#''we also have a VIOLIN which is like a BASS but a little bit smaller right? ^_^''

[estradasphere]

i cant post the audio here because my internet is being shit, but it tickles me so much that esphere once played for a group of elementary schoolers

[astriiformes]

i couldn't tell you what exactly makes a viola a viola but i mean i do know what a viola is, it's just that all of my knowledge of anything musical is approximative at best

That's where I tend to assume people's knowledge is at! As much as I tend to harp about the distinction between the two, the difference is somewhat subtle, particularly if you don’t have much of a background in music and in particular with stringed instruments.

If you're curious: The main differences between a violin and a viola (physically, at least) are their size and their strings. Violins are significantly smaller than violas, and are tuned so that their open strings are set to the notes G-D-A-E, whereas violas are larger (there's no standard "full size" for a viola, but most adult violists play 16" body instruments, which are about 3-4" larger than a full size violin iirc) and have thicker strings, which are tuned to the notes C-G-D-A

(And yes, because of the way musical scales work, this means that violists can play the same notes you get on a violin E string just by moving their fingers up their A strings, but violinists have no way of replicating the sounds exclusive to the viola's C string. Some people might point out that at a certain point the E notes get too high to properly replicate on the A-string, to which I say: noises that high-pitched are an affront to nature and shouldn't be played anyway. But to each their own)

Because of these differences, viola music is also written in a totally different "clef," which is basically a type of musical notation that tells you how to read the notes on a piece of sheet music. Most instruments play in either bass or treble clef, with bass generally being used for lower instruments and treble being used for higher ones. (Or, if you're playing piano, both -- one for each hand!) Violas, on the other hand, play in one called alto clef, which is almost completely unique (the two or so other alto clef instruments out there are way, way rarer than violas, so the clef is pretty singularly associated with them by most folks).

That said, most violists, at least past the very beginner level, can also read in treble clef, because when we’re doing the aforementioned “play really high E string notes on the A string” trick it’s easier to write them in the “higher” clef. Which is one reason why, even though people like to dunk on violists, I tend to argue there’s a little of a “backwards and in heels” effect going on with our sheet music reading abilities, at the very least -- most of us can read violin music too, and probably have at some point because there’s not nearly as much solo repertoire written for the viola, but most violinists would be completely lost if you handed them viola music! (Sticks tongue out at you all affectionately)

Another fun fact about the viola is that the reason there’s no “full size” instrument for us is because if you made one, it would be impossible to play! Most stringed instruments (cello, violin, bass) have a standard size at which their tuning/strings match their body size in a particular “sweet spot” that produces the optimal tone. They make smaller ones for kids to learn on, but adult musicians will, almost across the board, play the same standard size instrument. For the viola, that sweet spot is an instrument that would be too large for a musician to play properly, so violas are instead sized by inches and most violists play the largest viola they can comfortably hold, usually with a body somewhere in the realm of 15-17″ (mine is a 16″!)

Anyways all this probably makes clear some of the reasons violas are seen as a bit of an odd duck out, and thus dunked on/teased by the rest of the orchestra (just look up “viola jokes”) -- generally fairly lovingly, but there’s also a real perception by some people that violists are just less-talented violinists who play the “easier” instrument. We do play a bit of a weird instrument -- which is one reason I love being a violist, honestly! -- but in truth, violas have mostly just not been perceived as a legitimate solo instrument and have generally been given accompaniment parts throughout a lot of musical history, so it’s less that we play the easier instrument and more that we’ve been waiting for more composers to give us more parts where we can really shine! (I learned recently that people sometimes refer to the viola as “the Cinderella of the orchestra” which I think is really sweet, actually, and not an entirely inaccurate descriptor)

TL;DR it’s a bigger, lower instrument that tends to have a somewhat deeper/richer tone as a result (we tend to play along with the cellos when we have the melody in orchestral music) and something of the orchestra’s certified Weird Kid that hasn’t always gotten as much love/respect -- which as someone who likes lower tones and being a bit of an oddball is exactly why I have been a viola player for... gosh 14 years now.

[natromanxoff]

25 - Just Chatting...

Hello one and all.

It's been a long time since I graced these pages and, believe it or not, nothing much has been happening in my life, apart from the odd soiree or two. Winter has finally left us and spring has sprung, and it's nice to see the sun again. Let's start by wishing my old mate a happy birthday and I hope you all had a little drinkie for him, I know I did. In fact I got legless, he would have been proud of me. Whenever we were in London there was always a party at Fred's on his birthday, be it a handful of friends, or one where he invited half of Britain, but which ever one it was there was always a good time to be had and a lot of chaos. One year he actually took over Pikes Hotel in Ibiza and chartered a private plane to fly his friends in. Roger and myself were already on the island recording some of his solo stuff so we didn't have far to travel to the bash. When I say we were working, it's kind of true as we spent a lot of time on his boat "Ga Ga" whizzing around having lunch and fun. The party was held outside around the swimming pool, now is that an invite for trouble or what? There were hundreds of balloons hanging from every available fixture, and of course there is always an idiot that thinks he's a clown. This particular clown, who will remain nameless, decided it would be funny to light one of the balloons, and needless to say the whole lot went up in flames. Phoebe and Crystal to the rescue. We had to get this "fire" off the wooden rafters before the whole hotel went up in smoke, so we were pulling bits of string while burning rubber was dripping down on us. I was so traumatised by the whole event I had to have another drink ....... a lame excuse I know, but hey, it's my story. Back to the pool. Edwin Shirley, of trucking fame and also an all round good guy after a few too many, decided to have a swim, so he removed his clothing and was flapping around the pool when some daft countess told him to get dressed and behave himself. Wrong move lady. Edwin was not impressed by his telling off and threw her in, and she was even less impressed with that and started ranting and raving, much to the amusement to the rest of the party hounds. She left with her tail between her legs and didn't look at all glamorous in her soaking wet dress, running makeup and failed hairdo. We continued till mid morning and went straight to the airport and caught a flight home. Thanks F for the great parties and good times, you will never be forgotten.

I still get asked a lot if I'm gonna write the "Real" story about Queen. Well the answer is no, and the reason is that the guys gave me a great job and a great life and I have far to much respect for them, their wives/girlfriends, children and families to tell the world what we got up to in private. I feel that is our business and ours alone. Most of us are all in relationships and telling tales could make life awkward for a few people, band and crew alike. I'm sure at some point in time someone from the organisation will write a book, have 5 minutes of fame and make a quick buck, but it sure as hell won't be me, and I'll still be able to sleep at night and when I see the guys I will still be free to say, "Wanna beer MATE."

I've had a few questions asked me that I'm gonna answer quickly.

First off is "Do you have any stories about Freddies cats? (ripping furniture etc.)" Here's a good reply, No. So moving right along, "Of all the famous people you've met, who impressed you the most?" Tricky one this. After years in this "Biz" they all become "Just normal people," and some become good pals, but on one occasion I was in Paul McCartneys studio and I was handed his violin bass and I was sitting there holding it when someone said, "Paul is left handed, hold it like he would." When I turned it around, still taped in the cutout was the Beatles set list from their days in Hamburg, now that impressed me.

Deaky and myself were the only two reggae lovers in the outfit, and Bob Marley turned up to see the show at Madison Square Gardens. Strange choice of show for Bob, but he loved Another one bites the dust, and he happened to be in New York on a stopover on his way to Germany for laser treatment. Show time and our intro tape was playing, and someone told JD that Bob was in the audience, so he cranked his bass up and played "Lively up yourself" over the tape. This was very possibly the last time Marley ever heard this played as he died shortly after. I didn't get to meet him, but I did get to meet Tyrone Downie, Bobs keyboard player in the Wailers, and Tyrone and myself got up to all sorts of mischief that night. RT on the other hand hates reggae music, but I did manage to drag him to the Circus Krone in Munich to see Peter Tosh. I loved it, he hated it. I look at this as payback because years before he insisted that I went to Hammersmith Odeon to see Laurie Anderson, of O Superman fame. This show he loved, but I put it alongside Cher as one of the worst concerts I have ever seen. Needless to say I have also met a couple of stars that I didn't see eye to eye with. Like the American rock star we encountered in a club one night, and he was such a pain I had to take him into the toilets to have a quiet word with him. He finally got the message so I released my hand from around his neck and let him drop back down to the ground. To finish this segment I wanna tell you something that Bev Bevan said. Bev was the drummer with ELO, and them and us were touring the US at the same time, and as it turned out, staying in the same hotel in one city. Roger and myself were leaving the hotel and waiting for the elevator. When the doors opened Bev was in there and him and RT said their hellos. Rog then said, "Bev, this is Crystal, he looks after me." Bev turned to me, shook my hand and said, "Pleased to meet you. If it wasn't for guys like you, guys like us wouldn't be where we are today." He didn't need to say that, and was genuine when he did. I wasn't impressed with meeting him, but he is certainly in my top ten of nicest people I have ever meet.

Over the last few months I've spent a lot of time in the Chatroom, and I highly recommend it to you all as it can be a bit of a laugh. For anyone who has never visited the room please remember a couple of things, if you come in and start swearing you will be kicked out. I know, it happens to me all the time. Also don't come in and start going on about knowing axemen and murderers and other such garbage, cause that also warrants a kicking. Some buffoon from Ireland, who went by the name of "Death" turned up with an attitude and was going on about how f***ing awesome Queen were at Slane Castle. He was not known by anyone in there so I asked him to watch his language. He said he was the Grim Reaper and could do and say what he liked, so I told him otherwise and he was most put out when I kicked him. What a fool. A while ago there was some prat who called himself F***queen, good name eh! Anyway, he/she/it was picking on a lovely young lady called Raisa, and was saying some awful things to her and completely freaked her out, so I went to her defence and FQ turned the attention my way. As far as I'm concerned it's only letters on a screen and it didn't phase me at all, but at least he/she/it gave up on Raisa. In all fairness to FQ, whoever you may be, he/she left a message on the Bulletin Board saying sorry to Raisa and myself and would never do it again. So FQ, from the both of us, thanks for the apology, we accept it. What other weirdos have we had? Well, there was a brightspark who decided it would be funny to use the nickname QueenRshite, another bad move from this person who was honoured with a ban.

While in there I've seen a lot of friendships made, and a couple that have fallen apart. I got a private message one evening from a very drunk girl who, how shall we phrase this, offered me her body and wanted to do all sorts of naughty things to me, I thanked her and declined...must be getting old or something. I have also witnessed relationships being made and, usually there is a lot of humour involved, but needless to say some arguments do occur. I have also seen some of the daftest things said. One guy was so convinced that one of the regulars was either Deaky or she was chatting with him in private that he actually started tracking her every move on the net. He also told me about some highly illegal activities he was up to concerning the band. I wouldn't have thought I was the best person to tell such stuff to, and needless to say I had a go at him. Just to add to his stupidity he's been recently boasting about his affair with an underage girl, and I reckon if he had any more sense he would be half witted. Having mentioned all the twits I'd like to say a quick hello to all the regulars, White Queen and Killer Queen, the lovely girls Blue Rock and Rannnnnnni, SQJan, Mayflower and her boys, Farookh (aka Leroy Brown) MarshMallow, the three Tigers - Babe, Lily and Stripes and the mighty Falc, also to all the rest who I haven't mentioned by name, you know who you are. I'd also like to say hi to Daddy Cool who is the singer in the Dutch cover band Miracle, and Dad, if you never make it as a singer you could make a great career from being a stand up comedian. Finally an extra special hello to the gorgeous MTB, who is about to make an honest man of me ;)

Before I go I'm sure I don't need to remind anyone of a certain date in November that is engraved in all of our minds. And I know that a lot of you will be heading to Garden Lodge to leave flowers. I don't wanna preach and tell you what to do, and I know flowers are a nice gesture, but they do die and the only people to really benefit from this is the florist. This year lets all give a donation, no matter how small, to Aids research, this way the cash will be used to try and stamp out this awful disease. If you really wanna leave flowers, buy a smaller, cheaper bunch and donate the balance of what you would have spent to these charities. It's been said a million times before but it is true, Every penny counts.

As always, Loadsa Love.

Crystal

[undertalethingems]

Undertale LIVE: My thoughts

I had the chance to go to the Undertale Live concert today, and--as requested--I’m going to share how it went!

If you hadn’t heard of it, it’s a small band of musicians who play tracks from the game while a playthrough is projected on a screen behind them. I know a lot of people thought it was actually a musical when it was first announced--but no, no one was on stage as the human or Toriel or Alphys, and honestly I’m happy it wasn’t since musicals can be pretty hit or miss for me. The audience has a chance to vote on what to choose at certain points in the game, making it more than a concert alone.

This is going to get long, so... here we go.

I met the friend I’d invited to see the show with me at the train station, and after some confusion and walking straight past the theatre where the show was being held we made it in and got to our seats just fine. The house was nearly full, which was really good to see considering this was the second show--the actual premier was yesterday. Needless to say Undertale--and it’s music--is popular. I was also a little surprised by the composition of the crowd--Undertale has the reputation of being a young fandom, but there were plenty of older folks and many of them weren’t just there to chaperone their kids. it was nice to see just how many different people love the game ^^

Soon enough, the lights went down; it was time for the music to start. Now, I won’t spoil every song they played... but honestly? The musicians did an excellent job, and whoever was in charge of the arrangement was on point, picking just the right instrument to play each part. The double bass on the low ‘theremin’ elements of “Fallen Down” was beautiful, and using both clarinet and violin for “Bonetrousle” was one of my favorite parts--it sounded perfect for Papyrus. I was also impressed by the guy playing bassoon--he often had to practically beatbox to match the chiptune elements he’d been given, but it worked really well.

But one thing I really appreciated was that they covered plenty of lesser known songs--not just the boss fights or ‘top hits’ as it were, but smaller moments like “Pathetic House”, “The Choice”, and “A Small Shock”; I was happy they included the basic battle theme and “Alphys” too. Those frequently get left out, so it was great to hear them covered, and overall it was a great mix of character themes, environmental themes, and more obscure tracks, and that’s more than can be said for some of the Undertale melodies I have on my youtube playlist XD All were given the same high level of attention and skill, and it was wonderful.

As far as the video elements go, well, it’s not like they could go through the entire game--that’d be a bit much for anyone involved. Instead, they’d partnered with a twitch streamer to collect footage, then cut out some of the slower parts of the game to keep it at the more reasonable length of about 2 hours. It did mean cutting some songs I would have liked to hear them cover, but I can understand why--and what they did cover was done perfectly.

Because that’s the other thing--the live music blended almost seamlessly with the gameplay, enough that I forgot it was being played maybe 30 feet away and not coming from the game. They do plan on recording and releasing a CD sometime this year, and needless to say I’m buying it when I get the chance :”D

As for the interactive parts... I’ll be honest--at my show, they didn’t seem to come up often, so it didn’t feel like it was a big part of the experience. But I say ‘my show’ because they want feedback on how to make it even better, so things may be different when they go on tour later. That said, the choices mainly came up when fighting major characters--and, uh, i have to say i was happy no one died (though i was side-eyeing the few folks who raised their hands at papyrus. c’mon, you know that alone’s not gonna get you megalovania, and we’d already spared toriel at that point :”D ) We ended up with a true pacifist ending, and i think everyone was satisfied. It seemed the show was over...

and then barely two notes of “Megalovania” played and the crowd roared. The musicians are fans themselves, they knew what we were hoping to hear =u= Now... it’s probably no surprise, but i’ve heard many versions of Megalovania--many of which don’t quite ‘get it’ for me, often lacking the bass or right energy for the song--but Undertale Live delivered, keeping the right energy for this absolute banger and ending the show (perhaps ironically, considering Megalovania’s context :”D) on a high note.

Overall, I was really impressed, and enjoyed every song immensely; Undertale still makes up the majority of the music I listen to, and like I said, I was very happy to see them give attention to some of the less popular--but no less good--tracks the game has to offer. They’re hopefully announcing further tour dates soon, so if you have the chance to go, I say take it ^^

[nosferatyou]

If I Can Be So Bold: Chapter 1 (Jack White x OC)

Summary: Rosalie and her band “By Elliston” move from Nashville to Detroit to continue their music careers and move away from their demons. Rosalie notices an unhappy face in the crowd of their first show, and is instantly drawn to him. While she doesn't mind that hes easy on the eyes she does mind his less than stellar attitude about their music. 

Word Count: 3K

Warnings: Drug use, language, and mentions of abuse.

Notes: Well this has been brewing for A WHILE. I’ve been everywhere deciding on a plot, but after tedious planning this is finally a reality. I hope the 5 Jack White fans on here enjoy this. This will be a series so strap in folks. We got young jack. we got old jack. we got everything in between. (also series names are hard) Enjoy! Appreciate all the research i did!

Chapter Two

“Do you want another?” 

He holds his hand above me, his dark eyes burning holes into me, he pulls back more as if ready to strike again. As if on command, I recoil from the movement, feeling smaller than I ever had.

My head shoots up, suddenly back in Zoot’s coffee house. I blink a couple of times, trying to wake myself up. I couldn’t remember what she asked.

