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I like my E string. I don't have any background in music theory, so anything mentioned about music theory is lost in me. I play as written, 😁.
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I mentioned the E string because playing in the key of C you'll want to check your intonation both against the A-string and against the E-string.
Andrew
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So, I opted for hummingbird attracting plants instead of the constant cleaning and filling of hummingbird feeders, Success! They love my Cuphea plants! I a, sure that once my Salvia matures that they will like those, too.
*** Media attachment removed from post content ***
This was taken through my from storm door. If we see a hummingbird at the plants when walking by the door, we stop and remain quiet so they can get their fill. They will get used to us later. But, right now, they notice us walking by the door. I just happened to be standing there, ready because that was the normal time this one comes.
The video and photo will be removed later.
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I submitted an audio Memory from Cats for Stringy's Lament party, This song is amazing (not my playing of it, 😂) and nobody belts it out and shows so much expression than Betty Buckley.
Here is a link to her performance for the 1983 Tony's performance of Memory from Cats.
Betty Buckely Performing Cats, 1983
Nobody does it better. It is not just her singing, it is her entire performance, but her singing is so unforced and clear.
She played Grizabella and Betty Buckley won the Tony Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 1983 for her performance.
My audio in the Lament Party
The Lament Party For Sad Tunes - page 5
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Mouse said
So, I opted for hummingbird attracting plants instead of the constant cleaning and filling of hummingbird feeders, Success!
Probably the best general policy - I have many memories of butterflies in our garden in the 60s, but nowadays they are rare (along with bees). If I were a gardenerer or had the money to hire a gardener, my garden would have culinary herbs and flowers that attract butterflies and bees. We don't have humming birds in the UK - we do have too many parakeets, though, and they are on the increase. If they spread into the countryside around London, they could decimate our fruit industry.
Is what state (of the USA) you are in a secret or common knowledge? I wouldn't have expected humming birds there.
Andrew
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NY state. We only get Ruby Throated. Only the males have the ruby neck. They won't be here until later this summer.
They will be here until late Sept or early Oct, depending on when the cold weather settles in.
I can't garden, and I was trying to find some way to attract and feed them. My older daughter, lives somewhere else, has a backyard that you would not believe, and told me to get Cuphea, Salvia, etc when I told her I thought maybe potted plants. No weeding to break the back. I had them on the edge of the porch and I stood in front to water without having to bend down. But, they wouldn't get as much sun as they really needed. I also wanted them to have rain water, not drinking water. So, we put them at the end of the sidewalk where the stoop is, where they will not trip anyone. It is perfect. I think the natural nectar is probably better for them.
I am hoping more butterflies and little bees will find the flowers. We will see.
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I have switched to my viola for Memory from Cats. I think I am suited much better for the viola, ut I will still do the violin because I absolutely love my violin. This is a Fiddlerman Soloist 15.5 viola and I love this, also. I have adjusted the setup so it is a but more comfortable.
Anyway, I think my intonation is always better on viola dn cello. I think the fingerboard suits my fingers better.
Here are the recordings I have so far, Starting with the first to the last, V4. I do hear improvement. I used a different bow for versions 3 and 4. I am hoping to continue with this song and post my progress as I go along.
First Recording
Second Recording:
Third Recording
Fourth and last on 6/19/25
I do hear differences, and inspite if a hiccup in Version 4, I think that that version is the best. I can hear better intonation, better bowing and a bit of the dynamics I was trying to add.
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I like your 3rd recording best. 🥰
...love viola!!!
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Thanks, @ELCBK. Much appreciate you listened and commented. I was going back and forth between 3 and 4. I think the darker tone that bow I switched to made a difference. There are parts of 3 I think are better, and parts of 4, so I guess that constitutes improvement. Well does constitute improvement because 3 and 4 are much much better than the first two. I am going to continue with this.
Thanks, again!
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Mouse said
NY state. We only get Ruby Throated. Only the males have the ruby neck. They won't be here until later this summer.They will be here until late Sept or early Oct, depending on when the cold weather settles in.
I can't garden, and I was trying to find some way to attract and feed them. My older daughter, lives somewhere else, has a backyard that you would not believe, and told me to get Cuphea, Salvia, etc when I told her I thought maybe potted plants. No weeding to break the back. I had them on the edge of the porch and I stood in front to water without having to bend down. But, they wouldn't get as much sun as they really needed. I also wanted them to have rain water, not drinking water. So, we put them at the end of the sidewalk where the stoop is, where they will not trip anyone. It is perfect. I think the natural nectar is probably better for them.
I am hoping more butterflies and little bees will find the flowers. We will see.
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The flowers look nice, and have a beautiful setting. I think you’re right; easier than messing with the feeders. I don’t want to do any planting this year, but maybe I’ll look into getting some of those next season
I’ve got 4 hummers right now, but the influx I get will start in the next week or two.
