Various musings on musicology and other subjects
शनिवार, अक्तूबर २२, २००५
The Following Dark
I've been listening to Terry Pratchett's "Thud" in audiobook form (during my commute), having already read the paperback form. The commentary on the things politicians will do to preserve their power (e.g., lie, murder, start wars, etc.) seems timely, though I suppose it has always been timely.
In both the European Stoic tradition and the South Asian Hindu tradition, if a person does evil, it is thought that he does so out of ignorance. Not ignorance of facts, but ignorance of the true nature of himself and others.
In Hinduism, there is a notion of तत्त्वमसि (tat-tvam-asi), which roughly translates to "that thou art". This is implicit in the greeting नमस्ते (namaste) in which the people greeting each other are making a gesture of reverence in recognition of the divine within. The idea is that the divine is in everything and once you know that, you realize that you have this connection to other beings, and thus should not harm them.
In both the European Stoic tradition and the South Asian Hindu tradition, if a person does evil, it is thought that he does so out of ignorance. Not ignorance of facts, but ignorance of the true nature of himself and others.
In Hinduism, there is a notion of तत्त्वमसि (tat-tvam-asi), which roughly translates to "that thou art". This is implicit in the greeting नमस्ते (namaste) in which the people greeting each other are making a gesture of reverence in recognition of the divine within. The idea is that the divine is in everything and once you know that, you realize that you have this connection to other beings, and thus should not harm them.
बुधवार, अक्तूबर १९, २००५
Speaking Up
I just read Adam Bosworth's post on SPEAKING UP. I recommend that you read it. To quote Mr. Bosworth: "I fear now for my children growing up into a world where the leaders turn their backs on the spirit of reason and inquiry."
The New Scientist 8 October 2005 issue has a "Special Report: FUNDAMENTALISM, Descent into the New Dark Ages".
The New Scientist 8 October 2005 issue has a "Special Report: FUNDAMENTALISM, Descent into the New Dark Ages".
गुरुवार, सितंबर २२, २००५
कबीर दोहा
काल करे सो आज कर, आज करे सो अब ।
पल में परलय होयगी, बहुरी करोगे कब ॥
पल में परलय होयगी, बहुरी करोगे कब ॥
शनिवार, सितंबर ०३, २००५
Robotics
On a lighter note, my daughter and I have been learning to program robots together. It all started with the book "Squeak / Learn Programming with Robots" in which we learned to program virtual robots on the computer in Squeak, an implementation of Smalltalk. My daughter quickly learned how to make the virtual robots draw all sorts of interesting designs and even figured out how to change the appearance of the "bots" themselves. Well, one thing lead to another, and now she's happily programming a LEGO MindStorm robot that we just built (an actual physical robot made of LEGO components, not a mere virtual robot on the screen).
Hurricane Katrina
Thanks to everyone who has expressed their concern about my family in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. My parents were in San Diego at the time, and are fine. My brother, who was in Louisiana is also OK, though it is still hard to get through by telephone ("all circuits are busy") -- now that his power is back, we are communicating more easily by email than by phone.
While my family was truly fortunate, others were not. Please consider joining me in donating to the Hurricane 2005 Relief fund of Red Cross to help those in need.
While my family was truly fortunate, others were not. Please consider joining me in donating to the Hurricane 2005 Relief fund of Red Cross to help those in need.
रविवार, अगस्त २१, २००५
From the book "In Other Words" by Christopher J. Moore:
hozh'q (Navajo, North American) [hoe-shk] (noun)
This means "the beauty of life, as seen and created by a person." For the Navajo, this is something that grows from within a human being and spreads outward to permeate the universe. It can be intellectual, emotional, moral, aesthetic, and biological. Navajo life and culture are very much based on this concept of hozh'q, and indeed the goal of life is the unity of experience. Hozh'q expresses ideas of order, happiness, health, and well-being as well as balance and harmony. Hence, it is not only a way of looking at life, but a way to live.
hozh'q (Navajo, North American) [hoe-shk] (noun)
This means "the beauty of life, as seen and created by a person." For the Navajo, this is something that grows from within a human being and spreads outward to permeate the universe. It can be intellectual, emotional, moral, aesthetic, and biological. Navajo life and culture are very much based on this concept of hozh'q, and indeed the goal of life is the unity of experience. Hozh'q expresses ideas of order, happiness, health, and well-being as well as balance and harmony. Hence, it is not only a way of looking at life, but a way to live.