“What?” I asked her, phasing back into reality again, and not what was a horrific nightmare.

Sat next to me was my best friend and singer in our band was Harry, or Harriet if you want to be technical. Her head was held high, and she was practically jumping out of her skin with excitement, she seemed more than ready for our first show in a new town.

 She moved one of her two shots in front of me and asked again. 

“Are you deaf, Lee? I asked if you wanted another shot before we go on.” 

I quickly sat up and grabbed it off the makeshift bar, anything to shake off what I was feeling. 

We clinked our drinks together, and she yelled out a toast over the crowd of people behind us. 

“To fresh starts and new stomping grounds!” 

We clinked our drinks and quickly downed them, both of us coughing from our burning throats, but as soon as we saw our red faces, we burst out into laughter. 

“We are horrible at shots, aren’t we?” I said in between wheezes of laughter.

“We truly are.” She paused and grabbed the bottle. “One more for good luck!.”

It seems like this is the night, if any, to drink. 

We’d just gotten to Detroit. Like just got here a week ago and are already booking shows. We all decided to move her for reasons I won’t mention, but I’ll just say that we needed to switch up our scene a bit. 

Our band “By Elliston” had grown pretty big in the Nashville scene, we played pretty frequently at the Exit/In. Which is not the biggest venue in the world, but it means something for the Nashville scene. I mean, we technically shared a stage with Muddy Waters and BB King, so that’s at least something to brag about.

 We were known in the Nashville punk scene and had made some significant headway, but thanks to shitty people and our big egos, we decided to move to Detroit. Known for its great music and cars.

 And here we are at Zoot’s Coffee shop, which is arguably a coffee shop honestly. Off a dark street, that no person with money would venture down, and the outside seems like nothing is out of the ordinary, it’s just a house on a street. But the inside. Its a home, its a coffee shop, and venue for anyone who has an instrument. 

Its packed wall to wall with people, barely any standing room, especially near the stage, which is just a raised corner of the living room. Its the perfect venue for any rock band. Small and loud.

We (being the band and me) all lived for music, and it is our life’s blood.

 I grew up in a very southern home and was always surrounded by music, thanks to my dad. Id never met a man who loves Johnny Cash more than him or country music for that matter. Cash would always play through the house, or Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings. That kind of thing. However, I can’t stand to listen to any of them now. Overplayed and over appreciated is what I always said.

 That did spark something in me. I started playing guitar, thanks to my dad… and then I picked up the bass and then drums. And so on and so on. The moral is that If you hand me any stringed instrument ill know how to play it.

The other girls. Jo, Harriet, and Ezra. All got into good music when they were in high school, which also when we all met. Thanks to the high school band or orchestra. I played violin, as did Jo and Harriet, Ezra played the stand-up bass and continues with the bass to this day.

 Now we’ve all moved on the from hot cross buns and into a world of rock and roll. We used to be terrible, covering a lot of Alice in Chains and Nirvana. 

Graduating class of ‘93 for all of us, and we lived in a world of grunge. Five years later and we’ve since moved on from our teenage ways. We’ve embraced the blues and everything around it. However, we get a bit heavier than our inspirations, with my heavy fuzz and Harriet’s raspy yelps. With the look of punk dads (a lot of fun button-ups, dark makeup, and Dr. Martens boot) and the sounds of 4 angry ladies, we tore up Nashville.

We played a lot of house shows, met many a band, lost many a group, met a dumb boy who won’t be named (its John), and had a lot of fun tearing up the Nashville scene. 

As we grew, we played bigger venues, the show of ‘96 at The End being the staple of our career. We’d never played as good as we did then, and none of us are convinced we’ll play as well as we did that night.

 Either way, we were thrust forward, and our movement grew, we were making money from our shows, plus we played bigger venues. The Exit/In and The East Room, to name a couple. Last month we felt we needed a change of scenery to grow. As incredible, the Nashville scene is, its also quite small. Few venues and fewer people. That’s the other girl’s excuse, at least. 

We scrounged up what we could, found an apartment here, and moved as soon as we could. Unlike the others, I had to burn some bridges to get here, but more will be made here. We scooped out the scene the moment we arrived and set up a show here, and we are all buzzing to perform again. 

“So, who are we opening for again?” I asked as we headed to our van to start and unload our gear. 

“The White somethings.” Jo absentmindedly answered, wrapping her jacket around herself for warmth.

Harriet quickly cut in, “The White Stripes, you mean.” Correcting her.

We all arrived at our shared van and started grabbing our mess of cables and cases.

Harriet continued, “I’ve been asking around all night about them, you know. To learn about the enemy and such.” 

Jo popped her head up from the front seat and asked, “When have you had the time to ask around? I was with you literally all night.” 

Harriet picked up her small load for the night and parked a seat on the car next to ours, lighting a cig while she sat.

“I have my ways.” She said, wiggling her eyebrows before taking a long drag.

“Anyways, here’s what I’ve learned. They’ve been around a year, the drummer learned when they got together, and guitarist leads the show.” She spoke with her ever-present dramatics, waving the cig around after every word. 

“They can’t be that good if the drummers new, and they’ve only been playing a year.” Said Ezra, who was effortlessly carrying what seemed to be the world’s most massive bass amp. 

“I don’t know, Z. It seems agreed that they know how to rock a room.” Harriet pipped up.

“What does it mean for us then?” Asked Jo who’s joint was lit and already in her mouth, and arms were full with various drums. Explains why she was digging around the front seat.

I quickly cut in, not about to let them get nervous over a baby band. “Absolutely nothing. We’ve got six years on them. These Detroit kids won’t know what hit them, we’re from music city for god’s sake.” 

“That’s the spirit, Lee!  Now get your asses inside so we can set up.” Harriet popped off the car and started walking towards the door, beckoning us towards her.

“Feel like helping us speed up the process, Harry?” Joked Jo.

“You’re big girls. I’m gonna go try and spot the enemy.” She yelled back to us.

“Oh, have fun, we will just be here carrying your band!” I yelled out.

“I knew I could count on you, darling!” She called out, throwing a wink and cigarette butt our way. 

When we had finally reached the stage, the already crowded room had doubled in bodies. While most bands would be shaking in their boots, it only spurred us on more. While we all have our fair share of disagreements, we have one thing in common. Our shared headspaces before a show. All ready to take on anything, and our confidence is unwavering. The bigger, the better. It’s honestly what’s kept us together this whole time. 

Now all eyes were on us, and it was a tough crowd, it was dead silent. The girls and I all exchanged a look and nodded. I always started us off. We had a set opener, it never changed and worked every time, but after that was a free for all. I usually took charge and just chose whatever I was feeling, but if not me, then Harriet. The other two just flowed with whatever we threw their way.

I always started first with the heavy riff, joined in by Ezra, then Jo, and finally Harriet. 

The riff is what pulled them in, and it was always quite the sight. I got fully into it every time. It was dark, straightforward, and full of fuzz and feedback. 

By the time Harriet joins in its mayhem, I speed up and play power chords. It’s not slow, but it’s not so fast that it’ll make your head spin. 

As the short show progressed, we felt like how we used to feel every night. Pure joy, which is what we all fucking needed. 

We improvised. I mashed up whatever songs I even threw in a little Stooges to thank the locals for letting us play. Though I did notice the gaze of one oddball in the back, who was just… watching.

 While that doesn’t sound weird, it was sure out of the ordinary. He sat in the back, arms crossed leaned against the wall. The whole mysterious boy schtick was down pact. He wasn’t scowling, but he didn’t seem happy. It was off-putting and kept my focus over towards that corner of the room, but didn’t hinder the performance. Maybe it fueled it. 

The show couldn’t have gone better, though. The crowd did not hide their whoops and hollers when we finished our last song of the set. I was already riding that performance high and will be for the rest of the night. 

“Thanks for a great first night, Detroit! We’re “By Elliston,” and we hope to see you next time!”

Screamed out Harriet for a final goodbye as we headed off the stage, their applause carrying us off the small stage. 

The moment we put down our instruments, we about took each other out, tacking one another to the ground.

 As tradition carries, after every show, we used to just aggressively group hug, but over time we’ve grown more and more… excited. At one of our last shows at The Exit/In, I accidentally knocked out Jo by slamming into her too hard. If that gives any frame of reference to what our dog piles look like now.

“Ladies. If every show goes somewhat like that here, I think we will rule this scene.” Ezra said from the bottom of the pile, her words garbled from the mass of bodies. 

“Alright, Lee, get your ass off the top, you’re gonna snuff me out down here.” 

Without much warning, she slid out from underneath us, and the rest of us went down to the ground, causing all of us to erupt in laughter. 

Once we all straightened ourselves out, we went to the van and had a celebratory cig, the first of many “celebratory” cigs of the night, 

To my right was Harriet leaning against the tail light, and Jo and Ezra were sitting in the van next to me. Harriet broke the silence.

“You know I missed this, Lee. I’m glad you’re back.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean Har-” While talking I’d noticed three figures a few cars over walking to their own. My eyes widened in surprise. I grabbed Harriet’s arm suddenly and dragged her in with the rest of us.

“Shut up. It’s him.”

“What I wasn’t even talking-” she stopped and sat up to face, she wasn’t upset, but she sure looked confused. “Wait, who is “Him?” 

I looked around to check to see if he could hear. 

“I saw him when we were playing. He kept just… staring at me. It was weeeird.”

“Why’d you pull me in the car then??” 

“I panicked! It was just weird!” 

Ezra peaked her head out of the car in curiosity and asked. “Which one is it, the young blondie or the black-haired beauty?”

“Gah Jesus, not the child, Ezra! It’s the hot one.”

Harriet whipped her head out of the car to look at them, speaking a bit too loudly.

“Lee, you need to start off saying it was a HOT stranger! You have my interest now.”

“I’m going to kill both you. Get your dumbasses back in the car.”

We huddled back up, Harriet has a look in her eye that I don’t like.

“So, what’s the plan of action here, Lee?” Asked Harriet.

“Nothing. He’s a scowler. Sure a hot one at that, but if he can’t enjoy what we make, then what’s the point? When we played that stooges song, he looked like he was going to blow his top.”

“I think you’ve missed the point here, Lee. Point one,  You’re fresh out of a toxic sludge of a relationship. Point two, hot stranger. And finally. Point three, he’s a hot stranger in a band. I’m not passing up this opportunity.”

She gave us a wink, took a final drag of her cig, and hopped out of the car. She was going over to them.

“Harriet, you fucker don’t you dare,” I said with gritted teeth. “I’ve tackled you once today, and  I’ll do it again.”

She chuckled. “You’re all talk, kid. I’m off to make friends!”

“Bastard!” I yelled, leaping out of the car and towards her. I was too late, she just about ran over to them, and I was quickly in tow behind her. 

“Well, look at that, Lee! New people. Hi there, I'm Harriet, but you can call me Harry. and this is Rosalie.” She extended her hand towards the three strangers.

“Its Lee actually, she’s just an asshole.” 

All of them looked slightly taken aback. They were sure as hell wasn’t expecting her hand in their face, or two random ladies in their space. The newly named “hot stranger” was the first to speak up. He seemed rightly hesitant.

“I’m Jack, and this is my sister, Meg. This over here is my nephew, Ben. He’s our pinball wizard. Or Roadie in technical terms.” 

“Well, good to meet Y’all!” Once she shook ben’s hand, he spoke up. Man he was young. Was he maybe 16? Not over 18 is the point.

“You guys played a hell of a show. The Stooges? Blues? You’re going to give these two a run for their money.”

Jack shifted on his heels when ben mentioned this. Same face as before, and little less friendly than introductions.

“Well, its all that Tennessee blood in us. Now we arent from Memphis, but Nashville’s close enough, right?” Harriet winked at the kid. His cheeks flushed a deep red. 

Jack shifted his eyes back to me, but they wander somewhere else. 

I clear my throat, he snaps his head up and makes eye contact with me, a small smirk falls on his face. 

“Well, you all seem busy, so Harriet and I are going to go back over there. Have a good show.”

I grab her arm and try to drag her away casually.

“What the fuck are you doing?” She whisper yells to me. We find ourselves on the other side of our van, out of their sight.

“Lee, You have never been one to shy away from new people. Especially men. Remember us, fresh out of high school? You practically had a different man in your bed every night. That whole nervous persona is new. Go seduce a hot stranger!”

“Jesus, Harriet! Lower your goddamn voice! First off its Jack, And yes I know. Different times though. I’m not going to go over there in front of his sister and prepubescent nephew to try and get in his pants.”

“Aw, come on, Lee! It’d be fun! Plus, you need a fucking rebound, girl.”

“Okay, well, talk me into this when its not a family reunion.” 

“You got yourself a deal, Rosalie.”

We started to make our way back to the other girls.

“Alright, ladies, let’s go catch our headliner,” I said, opening the van doors. A plume of smoke rolled out of it the moment the doors opened. I grabbed the joint from Ezra, taking a hit before going inside. I handed it back to the faded bass player and headed back inside.

[zahraasl]

Five Ways to get the Most out of Music Lessons

This article gives advice about how to ensure the student has the best possible learning environment for their music lessons, from what age to start to what materials to use.

These guidelines will help you to have a successful, rewarding experience learning an instrument. These are practical tips that we have discovered from years of teaching and our experiences with teaching hundreds of students each year.

1. HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG - STARTING AT THE RIGHT AGE

Adults can start any instrument at any time. Their success is based on how willing an adult is to commit to practicing. We teach many beginner students in their 60’s and 70’s.

For children, starting at the right age is a key element to the success of their lessons. Some people will tell you “the sooner the better” but this attitude can actually backfire and be a negative. If a child is put into lessons too soon they may feel overwhelmed and frustrated and want to stop lessons. The last thing you want to do is turn a child off music just because they had one unpleasant experience which could have been prevented. Sometimes if the child waits a year to start lessons their progress can be much faster. Children who are older than the suggested earliest starting age usually do very well. Children also usually pick the right instrument for themselves, so it is best to let them try it! The following are guidelines we have found to be successful in determining how young a child can start taking music lessons.

3 - 4 Years Old

If a pre-schooler has a keen desire and wants to start music, a group preschool music class will give them a good foundation in music basics which will be helpful in later private lessons. At this age, private lessons generally do not work as the child has not yet experienced the formal learning environment of kindergarten or school and learns more effectively through the game-oriented preschool environment.

Piano/Keyboard

At our school 5 years old is the youngest age that we start children in private piano lessons. At this age they have begun to develop longer attention spans and can retain material with ease. Children under this age may not last the duration of the lesson.

Guitar - Acoustic, Electric and Bass

Children under 8 generally have small hands and may find playing uncomfortable. Visit your instrument retailer to get sized for the correct guitar, and ask for Nylon strings, to make it easier on the fingers. Bass guitar students generally are 10 years old and older.

Drums

This varies greatly depending on the size of the child. They have to be able to reach both the pedals and the cymbals, but some basic skills can be taught to younger/smaller students.

Flute, Clarinet & Saxophone

Due to lung capacity (and in the case of the saxophone the size of the instrument), we recommend that most woodwind beginners are in grade 5 or 6, but as children’s sizes differ, this is not a hard and fast rule. Visit your instrument retailer to properly check sizes.

Violin, Viola, Cello

We accept string students as young as 4. Some teachers will start children as young as 3, but experience has shown us the most productive learning occurs when the beginner is a bit older. There are string instruments made in small sizes for kids

Brass

Most Brass physical requires some physical exertion, lung power, and a fair size. Cornet is best for smaller kids, but other instruments can work, as well. 8 years old is usually the youngest we start kids on brass, but there are always exceptions.

2. INSIST ON PRIVATE LESSONS WHEN LEARNING A SPECIFIC INSTRUMENT

Group classes work well for preschool music programs, and theory lessons. However, when actually learning how to play an instrument, private lessons are far superior since in private lessons it is hard to miss anything, and each student can learn at their own pace. This means the teacher does not have to teach a class at a middle of the road level, but has the time and focus to work on the individual student’s strengths and weaknesses. For that lesson period, the student is the primary focus of the teacher. The teachers also enjoy this as they do not have to divide their attention between 5 - 10 students at a time and can help the student be the best they can be.

3. TAKE LESSONS IN A PROFESSIONAL TEACHING ENVIRONMENT

Learning music is not just a matter of having a qualified teacher, but also having an environment that is focused on music education. In a professional school environment a student cannot be distracted by t.v., pets, ringing phones, siblings or anything else. With only 1/2 to one hour of lesson time per week, a professional school environment can produce better results since the only focus at that time is learning music. Students in a school environment are also motivated by hearing peers who are at different levels and by being exposed to a variety of musical instruments. In a music school, the lessons are not just a hobby or sideline for the teacher but a responsibility which is taken very seriously.

4. MAKE PRACTICING EASIER

As with anything, improving in music takes practice. One of the main problems with music lessons is the drudgery of practicing and the fight between parents and students to practice every day. Here are some ways to make practicing easier:

Time

Set the same time every day to practice so it becomes part of a routine or habit. This works particularly well for children. Generally the earlier in the day the practicing can occur, the less reminding is required by parents to get the child to practice.

