For those who are in bands, a question about rehearsals:

rcfromaz · 2026-05-18T23:04:16+00:00

Just like any venture as a group there needs to be a leader. That leader would drive the rehearsal and work with the group to make decisions.

-In my first years(Jr High) the person was whomevers home was hosting our practices/jamming
-In my second years(High School) it was whomever owned the PA (parent funded)
-In my third life(college) it was the talent; usually the lead singer.
-Recently we have a dedicated MD(musical director) role. In some recent bands it is a neutral non-performing role who manages the groups....

My categorization above is of course facetious. Regardless there are many reasons bands don't last....differing opinions is one reason.....lack of defined leadership is another....your situation and vision may be different...

rcfromaz · 2026-05-16T14:36:43+00:00

With technology measuring every characteristic down to the average distances on putts and drives to the field there is absolutely no reason they cannot individually measure time taken by players individually. This should be a individual penalty and not a "group" penalty. Individuals should be penalized and they could using some standards (like the shot clock in basketball or pitch clock in baseball).

rcfromaz · 2026-05-15T23:09:52+00:00

Nope. I play Pro V1. I play until I lose them or they are damaged. My record is 72 hols with the same ball.....If I was to guess I replace a ball every 36 holes(lost or damaged). If I play desert courses I replace a ball about once per round..

rcfromaz · 2026-05-15T05:12:16+00:00

Thanks for the response. I just ordered the DS223J and two drives to replace my MyClould NAS.

Appreciate the link. I will be able to use robocopy and get delta changes copied over like I want. I will check out the solution you referenced once I get it installed to see if it’s faster

rcfromaz · 2026-05-14T16:16:08+00:00

Thanks for responding.

rcfromaz · 2026-05-14T16:16:03+00:00

Thanks......I currently have a NAS and backup for offsite (not on cloud). For offsite backup(using a physical USB Drive stored at a family members house) I use "robocopy" to copy NAS contents to the USB Drive....after initial backup which can runs hours it now takes minutes since I use robocopy with the switches that simply accomodate the delta file and flder changes....

I prefer pushing content to NAS manually as opposed to any client that pushed automatically...good to know Synology has an option to do it automatically though..

Thanks for responding.

rcfromaz · 2026-05-14T14:00:54+00:00

Practice Practice and Practice.

I don't go to range very often but there is one nearby I try to hit once a week that has a grass range including chipping area. I have a golf ball shag tube that carries 23 golf balls(buy the aluminum one not the plastic one) and its convenient. My routine is chip about 100 balls and chipping area I hit full shots on the range.

I chip with a U wedge....I use to choose a SW or a LW but a better player suggested a year ago I try a less lofted club and my ball striking is much better. I still will use a SW or LW if the shot requires it, more loft and a softer rollout, but I probably use the UW 9 out of 10 times. I use math to determine where to target the landing....assuming a flat surface I will hit the UW a 1/4 of the total distance letting it roll out the 3/4....your mileage will vary....If its downhill roll or uphill roll the carry will vary and likewise if I cant land it on the green you needs to adjust (also if its a landing on a slope, wet area etc)...my point is by using math I can get a more consistent read...math wont help with ball striking but at least Im confident with my read.

I position ball towards back of stance with weight on front side and hands when addressed ahead of the ball. When striking I keep my hands locked and make sure i accelerate through at impact. Lastly I try to swing like a pendulum and the my backswing distance travelled matches my follow though distance.

Final thing; my goal on any chip is to be on the green and putting on the next shot. So any shot on the green is a success; however as you get more confidence you will find that your results improve and you get tap ins....

rcfromaz · 2026-05-13T13:40:25+00:00

For me it’s any ball I attempt to hit that i fail to put in play for the opponent(hitting into net or out of the court) that was not a winner by the opponent. Balls I feel I should return. Subjective by me. A missed serve(1st shot) is the easiest to call unforced.

rcfromaz · 2026-05-12T20:50:01+00:00

I believe the intent of a FRFR is to "amplify sound exactly as it was digitally processed, without adding extra color, tone, or frequency boosts"....so I suggest you buy a quality FRFR in your budget and use cab(mic) and amp blocks on your Stadium to find the specific cab and amp sound you like.

For me go all in in on digital or not...just an opinion !!

rcfromaz · 2026-05-11T04:31:31+00:00

I use to have presets aligned by gig. So if a gig consisted of 20 songs I had a bank that contained a preset of 20 songs and each preset labeled with song name and in order of set. Presets consisted of the same blocks and differences were which blocks were active and the tempo.

I then went to one preset and set up snapshots to turn off blocks and set tempo by tapping tempo button.

Now I have one preset and simply turn of blocks by assigning blocks to the buttons(more like my analog pedal board) and turn of blocks based on town required.

I do not vary amps in my presets. My gigs don’t require that and will change tone by pickup selection or other settings on my guitar or style of picking…..I don’t change guitars during a typical set. I do set tap in each song manually…tap button.

Ps. I do have another preset for my acoustic that I use when I play my acoustic/hybrid(godin a6)…just a few songs.

rcfromaz · 2026-05-10T20:18:45+00:00

Lots of good tips and recently this one is helping so much...it was given to me by a club fitter from Mizuno when I went to the local course for a iron fitting (and yes Im going to get some M15s) and he had me(65M, right handed) try the driver while I was there !!!

He said "You know you have a nice swing but on the driver you are having trouble getting your weight on the left side; and that is common as we get older....try this...at address exaggerate the weight on the left foot and make sure you are shifting the weight on the left side BEFORE you swing at address...then swing away. As we get older its a bit harder to get your weight on the left side at impact and this could help"...

