The Wanderer's Journey

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Music sounds like the perfect pursuit, Al. It sounds like you understand exactly why.

Dealing with this has got to be the kind of thing you wish were a bad dream so you could wake up. Take care of yourself while you pursue the various options available to you.

Happy shaves do help,

Jim

 

[AimlessWanderer]

As I have physical limitations, decided what is sensible to have a go at, has taken some serious thought. Whatever it is, has to be based around my central axis, so I can't be looking to the side all the time (no flute, violin, guitar, etc), and the weight and physicality of the instrument can be an issue too (no saxophone, accordian, percussion).

Before I got the bad news of the legal battle not being concluded, I bought myself a second hand book

Back when I was at school, I had attempted to learn the clarinet, but ended up aborting it, as music theory didn't seem compatible with my brain. A couple of days reading this book, gave me more insight into the working than my studies at school ever did.

Then again, I have more of a reason to learn now, and desire to learn is essential for success.

I think I'll probably need a keyboard (or other chord playing instrument) to fully get my head around the theory side, so that's on the shortlist. Also, I think I should be able to handle a clarinet without having too many issues, physically. I might need a saxophone type harness, but that's OK. Of course, I also have the head start in being able to get a sound from it, that doesn't sound like I'm molesting a goose - although I do need to bear in mind that the last time I held one (clarinet, not goose) was 30 years ago.

The instrument that I think I'd most like to be able to play, is the Celtic harp. Far too much of a financial commitment for me, and I'd prefer to get a bit of general music appreciation first with other twangly, jangly, tooty or bashy stuff. I have found out there is a harp teacher near me, so having a few trial lessons would be a possibility too... and I've also seen a 22 string lap harp which might be within my physical limits, and experience on that would transfer to a floor harp...

So keyboard, clarinet, and lap harp are on the wishlist, but of course, it all depends on winning the other battle first. They're not expensive either, and I could get all three for less than half what a Celtic harp would cost... and be less hearbreaking should I fall into them or otherwise break them at home, which is something I do have to keep in mind.

Any other musicians amongst my readers here?

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Music sounds like the perfect pursuit, Al. It sounds like you understand exactly why.

Dealing with this has got to be the kind of thing you wish were a bad dream so you could wake up. Take care of yourself while you pursue the various options available to you.

Happy shaves do help,

Jim

Thanks, Jim.

Yes, it should help with the physical aspects, as well as recovering from the mental turmoil of having a life changing illness, and then being treated like a fraudulent lead swinger for 2.1/2 years by the very people who should be helping me.

I'll not give up the fight though. Plenty of people have told me that it would have broken them, and they'd have given up by now, but I'm FAR too stubborn for that.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I sometimes play a harmonium, the kind that's a smallish box. Reeds and a bellow. Hand pumped. You play with one hand, so chords or melody, or alternate them. Mine was imported and sold by David Estes. There are plenty of other kinds, but mine's a very good one. I play what most people play on this instrument which is kirtans, like this group (they're terrific and nice people). It's a spiritual practice for most people into kirtans.

One method which helped me greatly was Piano For Quitters. The teacher has a couple of courses he sells. It's all about learning in a way which most piano teachers have sadly abandoned. You can find some free stuff online, free but helpful, and probably buy a used DVD and booklet on Amazon or somewhere.

I'm no great musician or anything close, but I can muddle through well enough to entertain myself and "practice," which is all that matters to me.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Somerled]

One instrument that supposedly easy to learn is the Ukulele.
Reasonably cheap to buy, been meaning to get myself one.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

One instrument that supposedly easy to learn is the Ukulele.
Reasonably cheap to buy, been meaning to get myself one.

I think all the fast strumming that's needed, would leave me bed ridden for a week Whatever I choose has got to be easy on the neck, and it's surprising how easy the wrong type of motion can screw my neck up.

I did think about getting one of those travel sized guitars, and learning... I think they call it finger style... where most of the action is just below the wrist. I also did like the looks of Alpine Zither for a fretted string alternative, but it seems the only way to get one, is gamble £300-£800 on ebay, and risk ending up with something that needs repair work.

I'd still rather end up veering towards harp as a string instrument though. While I'm not a fan of Coldplay, if I could ultimately learn to play the harp even 1/4 as well as this lady, I'd be very happy indeed

 

[Somerled]

Zither was something else I was thinking of, or an Autoharp.
They would be much more expensive than a ukulele though.

