Screech and tap

Back home for a few hours before getting back to work full time.

I bought 'The Essays: A Selection' by Michel de Montaigne. I had read his essay on cannibals when teaching 'The Tempest' and hadn't realised how wonderful his other writings were. I got the Penguin selection, which is edited by M A Screech, a great name as well as a top notch translator. These essays, along with John Cage's 'Silence' should make good reading in between the mad demands of work.

Big news: The Stick has arrived. It's an eight string tapping instrument (pictures are bound to follow) which regular readers will know I was having problems naming. Good sense has prevailed and I shall get on with the important business of learning to play it before giving it a name. Don's suggestion (see previous comment) was one of my early ideas and, I think, a fine one. Since Don's chess improvement blog has ended I've updated the link to his current one - Once a Fat Guy. I recommend a look.

The Stick, (SB8 to be accurate) is a beautifully crafted instrument. Hand made in Emmett Chapman's garage in LA, it has the potential to sound fantastic. At the moment, having had limited time to practise, I've been concentrating on getting a good tone and playing scales. I have played it with a band, but only for one song. It provoked a stunned reaction - an actual gasp from one of the musicians - and lots of questions. Once I can play it properly and confidently I'm sure it will open up all kinds of exciting musical adventures.