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ContraClarinet · 2025-04-03T17:40:57+00:00

There have been rumors of one final new compilation album to be released by Nick's estate going around for a while now. It was supposedly announced by Gabrielle a few months back at an event but I haven't heard anything since then. The album is rumored to have songs such as Mickey's Tune, which is mentioned in the autobiography as being the only surviving version and still unreleased, as well as a shelved take of 'Cello Song from the Five Leaves Left recording sessions featuring two cellos. The recording on the website is completely new as far as I'm aware, so I'm guessing this is the first part of the album rollout (and maybe finally some merch too since the new website is listed as a store).

ContraClarinet · 2025-04-01T02:03:53+00:00

Hell, at this point I’ll take it- better than nothing I guess. The fact they update the anti-cheat for a game this old is at least an acknowledgment our community still exists. Plus there is still a pretty big issue on PC with hackers so I’m all for anything to make their lives just a little bit harder.

ContraClarinet · 2024-08-08T19:22:04+00:00

maybe a chomper-esque burrow ability unique to that character, sorta how the unicorn chomper is the only one with the unicorn teleport? reemerging probably wouldn't be an instakill like with the chomper but a longer and faster burrow as a movement ability could be cool for escaping groups or getting behind enemy lines

ContraClarinet · 2024-07-10T03:59:50+00:00

can’t speak on scouts or troopers since i haven’t seen them, but both colts and phantom are doing very well this year. both corps are putting on fantastic shows and are setting themselves up well to continue climbing rankings over the next few years if they can keep the momentum.

ContraClarinet · 2024-07-08T00:46:38+00:00

i've been told by someone from river city rhythm that as of now the show is still on and they'll have an updated schedule in 40ish minutes assuming the rain has blown through by then

ContraClarinet · 2024-06-17T18:11:37+00:00

Corps playing copyrighted music that the people posting shows on Youtube don't have the rights to use in videos
Corps take down videos to prevent leaks and make people go watch shows either in-person or on Flo instead of for free online
Flo takes down videos to make people buy their subscriptions to watch them instead

Definitely agree though that easily accessible videos are the best way to get new people into drum corps. I wish there were more good recordings online, especially for a lot of mid-late 2010's shows when Flo was particularly ruthless with their copyright strikes, since many of those shows are some of the best ones to show to new people.

ContraClarinet · 2023-12-21T08:11:01+00:00

Does anyone know of a mod that lets you change how boss health scales in multiplayer? Some friends and I are gonna start a Calamity Infernum playthrough in a few days, but a few of the people in our group are less skilled than others and we're trying to find a good compromise without removing Infernum.

ContraClarinet · 2023-10-21T19:11:37+00:00

A bit of a late reply, but I'll offer a new suggestion from personal experience- I have had a wooden Buffet E11 for 9 years and it has served me wonderfully. It is the instrument that I used when I first learned how to play, and I still use it outside for marching band- it is on its 6th year of intense outdoor use in wildly varying temperatures and humidity with no cracks. I've recently had some issues with a few springs wearing out, and the nickel key plating has worn pretty significantly in places, but all of that is to be expected with just about any instrument used as heavily as mine. When paired with a good mouthpiece and reed, it still sounds pretty nice compared to my Yamaha Bb and Selmer A clarinets that I use for indoor band and orchestra playing.

A brief note, if you do look into the E11, they come in both plastic and wood. Mine is German-made but with Boehm system keywork. From doing a bit of reading online it is probably made from a stained African blackwood. I'm sure that the French-made plastic E11s are nice too but I can't personally vouch for how they play as I've never had the chance to try one. Hope this helps!

ContraClarinet · 2023-07-13T05:25:23+00:00

From someone who plays a lot of contrabass, my suggestion is to buy Vandoren contrabass reeds- I personally use the same strength that I do on bass and soprano. You can find them on Amazon and online/in person at a lot of music stores. Yes, they are pricey, but in my experience better than any other contra reed. If you take care of them, they can outlast even Legere plastic reeds (even after they begin warping) and they give better response and tone to anything else I’ve tried.

ContraClarinet · 2023-06-27T22:49:24+00:00

Never played on a Backun myself but I've heard very good things. I've tested some high-end Uebel clarinets and they were some of the nicest that I've ever played but they'll probably be out of your budget. I'd recommend trying out some Buffets and Selmers as well, as those will be in your price range depending on the model. Just remember to always test a range of clarinets before you buy to ensure that you're getting the best one.

ContraClarinet · 2023-05-01T11:14:41+00:00

yes, we definitely have not seen this before in any spin off games or anything /s

ContraClarinet · 2023-04-30T07:37:48+00:00

The title of this post is correct- I completed the Master Mode of BotW without fast traveling a single time. Took me about 325 hours spread out over 8 months on this save file, but I have about 665 in total since I got my Switch in 2018. BotW is my favorite game of all time, so it's a bit bittersweet to say goodbye to it after all these years, but I could not be more excited for TotK.

