(no subject)

[derien]

Sorry I've been so uncommunicative and all... I seem to be in one of those slumps as far as writing and commenting, and believe me it's not that I'm not reading you all. There's been several things I've wanted to say and not got around to, and then some of the comments I made because I really felt I should be involved in a conversation ended up feeling flat and probably self-centered, not to mention possibly contradictory and negative-sounding to the recipient.* Or sometimes I've realized it came off as a complete non-sequiter. (a word my spellchecker does not know.)

I was looking at this one woman's ID on Saturday - well, trying to, because she'd laid it down on the desk and I couldn't pick it up, because my nails are too short. I thought it must be tremendously obvious that I was chasing it all over the desk, but it must not have been to her, because I said, "I cut my nails off because I decided to learn to play the mandolin" and she responded with, "When I was out on the bay, yesterday, my camera broke." I waited to see if there was more to that story, some connection, but apparently she thought she was countering randomness with other randomness.

So, yeah, mandolin. I haven't mentioned that because it's just a whim, brought on by reading the Eastport Pirate Days site, where they said they were looking for buskers. I don't imagine I'll be able to play even a few simple tunes by September, not well enough to hang about and inflict them on an unsuspecting public, but I have been trying hard to at least tenderize the tips of my fingers almost every night for the past week, in an attempt to harden them up so I have a chance of holding the strings down correctly. The tips of the first two fingers of my left hand feel as though they're asleep from my session last night. I think I've got the simple versions of G, C, and D chords down, so hypothetically I can play almost anything by Adam Brodsky (who's trying to be hip and timely with a picture of an underwear-covered salami, apparently), though I think it might be tough passing them off as sea shanties. (Although according to that sea shanty book on Gutenberg the verses were often quite crass - and I'm still pissed that his publishers wouldn't let him put the actual words in.)

And now I'm completely derailed, already - not that I was really staying on the rails at all, in this post. I think I'd better shower and go do the grocery shopping.

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*So of course, since I'm being so crap at communicating, it fell to me to write an email to all the condo tenants that someone had left a mattress teetering atop the dumpster - like, seriously? The dumpster guy might not come on the Fourth, but even if he does he probably can't dump the damned thing in his truck with a mattress on top of the lids. So I had to compose something nice and not say "Who's the fucking idiot?" only because Eor trusted his own powers of composition even less. :)

Comments

[cygny.livejournal.com]

Tom's dad played the mandolin and also repared them. He was very gifted apparently. Tom's brother also plays the mandolin. The remaining members of the group they played in performed an intimate little concert at the baptism of Tom's brother's daughter, Laure and it was absolutely lovely. I love the mandolin. Once you think you can play a bit, record something and post it here?

PS. I do realize my music icon does not really fit, but it's the only one I've got ;)

[derien.livejournal.com]

*giggles at the icon* Headbangin mandolin! :D

The funny thing is, I've never been fond of the sound of mando, fiddle, or anything high-pitched, but I'm getting to like it a little more, lately. For years the only thing I wanted to play was blues bass guitar. I thought I really wouldn't need to perform, it would make me happy to be able to do chord progressions, it's so soothing to listen to people just doodling around. But I have no musical talent whatsoever, I really don't expect to ever be able to play so as to be not painful to people's ears. And high-pitched instruments are particularly painful when they're played badly. (Hawk's been trying to learn the fiddle, recently. Ow. Talk about cats yowling.) Don't hold your breath. :) But if I ever think it's passable I'll make a post. I may try to learn some of lucylou's ukelele tunes at some point.

[cygny.livejournal.com]

I'm usually a bigger fan of low pitched instruments as well (I think that's why I like Apocalyptica so much, cello <3 ), but I got to know the mandolin through Tom's brothers and some old CDs of their dad and I quite like it after all. Usually not much of a violin fan though, although I must admit not really having listened to more than the occasional tune I came across by accident.

Teehee, you and your brother can form a band, a cat band ;)

[derien.livejournal.com]

Too bad somebody already used the name Stray Cats. :)