Repetition

We use this method quite often when setting practice schedules for beginners. For a young child 20 or 30 minutes seems like an eternity. Instead of setting a time frame, we use repetition. For example, practice this piece 4 times every day, and this scale 5 times a day. The child then does not pay attention to the amount of time they are practicing their instrument, but knows if they are on repetition number 3 they are almost finished.

Rewards

This works very well for both children and adult students. Some adults reward themselves with a cappuccino after a successful week of practicing. Parents can encourage children to practice by granting them occasional rewards for successful practicing. In our school we reward young children for a successful week of practicing with stars and stickers on their work. Praise tends to be the most coveted award - there just is no substitute for a pat on the back for a job well done. Sometimes we all have a week with little practicing, in that case there is always next week.

5. USE RECOGNIZED TEACHING MATERIALS

There are some excellent materials developed by professional music educators that are made for students in a variety of situations. For example in piano, there are books for very young beginners, and books for adult students that have never played before. There are books that can start you at a level you are comfortable with. These materials have been researched and are continually upgraded and improved to make learning easier. These materials ensure that no important part of learning the instrument can inadvertently be left out. If you ever have to move to a different part of the country, qualified teachers and institutions will recognize the materials and be able to smoothly continue from where the previous teacher left off.

Most Importantly . . . HAVE FUN!!

Music should be something that you enjoy for a lifetime. So, try not to put unrealistic expectations on yourself or your children to learn too quickly. Everyone learns at a different pace and the key is to be able to enjoy the journey.

[learnmusiconlin-blog]

8 Things You Should Do If You Want To Learn Music As An Adult

Learning track has a extensive variety of advantages that may extrade your lifestyles. Apart from being a a laugh stress-reliever, track now no longer simplest improves your health, however additionally complements your cognitive function. While it is probably real that kids have an simpler time getting to know track, you're by no means too antique discover ways to track.

In this article, we’ll come up with a few suggestions to get you began out with getting to know track as an grownup. Music teacher  We base those suggestions at the benefits and demanding situations you face as an grownup getting to know track.

Advantages and Challenges of Learning Music as an Adult

Learning track as an grownup has its perks over getting to know track whilst you’re younger. We must make complete use of those benefits for powerful getting to know.

Advantage 1: Deeper know-how of track

As you mature into an grownup, you've got got a deeper know-how of track each analytically and emotionally.

Adults have a tendency to have an simpler time know-how track principle than kids. Chord progressions and not unusualplace motifs might also additionally sound surprising to kids however adults who've spent their lives paying attention to a lot of track will locate them simpler to apprehend. In addition, adults locate it simpler to narrate to the emotions that underlie track compositions.

Adults have the essential adulthood and applicable lifestyles stories to empathise with the mind and messages that songwriters need to convey. While kids may have equipped technical ability, they won't recognize the deep ardour and longing that underlies songs like George Michael’s Careless Whisper.

In a comparable vein, the feelings in classical track are extra reachable to adults. For instance, a number of Chopin’s paintings like Prelude in E minor conveys deep despair that is probably misplaced on more youthful learners.

Advantage 2. Greater power to study track

It is typically stated that ten thousand hours of exercise is wanted to grasp any craft.

Likewise, getting to know track calls for patience, discipline, and sustained interest. As an grownup who (maximum in all likelihood) can pay on your very own track education, you're maximum in all likelihood getting to know track due to the fact you need to, and now no longer due to the fact your mother and father are forcing you. With your motivation, you may locate it simpler to live devoted to track exercise and expand mastery. Children are much less in all likelihood to have this discipline.

It’s now no longer all roses though. Learning track as an grownup comes with precise demanding situations that kids do now no longer typically face. We must paintings round those demanding situations.

Challenge 1. Commitments

We are all busy. We have our jobs and careers to build, growing old mother and father and developing youngsters to take care of, pals to preserve in contact with, and chores to do...the listing is going on and on. While we'd have the incentive to exercise, our obligations could make it difficult to locate the time to exercise or decide to ordinary lessons

Challenge 2. High expectancies

Sometimes, we've unrealistically excessive expectancies for ourselves. We wish to play in addition to our favorite musicians or gifted pals inside a quick time. However, those musicians have placed in lots of years of exercise to get that suitable at their units. To keep away from sadness and frustration, we want to apprehend that it takes time to acquire mastery of our units and set viable goals.

Challenge 3. Physical restrictions

While a number of us is probably capable of installed hours of exercise every day, we'd finally revel in pain, specifically whilst we first begin getting to know track. Stiff necks and shoulders in addition to terrible hips can prevent us from installing the quantity of exercise we preference and grow to be impediments to getting to know track.

eight Things Adult Music Learners Should Do

Keeping in thoughts the benefits and demanding situations we’ve mentioned above, those suggestions will assist you get the maximum out of getting to know track.

1. Identify what types of track you want

It is simplest herbal that we might need to play track that we already revel in paying attention to. As adults, we maximum in all likelihood have advanced clean track choices. We are extra emotionally engaged via way of means of a few sorts of track than others. This isn’t typically the case for younger kids as their track choices are nevertheless being shaped.

Learning track that we adore maintains us inspired to hold practicing. Go thru your track library and perceive the sorts of track which you like. You may locate it beneficial to begin from a selected artist, composer, or genre. Next, discover what you want to play that style. One suitable manner to do that is to search for tune covers on Youtube.

Sometimes, you may even locate hyperlinks to sheet track withinside the video descriptions.

You must additionally perceive what precisely you want approximately the track. If you want Guns and Roses, do you want Axl Rose’s melodic singing? Or are you enamoured with Slash’s guitar solos? Perhaps you want the rhythm supplied via way of means of the drums and bass?

2. Choose your tool carefully

If you locate which you have unique choices for precise genres of tune, you ought to select the proper tool for that kind of tune.

Some contraptions are greater appropriate for a few patterns than others. If you’re partial to rock and metallic, you would possibly opt to analyze the electrical guitar or the drums. If you want classical tune, the piano or violin is probably greater interesting. While it's far viable to do covers of classical tune on the electrical guitar and renditions of metallic headbangers at the piano, you'll locate it greater attractive to analyze an tool that suits your selected style of tune.

You ought to choose an tool that fits your life-style too. Do you've got got the gap to have a piano in your property? If you're continuously at the move, selecting a greater transportable tool just like the clarinet is probably preferable. If you've got got skinny partitions and cranky neighbours, a virtual piano with adjustable extent is probably maximum appropriate.

3. Be open minded

While you've got got a desired fashion of tune, it’s essential to preserve an open thoughts to new styles of tune.

For instance, despite the fact that you is probably inquisitive about pop piano, mastering and paying attention to Baroque tune can’t hurt. You would possibly get new thoughts or even develop to revel in it. You’ll be amazed to discover that there are famous jazz renditions and metallic covers of Bach’s tune which you would possibly appreciate.

Furthermore, gaining knowledge of Baroque portions can enhance your skills. For example, practising Bach’s three-component Sinfonias can teach your ear to become aware of melody strains and enhance the dexterity of your arms as you play a couple of melodies at once.

4. Clear distractions

Practice time ought to be sacred. There ought to now no longer be any distractions even as practising. You ought to now no longer be cooking soup, discussing initiatives on Facebook Messenger, or supporting your kids with their homework as you exercise. When you exercise tune, you ought to be totally centered on honing your musicianship.

This calls for a few diploma of self-discipline. Consider setting a timer in the front of you as you exercise. Make positive you preserve practising till the favored time has elapsed. Another component you could do is to create a conducive exercise environment. Have a tune nook or room in your property with out whatever to distract you. There ought to be no computers, cellular phones, or crying infants on your sacred location for tune exercise.

The excellent information is which you ought to be capable of actively take steps to minimise distractions. As you're mastering tune due to the fact you need to, you've got got the dedication to get the maximum from your exercise periods. Children will want greater supervision with this.

5. Set a time table however be bendy on the identical time

If you propose to “exercise as and whilst it’s handy,” you’ll in all likelihood become getting little or no exercise.

You ought to set a exercise time table that will help you preserve up together along with your mastering. Practice periods ought to be normal and timed such that distractions are minimised. Getting assist out of your companion or partner to minimise distractions for you is going an extended way, specially whilst youngsters are involved.

Practice periods do now no longer want to be too long. Around half-hour on every occasion is sufficient. If even half-hour is simply too long, you could search for a couple of loose durations on your day wherein you could exercise from 10 to twelve minutes, which corresponds properly with our common person interest span. You also can plan for a couple of “tune breaks” withinside the day, to destress earlier than gearing up to your subsequent assignment of the day.

While you ought to time table normal exercise, you ought to stay bendy as well. Sometimes, you would possibly have greater essential activities than practising tune. It will be a clinical appointment, your child’s live performance recital, or a friend’s birthday celebration. You ought to be bendy sufficient to have  a “Plan B” when you have to overlook your exercise consultation. Have opportunity preparations in thoughts. You can exercise at a greater handy time, or have an extended consultation the subsequent time.

As you intend your exercise time table, have a few concept of what you need to obtain in every consultation. To grasp any piece of tune, you want a selected plan with measurable outcomes. If you’re proceeding to grasp an extended sonata, it allows to interrupt the piece into smaller bits, and grasp the piece bit with the aid of using bit. You would possibly locate our manual on making plans exercise periods useful.

6. Be sensible and patient

You can’t turn out to be Jimi Hendrix overnight. Neither are you able to get to a stage of skillability to jam together along with your pal who has been gambling in bands given that they had been twelve. It takes years of practice (and lots of setbacks) to get as exact as your favored musicians. But with normal practice, you may get to a first rate stage of competency with a view to provoke now no longer most effective yourselves, however additionally your pals and family.

If a bit is manner past your stage of skillability, recollect searching out less difficult variations of the piece. There are many simplified variations of well-known portions to be had on-line and in books. Check out our unfastened sheet song for novices here. Beginner piano books generally tend to characteristic abridged variations of classics like Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and Chopin’s Fantasie Impromptu.

7. Make getting your posture proper your priority

Practicing song can contain moving into uncomfortable, worrying positions. Beginner violinists generally tend to revel in jaw and neck pain as they twist their neck to preserve their units in place, at the same time as drummers are liable to returned accidents in the event that they have negative sitting posture.

It is essential to undertake the proper posture to live freed from accidents. Getting your posture proper on the early ranges of gaining knowledge of song will now no longer most effective maintain you injury-unfastened, however additionally assist you research and carry out better. Be positive to discover what the proper posture for gambling your device is. Check out our posture publications for piano gamers and guitar gamers.

8. Embrace technology

As an adult, you've got got the economic independence to shop for smartphones and tablets, and their accompanying applications. There are many apps nowadays which can decorate your gaining knowledge of of song. Instead of purchasing a bodily metronome, why now no longer simply down load an app for unfastened? Check out our favorite apps for piano, guitar, and drums.

Lastly, why now no longer research song on-line? Committing to normal classes with a instructor is probably tough, given your nerve-racking and unpredictable schedule. With on-line classes, you may take your gaining knowledge of with you at the go, and research at any time, any place. Learning song on-line has a tendency to be extra financial too!

[rionsanura]

@jadefyre​ said: hello yes I would like the deets of how the POTC theme evokes the swashbucklery so amazingly please

@mochuelita​ replied to your post: I am HERE for the swashbuckle deets

@jackironsides replied to your post: Will you divulge the secrets??

Oh I will absolutely try. I have no perspective about how much anyone knows about music, so I am likely going to vacillate wildly between explaining basic concepts in insulting detail and glossing over things that seem obvious to me but may not be, but I love this damb song so much that I am bout to EXPLAIN IT SO HARD. (Pls let me know the degree of unintelligibility you encounter here, and in what deet, and I will try to ameliorate.)

This glorious Hans Zimmer/Klaus Badelt/Geoff Zanelli thrill, the crowning achievement of hollywood pirate music, named, appropriately, He's A Pirate, is a deep and riotous well of perfectly executed brain-melting techniques. Welcome to my Deet Tour. The biggest categories of secrets here are

1. hemiola 2. augmentation(**) 3. orchestration 4. modal borrowing 5. cadential rhythm

So the biggest and most important rhythmic secret anyone can ever learn has a name that sounds hilariously like either an unfortunate blood disease or an unfortunate Ancient Greek poet. But it is Life and Greatness; it is the secret that makes compound time magic, and I am such a huge sucker for it that back when facebook was an exciting new platform that had just been opened to a few schools outside the ivy league, including mine, back when fb groups were a form of self-expression and not a freebooting nightmare, I made a facebook group called "If Hemiola Were A Person, We'd Be Married." Yes. And 17 of my closest music school friends joined, because hemiola is really that great.

Here is what it means: you are in compound time (a kind of meter that has beats made of 3 smaller beats). You arrange those tiny beats into groups of 2 instead.* Like this:

| | |   | | | -> | |   | |   | |

Think of the coolest thing about the rhythm in the classic Theory 101 hemiola demonstration standby, America from West Side Story. It goes onetwothree onetwothree onetwo onetwo onetwo. That's one way to hemiola. The most obvious way, very good, very satisfying.

A more advanced (and more connotatively piratical, but we'll get to that in a bit) way to hemiola is to do the 3 and the 2 at the SAME TIME. This can be in different instruments, or in the same instrument at different points in the melody of the same bar; the options are endless. You end up with a rhythm that, devil take it, can only reasonably be called Rollicking. Is it in 3? Is it in 2? DOESN'T MATTER. IT'S HEMIOLA. IT'S IN BOTH. Listen to the A section of He's a Pirate; it has everything that can possibly be in both 3 and 2 going on at once. The melody, played by some forthright horns and low strings, has a rhythm that mostly divides the bar into 3, while still keeping the pickup subdivision that makes you feel like the little beats are in 2 big groups of 3. I'll write the rhythm out with periods for rests and pipes for played beats and divide them into the groups I hear them in, with big spaces between the bars: (...) .||    |. |. ||    |. |. ||    |. |. ||    ||. .||    |. |. ||    |. |. ||    |. |. ||    |.. .||    |. |. ||    |. |. ||    |. |. ||    ||. .||    |. |. |.    ||. .||    |. |. ||   |.. ...

The most ambiguous thing here is the middle beat of the bar, the 4th one if you're counting it in 6 (2nd if you're in 2, 1.5 if you're in 3). This whole melody hinges on that empty beat. Is it part of the second note? Or is it a springboard for the last two notes? Is it an on-beat or an offbeat? IT'S HEMIOLA. IT'S BOTH. MAGIC. Obviously some bars will be easier to hear in 2 (the fourth bar at end of each phrase, for example, which starts with two notes in a row with no space between, and a really emphatic drum hit on beat 4 (or 2, or 1.5) while no notes are happening). Some are easier to hear in 3; the rest of the phrase, besides the fourth bar, has at least two notes per bar that sounds like they should be grouped in Big Three (two little beats per group). The best part about it, and what makes the Rollicking so successful (one might even say, as OP did, that it is Jaunty) is that for most of these bars, it is equally easy to hear them in 3 or in 2. The British Isles, particularly the bits that the English tried and failed to assimilate, are deeply associated with this kind of rhythmic ambiguity. In fact the wikipedia example of what an Irish drum (bodhrán) sounds like is mostly composed of 6/8 hemiola, and though it's not the best playing I've ever heard, it is a good example of the rhythms usually played on that drum.

I'm counting the climactic bit that sounds like cutlass swipes (there's our Swashbuckling) about 0:33-0:46 as a B section. Why does it buckle the swash? Because all the beats of the melody have been occupied so far in this tune, and now there are big holes. Are they still hemiola? Yes. It's just the slightly more obvious kind that switches back and forth between 2 and 3 beats per bar in one voice instead of both at once through ambiguous beat 4 (or 2 or 1.5):

|.. .||   |.. ...   |.. ...    ||. |..    |.. .||    |. |. |.   |.. .||   |. |. |.   ||. ...   |. |. |.   ||. ...   |. |. |.   |.. .(||) (the last two pipes here are the pickup to the C section and can be counted as rests for the purposes of the B section)

But don't worry, both kinds of subdivision are still happening everywhere else. It's a mechanically complex but simply majestic pearl of a tune.

Which brings us to Secret #2: augmentation. This is why we feel the buckle is swashed atop the bowsprit, rather than anywhere else on board. This one is Particularly Secret, because to be honest there is no literal augmentation going on in this song, just the implication of it.** This might be a bit harder to explain.

The C section of this song, starting at 0:45 right after the cutlass swipes, goes rhythmically like this (basically two times in a row, with different notes the second time):

(||)   |.. .||    |. |. |.    |. |. |.    |.. .||    |.. .||    |. |. |.   |. .. |.    |.. (...)

Look how many groups of unambiguous 3 there are in this horn melody! With big holes in the rest of the bars! This makes the melody sound slower, because not as many small notes in a row are being played, even though there are still the same underlying rhythms happening in the drums and the accompanying figures that are not the melody. It's like we're on the top of the ship instead of underneath in the waves being bashed on the hull by all the little chops and splashes we hear in the drums and cellos. We can see/hear those little subdivisions, we're just not involved in them right now: this is how we become majestic. The drums are definitively in 2, which emphasizes the moments when the melody is more 3ish. The bass line and accompanimental figures are ambiguous.