Ruby Throat juvenile males don’t have the red spot—it comes in as they mature. I usually look at the tail feathers, but this site explains how to tell the difference when they are young:
https://www.rubythroat.org/RTH.....lMain.html
They are attracted to red. So, if you put something big & red out there, they’re sure to come and investigate. Yellow—they don’t care about yellow, but it attracts bees. I ban the color yellow in my yard from July through September so not to attract bees when I have all the sugar out there for the hundreds of hummers I get (past experience with honey bees).
Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
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Yep. Red. They seem to like the bright orange red of the Cuphea, too. We have had, and are getting, some rain, so they are getting nice rain water instead of me watering from the drinking water.
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I wanted to make a comparison of my violin and viola playing. In an earlier post, #87, there are 4 versions of Memory played on my viola. I am keeping track of my viola progress of this song. I did not work on it for a long time before starting to record, maybe half an hour. I had been playing it on my violin and used the same sheet music, so it was familiar to me.
Below is a recording that I submitted to Stringy's Lament Party that I played on my violin. Later, I submitted Viola 4 of Memory to the party.
It seems to me that I am more suited to the viola. My intonation and bowing seem to be better on the viola, and I did get progressively better. I don't think I progressed as noticeably with my violin, and did not feel it when I was playing it. It is a toss-up between Viola 3 and 4, the best two viola versions. I did change bows for versions 3 and 4. But the first 2 were not that bad.
For those of you who play both violin and viola, do you find your ability seems to favor one or the other?
Here is the violin version, so you don’t have to go back to the Lament Party to have a listen. I didn't want to post it again, but I think it will be easier to compare if you don't have to wait to load the violin version from the Party to listen to. The viola versions are in post #87 above.
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Dang, I just listened to the violin and the viola parts 3 & 4 back to back to back (😂) and I don't hear on the violin what I was hearing before, except the flat notes. I do hear better dynamics on the viola versions. I did not hear as many flat notes on the viola.
Maybe, I am just so wanting to play this as it should be too much, in a simple version, and it is driving me nuts. I am continuing on viola. I find fingering the C and F on the viola much more comfortable than on the violin. This is why I am thinking that I am best suited for viola?
I am thinking I need to put the tape on for the C and C# on the A string, and F and F# on the D string of the violin. Searching around to find it does not make me remember and playing scales does not translate to a song where you are not playing the scale; it goes out the window. Please, no comments about not using tapes. We learn differently. The tool is there and if I need the tool, I need the tool. That might help me remember where it is in the violin.
I have to choose which instrument, viola or violin, to use to learn this song for now, then I can spruce it up on the other instrument. First I will do viola. Since listening to the comparison, I do not think the violin will be out of the question, so I will do that song on my violin after the viola.
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Writing down what I am thinking, and thinking it through sure does help me make a decision!
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I am thinking that before I dig into Memory, I should change my strings. It has been quite a while. So, this afternoon, I will change my strings. 🤞that I do NOT pop the bridge!
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I didn't change my strings. I did play my viola. It went quite well. I played Memory and I wish I had recorded it. But then if I had the Voice Recorder going I would have messed up. I also ran through the other songs I play. It was a good session.
I really need to adjust the shoulder rest. I don't want a higher chin rest. It would push my head back.
My shoulder rest just does not conform to me. I am not interested in foam to fill the gaps. Adding all these bits and pieces to jerry rig it will just be awkward. Pictures of shoulder rests are deceiving. They may look like they have a nice sorta sharp curve down from the shoulder and a nice tall leg at that low end of the viola to raise it up, but they don't. They are all like the Kun. Just a slight curve. Might have an angled curve; I can't remember which one that was, but basically that Kun style. Really? Take the photos to reflect that curve from the shoulder and the leg height at the bottom, please. So, I am reluctant to buy, yet, another shoulder rest. Not sure what to do. It is so wobbly. Most of my effort is in holding it in place, rather than finger the fingerboard.
Later.
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I played my violin earlier. It went pretty well. I have been doing viola bowing exercises and I think it has helped with my violin. It makes sense.
What does not make sense, because of the different fingerboard sizes, my fingering was better. I have been working on that with my viola, too. Maybe because it has been feeling and sounding a little better on my viola, it is a confidence builder, or I was lucky this morning.
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Well, I have a sweater started on my knitting machine. I need to get it done by mid August because I have to take the knitting machine down. Little guests arriving and spending a night here in late August. I have the 2 inch hem on the back knit. I have to manually manipulate every 4th stitch from a purl to a knit.I do a little at a time. So, I will be doing a few, maybe to the halfway mark, I started last night, then I will doing my viola.
I think I am going to try not to think about it so much. I have two more chinrests I can try, so if I have issues that I can relate to the holding of the viola, maybe I will change it out.
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I worked on Memory on my viola. I have added Edelweiss. It went well.
My bowing seemed better for a while. I think I played too long because it was at the end that I kind of lost it. It also sounds like a inner part of a string may have snapped, so I guess I will have to break down and change out the strings. The G string sounds like it has an issue, other than my playing.
I was quite pleased with the playing today, at least from my end, 🥴.
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I suspect that had I tried to record what I was doing today, it would not have been as successful a playing session. Once I get Memory improved so it is better than my other recordings, I will record it again. Once I smooth out Edelweiss, I will record it.
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