It doesn't have to be super fast and hard strumming to make a tune. I've known a few people that can play them and it's not furious stuff.

Another, leaning to a more American style, would be a dulcimer.
Play it on your lap.

Pretty cool vid btw Al.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Zither was something else I was thinking of, or an Autoharp.
They would be much more expensive than a ukulele though.

It doesn't have to be super fast and hard strumming to make a tune. I've known a few people that can play them and it's not furious stuff.

Another, leaning to a more American style, would be a dulcimer.
Play it on your lap.

Pretty cool vid btw Al.

I did consider the Mountain Dulcimer, and a mandolin, and lap steel, and... you get the idea

The issue for me with the dulcimer, is that it's set in one key, and you have to retune if you want to change that. While the little lap harp that I'm considering, is also diatonic, a Celtic harp can play accidentals, and can be quickly changed to a different key. So the lap harp gives scope for progression to something "more", whereas the dulcimer is a kind of spur all on its own.

I think lap steel guitar needs more precision than I will likely be capable of (considering my vision issues too), and I don't want anything that relies on tremolo techniques too often. Other fretted instruments have a margin for error, and you can feel if you're not quite where you should be.

Mandolin was something I considered, for much the same reason you mention the Uke. Not too large, just four strings, and (rightly or wrongly) I thought there'd be less effect on the neck and shoulders than a uke. However, while I love the sound, the tone might be a little too piercing for the migraine aspects of my health issues (I sound like a real whinger, I know). I ruled out the higher pitched wind instruments for the same reason (whistles, ocarinas, and end blown flutes) though I don't think the tone of the clarinet will be an issue in the same way. It doesn't hit my ear as harshly. Although I did actually consider Low D Whistles, or even a Xiou flute, before I considered revisiting the clarinet.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Shave #1 on the Malaysian Super Nacet (on Friday) was abysmal. It reall struggled with the two day growth, and I was having to use far too much effort to drag the razor along. I decided to persevere with it though, in case the difficulties were due to an error on my part, or is was just that the PTFE coating had gone on a bit thick.

Shave #2 (Saturday) was better, but not great. I'm sure the Gillette Platinum with 18 shaves on it was sharper than this.

Shave #3 today, and the performance was no better. I'll be discarding this one, and I'll replace it with the other blade I have of the same brand, ready for the next shave.

All three shaves were with Palmolive. I still haven't put one of the other samples out yet.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

First shave on the second (and last) Malaysian Super Nacet today. Certainly a better blade than the last one. They haven't been stored in tucks (I acquired them loose) so maybe they've not had the ideal storage treatment.

This one is OK, but not fantastic. Nothing to make me regret my blade box already being full - well kind of - I dumped several part used tucks into the tupperware box I draw my next blade from a couple of weeks ago. still using the Palmolive.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I ditched the Gillette Super Nacet after yesterday's shave. It was usable, but not enjoyable. Not in that razor anyway.

Much like I have ended up with a pile of soap to work through before I get down to just my favourites, I have ended up the same way with blades too. There's at least two years of each to still work through, before I'm down to just Mitchell's and Palmolive, and the wider array of great blades that I have future-proofed myself with.

While this might read as though I have two years of sub-par shaves to endure, this isn't really the case. I can still get a perfectly good shave with any of what's left, but it's only the best of the bunch that I'll be using thereafter. I haven't kept anything which I would begrudge using.

EDT is another thing that looks like it will last ages. It's almost 18 months ago that I got myself three bottles, and for the last 5 or six months, I've pretty much stuck to just one of them. I've used less than 1/3 of that bottle. In the same 5 or 6 months, I've used just over half of a bottle of cheap aftershave lotion.

I have written about this before, several times, and whenever I do, the elapsed time doesn't appear to have depleted anything very much further at all. Further testament to how long shaving supplies last. The only thing that's really changed, is that I'm now less inclined to count shaves. Since establishing my favourites out of what I've tried so far, shave counting has less meaning. I no longer have incentive to measure product A against product B. It's back to just enjoying the simplicity of shaving again.

 

[Cal]

It's back to just enjoying the simplicity of shaving again.

Nice Al.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Nice Al.

