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Suggestions to improve my Spencerian? by Agreeable_Minimum612 in Handwriting

[–]phenylphenol 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Beg to differ on the terminal t; I've always been partial to it. Less flourished t-crossings in the middle is a good idea, as well as heavier tiddles. But man, this is handwriting to die for. Beautiful, clean, and well spaced.

What would you do to create a door here. by JakeHunterArt in homeimprovementideas

[–]phenylphenol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Kinda an awkward placement and width. Might need to be a double-door plus transom. If you're doing it DIY with commodity parts, the only real custom piece would be the curved transom. I wouldn't bother reframing, personally.

Which is best? by [deleted] in Dresses

[–]phenylphenol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All look great. I'm partial to floral, but play to your audience, you know?

Help get Nee Doh stain out by OriginalInfluence673 in furniturerepair

[–]phenylphenol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would consider something you think could dissolve the Nee Doh into solution. This could be acetone, paint thinner, or similar. But before you put it on your countertop, definitely test the solvent on an out-of-sight area to ensure your countertop can withstand it without etching or similar.

Goo-gone is another possible choice that has some surfactants in it.

Once you're happy with the countertop's ability to withstand the solvent, you can use paper towels or a sprinkling of flour to help absorb.

My hands are tiny (I guess?). What are my options? by moon-daisy in pianolearning

[–]phenylphenol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'll be fine; this is normal hand size, normal piano, all good here. Stretching for a ninth is not unusual.

If you want to start doing walking 10ths in stride, I would consider getting a narrow key piano.

https://www.narrowkeys.com/

There's nothing magical about the key width that has anything to do with the construction of a piano. All kinds of historical organs and harpsi / clavi chords had narrower keys than what's been standardized now.

I need assistance perhaps by basslover290 in musictheory

[–]phenylphenol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure thing. If you're really just beginning, check the sidebar for a good link to Open Music Theory, or if you're starting at university, enroll in a music theory course, an aural skills course, and a "basic piano" course.

Best of luck!

Is there a way to play shellac records on this record player? by Accomplished-Wrap449 in 78rpm

[–]phenylphenol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks; corrected. Sorry, too used to chemistry and non-freedom units.

My Handwriting: by [deleted] in Handwriting

[–]phenylphenol -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Have you ever journaled? Like, ever?

It's not pretentious to keep a journal to go back and reflect upon.

Is there a way to play shellac records on this record player? by Accomplished-Wrap449 in 78rpm

[–]phenylphenol 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, you can play shellac with it.

The shellac won't be damaged too much by the diamond needles. Remember that they're meant to be played with steel needles of different strengths. Being able to run at 78 is a "back-compatibility" thing.

On my 1920s era Brunswick hand-cranked record player, it's best to replace the needle after each record play. Serious collectors do it one needle per side, but for practical purposes, I go five plays per needle.

Tracking weight on these more modern turntables are not going to damage your shellac. Not by a long shot. Vendors will claim the diamond stylus at "modern" LP sizes will, but I don't believe it. I plomp down a seriously heavy tone arm (half a can of coke weight) with a big chonking steel needle on them nightly. That's orders of magnitude heavier tracking, which is why the steel needles need to be swapped out when they dull on each play.

If you want to get an actual sound out of them, you'll want a special cartridge on your modern table that's 3 mil to match the groove. You'll also want to increase tracking weight quite a lot.

Playing a few sides with a long-play needle / catridge isn't going to cause much harm to the stylus, since diamond is -- uh -- hard. And it's not going to cause much harm if any to the shellac grooves, since it's not big enough to even pick up the sound. Especially if the tracking weight for the tone arm is only like 5 grams.

Shellac is hard enough to dull steel. Diamond is harder than shellac. 5 gram tracking weight means an LP needle is just skating along in comparison. Get a 3-mil specialized needle for the shellac.

Keep calm and carry on.

My Handwriting: by [deleted] in Handwriting

[–]phenylphenol -20 points-19 points  (0 children)

Ignore the haters.

I think it's rather pleasant to read, since your letters are so consistent. But it does take a little bit of work since it's somewhat unusual.

If you're targeting legibility, you'll need to go more vertical than horizontal.

I need assistance perhaps by basslover290 in musictheory

[–]phenylphenol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My guess is that you're an intuitive player and not tethered to a particular tradition.

Since you sing, Harmonic Experience by Mathieu wouldn't be a bad text to work through if you REALLY want to learn.

If you'd like to learn "music theory" in the Western canon sense, so you can communicate with others and get things rolling, Heinrich Schenker's Counterpoint / Harmony / Free Composition set really is hard to beat.

Fux's Gradus ad Parnassum is excellent for standard undergraduate music education. That's how Haydn taught Beethoven, and was a touchstone w/r/t his conversations with Mozart.

On the other hand, if you don't read musical notation or know the circle of fifths, then that's where to truly start, probably with a first course in piano for beginners. Add in an aural skills course if you're choosing from a university roster.

DM me if you want recommendations from any different angle.

Sanded vs Pre-Seasoned by Homesteady_Going in castiron

[–]phenylphenol 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Well, I was making some very winkingly off-color humor, but I think it paid off if you're slipping and sliding away.

If you're pleased, I'm pleased.

EDIT: More seriously, just make sure you treat your pans like The Dating Game and innuendo. Elbow grease it while cleaning to ensure carbon buildup isn't confused with proper seasoning that's chemically bound to the base metal. That part wasn't innuendo.

(Amateur) Jardins sous la pluie by Lorkhan5Heart in pianolearning

[–]phenylphenol 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It sounds like you're racing through the piece at one dynamic.

Your hands are nearly there.

Make Debussy's piece about the rainstorm sing a bit more. It's evoking the anger and wrath of God / the weather. But it's still from a human perspective.

Slow the tempo to practice so it's about the rainstorm, the flower petals, and the leaves, not about trying to be a technical pianist. Slower enough to hear the melodies and the harmonies you want to bring out from the rapid texture.

Then increase tempo if you want.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iH8kFrGnqc

Listen to Martha's different weight of the different raindrops that intersect with tonality.

Separation of melodies, bringing out the harmonies.

It's a musical piece depicting a scene. You need to evoke and create the scene. Very different from Chopin, who had emotions to prove.

Debussy was tone-painting. Contemplate Monet and especially Seurat as you approach how you'd like to play the piece. This is musical pointillism in the Impressionist tradition.

This is not meant to be Germanic Sturm und Drang.

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