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Alexa

Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2021 9:30 am
by learn2turn
Me: Alexa, how many sharps in A Dorian?

Alexa: Here's something I found on the web. According to the session dot org, the whole tune is in A Dorian which has one sharp.

How coincidentental, I'm working on the The Dunmore Lassies from the sheet on thesession.org and was curious if I had figured out what key/mode it was in.

-l2t

Re: Alexa

Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 11:05 am
by Narzog
As a bonus way to learn this tune, I like this guys channel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByZ11mE3BIo

Its good for practicing learning by ear. Which I think is very important. I'm not the best at it, but I'm getting there. Some people say they cant learn by ear, but I think its just an acquired skill that some people start off better at than others. I sucked at it at first, and am still pretty eh, but am defiantly improving at it. But do whatever you think works best for you. Note you can slow the video down if its too fast.

Re: Alexa

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2021 9:49 am
by learn2turn
Narzog wrote: Mon Dec 27, 2021 11:05 am As a bonus way to learn this tune, I like this guys channel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByZ11mE3BIo

I will definitely check that out. I'm really glad I learned notation when I was a kid on several instruments as it's incredibly useful when learning disconnected from technology. I can learn from books. I can find a tune written in ABC in Bb, transpose it with a utility and print it out. But, I do like learning from ear, just haven't done it as much. Since I'm just learning things like jigs, I can't possibly get the feel without listening several times but then I can sit down with the notation which helps memorizing a tune without having to play segments over and over and over again. And anything really fast with lots of ornaments, I can't even tell which are the notes and which are the ornaments so I try to find simpler versions.

I also play mandolin. A few years ago, I wanted to learn a tune, St. Anne's Reel, and instead of printing out a sheet, I found are reasonably simply version on youtube and played it over and over again until I learned to play it. It was work but also extremely rewarding. I definitely need to do more of it. This one is a good opportunity and I'll give it a go.

Re: Alexa

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2021 11:21 am
by Narzog
learn2turn wrote: Tue Dec 28, 2021 9:49 am I will definitely check that out. I'm really glad I learned notation when I was a kid on several instruments as it's incredibly useful when learning disconnected from technology. I can learn from books. I can find a tune written in ABC in Bb, transpose it with a utility and print it out. But, I do like learning from ear, just haven't done it as much. Since I'm just learning things like jigs, I can't possibly get the feel without listening several times but then I can sit down with the notation which helps memorizing a tune without having to play segments over and over and over again. And anything really fast with lots of ornaments, I can't even tell which are the notes and which are the ornaments so I try to find simpler versions.

I also play mandolin. A few years ago, I wanted to learn a tune, St. Anne's Reel, and instead of printing out a sheet, I found are reasonably simply version on youtube and played it over and over again until I learned to play it. It was work but also extremely rewarding. I definitely need to do more of it. This one is a good opportunity and I'll give it a go.
I could never decide what style notation to use when I would try to tab songs out as I figured them out. so I have some that I used ABC notation, and some that I used 123, etc lol. I'm not good with any of them so I just stopped. It would take me so much longer to actually tab them out so I just stopped trying to write them down. Where I could figure out what to play but then trying to figure what I'm actually playing to write it down, was harder lol.

Speaking of ABC notation, you will probobly like this other guy I've learned tunes from.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia2-sI0KLZs
He plays the parts in sections, and each section he actually says the note notation. Which I usually arrow key to skip over. But you will probobly appreciate that he says the notes first. And then later he plays the sections together and full song with ornaments and stuff.

I get what you mean with fast tunes being really hard to learn by ear. As I get better I'm starting to be able to pick out the differences between notes and ornaments easier. but I'm still not there yet. So I usually use videos like the above. Learning is much more fun when I don't have to fry my brain trying to figure the tune out. Which is also one of the many reasons people use tabs haha.

