and outs of the instruments.
I have seeked help, believe me. none have been able to get it just right.
if anyone wants, I'll email an attatchment to you showing just why I loved this fiddle so much
OK I've got one. When I was in high school someone lent me a wooden alto recorder to play. I put it in a bag and left - slamming the bag in the car door as I went. The recorder shattered into pieces. I felt like I'd committed an act of terrible evil, treating an instrument that way (though now I wonder just how evil that was!). Cost me a lot to replace it, being a jobless teen. I'm still neurotically cautious about where I place my whistles, these days.
Conan -- no way, dude. All ego petting aside, you're definitely way up there on the "just in case list", but I suspect that I'm fairly low down on yours! ;) But a nice try.
My dad is doing lots better this week! Who knows, maybe I'll be back home in Denver by next month or sooner!
I am the sad owner of two beautiful banjos..
1: Gibson TB100 1927
2: Paramount C 1926...
As said, these are beautiful,
alack, alas and begorrah, t'is me that is sad!!
Jimmy..
thinking of painting both me banjos "Summer Sun"!! want to do em?
Text from Paul saying "that one" will be fixed next week....
Will bring the Gibson "Summer Sun" in when his shop opens!!!!!!!!!!!
(-: only you know wot I'm talking booooot!
You could have, on the bodhràn skin, an image of the politician of your choice and derive satisfaction from seeing it beaten all night long.
This could perhaps compensate to a certain extent for the sounds that, in some cases, emanate from the instrument.
Two years ago I bought a new yamaha guitar for £400. To 'baptise' the guitar I went out the next night and fell into some bad female company.
Many drinks later back in my house, she was dancing, to mike mc golderick, as you do, and the guitar, leaning against the wall strings facing in,was fallen upon, wherein thefretboard literally came of the body.
I thought it was the end of the guitar, but took it to a guitar-fixer in portstewart, who reattached it.
The result was miraculous. It soinds just like new, and one would barely know that is was ever broken.
I can beat that..or my mate can. Someone stole his LOwden from his caravan.The next day in a fit of depression he made his way to the local shop, and there in the street leaning against a garden gate was his Lowden, presumably left there by a drug addled burglar over 12hrs before, and untouched by anyone since.
A Depressing Moment
Re: A Depressing Moment
in my early days of flute playing I bought a flute, made by a young English Flute Maker, from a junk store in Abergavenny (Y Fenni) South Wales UK ..a few months later after buying a very early new Sam Murray I sold this 'Chris Wilkes' Flute for £125 !!! *** !!! F ** F**&!! etc etc etc
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by ArseBiscuit
Re: A Depressing Moment
Thank Jeebus yer man had the dacency to tell you - now you can look forward to many years of really enjoyable playing.
ArseBiscuit me oul mate - are you interested in selling the Murray? lol 0)
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by breandan
Re: A Depressing Moment
That's nothing Jim -- try playing the concertina if you really want to keep having to re-tooling your technique.
NOTE: This would apply to Anglos of course, on account of there's only one way to play English system ones -- the wrong way.
Hi Dow *waves*
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: A Depressing Moment
...funny ...when my partner of many many years split from me and moved away and took my faithful collie with her ..it appears that my well "played in" Ruby dissappeared too. i now play a Seary plastic thing ...Women ..Cant live with 'em Can't shoot 'em ...or trust them with yer flutes or dogs !!!
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by ArseBiscuit
Re: A Depressing Moment
I do have a very old George and Manby but ...i've learnt !!!
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by ArseBiscuit
Re: A Depressing Moment
As long as Jim McKillop doesn't know you've passed on!!
Sure and you could have another 40 years playing in ye!!
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by breandan
Re: A Depressing Moment
I once spent the most wonderful summer going out with a fellow piano box player. She was a lovely Canadian girl who had come over to spend a few months with her grandmother in Ardoyne and she played a gorgeous Paolo Soprani. We spent that whole summer playing music, going to sessions - even went to Willie Clancy week togetheer. I had up to then only ever played crap second-hand instruments and she would graciously lend me her accordion whenever I asked. The first time I played a note on that accordion it seemed to beg to be played; it was like rediscovering music.
Alas, the summer came to an end only too quickly. She and the accordion departed on a big jumbo one Saturday morning. I did, I admit, shed a bucketful of tears. And for the romantics among you, it was over her not the accordion. ;¬)
Footnote: she's married now, and I have a nice accordion of my own!
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by Conán McDonnell
Re: A Depressing Moment
Notice how I steadfastly refused to use the word "box" in that last post? I know some of ye only too well! :¬)
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by Conán McDonnell
Re: A Depressing Moment
Conan, that's a sweet but sad story
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by JMH
Re: A Depressing Moment
*wiping tears*
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: A Depressing Moment
I inherited my grandfather's fiddle. It was an old factory-made fiddle in one of those pressed-paper cases. I was in what I now refer to as a $hite band and on a slight tour of the midwest in my fellow band-members parents' car. It was an old town car or some other huge tank with leather seats, electric. We packed the car full and made our way to St. Louis. Stretching our legs later, we used the electrics to push the seat back.