Thanks, Cal. I don't regret making the detours, but it's nice to not be trying to measure A against B anymore.

For example, I have actually dosed up the ramekin with my sample of Phoenix and Beau, Sanskrit, and had my first shave with it today. How it compares with anything else, is irrelevant. It was discontinued in January.

As it happens it was a nice shave. That soap, the usual boar, and a fresh Gillette SharpEdge in the Jagger DE3D14. The scent wasn't too intrusive, and did what it needed to. Didn't quite load enough soap to start with, but that's an easy fix. Everything else was on autopilot.

It's very liberating to not care. In fact, I think my shave quality has improved by not caring, and not analysing the shave, just letting it happen.

 

[Seveneighth]

As I have physical limitations, decided what is sensible to have a go at, has taken some serious thought. Whatever it is, has to be based around my central axis, so I can't be looking to the side all the time (no flute, violin, guitar, etc), and the weight and physicality of the instrument can be an issue too (no saxophone, accordian, percussion).

Before I got the bad news of the legal battle not being concluded, I bought myself a second hand book

View attachment 985389

Back when I was at school, I had attempted to learn the clarinet, but ended up aborting it, as music theory didn't seem compatible with my brain. A couple of days reading this book, gave me more insight into the working than my studies at school ever did.

Then again, I have more of a reason to learn now, and desire to learn is essential for success.

I think I'll probably need a keyboard (or other chord playing instrument) to fully get my head around the theory side, so that's on the shortlist. Also, I think I should be able to handle a clarinet without having too many issues, physically. I might need a saxophone type harness, but that's OK. Of course, I also have the head start in being able to get a sound from it, that doesn't sound like I'm molesting a goose - although I do need to bear in mind that the last time I held one (clarinet, not goose) was 30 years ago.

The instrument that I think I'd most like to be able to play, is the Celtic harp. Far too much of a financial commitment for me, and I'd prefer to get a bit of general music appreciation first with other twangly, jangly, tooty or bashy stuff. I have found out there is a harp teacher near me, so having a few trial lessons would be a possibility too... and I've also seen a 22 string lap harp which might be within my physical limits, and experience on that would transfer to a floor harp...

So keyboard, clarinet, and lap harp are on the wishlist, but of course, it all depends on winning the other battle first. They're not expensive either, and I could get all three for less than half what a Celtic harp would cost... and be less hearbreaking should I fall into them or otherwise break them at home, which is something I do have to keep in mind.

Any other musicians amongst my readers here?

Music graduate here, from many years ago.

Just wrote you a lonnnnng reply with suggestions.

Phone glitched and I lost it all.

Will retype when I have time tonight.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Music graduate here, from many years ago.

Just wrote you a lonnnnng reply with suggestions.

Phone glitched and I lost it all.

Will retype when I have time tonight.

Oops! I hate it when that happens.

I look forward to your thoughts, Kit.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

In the meantime ...

Third shave on the SharpEdge with the Phoenix and Beau soap yesterday. The blade is still performing perfectly, but I've noticed something rather odd with the soap.

The first shave with it was great. However, on the second shave, the scent was rather overwhelming, and quite sickly. I did wonder if it was going to be something that I'd have to stop using. By the third shave, the scent was tolerable again.

I know our sense of smell varies with the weather, and other factors, but as I tend to use largely unscented products, this was the first time I'd experienced this with a shave soap. I do hope it's something that doesn't repeat.

Hopefully, as I leave my shave soaps uncovered in the bathroom, the scent will diminish the longer I use it, and I won't suffer that again. Maybe the water temperature that I was lathering with makes a difference. I ought to pay attention to that. Whatever the cause, that's not an experience I want to be repeating with any regularity.

As to performance, the soap is still doing fine, but much like the other samples I've been trying, I don't think it's worth the price tag, unless you are the sort of person who likes being cocooned in the scents these type of soaps offer. The post shave feel is fine, but my skin doesn't feel noticably different for having used that as opposed to one of the other samples, or even the "incredible disappearing lather" craft soaps that I've been using.

It's just smelly soap, and being smelly doesn't make it better or more desirable.

 

[Seveneighth]

Oops! I hate it when that happens.

I look forward to your thoughts, Kit.

OK so this is a bit of a mad ramble...