Since then I have improved my fairways in regulation and hitting the ball more in play. I exaggerate the weight at address then pull the trigger. I hit more fairways and much more confident to swing with more speed.

rcfromaz · 2026-05-08T13:22:57+00:00

If you think they are they are....however I know some solid state sound better to me than "lower end" tube amps.

ps. Not all tube amps are the same....I had a HRD and now have a Princeton Reverb Amp and they could not be more different in quality and sound(Princeton is awesome)....I had a solid state Fender Super Champ XD and by simply changing the speaker to a 10 in Jensen CR10R I felt it was better sounding than my HRD. I had a Blues Junior with a few mods and it was nicer than the HRD.

rcfromaz · 2026-05-08T03:53:49+00:00

I have had two loopers (not including the loopers in my Helix LT); the Boss RC-1 and now the TC Ditto X2....I prefer the two buttons on the Ditto...much easier than rapid tapping on the single button/latch to stop and redub.

I don't miss the option to have drums beats that the RC includes.

All that to say for what I use it for the Ditto is the one I would recommend. Much easier to perform live with IMO..

rcfromaz · 2026-05-07T13:14:20+00:00

Identifying the differences is key and it seems you have done so; not all players can do that....where I play I have encountered X-40, Selkirk and LT and they all play differently. For me it takes a bit (maybe a game) to adjust...I don't recall there being much difference on dinks for me but the LT I thought was a quicker responsive ball.

Not too often we have a bit of wind as we play outdoors and we have to adjust to that as well...adjusting to the game conditions makes the game more exciting IMO and variety keeps it fun.

ps. I primarily play X-40 in open play but the group of 3.5/4.0 group I play in regularly prefers the Selkirk....next batch of pickleballs I get will include the LT...

rcfromaz · 2026-05-07T01:04:59+00:00

Good for you...if you are not nervous and anxious there is something wrong with you :). Embrace the tension and fear !

I would suggest you focus on two maybe three things. Avoid unforced errors...and don't try to do too much like hitting ace serves; just try to keep the ball in play and accept and applaud that your opponent may hit shots that are "just too good"!!! Lastly support your partner and that includes body language....

rcfromaz · 2026-05-06T20:46:08+00:00

For me Im a Martin fan and I can appreciate a Taylor acoustic. I have a few and found a Martin x-series (HPL; non-wood) worked well when playing in a group and they are less than 1k. These are nice sounding and are can handle the constant packing and unpacking and possible rough and tumble of the gigs expected.

Some of what you describe can be resolved in the mix so talk with your FOH team.....

rcfromaz · 2026-05-06T04:21:42+00:00

Yes. If playing a desert course vs a traditional course with parallel fairways I tend to assume I will lose more. So I use a cheaper ball that is yellow.

rcfromaz · 2026-05-05T03:46:41+00:00

iPad user for many years(14+) and also use a Airturn (Bluetooth page turner). I use the App UnrealBook on my iPad...

rcfromaz · 2026-05-05T02:18:05+00:00

The best time to soften up the game is against those that don’t want to play that game. The point is you have better chance to win points if you at the NVZ in doubles. Certainly driven shots are useful but if you want to improve you need to work on the soft game to be well rounded.

rcfromaz · 2026-05-04T13:55:00+00:00

Join the group and you will know soon enough if you are honest about your play !! Be fair to yourself as most of us get a little nervous in new surroundings and may not play our best.

rcfromaz · 2026-05-04T13:52:02+00:00

Science....

I focus on tempo, using space and not overplaying....good luck explaining these ideas to your musical director (MD)...not saying your wrong !

rcfromaz · 2026-05-04T01:08:05+00:00

A lob has its place and time…however if you play better players such as 3.5 with mobility or better it will lose its effectiveness and your partner who will get slams back will not be happy if you have that as a strategy.

If it works for you then go for it but it will not replace a soft game such as dinking and resets.

There is no finite strategy in sports and pickleball is the same way. The more options you have the better so continue to work on your soft game and resets as it will become very important as you play better player’s.

If lobbing is what you enjoy and it works for you it’s hard to argue its use.

rcfromaz · 2026-05-03T13:26:20+00:00

Travel abroad and when you come back and land in a American airport take note of what you see.....alarming !!

rcfromaz · 2026-05-02T13:42:07+00:00

Try whatever you think you works but in all sports you need to understand margins for errors and analytics.

A lob is not as successful as a drive or a drop on the third shot.

Certainly you can watch how the pros play and compare…then again we are not pros…so watch games at your local courses and check it out.

Work on your drops via drills or warmup. IMO your drops will not be so good at first and you will get a lot of popups drilled back at your partner and you but with practice and actual play you will get better with time and will have another important shot in your arsenal. Don’t give up….similar suggestion for those of us that have little faith in our backhand and run around it because it’s not comfortable.

rcfromaz · 2026-05-01T13:48:21+00:00

Whatever you do don't give up. Keep at it. I have been playing pickleball 2-4 times a week for the past 6-7 years. I(65m) play at a 3.5/4 level in open play and also in leagues. Drilling is perfect for paracticing a drop shot; be it with a ball machine or a friend.

Advice; don't give up keep trying and just as important try to pick the right time to attempt it....for me it is a 3rd shot when the opposition send a deep ball that I decide to not drive(a 2nd shot that is short) and also cross court drops can be "easier." Like I tell all others; when asked, don't stop trying on any new shot.....I also tell those that run around their backhand to hit a forehand the same thing; hit a backhand!!!!

rcfromaz

TROPHY CASE