The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 06:43
First- before I posted this I did a diligent search here for the word "portrait", and got nothing but pages of Artie Shaw CD sets and such.
I decided to press ahead with my plans to seek clarinet playing opportunities at churches- in spite of my continuing difficulties relying on when I "need" it. That's a whole other story.
So, anyway, I wanted a good self portrait with my clarinet. I Google image searched for "clarinet" and looked at zillions of different kind of poses people have done with them, with widely varying degrees of professionalism and appeal. The shape of a clarinet does not work very well with most faces.
I am also a professional photographer, so I was able to just experiment until I got something usable. And I was reasonably happy with the result, it'll get the job done, posted below.
And I wondered about all you other clarinetists here on BBoard. I believe we have symphony players, faculty members, and others who would naturally need this kind of portrait. So- let's see 'em! And I'd really like to hear how you got them- did you haul your clarinet into the Sears portrait studio? Did your employer send somebody to shoot you? Or was it just your HS band photo? I often thought it might be neat to pose in the surf (sand and salt bad for clarinet and camera though). Did you pose with your best horn?
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2014-02-24 04:09)
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 01:46
double post- no way to delete?
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2014-02-24 04:10)
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 06:49
Attachment: DSC09620Bs.JPG (53k)
Finally got the attachment to stick.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2014-02-24 04:10)
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 02:10
Alan- yep, a lot of them are that bad. (If that's you, I apologize.) I sympathize (only a little) with the photographer because he/she may be kind of trapped by the situation. That, and these artsy trends come and go (that doesn't happen in music LOL) and when they die they are DEAD. Nothing I can say- I wore a green tux at my wedding.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2014-02-24 04:07)
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2014-02-24 07:39
Didn't let me attach... but once I click on the attach button it immediately posts...
Since others had some issues of double posts and attaching above maybe there is an issue with the forum?
Post Edited (2014-02-24 12:41)
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2014-02-24 07:41
Trying again... here is mine (with a bass clarinet).
No, still doesn't work. I get this message: "You cannot attach anything to this message. Either you are not the author of the message or the maximum number of attachments have been attached."
Is it the maximum number of attachments already?
Post Edited (2014-02-24 12:43)
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Author: ned
Date: 2014-02-24 12:48
''
BJV
"The clarinet is not a horn" ''
Obviously not in actuality...but colloquially, it is.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-02-24 16:36
Attachment: 261_26550227789_5898_n.jpg (55k)
This is the only photo I have of myself with a clarinet.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2014-02-24 16:38)
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2014-02-24 11:39
Great topic, Stan.
The portrait I use on business cards, my blog, etc., is this one:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eEuN8FMsysc/UsMhKmXFxNI/AAAAAAAAAs8/wxMBHO20iaM/s920/The%2BJazz%2BClarinet%2BSept%2B2013.jpg
It was taken on the FDR Mid-Hudson Bridge early last fall. My wife took the photo--she was pregnant at the time and getting vertigo, but I told her she had to take the shot--it was just too good a place for it. She was profoundly annoyed at the time...but ended up liking the shot so much that she hung it in her office.
Here's another one she took outside of Artie Shaw's old barn near Shekomeko, NY. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pjVBbEEj4ts/UlQ78kmhHQI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/FG3HS7LA6xI/s1600/Red+Barn+2.jpg
and one more under the Shekomeko road sign:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ET87EOVxATM/UkQ3oFDwKrI/AAAAAAAAAmc/ZWWybtYVR48/s1600/Shekomeko+Playing.jpg
My wife isn't a professional photographer, and we don't have expensive equipment, but I always like her shots better than studio portraits--she's a very good musician herself, and knows me so well that she gets the 'feel' right. All of these were taken while our other kids were swarming around, trying to get her attention!
