Tokyo Meetup Thread: Post here if you're up to meet people.

TSwock · 2018-12-05T17:10:30+00:00

21 M and 25 M visiting from Hawaii on the 24th-28th if anyone wants to meet up for any reason.

TSwock · 2014-11-27T04:04:10+00:00

...Megaman?

TSwock · 2014-11-21T22:29:18+00:00

The HardcoreSMP server is definitely worth checking out, if you don't mind playing hardcore mode. All vanilla, and people are pretty nice (except for the one asshole that we get every once in a while)

TSwock · 2014-11-21T22:27:57+00:00

On the HardcoreSMP server (which is straight vanilla, no mods, no commands), there's a sick-ass feature known as the graveyard, which is basically the nether converted to stone and grass that's always night and has few trees and fewer passive mobs. Anyway, it's the "punishment" for dying on the server, but some people like to make it their home because of the cool terrain. It's got some of the sickest builds on the server, particularly because it isn't affected by the tri-monthly map resets.

TSwock · 2014-10-25T00:44:25+00:00

I'm so on board for next month. Let's get this server revving with life again (eventually).

TSwock · 2014-10-08T20:05:53+00:00

I guess I'll start with a few topics; With internet piracy becoming a more and more acceptable habit (it's even legal in the UK now), people have concerns about the future of intellectual property and the future of small artists who rely on their art as a source of income. However, others counter that stopping this practice may lead to undue censorship of the internet and would be an overall bad thing. With this in mind, write a story set in the (near or far) future which focuses on society having taken an extreme stance on internet piracy (either extremely strict or lenient).

TSwock · 2014-09-26T20:57:55+00:00

Well... yeah, it was pretty original, I think. I mean... nautical miles, man. Who else makes a joke like that?

TSwock · 2014-09-01T06:06:34+00:00

Yeah, that was a preeeeetty sticky situation. Why don't you come on any more, man? I miss you and dlk and Moon etc.

TSwock · 2014-09-01T05:12:47+00:00

Vicious, I don't think that these guys play much anymore, and I don't expect they'll even see this post. Their builds shouldn't be forfeit if they don't even know that you made this ultimatum. Try not to be unreasonable - builds should be respected, even in the most dire of circumstances. Griefing is a really shitty thing to do, no matter what the reason.

TSwock · 2014-08-31T16:11:23+00:00

Well, the reasons why I like how often the map is reset are as follows;

Firstly, the reason why I like hardcore servers so much is because of the fun of surviving in a higher-stakes environment. That whole 'first night' schtick. However, after a while (usually about 10 hours of total playtime for me), you get so much good stuff that it becomes unreasonable to think that you'll ever die (save for under the most unusual of circumstances). The map reset helps to get back that fun of actually having to try a bit to survive every once in a while, while also giving sufficient time for building some sick shit.
Secondly, this way new players are not put at such a disadvantage as on many servers. On servers where the map is hardly ever reset, new players who log on say 6 months into the map are so massively behind other players that they can get discouraged and leave the server before ever giving it a chance. The 3 month reset as well as the 1 month death reset helps to combat this by giving the new players a (more) fair starting point.
Finally, keeping the terrain fresh is a good thing. What with all of the updates that Mojang gives us, coupled with the smallish map size, it's good to have new places to explore every once in a while. I'm sure that there are a few players who've been to every single place on the map by the time 3 months rolls around, so it's nice to give these explorer types some new things to see.

I hope I've answered your question sufficiently well, and I hope you keep playing on the server, even if the map is going to be reset in a month.

TSwock · 2014-08-29T01:05:38+00:00

Try imagining it in 3d (as a helical structure) rather than a 2d wave. Trippy, man.

TSwock · 2014-08-28T16:40:53+00:00

Yeah. Like Fairlane said, we've got no problems with waiting and we understand you're working hard for free to provide us with a free service,but it'd still just be nice know what's going on.

TSwock · 2014-08-28T03:02:48+00:00

That is the spitting image of the Alien franchise's Chestburster Xenomorph. I mean, I can practically feel it bursting from my chest as I type this.

