Finally The Percussion section

And Finally the Percussion Section there are so many percussion instruments that I can't talk about them all but here are a sample
Tympani: The tympani is the only drum that can change pitch it is the loudest drum in the orchestra it is often used to suggest power but it can also be used in rock music
Cymbals:the Cymbals make noise when you smash them together in a drum set there are usually three or four different kinds producing different kinds of music. The finger cymbals(shown here) are very popular in India.
Snare Drum: The Snare drum make it's noise with a group of snares under the drum and like the trumpet used to be used to get the troops ready for battle is still often used in the militarily. It is not only used in the Orchestra but in Jazz and Rock bands
Bass Drum: The bass drum is a big percussion instrument that is usually used to created the bottom of a beat
Bongos: The Bongo drum is used in the orchestra as well as popular music and are often used to create a tropical or Spanish feel.
Maracas: The Maracas are used for similar purposes as the bongos and are very easy to play they are played around the world but originated in the middle east.
Xylophone The xylophone is noted for it's crisp melodic percussion sound Saint Sienz used it in the dance macabre and The Fossils to create the sound of clinking bones. It is often used to create an exotic feel in western music.
Vibraphone: The Vibraphone is the same as the xylophone except it is electric and the bars are made of metal. It is most often used in Jazz but it can be used in other forms of music as well.
Glockenspiel: The Glockenspiel which literally translated means "bells playing" it is often used to create a sense of magic. For example Papageno's magic bells in the Magic Flute if you've see that play.

Chimes are the instrument that sounds like bells chiming on Christmas or bells on a very old fashioned clock chiming away the hours.

To hear what the percusion section sounds like together click here
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Lets Move on to The brass family these are louder than the strings or the Woodwinds and like the Woodwinds are all used in Marching bands
The Trumpet: Is the leader of the brass and is often used in jazz bands and Marching bands. It used to be use with the military getting troops ready for battle. It still is the main instrument in military bands. It can also be used in soul music and Latin American music and even in heavy Metal.
The Piccolo Trumpet: This instrument is smaller than the trumpet and actually was invented for performing Bach pieces because the valved trumpet didn't go as high as the regular trumpet
The French Horn: the Horn Is the most versatile member of the brass section unfortunately it is also the most difficult to play. It's tubing is so great in fact that if it was stretched out it would be 8 to 9 miles long. It evolved from the hunting horn, but got more sophisticated as time went on. And now actually it is two horns in one one for making high bright sounds and one for making deep rich sounds. In the Beatles opening song in Sargent Pepper what sounds like a full brass band is actually four French Horns
The Trombone: the slide trombone as it's name implies is the only brass instrument that doesn't use valves although there are a few valved trombones. Most trombone players have long arms because it takes long arms to get the slide all the way out. The trombone used to be used to announce the arrival of kings. Although it is the loudest instrument in the orchestra and is also frequently used in Jazz it can sound somber as well.
The Euphonium: also called the Baritone Horn is smaller and higher than the tuba. It actually is easier to play than any other brass instrument. It also makes a lovely sound mellower than the tuba. The person who invented the saxophone Adolph Sax actually invented this instrument and many other sax horns
The Tuba: Tubby the Tuba unfortunately instead of Advocating the tuba which was it's original goal; just encourages the stereotype of playing only Oom Pah in the background. But it can actually be a very powerful instrument. In the hands of a good musician it can sound very light or very strong even both at once. It isn't even the biggest saxhorn the biggest is over ten feet tall The tuba is actually basically an over sized bugle and a valuable instrument to the orchestras.

To hear what all these brass instruments sound like together check out this video of the Canadian brass quintet playing Jazzed up Bach

