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Archives for 2009

Some origins of the electric keyboard

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I love anything keyboard related. I love the history or origins of all things musical. The history of the keyboard is something that I know very little about, so this next article is really for me … oh and for you guys too.

In the beer store the other day, I was in line and noticed the latest CHILL magazine. After picking it up and leafing through some of the pages, there was an article titled Voltage-Controlled Synthesizer.

The first thing that caught my eye was a picture of this vintage MOOG synth. It was made popular by the likes of Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson. Way back in day, this thing looked like you could run a space ship with it!

The article was about a man named Hugh Le Caine, from Port Arthur. He was a physicist for the Canadian National Research Council in WW1. He then went off to Chalk River to work in the Nuclear reactor that was just starting up. It was the first one in Canada at the time.

So during the War he was working on this futuristic, weird thing called the Electronic Sackbut. Where he got the name for this thing initially only God knows. Where in the world do scientists come up with these names?! Anyways, his invention is now recognized to have been the very first voltage-controlled synthesizer.

In 1945, when the first Sackbut was built inside a desk, Le Caine visualized an instrument in which the operator would control three aspects of sound through operations on the keyboard in three co-ordinates of space: vertical pressure was to correspond to volume; lateral pressure to pitch change; and pressure away from the performer to timbre.

Being a man who was known to have tickled the old ivories more then once in a while, you can see where this new thingy-mabober was going!

Keep on Jammin’




Carpal Tunnel Syndrome exercises for guitarist

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This is a post for all you guitarists that may be affected by the painful disorder better known as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). This can be the result of the compression of nerves in the wrist due to repetitive (motion). This can be the consequence of many daily tasks that one does over and over again (typists for example often suffer from CTS).

Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

I will attempt to concentrate on the aspects of this painful ailment as it relates to guitarists in the remainder of this article.

The guitarist uses very fine and complex muscles, tendons and ligaments when plying their gift. We tend to be overly sensitive to our every ache and pain. We tend to gravitate towards the worst case scenario when we think about the long term results from something like this. Most of us respond with inaction while dealing with symptoms of CTS. So let’s give our heads a good shake and let’s DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Here are a couple of exercises that you can do to help manage this affliction.

  • (1) Massage your playing hand with your opposite hand by “kneading”the meaty part of your palm and working “outward”.
  • (2) Play as much AIR GUITAR as possible. this loosens up your fingers and gets the blood going. Be sure to let your wrist move with the motion of your fingers, this will prevent your hand from cramping up.
  • (3) If your hands feel tight or feel as if they are asleep, use a heating pad for about 20 minutes prior to playing. if this is not practical, run your hands under warm/hot water for about 5 minutes, rolling your fingers while the water is on. If you can’t do this,and you’re doing a gig at a restaurant, order a baked potato and hold it in your hand for a good 5 minutes or so, repeat for 15 times.
  • (4) Grasp you hands together in front of you. Apply light isometric pressure and lift you arms up over your head. Bring your clasped hands down behind your head. Return them to a position in front of your torso. Stretch out to the left, then the right keeping those hands pressed gently but firmly together.

So hopefully this will help some of you who are afflicted with this horrible disease.

Keep on Jammin'(after you warmed up with some of these exercises!)

Busker Of The Beaches Attends His Own Wake

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The well known beaches busker, 59 year old Dan Cole, is dying of in-operable lung cancer, but has a funny way of showing it.

Dan Cole is having a wake … but the thing is, it’s for him and he will be there … alive and kicking/laughing or juggling. The man who just can’t stop loves performing on cruise ships and entertaining UN peacekeepers in war zones far away from the comforts of home.

The event was put together by his friends and admirers to help him with the cost of his own funeral expenses. I realize this is a bizarre story to write about, but this was intended to be a nice piece. It’s about an artist who in the past has helped others drift away from their day to day troubles or fears and bring them a laugh or smile. These are the ones society should be idolizing!

“I didn’t want to miss people saying good things about me by waiting until I died,”

My wife found this story while going through some e-mails. The local TV news station, city tv, had picked up this story and then ran another article that was just as nice. The Star had also wrote a piece on Dan’s story as well.

I can’t recall seeing Dan perform on the boardwalk, but if I did I now wish that I may have paid more attention to his act! So hats off to the Busker of Kew Beach!

Keep on Jammin’

Canada’s got the Blues

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Well fellow readers, it is finally time to shake the cob webs out of your head and get rid of those dreaded winter blues away! The blues come from those of us who have been deprived way too long of the sun’s healing properties. The medical term is called seasonal defective disorder (SAD). It’s when we do not receive enough vitamin D from that big orange thing in the sky! For some of us this is not a bad thing cause The Blues is making head way into the Canadian music scene!

The blues has always had a negative feel associated with it for ages. The Blues music is another story completely.

A dear friend of mine, way back in my college days, was a fabulous guitar player with immense guitar skills. Peter Schmidt is his name and his style of guitar playing just screams the blues. He is one of those unsung local talents who has not made it to the big stage yet, but there are many more where he came from. So, is Canada really that gifted in this area of music?

