Letterpress workshop
Thanks to my recent jump into the Twitter-verse (mostly for Eastman), I heard there was a letterpress workshop at the Genesee Center for the Arts and decided that I should take it. I mean, what good is feverishly reading all about typography (including a pretty nerdy piece on typography in the movies) if I don’t start with the beginning basics?
The workshop was supposed to be from 10AM-1PM, but we definitely went overtime. The instructor, Mitch, was very knowledgeable, patient, supportive, and perceptive. I definitely want to take more classes at the center – looking at pointed pen calligraphy next. Birthday present, anybody?
For this workshop, we were making a card, so I decided that it would be smart to make one for Adrian’s mom (since it’s her 50th and I can’t go to Costa Rica this week for her birthday party). I plotted a few ideas in my head before class and knew that I was thinking of centered justified text for the front, which turned out to be much harder when you only have pre-defined typefaces and sizes! No .5pt sizes like I have in Illustrator. Luckily, I found a really great Gothic font with just enough all-caps letters and a couple of 36pt ornaments to make the top line match the bottom two in width, so I set that for the front and a line in Helvetica for the back (just to let her know that, you know, I made it myself). We printed on a Vandercook No. 4 proof press with Pantone violet. The paper wasn’t super soft so it isn’t super debossed, but I’m happy with my final product!
And of course, pics or it didn’t happen:
The Kids Are All Right: for white people only?
The Kids Are All Right is a good movie, don’t get me wrong. I’m just contemplating whether or not my enjoyment of the movie was tempered by my eternal inner monologue of “…white people.” Plot points will, of course, be discussed, so read more after the jump (I’ve always wondered what it would be like to write that).
Read more
Coming up: Web programming certificate
I finished my master’s over 2 years ago and, though I am always learning about something by reading or doing, I’m beginning to feel the itch to do some structured learning again. The last time I did a class it was cake decorating and I ended up successfully making a 3-tier wedding cake this summer. This time, I’m going to do something that will hopefully also help me professionally: a web programming certificate offered by the O’Reilly School of Technology. Not that the cake decorating wasn’t useful – knowing me, I still may end up a pastry chef/restaurateur someday.
If I finish it, I’ll end up with a Certificate for Professional Development from the University of Illinois. It was half off for a few days and my mother loves the idea of me doing some non-music schooling, so for the cost of one grad school credit (seriously, one credit is currently $1,040 at Eastman) that’s not coming out of my pocket, I can get a piece of paper that proves that I know more than how to play the piano. Sure, books are way cheaper and the classes may or may not be of the best quality (I get the feeling I’ll finish the HTML/CSS basics one in an hour), but my gut tells me that as a person with two degrees in music but a job in web development, a certificate in web programming can’t hurt.
As I get started and move on, I’ll try to remember to blog some thoughts – maybe using a WordPress for iOS beta?! (I got into the testers group! Woohoo!)
More WordPress thoughts
I know it’s common to put a lot of time, energy, and work into other people’s projects and let your own personal ones suffer. I feel like that’s what’s happened to my own blog.
First of all, I need to write more, period. Second of all, I need to modernize this theme and add some functionality! I spend so much time these days making custom CMS themes and functions and super-awesome screenshot-filled documentation and installing and configuring a ridiculous number of plugins for clients and my regular job, but I don’t seem to bother with my own.
I’m still using this ancient theme (which I don’t change because I still like it) and it’s got some old old stuff going on. The comments are especially ugly and don’t have threading enabled. I’m sure it’d be easy enough for me to fix my own stuff, but I guess it’ll have to wait until I don’t feel guilty for not focusing on open projects, including a piano recital next Wednesday. Perhaps I’ll use that Lady René font (yes, the purchase happened) to make a new header so I feel like I’ve done something. But for now, off to do a little late-night practicing that won’t bother my neighbors!