Intruments of the Orchestra The woodwind Family

The woodwind Family
Not all of the woodwind instruments are made of wood, in fact they all have metal keys but when the orchestra started in the eighteenth Century they were all wood.
Flute: The Flute is made of Metal not wood, but it has been made of wood glass and precious jewells. The flute unlike the other winds is not blown through a reed but through a hole in the side that produces the melody.
Piccolo : Is higher than the flute but basically the same shape. It has a shrill piercing sound and for this reason some musicians prefer to have theirs made out of wood so not to drown out the flute this one is a hybrid of wood and metal.
Oboe: The oboe is a double reed instrument which means it has two small pieces of wood that you blow on together. It is often used in moves to emulate pity and horror. It can produce a merry and bright sound too. In fact it is the instrument that the orchestra uses to tune up
English Horn: It is French not English and a low oboe not a horn so why the name? The horn part comes from the fact the people said it sounds like a distant hunting horn. The English part was all a misunderstanding. They meant to call it angled horn (cor Angle) because of it's distinctive curve but it sounded too much like the french word for English (cor Anglais)and the name stuck.
Clarinet: The Clarinet is single reeded which mens there is only one reed that can be tightened and loosened while playing. It i s a very beautiful and very versatile instrument that is very important in jazz as well as in classical. There are very few people in fact who do not like the sound of the clarinet the bass clarinet however is another matter entirely.
Actually until Mozart used it regularly in Symphonic Pieces it wasn't even in the Orchestra.
Bass Clarinet The Bass clarinet is a lower version of a Clarinet it sounds very sinister at the bottom of its range and is often used for suspense in horror moves. Though it can be used simply to sound dreamy and mellow.
Bassoon: The bassoon ,or Fagotto in German, which means a bundle of sticks, is an apt description of this instrument. which is awkward to play. It is often used to play comedy parts because of it's comical playful sound; like in the sorcerers apprentice. if you've seen Disney's fantasia you'll reconise that sound as the broom starts to come alive. But in it's high range when played slowly it has an eerie sound If you know fantasia you'll also have seen the Rite of spring with dinosaurs and heard that eerie instrument that opens the cartoon it is a bassoon .
contra bassoon this is the deepest double reed going even lower than the bassoon or bass clarinet it is usually used only for the bas line and usually only in orchestras with at least two bassoons.
Saxophone: Though usually not considered part of the orchesta, the saxaphone is an important instrument too. It is often used in Jazz Blues and rock. It is as loud as the brass, as versatile as the strings, and as Bright as the woodwinds. That was exactly what Adolph Sax the inventor wanted. It is comes in Soprano(the highest), Alto, Tenor, Baritone and Bass the lowest). However the Baritone can get very low and the alto can get very high, so the soprano is pretty rare, and the Bass is extremely rare( it isn't even shown here).
To hear the woodwind instruments play together in an orchestra here is the first half of Ravel's bolero


Actually the second half is way cooler

Instruments of the Orchestra The String Section

The Orchestra is divided into Four Sections the Strings, The Woodwinds, the Brass, and the Percussion. Today we will talk about the Strings, the string instruments vary vastly in size but all have the same shape.

The piano: the Pianoforte or piano for short Is the most versatile instrument in the entire orchestra. It can actually play in virtually any form of music even rap. It gets it's name because it can play both soft (piano) and loud (forte). There are electric versions that can synthesize almost any sound. It has 88 keys, the white keys play notes on the scale, and the black keys play The flats (lower) and the sharps (higher). It is not in every orchestra but is often used in concertos, which are for the orchestra plus another instrument. There are two kinds of piano upright and Grand. This is a small grand piano called a baby grand.

The Violin: The Violin is the lead Instrument in the orchestra even though it is the smallest of the strings. It is the only instrument divide into two section, First and second violins. In fact the leader of the orchestra called the concert master is usually the first violinist. The second violins are usually considered a lesser instrument but without them there would be no such thing as a string quartet, The violin the same instrument as a fiddle.
The Viola: Q When is a violin not a violin?
A When It's a viola
The viola can be easily confused with the violin but should not be ignored because it is actually a very appealing instrument once you get to know it. The viola is Bigger and lower and produces a mellower sound. It is usually an accompanying instrument, but some people (Mozart in particular) take a fancy to the viola. He wrote a concerto for a violin and viola as equals either as two lovers two friends or a parent and child.
The Cello: The Cello or Violoncello for long, the Cello is a good deal bigger than the violin and viola but smaller than the bass. It is a also a very beautiful instrument. In the eighteenth century it was supported on the legs but now it is supported buy a rod that goes below the instrument called an end pin. It used to be used mainly for providing a Bass line for the Orchestra, but it is equally at home taking the lead in solos. A few examles are like the the Swan the Tarantella and Don quixote . When Two violins a viola and a cello play together it's called a string quartet.
The Double Bass The double bass is the biggest of the stringed instruments and has sloping shoulders. It is not a very powerful instrument on it's own, but you'd notice a difference without it. The bass when plucked also can be used for jazz Reggie and even rock. In fact the electric bass has it's roots in the string bass. Incidentally the string quartet does not use a bass.

This video of the Trout quintet shows what these instruments sound like when played together

Muppets Sgt Pepper!

This is an image I found of a Muppets version of Sgt Pepper I hope you like it. I am a big Beatles and a Moppets Fan

Hit movies that started out as Flops

It is interesting that not all hit movies were hits initially here is a list of a few hit movies that initially were flops to show that even the best critics get it wrong sometimes.
Duck soup 1933
Princess Bride 1987
Citizen Kane 1941
It's a Wonderful Life 1946
Labyrinth 1986
The Rocky Horror Picture Show 1975

The Unnesecary Censor

Censors Warning: this page contains explicit Sax and violins!!!

Reflections on Joes art Class

This digital art 213 class has helped me in many ways I now understand about how digital manipulation is done. Before this class I never really thought all that much about how digital manipulation was done. Now I have a better understanding of how it is done. I would never have guessed before that the beautiful women in magazines look this way because they have no collar bones. I also found it interesting to learn Joe's opinion on Wikipedia being a very reliable source of information. According to him it is mostly posted by people who study the subject for recreation and therefore doesn't have to be taken with a grain of salt. On the whole Joe is an interesting teacher and I am glad to take his class.

