Author Archives: mihtjel

Books

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I got myself a couple of books to learn to play the piano, namely the first two of “The Complete Piano Player”, giving me quite enough to do for a while. (I’ve yet to master the first three songs in it – I have attacked them vigorously, and I can hit the notes fairly well, but my rhythm counting isn’t very good.)

Once I get the rhythm down, I’m fairly sure I’ll be quite good. I am already having good success reading the music, which isn’t really very hard.

Roland KR-3000

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I managed to find one. An electric piano for almost no money. 2.000 kr., or about £175. It’s a Roland KR-3000, and since google is unable to find me a suitable link for that name, I shall have to post a bit about the specs here, for the world to see.

Roland KR-3000
Specifications

  • Keyboard: 88 velocity-sensitive keys (That do feel quite weighted as well, though probably not hammer-action.)
  • Polyphony: 31 notes at a time. Not up to par with modern keyboard with at the very least 64, but quite okay for my use.
  • Pedals: 3.
  • MIDI: In, out, through. I didn’t really expect this, given the age (I think it’s from 1992, and was introduced even earlier) – but very nice.
  • Size: 1410mm by 480mm by 835mm
  • Weight: 65 kg. (OUCH!)

This very last part, the weight, is really the reason why this post doesn’t include a picture. I haven’t actually managed to haul it up here yet. I am waiting for a few people to wake up and give me a helping hand, but alas, it is Sunday and people are sleeping.

It does have a lot of other features, but those aren’t really of interest to me yet – I just want it to function as a piano.

Starting problems

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I’ve had a bit of problems with my car – not big ones, but just a bit of starting trouble. At first, it was a few occasions of the engine not wanting to start when the weather was wet, but now it’s had some problems as well in hot weather. Suggestions were made to check vacuum lines, and vacuum lines were checked, and seem to be fine. Next step will be to replace the power distributor, which is hopefully the source of the problem.

Piano plans

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I stopped playing World of Warcraft. It’s too time-consuming, it was starting to get boring, and I really need to concentrate on my studies this fall. I want to get my bachelors degree before I’m 30 or something like that.

Anyway, with a lot of time freed up came a natural craving to do something else. So washing all my socks, I thought about what kind of things I might want to do, and came upon this craving I’ve had for some time to learn to play some music. I wanted to learn how to play jazz piano. Now, I am in no way a natural music player, but I do think it’d be cool to be able to play the piano. I’d need a few tools for it, granted, like for instance a piano – but apart from that, I have friends who can provide me with some help and some beginner music, and there seems to be no shortage of piano teachers in town.

The biggest problem now is buying a piano. It’d have to be an electric one, since those work with headphones, and I’m sure the people living above, below and next to my room would really like that. It also needs to be of a certain quality – I think a Roland one would be a nice choice. Probably a previously owned one, since my economy doesn’t really allow for the price of a new one.

My worry is that this is merely a passing idea, so I am slightly reluctant paying the money into it, just to find out I don’t really want to use it for more than a month or two. Not sure how I’m going to figure that one out…

Car care, part two

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So, I tried using the car care stuff I bought myself, in an attempt to make it look at bit better. Didn’t do it all, just a few tries in some select areas (and the entire bonnet).

It seems the polish is very, very good at getting dull, matte paint looking bright and shiny, and for filling in some of those tiny scratches it’s gotten over time. Hooray for that, the entire car will get to look bright and shiny. But, it doesn’t seem to really work at getting rid of the white(pink) spots on the front of the car, from the engine heating up and evaporating water, leaving behind residue (or acid?). Hopefully, a longer course of treatment of soap, polish, lots of wax and hard work will make it look nice and shiny again. For dealerships and replacements, check out Conklin Buick GMC Hutchinson here for your cars.

Car care

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I just spent a small fortune (kr. 492.75, or around £40) on car care materials. I got myself a regular washing brush, a brush for wheels, wheel-cleaning soap, special wax-free soap, polish and wax. If you are not feeling comfortable with the features of your car you can also search conklincars.com to sell your cars at best deals.  Instead of buying a new car, you can check out .conklinchevroletnewton.com/rent-a-vehicle for reliable car rental that suits your budget.The last two items made up the bulk of the purchase (kr. 298.00), but they do seem to be quality products, and they’re seperate polish and wax and not just a mix (meaning you can reapply a coat of wax without having to polish the car down further – good thing.).  You can check out chevy dealership if you need the best car dealerships near you! If you are planning to purchase a new car, go to this web-site where you get all information about vehicles and do test drives to get the best car-buying experience.

As suggested by chevrolet dealership, I’ll have to find someplace with some shade to wash the car, polish it down and wax it. And it’ll have to be a place where I can stay for quite a while, without fear of rain or sun, for the wax job to be optimal. Perhaps my parents carport will do the job… Otherwise, at least for the delicate cleaning, polish and wax, I can use the basement at work. Washing the car in a basement is probably not so optimal, but I guess I could do that outside and then drive it downstairs…

Thoughts?