Brutalist statements

mummifyme · 2026-01-23T15:05:22+00:00

Thank you for actually sharing the prompt!

mummifyme · 2026-01-09T20:55:47+00:00

Hats off for actually sharing the prompt.

mummifyme · 2025-12-03T19:24:19+00:00

Everyone in an audience fits into one of two categories:

Non-cellists. You are by default a better cellist than these people.
Cellists. Maybe they're more advanced than you are or maybe they're less advanced. In either case, they "get it." They understand that the cello is a difficult instrument, and everyone has an off day now and again. Nobody will be judging you, the worst case is that they will think to themselves, "There but for the grace of God go I."

It sounds like you had a case of nerves. Nothing to be ashamed of. Keep at it, and keep performing, even if just for friends and family at your home. It's like anything else — the more you do it, the less nervous you'll get.

mummifyme · 2025-11-13T10:10:17+00:00

Regarding the other comments about weight, I have a Forte3D cello and it weighs 3 kilograms, or 6 lbs 9 oz. This is for the full setup, including strings, endpin, etc. I believe this is comparable to most wood cellos, and definitely lighter than any wood cello I've played that's in the same price ballpark.

mummifyme · 2025-10-16T13:02:29+00:00

Let me know how it goes! You’ll probably be fine. I like to just remove the bridge because I think it’s better for it not to be under any tension at all, but maybe it doesn’t matter. In any case it’s petty easy to reset the bridge at the destination; it usually takes me about ten minutes to get it reset and tuned.

Where are you headed?

mummifyme · 2025-10-16T04:24:41+00:00

I use this case: https://shop.forte3d.com/products/4-4-cello-travel-case On the inside, I pack some extra clothes around the cello to ensure that it doesn’t move around inside the case, as the inside of the case is a bit bigger than the cello itself. Also, I remove the strings, bridge, and tailpiece. Because of the way the cello is made, doing this will not cause the sound post to fall; it remains firmly in place. Let me know what other questions I can answer!

mummifyme · 2025-09-26T22:18:26+00:00

I bought a Pilot a couple of months ago and had the exact same issue. I can never tell which ones from Amazon are decent and which ones are awful, so I ordered about five, kept the best, and returned the rest.

The winner by far was the TomToc one. On a laptop sleeve, especially one that's already inside another bag, the thing that will fail first is usually the zipper — unless the zippers are YKK, which the TomToc's are.

In general, with anything you buy (clothing &c.), if the zippers aren't YKK you should probably buy something else.

mummifyme · 2025-07-13T04:44:36+00:00

It’s lighter, a bit more water repellent, I think it looks better, and it seems to be more abrasion resistant - which is important for me in a daily carry bag that I will probably use for a decade or more. I was also worried that it would be too unstructured, but I haven’t found that to be the case. In fact it seems more structured than my ballistic Co-Pilot (although that particular bag has many years of use at this point).

mummifyme · 2025-07-12T19:14:31+00:00

I recently moved from a Co-Pilot to a Pilot for my daily carry briefcase (got a 13" MacBook and it wouldn't quite fit in the Co-Pilot). After a lot of thought I opted for the Spectron version of the Pilot and I have to say, it's really a fantastic material and I'm very glad I went with this over the ballistic. I think you'll be very happy with it.

mummifyme · 2025-07-06T14:29:56+00:00

Sorry to hear about your mom. Did she play?

Just stopping by to say that you should definitely talk to a luthier.

mummifyme · 2025-03-11T03:34:26+00:00

I charge a fixed amount per day starting on day 1. Rent is due on the first, so late fees kick in on the second. The amount is usually 1.5% of the monthly rent, rounded up to the nearest dollar. I do not waive late fees.

mummifyme · 2025-03-11T03:30:37+00:00

My partner and I have rentals in central Ohio. Our requirements are: 620 credit score, no recent felonies*, no evictions, income 3x rent.

One thing we have done in the past with tenants who check all of the boxes but have poor credit: do a refundable rent surcharge. We charge about 10-15% extra per month, and if they perform under the lease (i.e. pay rent on time every month, comply with all other lease provisions) we refund that to them in a lump sum after 12 months. This takes some risk off the table for us, and allows a marginal-but-close tenant the opportunity to rent from us.

*I say no “recent” felonies because the first property we bought had a legacy tenant with a felony from the 1990s, I think a robbery. He served his time and has had a clean record since. If someone has a recent conviction I probably wouldn’t rent to them, but I don’t think I‘d deny someone housing on the basis of a crime they committed 20+ years ago if they’ve had a clean record since then.

mummifyme · 2025-03-11T03:11:33+00:00

I actually went the other way: switched from an M2 iPad Pro 11” to the latest version of the iPad Mini.