गुरुवार, जुलाई ०७, २००५
I learned something remarkable about my wife today!
मंगलवार, जुलाई ०५, २००५
Bandit
Here's a photo of Bandit taken on (and posted from) my Treo.
Here's a photo of Bandit taken on (and posted from) my Treo.
This is a picture of a turkey in my neighbor's front yard. I took this picture on my Treo 650 and am posting it from my Treo 650 using a trial version of mo:Blog.
शुक्रवार, जुलाई १६, २००४
You know you have been neglecting your blog for too long when a friend whose website glorifies procrastination gives you grief about it...
I just quit my job of over three years. Today (Friday) was officially my last day, but I am going to meet my erstwhile colleagues for a farewell lunch on Monday (at a restaurant, not the office). I am taking next week off from work, and then starting my new job a week later. I am really going to miss working with many of the people at my old job, but I am not going to miss the work itself. I am looking forward to the work at my new job and to getting to know my new colleagues.
I am still studying the Spanish Renaissance vihuela, and really enjoying it. I have not played sehtar or sung much in the past year, and really miss both activities. For that matter, I have not played Go (the board game) in a really long time either and I also miss that.
Our dog Jasper died late last year after a long and full life. I still miss him more than I can express. Early this year we adopted a new dog named Bandit. He's totally different from Jasper (other than being equally short), but also a very affectionate and caring member of our family. Bandit and I go running/walking for about 30 minutes nearly every day. He needs the exercise to stay mellow (otherwise he literally bounces off the walls) and I need it to stay sane, so it works out well for both of us. I am now "that guy who takes Bandit for a walk" to most of my neighborhood. :-)
There's a lot more that has happened, but I'm too exhausted to write more now. Maybe if the aforementioned friend gives me enough grief I'll write another entry in less than a year from now. ;-)
शनिवार, मई १७, २००३
So it has been ages since my last entry... I've been busy, OK?
Probably one of the more memorable things since my last entry was my first trip to Europe. Or, more precisely, my first trip to Europe in which I was able to roam freely outside of an airport. :-)
I got to see southern Germany last month (on a business trip) and it was really beautiful. The people there were very patient with me despite the fact that it had been about a decade since I had last actively spoken German. Despite my apprehensions as a vegetarian who does not drink alcohol, I actually found plenty of wonderful things to eat and drink while I was there. I really look forward to my next trip there.
On the European Early Music front, I was invited to join and then later kicked out of an Early Music ensemble -- I apparently did not live up to their expectations of a lutenist (or of a recorder player, as it turned out). I am in some ways sad that it didn't work out, but in retrospect it should have been clear to me from early on that it was not working out (I'll cite "artistic differences", shall I?). ;-) I'm continuing to work on the Spanish Renaissance Vihuela repertoire and really enjoying it. I'm seriously considering going to the Lute Society of America "summer seminar east" this August. Oh yeah, and I also sang bass in two concerts of Handel's Messiah and a concert of Faure's Requiem with the choir of First Parish in Framingham.
On the Persian Classical music front, I'm now working on the third section of Jalal Zolfonun's sehtar book, the section on Avaz-e Dashti. I really like "Zard-e Malijeh" ("Yellow Finch") -- it keeps going through my head. :-)
On the Hindustani Classical music front, I sang a couple of khyals and played bansuri (and Kurdish saz, despite it being a firangi instrument) at a mehfil at my wife's Hindustani vocal teacher's house.
On a lighter note, I played mandolin and sang bass in a Bluegrass band with four friends in a fund-raiser for the youth group of First Parish in Framingham to do a Habitat for Humanity project. One guy even played a wash-tub bass that one of the other guys and another of his friends had made. We played "A Man of Constant Sorrow" and "Froggy Went a-Courtin'". It was great fun.
Probably one of the more memorable things since my last entry was my first trip to Europe. Or, more precisely, my first trip to Europe in which I was able to roam freely outside of an airport. :-)
I got to see southern Germany last month (on a business trip) and it was really beautiful. The people there were very patient with me despite the fact that it had been about a decade since I had last actively spoken German. Despite my apprehensions as a vegetarian who does not drink alcohol, I actually found plenty of wonderful things to eat and drink while I was there. I really look forward to my next trip there.