Eric
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2014-02-24 11:52
Oh, and to answer your last question, Stan--yes, I posed with my best horn--a 1955 Selmer Centered Tone. In the shot next to 'Artie's Barn' I was actually playing his tune, 'The Shekomeko Shuffle'. I think it's safe to say I'm probably the first jazz clarinetist to play it there since Artie himself did in the '50s!
Eric
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: Tom Puwalski
Date: 2014-02-24 17:31
Attachment: TomBMS.jpg (76k)
Here is one of me and my Backun Cocobolo Bb clarinet. I call it "from my cold dead hands"
Post Edited (2014-02-24 17:36)
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 18:39
Great stuff- thanks for the posts!
And yes I have had trouble with attachments on this thread and on others. Sometimes they just won't attach. I've not been able to edit a post and add an attachment- have to do it in a reply, then if it doesn't work you can't delete it and have an "empty". Messy and unprof.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2014-02-24 18:40
no post
John Gibson, Founder of JB Linear Music, www.music4woodwinds.com
Post Edited (2014-02-25 03:36)
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2014-02-24 18:47
My favorite thread in a long time...nice to put some faces to names I've read over the years. Nice shots everybody--I dig the outdoor look Ron has going--especially the rustic door thing emphasizing the wood of the clarinet.
Tom, I really want to know if you actually got a BMS tat. That would show an intense level of commitment.
Chris P--what's the uni? Is it a marching band outfit, or are you a police officer? Very cool.
Eric
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 13:47
Eric- nice photos!
...out on a bridge? with traffic? and your kids? As a photog that's just the kind of situation that 1) if it was my brilliant idea, client would think I was nuts, and if they went along would expect us both to get in some kind of trouble, and 2) if it was client's idea, I might think it's neat but risky for me- the pro gets blame for anything that "happens". Neat bridges and roads here too- not sure I want to try this.
Neat to use Artie Shaw's barn. I suppose there's somebody somewhere that would identify that in the photo and go- WOW! But for everybody else, it's "Oh what a neat rustic location".
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2014-02-24 18:57
Yeah, Stan, the bridge was nuts. All six of our kids were out there, it was swaying and jiggling a bit because of traffic (it's a suspension bridge), we were telling the kids "hey--not so close to the edge!" the whole time. I ran back to the car to get my horn and the camera, and my wife was nauseous, saying she really didn't want to do the shoot at that time... but she ended up taking about 6-7 photos, just about all of which are the best publicity shots I've ever gotten.
Over the years, I'll probably use all of those shots professionally, but I'm saving them to release incrementally (I'm hoping to use them for recording covers, etc).
Likewise there are many shots from near Artie's farm--and your take was precisely my reasoning.
Great thread idea--I hope everyone posts some shots.
Eric
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 15:09
Ron- nice shots. I like Clarinet16.jpg --- a little "don't mess with me or my clarinet" lol. For portraits with or without clarinet... smile or no smile is always a question. My clients often prefer no smile, but their moms always want a smile. So I try to shoot both.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 20:13
Another issue with clarinet portraits is- if the shot will end up tiny somewhere (like mine up in the corner of my YouTube page), it probably needs to be cropped to head only or not much more. Then where's the clarinet?... can't show all of it. At least I'm not a Sousaphone player.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2014-02-24 20:22
Yeah--the cropping is a big deal. In your original pic, the placement of the clarinet on the shoulder, bell out is a good solution. The more 'straight down the horn', the easier it is to crop and keep the clarinet in the pic. That bridge shot of me is actually a full body shot--with a lot of bridge above captured in the original pic too.
Eric
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 15:38
double post again- somebody fix this system !!!
or tell us what we're doing wrong
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2014-02-24 15:41)
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 20:39
Attachment: skyway140224a.jpg (166k)
My shot was bluescreen- I just muted and shifted the background color to something more neutral. But I could just as easily have put myself- say- on the top of one of the towers of the Skyway Bridge not too far from here. And that's part of the problem with going to the trouble to do something risky- if it's crazy enough people will just think you faked it. And they'd usually be right.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 20:48
Mike- all of you are working hard! ...and having fun too, I hope. Thanks for sharing.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 15:50
Peter- that is high class. Please tell me that's not a casual snapshot.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 15:54
Barry- works for me. Thanks for sharing!
