Showing posts with label artsy fartsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label artsy fartsy. Show all posts
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Artsy-Fartsy: While my ukulele gently weeps
I hate ukuleles. I hate them. Their little tinny plinka-plinka noise, their ridiculous size, the same janga-jay-janga-jay-janga-jay tunes people seem to play on them.
That said, if more people played the ukulele like Jake Shimabukuro I'd probably like the instrument.
That said, if more people played the ukulele like Jake Shimabukuro I'd probably like the instrument.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Artsy-Fartsy: Stringed instruments
Hammered Dulcimer
This is a familiar instrument to most people, but its roots go back further than it's apparently Celtic origin. It actually comes from Persian santur and the design has barely changed in 2,000 years.
Nyckelharpa
Meaning "key harp", this instrument is similar to a fiddle with keys. When pressed, a part on the key presses on a string and changes the pitch.
Stroh violin
It's a fiddle with a horn instead of the usual sound box. That said, its sound is brassy and kind of cool.
Hurdy-gurdy
Usually used in soundtracks to create one or two harsh, wailing tones, or recorded so that only the most grating noises are heard, this poor instrument seems to be loved or hated. This particular hurdy-gurdy has been tuned to produce much a mellower sound. A crank turns a wheel that rubs against several strings. One string's pitch is changed with keys similar to that of the nyckelharpa, while the other "drone" strings keep a constant hum.
This is a familiar instrument to most people, but its roots go back further than it's apparently Celtic origin. It actually comes from Persian santur and the design has barely changed in 2,000 years.
Nyckelharpa
Meaning "key harp", this instrument is similar to a fiddle with keys. When pressed, a part on the key presses on a string and changes the pitch.
Stroh violin
It's a fiddle with a horn instead of the usual sound box. That said, its sound is brassy and kind of cool.
Hurdy-gurdy
Usually used in soundtracks to create one or two harsh, wailing tones, or recorded so that only the most grating noises are heard, this poor instrument seems to be loved or hated. This particular hurdy-gurdy has been tuned to produce much a mellower sound. A crank turns a wheel that rubs against several strings. One string's pitch is changed with keys similar to that of the nyckelharpa, while the other "drone" strings keep a constant hum.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Artsy-Fartsy: A different way of inking.
I was planning on doing a post about blueberry muffins, but I burned them. Here's a video about an interesting inking technique instead.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Artsy-Fartsy: Puttin' on the Ritz
Fred Astaire was a dancer. He was good at it. He knew he was good at it and had a fun time doing it. He danced on stage. He danced in movies. He danced on TV. He founded a dance school. He was a nice person. He announced he was retiring and said "Puttin' on the Ritz" was his farewell dance. Then decided not to retire and danced for years after. Fred Astaire was just awesome.
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