My personal experiences with music, as someone who was not very talented, but was fortunate enough to attend a specialist music academy, and had to learn to keep up with talented musicians was that there are a number of ways to progress rapidly. It's all about how you listen to music and how you practise. A very accomplished friend showed me how to practise - now a well known professional musician. You slow down the notes so much so that your brain can take in every detail of what you are doing. People try to speed up way to quickly and do not spend the time perfecting every aspect at the very very slow pace. What we don't realise is that our brains are more capable than we think at speeding up from slow.

I think there are several benefits to music:

1) Learning how sounds fit together
2) Learning the notation to the extent that you read it like your own language
3) Learning dexterity with your non dominant hand
4) Learning to focus on more than one thing at a time.

I strongly believe that composition and decomposition have a massively positive impact on the brain. It might be beneficial to try compositional techniques as a first step. You can begin by listening like a composer. There are two exercises I learnt:

1) Listen to texture. If you get some richly textured music. Russian orchestral music is good. Wagner wrote somewhere about the sounds in the back of the head. Try to listen without thinking about the melodies. Just hear the sounds rattling round the back of your skull. Its the timbre only that is important. Like if you look at a painting and completely ignored what it was a painting of and just looked at the colours used. Here you want to pick up on the shhh zhhh rrr of the different textured sound-waves. The point is to completely abstract the sound without getting emotionally attached to melody or words or harmonies.

2) Listen to parts. Get some polyphonic music - English or Italian renaissance choral - Byrd, Monteverdi, Tallis - even madrigals, Morley say. Listen to the music over and over. Listen to the highest vocal part in one listen through, repeat this a couple of times, and then the lowest voice in a subsequent listening. The idea here is to completely focus on one part following it through the music.

e.g.:

In that example - listen to the women a couple of times, and then the men. Try to ignore the other parts. Your brain will fight you, which is the point of the exercise.

The point here is not to listen to the music as a form of enjoyment but as a brain stimulation. Whether you like the music or not, it contains aspects that will help with your music theory and hopefully it will start to build neural pathways.

Hungary had the best music education in the world for a while. I was lucky to learn from one of the founding teachers of the Hungarian system. They concentrated on the sounds first, then notation. It's also how the great Tudor composers learnt if you look at books and guides from the time. Your brain has an amazing capacity to fit the notation to the sounds afterwards.

Thoughts on instruments...

Harps are hard work. They require a lot of finger and hand strength.

Wind instruments could be quite stressful (maybe therapeutic as well?) on your neck. In theory you don't use your neck to play but the muscles are so closely aligned it is hard not to tense. Have you tried the clarinet in recent years? Do you know how that would be? If you spent any time as a kid it probably means you have a suitable embouchure to play. If you a looking for an inexpensive clarinet alternative, you can get a Xaphoon clone from Amazon for around £30 - look for Ammoon pocket saxaphone.

Keyboard technology is really good now. I am sure you know - go for something fully poyphonic with a full set of keys off 88 keys so that you have the range of notes.

If you ever want to get to experience and learn piano the electric pianos are very very good and the prices in comparison with real ones are excellent. Yamaha are best - cheapest I have seen (but I am no expert) is £360, and £260 for a Casio. I know this is a chunk of money, but what I am saying is if you were to develop your playing skills now, these are proper piano equivalents in my view that you could move onto in 5 years or so if you wanted to get even more serious at some point.


A few years ago a colleague took legal guardianship for a relation who had been badly injured in a car crash including severe neural and brain trauma. They were put on neuroplasticity therapy and made amazing progress. The therapy was primarily about using different parts of the brain in quick succession. It isn't the use of each individual brain aspect that makes the difference but the rapid juxtaposition.

The five things they had to do (in any order):

1) Think about or discuss something in the past
2) Think about or discuss something in the future
3) Think about or discuss the present situation
4) Tell or respond to a joke
5) Speak in a foreign language

I am fascinated by this. If you think about it music is a series of mode switching from notation, to physical, to listening, to imaginging.

I heard about some separate research on multitasking which stated that switching tasks takes a lot more mental effort than staying on task. For productivity therefore you should not move on until you have finished the thing you are working on - but for mental and neurological stimulation and workout it seems like a potentially helpful thing.

I hope something here is useful.