This brings us to Secret #3: orchestration.

The magnificence and high wind (which causes rough seas) are indeed related to some cellos. The swash wouldn't be nearly so all-encompassing if the orchestrators hadn't picked the instruments they picked (I'm not sure who orchestrated this particular moment of the soundtrack; see the wikipedia entry on the 7 different composers hired to orchestrate this score because of weird production reasons). There is an ASTONISHINGLY small number of kinds of instruments used in this song considering the forces available in an orchestra, and all but the cellos, horns, basses, and drums are basically decorations on top of the main tune.

Here is the obvious thing: it's very low. Cellos are pretty low instruments, basses are Really low instruments, horns have the capability to go high but do not do it in this song, and drums have no exact pitch but most of the ones used in this piece for the main beats are low in frequency with occasional high crashy sounds for emphasis. Cellos, and I don't think I'm making this up, I've read association studies, sound like wood. Horns are used in hollywood scores (and for hundreds of years before movies were invented) for noble and majestic melodies, associated with noble and majestic characters and environments and qualities (check out some Wagner for more information about the association of melodies with story elements before movies were invented). This is the deet where we start thinking about notes instead of just rhythms.

It is pretty unusual for notes so low to be so fast. A gem of an aphorism I picked up in high-school-orchestra rehearsals (from the director, no less): "an octave lower, an octave slower." (This was usually meant as a gentle tease to the bass section for not playing their part right, or on time, but it works as an explanation of normal orchestration principles.) We don't expect our driving, foundational bass frequencies to move from note to note so fast. Usually if they do, it's an exceptional showoff moment in a bigger orchestral context where the violins or other high instruments are doing the rest of the fast stuff. Here, the violins are just doubling the low strings to emphasize them when the melody is repeated; the high strings aren't even playing all the time. What this means is that the low instruments are showing off all the time, so it's very drivy and feels much faster than it would if just the high instruments were doing the tune.

It's also one of the reasons the song is foreboding; very low notes, punctuated with high shrieky interjections (like the violin swashes in the cutlass section), is the technique used in horror scoring, which we have been conditioned to associate with something scary. Also I think there is some science there.

Another reason it is a bit foreboding (though other sections of the soundtrack are More Foreboding, for example Fog Bound but we're just talking about the main theme in this post) is Secret #4: modal borrowing.

Let's be clear here, there's nothing Super Weird going on in this melody modally, but there are several ways to do a minor scale, and it takes advantage of more than one. Minor keys have a surprising amount of options regarding what notes to use after the fifth scale degree; you can have a low 6 and 7 (often used coming down the scale), or a high 6 and 7 (usually for going up), or low 6 and high 7 (this is often used to sound middle-eastern) or a high 6 and low 7 (this is not often used, since low 6 is good for tension in that half-step going to the 5th degree, but if it is used, it sounds folky and maybe Old). This array of usual options means you don't really have to borrow much to have both kinds of 6th and 7th scale degrees, but the fact that the melody so frequently emphasizes the low 7 (whole step between 7 and 1, instead of half) makes it sound modal and British-folk-ish. Listen to some jigs (Butterfly, for example) or reels (like this whole set of them) or really any minor-key Irish or Scottish folk music and you'll find it has low 7.

This frequent low 7th scale degree means the chord that starts on the 5th scale degree, usually called the V chord in classical parlance, is in fact in this situation the v chord, because it's minor. That's modal borrowing! The minor v chord is not really native to any mode, because usually we make the V chord major even if 7 is low in the scale, but we call it borrowing anyway. It is a particular kind of sound where the drive of the five chord to the one chord is less strong, because the low 7 doesn't want quite as badly to lead to 1. This makes the chord more atmospheric than functional, and it might be more foreboding this way. It's not rare, it's not exceptional, but it is definitely associated with the British Isles (more the 19th century than the 17th, but fewer people know actual 17th century tunes) and folk music and sea chanties etc. This may be how we know it's the jolly roger flapping from the mast.

However! The tune also has moments of high 7! And this means V is major sometimes! Like the end of the A section before it repeats slightly differently (0:17). The fact that both of these chords exist in this tune makes it even borrowier, because usually you get only one of these kinds of five chord. But sometimes we have major V, which makes it More Climactic, the spectacular flaps of the jolly roger.

The last Secret I would like to relate is #5: cadential rhythm. This is the reason we have any actual association with the 17th century instead of the 19th (most piratey music anyone knows is from the 19th century).

Cadences (a cadence is the way a phrase ends) have been classified over the centuries, in terms of both rhythm and melody, into two kinds. They are conventionally called masculine and feminine, or strong and weak, but those are bullshit names so I am calling them direct and indirect. A direct cadence lands on the downbeat, and probably on the root of the chord. An indirect cadence lands after the downbeat, and so the first note of the bar isn't the cadential note; the note after it is.

The way He's A Pirate uses indirect cadential rhythm is especially emphatic. The very first phrase (0:05-0:08) cadences on the second tiny beat of the bar instead of the first. Since the tiny beats go real fast, it's very obvious how the phrase lands on Not The Big Beat. The tinier the beats are, the more emphatic the syncopation is. BUT THEN: the second phrase cadences directly (0:08-0:11). It goes back and forth between direct and indirect until the end of the A section when we have two indirects in a row, which makes the direct (on major V, no less!) last one especially swashbuckly.

Here is a playlist of 17th century English songs (mostly in compound time), the first of which is also full of hemiola, many (especially the third, 14th, 15th and 16th) of which have indirect cadences at the end of nearly every phrase. The switching back and forth between the two kinds of cadential rhythm is really important to the piratical nature of this song, contributes to the jauntiness, and has actual connections to historical 17th century tunes (though this cadential strategy is also common in the 19th century sea folk tunes people are more likely to know). BEHOLD THE GALLEON.

I hope that these Secrets have been Revealed. If my explanatory techniques have been too obscure, please do ask me about things you find unclear; I larve this song to tiny tiny bits and would be delighted to explain it forever.

*Or the other way around. Hemiola just means messing with the subdivision of beats, regrouping them either from 2 to 3 or 3 to 2. OR BOTH AT ONCE YAAASSSS. also you don’t necessarily have to be in compound time (which is subdivided into 3); you can be in any meter, as long as you are regrouping things between 2 and 3. it’s just easiest and most rollicking when you’re in, for example, 6/8 or 9/8. **Despite my 11 years of music school, I have not found a better inaccurate but explicative term for this technique, but let me explain to you what augmentation actually is, so that you know why this isn't exactly augmentation. When you make a melody twice as slow but with the exact same thing happening, that's real augmentation. Like if in the original melody from my first dumb rhythmic transcription had values of quarter notes instead of eighth notes; if it just sounded slower with the rest of everything going the same speed. Obviously the melody in the C section is not the same as the A section, and it does not actually use values that are twice that of the A section, but it expands the beat to feel slower in a way that is compatible with the flexible ambiguous 2 or 3 subdivision of compound time.

[taww]

Review: Silverline SR17 Supreme loudspeaker

Silverline SR17 Supreme loudspeaker

The Audiophile Weekend Warrior (TAWW)

TAWW Rating: 5 / 5

Combining the body and scale of a larger speaker with traditional mini-monitor virtues, the SR17 Supreme is an exceptional conveyor of musical color and expression.

PROS: Organic midrange tone; top-to-bottom coherence; ample scale and dynamics; superb imaging; unfussy setup.

CONS: Smidge of lower midrange coloration; favors acoustic over electronic music; awkward recessed terminals.

This review has been a long time coming. Back in 2010, @mgd-taww​ gave the Silverline SR17 Supreme (USD $7,500) a rave review in Bound for Sound magazine, and heartily recommended them to me as an upgrade to my Merlin TSM speakers. It took me 8 years and a move to the West Coast to finally reach out to Silverline for a review pair; then another 15 months of listening to get around to this review. In the meantime, lots of speakers have come and gone in the market, particularly in the 2-way monitor category saturated with offerings at every conceivable price point. And yet, to my ears, the SR17 Supreme endures as one of the most satisfying speakers of its kind. Read on for my take on how it’s withstood the test of time.

History & Design

Silverline is a small speaker manufacturer based out of Walnut Creek, California, a short drive northeast of San Francisco. The SR17 is one of their first models dating back to a couple years after their incorporation in 1996:

1998: The SR17 debuted at the 1998 Stereophile Show in LA, sporting a Dynaudio D28/2 tweeter and Esotec 17WLQ midwoofer.

1999: Updated with an Esotec D260 tweeter and revised crossover.

2004: The SR17.5 was introduced, with increased internal volume via a deeper cabinet for better bass response.

2009: The SR17 Supreme is introduced with an Esotar T330D tweeter and further refinements.

Proprietor/designer/craftsman Alan Yun has continued tweaking the Supreme over the last decade, and though the Dynaudio drivers he prefers are out of production he’s stockpiled enough units for years of production and repairs. The enclosure, recognizable by its trapezoidal shape and depth, is manufactured in China by a shop that does cabinet work for a number of high-end marques, with final assembly performed by Alan’s own hand. He shared a bit more about their production:

California has strict environmental regulations. The paints on cabinets are governed by strict rules, and is why there are fewer and fewer cabinet makers in California. Many manufacturers now find their production overseas.

Actually our cabinets were rawly made in China, painted, and the final detailing is done by me, also putting sonic materials inside the cabinets. This job is pretty tricky for tweaking the sound. The crossovers were handmade by me, matching components, soldering, etc. The drivers were fitted carefully and precisely by my hands with European-made T-15A screws. Final testing and listening are all done by me in my workshop. 😅 Therefore, the SR 17 is rather unique. I am also the original designer of this shape/type of speaker cabinet since 1996. I did research and to the best of my knowledge there were no similar designs then.

Large, but not ungainly, atop Dynaudio Stand 6′s

The depth of the cabinet - 15 inches, to be exact - gives it a rather top-heavy look on a typical stand, but it’s mitigated by the elegant tapered profile. My pair was impeccably finished on all sides in rosewood veneer. Rapping down the sides revealed it to be very solid, but not as fanatically braced and damped as my old Merlin TSM monitors or the Audiovector SR 1. Each speaker weighs around 26 lbs. The bi-wire terminals are recessed, which made them a bit of a pain, particularly as they have larger rectangular posts that will take 1/4" spades only in certain directions - I recommend banana terminations.

The crossover sports just 4 components, with 1st order high-pass (tweeter) and 2nd order low-pass (woofer) filters. Parts quality - Solen metallized polypropylene capacitors, a generic-looking wirewound resistor and an air-core inductor - is solid but hardly fancy, a deliberate decision by Alan who isn’t much of a believer in expensive boutique parts. Based on the results he’s achieved here, it’s hard to argue.

Cardas jumpers sounded better than the stock bridges to my ears. Stick with bananas for the cable termination - spades are awkward.

Setup

The SR17 is fairly efficient (nominally 90.5 dB/watt @ 8 ohms), but more importantly it's easy to drive - my Ayre AX7e, known for being rather limited in the power delivery department, sounded open and effortless. Alan Yun said the Dynaudio drivers love current and will benefit from powerful amplifiers, yet will sing with low-powered tube amps. I can confirm it loved the grunt of the 300wpc Bryston 4B Cubed, yet I never felt lower-power amps like the Ayre or Bryston B60 integrateds were lacking for dynamics. And my favorite pairing by far was with the 55-watt Valvet A4 Mk.II class A monoblocks sporting a single pair of bipolar output devices. (Incidentally, Alan’s favorite amp paring with the SR17 is the 30-watt Pass Labs XA30.5, which @mgd-taww can attest to being a magical combo.)

Similarly, I found the SR17 easy-going when it came to cables. My preferred cable had more to do with the amp used, but I got good results from a single run of Audience Au24 SX [review], Cardas Clear Light and DH Labs Q10 Signature cables. With the Audience, I felt the speaker was the sweetest and most dimensional; the DH Labs brought out more bass power and treble brilliance; while the Cardas brought out more upper midrange presence. With the Bryston 4B3 amp, I settled on the Cardas; with the Ayre and Valvet, the Audience was the clear winner. Unlike with the Audiovector SR 1 Avantgarde Arreté (review forthcoming), I didn't find bi-wiring to lend a noticeable improvement, but I did prefer replacing the stock metal jumpers with nicer Cardas ones from my Merlin TSM's for a little more refinement.

As with any high-quality monitor, stands are important. Something around 24-25” height seems right, though I wouldn’t be afraid to sit them an inch or two lower as the speakers are capable of projecting good image height. A trend these days is to decouple speakers from the stands/floor, but the SR17’s are “old school” in that they prefer tight coupling, meaning heavy suckers with spikes and a judicious amount of BluTack on the top plate. My old Osiris stands, heavy dual-column steel beauties loaded with sand, were a perfect match, but sadly I sold them with my Merlin TSM’s; they were replaced by higher-WAF but inferior-sounding Dynaudio Stand 6’s, which in stock form are quite light and choked the sound of the Silverlines. Fortunately I was able to get them to a better place with some tweaks; not as good as the Osiris, but close. A better choice sonically might be something like the Target Audio MR stand with the four pillars mass-loaded.

Pulling them out further improves imaging, but they still work well relatively close to the back wall.

Placement was pretty standard for a monitor speaker - keep it at least a couple feet from the back wall, with a 2:3 width-to-listener distance ratio and toed in about halfway. In my room, which has a number of living constraints, I had the back of the speaker about 21” from the wall, tweeters 76” apart and the plane of the speaker 8 ft. from my ears. While many small-box monitors rely (often excessively) on rear ports for low-end boost, the bass tuning on the SR17 is far more subtle and sophisticated - putting my ear to the port, I heard a fairly modest amount of output. I remarked this to Alan, and he described the port as more a method of pressure equalization than bass volume. This means in a pinch I could push the speakers as close as 12" from the wall without fear of low notes booming out of control. All in all, for being such a high-performing design, the SR17 is remarkably easy to live with.

The Sound

The first thing my wife, a professional oboist, noticed about music through the SR17 is how dynamically alive it was. I had just wrapped up my review of the Silverline Minuet Grand, a superb $2k speaker that is no dynamic slouch itself. And even though the SR17 was fresh out of the box and Alan warned me it would take some time to run in, the very first notes from the SR17 sung with expressiveness and vibrance. I think it took all of 15 minutes of listening to Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra streaming radio for her to remark, “I like this speaker.” She’s normally nonchalant about hi-fi, and yet has ears that can pick apart sonic deficiencies in about 90 seconds, so that amounts to a rave! And what made it so immediately engaging wasn't some artificial emphasis or hype; it was a feeling of unimpeded dynamic flow that makes most other speakers sound a bit drab. The SR17 lets music breath freely, carrying you with the ebb and flow of a tune and conveying every turn of a phrase with a sense of ease and conviction.

The next thing we noticed is how natural and palpable everything sounds through the SR17. Tonally, the SR17 is on the very slightly warm side of neutral; it combines reassuring solidity and density from the mid-bass through the midrange with an open, extended top end and fine harmonic resolution. Its ability to paint with a wide palette of tonal colors brings out the distinctive character of instruments and voices, making orchestral music a delight - just put on a Living Stereo recording such as Debussy’s Iberia [Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify] and the front of your room will explode with the virtuosity of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s playing. Scale it down to smaller stuff like a Beethoven string quartet, and you’ll savor the finer gradations of timbre between the cello, viola and violin.

What you won’t notice is any discontinuity between the woofer and tweeter. These Dynaudio drivers were made to work together, and the minimal crossover mating them is superbly executed. The upper midrange around the crossover point is seamless, and I can’t remember a single moment over the course of hundreds of hours of listening when I noticed the tweeter sticking out on the face of the speaker, something that ails even the finest, most expensive dynamic speakers from time to time. In this respect the SR17 is up there with the very best and is utterly free of listening fatiguing.

As a violinist, I feel obliged to point out the Silverline’s superb reproduction of the violin G string. If you ever want to test out a speaker’s tonal truthfulness in the lower midrange (right around middle C, 262Hz), put on the 2nd movement of the Glazunov violin concerto performed by Jascha Heifetz [Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify], or the 2nd movement of the Sibelius concerto performed by Lisa Batiashvili [Tidal, Spotify]. This is oh-so-tricky to get right; as the lowest string on the instrument, it’s the richest and deepest; and yet the violin is not a viola or cello - it’s a more subtle and delicate richness. Speakers that lack body will sound thin and washed out and minimize the difference in timbre vs. the D string above; woolly or bloated speakers will thicken it or blow the instrument out of proportion. The SR17 performs this balancing act better than anything I’ve heard in my living room, or in most any system for that matter. It rides the line between warmth and clarity in that register, lending tangible realism to piano, male vocals and low brass instruments as well.