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 21:03
Eric- 6 kids, huh? I have 1 grandchild growing up in my home and I have to tailor my playing time around bedtime, naps, and even sometimes "Too loud!" (she's almost 3), which I generally ignore. Perhaps your wife permitted what my daughter (it's her daughter) would not- let the kids grow up from day 1 with loud music all times of day and night, so they'll never be bothered by it. Or you had other places to blow loud. Subject for another thread.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2014-02-24 21:31
Let's just say my kids love jazz--night and day. My youngest used to bring her pillow and blanket, curl up by my feet, and nap while I practiced--sometimes for hours. Music is always around them. I've got some pretty cool kids.
Eric
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
Post Edited (2014-02-24 21:32)
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Author: kilo
Date: 2014-02-24 22:03
Couldn't add an attachment for some reason.
The usual Fourth of July scene:
http://imageshack.com/a/img401/158/a8ys.jpg
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-24 17:32
Kilo- Nice! Even the music stands don't detract. A bit of selective blurring to frame you, and voila!
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: Tom Puwalski
Date: 2014-02-25 00:15
Attachment: TomAntigua.jpg (83k)
Here is one of me with my favorite Grenadilla clarinet, The Antigua by Backun. Tom Puwalski
Post Edited (2014-02-24 19:17)
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Author: bradfordlloyd
Date: 2014-02-24 21:38
That's not me....just an all-too-prevalent facebook meme!
It has, however, convinced me to not take many portraits with my clarinet!
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Author: concertmaster3
Date: 2014-02-25 03:02
Thanks Eric and Stan. The outdoors area is actually just my back and side yard. We've since put a garden in behind the ones where I was sitting down (Well, we put one in every spring...).
This is such a fun thread! Its really nice putting faces to names and to see the other side of everyone's creativity :-)
Ron Ford
Woodwind Specialist
Performer/Teacher/Arranger
http://www.RonFordMusic.com
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Author: CuriousClarinet
Date: 2014-02-24 23:05
Fun topic, I've also wondered this on occasion. The only professional portraits I have with my clarinets are my high school senior pictures, taken 2 years ago. One in particular is an interesting and fairly unique solution so thought I'd share. Clearly wouldn't work when cropping was required, however. Still a fun way to portray a clarinetist, I think. Although if I were to have a similar photograph taken again, there are some things I would like to change from a composition and overall balance standpoint.
I didn't want to mess around with attachments, so link to photo is below:
http://imageshack.com/a/img836/4420/xn0q.jpg
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-25 04:47
William- whenever I have to photograph an event and my client wants good unposed people shots, that's exactly the kind I end up with, LOL. (If I yell, "Hey- look over here!" what I get is usually no better.)
Tom- looks pro all the way, nice.
Russ- thanks, you are most kind.
Curious...- that's cool, and I think you'll still like it in 30 yr.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2014-02-25 12:54
Yes Stan, it's a professionally done picture. My friend Thomas Bowles did it. A professional photographer and clarinettist. I recommend you google him and check out his other work.
Peter Cigleris
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-25 20:17
Nitai- nice... with a big horn like that, you showed all you could.
