Who Plays an Instrument?

[samwarg]

Axordil, were you quoting John Lennon? And the viola bass, would that be rather violin-shaped like the one Paul McCartney played/plays? I believe that is a german-made "Hofner".
And Padme, have you ever heard the beautiful old song "Stranger on the shore" by a Mr Akerbilk? (I'm not sure of that spelling, and I think his first name was "Jan") Anyway, he played the clarinet and it was a big hit about 1960, as I recall. Little Sammy used to listen to that song on his first transister radio.

[axordil]

Yes and true, but Epiphone makes one too.

[samwarg]

I don't doubt that a number of companies haven't made them with that shape. Many bass players were once six-string players. Is that the case with you Axordil? I bought a cheap acoustic bass for my 15yo son because he'd been listening to a lot of Rush and expressed a desire to play like Geddy Lee. Now it's in the closet with all of my guitars. I can play it if I have tabs to follow.

[axordil]

Never been a serious player, although I enjoy playing at it, the bass, specifically. There's something inherently mellowing about thumping out low tones...unless of course you don't WANT them to be mellow.

[samwarg]

I would never try to minimalize the importance of a bass, that's for sure. Those low notes provide the foundation for the rest of the music. Actually, I was a bass player a long time ago. I played the tuba in highschool band. I liked concert season but hated football season when I had to march around with that big bulky thing.
I also play a banjo a little bit, although I seldom ever pick it up anymore. I guess if I had some playing partners that were into bluegrass or folk, I might play it some. I bought a mandolin and had learned a few chords on it, but a friend wanted to trade me two guitars for it, so now I'm mandolin-less.

[yovargas]

In the past couple months, I've become enfatuated with the idea of learning how to play an accordion. Unfortunately, I am both cheap and poor so I likely won't me making that purchase anytime soon, but I really hope i get to it someday!

[samwarg]

I have no idea what one costs, yov. I would think you might find a deal on one if you looked hard enough, though. Ebay and the classifieds would be a good place to look for a used one. Some of the online music stores like "musician's Friend" offer payment plans, also. They are popular with the German, Polish and Mexican communities.
If you desire one, there must be a way for you to have it. It's not like you're asking for a grand piano.

[axordil]

Welcome to Heaven, here's your harp.

Welcome to Hell...

I love the Far Side still.

[yovargas]

[Primula Baggins]

Joke: An accordion player stops at a restaurant for a late dinner one night. About halfway through his salad he has a frightening realization: he has left his accordion in plain sight on the back seat of his car. He groans and jumps to his feet and races out of the restaurant, only to find that he is, as he feared, too late: the window of his car has been broken out, and there is another accordion sitting next to his.

[samwarg]

Alright, where's that lady with the salmon? Ok, go slap that person who was making fun of accordians. WHAP! And he hit him on the nose and he hit him on the fin, he went right upside the head of my favorite baby seal with a lead-filled.......Oops, I got carried away. Shame on you, axordil. Primula! You too? I'm going to tell wierd Al.

Alright, I came over here to answer Mr V's post from another land. Wow! That little film clip was great! You guys (and gal) can really get it on! From what I can tell, you look more like Jerry Garcia than I do. My nose is too pointy.

I'm sure you're right about the guitars. As I recall, Jerry did endorse Yairi Alvarez, as did CSN, but I'm sure he probably had many different makes and models of guitars. I have a couple of Alvarez guitars, but neither one of them are the highly-prized Yairi models. I do have a Yairi, but not a Yairi/Alvarez.

[Primula Baggins]

I humbly apologize, samwarg! The fact is. . . .

<gulp>

I've never told anyone this. . . .

The fact is, Mr. Prim plays . . . played . . . the accordion. . . .

[yovargas]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Primula Baggins]

"Lady of Spain" with the bellows shake. . . .

[samwarg]

Can someone rub my tummy? I think my side just split open.

[axordil]

Could be worse. Could be its precursor, the hurdy-gurdy.

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

There's an old fellow with a hurdy gurdy who appears at events here and there, I recall seeing him the Middle-earth festival in Vacaville and at the Gold Rush Days in Old Town Sacramento. I rather like the sound of the hurdy gurdy.

There's a Schubert lied from Winterreise, "Der Leiermann", set to a poem by Wilhelm Müller. I find it rather gloomy and chilling to the soul. Here's the English translation:

Over there beyond the village stands a hurdy-gurdy man,
and with numb fingers he winds as best he can.
He staggers around, barefoot on the ice,
and his little plate always stays empty.
No one wants to hear him, no one looks at him,
and the dogs growl around the old man.
And he lets it pass, lets everything be,
winds, and his hurdy-gurdy never stays still.

Strange old man, should I come with you?
Will you grind your hurdy-gurdy to my songs?

As I typed that I thought of the Beatles' "Nowhere Man".

Don't ever listen to Winterreise if you're depressed. It ain't exactly a "pick me up" kinda piece. There are some cool songs in it, though.

As far as instruments go, I own four musical instruments. I own an Andrew Kohler upright piano that Goldberry gave me as a wedding gift, two Susato Irish whistles (one in D and the other in F), and a Gemeinhardt silver flute. The latter I purchased when I was in high school with money I earned from a paper route.

I played a nickel-plated Bundy student model flute for several years before purchasing the Gemeinhadt. I later gave it to the daughter of a woman who goes to my mother's church so that she could learn to play. I learned last summer that she has since passed it on to another girl who wished to learn to play.

[Alatar]

I'm going to tell wierd Al.

Who you calling Weird?

Reminds me of a song from Paul Brady about the animosity he experienced being Irish in London in the 70's during the IRA bombing campaign.

But there's a crowd say I'm alright,
they say they like my turn of phrase
take me round to their parties,
like a dressed up monkey in a cage.
And I play my accordian,
but when the wine seeps through the facade,
You see its nothing but the same old story.

[samwarg]

That is a less-than-cheerful bit of poetry, Old Tom. I didn't think of the Beatles song but it did conjour visions of "Agualung" and Donovan's "Hurdy gurdy Man".

I meant wierd Al Yankovic, who sometimes plays an accordion, not you Alatar. Besides, you're "formidible good-looking Al", right? You play a guitar.

I'm willing to pay up to five bucks to anyone for a picture of Primula dancing the polka to accordion music. Something in my bones tells me that one exists.

[Primula Baggins]

The negatives were reduced to their component atoms years ago.

And it was actually the Time Warp.

Mr. Prim doesn't play his accordion any more despite my expressed wish to form a family trio of me on on viola, him on accordion, and my brother on Scottish bagpipes. (My brother, too, has lapsed unaccountably, thought he claims it's because he lives in a tiny New York apartment. His upstairs neighbor is a professional tympanist, too, who keeps irregular practice hours, so these fine scruples seem absurd to me.)