Thank you

 Thank you, everyone, for contributing to the generous check that came in the mail yesterday. The mandolin orchestra is functioning differently this year, but it’s good that we can continue to make music together even when we cannot be in the same place.

Jonathan already mentioned some of the MMO's 2020 achievements, such as making the videos, including more players, and making a strong impression at the CMSA convention. I had a part in making those things happen, but I'm not the only one who put in some work. While I've been arranging and editing music and recording guide tracks, Jonathan deserves credit for producing the videos, and Ben deserves credit for mixing the audio and helping me with the guide tracks. Credit is also due to everyone who figured out how to make those individual videos. Our successes in 2020 were a team effort.  

In 2021, I’ll continue to find new music do the prep work for more videos. When COVID-19 is no longer a crisis, I'll work with the MMO board of directors to figure out when we can play together again in person.

Free USB microphone to good home

I'm looking for a good home for a CAD u37 USB microphone.  I decided to upgrade my USB microphone to an AKG Lyra.  Would any MMO member like a free USB mic?

I think the CAD is a nice basic microphone. It only has two switches, an overload protection mode and and a low-frequency filter, so it's easy to use.  The cardioid sensitivity takes a step in reducing background/ambient noise without dulling the sound.  The mic comes with a stable tripod, but you can also connect it to a standard mic stand.

I've used the CA mic with Android phones and tablets with a powered USB hub.

Hopefully, you are all enjoying our current recording project.  If you haven't received the sheet music and invitation, please let me know.

Jonathan

Hello from Caterina Lichtenberg

 Hello everyone,

I recently started online classical mandolin lessons on ArtistWorks with Caterina Lichtenberg, which I'm very excited about! I recently did my first video submission and mentioned that I played with MMO and in her reply Caterina mentioned that she had played a concert with MMO in the late 90s and had fond memories of Minnesota as well as our group and that concert. In any case, she asked me to say hello to the group for her, so I thought I would share that here.

Happy Thanksgiving, hope you all are well!

Ben 

Mandolin to sell to a beginner?

One of the Orchestra's Facebook friends, Beth, asked us if there were a good place in town to buy a used entry-level mandolin.  I thought I'd ask the group for Beth if anyone had either a mandolin for sale, or tips for finding one.

Update & furniture for sale

 

After months of delay after delay, I'm finally moving to Zurich, Switzerland.  We're heading out in mid-November (this time it's for real - unlike plans to move in June, August, or October).  I do not recommend trying to move internationally during a global pandemic - but I'm really excited to explore the city and learn all about Swiss culture (just in time for all the Christmas celebrations)!

We're unable to take most furniture with us, and we have some very nice items.  From a household with no smokers, no pets, and no children, so things are in great condition (unless otherwise specified).  If you or anyone else you know would be interested in anything, please let me know (senkowt@gmail or 814-880-5697).  Feel free to share the links.  I'm negotiable with my pricing, especially with friends.

Furniture in detail.

Spreadsheet of other items, including kitchen and household items.

I'll keep you posted when I actually get of the country!  Enjoy autumn!

 Mandocello Enthusiasts:

There is a free Bass Clef version of the Bickford Mandocello Method (developed in the early 1900s). It is in the public domain and a fellow mandocellist converted it to the Bass Clef.

Here is where you can download the bass clef version of Bickford:

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PiekiWJWr6ymB7PA8wS894SUdx3rC6n6/view

 

Here is the thread where the guy who translated it into bass clef posted the link:

 

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/threads/147361-Bickford-MandoCello-Method-in-BASS-CLEF!

 

Daryl()

St. Patrick's Day in September (from Julie)

 In case you're jonesing for Irish music this fall, there's a free on-line St. Pat's festival from A Different Tune, St. Patrick's Day in September, the evening of September 19th.

Also related to Irish music, Keegan's Pub closed permanently this summer, but their session still lives on as the rebranded Virtually Unstoppable KLS.  Email Jonathan for contact information.

Search for Case

I'm searching for a case (preferably hard, but soft may do) for one of my instruments that's about the size and shape of a 3/4 guitar.  I'm leery about buying online because I'm not sure it will fit well (well enough to travel internationally).  Can you recommend any stores in the cities where I may find an appropriate case?

Also, if anyone has experience shipping instruments internationally, I'd love to hear your wisdom and tips!

Thanks!
~Tiffany

John Greyhound Maxwell On-line Concert

Hi MMO friends-- My brother, John Greyhound Maxwell, is doing a live on-line concert at 5pm Central Time on Friday, 7/31/20 at www.KPTZ.org. KPTZ is a community radio station in Port Townsend, Washington, where my brother lives, and they are partnering with Rainshadow Recording Studio on these live concerts. Should be a good concert, and I'm sure we'll hear some blues mandolin! Steve

Collective MMO Recording Notes

I promised the orchestra I'd collect some notes from players contributing to "Minneapolis March" to allow us to compare what we did and might have wished we did.  I think for the most part, we used what we had, but several players had suggestions for others wanting to improve.

