Hi All,

Just curious if anyone out there either plays an instrument or is a singer?

I've played the saxophone since high school, and still pull it out and play around with it. I've also played the trumpet, and the tuba. I tried teaching myself to play the guitar, but couldn't get my fingers to bend the right way to his the chords. I also toyed around with trying to learn to play the bagpipes. I have a practice cantor that I've finally gotten to not sound like a goose in heat. ;)

As for singing, I need to sing tenor. Either 'ten or' twelve miles away. Or I should sing solo. 'So low' that nobody can hear it. It's pretty bad when I try singing, and my dogs run away from me... ;)


---

Black Panther(RCS)
aka Dan Richter
Castle Rock BBS
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Re: Music
By: Black Panther to All on Tue Nov 30 2021 09:14 pm

I learned the accordion when I was in Grade School, and used that knowledge to play the organ. I've been playing now since 1963.

I watched a Lady Gaga / Tony Bennett special recently, and it is amazing how music takes Tony out of his alzheimers shell and allows him to sing nearly as well as he used to. Music is truly a gift that helps heal the soul.

Sometimes I sit down to play, and several hours goes by without me realizing it.

Mike Dippel
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Mike,

I learned the accordion when I was in Grade School, and used that knowledge to play the organ. I've been playing now since 1963.

The ones I remember for that is from The Lawrence Welk Show. Ragtime
pianist JoAnn Castle (she gives a new meaning to "tickling the ivories")
was also a part of that show.

Several years ago, they had a show called "Stars Of The Lawrence Welk
Show" in Little Rock. It sold out in a hurry...and I was lucky enough to
get a ticket for the show.

Daryl

... Is Ocracoke Island where you get okra and Coke at lunch?
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Dan,

Just curious if anyone out there either plays an instrument or is a singer?

First, sorry for the long post...but you struck a nerve. <G>

I used to play the piano, and still have an upright Story And Clark spinet piano here. However, it hasn't been touched since nearly 2 years before my
Mom died 2 years ago...so, it's likely out of tune. Now, being an amateur radio operator, I joke that "I play the radio".

Notice that I didn't say "play with the radio"...although a comedy deal
that I did called "The Ham Radio Wedding" (uniting Ham and Radio in Holy Telephony), and "The Honeymoon And More" (the first night together), was
full of ham radio puns and humor. Those who aren't amateur radio operators likely would not understand it...but the hams did. I had to practice it several times, as even *I* could NOT keep a straight face. <G> Folks can
go to http://www.wx4qz.net/elk.htm -- and scroll down the page to the file "Selected Ham Radio Humor". There is a lot more humor in there besides
these 2 items.

I had sang in choirs in church, high school, and college...but I have arthritis so bad now, that I can't stand in one spot for very long...
never mind on choral risers. I used to do also do mini concerts, writing
Gospel Songs. It's rare I'll do one with music now, but I'm still doing
Gospel Poetry. Over 500 poems to The Glory Of The Lord (mostly sacred,
but a few secular ones on my hobbies), are designed as "a ministry to
those who've accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, and a witness to those
who have not". Go to http://www.wx4qz.net/swj.htm to view all of them.
The salvation in Christ is "a free gift to all who would receive it".

As for singing, I need to sing tenor. Either 'ten or' twelve miles
away. Or I should sing solo. 'So low' that nobody can hear it. It's
pretty bad when I try singing, and my dogs run away from me... ;)

That's what I was in high school choir. By the end of the year, I was
voted "Most Improved Chorus Student". I've had no formal ear training whatsoever, but you can play a note on the piano, and without looking,
I'll duplicate it. I used to freak out a ton of folks in churches with
that. <G> I can sight read choral music as well, but I'm not like the accomplished pianists (the late Anthony Burger, plus Emily Bear, both
noted later in this message). These pianists practice at least 8 hours
a day...and sometimes so hard, that their fingers will bleed.

My high school in Florida also had its own symphony orchestra. That year (when I originally couldn't hit a tone in a bucket), I had a bunch of good looking females in the alto section helping me in the tenor section learn
the tenor part of the Hallelujah Chorus by George Friedrick Handel...which
I remember to this day. My favorite version of that now is from one of
Bill Gaither's shows with the late Anthony Burger, playing it. It's at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUBpff5zrV4

Speaking of Anthony Burger, there are several videos on YouTube of him,
who The Lord really blessed with piano playing abilities. It originally appeared that he would never be able to do that. While learning to walk
in his home in east Tennessee, his walker got caught in a floor furnace,
and he got third degree burns on both hands. He had to have medicated
baths for a year, and they said he'd never be able to use his hands, or
play the piano.

