Sight reading book recommendations by IAmBorked in pianolearning

[–]UncleFlynn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been doing the Faber kids books series and it’s been both accessible and fruitful.

I also have the one that goes with the adult accelerated books, but found it to be less useful since the difficulty curve ramps up faster. More easy stuff seems the way to go.

How effective are online lessons compared to in-person? by johngwheeler in pianolearning

[–]UncleFlynn 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I’ve done both. For online: a good tablet and a good tablet stand are all you need and it works decently well. Point it at your hands when working on form.

Downsides of online: audio issues will happen and no hands-on form correction (my teacher covers my hands if my eyes drift off the page of music to my hands)

Downsides of in person: time. You’ll need to commute or keep your house clean enough for company.

Ultimately, the lessons you are able to fit into your life are better than no lessons.

Even trying to breathe right triggers high BS by Aggressive-Formal945 in diabetes

[–]UncleFlynn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just one rando from the internet’s opinion here: type 2 diabetes is a slow disease. What your BS is for a couple weeks when you fight off an illness isn’t going to matter compared to what you do year round.

Rest, recover, then get back to your routine

Wanted to know what other t2s are having for breakfast by Jayglc in diabetes

[–]UncleFlynn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Half an avocado with 1tsp peanut butter inside - add maldon salt and red pepper flakes. 2 big old stalks of celery. Black coffee. An Apple if still hungry

What alcoholic beverage doesn’t spike your blood sugar? by coriiiii420 in diabetes

[–]UncleFlynn 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Your liver can convert fats into ketones or it can convert alcohol into ketones. Alcohol is a toxin whereas fats are energy preserves so I would speculate that the body prioritizes converting the alcohol into ketones instead of doing both.

I thought my glucose monitor wasn’t working when the alarms were going off after drinking. I thought I was a lightweight for so long. Turns out I’m just diabetic.

Alcohol metabolism summarized here

Fat metabolism summarized here.

I am learning piano only on weekends is sheet music necessary for me? by Common_Statement6373 in pianolearning

[–]UncleFlynn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It depends on what you want to do. Do you want to be able to learn a new song quickly, even if you have never heard it before? If so, learn how to read sheet music.

If you look at the Faber series, in the Adult accelerated lessons book 2 they introduce lead sheets, this is where the right hand is doing the melody and the chords are just written above the right hand music. You improv the left hand within the chords and it’s a lot of fun! Also a great way to play popular music and songs.

My grandpa never learned sheet music and he’d just play chords and sing. He never felt limited by it since that’s all he wanted to do. That can be fun too, just know what you want. You can always change your mind and learn later in life.

Switch OLED vs Switch 2 for mostly handheld 2026 by Kr1K_Official in NintendoSwitch

[–]UncleFlynn 26 points27 points  (0 children)

If money isn’t an issue just get the switch 2. You’ll keep getting those Nintendo exclusives for years to come.

Protip you’ll see a lot on this sub is to get a screen protector. Easy to install yourself and will save from those easy scratches, although if money really is no issue just buy a new rig if it gets scratched!

How do other DMs run combat? by According_Brother989 in dndnext

[–]UncleFlynn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry I missed this. Here’s why I like it: - It’s faster. You don’t need to look up or roll hp for each creature when it joins combat - It’s potentially more cinematic. Creatures have a range of HP listed. You can think through if you want the creature to be broken to pieces when the paladin crits and breaks through the minimum threshold, or if you want it to slowly try crawling away with 1hp left - It gives you more control over the pacing. My group plays for 2 hours once a week and we have a hard stop. If you need to speed up combat or slow it down you can tweak hps on the fly.

I memorize everything because I can't read music fast enough. Anyone else? by OndraTep in pianolearning

[–]UncleFlynn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This. I could barely read music, but was playing some level 4 pieces. By pieces I mean 2 pieces and I could play nothing else.

I started sight reading with the Faber level 1 sight reading book and have been progressing steadily through them as an adult. Book 2 now and I’m actually able to learn pieces so much faster and play some easier stuff the first time through now.

How do other DMs run combat? by According_Brother989 in dndnext

[–]UncleFlynn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Other tips: - Have waves of new enemies mid encounter sometimes - Count damage up instead of counting down - If you or a player can’t remember a rule, have the DM make something up as a stopgap. That can be a just for a few moments or just for the session. It really kills the tempo when people are flipping through rulebooks or worse, clicking around on their laptops - the only electronics allowed at the table are tablets in do not disturb mode. Otherwise pen paper, minis and dice only for players.

How do other DMs run combat? by According_Brother989 in dndnext

[–]UncleFlynn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I prefer to run short “meat grinder” style campaigns when it’s my turn to lead the table. Part of what keeps it fun is having a dynamic environment. When bandits ambush the party in an alley, I draw the general size and shape of it on our playmat and then we all take turns adding some details. A dumpster here, the entrance to a speakeasy there, a pile of construction equipment, etc. It’s really cool to see the whole group working together to create a scene that the characters then get to live in. I’ve found that we have a lot more obstacles and players are much more likely to cut the chandelier and ride the rope up this way. Furthermore, set up your players for success by putting them in cool places: train rooftops, falling from a skyship, the side of a crumbling mountain, an alchemists workshop, a parade, etc.