Recording Devices

Most people used an iPad or Mac to record their audio and video.  One player used an Android tablet.  Several people played audio through headphones from one device, while recording into another.  One player recorded audio with an office computer and later synchronized video from an iPhone, more on this in advice....

Software

The most common submission used whatever software was bundled with the device -- Quicktime, Camera, Garage Band....  A few people used free or relatively inexpensive digital-audio-workstation (DAW) and video-editing software, which I'll list here

• Audacity
• Cubasis2 with the Amplitube Accoustic Free plugin
• OBS Studio
• Shotcut

Microphones

While several people used the built-in microphones, they tend to sound tinny and pick up lots of background noise.  A number of players used and suggest getting either a lavalier mic, e.g. PoPVoice for less than $20, or an inexpensive condenser mic, e.g. Blue Snowball, sometimes for less than $50, though it seems there's been a run on home-audio/video market lately.

A complication for microphones is you must plug it into your recording device.  Most computers can use USB A/B or mini stereo 3.5mm (also called 1/8").  Fewer and fewer phones have 3.5mm stereo inputs now.  I've been able to use USB microphones with a powered USB hub as input for phones and tablets, but it's a hassle.  USB C hasn't caught on for audio and some of the USB C adaptors are flakey.  There aren't a lot of high-quality inexpensive Bluetooth microphones yet, but your phone wireless headset will likely work better than the built-in microphone.

You'll be able to use fancier microphones (i.e. with XLR or 1/4" jacks) if you use a USB audio interface, e.g. from Focusrite or Behringer.  I picked up a simple interface on-sale a few years ago at Guitar Center for $75, but it's usually easier just to use a USB mic.

Cameras

Everyone replying to the survey used built-in webcams.  Several people complained that orienting laptop built-in cameras was cumbersome and at least one planned on using an external camera.

Advice

• Get an external microphone if you're using the built-in one.
• Get a helper, at the very least to aim or compose your video.
• Record your audio first, separately from video. 
• You'll have fewer distractions and can focus on the important stuff.  
• After that, make a video of you playing along (with headphones or speakers, it doesn't matter).  Throw in some dance moves.  Shoot at an exotic location.  Go nuts.
• You can replace the audio on the video with the good stuff you did in the first step.
• Experiment with the audio settings and placement of mics and cameras.
• Don't worry about reverb or other effects.
• Let Ben do his magic, but give him the clearest, cleanest material to work with.
• Use a camera on a stand.  Small tripods cost less than $10, gorilla style camera ones for less than $15.  (Local photoshops and electronic stores have them, too.)
• Experiment with lighting, even turning a music-stand lamp upside-down.  Some music-stand and reading LEDs even have color/warmth settings.
• Post experiments, experiences, and questions here on the blog.

Minnesota Virtual Mandolin Orchestra

The Minnesota Virtual Mandolin Orchestra makes its premeire with the "Minneapolis March" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiSixDXuj40

We've had several requests from venues for virtual performances in lieu of in-person ones.  Our performances at Loring Park and Lake Harriet have been cancelled.  Centennial Lakes has asked that we reschedule and limit our presence to five players. As a result, the Carl Street Quartet will be substituting for the MMO August 27th.

Mike Marshall's Virtual Mandolin Orchestra

In case you haven't seen it, Mike Marshall mixed a bunch of his students playing Lonesome Moonlight Waltz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS860XKgma4

Tiffany Defense

I have the details sorted for my thesis defense and thought you may be interested.  I can't guarantee Netflix-level entertainment, but if you're not careful, you may learn something!

In the meantime, stay healthy and sane!

~ Tiffany

Time: Thursday, May 7, 9:00 am (Central Time)

Meeting ID: 988 4848 3113
Zoom Meeting: https://umn.zoom.us/j/98848483113 
Join by SIP: 98848483113@zoomcrc.com 

Thesis title: "Pacinian Corpuscles in Dupuytren Disease"
Abstract:

The sense of touch is processed by the somatosensory system in which mechanoreceptors are the sensory neurons that translate mechanical stimuli into neural impulses by using specialized mechanoreceptive end organs.  Pacinian corpuscles (PCs) are the mechanoreceptor responsible for sensing low-amplitude, high-frequency vibrations.  In this thesis, I explored how vibrotactile perception is mediated by the PCs using a combination of computational modeling, benchtop experiments on donor tissue, and psychophysical tests.  We investigated the effect that Dupuytren disease (DD) has on vibrotactile perception.  Dupuytren disease is a progressive hand disorder in which growth and densitification of fibrous tissue in the palms eventually causes the affected fingers to bend irreversibly.  DD usually presents clinically after the age of 50, affects about 3 per 10,000 adults, and is associated with alterations to the size and the internal structure of PCs.  By measuring vibrotactile sensitivity in healthy and DD subjects, we found that women are more sensitive to high-frequency vibrations than men and that men with DD may exhibit reduced sensitivity compared to men without DD.  We also found that, for patients in which DD presents unilaterally, the finger with DD is less sensitive than the corresponding finger on the unaffected hand.  These data may serve as a useful reference to future DD researchers and may facilitate development of novel diagnostic or prognostic protocols.  Finally, we designed a system to measure the viscoelastic properties of the PC and tested isolated human cadaveric PCs from donors with and without DD to better understand how the mechanoreceptor's viscoelastic properties affect vibrotactile perception. 

