143. Musical Instrument - March 6-12, 2016
Don-
I was thinking of a flute that we have in the house. But, my wife mentioned another and I tried that in a studio with a green screen. It did not turn out as well as I wished. Then I went back to the other one that I originally considered and this my choice...
I was thinking of a flute that we have in the house. But, my wife mentioned another and I tried that in a studio with a green screen. It did not turn out as well as I wished. Then I went back to the other one that I originally considered and this my choice...
Byron-
Buddy Rogers was a talented guy. Virtually unknown to most people now but he was well known in the 40s. There is a statue of him in the Palm Springs area. He was a band leader but his instrument was the trombone. This picture shows him in his glory. I used fill flash to light up old Buddy on the shadow side.
200/sec, f8, white balance daylight, I used my new tiny triggers that I bought from a guy here for $30. It triggers the flash using RF.
Buddy Rogers was a talented guy. Virtually unknown to most people now but he was well known in the 40s. There is a statue of him in the Palm Springs area. He was a band leader but his instrument was the trombone. This picture shows him in his glory. I used fill flash to light up old Buddy on the shadow side.
200/sec, f8, white balance daylight, I used my new tiny triggers that I bought from a guy here for $30. It triggers the flash using RF.
Deron-
This is Hans Magnus Magnusson, drummer from the Nordic thrash metal band, Valhalla Mud Engine. He graciously took time out of his busy rehearsal schedule to accommodate me and my WPOTM task by playing a bucket. A non-traditional musical instrument, but in this case, a musical instrument, nonetheless. The photo is a little washed out, but I'm okay with it.
This is Hans Magnus Magnusson, drummer from the Nordic thrash metal band, Valhalla Mud Engine. He graciously took time out of his busy rehearsal schedule to accommodate me and my WPOTM task by playing a bucket. A non-traditional musical instrument, but in this case, a musical instrument, nonetheless. The photo is a little washed out, but I'm okay with it.
Kevin-
Okay, I do not own any type of what would traditionally be considered a musical instrument, primarily as I am unable to play any such instrument. I have no sense of beat, no rhythm, it doesn’t matter if it is drums, a guitar or a kazoo, if I start to try and play it, people quickly demand that I stop.
But there is anther form of musical instrument that I love to play, the engine of a BMW automobile. I have felt very fortunate to own a number of BMWs over the years, ranging from cars with classic BMW in-line 6-cylinder motors to my M3 with a V8 and the M5 I used to own with a V10. But the in-line 6 is really the heart of BMW, and the BMW X1 that I have in Palm Springs sports a nice 300hp version of that motor.
We are in an era where more and more of the “music” that an engine plays may be artificially enhanced (true of the new M5 and M3 for example). But the sound of this motor in the X1 is still natural. And when you accelerate this car it lets out a really nice growl. Still, we are also in an era where pollution levels are so low, it’s usually impossible to see any exhaust gasses emerging from a car. Except when the temperatures are low, when the engine heats up water vapor (as you can see by the drop at the end of one of the exhaust pipes.) Of course that requires getting up early, just before sunrise in this case, and it only lasts for a few minutes, until everything heats up.
Nikon D4s, tripod mounted, 105mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor, lens. 2 Two Nikon SB-900 flash units below the exhaust, one with a red gel and one with a blue gel (just because). ISO 100, 1/5th second at f/11.
BMW, my preferred musical instrument!
Okay, I do not own any type of what would traditionally be considered a musical instrument, primarily as I am unable to play any such instrument. I have no sense of beat, no rhythm, it doesn’t matter if it is drums, a guitar or a kazoo, if I start to try and play it, people quickly demand that I stop.
But there is anther form of musical instrument that I love to play, the engine of a BMW automobile. I have felt very fortunate to own a number of BMWs over the years, ranging from cars with classic BMW in-line 6-cylinder motors to my M3 with a V8 and the M5 I used to own with a V10. But the in-line 6 is really the heart of BMW, and the BMW X1 that I have in Palm Springs sports a nice 300hp version of that motor.
