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Humidity and Protecting your Oboe

If you are like me then you get a little paranoid about your instrument getting damaged. I have an oboe that is quite old. It’s age gives it a great timbre. I’m very proud of the sound my oboe makes. But the other side of this pride is fear of getting my instrument damaged.

When I travel, I never let my oboe out of my sight. I have it as carry-on luggage when I get on an airplane. I would never dream of checking it in as luggage. I would be in constant fear of someone treating it roughly. Even though it is in a padded case I fret about it getting banged about and the wood getting cracked.

At home I have installed a new programmable thermostat. It is the Lux Products TX1500E Smart Temp. It is ideal for me as the thermostat also includes a relative humidity monitor. I can track the water in the air at home. If the humidity gets to high I turn on the air-con to reduce it. If it gets too dry I hang out some wet laundry in the room. Unless I do this my oboe is liable to crack with too little air moisture or warp from too much.

I also have the benefit of being able to set up a program for weekdays and different ones for the weekend. These programs are divided into 4 periods: wake, leave, return and sleep. I set the programs to match my schedule so that I never waste money over-heating or over-cooling the room. The savings I have made have already paid for my Lux Products programmable thermostat.

I now have to find a way of not worrying about my oboe when I leave it at the house while I go to work. I’m now looking at installing better fire alarms as well as a burglar alarm.

Best Bamboo Gifts

It seems that much of the world is entering a new age: forecasts for financial growth are virtually zero; unemployment is reaching such proportions that it is threatening to cause serious social disruptions and fissures; the Eurozone is collapsing; it look like America will never pay off its debt; and the point of no return has already been reached with climate change. This is the age of ‘austerity’ and negative environmental change.

You might have wanted to buy a new flat screen plasma TV, a new car, a holiday in the Caribbean and a new smart phone for you and your loved ones this Christmas. Now you are thinking that maybe you might not have a job next year; and that when your kids grow up they might never experience a white Christmas.

Take stock of all the positives in your life: your health; your family; the fact you have a roof over your head. These are the really precious things in life.

And don’t be upset about the loss of potential presents. Why not make yourself feel good about yourself? Why not buy green presents for people this Christmas?

One good way to start searching for green gifts suitable for your family and friends is to look at bamboo items. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world. It thrives without pesticides and fertilizers and it helps top soil retention. Growing bamboo produces more oxygen and recycles more carbon than trees – although we still need the great forests of the world.

Here is a brief list of a few bamboo gift ideas to get you going. By buying bamboo you are getting something that is strong, antimicrobial, long lasting and, most importantly, earth friendly:

1) An expensive bamboo gift is an ASUS bamboo laptop. It cuts down on the amount of plastic used for the laptop by 15%.
2) A bamboo water hammer for the garden will bring a touch of oriental beauty to your outdoor space.
3) Bamboo blinds and shades improve insulation and give a new aesthetic to a room. They are also easy to clean and stop dust mites breeding.
4) Bamboo bowls and kitchen utensils are safe for food preparation and serving. They are easy to clean and look attractive.
5) Bamboo charcoal in bags can be put in bins and the fridge to remove bad smells. Every couple of months the bags can be put in the sunshine for a few hours to regain their ability to remove bad smells
6) Lucky bamboo is not bamboo but it looks like bamboo and is believed to bring good luck to a home and an enterprise. It also makes a good conversation piece.
7) Bamboo vinegar foot detox patches are extremely popular in the Far East. They are the easy way to detox during the night while you are sleeping.

Just from these seven examples it is hoped that the reader has got a better idea about the great variety of bamboo gifts available that somebody they know may like. Perhaps it is better to consider the age of austerity as the age of enlightenment when people wake up to the fact that the pursuit of pieces of paper has driven the world to the brink of disaster, and now it is time to return to the real values of a healthy environment and a healthy family.

Help! My Dog’s Got Fleas and They’re in My Bassoon

Close up of the workings of a bassoon
Photo by mark kimpel

During rehearsals for the big show later this month I kept feeling the irresistible urge to stop playing my Bassoon and scratch my leg. I didn’t of course, because that would have resulted in one of those steely-eyed stares from Brian, our conductor.