Going down the frequency range, the SR17’s extra cabinet volume vs. a typical mini monitor gives it power and scale more akin to a floorstander. My room is a 17 x 19 x 8.5 ft. open layout living/kitchen area with floor-to-ceiling windows and an offset listening point along the long wall, so while not huge, it presents a bit of an acoustic challenge that smaller speakers have struggled to fill. The SR17 had no trouble projecting a big, bold sonic image, and can cleanly play as loud as you’d reasonably want in such a space. It has sufficient body and power down to 60Hz or so to give music real foundation, with meaningful output down to 40Hz. I think Silverline’s quoted 32Hz bottom limit is a bit optimistic (or perhaps you just need the right room), and I preferred the speaker with my REL T-9 subwoofer providing a little extra oomph. But for a great many listeners in moderately-sized spaces, this will be all the speaker you ever need. Listening to “The Elephant” from Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals [Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify], a track I’ve heard on some very full-range speakers (e.g. Focal Grande Utopia EM Evo), the double bass is big and present, lacking a bit of rumble that was easily provided by flipping on the REL sub. Piano left hand similarly has nice weight, never sounding diminished in scale as typically happens on small monitors. Debussy’s Ariettes oubliées song cycle from the album Paysages by soprano Susanna Phillips and pianist Myra Huang [Tidal, Spotify] is a lovely test of colors, with ethereal vocals floating above dark undertones from the piano’s lower register. The Silverline possesses suficient extension and body to bring out these contrasts with depth and balance.

At the opposite end, the old-school Esotar tweeter is still one of the most musical high frequency transducers around. It balances detail with smoothness, extends low enough to mate perfectly with the woofer, and never sounds strained - a substantial upgrade in resolution and realism over the typical metal or silk domes in lesser speakers. In top-end extension and speed it might be bettered by some of the newfangled devices like Focal’s beryllium or B&W’s diamond domes, Scanspeak’s latest Revelator or the fantastic AMT in the Audiovector SR 1, but it’s a relatively small sin of omission and a worthwhile trade off to avoid any hint of unnatural edge or ringing. And it still has plenty of sharpness and sparkle, lending nice bite to trumpets and sheen to triangles and cymbals.

Last but not least, there’s that soundstage - present and tactile, but never in-your-face. Particularly when coupled with gear with sufficient resolution to relay subtle ambient information, e.g. the Pass XP10 preamp, there’s a real sense of the layout and layers of a symphony orchestra. The hi-res LSO Live recording of Mendelssohn’s "Reformation" Symphony with the London Symphony/Gardiner [Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify] paints a vivid picture of the stage of the Barbican, with brass fanfares anchored closer to the back wall of the fan-shaped stage, and the smaller string section sounding up front and intimate. An interesting twist in this performance is Sir Gardiner had the violinists standing to emphasize the virtuosity of Mendelssohn’s writing, and while I can’t say I would have been able to tell this from listening alone, the Silverline does convey a subtle sense of freedom and space to the violin section that I’ve missed when listening to the recording on other systems. And it has no trouble imaging well outside the bounds of the speaker, with percussion and harp on the extreme left of the stage floating eerily behind and beyond the left speaker.

I think my wife put it best when I asked her one day how the system sounded with the Silverlines: “this is what I imagine it sounded like in the concert hall.” While I’ve broken down a bunch of its strengths in audiophile terms above, it’s the way it puts everything together into a musically vivid whole that makes it special. There’s an evenness of tone, a naturalness of perspective, an ease of dynamic expression, a consistency of refinement from top to bottom that gives music a sense of rightness that allows one to forget the hi-fi aspects and focus on the musical performance. In this respect, Alan Yun has crafted something truly masterful in the SR17 Supreme.

Caveats & Comparisons

I’ll nitpick a few things that were relatively minor deficiencies to my ears, but may weigh more heavily for people with different tastes. These were highlighted in my own home by direct comparison with another very fine monitor speaker, the Audiovector SR 1 Avantgarde Arreté ($6,200 in premium finish). I also have my long-term reference, the Merlin TSM-MXe (around $6k several years ago) as a baseline.

First off, I suspect the Silverline’s hint of lower midrange warmth, while sounding natural and consonant with much of my favored acoustic music, may come from a bit of otherwise well-controlled cabinet resonance. It gently highlights the woody quality of acoustic instruments, but with electronic music it comes across as a slight coloration - a bit like wearing orange-tinted sunglasses that make everything look a little less cool. It’s very subtle, and not enough to sound overtly “boxy” or throw voices off, but it’s not transcendentally-clean like the Audiovector or, say, a Magico. My sense is Alan wisely tuned the SR17 cabinet for this response, as additional bracing would just make the resonance peakier and higher in frequency where the ear is more sensitive; as it is, it’s a gentle and diffuse coloration. Part of this may also be the sonic signature of the Esotec woofer’s magnesium silicate polymer cone, which I’ve heard in a number of speakers and to my ears trades better damping for a hair less crispness vs. some of the fancier treated paper or composite cones out there. On the plus side, it never sounds dry as some of those drivers can, but with Erlend Øye’s Unrest [Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify] or Carley Rae Jepsen’s Emotion [Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify] I found the Audiovector conveyed more of hard-wired immediacy and edge suitable for those albums. 

Taking turns with the Audiovector SR 1 Avantgarde Arreté

Another area where the Audiovector came out slightly ahead of the Silverlines was in resolution during loud dynamic peaks. The Audiovector is truly special in this regard, being designed for minimal signal compression and sounding incredibly collected the louder you play them. The Silverline also plays loudly with ease, but vs. the über-clean Audiovector it’s very slightly thicker and more congested. Case in point are the fortissimo climaxes and interruptions in Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri overture [Tidal, Spotify] - when the orchestra comes crashing in after the pianissimo pizzicato opening, both speakers are clean and explosive, but the Audiovector sorts out the different instruments playing in unison for that brief moment a hair better, while the Silverline has more low-end oomph.

As mentioned prior, the Silverline’s superb Esotar tweeter isn’t the state-of-the-art in extension. It has plenty of resolution, but if you favor extremely extended and airy highs, e.g. the 52kHz-rated AMT tweeter in the Audiovector will give you more of that. I don’t think that ultimately matters so much for musical enjoyment (and many people can’t hear very well above 10kHz anyway), but it does make a subtle difference in realism. It also makes the Silverline’s treble a bit more forgiving of poor recordings and upstream components (silver cables could work) - it’ll never, ever burn your ears off.

The $7,500 price tag of the Silverline puts it squarely above the very crowded $5k-and-under monitor crowd, but short of the $10k+ “super monitor” category. Comparisons with other speakers are more conjecture on my part as I haven’t heard them in my own room... but I’ll mention a few things I’ve gotten a good listen to at shows, dealers, and other people’s systems.

Paradigm’s Persona series seems to be mentioned quite frequently in audio forums these days, and I heard the Persona B monitor ($7,000) briefly at RMAF. I’ve also listened to the floorstanding Persona 3F a bit, and there’s definitely a common house sound - fast, crisp, detailed and dynamic. I’ve never warmed up to either of them - they’ve struck me as rather strident, with instrumental interplays like oboes and clarinets playing in harmony tending to sound compressed. The Silverline by comparison may sound a bit thicker, but it has far more natural instrumental timbre to my ears, is less bright and thus easier to match to more systems, throws a more dimensional and properly-placed soundstage, and is very nearly as “fast” without sounding edgy. I’m honestly at a loss as to why the Personas are garnering so much praise, so maybe it’s just me? A similar argument could be made for the B&W 805 S3 ($6,000) - while I haven’t auditioned them specifically, I’m pretty familiar with the 800-series sound and again, it’s not my cup of tea. The Silverline’s balance and openness just strike me as much more natural than anything I’ve heard from B&W. So if the likes of B&W and Paradigm leave you a bit cold, the SR17 Supreme might be a step in the right direction.

An obvious comparison is to Dynaudio’s own bookshelves, specifically the Contour 20 ($5,000) and Special Forty ($2,995). You can read about them in my quick review from a dealer audition, and while I haven’t heard them head-to-head, I posit that the Silverline a worthwhile step up in coherence and musicality. If you can’t stretch the budget for the Silverline I think the Special Forty would be a good alternative, but it does not have the near-reference level neutrality of the Silverline. In the past Dynaudio had a bit of a reputation for not being as good at implementing their own drivers in complete loudspeakers as other companies were, and while I think their latest efforts are much improved, Alan Yun still seems to be squeezing more out of the old Esotar/Esotec drivers in the SR17... methinks this is a reflection of Alan’s sharp ear and painstaking hand-tuning.

A few more offhandish observations based on extremely limited auditions, so take with a block of salt: I heard the Wilson Audio TuneTot ($9,800) at a dealer shortly after its release. With the caveats that it’s designed for a totally different use case, it was in an unfamiliar setup and this pair wasn’t fully run in, I didn’t find it nearly as compelling or expressive. I got a good listen to the TAD Micro Evolution One ($12,495) with a couple different amps and found its midrange rather dry, upper midrange a bit peaky and its bass lacking fullness and extension vs. the Silverline. The Artist Cloner Rebel Reference ($16k w/stands) wowed me at RMAF - it seemed to have more speed and resolution than the Silverline, though the upper midrange was a hair pronounced. It would be an interesting comparison, even at twice the price. Another interesting monitor at RMAF was the Stenheim Alumine Two ($13k) which was super clean and detailed, but perhaps not as liquid. A more logical competitor/upgrade could be the Sonus faber Electa Amator III ($10k) that I also heard at RMAF. That speaker absolutely blew me away with its expressiveness, natural richness, insane dynamics and huge presentation in the show setup. It’s the speaker that I’m most dying to compare to the Silverline.

And to wrap up the comparison to my Merlins and the Audiovectors - I sold my beloved Merlins shortly after receiving the Silverlines, and wound up purchasing both the Silverlines and the Audiovectors as I just couldn’t decide between the two. That should give you an idea of just how much I like them both; I’ll have more to say about the Audiovector in a forthcoming review.

Verdict

It's been said speakers mirror the personality of their designers, and if you've met the talented and affable Alan Yun no doubt you’ll feel his influence. Much like the man behind it, the SR17 Supreme is sharp, earnest and engaging, yet easy-going, with an unforced warmth and great attention to detail. There’s something grounded and unfussy about the way it allows music to flow forth, feeling like it's taken an expressive limiter off of a recording without hyping it in any way. It checks off many of the audiophile boxes too - imaging, tonal balance, bass power and extension, etc. etc. - but focusing on those mechanical aspects, as excellent as they are, would be selling Alan’s accomplishment short. The SR17 Supreme is first and foremost a faithful and thoroughly enjoyable reproducer of music, one capable of strongly evoking the beauty of the original musical event. There are countless 2-way monitors superficially like this one, but few that I know that are so meticulously and lovingly tuned to such great effect.

I've spent a lot of words espousing this speaker, but I think it's deserving of it, not just because of the obvious quality of the product, but because Silverline is a small manufacturer flying under the radar without a big dealer network or advertising budget. While Alan continues to develop his entry-level Minuet and Prelude lines at a more rapid pace to keep up with market demands, he doesn’t pen up new versions of his reference models every couple years to generate hype. He’s instead chosen his design fundamentals wisely and focused on perfecting their execution through years of painstaking refinement, much as the late Bobby Palkovic @ Merlin Music did. Like Bobby, he has a great ear for music, does a lot of the production work himself, and gains most of his sales through word of mouth. This does make it trickier to find than the big brands at a typical shop, but I strongly encourage seeking out an opportunity to hear it. The SR17 Supreme is a special speaker, and it won't be leaving my living room any time soon.

Silverline Audio P.O. Box 30574 Walnut Creek, CA 94598 USA

[yierknives]

What are the best reasons to have a Bluetooth speaker for a party?

There’s absolutely no doubt that a great party deserves amazing music pumping out of awesome speakers. You’ve spent a lot of time curating the perfect playlist and preparing for the evening, so ironing out all of the small details to make sure the night goes off with a bang is critical. Whether you want chilled music for an intimate dinner party or you want to dance the night away with friends and strangers alike, playing the right music from quality party speakers can create an unforgettable experience.

What to look for in party speakers?

So you’re ready to put on the party of the year. But you’re not quite sure what speakers you need in order to get the job done. That is understandable because there are a ton of factors to take into account when picking out the best party speakers. How loud do they need to be? How big do they need to be? Do you need them to be Bluetooth connectable, or is wired okay?

Here we go over a few of the things you need to consider when picking out the best party speakers for your purpose.

Sound Quality

With sound quality, we’re referring to the mids and highs of the music and how clearly and distinctively a speaker is able to produce these sounds. If the sound quality is good then the mids and highs will be clear and flawless without any distortion at high volumes. This is important otherwise once your speaker goes above a certain volume, you’ll start hearing what resembles a “scratching noise” that’ll ruin your music.

If you’re new to frequency response ranges and do not know what mids and highs are, I will make it simple for you.

Highs: These are the high pitches or high-frequency sounds that are often produced by the soprano, violin, flute, etc.

Mids: These are the medium pitches or middle frequencies that are often produced by the viola, cello, alto, tenor, oboe, etc.

Lows: These are the low pitches or low (bass) frequencies that are often produced by the bass, bassoon, bass drum, baritone, etc.

So before buying a speaker, make sure to read some reviews to ensure that the speaker has good sound quality and will not distort when you turn the volume to max.

Portability

How often will you be throwing parties? Will you always be using the same venue? Unless you are planning on keeping your speakers in the same location for every party, you should consider how important a factor like portability is.

Moving heavy speakers around a couple of times a month or even a couple of times a year can become a huge hassle when throwing a party. Larger speakers take up extra space which may mean you need to make extra trips to get the rest of your supplies. But then again, you may need the power that larger speakers offer.

There are some fantastic portable party speakers that are a little bit smaller but still pack 1000-watts of power. If you’re going to be doing a lot of moving, consider the option of picking up a smaller speaker that has more power. The last thing you want is to set up your party and have all the guests invited only to find out your speakers aren’t going to fit into the space you’ve picked out. Smaller speakers mean more dance floor room.

Battery Life

We just mentioned that a hand full of the party speakers on this list do not run on battery so when it comes to the battery it is obviously important to check if the speaker actually has one. Checking whether that battery is a rechargeable battery is important. While the chances of getting a proper party speaker that runs on a non-rechargeable battery are very slim, I still make sure to check.

Batteries come in different sizes, and some can be extremely powerful while others are sadly very weak. Check how powerful the battery is and how long it will last on max volume. Bear in mind that the volume that you are playing music at will affect how long the battery lasts. Another thing that you should take note of in regards to the battery is that if the speaker has accessories such as lights, then it will use far more power than when only the music is playing.

This can actually have a dramatic effect on the battery-life. For example, the ION Audio Block Party Live, which is an amazing speaker, gets about 70 hours of playtime from a charge when the light dome is switched off, however, when you switch it on while playing music, you only get 6 hours of playtime. Take this into consideration when buying a party speaker.

Connectivity

If Bluetooth is important to you, then you’re in luck, because most speakers these days have the capability to be connected via Bluetooth. Bluetooth party speakers generally work on a battery and you will need to take into account the amount of battery life you want out of your speakers.

Ideally, you will be able to play your music for over 12 hours without needing to recharge them. That way you can keep the music going through the entire ordeal. However, wired speakers offer a little more convenience in the sense that you don’t need to worry about recharging at all.

The signal is generally stronger with wired speakers and you don’t need to worry about the signal cutting out in the middle of everyone’s favorite sing-along song. Smaller speakers tend to be better suited to have Bluetooth connectivity as the whole point of having smaller speakers is portability. A lot of this decision will come down to size, power, and capability for your party.

Durability

Have you ever been at a party and had drinks spill on valuable things? It happens, and many other things do too. How much rigorousness are you going to be putting your speakers through? If you’re throwing university frat ragers, then a set of speakers that can handle whatever is thrown at them may be necessary.

If you have a more sophisticated social circle, you may be able to get away with using speakers that are a little more fragile. Most portable Bluetooth speakers these days are made with waterproof capabilities and are fairly durable. Generally, you should be okay in most cases, but this is a factor you should keep in mind.

What to Consider when Buying a Party Speaker?

Your Budget

Yes, the mighty dollar rules. Ideally, we would all own a B&W Nautilus but that’s not the way the world works and everybody cannot spend 50k on a speaker. So when we buy speakers (or most stuff actually) we often look at our budget and then limit our options to what we can afford. Since we know how important it is to stick to your budget, we’ve added party speakers from a variety of price ranges to our list.

Party Size and Location

If you think about this logically then it is obvious that a person throwing a small house-party for 20 people would not have the same audio needs as a person who invited 100 guests. So consider the number of people you typically entertain before making a final purchase decision.

Hand in hand with this consider the location of your party, more specifically whether it will be held indoors or outdoors. Some speakers sound amazing indoors but once you take away the acoustic effects provided by four walls and the roof, the sound “falls flat”. If you are planning to host an outdoor party, buy a speaker that will excel in that environment.

