blogs_blog_108

...I don't think there are too many other homeschoolers on here, though.

I'm homeschooled!

Instruments are a lot of fun, except when you're halfway through a song and realize you've got your fingers on the wrong keys. :annoyed2:

 

Any other instrument-players out there?

I play the guitar and piano-type insruments. I'm not exactly a professional, I just play for fun! And I know exactly what you mean about that wrong key thing.

 

As for your comedy, that's .... original. But it made me laugh! And since that's the point of a comedy, I think it's pretty good!

 

Oh, and did you draw the LarryBoy in your profile pic? That's realy good!

 

 

"Any other instrument-players out there?"

 

I play tuba, and yeah, I know how you feel. Playing half-way through a song, and I realize I've got my fingers on the wrong valves. And wah brass? Never heard that term, but if it's what I think it is, then yep, it's VERY weird. We only do that effect in jazz band, because when you have the younger players try to do it, it sounds like (surprise!) cats.

 

Yeah, homeschooled is awesome, even though I'm not anymore. I'm gonna go read "The Fight," I'm bored too. If you don't see me post, then you were right, it's very weird. *puts on peanut-buttery headphones*

You are homeschooled? How interesting. I was homeschooled up to 6th Grade.

I played utility low clarinet (B flat Bass, E flat Contralto, and BB flat Contrabass) in high school, and have played treble clef baritone in college, and every year since 1997 for TubaChristmas. Except 2002: I was on the road that year.

 

-KIE

You and LK are both homeschooled? What a coincidence. Anyway, you play piano? Oh, I know. Sitting on keys is playing.

 

Beliwa: Could you be a LITTLE more random

 

That was random in itself.

KIE, you're my hero. I currently play B-flat soprano clarinet, B-flat tenor saxophone, and I've just started on a school baritone horn. But I'm considering getting an EEb contra-alto clarinet sometime in the future... my school has an extra bass clarinet that I could play, but I want to try a lower instrument, seeing as our low brass section is going to be rather sparsely populated for concert season... and since I can't play tuba, a low clarinet is the next best thing that I can play.

 

The only instrument that I consider myself proficient on is clarinet; sure, sax has the same fingerings for the most part, but the embouchure is a bit different, and I can't play it anywhere nearly as well (but well enough for my high school's jazz band ).

 

Deciding to learn baritone was one of those "well-we-need-more-people-in-low-brass-for-next-marching-season" type of things; well, it was half that and half that I felt like branching out a bit musically.

 

Plus, now I know more on how to write for trumpet and for baritone (a baritone is basically just twice as long as a trumpet, with some differences in the shape of the bore). That moves me closer to my goal of being able to write a complete piece for my band -- the only instruments that I really have no clue how to write for (as in I don't know about the weird fingerings from personal experience) are flute and trombone (baritone has taught me enough about tuba).

 

And that can be remedied anyway; I've looked up all of the slide positions for trombone and have taken that into account when writing trombone parts. And for the flutes, well, I haven't done it yet, but if I ever need to find some flute fingerings, I can look them up. I don't feel much up to learning flute.

 

But yeah, music is a big part of my life... and I don't mean I sit around listening to a lot of the "music" of today. I dislike a large amount of the stuff that comes out today; notably rap and pop. (Although I find rap mildly humorous because it's so extravagant. O_o)

 

Some of my favorite composers are Frank Ticheli, Arnold Rosner, Tchaikovsky, Mike Story, Robert W. Smith, and Bob Margolis, among many others.

 

I like to fool around with my MIDI keyboard... through that I've learned a lot of random major and minor chords, and that comes in handy when you want to identify what chord a passage is based off of. Fun stuff.

 

I can't play piano the right way, but I can still do an okay job if you through something that's not too complicated in front of me. If I practice something somewhat complex over and over again, I can get it ingrained in my memory. It just takes a week or two.

 

I did take lessons years ago, but dropped them after a bit.

 

And I practice my clarinet every single day (not always for that long). Right now the highest note I can play is an altissimo A, which is pretty sweet. I can't always get it out (the high F sometimes comes out instead), but it's easier when I play it right after playing a high G (and my high G, surprisingly enough, is pretty darn well in tune, more so than several of the notes below it, oddly enough O_o).

 

So that's my finger exercise for the day.

KIE, you're my hero. ... (SNIP!)

Eheh.

 

The last time I played soprano clarinet was sixth grade, 15 years ago. I started playing bass clarinet in 7th grade, and was generally available for contra clarinets through high school.

Why? Well, my hands are too big for an E-flat clarinet, and almost too big for the soprano clarinet. No, I've not been on HGH or some other steroid, but I've had large fingers & hands: my high school class ring was a size 11.

 

Besides, I didn't practice that much: I'd already lined up a life-path that was not music-based, and had convinced myself that I wouldn't need the clarinet to fall back on. As the music got more difficult, I kept dropping half-octaves. It was, and still is, more pleasing to my ear than the tones eminating from the soprano clarinet attached to my mouth.

 

I am a hack, don't ever let me get away without saying that.

 

-KIE

Well, At least three other people are homeschooled, good to know I'm not alone here...

Just now noticed something:

...except when you're halfway through a song and realize you've got your fingers on the wrong keys.

Turakii, it's called a "modulation."

 

Okay, I promise to shush on this topic

 

 

-KIE

Turakii, it's called a "modulation."

It would be "modulation" if all my fingers were on the wrong keys, but with half my fingers playing in Dm and the other half playing in C, it may be closer to "gibberish." (Is there a proper musical term for gibberish?)

 

Ooh...you like Newsboys, too...

 

Turakii

just wanted to say ima homschooled two.well,not till september^^yay summer!

Is there a proper musical term for gibberish?

 

 

 

Turakii

yes. It's the song called "I'm to sexy for my shirt!" And yes I'm homeschooled too! Now you're not lonely!