On the European Early Music front, I was invited to join and then later kicked out of an Early Music ensemble -- I apparently did not live up to their expectations of a lutenist (or of a recorder player, as it turned out). I am in some ways sad that it didn't work out, but in retrospect it should have been clear to me from early on that it was not working out (I'll cite "artistic differences", shall I?). ;-) I'm continuing to work on the Spanish Renaissance Vihuela repertoire and really enjoying it. I'm seriously considering going to the Lute Society of America "summer seminar east" this August. Oh yeah, and I also sang bass in two concerts of Handel's Messiah and a concert of Faure's Requiem with the choir of First Parish in Framingham.
On the Persian Classical music front, I'm now working on the third section of Jalal Zolfonun's sehtar book, the section on Avaz-e Dashti. I really like "Zard-e Malijeh" ("Yellow Finch") -- it keeps going through my head. :-)
On the Hindustani Classical music front, I sang a couple of khyals and played bansuri (and Kurdish saz, despite it being a firangi instrument) at a mehfil at my wife's Hindustani vocal teacher's house.
On a lighter note, I played mandolin and sang bass in a Bluegrass band with four friends in a fund-raiser for the youth group of First Parish in Framingham to do a Habitat for Humanity project. One guy even played a wash-tub bass that one of the other guys and another of his friends had made. We played "A Man of Constant Sorrow" and "Froggy Went a-Courtin'". It was great fun.
सोमवार, अक्तूबर ०७, २००२
Once again, a lot has happened since my previous post.
I have just (this past Saturday) finished the first part of Jalal Zolfonun's sehtar book (the section on Dastgah Mahur), and I have begun the second part (the section on Dastgah Shur). I really like the sound of Shur a lot.
Last night I watched Kayhan Kalhor play kamanche and sehtar with Mohammad Reza Shajarian and Homayoun Shajarian in Cambridge (in Sanders Theater at Harvard). Hossein Alizadeh was supposed to play tar with them, but he was delayed in Paris waiting for his visa. Kayhan Kalhor was amazing. His fingers move so quickly and yet they appear to flow effortlessly. Mohammad Reza Shajarian and Homayoun Shajarian were also amazing. Their range (in terms of dynamics, pitch, emotion, etc.) was incredible.
I learned "Morgh-e Sahar" from Zolfonun's book and played it on sehtar and sang it at First Parish in Framingham (the Unitarian-Universalist church of which I am a member) for the meditative interlude Sunday a week ago, and then played & sang it again Friday night at an Indian/Pakistani "mehfil" (a party with music and poetry). Then, last night, for their encore, M.R. Shajarian, K. Kalhor, and H. Shajarian performed "Morgh-e Sahar"! :-)
On the European Early Music front, I recently got to see Hopkinson Smith play eight course Renaissance lute and Baroque guitar. Hopkinson Smith played English music on the lute and Spanish music on the Baroque guitar [which is very different from the modern guitar]. I have also begun learning the Spanish Renaissance vihuela -- a guitar-shaped instrument strung like a six course Renaissance lute. The vihuela repertoire is really beautiful (and, of course, it can also play the six course Renaissance lute repertoire).
I have just (this past Saturday) finished the first part of Jalal Zolfonun's sehtar book (the section on Dastgah Mahur), and I have begun the second part (the section on Dastgah Shur). I really like the sound of Shur a lot.
Last night I watched Kayhan Kalhor play kamanche and sehtar with Mohammad Reza Shajarian and Homayoun Shajarian in Cambridge (in Sanders Theater at Harvard). Hossein Alizadeh was supposed to play tar with them, but he was delayed in Paris waiting for his visa. Kayhan Kalhor was amazing. His fingers move so quickly and yet they appear to flow effortlessly. Mohammad Reza Shajarian and Homayoun Shajarian were also amazing. Their range (in terms of dynamics, pitch, emotion, etc.) was incredible.
I learned "Morgh-e Sahar" from Zolfonun's book and played it on sehtar and sang it at First Parish in Framingham (the Unitarian-Universalist church of which I am a member) for the meditative interlude Sunday a week ago, and then played & sang it again Friday night at an Indian/Pakistani "mehfil" (a party with music and poetry). Then, last night, for their encore, M.R. Shajarian, K. Kalhor, and H. Shajarian performed "Morgh-e Sahar"! :-)
On the European Early Music front, I recently got to see Hopkinson Smith play eight course Renaissance lute and Baroque guitar. Hopkinson Smith played English music on the lute and Spanish music on the Baroque guitar [which is very different from the modern guitar]. I have also begun learning the Spanish Renaissance vihuela -- a guitar-shaped instrument strung like a six course Renaissance lute. The vihuela repertoire is really beautiful (and, of course, it can also play the six course Renaissance lute repertoire).