It’s going to have to be powerful, and loud, and if you know that there will be water nearby, you’d also want it to be water-resistant or even fully waterproof. There are many speakers, like the DinDinModern, that are water-resistant, making them perfect for pool parties. Speakers rated IPX7 have no problem ending up inside the pool if the party picks up speed!

FAQs about party speakers

1. How can I test if my speakers are good? One great way to test the quality of your speakers is to begin by playing a sound or music through them quietly. Listen intently to the sound quality at a lower level before turning it up. If the quality and tone don’t sound great at a low and quiet level, then it’s likely that the speaker needs replacing. Also, make sure that your speakers are connected correctly, as your music is only as strong as the cables and signals that it flows through.

2. Can certain sounds damage speakers? Yes, absolutely. Playing music through the speakers that are turned up too loud can damage the speakers quite quickly. When you over-power low-frequency speakers, it’s the fastest way to permanently damage them. Very often damage happens over time and it can be hard to tell that your speakers are permanently altered until it’s too late. To care for your speakers, ensure that the volume is at the right levels and that the frequencies aren’t too overpowering to ultimately ruin the speaker.

3. What happens if speaker impedance is too low? All speakers have an impedance rating which showcases how difficult it is to power the speaker. The lower the impedance is on the speaker, the more efficiently music will be able to pass through the speaker. This is due to how easily the electrical signal can flow through it. However, if the impedance is too low on your speakers, it can result in a weak output and a low tone. Making sure you get appropriate resistors can help provide a solution for this problem, as they will dissipate one-fourth of the maximum power your amplifier can output.

4. How many watts do I need for my speakers? Usually, the higher the watts on your speakers, the better. Watts help provide cleaner and better sound, no matter which speaker you choose. However, 50 watts should be more than enough to enjoy listening to your speakers recreationally and professionally, in some cases. From there, small differences in power don’t make a noticeable change in the quality of the sound. You would have to go up 100 watts per channel before being able to really tell a difference.

5. How can you tell how powerful a speaker is? You’ll be able to tell how powerful the speaker is by looking at the watts. If you are only listening recreationally and need something to fill the space, 50 watts will be adequate. If you are playing music professionally or want something with more power, 200 watts is said to be plenty of power coming out of that speaker. To determine how many watts your speaker has, you should be able to look at the back of the speaker box or the manual. Once turned around, there should be a plate or sticker on your speaker listing the wattage, voltage, and amperage.

Conclusion

Don’t overthink your desire to play great music at your next party or gathering. Consider the size of the party, the location, and what you are trying to accomplish overall with the music as your friends and family arrive. And most importantly, don’t forget to have fun with your guests. Choose the best speaker that will help you to enjoy the night the most!

Any of our winning options are quality speakers that will serve you well, but selecting the perfect one is about your preferences and ideal price point.Want more recommendations for the best Bluetooth speaker ? Check out our guides to the DinDinModern.

Why choose DINDINMODERN?

We do the retail and wholesale business of authentic Bluetooth speakers. We hope to be your stable global supporter and partner. We are an enterprise integrating factory and trade, specializing in the design, manufacture and sales of high-quality Bluetooth speakers. We always make every effort to check the quality of each Bluetooth speaker.

[abundantchewtoys]

Strife 2 reaction

Time to listen up on Strife 2! We're pumped to hear what cool tunes Tensei has concocted. We deliberately didn't listen to any of the previews - I don't think Blaperile even heard about those songs' titles before now!

Just looking at the track list, I can see we're in for good stuff. Off the bat, what I expect is a good few remixes (Arachnofunkia), extended versions (Spirit of Storms) and possible shipping songs (Aerosoul - John/Dirk? Or  :P).

I'm glad Tensei was able to create a finished version of King in Red, I'm interested to hear it based on the snippet in White Host, Green Room. I saw Heel Girl as a WIP on his Tumblr, but I don't remember exactly in what way it differed from Of Gods and Witches. Well, it's a Grimbark Jade song, that much I remember.

I wonder if the track art contains a lot of Homestuck references - I saw the artist post the track art they finished on Tumblr but I scrolled over it and don't really remember, but I think so.

HOLY SHIT, Blaperile just unpacked the downloaded album and it contains a MASS load more of songs. I saw "Duet" pass, and he saw "Dance of Thorns", omfg!

---

1. Spirit of Storms

Maybe this song won't get extra track art when the artist finishes up the rest, because it's the first song on the album.

... THAT is a lot HIGHER pitched than I thought this remix of Stormspirit would start. Wow. This is a nice rearrangement of the small soundbit we got at the start of Strife.

2. Sanguine Panchromatic

Sufferer song? I think this is gonna be a Sufferer song. Track art TBD.

Oooh, Blaperile's right, it's like it references Iron Knight. So, is it more like a Karkat song? ... Are those violins? Strings in a Vantas themesong? I like it.

3. G4M3 OR D13

Latula song? I'm betting a Latula song.

... Is that Troll Game Grl. Pfffff. Troll Game Grl is a Tealblood, of course!

Awesome track art, sneaky game sprites but we spotted them.

I wonder how Tensei is going to go about this. I mean, 8-bit music combined with his kickass guitar riffs, uhmmm?

... I'm not 100% sure, but I might have heard this song on his Tumblr before, or maybe I did click on the preview at the time... Yeah, that last one. Straight up forgot about it until now, shame on me.

Hahaahh, so yeah, he does it masterfully, 8-bit + riffs right there.

I gotta say, I love how Tensei's songs have, like, chorusses and crescendos. (That's about all music creation lingo I master, though.)

Pure golden awesomeness.

4. Rouge on the Rox

... Roxy song, hands down.

N'aww, track art TBD.

... Samba!! Pfffff. What, Walls Covered In Blood remix somehow? :P ... Loungey music, I dig it.

If Roxy was a James Bond-esque spy as well as the classy superhacker she already is, this would be her themesong. Heh, the first part of the leitmotif on the guitar reminded me of the Kid Next Door opening theme, actually, probably intensifying the spy impression I got.

5. Perfect Cascade of the Heart

Somehow I doubt Tensei is remixing Total Eclipse of the Heart, but I don't even know the motif of that song, so who cares?

So, yeah, Cascade remix FTW? Potentially rewritten for Dirk?

... Pffff, Elevatorstuck 2.0 wasn't what I was expect-----

NEVER MIND.

There's the Cascade-esque sounds. AND SAXOPHONES OMG. Oooh, and the windy-music from Knife's Edge, I think!

Now this is song fit for "lösgehen", niiice.

The last three songs have been salacious.

6. Hope Strikes Eternal

Now, I don't want to hope that Tensei would remix Eternity Served Cold, but I also don't want to NOT hope, you know? :P

... That is not Jake in the track art, that kind of looks like a Jade-troll. With cherub wings and antler horns. WTF. The colours are Hope, but the symbol of the outfit is like a feather, heheh. Like the feathers in the wings.

Well, okay, an angel is part of the Hope-aspect's theme. Skaian clouds in the background.

... That piano opening, wow. It reminds me of the Rose-meteor shower song from Vol 10, I think.

At 1:15, that little bit reminds me of one of Tensei's songs, maybe Atomyk Bonsai?

I think Tensei had a whole original story to tell, perhaps not linked to a specific Homestuck kid but more like, the Hope aspect itself and how powerful it is?

7. Aerosoul

So yeah, what, John song? John/Dirk song? Erisolsprite song? What is it going to be? ... Maybe a Tavrosprite song out of left field. Or (Tavros) song, since "soul".

The feeling I get from it is kind of a grimmer Heir Conditioning. So, what, like a grimdork John song? :P

8. Arachnofunkia

Serket song on Number 8 FTW!!

So yeah, how's this going to sound versus Spider8reath? I'm pictuing something more closer in spirit to Midnight Spider, but who knows.

Heheheh, track art with a four-horned troll on the guitar, which reminds me of the track art for ... MeGaLoVaniac from LOTAM. So yeah, I have to wonder, also seeing as to how it's Arachn-O-Funk-Ia, whether it might contain a MeGaLoVania reference, or at least be similar in spirit?

... That sure is a funky spider right there.

Even though none of the songs so far were remixes of anything besides Tensei original sounds, I like how there's still that FEEL about them that makes them spiritual remixes.

Bit around 2:40 reminds me of Heir Conditioning's piano bit, which is again an example of what I was saying.

9. The King In Red

Of course this makes me think of the Red King from the Alice Through the Looking Glass story, but also of a blood-drenched king. So this could really go a lot of ways. But I distinctly remember a choir from the bit in White Host Green Room, so I'm leaning towards the latter...

... Wow that track art. It's like a combination of the Grand Higblood's throne room, and the White Queen's throneroom. Prospit Dreamer gone mental?? Is this supposed to be, like, a brownblood troll Mirthful Messiah follower or something?

... "REMIXES 'CRUSTACEAN'" WTF???

Pipeorgan opening for dramatic effect.

... Well this sure would fit nicely with a king gone mad, that's for sure. (If King Lear was a Prospit dreamer.)

Oh yeah, I recognize the Crustacean part on the piano.

Dear God I get the (positive) goosebumps from the dreadful feeling in this song. I understand fully well that Tensei's been toiling on this song for so long!

10. Heel Girl

So if this is supposed to be Grimbark Jade song, what's the track art going to show since it seems like all original characters each time? (I was already reminded a few times of the track art on Sburb OST.) Some other corrupted character? ... Oh, track art TBD.

... Well, at least I should be right that it's Jade-themed, it remixes Courser.

This song is definitely old though, I just realized that I first listened to it before Songs Unsung was even out.

... Yes that sure is what I remember!!

Atomyk Bonsai meets Knife's Edge.

2:00 Oooooh, instrumental intermezzo! No, I'm wrong, the rest of the song is the Courser remix, Tensei style! Awesommmmmme.

Boy these last two songs are jawdroppingly good. Together with the 3rd to 5th songs they make up my top favorites so far.

11. Unite Division.

So in what sense would this song reference Unite Synchronization, I wonder?

"Remixes 'Liquid Negrocity'"! OMFG, what, is this going to be kind of more like a counterpart to Time On My Side, specifically written for Dirk this time??? Or something else entirely.

We know he can do great things with the Liquid Negrocity riff, in any case.

Maybe it's the song to officially fit with the track art?

... This ALSO sounds like it could fit a character gone mad. So, maybe more like a Jack song still. I'm not 100% sure, but maybe Tensei had posted this as a nameless WIP soundbit on his Tumblr as well. Years and years ago, that is. (That I remember, speaks to the memorability of his songs, doesn't it?)

12. Spirit of Storms (reprise)

Well, this sure is going to be a reprise of Spirit of Storms. I wonder how it will sound now that it's the closing part of the album versus the opening part.

... Wow that sure is festive ^_^

----

And that's all 12 official songs, now on to the bonus!

Well, actually, we'll listen to it at a later date, it's been enough.

^-- A later day turned out to be the next day... --v

Part 2!

I wonder what bonus songs could be on here. We spotted Dance of Thorns, so I wonder if he remixed it, if so how, or extended it, if so how. Also, what was that thing I saw regarding a "duet" - Tensei doesn't sing AFAIK, not in his Homestuck songs anyway, so, like, is it a collab song?

13. The King in Red (Beta)

Oooh, coool! Just like how Volume 8 contained the "beta" (aka original) version of Cascade as a bonus track, it seems some of the bonus songs here will be beta versions of pieces on the album! (That may or may not have been said on the funding page, bluh, I don't want to go check at the moment.) So, what, that includes Dance of Thorns?? I wonder how a 1.0 version of it would sound, taking into account the difference between Anbroids and Anbroids 2.0, for instance.

So, here's the familiar choir and pipeorgan in any case, it's not like the instruments are different.

Ooh, there is (something akin to) that choir piece that came in White Host Green Room! (somewhere between 01:00 and 01:30). And a small quoting of Crustacean's already in this version, too.

Well, that sure is a shorter version of the final song, I'm glad he extended it.

14. Unite Division (Beta)

I spotted another few (Beta)'s underneath the listing of the previous song, heheh. So, if the previous song is anything to go by, the quoting of Liquid Negrocity in this bit should be smaller.

Hmm, this beginning kind of reminds me of the Lemonsnout Turnabout, heh. Wow, sudden snaring bits.

Maybe it was this version of Unite Division Tensei posted that time on his Tumblr...

Hmm, the start of this song was very different from the original, I liked it a lot as well!

16. Arachnofunkia (Beta)

Well, as long as we're in this beta zone, might as well :P

I wonder what the differences here will be. There were more differences to the final version with Unite Division than the King In Red, will this one fall somewhere in the middle?

... I think Tensei removed some of the blaring basses to get that 'funk' feeling in the final version. ([s]That certain je-ne-sais-quoi[/s])

17. Heel Girl (Beta)

So I figure this is the version I heard of this song on Tumblr as well.

I think this might be the closest to the end product of all beta's so far.

18. daet with roze

... Is this something from the perspective of Roxy? LMAO. Or... Drunk Rose, pffffff. Actually, Blaperile immediately thought of SBaHJ, and Drunk Rose gets her Roxy on with regards to spelling and such, so yeah.

A date with Drunk Rose. Aka Jasprosesprite's precursor. Welp.

... Wow, blues-y. Jazz is... Well, it kind of is fitting for Jazz-prose (sorry not sorry), but also brings that Midnight Crew/Felt feeling along. (9-in-the-evening dress FTW!)

... Wow, those... I don't know what to call them, 8-bit-trumpet-blares? Sound good - by the end a bit silly, but yeah, seeing as how Rose gets when she's drunk...

19. Dance of Thorns (Karaoke)

... WUT.

I...

WUT.

BUT DANCE OF THORNS HAS NO LYRICS!!!! (When suddenly, it does.)

I... I guess this means it's a whole new instrumental version??? Fit for singing to in a bar. Well, given what I said earlier in this reaction post, Tensei's songs often sound to me like they could have a chorus and verses, Dance of Thorns is certainly no exception.

I'm intrigued...

... It sounds like it might start a bit more bitty, I'm not sure???

... Ooooh, after the start it suddenly goes a whole nother way!! IT'S A REMIX!!!

Aww, no violins in that one part that's the same as in the original version...

... You know, I'm suddenly wondering if this Dance of Thorns without the violin parts??? Pffff, as in, BRING YOUR OWN VIOLIN KARAOKE NIGHT! Hahahahah.

Yeah, that MUST be it, wow... Hahah. Awesome. It sure sounds like a remix this way, so different in parts.

(Also,I suppose there was no 'duet' in this list, I just misread 'daet'.)

19. Bound in Blood (Beta)

Oooh, a song he didn't put in the final version. The name doesn't ring any bells, in any case. (Unless it was made into the Sanguine song.) I wonder why, did he just not see it fit in, or was it difficult to extend the original bit?

It starts out instrumental, and then that... dancey... leitmotif from Doctor, I think, comes in, wow. (Or well, Penumbral Phantasm more like.)

... WOWWWW. Rock on.

This went a whole other way than we're used to from Tensei.

20. Duet

*tableflip* Okay, so I WAS not mistaken, hahahahah.

But uh, duet between who? I kind of think there won't be a guest artist collaborating on this song, but I don't know?

I don't really have an immediate thought between which characters this could be a duet, either. (Wild unsubstantiated guess: Bicyclopsdad's two heads. :P)

... Piano bit start is John's, probably. Then the violin starts... And I think I heard this one before on his Tumblr, too!

This just goes to show how varied Tensei is in the genres he can do. Like Blaperile points out, this is reminiscent of Jit's style of songs, like October on One Year Older!

---

Wow. Cool album, that's for sure.

He's did it again. There's guaranteed to be a few ear wurms in this batch, I can tell you that.

[merriammusicinc]

Digital vs Acoustic Pianos - What Should You Buy, What are the Differences

Introduction

So you've started shopping for a piano and you're immediately faced with the question; should I be looking at an acoustic piano or a digital piano? Don't fret because you're not alone - this is a question every piano player and parent needs to answer. Despite what you may have heard from your piano teacher, modern digital pianos, especially those made by the 'Big 3' of Kawai, Roland and Yamaha have come a very long way in mimicking the playing experience of a 'real piano' since the early days of the first synthesizers, primarily through the development of graded hammer-actions. Digital pianos can actually boast some really nice advantages too, such as the volume control offered by playing with headphones, the fact that they require much less upkeep as compared to their acoustic counterparts, and the portability offered by slab and stage pianos.

All of this being said, for some, going with an acoustic instrument right off the bat is the way to go. While digital pianos have come along with regards to touch sensitivity, even the finest digital piano is no match for the musical expression achievable with a traditional piano.

Today we're going to address this topic and get you asking the right questions to figure out, digital vs acoustic piano, and which one might be better for a student that's just getting started out.  We'll look at how the action on an acoustic and a digital are both different and similar. We'll also get into tone and how an acoustic piano generates its sound compared to a digital piano. And then, we'll look at what some of the limitations are between an acoustic and a digital, both in terms of price, space and maintenance.

Differences In Touch

Let's first start with how digital and acoustic pianos are actually different, and we'll get into recommendations, comparisons and pros and cons a little bit later in the article. The first thing we'll look at is the action. A piano action is essentially a mechanism that takes a basic lever with a pivot point and translates that into the motion of a hammer coming up and striking the string.