It wasn't until I opened the case at the gig that I realized the sound we heard was that of the bridge pushing into the body of the fiddle. I had stored it on the floor behind the seat, figuring it a pretty safe place. I cried.
Sadly, we were later told it wasn't nice enought to even fix. Recently, when my uncle gave up his fiddle, he was a nice fiddler, he gave it to my brother!
In another twist of fate that I have only recognized now, I received another fiddle from my great aunt's family. It had been sitting in a cardboard box in their barn for years and years. The glue had melted away and the fiddle was in bits. Literally. Nicely formed bits.
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by Jode
Re: A Depressing Moment
Jack, your tears remind me of one of my favourite quotations:
One must have a heart of stone to read the death of Little Nell by Dickens without laughing.
- Oscar Wilde
:¬)
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by Conán McDonnell
Re: A Depressing Moment
Ah, Conan, have I ever told you you're on my short "just in case" list? ;)
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: A Depressing Moment
God Jim I'm glad someone told you at last, we had a lottery to see who would be the person to break the news that you'd been playing out of tune for years!!!
# Posted on September 28th 2004 by MollyB
Re: A Depressing Moment
"just in case list" eh? Ok conan... I can see through your cheap charade. You're just telling squishy, sentimental sob stories to get the babes on the list lusting after you. I've seen all this before… you cad.
Do you give lessons?
# Posted on September 29th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: A Depressing Moment
i used to be pretty good at the flute, in middle school. not the best, but the upper part of the huge section. then i started sucking, then i sucked worse. then i could barely play. i was confused. i found out years later my flute was broken. so i rubber banded it up and got better! i now have a new flute. i practice all the time now, dont wonder why i can barely play, and am doing quite well!
the upside of having a broken flute for so many is a can usually tell whats wrong with someone else's flute cuz i'm used to it.
my only regret is rubber banding it up. it stripped the silver plating off. i'm gonna fix my old flute (once i learn how), and make it playable again. it'll be really ugly tho. i'm sure that will make it better tho. i think it'll only be used as a lend out to poeple who want to learn or for me when i am going to go somewhere liable to get mugged like marching band (i use the schools flute for marching band... my nice new flute doesnt go near there!).
# Posted on September 29th 2004 by daiv
Re: A Depressing Moment
heh. here's my sad story.
I got a fiddle, case, and bow for $150. The bow alone was worth $150. It came from an appalaichan fiddler who hadn't used it in years. this was one special fiddle...I'd had more than one fiddler offer (seriously) to buy it from me on-the-spot for its value. people would pick it up and just light up with its sound and playability. It had such a sweet but not saccharine, driving tone...perfect for ITM, in fact as if the Gods of ITM had made a fiddle and given it to me.
I couldn't really play fiddle back then, but I had a friend who could, and I recorded him (low quality) playing it, and I treasure those recordings, but anyways.
The back plates started to seperate...no big deal, right? so I brought it in for repair, and once the tailpiece was off you could see the front of it was cracked quite badly...
luckily, the block was not cracked. and it's not supposed to have hurt the sound much. but here's the thing. the tone bar got moved while it was being repaired (obviously). I have not been able to get it to be the same again. apparently it was *just* in the absolute perfect sweet spot to have that special something that makes a pretty decent fiddle into an outstanding one which just has something in the sound. I brought it back to my friend who I recorded, and didn't tell him what happened. he played it and...well, he played a few bars of a song and put it down and looked at me puzzled and said "what happened? Its just not the same fiddle anymore." I cried that night, to say the least. I quit fiddling for quite a while, 'til I happened upon borrowing a decent fiddle from someone else and it got me into it. I now play on the original quite a lot, but I miss what it used to sound like...
I still have hope...it needs a new bridge. maybe that'll help get some of it back. It's still a nice fiddle, but it's not this godly perfect fiddle sound anymore.
# Posted on September 29th 2004 by sifudave54
Re: A Depressing Moment
If you suck on the flute it doesn't work too well. It's better to blow, I find.
# Posted on September 29th 2004 by milesnagopaleen
Re: A Depressing Moment
As a college graduation present to myself, I purchased a Vega 'Little Wonder' tenor banjo. I had been looking at it for months hanging on the wall at the shop. It was blonde in color, and dated 1927. It needed a new head, so I got a clear one, and it was lovely to see the beautiful insides of this gorgeous instrument.
It was so dear to my heart, that banjo. It had such a nice feel and sound, and smelled like a smoky old man from the mountains. I practiced and practiced for hours.
Then, a year or two later, The Tendonitis came into my life. It was terribly painful and I had it bad and my hands would go numb. I tried everything, long periods of time without playing, doctor visits, ibuprofen, exercises, you name it. I had to quit playing guitar, and eventually, my dear little beloved banjo.
I took my banjo back to the shop where I bought it and they agreed to sell it for me. Every now and then I would stop by there to see if it had been sold. Some months later, I decided I couldn't live without it, and couldn't bear it just hanging there on it's own....so I went to the shop to get it. It had been sold the day before. So I got a check from the shop and I cried all the way home.
# Posted on September 29th 2004 by gladys
Re: A Depressing Moment
As I type, I'm cryin on the inside Paddywhack, Sifu and Jode.