Peter- so I'm not the only musician/photog around- I bet there are plenty of us
Sacha- good stuff. I'm always impressed, amused, and amazed by shots in rough offbeat places. There are plenty of interesting locations where (maybe not you but) I would be nervous to go on my own, let alone with a client, and with expensive camera and music gear---- almost like saying "Here I am, please mug me". Senior portraits in a bombed out train station? Glamour (even adult) shots in a deserted derelict factory? Who are these people? Did they bring guard dogs? Are they packing heat? And often the best light for such photos is early morning. Are the riff raff still sleeping off whatever they did last night? A friend once told me about being dropped off at a NE USA train station (I don't remember what city) too early for his morning train. The place was full of undesirables, and he stuck out with his business suit and luggage. He figured the only reason he didn't get knifed was that they thought he was some kind of police decoy. At 7:00 AM sharp, security and other workers showed up, herded out the riffraff, and the station opened for business. If you wanted to do portraits there, it would look better before security- but would you survive the attempt? So I think bluescreen and background substitution is safer and easier, even if hokey. Of course some photogs make their own fake rough looking settings- all in a day's work.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2014-02-25 20:21)
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2014-02-25 17:05
Great art demands risk taking, Stan!
My entire entourage and I made it off the FDR bridge in one piece, and your friend wasn't even mugged (despite all those sinister, pre-rush hour city folk). Sacha has great photos and even seems to have survived his photo shoot. Cutting and pasting with a blue screen doesn't cut it for some of us--even if shading, light and color are skillfully faked. The vibe is wrong.
Eric
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-25 22:23
Eric,
Points well made. Some risks are only in the eye of the beholder. On the other hand, just because my air bag didn't fire last time I was on I-4 here in Orlando is not reason to conclude that I-4 is safe enough without one. What's comfortable for you- a 1 in 100,000,000 shot of something terrible (roller coaster ride)- or a 1 in 1,000 (cut your car in front of oncoming train- I'm guessing the odds)- or a 1 in 3 (insult drunk Marine bikers' girlfriend)? All to do with risk vs reward. And life is all about choices. But I am probably too timid in some settings.
So- can we know whether Oswald really posed with that rifle or not by examining the "vibe"?
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2014-02-28 09:12
>> Nitai- nice... with a big horn like that, you showed all you could. <<
It could be a torso or full body portrait and include more of the instrument, but the main point of that portrait was to include the neck pickup
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-28 20:52
Ben- that's really cool. I like using the case like that. How did you keep stuff from falling out?
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2014-02-28 15:58
Neck, bell and accessories are a snug fit; the body is secured with a (meanwhile fixed) strap.
--
Ben
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-02-28 21:22
http://www.FLmemories.com/B/FSK104.JPG
This is a studio shot for a privately produced album of piano/synth gospel songs from 1991. I hauled all that junk in and set it up- at least I didn't need to connect all the cables. I couldn't see doing this out on a busy bridge or in a derelict missile silo. I travel a lot lighter musically now.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: MSK
Date: 2014-03-01 01:50
Here is one of my Awkward moment. The fake tuxes had bright red jacket.
Edit: can't get the photo to attach.
Post Edited (2014-03-01 01:54)
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Author: MSK
Date: 2014-03-01 06:50
Double post in attempt to attach photo. Just how do you attach anyways? Hitting the attachment button accidentally double posted without letting me attach.
Post Edited (2014-03-01 01:58)
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-03-01 08:40
I have had trouble with it too- look at the history here and many other have also. On the 3rd try it let me attach, then I wasn't able to delete (only edit) the duds. So an alternative is to upload your photo somewhere else and just post the link here. The bad part about that approach is 1) not everybody has a good place to stash their photos, and 2) this BBoard has a long life, and external links will eventually die and the photos will one day no longer be in the thread- that's lame!
Maybe browser matters- I'm in Firefox.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2014-03-01 20:06)
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2014-03-01 17:45
Attachment: bboard.PNG (23k)
What has been working for me (attaching stuff) is to
1. Write your message
2. Click on "Add Attachments"
3. Browse and upload your pictures
4. Click "Post"
Do not be tempted to go back and stuff like that - it seems that the post is already active when you click "Add Attachments", and backing out and somesuch will result in a crippled post.
Edit: Editing will work with your text, but not with the attachments.