But, The Good Lord healed him, and Anthony had an uncanny ability to
pick out tunes and play them after hearing them. He had heard "The Old
Rugged Cross" at church when he was 3 years old, and when he came home
and played that, his parents practically fainted. <G> As an aside, when
I first heard that in high school choir, I broke down and cried. That is
my favorite hymn.

Anthony studied at a conservatory in Chattanooga, noting he was terrified with his first piano recital at age 6. After several years, he learned the classics (Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Mozart, Liszt, etc.). Then, he picked up the styles of Floyd Cramer, Ray Charles, and Jerry Lee Lewis, among others.

But, he said all that changed when he accepted Jesus Christ as His Lord and Saviour. He eventually became the keyboardist for The Kingsmen Gospel Group, winning a Southern Gospel Musician Award 10 years in a row, and had a new award named after him.

Christian comedian Mark Lowry did a deal with "secular love songs" with Anthony Burger...doing "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face", "Unforgettable", and "Great Balls Of Fire"...in a medley. You can view this video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlAET0Fm8G4

Another video that really highlights his ability is with him playing
"Gettin' Ready To Leave This World". You can view that video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1LTHdFDAhk

Tragically, pancreatic cancer cut short his life while he was in his 40's.

You can view the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXeI0CF3QwU

Over 20 years ago, in a church choir, the female director said "Who needs
a pitch pipe, when you've got Daryl??" <G>. When she turned 40, her husband
and her Mom were in cahoots on a surprise birthday party for her. She's 6 months younger than I am, and I had been given the perfect shirt when I
turned 40...it noted "Forty's not old...if you're a tree". <G> I wore that shirt there, and after folks chuckled at the shirt, I noted "But, even the trees lift their arms in Praise To The Lord".

One of the tribute poems in the Gospel Poetry collection that The Lord
have given me was for this woman, and when I got done reading it (I had it engraved on a plaque for her), the woman had tears streaming down her
face, and everyone gave a standing ovation.

I wish I had the knowledge and tools to have gone into becoming a piano tuner. It would've been something I really would've enjoyed doing. Many churches still have spinet pianos that need tuning every so often, and I understand that piano tuners are in high demand; so, they get paid rather well.

I can still sing, but have gone from Tenor to Baritone (it may be more
like Barely-A-Tone <G>), as the vocal range has become limited from "lack
of use". I sang "The Vows Go Unbroken" by the late Kenny Rogers at my wedding...there wasn't a dry eye in the house. :) You can listen to this
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSOoMPlrtd8 -- to me, this is the
ultimate wedding song. I still get tears in my eyes listening to it.

The funny part was that a video was made of the wedding, and I played
it for her family in Florida, so they got to meet the new bride and groom.
When it got to the lyric "Though I have been tempted...no, I have never strayed"...her cousin quipped "Oh!! He's Been Tempted!!". I nearly said
the S-expletive...I would've been dead meat. <G>

My favorite now is barbershop quartets...there is a group from Tennessee called "Lunch Break". They did a performance just after Christmas several
years ago at Carnegie Hall, with the medley called "Old MacDonald Had A Deformed Farm". You had critters such as a lisping snake, a dyslexic cat,
a lactose intolerant cow, a hyperactive sloth, a narcoleptic pig, and an attention deficit disorder dog. <G>

You can find this video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea2WYe-sTFE

However, I would advise that you not be eating, drinking, or driving...
and that you empty your bladder before watching this...or you will have
a mess on your hands. <G>

In the famous musical, which became a movie, "The Music Man", had Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett, and an all star cast. The "school board" was actually the barbershop quartet known as "The Buffalo Bills".
Clips from the movie can be found on YouTube. The movie came out 50 years
ago, and is still a classic today. Some of the items are:

Opening Theme (Rock Island): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ9U4Cbb4wg

Ya Got Trouble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI_Oe-jtgdI

How Can There Be Any Sin In Sincere?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO0DFttQoJc

There are several others in there as well. The total length is nearly 3 hours, but it's an enjoyable one for the whole family.

