Violin sound.

[rob aylestone]

The thing with trying to create an organ sound with a different class of instrument is that you have two separate things to consider. The sound. You can produce an organ sound (piano, or even a saxophone), but you have to play them differently, or they sound wrong. A violin can play or off the exact note, they start notes differently to a key on an instrument. They can increase in volume after you start the note. Most importantly, you can go to one note without stopping the previous one.

To achieve a realistic organ melody on an organ sound, played on anything other than keys on a keyboard, it is very hard. Your standard of musicianship has to go up quite a few notches with your playing technique changing to match the new instrument’s demands.

I have a MIDI guitar with a synth attached. It has piano, organs, strings, synths, but despite some being very good Roland sounds, playing it, expecting to sound like the name in the display, is quite difficult. Plus, you have to cope with miss-triggering.
Sometimes your fingers make noises that are mistakes not notes. The gizmos dont know. If you treat them totally as an effect you can have great fun, but i have never been successful trying to be realistic.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks rob for your interesting explanation and suggestions; what you say makes a great deal of sense to me. I've already noticed as I start to play a note it comes on quietly then quickly builds in volume; (POG2) it's particulary sensitive on the A string; the G & D strings are much louder than the A string but I pressume with practice I'll be able to compensate for this; the E string is very quiet indeed and not needed with the songs I'm learning. This is with my Yamaha YEV-104 violin.

I'm finding it very interesting though playing with the pedals; it's opened up an whole new world. My circa 1880 German trade violin now sounds really poor even when played through the Yamaha amp with a Fishman bridge pickup.

It was set up and tuned with new strings when Bron bought it for me by a now retired luthier; but that's maybe four years ago; it will need new strings by now? There are so many types of strings available the choice is bewildering. I'm using a carbon fiber bow with pernambuco wood veneer which cost £300 new.

I'm slowly improving with practice and the few songs I play I'm now feeling comfortable with and can play without the score. My sight reading too is starting to make sense as long as the score is reasonably basic. It looks like a nice violin pactice day again today; it's dark and raining.

Kind regards, Col.

 

[rob aylestone]

The thing to remember Rob, is that not every instrument is a good one, for tone or just ease of playing.

I have a friend who was told classic saxophones are very collectable. Last time I was at his house he was going through his collection. He had a Yanigisawa he had paid quite a bit for, and a Selmer Mk VI - always the ones people go on about. A nice looking Yamaha Tenor and a Keilworth. ALL of them are simply horrible. Some just sounded worn out and dull, most clacked like mad, they had hard pads so they leaked a lot making tuning iff and not one of them I would wish to play - my collection consists of old student through to nice ones and even a fake one and they ALL play better than my friends. His are worn out, unloved and probably the ones made on a Friday afternoon just before the factory shut!

I very much doubt the difference in sound is down to strings. My guess is that even with new strings it will sound very similar.

 

[R D Smith]

We have tom baker coming to our theatre next year, if he is still with us. Looking forward to that!

Wow, he has to be in his 90's by now. I hope he makes it.

 

[rob aylestone]

Yes - he is very frail but we have one other doctor too, we hope. Don't know much about it yet, but we've said yes to whatever it is!

 

[Papanate]

It is a British thing. Look up 'TV Licensing Goon' on YouTube.
I made a video covertly the first time they came. Got him good and proper, harrassing me after I told him to leave.
Tell them to leave, and if they don't leave immediately, they are trespassing.
It is still out there, because people steal your videos and re-post them to make money.
In America, you have the right to buy a machine-gun.
In Britain, we need a license to watch TV.

Unbelievable - so do these goons work for the Government or are they independent?

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks rob, I've a great deal to learn; I was going into the garden this afternoon but it's come over very dark so I can spend time in the studio instead. I've not yet connected my three pedals together so I'm keen to see what they will sound like; with 16 x 13a sockets in the studio I won't have problems plugging in the mains adaptors. I'll stick with it.