Kit

 

[Seveneighth]

I think all the fast strumming that's needed, would leave me bed ridden for a week Whatever I choose has got to be easy on the neck, and it's surprising how easy the wrong type of motion can screw my neck up.

I did think about getting one of those travel sized guitars, and learning... I think they call it finger style... where most of the action is just below the wrist. I also did like the looks of Alpine Zither for a fretted string alternative, but it seems the only way to get one, is gamble £300-£800 on ebay, and risk ending up with something that needs repair work.

I'd still rather end up veering towards harp as a string instrument though. While I'm not a fan of Coldplay, if I could ultimately learn to play the harp even 1/4 as well as this lady, I'd be very happy indeed

Ukeleles have soft strings and are relatively easy to play. I took up the mandolin a few years ago. It is double strung, which is hard work on the old fingers.

Five years back or so my parents were in a bad way. Not getting out much, beginning to get a bit forgetful, not really enjoying things as much as they used to. You could see them starting to fade into old age. They then took up the ukelele. Now they play in a couple of amateur groups and gig quite frequently. It has breathed a whole new lease of life into them. Their minds are much sharper again. They have things to look forward to and have a real passion.

I think though, it's all about the instrument for which you feel the most affinity. I would go for whatever you like the sound of best and have the greatest desire to play.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Thanks for all that, Kit. I'll work through it all and digest it. Multitasking is a real issue for me at the moment, but that's where the specialist clinic I'm being referred to comes in. If you think back to first learning to drive, when every action and decision needed constant thought, because nothing had become automatic yet, and everything is totally overwhelming... that's what I'm like daily. My brain doesn't trust my unconscious functions, and tries to do everything in manual mode, so for example when walking, it's balancing what the inner ear says, against what the eye's say, the pressure underfoot, the feedback from the stick etc etc. As an example, on slanted pavenemts like dropped kerbs at driveways, my instinct is to try to remain perpendicular to the floor, to balance the pressure underfoot, rather than let my inner ear keep me upright... so I end up off balance and stumbling towards traffic. It's a constant battle to overcome incorrect instincts, and these all need retraining.

I struggle just talking handsfree on the phone while making a cuppa, so taking a new written language, converting that into a projected outcome, and applying unfamiliar motor skills to try and achieve it, should give the grey matter a real workout.

Current instrument shortlist is as follows:

Yamaha Piaggero NP12 keyboard. 61 key touch sensitive, with just 8 voices and minimal peripheral silliness. I don't need 88 key, and don't want to be reaching that far sideways.

Yamaha APXT2 3/4 travel guitar. Lightweight and small framed. Not reaching left or over the body too far. Played fingerstyle rather than strumming would probably work.

Wind instruments: Neck is tense anyway, and don't expect a problem from embouchure. Biggest challenge physically, will be keeping pressure upwards with the right hand, but a sax type harness would help. Clarinet is kind of "unfinished business" from my youth, so it would be nice to conquer that. Other considerations/challenges are Xiao or Quena (end blown flutes), Low D Whistle (have discovered there's a local maker of those), and maybe an alto or tenor recorder. Clarinet being first choice, and one of the others as a lighter back up for when neck isn't up to the full challenge. I did consider the Xaphoon type, but would like to go the whole hog. Cornet was on the list briefly, but I think the embouchure for the buzz would be a lot harder work for me. A lot easier to let a reed do the work.

Aborted on the harp for now. Too expensive up front cost, and maintenance, and restringing any breakages would be a major undertaking physically. Maybe one to revisit later, once I've got a basic theory understanding, and an indication of what level of recovery might be realistic. Trial lessons further down the line would make sense. I'd like to do the same with Cello to see how realistic that would be later too.

I've also considered one of those cheapo table top drum machine thingies, to work on rhythm training independently of notes, and with minimal physical effort. While I understand basic time signatures and note lengths, it's something I'll need to work at, as it doesn't come naturally. Breaking down the theory into component parts (as you suggested) will help me aquire the building blocks quicker than trying to learn everything at once.

 

[Cal]

Interesting stuff Kit, thank you (from Cal, not Al).

Al,
If you don't mind FAR OUT stuff. Read this:

Or at least check Amazon's "Look inside" to see if it's for you or not.
I've read it numerous times and always get something more from it each time; fabulous (IMO)!