The answer seems to be YES! We have tons of blue society’s that are very active in the city. They hold concerts (Winter and Summer events), untold internet forums and have work shops everywhere, no matter the age.

We have bluesy greats such as the late, great Jeff Healey, Danny Marks, Kenny Brown, Ted Leonard, Steve Grisbrook or big Buzz Upshaw, just to name a few that I know of.
Even Leon Redbone was links to Canada!

There was this great article in this magazine called Chill that I was reading the other day. The article called “The state of the blues in Canada” was bringing to everyone’s attention the rise of Blues and who is the up and coming stars to watch out for. It’s a great read to check out!

So, are we going to shake off or embrace the blues? It’s your call.

Keep on Jammin’

The Shmenge Brothers

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The Schmenge Brothers, like many of the Canadians of the day, were a happy bunch that didn’t mind making fun of themselves in front of the world. We could all relate to these overly happy go lucky guys. When ever watching these guys on SCTV, they made me feel like I was in the show because the circle of friends I had back then, acted like them from time to time.

While growing up in Brantford, I had tons of Polish friends that I went to school with.

These guys and girls were really the salt of the earth bunch. Like all good R.C.-ers, X-mas was a big part of our lives and the Schmenge brothers just loved to celebrate and share their Lutonian Christmas traditions with others.

The traditional polish, polka band stereo type was always a silly topic that we constantly brought up in conversation.

This was because everyone, at least that I knew, back then had someone who was in one of these types of bands. When you got to know the band members and see them live, most of them had those similar on stage persona’s, just like that of the Schmenge Brothers characters!

So this post is dedicated to all my old happy wanderers polish buddies who had rock and roll polka bands in the past! Thanx for the memories guys.

Keep on Polka-in’

What are they saying in Rap Lyrics

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Rap Lyrics, well they are a mystery to me and many others out there I’m sure. I’ve tried to listen and I do get a few words here and there, but that’s it. Am I alone on this one?

I have no idea on how to approach this subject, but there are some sites that have come to my attention that may help me/us figure it out … or at least get a better handle on this topic.

First there is this site called Understand Rap. I kinda went through it … but eventually got a head ache and gave up.

Then, there is a buddy of mine who may or may not help us out here. He has this thing called a blog and this blog thing seems to be taken off, so I hear, on this other thing called the InterWeb? It’s just a little bitty example to use as a very rough reference, so I/we should take what we can get!

Keep on Jammin’

Waking up Canadian, eh?

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Are you one of those people who live outside of Canada, looking for an alternative citizenship and wondered what it would be like waking up Canadian, well then check out this video for more incentive!

Our economy is nice, the people are nice, the water and air is nice! So come on, just Wake up Canadian, eh?!

Keep on Jammin’


An Idiot in the neighbourhood

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When are the items that we put out on the curb, for others who could use them when we do not need them, turn into junkyard garbage? Well this is a story that happened to us today.

While cleaning up our basement today, we were going through items that are (1) still working and (2) ones that we are no longer using. So we then decided that we should put them to good use, by placing them out on the curb for others who may find them useful. Why not, because the item would not be put directly into land fill taking up precious space!

After putting the item, a microwave oven, out on the curb, we were hoping that it would find a good home. Around 15 minutes later, we saw an older man come up to our old microwave, looking it over. We thought that it found a new owner, but instead the old guy brought out a pocket knife and CUT THE ELECTRICAL CORD and then walked away! He just walked away!

After seeing this, I ran outside and started screaming “Hey buddy, why didn’t you take the whole thing?” I said this a couple of times to him, but he just kept walking away faster as I repeated it. What an asshole! He wins tool of the day award.

So my question to you my fine readers is, when does a gift left outside for someone to put to good use become a scrap yard item to be cannibalize, leaving the remaining item useless for others to use?

One pissed off Torontonian!!!!

Simon and Garfunkle back on the road

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Simon and Garfunkel are back out on the road again after all these years. They have dates booked for Australia and New Zealand, but I’m sure their have to look for America in the near distant future, lucky buggards. If you love their music and they are going to be playing anywhere within 500 miles from where you live, then don’t be a fool and miss out on this one!

I had the glorious opportunity to have seen these guys way back in my college days. They played at the now demolished CNE stadium, but the memories will live on in my mind for the rest of my life!

The show was like going to someone’s back yard and they were just a couple of guys who showed up and start playing! We were around 100 feet away from the stage and this atmosphere was like nothing I’ve witnessed before. We had general admission seating and it was more then worth it!

Very young and old, and everything in between was there. It seemed like everyone there was lying on big blankets while eating and drinking out of a cooler. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky and it was around 30 (C). The whole place was so relaxing. It was like I was just hanging out with some Old Friends.

Keep on Jammin’

Will the remaining Beatle reunite for one night

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I just found out on the radio that the surviving members of the Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, may be on stage together tonight after all these years! I know we’ve heard all of this before, but you never know.

This historic event may take place at the Radio City Music Hall in New York city. This evenings concert is a benefit for the David Lynch Foundation.

I just wanted to inform you in case you didn’t hear about until now! I’ll be back tomorrow for more news on the show that you may have wished you saw, if it does in fact take place!

Let’s hope the Beatles will … Keep on Jammin’

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