Acoustic piano actions have been under constant evolution and development for around 300 years now, with the very first one having been innovated by the Italian inventor Cristofori. The modern piano action has been designed to accomplish several things, but most importantly, to allow for dynamic control over the volume, instead of only having only a single volume available such as with a harpsichord. Depending on how softly or how hard a player hits the key, that hammer is going to respond accordingly, either with a soft strike on the string, or a really fast-hard strike on the string, resulting in a big volume and tonal difference.  One of the things that develops with a student is the ability to create all sorts of different tones and shades of color by using different pressures, velocities and playing techniques on a given key. The better the piano, the more accurately it translates the players intent. On a really well-built piano, there are literally thousands of tiny nuances that the player is able to draw out of the instrument simply by how they're touching the keys.

There's a lot of nuances that you get when you have a direct mechanical link with a tool that you're using, and a key is essentially a tool in the hands of a musician. This is no different than a violinist physically holding a bow when they're playing the violin or even an athlete when they're using a tool themselves. Once you translate this into a digital piano, there is a risk of losing all sorts of that nuance. And this is where some of the early criticisms of digital pianos came from due to how a digital piano action tries to recreate this. When the key on a digital piano presses down there's a counterweight that swings up to simulate the feel of a hammer being swung. This is then detected by a sensor that tries to determine whether the key has been pressed quickly and hard or whether it's been pressed slow and soft. In the early days, the sensor technology was very limited in being able to accurately process this information, resulting in a key-action incapable of much if any dynamic range.

In the 1980s and even the 1990s, music teachers would completely scoff at the concept of learning proper piano on a digital piano due to the lack of nuance, which meant that the player wasn't capable of developing the muscle coordination and accuracy necessary to get a sense of how to control the dynamic range of the instrument.

Today, there is a huge range of high-quality digital options in terms of not only how closely the physical mechanism has been replicated but also how accurate that sensor is in terms of really capturing the nuance of what the player is doing, which has now been mated to a powerful computer-generated sound engine that can do a whole lot with all of that different data.

Differences In Tone

So, second, let's talk about tone and how this tone is created. We've already implied that on an acoustic piano the hammer hitting the string has a lot to do with the piano sound we hear, and that's very true. But, on an acoustic piano, it goes even further than that. A hallmark of really great instruments is their capacity to resonate, and in the case of a violin, cello or a piano in this case, the more that the entire structure of the instrument is resonating, the better. Instead of just hearing the sound of the string being amplified a little bit by a soundboard, in the case of a well resonating piano, you actually have a large wooden structure that starts to vibrate and create tones of its own.

This is probably one of the biggest differences between an acoustic and a digital piano in terms of how they each generate sound, not necessarily with regards to the quality of the tone, but how the tone is physically created and how it reaches our ears. As we mentioned before, on an acoustic piano, the hammer comes up and it strikes normally three strings, unless of course we're in the bass where it might be two or one, and these strings then vibrate. The strings themselves are very quiet, you're not really gonna be able to hear them much on their own. You can almost think of this as like playing an electric guitar if the amplifier is not on, you can still kind of hear the string but they're very quiet. That would be what would be happening on a piano if you took away the soundboard.

The bridge and the soundboard, which is that big flat wooden piece in a piano, or, in an upright piano, it's actually vertical, takes those vibrations from the strings, and then, the whole thing starts to vibrate kind of like a speaker cone. This is where most of the sound comes from. So the big difference with tone in an acoustic piano is you actually have a speaker which is several square feet in size. On a 48-inch upright piano, for example, there's almost 2,000 square inches worth of soundboard area. If you had an electronic speaker that had a cone that was that big, it would be the size of a wall, nobody would ever do it! So you have this big difference with the sound literally coming from the whole structure of the piano, mainly the soundboard. In comparison, on a digital piano, the sound is reproduced just the same way as it would be in a stereo. You have this audio signal that's being sent to an amplifier, and then, the amplifier is driving to relatively small speakers, in some cases maybe four. From there, you're hearing all of the sound coming out of speakers, as opposed to a soundboard which is the size of a table. No matter how good those speakers get, they'll never be able to produce the acoustic effect of a very large resonating surface.

This is why you'll sometimes hear people say, "Oh yeah, the digital pianos these days are sounding really good but they'll never be as good as the acoustic." Well, I don't like the words "Good" and "bad" or "better," but will the acoustic piano always be different? Absolutely. And that's one of the critical differences that no one really seems to be trying to overcome or frankly, is interested in overcoming. One of the reasons of course, if you're going with the digital, sometimes the reason is portability and size. You're not about to attach a table-sized speaker to this thing if the whole point was to get it smaller and get it more portable in the first place. This your main difference in sound and sound quality. You've got a whole wooden structure that's resonating versus two speakers or, in some cases, four speakers which are producing the sound.

Pros and Cons

Now let's get into some pros and cons and now that we've discussed some critical differences between acoustic and digital pianos. So when is it totally appropriate to have somebody start on a digital instead of on an acoustic? Well, in my opinion, if you are prepared to purchase a digital piano of reasonable quality, most students will be well served for the first several years. It's not going to be a better nor nor an equal experience to an acoustic, but I think the relevant question is, "Is this going to stop somebody from getting excited about piano or learning the basics?" Not really. Maybe you could've made that argument 15 years ago, 10 years ago, but in 2020 and beyond, even the digital pianos in and around the $1,000 range are providing a good enough experience that if the point is to test a student's interest, you've got a piano which is going to be fun to play where the key action is close enough that they're going to be able to develop some of the more technique required to play piano. I think there's almost no scenario where a decent mid-range digital isn't a great place to start.

Does that mean that a parent who's considering an upright piano or a grand piano is making a mistake if they themselves or their child has never played before? Absolutely not. If you have the space, the budget, and perhaps if you have some other musical experience or just an appreciation for a finely-built instrument, this is definitely going to be a very great place for a student to start out as well. The main reason why digitals make a lot of sense for people starting out is because they're typically much less expensive than acoustics. A decent mid-range digital is going start around $1,000, whereas a decent mid-range acoustic upright is going to be closer to $5,000. If you're looking at the used market, at the very least the starting point somewhere in the $2,500 to $3,000 range, so you're looking at 3 to 5 times the price. That's a significant consideration for people who have six or seven different extracurricular acivities that they're trying to fund. There's no reason why you shouldn't start an acoustic if you've got the budget and the space but digitals definitely should not be discounted simply because they're not the real thing.

To summarize, the main benefit of starting with digital is going to be that they're smaller, they're portable, and obviously their cost is three to five times less that of a decent starting upright piano.

A secondary benefit on the digital-piano side that you may not think of when you're starting out is that there is a huge potential for engagement in how they can integrate with modern apps from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. If you're a parent and you know you've got a child who really engages well with electronics, a digital piano will allow you to essentially keep feeding your son or daughter with new challenges and new opportunities to apply their music into an area that they find highly-relevant. There's even apps that allow you to help track whether they're actually practicing or not, and the technology exists which allows them to exchange recordings back and forth with their teacher. That is a big thing that can't be ignored. I should mention that those types of integrations are available on acoustic pianos as well but on an upright, those integrations are going to start at around the $10,000 mark, whereas on the digital side, you're going to access to this technology in $1,500 to $2,000 mark.

Some benefits to consider when starting with an acoustic piano would be that you've got something that has substantial longevity, as even the most basic acoustic piano will give you 30 or 40 years. You've got that direct mechanical link between the fingers and the sound being generated, and of course, beyond about the first year and a half to 2 years of instruction, the player will be able to develop a finer, more keen sense of technique and nuance with an acoustic vs a digital.

One disadvantage to an acoustic, and everybody asks about it, is of course the maintenance requirements. An acoustic piano is a mechanical machine. It does not have a lot of modern climate-control contraptions to make sure that this is completely stable, although you can install controlled humidifiers underneath the piano, which I definitely recommend for some people. So what do you have to do if you've got an acoustic piano? For one, you're going to have to tune it. That is unavoidable, and for most people, that means tuning it the absolute minimum of once a year. But if you're playing the instrument on a daily basis, every couple of days, and the instrument is getting played with some force, you're going to have to be tuning the piano probably twice a year. The best times to tune an acoustic piano are usually a few weeks after the heat goes on in the fall, and a few weeks after the air-conditioning turns on in the spring.

The piano also needs to be kept in a relatively stable climate environment, that means the humidity that stays within a relatively controlled band of about 35 to about 55 degrees There's lots of wood in these instruments, so just like hardwood floors and door jams, things start to creak, expand and contract a little bit when the humidity starts fluctuating.

When is it time to upgrade?

So, let's say you've started with a digital piano and you're a year or two in. How do you know when it's time to transition from a digital over to an acoustic? We also get this question quite a bit. So if you've started with a digital piano that has a fairly decent speaker strength to it or power, let's say something that's around between 30 to 50 watts, a good sustain pedal and something with a triple sensor in the key so it's able to pick up quite a bit of nuance, that instrument is probably going to be able to get somebody through 4-5 years of instruction before that particular instrument starts holding them back. So if your son or daughter is going to develop towards a more advanced classical exam or it looks like they're headed towards some type of professional application of the musical knowledge they've acquired, then their practice instrument should start to reflect what they're going to be professionally performing in. If you've started with a high-end digital piano, this need to upgrade can be offset for a few more years in some cases.

The post Digital vs Acoustic Pianos - What Should You Buy, What are the Differences first appeared on Merriam Pianos

2359 Bristol Cir #200, Oakville, ON L6H 6P8

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(905) 829-2020

[cult-camp-counselor-inactive]

Opportunities

Richie was in the back parking lot of the dive bar he’s frequented most during his stay in this town. Quiet, used for staff and for the bands playing, but he “negotiated” in place whenever staff came out to say things like “You have to reserve that spot.” Dumb stuff. 

Speaking of quiet, the only thing he could hear was the occasional passing car, and the muffled music coming from inside. Not even muffled, he could only make out the drumming. He took it as an opportunity to practice his bass, so he’d been spending that time adding his own melody by ear. It was nice. It was quiet. 

At least, until people started yelling. The back door of the bar slammed open. Richie tried to keep his melodies going, but it was somehow harder to hear the music with the door open. He closed his eyes to focus his ears better. No luck. “hHhhhhh fuck it,” he said, and started riffing his own melody based on whatever he felt like playing. The people outside were kicking someone out of their band. 

“You’ve cost us another gig, I can’t believe you!” Said a girl’s voice. Loud, rightfully pissed. It was almost funny. The boy they were all angry at pleaded for another chance. But damn, Richie didn’t even have to open his eyes to know the guy was clearly high. Guess that was band business. Can’t play under the influence, or at least under too much of it. Richie sent out a small, non-religious-specific prayer for the guy, who needed rehab. Looks like someone’s driving him home. It got quiet again, and Richie could hear the muffled drumming again. 

That, and someone walking closer to him. He kept playing, eyes shut. The steps stopped a few feet away from him.

“Can I help you?” 

“Woww,” the voice of the previously angry girl revealed itself in a much sweeter tone, and Richie opened his eyes. “You play with your eyes closed often?”

“Sometimes,” he smirked. The girl was very pretty. Her most discernible features were probably her eyes. Even in the moonlight, they were a deep brown that glistened. Her hair was in box braids, save for her hairline, which was styled in a wave-shaped pattern. She had several piercings on her ears, and one on her eyebrow. Richie gasped. “Holy shit!” He’s seen this girl before! He felt like hitting himself with the world’s biggest “Duh”. That’s why that bar was so familiar, he’d seen it in his dreams before!

The girl was taken aback. “Uhh..”

“Oh, sorry,” he said. “I’ve just seen you perform before.”

“Oh,” she smirked. “I didn’t know we had fans.”

“Don’t let it get to your head, I never said you were good,” he joked, looking back down at his guitar. She gave an exaggerated pout. She lowered herself to his eye level. 

“You seem pretty good, though. Pretty big coincidence too.”

He looked at her, curious. She smiled. “I’m guessing you were listening to our conversation just now?”

“It was hard not to,” Richie replied, smirking. She shrugged. 

“That was our bass. Long story short, he’s cost us one too many gigs due to circumstances, and refuses to get proper help.”

“Damn, that sucks.”

“Yeah. Good thing his parents live in this area. They’ve been waiting for an excuse to force him into rehab. Saved up money for a few months, too. Of course, we’re paying them back for trouble with our sales-”

��Hold it, you don’t have to dump everything on me. I’m glad you’re getting your friend some much needed help,” he said, unenthusiastically. “And I’m guessing the point of all this is that now your bass spot is open?”

“That’s right!” 

“Pass.” 

“Aww, come on, please? We’ll do icebreakers and everything. You’ll be paid, too! And you’ve got skills!”

“Let me do a little bit of dumping myself. Due to my own circumstances, I don’t mix well with the public eye. It’d be bad business.” Richie looked over as two more people walked over, clearly hearing the conversation. There had to have been a foot difference between them. The taller one was a frail looking guy with a turquoise mohawk, and covered in tattoos. The smaller one was a plain looking girl, but the neckline on her shirt was low enough to reveal the tip of a large tattoo going near her chest and shoulder. 

“Running from the law, or someone dangerous?” The tall guy asked.

“Technically, both,” Richie smiled.

“Psssh, lame,” the man mocked. “I’m banned from two states. What’s your excuse?” Richie sighed. This was getting annoying. He stood up.

“As much as I’d love to hear your stories, I’m insisting that you reconsider your offer.”

“I’m sure we can run from the cops if you’re so worried.”

“Oh, it’s not the cops I’m worried about,” he gave a menacing grin. He pointed at his bright red tattoo. “If I told you everything this is associated with, you’d be going to the cops yourself.” Oh, they looked nervous now. The girl in front of him took a step back, and the tall one looked like he was about to start swinging. “Now that you know, I’m going to say goodnight, and wish you good luck in finding another bassist.“ They just stared at him. “... What?”

“I mean... It doesn’t look like any supremacist symbol I know,” started the tall one.

“Oh please, they come up with new symbols all the time. It’s tough to keep track.”

“It’s not a supremacist symbol!” Richie said, a bit offended. 

“Oh... Then there shouldn’t be a problem!” The tall one smiled. That set him off.

“Oh for Xemug’s sake --I don’t want to join your fucking band!” Richie yelled. He put a fist to his mouth and muffled an angry scream, kicking himself for saying the X word, as the people in front of him started laughing. 

“Xemug? What, you part of a cult or something?”

“Yes! .. Well, no.. I’m in hiding, but if it makes you leave, then yes!” Before he could get inside to his rv, the tall guy swing an arm around him, and dragged him off towards the big, black bus sitting in the lot. The others followed. Shit. He wasn’t wearing the guitar strap, so he couldn’t even let go to get his hands free and hypnotize the fucker! “Where are you taking me!?”

“Uhh, to hang out? We wanna hear your sound!” 

“This can’t be legal, this is kidnapping! How the hell is your grip so strong? You look like you weigh 90 pounds!” He just laughed. The two girls walking behind them giggled. “Are neither of you going to help?” 

“Nope!”

“We’re accomplices,” said the short girl. 

“Ugh,” Richie said, giving up. This must be why Daniel looked so negative all the time. Forced interactions. 

---

“So, I’ll go first,” said the braids girl. “I’m Shailah. I’m kind of the lead singer, but I also play guitar, keys, and the trumpet when it’s not my turn.”

“Don’t care,” Richie said. He was seated across from the three of them. He didn’t even have it in him to hypnotize them and leave. He just felt like being negative.

“I’m Kyle,” said the tall one. “I’m mainly on guitar, but I’ve also done a few solo songs.”

“... So, you both sing?”

“We all get our own solos sometimes,” said the short one. “I’m Jae-hwa. I do keys, violin, and the launchpad.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“Special kind of key board.”

“We got two guys missing, Duc, our drummer, and Mack. He mostly handles odd instruments, like triangles, harmonicas, banjos, and harps as a few examples.” Richie raised an eyebrow. That was a little impressive. “He doesn’t know how to play bass though, so we need you!”

“And I’m telling you, it’s better off you go find someone else!”

“Oh come on,” Kyle pleaded. “Please? Can you sing? I bet you can sing. You project pretty well, did you do theater? Or choir?”

“Wh- how did you- ...” He sighed. “Both. But it doesn’t matter. I can’t save your lost gig tonight.” Also, as these people couldn’t seem to grasp, Richie wasn’t supposed to be near people anymore. Just because he said he wanted friends doesn’t mean he deserved to have friends that could get in danger!

“Yeah, we know that. But you seem like an interesting guy at least, so we want you on board!”

“How can you tell I’m interesting?”

“Well, for starters, you have your RV parked in a reserved-only spot, and we didn’t see you in the line of performers. And I”d like to know how you did that.”

“Hypnosis,” Richie said, casually. They looked dumbfounded. 

“No way,” Jae-hwa said quietly. “Did you hypnotize us?”

“No, but I could if I wanted to.”