I well remember the first Dr Who; William Hartnell 1963-1989; I was 16 at the time and in those days it was a must watch program. Bron used to watch "Emmerdale Farm" and we both used to watch "The Great British Pottery Throwdown" but PC has now ruined lots of what were decent programs.

Have a look at this video @Papanate;



Kind regards, Col.

 

[Slouching Raymond]

Unbelievable - so do these goons work for the Government or are they independent?

They work for a private company which has a lot of contracts with the government.
In this instance the company is contracted to 'TV Licensing', and that is a trading name owned by - the BBC.
The BBC are the bastards behind all this, and all the license fees collected go to - the BBC.

 

[TalismanRich]

I find it curious that the TV license covers things like broadcasts on Amazon Prime, Youtube or Netflix (real time) or from broadcasts originating outside the UK, yet the funds go only to the BBC. I could see it if the BBC provided the content and broadcast it via transmitter or cable/internet, but they have no stake in Amazon or Netflix.

As always, it's a money grab. Once you get the fee system set up, you just keep expanding it.

I do appreciate you folks paying to put out BBC America so I can watch 60 year old reruns of Star Trek, reruns of Law and Order, NCIS and Bones (oh wait... I have all those on DVD). Maybe next they can run the 24 series, CSI, Green Acres and Hogans Heroes. I've got those on DVD too.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

On YouTube I watch lots of old TV series; Robin Hood (Richard Greene) Highway Patrol; Taxi; Wirleybirds; Gideon's Way; Z Cars; Juliet Bravo; the list goes on but all are recordings not live streaming; I keep well away from live news etc. I pay £12.99 per month as a "Premium" YouTube member and it's money well spent; no adverts; the TV is running in the background on YouTube with music videos. I also have Netflix but with a few adverts; it's part of the TV bundle and I'm unsure if it has live streaming; I simply watch recorded items. I never pay for movies; there's already plenty of free movies to choose from. I watch lots of tutorial videos on YouTube covering many subjects.

Kind regards, Col.

 

[R D Smith]

My wife and I have enjoyed several British comedies over the years. Keeping Up Appearances and Are You Being Served were our favorites. We don't watch TV anymore other than the occasional Amazon movie. We spend our leisure time on the internet or YouTube.

 

[Slouching Raymond]

My wife and I have enjoyed several British comedies over the years. Keeping Up Appearances and Are You Being Served were our favorites. We don't watch TV anymore other than the occasional Amazon movie. We spend our leisure time on the internet or YouTube.

As a DVD collector, I had to get the 'Are You Being Served?' box set.
I also bought the 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum' box. A couple of episodes don't seem to be in it due to political correctness nutters.

 

[rob aylestone]

I did a show for Peggy from Hi-de-Hi the other day - great fun.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Bron and I enjoyed Keeping up appearances too; Onslow was my favourite charactor.

https://keepingupappearances.fandom.com/wiki/Onslow

There are so many of these old series on YouTube making £12.99 per month for no ads well worth it; I also watch so many tutorials which cover just about any subject. Music videos can be watched over and over. Here's a favourite of mine;



This is a good one.


Back on track; here's one of the tunes I'm learning to play on my violin; the building in the video is out of this world;


Lots of violin videos are spoiled by someone overpowing it on a piano.

Kind regards, Col.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Things are moving forward a bit. I've been practicing playing my violin and sight reading from enlarged paper music scores which has worked but ends up with lots of large paper sheets that take time messing around with. I now copy scores to memory stick using my camera and desktop computer for convenience then playing the memory stick on the studio laptop. it works a treat; at the press of a couple of keys I can instantly access the next page or even a different score; full size on the laptop I can see the notes clearly; I can also add audio which helps too.

It works a treat and occupies a lot less bench space; I wish I'd thought of this ages ago saving having the paper scores enlarged at 50p per sheet.

I've now also bought a BOSS looper pedal RC-2 but I'm awaiting a power supply to arrive; I have a correct negative center pin PSU but at 250mA it's not powerful enough it needs a 500mA supply.