I've broken some good fiddles in my time,(about three to date through anger, stupidity and carelessness - but a mate of mine who is famous for getting himself into a state of exitus cranium (brilliant musician of course)was off to do a gig in the 80's. His fiddle case had disappeared so he wrapt it up in a heavy blanket and put his fiddle in the back of the station wagon. He stopped to pick up friends and beer and their instruments and when he got to the gig and everyone lifted their stuff out he was left with a heavy heart and a ruined Collin-Mezzin.
# Posted on September 29th 2004 by Greenwiggle
Re: A Depressing Moment
Ha Ha !
Conon started with
"I once spent the most wonderful summer going out with a fellow"
I wish I was an editor.
I'll get my jacket.
# Posted on September 29th 2004 by BegF
Re: A Depressing Moment
"Taxi for BegF". There's the door, go hide your head in shame!
Zina, I bet I'm at the bottom of the list. Surely you've got better taste! (Go on, take the bait; my ego needs a boost).
Jack, just watch. Watch and learn. :¬)
# Posted on September 29th 2004 by Conán McDonnell
Re: A Depressing Moment
I hope he treated you gently Conan, you deserve
it !
# Posted on September 29th 2004 by BegF
Re: A Depressing Moment
Er, gee thanks BegF!
It's times like these that you wish Jeremy had included an Edit feature for old posts. But hey, that would probably spoil all the wacky, crazy fun I'm having .
# Posted on September 29th 2004 by Conán McDonnell
Re: A Depressing Moment
SifuDave, there are people that can help you with that fiddle!! Seek professional help!
The woman I purchased my fiddle from can listen to me play, tap on the bridge here and there and make the instrument sing! She is an instrument maker and knows the ins and outs of the instruments.
# Posted on September 29th 2004 by Jode
Re: A Depressing Moment
I have seeked help, believe me. none have been able to get it just right.
if anyone wants, I'll email an attatchment to you showing just why I loved this fiddle so much
# Posted on September 29th 2004 by sifudave54
Re: A Depressing Moment
OK I've got one. When I was in high school someone lent me a wooden alto recorder to play. I put it in a bag and left - slamming the bag in the car door as I went. The recorder shattered into pieces. I felt like I'd committed an act of terrible evil, treating an instrument that way (though now I wonder just how evil that was!). Cost me a lot to replace it, being a jobless teen. I'm still neurotically cautious about where I place my whistles, these days.
# Posted on October 1st 2004 by Trinil
Re: A Depressing Moment
I thought these were supposed to be depressing stories? One less recorder in the world?
Couldn't resist...
# Posted on October 1st 2004 by Jode
Re: A Depressing Moment
Conan -- no way, dude. All ego petting aside, you're definitely way up there on the "just in case list", but I suspect that I'm fairly low down on yours! ;) But a nice try.
My dad is doing lots better this week! Who knows, maybe I'll be back home in Denver by next month or sooner!
# Posted on October 1st 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: A Depressing Moment
My point exactly. I came to mourn the money spent much more...
# Posted on October 1st 2004 by Trinil
Re: A Depressing Moment
I am the sad owner of two beautiful banjos..
1: Gibson TB100 1927
2: Paramount C 1926...
As said, these are beautiful,
alack, alas and begorrah, t'is me that is sad!!
# Posted on October 2nd 2004 by Eoino
Re: A Depressing Moment
Jimmy..
thinking of painting both me banjos "Summer Sun"!! want to do em?
Text from Paul saying "that one" will be fixed next week....
Will bring the Gibson "Summer Sun" in when his shop opens!!!!!!!!!!!
(-: only you know wot I'm talking booooot!
# Posted on October 2nd 2004 by Eoino
Re: A Depressing Moment
You could have, on the bodhràn skin, an image of the politician of your choice and derive satisfaction from seeing it beaten all night long.
This could perhaps compensate to a certain extent for the sounds that, in some cases, emanate from the instrument.
# Posted on October 3rd 2004 by murfbox
Re: A Depressing Moment
Two years ago I bought a new yamaha guitar for £400. To 'baptise' the guitar I went out the next night and fell into some bad female company.
Many drinks later back in my house, she was dancing, to mike mc golderick, as you do, and the guitar, leaning against the wall strings facing in,was fallen upon, wherein thefretboard literally came of the body.
I thought it was the end of the guitar, but took it to a guitar-fixer in portstewart, who reattached it.
The result was miraculous. It soinds just like new, and one would barely know that is was ever broken.
That's not really a depressing moment, is it?
# Posted on October 4th 2004 by An Dearg
Re: A Depressing Moment
I can beat that..or my mate can. Someone stole his LOwden from his caravan.The next day in a fit of depression he made his way to the local shop, and there in the street leaning against a garden gate was his Lowden, presumably left there by a drug addled burglar over 12hrs before, and untouched by anyone since.
# Posted on June 24th 2007 by hakanozel
Re: A Depressing Moment
(for those who don't know, Lowdens are top of the range hand made guitars. That was about 3500euros leaning against that gate for 12hrs)
# Posted on June 24th 2007 by hakanozel