“OOOoh, do it on me!” said Kyle enthusiastically. Richie shrugged. 

“Okay, don’t blame me if you suffer side effects.” He leaned over the table before Kyle could protest, waved his hand, and snapped. Kyle went slack-jawed, and his eyes went dull. It was a little bit fun. 

“You’re listening to my voice only, and you’ll listen to my commands only. The first time I snap my fingers, you’re going to think I’m... Lady Gaga. When I snap my fingers a second time, you’ll act like a chicken. When I say “Apricot”, you will leave the trance. Ready? 3, 2, 1,” He snapped. 

Kyle took a minute to blink, and focused his eyes back on Richie. His eyes went starry. He teared up. “Oh my god,” he whispered, choking. “I can’t believe it.” Kyle cupped his mouth with his hands. Jae-hwa and Shailah looked at him in astonishment. “Do you guys see this?” Richie grinned in the most smug way he could. 

“Want a Bad Romance?” Richie said, toying with Kyle. Kyle blushed, hesitated, and nodded. “3, 2, 1,” Richie snapped. Kyle was brought to attention. It took him a few seconds to adjust and get some sounds out, but sure enough, he squawked like a chicken. 

“Holy shit,” Shailah said. Richie giggled. “There’s no way this is real, he’s just going along with it!”

“Oh really? Apricot.” 

Kyle stopped. And then almost collapsed. He clutched his head. “Ohhh, why am I dizzy? What just happened?”

“Boom,” Richie mouthed. “Hypnotism, did you have fun?”

“Uuhh... I don’t... know? It was relaxing... Oh, but now my head hurts. Was Lady Gaga in here?”

“What else have you used this for?” Shailah said, nervous.

Richie thought to himself. “Things I... can’t say I regret. Nothing too serious, just murder.”

“Oh, well that’s good. I was worried there for a second,” she said sarcastically. 

“But you don’t... do that anymore, do you?”

“... No. No, I’m trying to get away from that,” he said, twiddling his thumbs. He sighed. “And because I’m trying to get away, they are trying to track me down.” Richie thought about his options. He was kind of bored. He was kind of lonely. Maybe the back up and some gained fame might give him a chance to visit the camp without trouble starting? “Do you still want me in your band?” 

“I thought you didn’t want to be in the band,” Kyle said, smirking.

“Yeah, well, you’re fun to hypnotize. But I do have conditions. There are a select number of states I can’t be near, and I’m going to leave without notice if I have to. I can’t guarantee your safety from cultist whack jobs, so you better not cry if they find me.”

“Deal!” Kyle said. “Well, on my end. What about you two?”

Shailah shrugged. “I took self defense classes.”

“I have a pocket knife,” Jae-hwa admitted. 

“Very cool, and the other two will... Have to deal with it!”

“No, we should tell them,” Shailah protested. “You know Duc gets anxious. They both should know this stuff.”

“Be my guest, tell them everything,” Richie shrugged. “But if they aren’t back by tomorrow afternoon, I’m leaving the state.”

The three looked at each other. They seemed unsure they wanted Richie in the band now. Well, not Kyle. He still seemed cool with it. It almost made Richie happy. The three nodded. 

“Okay then! Salut, good night,” said Richie, leaving with his bass to-

“Oh wait! What’s your name!” Kyle asked.

“Richie, now bye!” And finally, he left. That was tiring. But kind of fun. 

[takenews-blog1]

Sony SRS-XB40 Review

New Post has been published on https://takenews.net/sony-srs-xb40-review/

Sony SRS-XB40 Review

In the event you love an excellent weekend getaway, it’s best to positively have a conveyable Bluetooth speaker with you. The audio market is flooded with a variety of choices, throughout manufacturers and worth phase. Sony not too long ago added three new choices to its EXTRA BASS collection and at this time, we’ll be testing the SRS-XB40, which is probably the most highly effective of them.

It boasts of options like a 24-hour battery life, water-proof design, the power to daisy chain it to different related audio system, and naturally, flashing lights. Priced at a slight premium of Rs. 16,990, let’s see how nicely it performs.

The XB40 is a bit on the bigger facet for a conveyable speaker and it’s additionally pretty heavy at roughly 1.5kg. It seems and feels fairly rugged and the smooth rubber lining throughout provides it a premium really feel. The speaker is designed to be positioned horizontally however you’ll be able to simply as nicely use it standing upright, though there aren’t any rubber ft on the facet like there are on the underside.

All of the buttons are positioned on the highest, and from right here you’ll be able to management media playback, modify the amount, reply a cellphone name, or set off your cellphone’s voice assistant. The EXTRA BASS button engages the machine’s twin passive radiators for extra bass, and the identical button can be used for enabling or disabling the lights. The facility button additionally helps you to pair the speaker along with your Bluetooth machine, in case you it would not help NFC. The XB40 can work with as much as three simultaneous connections.

There’s a flap on the again of the speaker which protects the ports from moisture. Right here, we now have an aux-in port, USB port, DC-in port (9.5V) for charging, and a reset button. The USB port can be utilized to cost your private digital gadgets.

Within the entrance, there’s a metallic mesh grille defending the drivers. Now we have two full-range 61mm drivers for stereo sound, and a passive radiator dealing with forwards. The second radiator is positioned on the again, and will be seen by way of an identical metallic mesh. The SRS-XB40 has three sorts of lighting – an RGB line that runs alongside the perimeters of the mesh grille, speaker lights, and a strobe for every driver. The sample of the lights will be managed through the Sony Music Centre app.

The SRS-XB40 helps Bluetooth four.2 and streaming codecs comparable to SBC, AAC and LDAC. The latter is Sony’s proprietary high-resolution codec, just like Qualcomm’s aptX HD. You’ll want a appropriate Xperia machine nevertheless it’s additionally now baked into Android Oreo so compatibility will turn out to be wider. When linked to a LDAC succesful cellphone such because the Google Pixel, the SRS-XB40 mechanically makes use of the perfect obtainable codec. The drivers can deal with a frequency vary of 20Hz to 20,000Hz.

The SRS-XB40 is IPX5 rated so it might probably stand up to gentle splashes of water. Within the field, you get solely an AC energy adapter. The machine is formally solely obtainable in black in India, however there are extra color choices in different international locations.

With a powerful record of options and specs, it’s time to see how nicely this interprets into precise efficiency. The XB40 doesn’t produce an omnidirectional sound, which takes some getting used too at first. Because of this placement is essential, as you’ll be able to’t simply go away it anyplace within the room and anticipate it to sound good. It really works greatest when it’s dealing with you and positioned on the identical aircraft as your ears or greater. Setting it up is straightforward with NFC or common Bluetooth pairing. The sunshine present kicks in as soon as the music begins taking part in, and adjustments primarily based on the beats and rhythm.

Sony’s Music Heart app provides extra options and performance to the speaker. The Android app isn’t very nicely designed nevertheless it’s useful. It’s lacking one crucial function, which is a show of speaker’s battery standing. The iOS app is barely higher designed. On the principle display screen of the app, you’ll be able to pair extra of Sony’s EXTRA BASS audio system (as much as 10), swap to the auxiliary enter, or play songs which might be in your machine. You may also modify the amount of the speaker, which is impartial of your machine’s quantity degree.

There’s additionally one other app referred to as Fiestable, that you may obtain. This allows you to add DJ-like results to the present music monitor and alter the color of the RGB gentle strip. There are additionally gesture-based actions for controlling music playback and including DJ results, however truthfully, this simply feels very gimmicky. The amount of the after-effects is almost twice as loud because the music monitor, which makes them extraordinarily jarring and aggravating.

The SRS-XB40 can get extraordinarily loud which makes it good for outside events. Enabling the EXTRA BASS function surprisingly doesn’t muddy the sound as we have been anticipating. In truth, with the radiators firing too, the soundstage will get a bit wider and also you get some extra thump, even at decrease quantity ranges. We used a Samsung Galaxy S8+ for many of our checks, which included using FLAC information and streams from Apple Music.

With Michael Jackson’s Heal the World, the XB40 delivered a lovely heat tone with superb element within the mid-range frequencies, and refined however audible low notes. FLAC information did sound higher over a wired connection, with a noticeable enchancment in readability. Vocals have been crisper and highs are a bit extra distinct. The speaker’s actual specialisation is after all is bass-heavy tracks and it handles these very nicely. In Tuesday by Burak Yeter, the it delivered punchy bass notes which have been well-defined even at excessive volumes, with out distortion. The twin satellite tv for pc drivers guarantee mid-range and excessive notes aren’t misplaced among the many bass, which is usually the case with audio system tuned for decrease frequencies.

With LDAC and top quality music information, the SRS-XB40 did justice to extra delicate tracks, such because the unplugged model of Solely Once I Sleep by the Corrs. Notes from the violin have been nicely outlined and separated from background devices.

The XB40 has a built-in microphone, which works nicely for voice calls. Urgent the decision button as soon as brings up Google Assistant or Siri, relying in your paired machine. Voice calls are dealt with nicely and the microphone is pretty delicate in in selecting up your voice even once you’re away from the speaker.

Battery life is rated at 24 hours and whereas we could not check that out in a single go, the speaker simply lasted us a couple of week, with a mean of 2-Three hours of music being performed every day, which is excellent. When the battery is low, the amount degree is restricted to about 20 % and you retain getting a immediate to cost the machine when you attempt to enhance the amount. Charging the battery to its full capability takes about four hours.

The calibration of the battery on our unit was a bit off, in all probability on account of it being an older check unit, and we’d generally get the low battery warning even at 50 %. You’ll be able to’t cost the speaker on the go together with a conveyable charger or perhaps a customary Micro-USB cellphone charger, as you need to use the beefier one which comes with it. That is one thing to think about when deciding between the SRS-XB40 and smaller, extra transportable choices.

The Sony SRS-XB40 gives highly effective sound for the value, and when you look on-line, you could find it promoting for as little as Rs. 13,340. It isn’t as compact as most transportable audio system, however given the amount output, dimension of the drivers and battery life, it appears as by way of there’s a particular marketplace for it. The speaker handles most genres of music fairly nicely and it’s good to see that it’s water-proof. Nonetheless, the DJ options really feel a bit gimmicky.

Total, when you’re in search of a robust Bluetooth speaker with good battery life, then the Sony SRS-XB40 is an effective selection.

[thotyssey]

On Point With: Mike Greco

It’s hard to find a bona fide rock-n-roller in the music scene where pop and dance have dominated the culture for decades, but this charmer is making himself known in gigs all over the city--including a big one at Le Poisson Rouge on Friday night. Give it up for Mike Greco!

Thotyssey: Hey Mike, thanks for talking to us! How are you doing? Mike Greco: I'm doing really well ...and thank you!

You must be excited for your big show this week!

So excited! Really looking forward to getting back in gear with the whole band and playing at Le Poisson Rouge, it's such a great space.

What's your process of picking songs for each set?  

The set kind of evolves itself in a way. For the last few shows, we've been performing all the songs from my recently released EP, No Rules About It. After you throw those tunes in the mix, it's a matter of how much time is left, what new songs I wanna try out, and what we think will lift the audiences overall energy.  

For this particular concert series "Friday's Friends", I've been having special guests join to perform classic covers that we know everyone will enjoy. That's been really fun to piece together! I for one love putting a cover song or two in a set.  It usually resonates well and refocuses the room...  People love familiarity!

I'll get back to the whole concert series first, but let's get some background on you! Where's your hometown? Well I'm from Valley Stream, Long Island, and moved to Manhattan in the summer of 2008. I saw a cute video of you harmonizing the Doobie Brothers with your family. Are you all musical? [Laughs] Oh yeah! Well, I was lucky enough to have a lot of musicians in my life. Both my father and uncle were in many bands; they also sing, play and write original material. My mother’s father headed a big band and played banjo, bass, and guitar. I really credit everything I do musically to the three of them.  

As far as my generation goes, my cousin Nick plays guitar, violin and sings. His sisters also dabble in singing from time to time.  We really have always been a very musical family, especially throughout the holidays and such.

Here comes a "kids these days" question! Kids these days don't seem to be drawn to rock music, particularly classic rock, in a major way. Does this ever frustrate you? Hmmm... well let me open that statement up a little bit by saying that "kids these days", musically speaking, aren't really drawn to very much from the 60's, 70's and 80's. I'm not here to ever judge people on what they like listening to now, so definitely not frustrated.  

However, I've come to learn that it's usually a lack of exposure and knowledge of music in the past. I always say that new artists today are either directly or indirectly influenced by what I call the "golden age of popular music," 1960's - 1980's.  Personally, I've always been a researcher. I find interest in times past, culturally and musically. It's fun to see where things came from, and if we as a society are repeating ourselves in some form. 

So I really applied that thought process to music when growing up. I wanted to know why music evolved into what I was currently listening to on the radio.  With the help of my parents and other people, I was kind of in a musical time machine my entire childhood.  Which I'm very thankful for now.

That's wonderful! Do you remember when you wrote your first song? Yeah, actually! The first song I ever attempted writing was for my elementary schools PTA program called "Reflections.” They would give a loose theme for all artists to create around.  I remember the first theme was "suddenly you turn around and what do you see?” Cute! At what point did you find yourself with enough material to start recording and performing with full sets?

Well to be honest, I focused a large part of my earlier music endeavors on being a session and touring musician for other artists. Which I still love doing. A lot of tribute bands, and things of that nature. 

However, I would always write original material at home for myself, and had a growing collection of songs. I just never really prioritized doing anything involving original music until last year. People started to ask me on a pretty consistent basis if I had anything of my own recorded etc, and I had nothing to show them! So I decided after a while it was time to gather up enough songs for an EP and start this journey.

When you referred to “cover bands” you worked with, are you referring to your work with MaryAnne Piccolo and Damn the Light Productions?

Yes, among some other outside projects!  Damn The Light Productions is our baby, though.  We've curated and built everything ourselves, in addition to our third partner Steven Moore. We have some very exciting tribute shows ready for release and regional touring. Can't wait for that! Werk! Tell me about what the recording process is like for you: thrilling, intimidating, tedious? Well, recording for me is all three of those things. Depends on the day! I was fortunate enough to have an amazingly talented friend Matt Katz-Bohen produce my EP, as well as co-write some songs with me. He really makes the recording process relaxing and fun. He currently is touring with Blondie who is releasing a new record, Pollinator, May 5th!  

Also, engineer and overall musical wizard Jamie Siegel of JRock Studios in Soho made everything much less stressful. When I think of people who I always want in a room while creating and recording, it's those two guys! Give us rundown of where we can get your available music right now. Currently, my EP No Rules About It is available on all platforms: iTunes, Spotify and Amazon music.  Working on releasing a single and music video over the summer!  So I'm very excited to start on that!

We'll look out for that! So, a lot is going on now in the world and certainly this country... does politics influence your songwriting at all, do you think? Well, I do believe an artist’s job is to create music that will have an effect on people somehow, and of course political activism has been seen throughout music history.  For me, I have written unreleased things (for now) involving politics. I just don't see it as being a trend in popular music as it once was in the 60's and 70's. Sadly, people really haven't wanted to hear songs that talk about political issues until very recently. I really hope the music industry and labels start to become more open to popularizing songs with a real message regarding political and social injustices once again. They control what the public learns to love. It's true, there seems to be a disconnect now between lyrical content and popular music, in general.

Definitely a disconnect, but like I said hopefully things change in that regard!

Tell me about this concert series “Friday’s Friends” that you've been a part of this past year or so, mostly at the East Village club Berlin, where you’re onstage with many different performers. How did this all come about?

"Friday's Friends" really came to me as an idea to get out there with a smaller version of my band, and involve other artists who I love. We also wanted a residency to stretch out and let loose playing this new material. So I'm thankful to Berlin for allowing that to happen. As I mentioned before, I love doing a cover song or two, so the idea of bringing talented friends on stage was a no brainer. I really wanted to make this concert series less about me, and more about the downtown music scene and family that we have here in NYC.

For this final show we have two very special people joining the band and I. Randy Jones of The Village People, and Michael T of The Vanities. I can't wait to share the stage with these two, I really love them as artists and most importantly as people! Amazing lineup! And for this final show, you'll be taking the action to Le Poisson Rouge.

Yes! For the finale, we decided to do a bigger event. We will also have two amazing openers, The Worst Humans and Sophia Urista. Lots of music and lots of fun!

Yessss! What's on the agenda down the road? Well, I'll be going back into the studio to record a new single, then working on a music video. No shows on the horizon yet, but once summer hits we will be back on stage with new material! Werq! Okay, so in closing... I ran into you at Boots & Saddle karaoke a few weeks ago! What is the best karaoke to song, and what is the absolute worst! Yes, haha! That was quite the night. Only my second time there!  I'm not always a big karaoke fan, but if I had to sing something I always go for “Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin.  

I think the worst song for anyone to sing is “Don't Stop Believing” by Journey (although I do love the song and the band itself). Have a good show on Friday, Mike!

Mike Greco performs at the “Friday’s Friends” finale at Le Poisson Rouge on Friday, March 31st (8:30pm). He can be followed on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Also, check out his website.

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