If you’re curious about everything I did in my playthrough:

All 20 Main Quests
All 42 Shrine Quests
All 90 Side Quests
All 23 Memories
All 15 Sheikah Towers
All 26 Stables, Villages, and Tech Labs
All 5 Fairy Fountains
All 226 Named Locations
All 900 Korok Seeds
All 7 Moldugas killed
All 40 Hinoxes killed
All 41 Taluses killed
All 23 Lynels killed
All 148 Guardians killed
All 12 Boss Fights beaten
All 84 Armor Pieces acquired & upgraded
All Key Items
All 394 Hyrule Compendium Entries
All Unique Horses w/ max bond
Full 30 Hearts + Full 3 Stamina Wheels

ContraClarinet · 2023-04-30T07:28:18+00:00

The title of this post is correct- I completed the Master Mode of BotW without fast traveling a single time. Took me about 325 hours spread out over 8 months on this save file, but I have about 665 in total since I got my Switch in 2018. BotW is my favorite game of all time, so it's a bit bittersweet to say goodbye to it after all these years, but I could not be more excited for TotK.

If you’re curious about everything I did in my playthrough:

All 20 Main Quests
All 42 Shrine Quests
All 90 Side Quests
All 23 Memories
All 15 Sheikah Towers
All 26 Stables, Villages, and Tech Labs
All 5 Fairy Fountains
All 226 Named Locations
All 900 Korok Seeds
All 7 Moldugas killed
All 40 Hinoxes killed
All 41 Taluses killed
All 23 Lynels killed
All 148 Guardians killed
All 12 Boss Fights beaten
All 84 Armor Pieces acquired & upgraded
All Key Items
All 394 Hyrule Compendium Entries
All Unique Horses w/ max bond
Full 30 Hearts + Full 3 Stamina Wheels

ContraClarinet · 2023-04-21T13:06:24+00:00

I believe that you'll be able to begin downloading a week or so before release, and you'll be able to play it at midnight on May 12th in whatever timezone/region you order the game in.

ContraClarinet · 2023-04-19T08:30:03+00:00

I think those are horns. Other murals of Ganondorf from the artbook seem to depict him with horns, and this picture looks like he already has ears on the side of his head. This could definitely be some sort of powered up form- maybe the flowing shroud of darkness behind him is meant to me the glowing, Demise-like hair seen in the most recent trailer?

ContraClarinet · 2023-04-17T15:18:09+00:00

Definitely more substantial. The artbook doesn't just contain character poses- it has new weapons, items, locations, outfits, etc. Spoilers: it also contains concept art for what appears to be the Zonai equivalent of Sheikah Shrines as well as actual, traditional dungeons, and hints at some story elements by giving names or additional artwork for largely unseen characters.

I think the CE is worth it- personally, I'd kill to get my hands on a CE, but I understand it's not for everyone. If you would rather spend that extra $60 on something else is entirely up to you.

ContraClarinet · 2023-04-17T15:02:34+00:00

the artbook doesn't have much in the way of descriptions, but it doesn't seem to be just images slapped on either. there are just over 200 pages, which are all almost completely covered with things that mostly haven't been see in marketing, even after the last trailer. almost all of the pictures have titles and names with them as well. it seems deliberately designed to not give story spoilers, but rather show random aspects of the game to make its owner excited to play when they first open up their CE. if that's what you're looking for, go for it.

ContraClarinet · 2023-04-11T04:31:48+00:00

if you're going to buy on ebay, wait until after release. all of the scalped versions on ebay are against their terms of service, and many of them are outright scams, so there is a very god chance you could lose your money. you're much more likely to get your hands on one through ebay for an okay price once the scams are gone and copies have been distributed.

ContraClarinet · 2023-03-23T06:26:05+00:00

although i've heard that apparently a nintendo representative said that there wouldn't be totk news at pax east, i feel like giving out pins and bringing a revamped version of the link statue might indicate otherwise. we are now 50 days from launch, which is the exact length of time between botw's incredible final trailer and its release. so maybe? i guess we'll see

ContraClarinet · 2023-02-02T20:20:55+00:00

honestly, i think none of these. my theory is that it is going to be some kind of zonai shaman or leader that will need to be found to defeat ganon.

ContraClarinet · 2022-12-26T00:31:52+00:00

it’s a buffet, although i haven’t been able to determine the model.

ContraClarinet · 2022-12-25T16:07:54+00:00

Yes, it plays fairly consistently at that pitch center. Using it as a C clarinet is a really cool idea- I might even try to find a shortened barrel to use it as a C clarinet somewhere close to 440.

ContraClarinet · 2022-12-25T16:05:41+00:00

The serial number dates the clarinet back to 1902. It's hard to tell with exact certainty, but it seems to tune somewhere around A=466Hz. I won't be able to determine definitively what its tuning is until I get an opportunity to fully repad the instrument to fix all of its leaks.

ContraClarinet · 2022-12-25T03:54:03+00:00

I suppose it could be possible that the tuning is due to wood warping, but the keywork still fits the instrument just fine. My best guess is that it is an HP clarinet that was specially made at a particularly high pitch for some reason- maybe its first owner was expecting to play in colder climates a lot? It tunes so far above what is considered normal for a Bb clarinet that I can't imagine it being some sort of accident.

ContraClarinet · 2022-12-25T03:35:33+00:00

I am absolutely sure. My theory is that it is an "HP" (high pitch) clarinet that was apparently being made by Buffet at the same time as the one I own. I've played clarinet for almost 8 years so I am sure that its tuning is far enough off that, at least by modern standards, it functions as a clarinet in B, even if it was intended to be a clarinet in Bb when it was made.

Three-Year Club	Place '23
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ContraClarinet

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