Every year, the mens group of the Diamond State Chorus, and the womans
group of the Sweet Adelines, do "Singing Valentines" each February. The recipient gets a card, a love song, and the ladies get a rose, or a box
of candy. They are sung to by a quartet of the opposite sex. While some
may consider the cost a bit high, the emotional reward of showing your
love to a boyfriend, girlfriend, significant other, or spouse, can't have
a price on the joy on their faces. :)

The proceeds go to their yearly competitions, with travel and other
expenses. These are done around the country, and are in high demand. Sometimes, they will do these to raise money for specific charities.

I never remarried after losing my wife almost 15 years ago now, but
I would've loved to have had one of these for myself, or for a special
lady friend.

An example of these is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6CWJrCskvU
with the Orange Blossom Chorus in Orlando, Florida.

I will say that barbershop quartet singing is not as easy as it looks!!

Another lady, Emily Bear, started playing piano while she was only 2.
Two of my favorite videos of her (both when she was younger) are:

Bumble Boogie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ3w7U_ZJJg

Rhapsody In Blue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To7EG40KofU

The one thing in her videos that I noted the most, is that she was always smiling.

Daryl

... Are cranberries healthy?? I never heard one complain.
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On 12/1/2021 11:13 AM, Daryl Stout wrote to Mike Dippel:

Mike,

I learned the accordion when I was in Grade School, and used that knowledge to play the organ. I've been playing now since 1963.

The ones I remember for that is from The Lawrence Welk Show. Ragtime pianist JoAnn Castle (she gives a new meaning to "tickling the ivories")
was also a part of that show.

Several years ago, they had a show called "Stars Of The Lawrence Welk Show" in Little Rock. It sold out in a hurry...and I was lucky enough to
get a ticket for the show.

Daryl

I was going to try playing it again last year. A friend of mine for the local Organ and
Keyboard Club loaned me one of his accordians. I even purchased a music stand for the
sheet music. Long story short, I now had a music stand, but never even pulled the
instrument from the case. After about 3 months, I gave it back to him. I feel more
comfortable on the organ, and will play for anyone that will listen.

Mike Dippel

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On 01 Dec 2021, 12:51a, Mike Dippel said the following...

I learned the accordion when I was in Grade School, and used that knowledge to play the organ. I've been playing now since 1963.

That was always an instrument that kinda scared me. It looked way to complicated to be able to play. Piano keys on one side, and a whole bunch of buttons on the other side. I love the sound of the accordion though. :)

I watched a Lady Gaga / Tony Bennett special recently, and it is amazing how music takes Tony out of his alzheimers shell and allows him to sing nearly as well as he used to. Music is truly a gift that helps heal the soul.

Wow! That's a duo that I don't think I can even imagine. I'll have to see if there are clips of it on youtube.

It's probably similar to people who stutter, still being able to sing. (is stutter now considered politically incorrect?)

Sometimes I sit down to play, and several hours goes by without me realizing it.

Do you have any recordings that you can share? I'd love to hear you playing.


---

Black Panther(RCS)
aka Dan Richter
Castle Rock BBS
telnet://bbs.castlerockbbs.com
http://www.castlerockbbs.com
http://github.com/DRPanther
The sparrows are flying again...

... I think I am, therefore, I am... I think.

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On 12/1/2021 5:59 PM, Black Panther wrote to Mike Dippel:

I learned the accordion when I was in Grade School, and used that knowledge to play the organ. I've been playing now since 1963.

That was always an instrument that kinda scared me. It looked way to complicated to be able to play. Piano keys on one side, and a whole bunch of buttons on the other side. I love the sound of the accordion though. :)

I watched a Lady Gaga / Tony Bennett special recently, and it is amazing
how music takes Tony out of his alzheimers shell and allows him to sing nearly as well as he used to. Music is truly a gift that helps heal the
soul.

Wow! That's a duo that I don't think I can even imagine. I'll have to see if there are clips of it on youtube.

It's probably similar to people who stutter, still being able to sing. (is stutter now considered politically incorrect?)

Sometimes I sit down to play, and several hours goes by without me realizing it.

Do you have any recordings that you can share? I'd love to hear you playing.

---

Black Panther(RCS)
aka Dan Richter

I have never dome a recording yet, though the organ does have the capability of
creating an .mp3 file. Perhaps someday.

Mike Dippel

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On 01 Dec 2021, 11:56a, Daryl Stout said the following...

Dan,

Hmmm, I never asked. Can we use aliases in this net, or is it real names?

