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xKnuckles

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    OT: Fitness

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I tried running during the lockdown last year, but although I enjoyed it, I started getting twinges in my knee - which I have never experienced before - so decided to quit while I was ahead.

     

    Instead I now do yoga & exercises every day. Since last summer I have also been training to do handstands!! I used to do lots of that sort of thing when I was young, but it feels quite difficult (and indeed, scary, now...) My progress is cautious and snail slow but it is immensely rewarding and fun. All the arm strengthening for it is good as I am terribly weak and struggle to lift my gear (and I have the lightest gear available...)

     

    I also do lots of walking, cycling and swimming and enjoy climbing (although I haven't done any of that for a couple of years...)

    Use it or lose it as they say. I love my muscles - feeble though they are - and hope to keep them forever.

    • Like 3

    ....annnnnd we're back...

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    And there I was thinking that it would never be possible to teleport people from one place to another....

    Congrats Dave and all who orchestrated this mass transposition!

    New site looks great. I especially like the like button.... 

    I just wish it would display our post counts like the others site did...because after nearly 10 years, I am about to have my first (and probably only) significant milestone.... 🏃‍♂️

    No Tears App to Import Charts to Tablet

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    If anybody is interested in mobilesheets Pro, I should mention that I think it does not operate on Apple products. It is just on Windows and Android at the moment, as far as I am aware.

     

    I find it great as I have a Samsung phone and a Windows computer. I use the computer for jazz & reading gigs and it will display 2 pages at once if the computer is placed in landscape mode. I use it on my phone for pop gigs with simple charts and it also controls my keyboard's midi sounds. It is easy to transfer songs or groups.of songs from one device to the other (complete with annotations).. If you have books of music, it will let you select out just a few pages and index them separately from the book. You can link audio to your songs if you wish. The annotations you can do are so extremely good (everything from freehand coloured pens and highlighters to written text.) It even draws a mini staff and you can add note & rest symbols to it anywhere on your page..... The annotations are so good that I tend to edit my business PDFs in mobilesheets rather than bother with a dedicated PDF program...

    Steinberg to shift to ID based licensing

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I once lost my (hated) Cubase dongle.on board an I ternational flight. Had to waste loads of time at my destination trying to source a replacement and deal with all.of the hideous paperwork which went with it...

     

    I would love to have a non-physical licencing system, but alas I run cubase 8.5 and I doubt they will make it backwards compatible. I have no desire to upgrade as I am happy with my setup and know how to operate it... This means, of course, that I cannot allow my computer to upgrade to Windows 11 - which it keeps begging me to do...

    These old programs eventually turn into strait jackets...

    OT - Running

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    So.....I tried one of Jeff Galloway (the coach Joe recommends) 's apps today. It is called 'Easy 5k - Run/Walk/Run'. I had to borrow an iphone to try it as I haven't got one. I have to tell you, this app is INCREDIBLE!!!

    Its killer feature is something which I was not aware was even possible on any device: You can add a playlist of your songs and the app adjusts the BPM to match your running speed! It literally speeds the songs up or slows them down as your pace quickens or tires. The music sounds fine - no weird artefacts, no diseased, robotic sounding vocals. It was reading about this feature which made me go to the effort of borrowing the phone and installing the app - I really didn't think it could possibly work. But it does!

     

    My dilemma now is that I have no iphone and this app is not available in the google play store. Can you think of any way in which I can get it to work on a samsung phone? Or have you come across something equivalent for samsung? I really don't ever want to run again without this app ever again. Having the music exactly at my pace is an absolute delight - as you all will appreciate. Makes running a million times more enjoyable.

     

    As to Jeff himself: I was highly impressed with everything about his app inculding his verbal contributions. He was encouraging and made it more interesting. I am keen to work through the rest of the runs in the app. I am very hopeful that the run walk run method may be the means to allow me to continue running with (hopefully) no further injuries.

    OT - Running

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I'm far from being an expert, but my guess would be that now that you can generally do the runs, look at your form, or have someone else look at it for you. There may be something you could be doing differently or better. You might find some tips online as well. I like what I found from a guy named Golden Harper.

     

    Also, make sure your shoes don't have too many miles on them.

     

    Another thing you might consider is Run-Walk-Run from coach Jeff Galloway. Over there they call it "Jeffing"! :laugh: It's what I use. When I first started running I ran intervals until I built up to just running. Then I kept getting injured and having to start over. Then I tried Jeff's method and I still use it to this day. Believe it or not, you can actually be faster using this method than running continuously, because many slow down towards the ends of their runs.

     

    Regardless of all that, congrats on doing it! Welcome to the club.

     

    Many thanks Joe. The Jeffing method might be just what I need. Indeed the couch to 5 k starts with similar intervals, but it quickly develops into long runs with very litte, and then no walking (except at the beginning and the end). I like the long runs because I don't have to think about whether I need to switch etc and I can get into a rhythm (especially if I have music playing...), but maybe it is just too punishing for my body. The fact that you also suffered injuries (although regretful) is encouraging: it makes me fee a little less like a strange, fitness-resistant sloth....

     

    I have added Jeffing to my to do list and I will try his ideas this year......It is nice that I can already see how well the method is working for you. :)

    OT - Running

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Hi folks. Great to hear of all your achievements. I guess I am entitiled to join in as I took up running last year as my lockdown hobby. I got a 'couch to 5k' app and diligently worked my way through it. Suffered a knee injury, rested it for a few weeks and then worked through the program all over again. I am surprised by how much I enjoy running, and how much I hate it if I cannot do it. But unfortunately I must have weak legs as when I do the 30 min runs regularly then they hurt afterwards and don't seem to work so well. I have therefore decided to go back to the beginning of the program (yet again) and this time I am going to be very careful. If at any point I get pain, I am going to stick to that distance and not increase it until my legs feel 100% normal. It is most frustrating as I have no problems in running these distances. It is only afterwards that I feel the effects.

    keyboard stand recommendations

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Another vote for the K&M 1880. It is perfection: light, quick to set up, adjustable etc. However, if you need it for both sitting and standing then you would be well advised to buy it twice. It takes at least 15 minutes to change the height and it is not practical to keep resetting it if you gig regularly. I have got two 1880 setups; both with two tiers and am delighted with them.

    OT: The music playing in your head...

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I also have the constant brain radio thing going on. Some music/songs seem stickier than others and prove extremely hard to get free of. My heart sometimes sinks if I hear one of these things or - worse still - get asked to play it... I also find that the music frequently leaks out of my mouth: humming, whistling or singing - which I am sometimes completely unaware of. Longsuffering relations have been known to beg me to 'please change the record" from time to time....
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