Smart purchase: Corningware Mugs
It fits a decent (i.e. filling but not fattening) portion of food, vents for the microwave, AND is freezer-, fridge-, microwave-, and oven-safe. We’ve been bringing pasta with cheese on top for lunch and we can get it hot enough to completely melt the cheese while still being able to pick up the mug to eat. Should also be great for stews in the wintertime and even cold foods. I call that a win.
$10 at Amazon, but we found them for $9 at Wegman’s.
Font Love: Lady René
I have never wanted to spend $60 on a font so badly in my life. If only I could split the cost with Vivian…
Schools are actually closed in Rochester
I guess 18 inches of snow will do that.
Lake effect snow in Rochester [YouTube]
Review: Yamaha AvantGrand N3
That’s right, I bought a $15,000 instrument. Because that’s how I roll. Here’s a little bit of backstory, some pictures, and my thoughts.
I’ve had a Technics SX-PR303 since 1995 and I still love it. Weighted touch sensitive keys, sounds galore, easy multi-track recording – I’ve used and abused the thing. It’s gone with me to gigs in Virginia Beach, in and out of several apartments in Richmond, and in both of my apartments here in Rochester. It’s dealt with me playing crappy musical numbers, singing while playing, and shoddily realizing figured bass without a word of judgment. But finally, the time had come to replace it. The damper pedal was going in and out and I just couldn’t do the level of practicing that I needed to do on it anymore.
In November, Vivian sent me this Slate article on this “digital hybrid” piano that Yamaha was touting. Besides the fact that it name-checked Donald in Mathmagic Land and compared the Tactile Response System to an N64 Rumble Pak (sure ways to get me excited), I found myself thinking, “why haven’t all digital pianos been like this before?” And you know how it is, when something seems so revolutionary yet totally obvious, it just has to be a good thing.
Fast forward to the Eastman Wind Ensemble’s performance at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. I was fortunate enough to get to go along as a performer, photographer, and student-wrangler (more on that in another post), and lo and behold, there was a Yamaha AvantGrand N3 in the exhibit hall. Admittedly, it was very difficult to hear in that crowded conference room, with everybody else trying all sorts of band instruments, but I fell in love. I dragged everybody over to try it out, and started thinking about how I could justify spending that kind of money on a digital instrument.
Some justification (Adrian’s clarinets are also valued at about $15k, I am still a musician even if I make more money as a web developer/designer), phone calls, and measurements later, I bought it. It was just meant to be. Turns out that, while there were no dealers in the entirety of NYS, the Piano and Organ Warehouse next to my father’s house had one in stock and was willing to sell it to me for $14,495 with no tax because I am no longer a VA resident. My father was unbelievably supportive throughout the whole process and went not once, but THREE separate times to measure the instrument to be absolutely sure that it would fit in his minivan so that I wouldn’t have to rent a truck or pay for movers. He found some friends to help get the piano into the van and let me keep it for a week and half while I recovered enough to make the long drive back down (made even longer by one of the VA snowstorms). Anyway, when I got back up to Rochester, a couple of percussionist friends and Adrian helped me move it upstairs, reattach the legs, and get it into place. So here it sits in our living room, beautiful and loved:
I’ve been doing quite a bit of practicing on it, as I have committed myself to a very musical semester. I’ve been working on: Brahms – E-Flat Clarinet Sonata (finally), Bruch – 8 Pieces for Clarinet, Viola/Cello, and Piano, Schwantner – Percussion Concerto (2 piano reduction), Bach-Busoni – Chaconne, John Adams – Chairman Dances, and a whole host of church music and other smaller things. Basically, I’ve really gotten a feel for this piano and how it helps me learn all sorts of styles of music, in addition to just how great it feels to be able to just practice when the mood strikes and be able to do more last minute learning (happens a lot in church). I wouldn’t call it an acoustic piano killer, but I think it has great potential as a practice instrument and even in places like churches where extended techniques aren’t necessary on the piano. Sadly, I won’t be playing Berg’s Vier Stücke on this thing.
Finally, my (former) professor, Dr. Jean Barr, came over for coffee and a little piano playing a few weeks ago and was very impressed by the touch, feel, and pedaling. And that, my friends, is enough to never make me question this purchase, ever.