No musician likes to be on the receiving end of a glare from any Conductor, and Brian’s the type of guy who you want to stay on the right side of so I somehow managed to keep playing and saved all of the scratching until my piece was over, or at least until I had something of a break in my playing responsibilities.

Now, I’ve been known to break out in a rash induced by stress so I put the itching and scratching down to nerves in anticipation of the concert we’ve been planning for months and which is almost upon us.

Alas, I wish it were only nerves because the reality is rather more unpleasant.

That’s right, my bassoon’s got fleas!

I’m making this somewhat embarrassing revelation in the hope that someone reading this can avoid my predicament. You see, I have a dog called Marcus who I love very much, but sometimes he brings unwanted things into the house. In the past he’s brought dirty sticks collected during long walks by the river, chewed up golf balls he’s foraged from the rough of the local links, he’s even been known to bring home the occasional rabbit (dead of course). All of these things I can handle.

What I can’t handle is an army of fleas, none of which I can see until they’re upon me and all of which seem to be masters in the art of urban warfare.

Declaring War on the Dog Fleas

As soon as I realised we had an infestation, I took Marcus to the vets and got some flea spot-on for him. I also treated the house from top to bottom with a spray that kills the fleas that hide in your carpets as well as the dog’s bedding. These ninja fleas can even hide between cracks in the floorboards, so you really have to be thorough.

What I had failed to anticipate was the ingenuity of a group of enterprising fleas who had taken up residence in my bassoon. I didn’t spray my instrument with the chemicals because I didn’t want to damage it, and also for health and safety reasons, but mainly because it never crossed my mind that they would be so cunning.

After a lot of deliberation over how best to get rid of the problem, I took my bassoon to the local music store. They seemed to know exactly what to do (apparently my problem is more common than you might think). The solution involved a musical technician, a vacuum cleaner and some specialist tools – no chemicals.

I now have my bassoon back in full working order and flea free.

Prevention is Better Than Cure

If you’re a musician and your dog gets fleas, treat your dog, treat your home, but whatever you do don’t forget to treat your instrument. Better yet, as my vet keeps reminding me, ensure you’re up to date with a programme of year-round preventative flea control using a good quality spot-on like Frontline or Frontline Plus for dogs. After all, prevention, as we all know, is far better than cure.

3 Reasons People Switch from Acoustic Guitar to Electric

I love playing in a woodwind quintet, but one of my other passions is, believe it or not, the guitar. It may surprise you to know that I prefer electric guitar over acoustic. I think it’s because it’s a complete change from the instrument I play while “at work”. I love turning up the volume on my amp, plugging in a couple of effects pedals and enjoying the rich variety of tones and effects that are possible on the electric guitar.

The subject of whether electric or acoustic guitars are better is hotly debated by guitar players the world over. There is no right or wrong answer to this; you should go with what your heart and ears tell you, rather than paying attention to other people’s opinions on which is the better instrument, whatever reasons they offer. Over the years I’ve noticed that there are 3 main reasons that are commonly given for making the switch from acoustic to electric. They are valid reasons and, if you’re thinking of buying your first guitar, they might help you make up your mind which way to go.

Electric guitar with frets on fire.
Photo by Yuri Samoilov

Reason 1
A lot of people start out their playing careers as children and are encouraged to play by their parents or teachers. The general direction that parents want to push their kids in is away from rebellious rockstar types and towards the more serious and socially acceptable classical guitar. It’s considered more high brow and intellectual.

When these kids hit their teenage years, however, rebellion is exactly what they want from their music so they very often switch to electric so they can make more noise and turn their amps up to eleven.

Reason 2
Some people have smaller hands and can find the demands of successfully holding down an F Chord on an acoustic guitar something of an effort. This can be very frustrating because they will be trying to spread their fingers across the wider neck of the acoustic and, with fingers at full stretch, it is much harder to apply string pressure (that’s if they can reach at all).

In addition to the wider necks that many acoustic guitars have, if they are steel-strung and have a high action this can make things almost impossible. The thick steel acoustic guitar strings typically have a higher tension than nylon strings or their thinner counterparts on the electric guitar, which increases the power required to hold down the strings against the frets. The higher action simply means there is further to push the strings to press them against the frets. All very hard work and for some people, no matter how hard they work on their guitar exercises, they might never get as good as they would like. Life can be so much easier on an electric guitar with narrow gauge strings and a low action.