I collected my laboratory PSU and DMM as shown from the wokshop intending to use this but it being so cold running up and down to the workshop decided not to bother; it wasn't worth soldering new connections for the sake of £8.99 to buy a correct adaptor through eBay. I use the DMM to ensure correct polarity; many instruments are diode protected but the ones which aren't get fried with a wrong polarity.

I'm trying to do so much; yesterday afternoon I spent over two hours evicting more couch grass from the middle meadow working on my hands and knees using a hand trowel; it was very unpleasant indeed on the slippery slope feeling perished but I want to clear this meadow before Christmas then next springtime I can easily pull out by hand any further couch grass popping its head up.

The heating's on in the studio so it's time to put everything together; I'm also making progress with the pedals but it's slow although very interesting.

It's illegal to listen to police or plane transmissions but I like to have a look at this from time to time especially if a plane is overhead; I can track it;

https://www.flightradar24.com/53.63,-2.87/8

Kind regards, Col.

 

[rob aylestone]

I was a bit surprised by that version of Amazing Grace Colin? The tune isn't quite the one I know! Bar 9, just sounds a bit odd?

The comments on Police and aircraft made me smile. In the UK we have been unable to listen to emergency services radio for a very long time - since they encrypted everything and moved to the Airwave system. However only recently OFCOM have removed the ban they had on streaming ATC services, so aircraft listening ,which is a very popular hobby, is now not promoted, but no longer considered actionable. The old Wireless Telegraphy act, now the Communications Act still has the old flavour where you can listen to anything that has the ability to be licensed - the thing being that some things have never had a licence possibility, making listening prosecutable, while others, like aircraft and marine radio do have the capability of being licenced, so wigging in has a blind eye (or ear) turned to it. Marine, for example is a free licence, available on request - the only rule being that to transmit you should do a one day course, run by the Royal Yachting Association. The Government are aware they have far more licences, than test passes - but if you use a radio to get rescued by the coastguard or lifeboat, nobody asks for your licence. Being not dead is enough. For what it's worth, listening to interesting stuff is more and more difficult as users go digital. Boats and Planes are pretty much it now in the UK. Ham Radio, CB radio and people who use our PMR446 short range system (like the US FMRS/GMRS) for a hobby, are available, but to be honest, rather boring.

 

[Slouching Raymond]

The looper should be fun, Colin.
I bought the RC-30, I think. It has 2 pedals and 2 loops. I still don't understand how to use it.
I get it out from time to time, and have a try.
I had to buy a special power adapter for it, which wasn't cheap. They don't give you one with it when new.

Always wise to check polarity.
Glad to hear you're doing OK.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks rob; I wouldn't have a clue if the Amazing Grace score looked a bit odd; I usually now browse Musecore for any sheet music I want and there's usually a good selection covering lots of instruments.


Thanks also rob for your information regarding listening to transmissions; your knowledge of the subject is far superior to mine. CB was the rage many years ago but I never hear of it now and was never interested in it. The only CB I hear is on old films like Convoy and Smokey and the bandit. A friend was on morse code having a licence but he's not bothered with it for over ten years. When mobile phones came out I watched an interesting test between mobile phone and morse code; morse code won.

I'm looking forward to using the looper Raymond but like the other pedals I now have I seem to have too many knobs to twiddle with so it's going to be a long interesting learning curve for me.

Yours looks a more expensive BOSS than mine Raymond; I think BOSS sell the adaptors seperately in order to make more profit and to make the pedals look cheaper. On my looper it doesn't even have the small detail of cable connections; I've downloaded the extensive user manual free of charge from BOSS; they are complicated bits of kit. At the moment I have my other three pedals connected and am starting to achieve the organ sound I'm after; it all takes so much time though now I'm on my own with chores to carry out and gardens to attend. Thank you for your kind comment. It's eight months today since my lovely Bron passed away and I'm feeling it very deeply indeed. Keeping busy helps a bit; it hurts.

Kind regards, Col.