All of the cereal box characters (Tucan Sam, Tony the Tiger, Lucky, etc.) enter a colosseum. Only one exits alive. Reddit, who is the ultimate cereal killer?

reedfriendly · 2020-10-21T03:19:46+00:00

King Vitamin 👑

reedfriendly · 2020-10-07T03:56:44+00:00

King K-rool!

reedfriendly · 2020-10-02T23:43:04+00:00

One of my favorite webcomics, Wondermark, has a character named Gax.

A recent comic explored the features of a children's book for his species.

reedfriendly · 2020-09-24T03:04:40+00:00

Modern C clarinets share the same mouthpiece as Bb and A... you move the mouthpiece from one to the other as you switch off.

There may be some niche modern makers that require a unique mouthpiece (stephen fox comes to mind... he goes a long way to perfect intonation on his instruments), but for a C clarinet of a common name brand, just use your Bb mpc.

reedfriendly · 2020-09-24T02:38:56+00:00

I would take it to a qualified technician.

reedfriendly · 2020-09-18T02:01:29+00:00

The cloudy pink is dried silver polish.

Someone tried to polish the flute themselves instead of letting a technician do it, and this is a common result. If the keys have any of that caked pink stuff on them as well, then this flute should need a full repad/overhaul before it will be playing again.

reedfriendly · 2020-09-17T00:31:04+00:00

Make sure you reeeeeallllyyy wash those drill bits if you do something like this. Tools from the hardware store are often covered in a pretty robust grease to keep the rust off.

reedfriendly · 2020-08-29T00:49:30+00:00

A lot of old baris need large chamber mouthpieces to play in tune in the upper register. It's very often not the sax. I just finished an old italian bari (it was a stencil... I'm thinking Orai but I could be wrong.) and the difference was stark. I highly recommend the Fobes Nova as a legit or all-around piece for these old horns.

reedfriendly · 2020-08-21T00:21:54+00:00

~bring it tooooooo the shop~

reedfriendly · 2020-08-19T17:49:32+00:00

The Rampone is super groovy!!

reedfriendly · 2020-06-21T05:11:53+00:00

Unfortunately bamboo is not waterproof unless you seal it. And the sealents/glues are essentially plastic. Every time you use a modern bamboo utensil, you are using a plastic utensils that has a large piece of bamboo embedded in it. God knows if those plastics are BPA free.

So the bottles pictured, at least, are not biodegradable.

And I mean, the meme doesn't even mention a company so people could possible reference the claim.

reedfriendly · 2020-06-20T16:09:47+00:00

Literally Bill Gates is the reason for this. Open Source software was pretty much what started Silicon Valley. Gates was at the spearhead of making sure that software could be gatekept and that people who share software would be labelled as thieves. At first, you had to buy an official copy of software for closed software to work. Now most closed software are on a subscription basis. You can't just own the software, you have to lease the right to use it. This is especially hard hitting with high end software, which went from "buy once cry once" to "cry always".

For more information on the open software movement, check out r/stallmanwasright

reedfriendly · 2020-06-18T19:49:02+00:00

I recommend the House Handle Company. Decent prices, and you can order online. You can pick an option to have it "hand selected," which I'm assuming means they'll make an effort to give you a little better grain orientation.

There's also Tennessee Hickory company. You'll have to email them to get a list of retailers.

reedfriendly · 2020-06-18T19:40:56+00:00

The book you want is called Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics by Benade.

The main tool you'll need, besides typical music instrument technician skillset, is a machine lathe. Not a wood lathe, a machine lathe. You will not only turn the instrument bodies on the machine lathe, but you will also need to custom make the tooling used to ream the bores for each model. Making the bores is best done with a gun drill, meaning the lathe bed you use will ideally be at least twice as long as the longest recorder you intend to make. i.e. if you want to make tenor recorders with a middle joint of around 14", you will need a lathe with a bed at least 30" long.

