![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Music
ONe of the up sides of unemployment is more free time.
It seems to be an age since I was regularly able to post here. Commuting into Dorchester to work at the bookshop took up far too much time; then I'd get home feeling absolutely wiped and collapse.
I'm still feeling very stressed, but I'm finding ways of coping.
Therapeutic granddaughter is high on the list. Her parents are very understanding and we have permission to loan her when needed (as long as we do sensible things like giving them advance warning).
I'm also taking up pipe and tabor with a vengeance. Vengeance is almost a scarily apropriate word in this case. Being around a beginner pipe and tabor player can be a painful experience. A tabor pipe is all overblow notes. This gives it the ability to cut through a lot of background noise as it's high pitched and piercing.
Because it's a three hole instrument, it can be held in one hand and all the fingering is done with that one hand - two fingers actually hold the pipe and the other two and the thumb are used to cover the holes. That's why so many of the notes are overblows as there are a limited number of combinations of three holes.
The advantage of a one-handed pipe is that the other hand is free to beat a small drum.
This is what makes pipe and tabor such a good stress buster. By the time you're trying to play a pipe which is all overblow notes (ie, you don't just have to remember which holes to cover, but also how hard you have to blow) and, at the same time, beat a regular rhythm with the drum (a bit like trying to rub your tummy and pat your head at the same time), you have no spare mental space for the things that are stressing you.
The moment you think of something else, you'll make a mistake with the music and have to start all over again.
I won't scare you with my really bad playing. Here's someone who can play much better than I can. If you scroll along to around the one minute mark, you'll get a close up of the musician. Pipe and tabor were a very combination for medieval dancing, and for morris before fiddles became widespread.
It seems to be an age since I was regularly able to post here. Commuting into Dorchester to work at the bookshop took up far too much time; then I'd get home feeling absolutely wiped and collapse.
I'm still feeling very stressed, but I'm finding ways of coping.
Therapeutic granddaughter is high on the list. Her parents are very understanding and we have permission to loan her when needed (as long as we do sensible things like giving them advance warning).
I'm also taking up pipe and tabor with a vengeance. Vengeance is almost a scarily apropriate word in this case. Being around a beginner pipe and tabor player can be a painful experience. A tabor pipe is all overblow notes. This gives it the ability to cut through a lot of background noise as it's high pitched and piercing.
Because it's a three hole instrument, it can be held in one hand and all the fingering is done with that one hand - two fingers actually hold the pipe and the other two and the thumb are used to cover the holes. That's why so many of the notes are overblows as there are a limited number of combinations of three holes.
The advantage of a one-handed pipe is that the other hand is free to beat a small drum.
This is what makes pipe and tabor such a good stress buster. By the time you're trying to play a pipe which is all overblow notes (ie, you don't just have to remember which holes to cover, but also how hard you have to blow) and, at the same time, beat a regular rhythm with the drum (a bit like trying to rub your tummy and pat your head at the same time), you have no spare mental space for the things that are stressing you.
The moment you think of something else, you'll make a mistake with the music and have to start all over again.
I won't scare you with my really bad playing. Here's someone who can play much better than I can. If you scroll along to around the one minute mark, you'll get a close up of the musician. Pipe and tabor were a very combination for medieval dancing, and for morris before fiddles became widespread.
What happened? :-(
And, er, I seem to have a new job, so if there's some sort of yin/yang thing going on here you can blame me :-(
Best regards as always
Re: What happened? :-(
Well done on the new job. What will you be doing?
no subject
I liked the video and the medieval tune.
no subject
Oswin is a real job. She's a very happy little girl.
Logged in to LJ for first time in 7 yrs to read that...
Such treatment might take away your peace of mind, might start to undo the success you built up so patiently, but it can't ever take away the good that your work brought to people in that hospice, and I'm sure if any of the families knew the whole story it would be you two they want to thank, not some management cabal.
Moving on -- to answer your question -- http://opendataservices.coop/
I am so honoured to work with these folk, they are exceptional, and what they do is in complete alignment with what I want to leave behind before I'm finished, and if that sounds like emotional commitment then yes I'm not ashamed to admit it. And now I know what's gone on with you two I'll be giving it my best for Richard and yourself.
Tarra for now, and please give that tabor a ruddy good twilt tomorrow :)
Re: Logged in to LJ for first time in 7 yrs to read that...
Sounds like a great job! I can see why you get on with their philosophy. I've been involved just a little bit with the All Trials campaign which has been campaigning for data from all medical trials to be publically available. (there is a massive scandal of negative results not being published)
I will indeed keep working on the tabor. If I ever get any good I may try recording it, but I think that will be some time...