सोमवार, सितंबर ०२, २००२
A lot has happened since my last entry, but one of the most exciting for me is that I have resumed taking Persian sehtar lessons. I am taking lessons at the Iranian Association of Boston's Khaneh-ye Iran. I also finally found an online store that sells sehtar fret gut and sehtar strings: Pooyesh Mall -- they also sell sehtar method books. Another online store I recently discovered which sells both Persian classical music books and recordings is: IranMelody -- it seems that they may soon offer musical instruments as well (their musical instruments page is under construction).
Update: I found another online store which sells Persian classical instruments, books, and accessories: Saz O Nava.
Update #2: I found yet another online source for Persian instruments, books, and accessories: Darvish Khan -- note: these guys have the Seem Taab (Sym Tab) tool for winding the loop end for sehtar strings.
Update: I found another online store which sells Persian classical instruments, books, and accessories: Saz O Nava.
Update #2: I found yet another online source for Persian instruments, books, and accessories: Darvish Khan -- note: these guys have the Seem Taab (Sym Tab) tool for winding the loop end for sehtar strings.
सोमवार, अगस्त ०५, २००२
Note to self: add this to my music page.
How to play a chord in just intonation on an equal tempered lute
(or viola da gamba, classical guitar, or similar gut or nylon strung
fretted instrument)
My lute teacher taught me how to do this:
Push the string(s) playing the major third of the chord lenthwise
towards the bridge. This introduces slack into the vibrating length
of the string, thus lowering the pitch. Ideally you want to lower
the pitch by about 14 cents for a major third (a justly intoned third
is about 14 cents lower in pitch than an equal tempered third).
For a minor third you would have to pull the string(s) playing the
third lengthwise towards the nut to raise the pitch by about 16
cents.
Note: If you were *really* neurotic... er, serious... about playing a
justly intoned chord, you could also pull the string(s) playing the
fifth of the chord lengthwise towards the nut to raise the pitch by
about 2 cents to play a justly intoned fifth. :-)
How to play a chord in just intonation on an equal tempered lute
(or viola da gamba, classical guitar, or similar gut or nylon strung
fretted instrument)
My lute teacher taught me how to do this:
Push the string(s) playing the major third of the chord lenthwise
towards the bridge. This introduces slack into the vibrating length
of the string, thus lowering the pitch. Ideally you want to lower
the pitch by about 14 cents for a major third (a justly intoned third
is about 14 cents lower in pitch than an equal tempered third).
For a minor third you would have to pull the string(s) playing the
third lengthwise towards the nut to raise the pitch by about 16
cents.
Note: If you were *really* neurotic... er, serious... about playing a
justly intoned chord, you could also pull the string(s) playing the
fifth of the chord lengthwise towards the nut to raise the pitch by
about 2 cents to play a justly intoned fifth. :-)
One of my colleagues recently saw a "Fisher Cat" (a relative of weasels, minks, martens, and otters) near his house. Here's a link to: MassWildlife's State Mammal List. Here's a link to: Fisher Facts.
On a completely unrelated topic: I resumed Persian classical music lessons on Sehtar this past Saturday. Hurray!
On yet another topic: I went to Crane Beach on Cape Ann on Sunday. My daughter and I found several different kinds of seaweed floating in the water with all kinds of interesting things on the seaweed (eggs, snails, bivalves, krill, etc.).
On a completely unrelated topic: I resumed Persian classical music lessons on Sehtar this past Saturday. Hurray!
On yet another topic: I went to Crane Beach on Cape Ann on Sunday. My daughter and I found several different kinds of seaweed floating in the water with all kinds of interesting things on the seaweed (eggs, snails, bivalves, krill, etc.).
बुधवार, जुलाई ३१, २००२
Kids ditch computers for board game (go/weichi/baduk -- my favorite game)
मंगलवार, जुलाई ३०, २००२
I found out today from the good folks at the Iranian Association of Boston that there are several Persian classical music teachers in the Boston area. I hope to find a teacher with whom to resume my studies of Persian classical music soon.
At some point I want to have this poem by Rainer Maria Rilke on my site, but in the meanwhile, here's a link to it (both the German original and the English translation): Sonnets To Orpheus II, 10.
Decided to start a weblog (aka "blog") today.