Re: Alexa

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 1:34 pm
by RoberTunes
Investors Needed:
I want to start a company that makes and sells Irish-style brass knuckles to whistle players named "Alexa", who want to walk home from sessions and not worry about personal security, to not have anyone telling them what to play at sessions, and who don't want anyone telling them to start the car at 7am, to feed the dog, start the laundry or call the pizza place. Market research indicates that whistle-playing women named Alexa need to vent some steam. Alternately, the purchaser may be anyone who finds that the large "Alexa" name etched on the impact zone of the product, serves to display a powerful social status purpose, like a Sherriff badge, or karate practitioner black belt. The brass knuckles have 6 large bumps, and can be played like an ocarina, producing distinct notes through a full octave, in the key of high high D, good for calling all local dogs for assistance.
Who wants to invest?

Re: Alexa

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 2:11 pm
by Nanohedron
Screw that Alexa (or Siri, or whatever) crap. If you want a damned concierge, check into a flippin' hotel, fercryinoutloud. Here's how appallingly stupid Alexa can be:

Alexa tells 10 year old to try a TikTok challenge and touch a penny to an exposed outlet

Fortunately the girl was too savvy to go there, but still.

If I can't do it on my own steam, I don't need it.

Re: Alexa

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 2:57 pm
by Loren
I like dogs and these brass knuckles sound like they would match my black belt perfectly so, SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!

I’ll be shoving Pennies, and Pennywhistles, into electrical outlets while I await delivery.

Re: Alexa

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 3:14 pm
by Nanohedron
Loren wrote: Wed Dec 29, 2021 2:57 pm I’ll be shoving Pennies, and Pennywhistles, into electrical outlets while I await delivery.
This reminds me of a neighbor kid when I was young. He'd stuck something (a screwdriver, if memory serves) into an outlet and gotten a big shock. The doctor pronounced him none the worse for wear, and when he got back home the youngster was bent on revenge, and peed on the outlet. You know the rest. True story.

Re: Alexa

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 3:28 pm
by Loren
Nanohedron wrote: Wed Dec 29, 2021 3:14 pm This reminds me of a neighbor kid when I was young. He'd stuck something (a screwdriver, if memory serves) into an outlet and gotten a big shock. The doctor pronounced him none the worse for wear, and when he got back home the youngster was bent on revenge, and peed on the outlet. You know the rest. True story.
:lol:

Re: Alexa

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 3:49 pm
by Steve Bliven
Nanohedron wrote: Wed Dec 29, 2021 3:14 pm This reminds me of a neighbor kid when I was young. He'd stuck something (a screwdriver, if memory serves) into an outlet and gotten a big shock. The doctor pronounced him none the worse for wear, and when he got back home the youngster was bent on revenge, and peed on the outlet. You know the rest. True story.
Just goes to show that anyone can grow up to be President here in the US of A....

Happy new year.

Steve

Re: Alexa

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 4:08 pm
by kenny
Here's an "Alexa" for you :
https://youtu.be/LVlDSzbrH5M

Re: Alexa

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 8:14 pm
by Narzog
when I was a kid I had some dumb science experiment. I really don't get what me and my friend were trying to accomplish. We were always trying to create fire, like cavemen, maybe it was related to that. But we plugged a lamp into the outlet in the barn, broke the lightbulb, and then touched the metal things inside the bulb with a metal knife. While being barefoot in the barn.

And somehow I'm still here to give people questionable advice on the forums.

Re: Alexa

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 10:34 pm
by Katharine
RoberTunes wrote: Wed Dec 29, 2021 1:34 pm Investors Needed:
I want to start a company that makes and sells Irish-style brass knuckles to whistle players named "Alexa", who want to walk home from sessions and not worry about personal security, to not have anyone telling them what to play at sessions, and who don't want anyone telling them to start the car at 7am, to feed the dog, start the laundry or call the pizza place. Market research indicates that whistle-playing women named Alexa need to vent some steam. Alternately, the purchaser may be anyone who finds that the large "Alexa" name etched on the impact zone of the product, serves to display a powerful social status purpose, like a Sherriff badge, or karate practitioner black belt. The brass knuckles have 6 large bumps, and can be played like an ocarina, producing distinct notes through a full octave, in the key of high high D, good for calling all local dogs for assistance.
Who wants to invest?
I want to borrow someone's unit and play The Downeaster Alexa and see if the thing goes nuts.


kenny wrote: Wed Dec 29, 2021 4:08 pm Here's an "Alexa" for you :
https://youtu.be/LVlDSzbrH5M
ETA: Rats, beat me to it.