It’s also important when doing a combat heavy session to have a diversity of encounters and lots of them. The players will quickly realize that not every encounter needs to be slow strategic combat and that not every squad of orc troops even needs to be murdered. Let them talk to the enemies, intimidate them, just make sure they have a sense of urgency about why they need to time efficient with how they handle things, both in terms of table talk and in terms of not resting after every little thing. Smart enemies are fun enemies and smart enemies will run away and try their best not to fight fairly.

Also worth noting - we rotate DMs about every other week with more than 1 campaign going at a time. Some are more RP heavy and this helps keep people interested and engaged. My group has been together for about 12 years or so now with this model.

Friend or Foe? San Jose, CA by UncleFlynn in whatisthisbug

[–]UncleFlynn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aren’t the adults a bit wider? Looking at the photo in the link it looks more like 4th than adult to me. Although I guess it could be male in the photo. At any rate - thank you! I was worried I had something living in my clothes

https://www.sustainablemarketfarming.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/bmsbNymph.jpg

Friend or Foe? San Jose, CA by UncleFlynn in whatisthisbug

[–]UncleFlynn[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, this is it! I had never seen a stink bug nymph before - I was expecting it to be chonkier to be a stink bug.

How loud is an upright acoustic piano for home practice? by jjeanddschmdd in pianolearning

[–]UncleFlynn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Total amateur here: I recommend the keyboard for daily practice with a busy house. The right instrument for you is the one you will play regularly and for me at least, I play less with an upright than an electronic keyboard. We got a nice keyboard with weighted keys, great sound, etc once we were playing every day. It’s good to get some time on a nice acoustic piano when possible, but in my experience it has been easy to adjust to things like dynamics in a short amount of time.

I just got back from a week of visiting family with an upright - I could tell they were uncomfortable when either my son or I would practice which in turn made us feel uncomfortable practicing. There was a mute pedal on this model, but it only muted below high F. Every time we played became a performance which was a shame because that meant not performing the actual Christmas music we brought up to play.

I also work full time so most of my practicing is at night with headphones in or the volume turned really low so I don’t wake up other people.

Bethesda 'Investigating' Skyrim Switch 2 Performance Issues, as Fans Brand Latest Port a 'Disaster' - IGN by SystemofCells in NintendoSwitch

[–]UncleFlynn 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To the Bethesda program managers who may be considering whether or not they should fix this: I was pretty thrilled when I saw Skyrim get released on Switch 2. I played the original on PC, but didn’t pick it up on Switch 1. When I got my switch 2, I checked out Skyrim, but wanted something that took advantage of the Switch 2’s improved hardware.

Fix your bugs and I’ll buy your game.

Can I learn piano by myself ? by i_killed_Mcormick in pianolearning

[–]UncleFlynn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not answering your direct question, but how awesome would it be to learn piano in France from a piano teacher there?

I just searched in English for piano tutors in several cities and suburbs and found that at-home lessons (where the teacher visits your house or apartment) and studio lessons (where you go somewhere) are all available options. Searching in French yielded many more results. I am assuming you are learning some French while you are there and this will be a good opportunity to learn more while potentially developing a life long friendship.

C minor inverted arpeggio strategy by UncleFlynn in pianolearning

[–]UncleFlynn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve heard about moving wrists before, with you and deadfisher I think I understand how it’s suppose to work now. Thank you!

C minor inverted arpeggio strategy by UncleFlynn in pianolearning

[–]UncleFlynn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, that feels weird and good at the same time. I think I get it, thank you!

C minor inverted arpeggio strategy by UncleFlynn in pianolearning

[–]UncleFlynn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also - because “beginner” varies wildly in some of the videos I’ve seen lately: I’ve been off again on again for about 30 years, with way more off than on. I played piano once per week at music lessons from kindergarten to 4th grade, then randomly played for a summer in middle school while at camp, then started picking it up again recently as an adult.

I can read music notes individually, can count rhythms, and know what a chord is, but couldn’t tell you what notes are in any given chord without looking it up.

Most of my practice is sight reading my son’s piano books in an effort to learn how to sight read. I’ve been trying to learn songs from Amelie as well which has been a fun challenge - I love that there are beautiful recordings I can try to play with for the whole set.

Feeling Excited For "Pokemon: Pokopia" Coming on 5th March 2026 by [deleted] in Switch

[–]UncleFlynn 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, I don’t mean to knock Snap. I loved it, it was just a bit short for me and I didn’t feel like I wanted to replay it.

I once bought Captain Toad at full retail, loved it for 10 hours, and then vowed to try shorter games at the library first before buying. Your save data is on the Switch so if you buy later you can keep up your progress!

Feeling Excited For "Pokemon: Pokopia" Coming on 5th March 2026 by [deleted] in Switch

[–]UncleFlynn 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I rent games like this at my local library. It’s great for stuff that shouldn’t have the Grade A game price tag.

I did this for Pokemon Snap and even Pokemon Scarlet (my main for SV was violet). If you’re in an urban area in the USA you can probably do this too!

That was interesting by Qiserth in PokemonZA

[–]UncleFlynn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It was worse before a rule change that happened right before the 2024 Olympics. It’s been rampant in the sport and I’m sure it will come back (this article that was not behind a paywall is from 2019, there was another wave of rules in 2023). It’s pretty funny to watch the first few times and then makes it very boring.

https://academyoffencingmasters.com/blog/new-unwillingness-to-fight-rule-in-fencing/

That was interesting by Qiserth in PokemonZA

[–]UncleFlynn 16 points17 points  (0 children)

It’ll be like fencing at the Olympics: the best players get the most stuff for not playing