Hi Daryl,

First, sorry for the long post...but you struck a nerve. <G>

I was actually trying to get some messages going. It seemed a bit slow in here. ;)

I used to play the piano, and still have an upright Story And Clark spinet piano here. However, it hasn't been touched since nearly 2 years

I've had many people tell me I should have learned to play the piano. Being 6'8" tall, I have larger hands and longer fingers that would be able to reach a full octave. (so I've been told)

before my Mom died 2 years ago...so, it's likely out of tune. Now,
being an amateur radio operator, I joke that "I play the radio".

The older I get, the more 'out of tune' my radio is... :)

I've had people tell me that they played the radio very well.

Notice that I didn't say "play with the radio"...although a comedy deal that I did called "The Ham Radio Wedding" (uniting Ham and Radio in Holy Telephony), and "The Honeymoon And More" (the first night together), was full of ham radio puns and humor. Those who aren't amateur radio
operators likely would not understand it...but the hams did. I had to

I'll have to look those up. I was an amateur radio operator until I inadvertently let my ticket expire in 2001.

I'm not sure if they still have the callsign lookup from back then, but I was N9QZC. That was a mouthful to say over the air. I usually just said it phonetically. (November Niner Quebec Zulu Charlie) That made it easier, as N9QZB was also on the same 2m repeaters I was.

I had sang in choirs in church, high school, and college...but I have arthritis so bad now, that I can't stand in one spot for very long... never mind on choral risers. I used to do also do mini concerts, writing

I was in the choir in high school, but didn't really care for the director we had. Beside, also being in band was causing too many conflicts, so I dropped choir in my Junior year.

My favorite now is barbershop quartets...there is a group from
Tennessee called "Lunch Break". They did a performance just after Christmas several years ago at Carnegie Hall, with the medley called
"Old MacDonald Had A Deformed Farm". You had critters such as a lisping snake, a dyslexic cat, a lactose intolerant cow, a hyperactive sloth, a narcoleptic pig, and an attention deficit disorder dog. <G>

I've heard that one before, and I love it! I'll have to watch it again. My son actually found the video and shared it with me.

Sorry I cut the response a bit short, but I've just been informed that dinner is ready...


---

Black Panther(RCS)
aka Dan Richter
Castle Rock BBS
telnet://bbs.castlerockbbs.com
http://www.castlerockbbs.com
http://github.com/DRPanther
The sparrows are flying again...

... A social life? Where can I download that!?

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On 12/1/2021 6:23 PM, Black Panther wrote to Daryl Stout:

Dan,

Hmmm, I never asked. Can we use aliases in this net, or is it real names?

I have it set to not ask for real names, and it is set as a Fido network, public and
private.

Hi Daryl,

First, sorry for the long post...but you struck a nerve. <G>

I was actually trying to get some messages going. It seemed a bit slow in here.
;)

I used to play the piano, and still have an upright Story And Clark spinet piano here. However, it hasn't been touched since nearly 2 years

I've had many people tell me I should have learned to play the piano. Being 6'8" tall, I have larger hands and longer fingers that would be able to reach a
full octave. (so I've been told)

before my Mom died 2 years ago...so, it's likely out of tune. Now, being an amateur radio operator, I joke that "I play the radio".

The older I get, the more 'out of tune' my radio is... :)

I've had people tell me that they played the radio very well.

Notice that I didn't say "play with the radio"...although a comedy deal
that I did called "The Ham Radio Wedding" (uniting Ham and Radio in Holy
Telephony), and "The Honeymoon And More" (the first night together), was
full of ham radio puns and humor. Those who aren't amateur radio operators likely would not understand it...but the hams did. I had to

I'll have to look those up. I was an amateur radio operator until I inadvertently let my ticket expire in 2001.

I'm not sure if they still have the callsign lookup from back then, but I was
N9QZC. That was a mouthful to say over the air. I usually just said it phonetically. (November Niner Quebec Zulu Charlie) That made it easier, as N9QZB was also on the same 2m repeaters I was.

I had sang in choirs in church, high school, and college...but I have arthritis so bad now, that I can't stand in one spot for very long... never mind on choral risers. I used to do also do mini concerts, writing

I was in the choir in high school, but didn't really care for the director we
had. Beside, also being in band was causing too many conflicts, so I dropped choir in my Junior year.

