3. jún. 2010

The One True God

Video: Bart Ehrman | The Daily Show | Comedy Central

Y M C A

Blasphemy is a victimless "crime".

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Earthquakes and Eruption in Iceland 2010 - This visualization shows earthquakes leading up to an eruption in Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland in March 2010.

Beatles - The Long And Winding Road

The wild and windy night
That the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day.
Why leave me standing here?
Let me know the way.


Beatles - The Long And Winding Road

 

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Tony Levin’s BassCam: Sledgehammer

Here’s Tony Levin giving us a unique perspective of a Peter Gabriel concert in Lima, Peru. I love Tony’s background vocal appearance.

Check out more from Tony Levin’s Road Diary.

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Brandon Rose 10 year old Bass Guitar riff

Rhythm Series: Keeping Time

The Lowdown with Dr. D

Rhythm Series: Keeping Time

by Donovan Stokes Monday, April 12th, 2010

Keeping a steady pulse is a fundamental skill for any musician, and it is especially important to any one who is part of the rhythm section. Even in styles of music that encourage flexible rhythmic expression (i.e. rubato, etc.), the ability to maintain an accurate pulse is essential for a musician. No matter what style of music we play, or what instrument, we can all benefit from improving our “time.”

One of the most common causes of tempo problems is a performer’s inability to maintain an accurate internal pulse. In order to keep a steady beat musically we must be able to consistently feel the beat/pulse. Precise rhythmic acuity is the result of not only of an intellectual understanding of rhythm, but a finely honed physical sensation of pulse as well.

What does it mean to keep an internal pulse?

First off, an internal pulse something you feel physically, not something you understand intellectually. It is also something you feel… well…internally, as opposed to externally.

I sometimes try to express the sensation of feeling a pulse internally like this:

Dr. D: “Have you ever been to a concert where the music was so loud that you could feel the beat of the bass drum in your chest?.

Student: “Yes.”

Dr. D: “That is what you want to feel when you play”

Most people comprehend my meaning immediately. Your pulse should not be abstract or ethereal, but tangible. Although you can move your body to the beat by tapping your foot, bobbing your head, dancing, etc., it is the internal sensation, not it’s external representation, which is most important in having a good sense of tempo. Don’t start tapping your foot and hope it will remain steady. It won’t, and you will only be fooling yourself if you think it will. It is highly unlikely that your foot will keep a steady pulse without your express direction to do so, particularly while playing a complicated passage.

Of course, you can have an excellent rhythmic sense and not move outwardly at all. Some people feel this is the ideal goal to shoot for, others find it an irrelevant goal. Whether you like foot tapping and head bobbing or not, it is essential to realize that an internal pulse is something you experience, not something you understand. Aim for the feeling.

Using a Metronome to Improve Pulse

When someone performs with an inconsistent pulse, (i.e. they “can’t keep a beat”) they are usually advised to practice with a metronome. While this is an appropriate prescription for someone diagnosed with poor rhythmic accuracy, it is an incomplete instruction.

Although most of us know we should “use a metronome,” many people never learn HOW to use a metronome so that their sense of pulse actually improves. As a result, so many aspiring musicians practice with their metronome clicking or beeping away for hours on end, to no avail. They seem to have improved rhythmic accuracy when the metronome is going, but once it is off, they are back where they started. No matter the hours spent, they don’t improve. This can be frustrating.

The primary thing to realize is that the metronome should only be a guide to check your internal pulse, and not a crutch to keep time for you. If you are letting the metronome keep the time, and you are not feeling an internal pulse simultaneously, then you are not using the metronome to it’s best advantage. In short, the metronome is keeping time, but you aren’t. You are relying on the metronome, but not learning form it. Don’t fall into this trap.

When using a metronome you should keep an internal pulse of your own, one that just happens to be in sync with the metronome. In this way, the metronome can show you when, where and how often you need to correct your internal pulse. When your internal pulse rushes, drags or drops out entirely, you should notice it and adjust it to match the metronome. Again, awareness is key. The more you practice in this manner, the better your internal pulse will get. When the metronome is off, you should continue to feel your internal pulse, which you have been training with the metronome on.

When practicing with a metronome, you should be striving to create and maintain a visceral feeling of accurate pulse. If you remember this every time you click on the metronome, you should be on your way to an improved sense of time.

 

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Capitalism: A Love Story

Capitalism: A Love StoryMichael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story comes home to the issue he’s been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world).