We are in an era where more and more of the “music” that an engine plays may be artificially enhanced (true of the new M5 and M3 for example). But the sound of this motor in the X1 is still natural. And when you accelerate this car it lets out a really nice growl. Still, we are also in an era where pollution levels are so low, it’s usually impossible to see any exhaust gasses emerging from a car. Except when the temperatures are low, when the engine heats up water vapor (as you can see by the drop at the end of one of the exhaust pipes.) Of course that requires getting up early, just before sunrise in this case, and it only lasts for a few minutes, until everything heats up.
Nikon D4s, tripod mounted, 105mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor, lens. 2 Two Nikon SB-900 flash units below the exhaust, one with a red gel and one with a blue gel (just because). ISO 100, 1/5th second at f/11.
BMW, my preferred musical instrument!
Paul-
Ever since I was a tiny boy
I don't want no candy, I don't need no toy.
I took a stick and an old coffee can
I bang on that thing 'til I got blisters on my hand.
Todd Rundgren from Song “Bang The Drum All Day.”
I’m not a snob. (I could be wrong, but one of the great benefits of writing is no one can challenge your assertions…at least not immediately.)
However, when I saw the WPOTM theme I decided to step out of my nearly spotless character and exercise a little arrogance. I know, how unlike me! What on earth, right?
In my teenage years I played the drums. (Practicing the violin came first, but at the point where neighborhood pets started keeling over and flowers gardens withered I was asked to stop for the greater public good.) I’m a percussionist through and through. Long after I retired my second drum kit, I still pound away on congas, dejembes, doumbeks, and my Tai Chi group’s taikos. The beat is everything; whatever follows is just musical commentary. So: That’s snobbish statement #1.
Snobbish statement #2: My second drum kit had Zildjian cymbals. They may be the only top-of-the-line product I have ever owned, and I believe no one produces a consistently better product across the spectrum of the sounds different cymbal designs produce. Period. And I have a little history on my side. Specifically, Zildjian (a.k.a. The Avedis Zildjian Company) is one of the longest, continuously-operating companies in the world. The founder started making cymbals for the public around1623. Prior to that, however, he was fashioning cymbals for the court of the Sultan of Constantinople back to about 1618. So the legendary Avedis and his descendants have had a long time to get things very right.
One of my cymbals, my pride and joy (and I suspect the bane of my father’s existence) was my 1970’s-era 22” Zildjian “heavy” crash ride cymbal. When I hammered on that thing—which was usually too often and unnecessary— distant seismometers twitched. Birds fell from the skies. ‘Kind of a minor apocalyptic wakeup call for the nearby faithful.
One of the characteristics of a crash ride cymbal is that when you strike one the result is sustained, shimmering sound. The harder you hit it, the larger the number of angry adults you can expect to see at your door. So, for a teenage kid, my attraction to a cymbal like that was one part incredible workmanship, one part jaw-dropping performance, and one part potential suburban mob violence.
Okay, back to common sense. Zildjian hardly holds a monopoly on what percussionists of all stripes swear by. There are several companies that make completely wonderful cymbals. The (rightfully) legendary John Bonham of Led Zeppelin played Paiste. The New York Philharmonic currently uses them as well. The demi-god RUSH drummer Neil Peart plays Sabian. Steven Adler of Gun N’ Roses plays Soultone.
But this week I thought I would be a royal pain and tout Zildjians as “the best of the best” so I could have my all-to-brief moment of snobbery, and provide some backstory for this week’s submission.
Incidentally, if you would like to see/hear a 70’s-era 22” Zildjian heavy crash ride being…well, tapped (bummer). Here’s a link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYkiXTzdUgc
Our story so far: 18-55mm lens set at 34mm; aperture priority; pattern-weighted metering; ISO 2000; 1/40 sec.; +1/3 EV; f/13; white balance set to compensate for florescent lighting. Post-production allowed me to tweak the color and some other parameters to what I felt was more accurate. (Explanation: Cymbals are generally made of something called a B8 alloy, but their tone and reflectivity can vary quite a bit due to the way they are cast, intended variances in the alloy, and their desired sound.) Camera is hand held.
Ever since I was a tiny boy
I don't want no candy, I don't need no toy.