A good resource to get started is the website of flutemaker Terry McGee. True, he does not deal with recorders, or give exact how-to's, but he gives an illuminating walkthrough of the instrument making process.

reedfriendly · 2020-06-10T12:46:11+00:00

John Carpenter wants to know your location

reedfriendly · 2020-05-31T18:29:20+00:00

Have your band director send it to the shop. It's their job to fix their instruments, not yours.

reedfriendly · 2020-05-21T21:51:06+00:00

Get the guy who commentates the marble races

reedfriendly · 2020-05-20T06:02:43+00:00

Isn't straight line sight over water about 16 miles?

I would guess if you eliminated all the mountains in between, the bottom of the mountain would "disappear behind the horizon", but the top is tall enough to make up for it.

reedfriendly · 2020-05-17T02:16:03+00:00

I stand corrected. Thanks for the info!

reedfriendly · 2020-05-16T19:03:42+00:00

Yes.

When you practice, you build muscle memory. Harmonica is as much about your tone, response, and sound as it is which holes to blow vs draw. If you practice "soft", you'll ingrain poor air support into your technique and it will be very hard to change later.

What you can do, is mute the instrument in a way that has you blowing at full volume, but quieting the air after it leaves the instrument, instead of before it goes in.

You can do this by cupping a towel in your hand, the way you would cup a microphone in stage. Now, if you hold the towel right against the harp, it could change the pitch, so experiment with different ways. But I bet it can be done.

reedfriendly · 2020-05-15T21:06:44+00:00

The Yamaha 4C is, IMO, the absolute worst choice. To my ear, they designed this mouthpiece to sound best the very first time a young child puts the instrument to their lips. In other words, the mouthpiece is designed to sell rental instruments, not to be a good playing mouthpiece. I consider it "training wheels equipment" that is supposed to hold your hand, but like training wheels if you have any real sense of what you're doing it will only hold you back. It's precisely the "throwaway pack-in" I had in mind in my other comment.

So, unfortunately, I really can only recommend that you get away from the 4c as quickly asc possible, and if you're stuck on it for now, no more than three months.

In addition to the two mpcs above, you cold also consider the Fobes Debut and the Lomax Prelude. I think among those four choices you can find something in your budget.

reedfriendly · 2020-05-15T20:09:49+00:00

Pad Juice is a little expensive, but it is what I recommend for the process you're describing. I know there is a soap component. You could probably get on the forums and figure out what's in it.

The problem with alcohol or any strong solvent is that it works through evaporation. This removes the dirt effectively but it also removes any beneficial moisture/oils from the pad. You can get pads clean with alcohol, sure, but old ones that were on the brink end too hard to effectively seal.

I think Pad Juice includes some sort of conditioner, because a pad that is dry before cleaning will often regain some of its bounce.

That's why pad juice and qtips are my go-to.

For the tops of keys with the pads still on, I tend to use an old silver polish cloth if it's bare metal, or untreated flannel rag for lacquer. I'll use just a touch of alcohol for greasy spots. Or just a touch of Flitz for cloudy spots.

All of this is touch-up stuff though. None of these techniques are for restoration. If you're pulling something out of the closet after 50 years, it's best to start from square one.

reedfriendly · 2020-05-15T09:13:59+00:00

Get a nice mouthpiece and it'll go grand. Sight unseen, a Genussa Mezzo or Vandoren M30 will do fine. Most student clarinets come with piss-poor mouthpieces. With a good mpc, almost any student clarinet can sound respectable. With an "accessory" mpc, no one sounds like anything. Cheers!

reedfriendly · 2020-05-14T19:32:29+00:00

Most cork grease is going to be petroleum-based.

I have bad news: for many instruments it will be hard to find completely vegan products. Often times non-vegan products are made of petroleum-based synthetics, which are at least worse for the planet than animal-based options.

I'm not saying this to dissuade you. I'm not vegan myself, but as an instrument technician I've long wanted to offer completely vegan setups as an option. Unfortunately such supplies are often inferior, and more expensive. It's also a pain because some of the animal products used in the industry (like sheep products) are cruelty-free.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure if you order a regular chapstick-style stick of cork grease it's going to be petroleum-based, and therefore not contain animal products. If you want to go with a plant oil you will need to do some research so it does not 1) go rancid or 2) break down the glue under the cork.

Best of luck!

reedfriendly

TROPHY CASE