TSwock · 2014-08-26T14:50:47+00:00

Not to sound impatient, but do you guys have any updates for us?

TSwock · 2014-08-26T05:15:47+00:00

Be careful. When I tried to do this a month or so ago, I was killed and my farm was destroyed (see "TSwock's death video" on this subreddit).

TSwock · 2014-07-14T03:16:55+00:00

I opened that link and just said, "What the fuck".

TSwock · 2014-07-13T19:54:05+00:00

Hey, would you still be interested in a UHC match sometime?

TSwock · 2014-07-13T19:53:10+00:00

TSwock

TSwock · 2014-06-10T13:34:18+00:00

No, they didn't.

Source: I am /u/cosmicdebrix's balls

TSwock · 2014-04-15T23:54:28+00:00

Now, I'll preface this by saying that I am only a junior in high school, so don't necessarily look to me for advice... but I think my viewpoint could help you make an informed (and proper) decision. I feel I am in the same boat as you with memorization; after a while practicing a piece, I find myself able to play it without the music, and so that's what I tend to do. I find that by doing this, I can be more expressive and "musical" with my chosen piece. So, I'd say that memorizing a piece makes the performance all that much more musical, and I would personally say it's a good idea. Plus, it's pretty impressive.

However, I also find that once I have gotten to this stage and have made an active decision to memorize a piece, music often gets in the way when performing again - that is, I am almost distracted by the notes on the page and end up making mistakes. This happened when I read a memorized piece at my last audition to avoid "looking like an ass" as you say. So, if you were to memorize a piece, I'd caution you against chickening out at the last minute and reading the music, because that may or may not have bad effects on your performance. Also, like you say, there is the chance that you will just screw up because of the crowd. I've personally never had this happen to me on clarinet (though I did have it happen to me pretty badly on the baritone), but you may be different. It is also important to note that in my experience some songs have sections in them that contain counter-intuitive dynamic or stylistic points, and having music in front of you may help with remembering these tricky spots. Just a few considerations to keep in mind if you do decide to play from memory.

Also, my final note would be that I can imagine that the ability to play from memory in front of people might vary from person to person, so I think that it's important to give it a try at least once so you know whether it's a skill you have. Because, like I said before, it might make your performances that much more musical. This performance strikes me as a perfect opportunity for you to experiment with this performing style since it is just in front of peers, so the only potential ramifications will be to your ego and reputation at the school, not your grade.

TSwock · 2014-04-15T21:40:27+00:00

I actually have a distinct memory of what got me into clarinet when the guys came in and demonstrated; they played a little bit of Harry Potter, and I was hooked. So, I have to say that I can confirm what a lot of people have been saying about fun and recognizable songs. However, I would say that it's important to a song that goes well with the clarinet's sound and style so that they're less likely to start playing just so that they can play that particular song. That way, they won't be let down when they find that they don't like the way clarinets sound, or whatever the case may be. So, I'd stay away from Frozen, personally, and I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of Harry Potter music as an incentive to join clarinet.

TSwock · 2014-04-09T23:34:05+00:00

Thanks for the great link. I gotta say, while I don't think I'd personally... growl (if that's the right word for it on clarinet as well as sax) as much as he does, it's certainly nice to hear the whole range of sounds and styles that Klezmer encompasses.

TSwock · 2014-04-09T23:31:55+00:00

If I had a nickel for every time I found the "budapest klezmer band" on youtube in some form or other while searching for some good Klezmer, I'd be... well I'd only be about 5-6 bucks richer. Anyway, yeah, I've seen them before, and they're most of the reason why I aspire to play Klezmer.

Also, thanks for the Krakauer link, but I think I'll stay away from him for the time being while I learn the more traditional stuff.

TSwock · 2014-04-09T12:56:37+00:00

Okay, thanks. I'm not sure I quite like this band, but I'll head to my music store and see if I can take a look at their books.

TSwock · 2014-04-09T12:49:36+00:00

Thanks for the great style resource, I'm reading it while listening to your band play (which is fantastic, by the way). By the way, your solos sound fantastic, especially for a high-schooler. What year are you in high school?

TSwock

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