I took a stick and an old coffee can
I bang on that thing 'til I got blisters on my hand.
Todd Rundgren from Song “Bang The Drum All Day.”
I’m not a snob. (I could be wrong, but one of the great benefits of writing is no one can challenge your assertions…at least not immediately.)
However, when I saw the WPOTM theme I decided to step out of my nearly spotless character and exercise a little arrogance. I know, how unlike me! What on earth, right?
In my teenage years I played the drums. (Practicing the violin came first, but at the point where neighborhood pets started keeling over and flowers gardens withered I was asked to stop for the greater public good.) I’m a percussionist through and through. Long after I retired my second drum kit, I still pound away on congas, dejembes, doumbeks, and my Tai Chi group’s taikos. The beat is everything; whatever follows is just musical commentary. So: That’s snobbish statement #1.
Snobbish statement #2: My second drum kit had Zildjian cymbals. They may be the only top-of-the-line product I have ever owned, and I believe no one produces a consistently better product across the spectrum of the sounds different cymbal designs produce. Period. And I have a little history on my side. Specifically, Zildjian (a.k.a. The Avedis Zildjian Company) is one of the longest, continuously-operating companies in the world. The founder started making cymbals for the public around1623. Prior to that, however, he was fashioning cymbals for the court of the Sultan of Constantinople back to about 1618. So the legendary Avedis and his descendants have had a long time to get things very right.
One of my cymbals, my pride and joy (and I suspect the bane of my father’s existence) was my 1970’s-era 22” Zildjian “heavy” crash ride cymbal. When I hammered on that thing—which was usually too often and unnecessary— distant seismometers twitched. Birds fell from the skies. ‘Kind of a minor apocalyptic wakeup call for the nearby faithful.
One of the characteristics of a crash ride cymbal is that when you strike one the result is sustained, shimmering sound. The harder you hit it, the larger the number of angry adults you can expect to see at your door. So, for a teenage kid, my attraction to a cymbal like that was one part incredible workmanship, one part jaw-dropping performance, and one part potential suburban mob violence.
Okay, back to common sense. Zildjian hardly holds a monopoly on what percussionists of all stripes swear by. There are several companies that make completely wonderful cymbals. The (rightfully) legendary John Bonham of Led Zeppelin played Paiste. The New York Philharmonic currently uses them as well. The demi-god RUSH drummer Neil Peart plays Sabian. Steven Adler of Gun N’ Roses plays Soultone.
But this week I thought I would be a royal pain and tout Zildjians as “the best of the best” so I could have my all-to-brief moment of snobbery, and provide some backstory for this week’s submission.
Incidentally, if you would like to see/hear a 70’s-era 22” Zildjian heavy crash ride being…well, tapped (bummer). Here’s a link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYkiXTzdUgc
Our story so far: 18-55mm lens set at 34mm; aperture priority; pattern-weighted metering; ISO 2000; 1/40 sec.; +1/3 EV; f/13; white balance set to compensate for florescent lighting. Post-production allowed me to tweak the color and some other parameters to what I felt was more accurate. (Explanation: Cymbals are generally made of something called a B8 alloy, but their tone and reflectivity can vary quite a bit due to the way they are cast, intended variances in the alloy, and their desired sound.) Camera is hand held.
Jerry-
Here we have the Guacharaca. You can shake it and scratch it. Just don't do it at a Trump rally. My son Tim bought it on his last trip to Colombia. While he is away in the Navy, I grabbed it from his old bedroom (that room could be a real nice place for my computer?!). Late afternoon lighting was courtesy of two windows, one on the West, the other on the North. D750 with 24-70 at 70mm, 1/3 second @ f11, ISO 400, camera on a tripod.
Here we have the Guacharaca. You can shake it and scratch it. Just don't do it at a Trump rally. My son Tim bought it on his last trip to Colombia. While he is away in the Navy, I grabbed it from his old bedroom (that room could be a real nice place for my computer?!). Late afternoon lighting was courtesy of two windows, one on the West, the other on the North. D750 with 24-70 at 70mm, 1/3 second @ f11, ISO 400, camera on a tripod.