Lady Templeton's Clog

I recorded this yesterday.  Blogger won't accept mp3 uploads, so I exported it into a quick video.  Lady Templeton's Clog is just one of the more than 1000 tunes in Ryan's Mammoth Collection, which I highly recommend downloading.

Rie Muto Paradiso

Another excellent composition by Rie Muto:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgwxwTk8rhA

For your listening pleasure.  This is hilarious and a very talented guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAYccibw5V4&fbclid=IwAR1ZdQxxZDWGD295iDeOcL3SE_d1pc3LBrbsPUj4ueWmQBBr_nIhF2LpBxw

Lou

SAP Arts Festival 2020 Canceled

The Saint Anthony Park Arts Festival, originally scheduled for Saturday, June 6, has been canceled. That means another canceled mandolin orchestra concert. We'll wait and see about the other concerts on our schedule.

Hamamatsu Municipal High School Mandolin Club plays Cobalt Blue Miracle

I can't listen to a mandolin orchestra in person now, but I can listen to mandolin orchestras on youtube. I watched this performance of Rie Muto's Cobalt Blue Miracle more than once today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ3myqkCSLc

No Lyngblomsten

I wish we could play our previously scheduled concert at Lyngblomsten tonight. Stay healthy, everyone. I hope we can play music together again soon.

Kalamazoo and Lansing

I drove to Lansing, Michigan last week to visit Elderly Instruments, the music store.  On the way I stopped in Kalamazoo and visited the old Gibson factory at 225 Parsons St., vacated in the early 80s when the company moved to Nashville.  The Heritage Guitar Company uses part of the space now to build excellent Gibson-style electric guitars.

Elderly, in a former schoolhouse, has hundreds of guitars, and an adequate mandolin selection:

Can't stop playing this

Lady Templeton's Clog may be found in Ryan's Mammoth Collection - I've memorized it, on mandolin and guitar - maybe some of you will have fun with this.  Key of F, more than a two octave range...  I'm trying to transpose it to different keys by ear.  Playing it in Bb on mandolin is still beyond me. 

RSVP Site Updates

I updated the RSVP sites today for MMO and BYNRIE.  For new members, I will be creating accounts and invitations for you today or tomorrow.

If you run into problems at either RSVP site, please email me.

The updates include:

• MMO and BYNRIE instances share password and email information.  If you have accounts on both, I copied the login information from old MMO site to the new version.
• You can log in with your name from the roster, or with your email from the roster.
• Your login credentials (user name and password) are sticky, so you don't need to sign in again if you've used the site within the past month.
• The Italian-flag heat bar indicating group response totals has the affirmative and negative response counts in text.
• Security updates from the open-source community

Thanks for helping Lon and I plan for performances,
Jonathan

Preliminary set list for March 30-April 21

Here is a preliminary set list for our concerts on March 30, April 6, April 13, and April 21:

Fanfare for Lon Hendricks
Cathedral Hill
Lullaby for Chris
Carousel
Waltz for Bill Monroe
Suite Marinaresca I & IV
And I Love Her
Please Please Me
Four on Six
Minneapolis March
May Polka
Benediction
Palladio

For the second year in a row, Stealin' Home is playing on Valentine's Day at Sneakers Pub & Eatery in Spring Valley, Wisconsin. Since our guitar player Don Brunnquell is off in New Zealand, my friend Jay Scoggin and I are being joined by Tate Ferguson for this gig. For those of you who have only heard Tate's mandolin playing in the MMO, this is a great opportunity to hear his equally excellent guitar playing. Tate will be handling about a third of lead vocal duties, too! Sneakers Pub & Eatery is located about one hour east of St. Paul at S119 S McKay Avenue, Spring Valley, Wisconsin 54767,(715) 778-4200. Apple or Google maps will get you there easily, but basically what you do is drive east on I94 to Spring Valley Exit 24, County Road B. Drive south 6.2 miles, then turn left on North Second Street. Drive east 2 miles to McKay Avenue. Turn right on McKay and Sneakers will be on your right. There will be Valentine's Day dinner and drink specials available and some pretty good music, to boot. We will start playing between 6:00 and 6:30, and will continue until 9:00 or so. We hope that some of you can make it!

2020 Elections... MMO Officer Elections!

We'll have MMO officer elections February 3.  I will leave paper ballots and some pens at the front desk of the Baha'i center to be collected after practice.  You may also email your selection to any officer prior to the February 3rd practice.  I'll tally the votes after pizza.

The current officer positions are held by:

• President: Tate
• Vice President: Dotty
• Secretary: Allison
• Treasurer: Jonathan

I nominate:

• President: Allison
• Vice President: Joy
• Secretary: Ben

Please email any current officer, or post to the blog, your nominations.

best wishes,

Jonathan