But this time the culprit is much bigger than General Motors, and the crime scene far wider than Flint, Michigan. From Middle America, to the halls of power in Washington, to the global financial epicenter in Manhattan, Michael Moore will once again take film goers into uncharted territory. With both humor and outrage, Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story explores a taboo question: What is the price that America pays for its love of capitalism? Years ago, that love seemed so innocent.

Today, however, the American dream is looking more like a nightmare as families pay the price with their jobs, their homes and their savings. Moore takes us into the homes of ordinary people whose lives have been turned upside down; and he goes looking for explanations in Washington, DC and elsewhere.

What he finds are the all-too-familiar symptoms of a love affair gone astray: lies, abuse, betrayal… and 14,000 jobs being lost every day. Capitalism: A Love Story is both a culmination of Moore’s previous works and a look into what a more hopeful future could look like. It is Michael Moore’s ultimate quest to answer the question he’s posed throughout his illustrious filmmaking career: Who are we and why do we behave the way that we do?

Watch the full documentary now (Please read FAQ No.10 before watching)

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The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations

Jonathan Klein: Photos that changed the world

If the bible was true....

David Griffin on how photography connects us

2. jún. 2010

Eyjafjallajökull frá Hvolsvelli

Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull - Volcano seen from Vestmannaeyjar

Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Iceland : Natural Hazards

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Ash from Iceland’s erupting Eyjafjallajökull Volcano had drifted over northern Europe by April 16, 2010. The brown ash is mixed with clouds in this photo-like image taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite at 12:45 p.m. local time (GMT +2). The visible ash sweeps in an arc across the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Russia. It is likely that the clouds mask additional ash.

The airborne ash grounded flights across much of northern and western Europe starting on April 15. As the ash moved south, more countries began to close their airspace. Fine volcanic ash can clog jet engines, causing the engines to stall. Many airports anticipated remaining closed through Saturday, April 17, reported BBC News. Ash had been reported over Norway, Sweden, northwestern Russia, northern Poland, northern Germany, northern France and the southern United Kingdom, said the Icelandic Met Office.

Eyjafjallajökull began its eruption on March 20, 2010, after 187 years of quiet. On April 14, the volcano began a more forceful eruption, emitting plumes of ash. As of April 16, the eruption was still ongoing, with ash reaching heights of four to five kilometers, said the Icelandic Met Office. The volcano’s previous eruption lasted just over a year between December 1821 and January 1823.

The large image is the highest resolution version of the image available. The image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response System, which also provides daily images of Iceland.

  1. References

  2. BBC News. (2010, April 16). Volcanic ash: Flight chaos to continue into weekend. Accessed April 16, 2010.,/li>
  3. Global Volcanism Program. (n.d.) Eyjafjallajökull. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
  4. Icelandic Met Office. (2010, April 16). Ongoing Eruption. Accessed April 16, 2010.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Holli Riebeek.

Instrument: 
Terra - MODIS

 

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Esbjorn Svensson Trio - Eight Hundred Streets By Feet [2007]

The view (cirkca) from my grandparents place (Eyvindarhólar)

Eric Clapton - Forever Man - [Jeff Porcaro (drums) & Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass), how's that for a pocket!!]

Music video

This was Eric Clapton's first music video, showing Clapton himself performing the song with Donald "Duck" Dunn, Jeff Porcaro, Michael Omartian, Steve Lukather, Shaun Murphy, Yvonne Elliman and Marcella Detroit in a circular stage that in the center had a step, this is where Eric Clapton is performing, the other members of the band are a step below.

This video was directed by Godley and Creme, and it was the only music video made from this album.

"Forever Man" was performed twice by Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood during their second US Blind Faith reunion tour at Madison Square Garden, NYC, February 25th-28th, 2008 and their 2009 US Summer tour (featuring Sharon White and Michelle John on backing vocals). Clapton also performed the song at the Royal Albert Hall in February 3, 1989 with Mark Knopfler on rhythm guitar.

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Amazing photos of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruptions

If these magnificient photos aren't enough for you then you can go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/siggidori/galleries/  where I'm adding GREAT pictures of the eruption in Eyjafjallajökull as I find them (on Flick)
Enjoy!
- Sigurdór

Photos by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/skarpi/

 

Photos by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/orvaratli/

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ornsig/

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hallgrg/

 

(Photos by Marco Fulle - http://www.swisseduc.ch/stromboli/ )

Photo: Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson - http://www.arctic-images.com/

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Um mig / about me

Myndin mín
Bass player, father, husband, band member, musician, son, brother, hobby photographer, friend, coffee drinker,
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