My favorite now is barbershop quartets...there is a group from Tennessee called "Lunch Break". They did a performance just after Christmas several years ago at Carnegie Hall, with the medley called "Old MacDonald Had A Deformed Farm". You had critters such as a lisping
snake, a dyslexic cat, a lactose intolerant cow, a hyperactive sloth, a
narcoleptic pig, and an attention deficit disorder dog. <G>

I've heard that one before, and I love it! I'll have to watch it again. My son
actually found the video and shared it with me.

Sorry I cut the response a bit short, but I've just been informed that dinner
is ready...

---

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Dan,

Hmmm, I never asked. Can we use aliases in this net, or is it real
names?

You'll have to ask the moderator about that. :)

I was actually trying to get some messages going. It seemed a bit slow
in here. ;)

Some echoes (like the BBS ads) just have recurring autoposts. At least
with my Today In History ones, they recycle on a yearly basis...and with
some other areas, they recycle every 3 months.

I've had many people tell me I should have learned to play the piano. Being 6'8" tall, I have larger hands and longer fingers that would be
able to reach a full octave. (so I've been told)

The late Sergei Rachmaninoff had HUGE HANDS. My late Mom saw him in
concert many years ago, and she couldn't get over the size of his hands.
She and I loved several of his pieces, but our favorite got to be the
Rhapsody On A Theme From Paganinni.

The older I get, the more 'out of tune' my radio is... :)

It's hard to find a decent radio station anymore.

I'll have to look those up. I was an amateur radio operator until I inadvertently let my ticket expire in 2001.

You can renew it...all you need to do is take the Technician exam. No
more Morse Code test is required. And, with a ThumbDV from Northwest
Digital Radio, and the BlueDV program from PA7LIM, you can still talk
around the world, without worrying about the cost of radios, power
supplies, microphones, SWR meters, coaxial cable, etc.

I'm not sure if they still have the callsign lookup from back then, but
I was N9QZC. That was a mouthful to say over the air. I usually just
said it phonetically. (November Niner Quebec Zulu Charlie) That made it easier, as N9QZB was also on the same 2m repeaters I was.

I've been in the hobby for over 30 years...originally N5VLZ, then AE5WX,
then WX1DER, and now WX4QZ. You can go to my bio on QRZ, click on the first hyperlink, and scroll down to the URL with my QRZ bio for more info. It even has pictures of all my QSL/eQSL cards over the years.

I was in the choir in high school, but didn't really care for the
director we had. Beside, also being in band was causing too many conflicts, so I dropped choir in my Junior year.

I was in a basic band course, but I preferred choir. My instruments
were percussion (xylophone, marimba, etc.).

I've heard that one before, and I love it! I'll have to watch it again.
My son actually found the video and shared it with me.

There are other variations and critters on that one.

Sorry I cut the response a bit short, but I've just been informed that dinner is ready...

H.A.M. stands for "Have Another Meal", and you don't call us "Late For Dinner" <G>.

Daryl, WX4QZ

... To the guy who invented zero: Thanks for nothing
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Dan,

It's probably similar to people who stutter, still being able to sing.
(is stutter now considered politically incorrect?)

Reportedly, the late Mel Tillis had a bad stuttering problem, but it never showed up when he sang.

Daryl

... Too old to cut the mustard; but can still stir the mayonnaise.
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Mike,

I was going to try playing it again last year. A friend of mine for
the local Organ and Keyboard Club loaned me one of his accordians. I
even purchased a music stand for the sheet music. Long story short, I
now had a music stand, but never even pulled the instrument from the
case. After about 3 months, I gave it back to him. I feel more comfortable on the organ, and will play for anyone that will listen.

That reminds me of 2 cute memes, and a cute joke about the church organist.

The first meme had the organist who had just fired her shotgun in church, and she screamed "Anyone else want to complain about my playing??". <G>

The second meme was with the old Monkeyshines Calendar, and this female chimpanzee dressed up as the organist, and the caption noted "Would you believe I've never had a lesson in my life??". <G>

The joke had the preacher visit the home of the elderly lady who was
the church organist. As she goes to the kitchen to get some snacks and beverages, he notices a bowl of water on the organ, and in it, is a
condom.

The preacher is obviously embarrassed, and he finally asked the lady
what that's all about.

She replied "I was out walking one day, and found this package on
the ground. It said "put on organ, keep wet, helps prevent infection".
Then, she said "Pastor, I haven't been sick in 3 years!!".

The preacher fainted dead away. <BG>

Daryl

... If flying's safe, why is the airport called the terminal?
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