The rundown:
Pros:
- Having a grand piano action = constructive practicing
- The tactile feedback and half pedal effects = even more constructive practicing
- The artist bench feels goooooood and gets high enough even for high sitters (such as myself)
- Having a real grand piano action with Ivorite keys and that little snap at the bottom of the key allow me to forget that I’m playing on something digital
- Doesn’t need tuning or regular maintenance
- Volume control or headphones are perfect for apartment or small space living
- Light and small enough to move around without professionals (still hefty, though)
- Full and short stick for the full-weight lid allow for realistic collaborative rehearsals
- 12 speakers definitely make for a surrounding playing experience
- While you don’t get the unique feel of a harpsichord just by changing to its sound (nor would I expect to, digital harpsichords exist as separate entities), the sound is actually eerily accurate, down to the release twang.
Cons:
- Some notes are suspect in terms of tuning and can’t be individually changed (as far as I know)
- Sometimes will run into the boundary of the max polyphony (256 voices) – rare, but annoying when it does happen
- Soft pedal does not shift the keyboard, I guess because it doesn’t need to (but considering the rest of the details, I’d like to have seen that one)
- Not useful for new music involving interaction of dampened strings with other sounds (other notes/instruments) or prepared piano
- Setting options is not at all intuitive – could use a better display than just 2 calculator-style blocks, especially given the price
If you want more details about the instrument (including more talk about how it looks and all that, since I clearly didn’t end up writing a whole lot in that arena), here are a few links:
- Official Yamaha AvantGrand site
- N3 detailed specs
- Quality time with the AvantGrand (Keyboard Mag)
- Yamaha’s Digital Grand Piano (Popular Science)
One week later… (awesome story inside, I promise)
This morning I had an evaluation for LASIK at the just-renamed Flaum Eye Institute (formerly StrongVision). I’m not a good candidate for that quick-heal LASIK most people talk about, but I am going to have an equivalent laser surgery called PRK done NEXT TUESDAY. I have now had a total of four surgeries – I don’t hesitate when it comes to scheduling anymore. I am totally worried about how I will function for the coming onslaught of rehearsals and performances, but if it’s the equivalent of a dirty contact (as I was told), I can deal, and have done so in my brief contact-wearing past. I love my current pair of glasses, but $500 every couple of years for the rest of my life? No, thank you.
Then in the afternoon, I went to Greece Town Court re: a speeding ticket. I have not had a traffic ticket in almost 4 years, so I am irritated, but that’s what I get for driving tired in a new place. Anyway, turns out I didn’t even have to be there after all because you can plead by mail, which was mildly annoying but also reminded me of the following story:
If you knew me in high school, you know that I had my license suspended twice for speeding tickets. Virginia is super harsh about tickets you get when you’re under 18: 1 = traffic class, 2 = 3 mo. suspension, 3 = 1 year suspension, and who knows what comes after that – I didn’t try to find out. Anyway, the reason why I had my license completely suspended instead of a provisional for school/work was because my father couldn’t ever come to court with me and, as a minor, I couldn’t go alone. So, I always pled guilty and paid for my tickets straight up, no court involved. Then, one time I paid my ticket and so, of course, didn’t go to the scheduled court date. A month later, BAM: a court summons for being “in contempt” with the threat of ARREST. Apparently for whatever reason, I had to go to court EVEN THOUGH I paid my ticket and nobody thought they should let me know. In addition to that being an incredibly frightening experience, I also had the great pleasure of having my father receive the summons first and assume that I was in trouble for DOING DRUGS.
In case you didn’t know, I’ve never even so much as smoked a freaking cigarette. Sigh.
No wedding crazy over here…
Mother says I should at least have a white dress if I’m going to insist on not needing an expensive ring that probably cost somebody his life and which I will likely end up taking off and losing inside a piano somewhere. So, here’s what I’ve come up with: the J. Crew Sophia dress plus a tangerine sash from David’s Bridal. Cheap, easy, and of course, very me.