Reason 3
Richness of tones
If you’re at all interested in varying the tones produced by your guitar, and some types of music demand this, then an electric wins out over an acoustic any day.

Acoustics are limited to producing the traditional sound amplified by the hollow body and the only variations that can be achieved are from changing how hard you strum or pick the strings, or by applying simple and relatively subtle techniques like palm muting or playing harmonics.

On the other hand, an electric guitar has no end of possibilities. You can vary the volume between zero and impossibly loud with the twist of a knob. You can apply any number of effects using the settings on your amp, many of which come with distortion and reverb as standard. But if you really want to go to town you can plug in an effects pedal (or pedals) or even plug your jack into your PC or a purpose built effects box. With these gadgets you can create wah wah effects, phaser, distortion, reverb, chorus, sustain…the list is endless. For a creative musician, these sounds provide a superb palette for generating interesting multi-layered sounds that add tremendous depth to their songs.

So, if you’re a rebel at heart, struggle with the more challenging chord shapes, or simply want to spread your creative wings, I can highly recommend making the switch from acoustic to electric.

Of course you can play both, and many people do. Whatever suits the mood I say. But whatever you choose, remember this: consistent, methodical practice is what all the great guitarists have in common. So set aside time every day for at least a short practice session. The improvements compound on each other and are well worth the effort.

Featured

Welcome To The Fair Oaks Woodwind Quintet

Hello and Welcome to The Fair Oaks Woodwind Quintet! We hope what you will find here is useful information about our group, the services we provide, and how to contact us to book a date for your wedding or event. Please stop by our feedback page and give us your comments before you leave. We are always updating our site to provide everything you need and your comments will help us to do this. Our site is built on WordPress so it’s easy to update.

 

Our Mission.

It is our mission to provide you the best musical support for your function as you can find anywhere. We are happy that you have chosen us to be involved in your special day and it is our aim and purpose to make your wedding or event a memorable one that your guests will talk about for years to come.

The Fair Oaks Woodwind Quintet Profile.

Comprised of professional musicians, the quintet is based out of the township of Fair Oaks, California. The group has been performing together for eighteen years and has a refined sound that only comes from knowing each other’s playing down to the finest nuance. The blend and balance of the quintet is world class and one of the gems of the greater Sacramento area. If you’re interested in relaxing to our music, try reading an Arizer Extreme q review.

What ever the musical requirements, from light background to a full concert performance, The Fair Oaks Woodwind Quintet can provide just the right Touch of class to any function that can be enhanced by the presence of live music.

The group performs a wide repertoire of music from classical standards to pop classics and offers “music to order” for that special occasion that requires a piece that isn’t on our list.

The group has performed at many events in the area including the Crocker Art Museum, the Reception for the Governor’s State of the State Address, the Capitol Rotunda’s December Concert Series, the Sacramento History Museum, California State University at Sacramento’s  Alumni Center, many other corporate events and weddings.  We provide potential clients a live session to hear what the Quintet can offer to your event.**   Our goal is to give our clients the best value and a product that is of the highest standard. We’d like to be to string quintet performance what a Weber grill is in the portable barbecue industry: top of the line.

The Quintet is comprised of five woodwind players from the Sacramento area.

Peggy Stare – Flute

Jane Sagehorn – Oboe

Megan Deems – Clarinet

Carmen Farruggia – Horn

Jennifer – Bassoon

Check out the Biography page for complete information on the members.

Contact Information.

The Fair Oaks Woodwind Quintet aims to provide the highest quality of musical support for any function or event. Whatever your musical need we can enhance your ceremony with the warm rich sound produced by the quintet. If you’re looking for a gmat tutor, you may want to get in touch with us as well.

Booking/Scheduling Information.
The Quintet keeps a fairly busy performance calendar and it is necessary to book or schedule the group well in advance of your event. Please follow the contact link and fill out the form you will find there with as much information as you can give us and someone from the quintet will contact you to confirm our availability.

Contracting and Pricing Information.

You will find all the information about contracting The Fair Oaks Woodwind Quintet including a comprehensive pricing list on this page. Any questions you have about the cost of booking the group will be answered here. Additionally, if you are looking for someone to be a film consultant, then consider contacting us as well.