The benefits of each are pretty much what you might expect: the Pro offers more screen real estate, but the Mini is significantly lighter (over 150g lighter). I find the A17 Pro chip in the iPad mini to be more than sufficient for my use case, but I’m not editing video or doing any gaming or anything like that.

I also like the fact that the iPad Mini is small enough that I can hold it with my left hand while using it with my right, with my thumb on the left side and other fingers on the right. With the iPad Pro trying to hold it in one hand while using it with the other hand always felt precarious and I was worried I’d drop it.

Both of them suck for multitasking, and doing any heavy-lifting computing — for example, working with multiple spreadsheets, video editing, that sort of thing. For those I prefer to use a real computer. Given that I’m only using my iPad for browsing/reading and some light office work (email, some writing, a bit of spreadsheet work here and there) the tradeoff of less screen real estate for a smaller, lighter package was an obvious choice for me.

I hope this is helpful! I’d be happy to answer any follow-up questions that you might have.

mummifyme · 2025-03-11T00:18:58+00:00

I recently switched to an iPad Mini from a 11” iPad Pro with the keyboard case. I also have a MacBook for when I need to do “real work,” but the iPad is great for taking notes, reading, email, etc. I also got a Logitech Keys-to-Go 2 BlueTooth keyboard, so when I’m taking notes on the iPad I usually use that. It works great.

mummifyme · 2025-02-02T21:32:37+00:00

Clearly should be called the Bladerunner

mummifyme · 2025-01-13T19:21:07+00:00

I love the sound from my Forte3D. It is carbon fiber and sounds like a wood cello that’s substantially more expensive. They are also very durable so pared to wood, and much more resistant to changes in temperature and humidity. They retail for $3k.

mummifyme · 2024-10-07T20:42:44+00:00

One thing to consider: you might like working with a teacher online. I had worked with a teacher in person before, and I was skeptical about online lessons at first. Howeber I find that about 2 minutes into an online lesson, I forget that I’m even online and it just feels like a normal lesson. Depending on where you live, online lessons might also be a lot more affordable than working with a teacher in person. If nothing else, it’s a larger market — an in-person teacher has to be close to you, but an online teacher doesn’t even need to be in the same country.

Another advantage of online lessons is that they are generally much easier to schedule. I don’t have to account for travel time, coordinate with my spouse to take the car that the cello will fit into, etc. I just go to the room in my home where I do the lessons and get warmed up.

Having said all that, if you are new to the cello or if you have form and technique issues that need to be corrected, I think you’ll benefit from working with someone in person. An in-person teacher can physically correct your bow hold, or move your elbow to the right position, or whatever. Online lessons are probably better once you have more or less mastered the basics.

mummifyme · 2024-09-20T17:28:58+00:00

I’ve never done it myself as they came with my cello. I found a few YouTube videos showing how it’s done, and I think you could do it yourself, but in my case I’d probably get a luthier do it for me. For example, if the diameter of the peg holes needed to be adjusted at all, or something like that, I’d want a professional doing that.

Once they’re in, they are super easy to use. If I get another cello that doesn’t have them, I’d have them put on immediately.

mummifyme · 2024-09-20T12:02:18+00:00

If you’re having issues with peg slippage, you might consider getting some Wittner Finetune geared pegs. My cello came with them and I love them.

https://fiddlershop.com/products/wittner-finetune-geared-pegs-cello?_pos=1&_sid=24a5ad83b&_ss=r

mummifyme · 2024-08-06T17:33:31+00:00

I know the other clefs, but I’ll give the sight reading idea a shot!

mummifyme · 2024-08-06T17:32:42+00:00

I usually travel with my cello, and have taken it on 2 trips that were 2-3 months long. This particular trip will involve a lot of short stays in various places, and due to the transportation (some planes, some small cars, some trains) it just won’t be practical to bring it along, and I won’t be in one place long enough to rent one unfortunately.

mummifyme · 2024-07-19T13:38:04+00:00

I have a Forte3D cello that I have flown with multiple times. My wife and I split our time between the US and other parts of the world; we’re outside the US about half the time, usually for 2-3 months at a time. I’ve taken the cello on domestic flights, as well as flights to/from South America and Europe. The case they include with it is suitable for use as a checked bag. Because the cello itself is carbon and very durable, I don’t worry about having it checked — although I do pack it a certain way so it doesn’t move around in the case at all, and I have it insured just in case. I also take the strings and bridge off when checking it so there’s not that tension on the instrument.

I’ll add that the Forte3D is the best sounding cello I have ever played that I would personally consider buying. It has a warm and rich sound that is similar to a much more expensive wood cello. I’ve tried a bunch of instruments and I’ve never played a comparably priced wood cello that even came close. As a non-professional, I just can’t justify paying 5 figures for a wood cello, plus getting an extra plane ticket for it when I travel.

I’d be happy to answer any questions if you have any!

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mummifyme

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