--
Ben
Post Edited (2014-03-01 17:49)
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2014-03-01 18:42
fskelley wrote:
> I have had trouble with it too- look at the history here and
> many other have also. On the 3rd try it let me attach, then I
> wasn't able to delete (only edit) the duds. So an alternative
> is to upload your photo somewhere else and just post the link
> here. The bad part about that approach is 1) not everybody has
> a good place to stash their photos, and 2) this BBoard has a
> long life, and external links will eventually die and the
> photos will one day no longer be in the thread- that's lame!
>
> Is anybody listening???? Why don't attachments work? How long
> have they been broken?
>
> Maybe browser matters- I'm in Firefox.
>
The browser doesn't matter ...
Along with tictactux's comments:
COMPRESS YOUR PICTURES
I just increased the max file upload sizes, but please don't abuse the system. As you noted, this BBoard has (and has had) a long life, and I actually have to pay for the storage :-) The local advertising, Google ads, and annual donation drive make that possible - so it would also be nice if you turn OFF any ad blocker when you come here so you could support the advertisers we have.
The BBoard software is old, but it's very reliable.
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-03-01 19:11
Mark- THANKS for this forum and sorry if I sounded a bit testy. And thanks for the info. Actually the photo size was my initial problem, I'd uploaded a full size pic and then, when I saw how big it was, I tried to delete and replace. That doesn't work so good, but I'm sure you have no control of that.
Sylvain- I am impressed! I'm trying to imagine the proper clarinet music to go in the album with that pic on the cover.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2014-03-01 19:32)
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2014-03-01 14:16
I'm a former tin can sailor. If we weren't bitching, something was drastically wrong!
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-03-01 15:08
"General, I'm worried about the troops. They're not complaining about anything."
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2014-03-01 20:21
fskelley wrote:
> "General, I'm worried about the troops. They're not complaining
> about anything."
Next time I ride thru Orlando I should have you take my portrait. Or, considering my lateral spread, my landscape ...
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2014-03-01 21:31
> COMPRESS YOUR PICTURES
Anything over 100K in size is probably too big for the average screen anyway.
Plus, you're doing a disservice to anyone with a mobile device that's not on some "unlimited data" plan.
For all who are only casual computer users (or who are on some mobile device), google "picture resizer online" and choose among a sh*tload of free online services that make your monster pictures forum-friendly.
--
Ben
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-03-01 22:23
Mark- that would be great. We could try to break new ground here with you and your clarinet. According to Eric we should be taking some risks- and for me the biggest risk is burning a bridge somewhere I might need to go back to later. (A model and I were once asked to leave Universal Citiwalk on a practically deserted late evening because we looked just a little too "pro". And don't get any wrong ideas, it was all "G".) How about a mini golf course that's been closed 5 years and has oily stagnant water and gators? Seriously, I'd love to get to click you or any of your BBoard brethren/sisters.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2014-03-02 03:58
Attachment: IMG_0174.JPG (198k)
This is me. Photo quality is not the best. I was demonstrating my piccolo clarinet to a school student audience.
Tony F.
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-03-02 21:44
I'm considering adopting black fedora and white shoes as daily dress anyway. What type of reed goes with those?
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-03-02 22:37
Attachment: Dali-cats.jpg (357k)
I'd like to recreate the famous Dali shot but with me and my clarinet. So I should ignore my worries about the animal rights nutjobs and cat lovers and just do it, right?
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-03-02 17:42
Hey, Tony- is that a carrot? Nice that you're working with school kids.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2014-03-03 00:46
I found the PTSD thingy rather poor in taste, especially considering recent school shootings and other amok runs. :-/
oh well.
(Edit: Now...no one likes a good joke more than I do. Uh, except for my wife, and some of her friends. Oh yes, and Capt. Johnson. Come to think, most people like a good joke more than I do, but that's beside the point! )
--
Ben
Post Edited (2014-03-03 02:01)
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The Clarinet Pages
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