The curious case of the cross eyed cartoon characters

It's amazing that so many people in Anime. It is especially common in Pokemon but it is by no means limited to that show. I observed in many other animes having certain characters (especially heroes) being cross eyed. Why are there so many cross eyed people was there once a great Japanese hero who was cross eyed and therefore in Japanese cartoons it is associated with heroism? If somebody knows the reason please post.

This is a video based on the Weird Al Yankvioc song but it on EBay (a parody of the Backstreet Boys song I Want it that away). Although Weird Al didn't make it himself it is just as funny as a real weird Al video in fact I like it even better.

WHY did you press this button?

Did you see the thing in Sarah's web site that had a button that said Do not press this button. This gave a reverse Psychological response to press the button. I pressed it as I think everyone else did. But basically you spent 5 minutes of your time pressing a button over and over again. Talk about American decadence. However it is amazing that this person with very low tech digital media could hold you're interest for so log on something so trivial. If the thing had said press the button I doubt that many people would have pressed it.

Art Exhibit of John Kingerlee

Yesterday I saw an exhibit that was actually a world premier of a previously unknown artist, since his art took nearly twenty years to complete. These works of art are by 70-year artist old British born artist John Kingerlee. He lives on the Beara peninsula in the place that is the furthest west you can go in Europe. He has observed bits of American art that really make us American and has created a new and originally style of truly American art even though he’s from England.
His art was paintings in 3D that could be anything you wanted them to be. They actually evoke things more than they actually show anything. For example, I saw a sailboat, in one a skull in another, musical instruments in a few, and a penguin in several of them. I like that most of his art different people see different things in them. In fact, the same person at different time in their life might see different things in the same artwork or just depending on their mood.
John kingerlee is a very interesting person. He seem to be a very positive example of a Hippie. He has certain hours set aside for prayer and everybody must take off his or her shoes in his home. He doesn’t waste anything grows his own food and is a vegetarian. Even though his art is very vague and surreally abstract he is also very much a people person. He is also a world traveler and considers himself and outdoors artist.

Michael Palin For President

http://www.michaelpalinforp...

This is a funny video based on the fact that Michael Palin and Sarah Palin have the same last name. This uses digital media in the various cuts to different Monty Python Sketches featuring Michael Palin, and the photograph of John McCain and Sarah Palin on the American Flag, and The photo of Michael Palin Near the end of the film.

Supermodel Part One

Nobody looks like a supermodel

This image shows the digital manipulation. See, she already is gorgeous but
they have to make her look even better, in fact inhumanly so.
What they did was elongate her arms, remove the lines in her eyes, remove her collar bones. They also made her hair shine even more than it really does, accentuate her eyebrows, remove her neck shadow, and even shrunk her nose. They also removed her shoulder blade, put her arm in a new position, and shrunk her waist. They might have even removed the calluses from her soles but you can't see that much of her feet.
This image shows why we cannot emulate the look of the supermodels it doesn't really exist. It seems that even the supermodels themselves don't look like supermodels.

College student Art Exhibit

The Juried art exhibit was very interesting. I saw some blown glass, suspended by strings, that looked like sea invertebrates. I also saw a trap on the floor to represent city life. There also were paintings like one of just colors, one of something that could have been plants or technological, and several artsy photographs of city life, nature, and one of a cat. There was even one of hot air balloons. I submitted five images and two were accepted - the one of the penguin morphing into a bass and the other of the Beatles of Oz. I would tell more if I remembered more stuff definitely but I do remember I liked this art exhibit. The food was quite good; I may have hd a bit too much though.

Celebrity Lookalikes site

I think the web site totallylookslike.com is really neat. I never noticed, for instance, that the star ship Enterprise totally looks like a sink. They all make sense but you have too look at them together to realize that they do look alike. I had already noticed that Cher totally looks like Morticia and that Ringo Starr totally looks like Yassir Arafat. I have to say I cracked up when I saw that John Kerry totally looks like Guy Smiley. I think there should be one that says Colin Firth totally looks like Robert Lowell. I would never make the connection between Leonardo da Vinci and Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean 2 or Davy Jones in The Pirates of the Caribbean and Cthulu. I also think Tim Curry totally looks like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland, and Anna Russell totally looks like Miss Piggy.

Mona Lisa's Secret

Mona Lisa Film

I found making a movie a very interesting process. I now can understand why movies take so long. It took over a month for me to complete even twenty seconds of film. I always wanted to do a film about the Mona Lisa’s secret, you know what she is smiling about so slyly. I made some mistakes on this movie but the basic concept is still here. I would like to make some more movies. Although it is true that I have made a few movies before this one in another computer art class. This is also my first podcast I would like to make more of them too. It is really exciting to be able to make movies whenever you want. What I have learned is don’t be afraid to make you’re movies short if you’re not a professional. There is nothing more painful to watch than a heavily padded film.