I think it is fairly safe to say you have never heard a Trombone-Viola Duet. The very few exceptions would be some members of my family.
I arranged this for my Aunt Mika’s 90th birthday 6 years go.
Aunt Mika and my mom at my aunt’s 90th birthday party
My brother and I performed it, and that’s been the only public performance…until now. Although my aunt’s birthday is in August, I’ve been thinking about her and this piece and didn’t want to wait.
My brother, Ken and I at the first and, until now, only public performance of this work
I originally had no idea how it would sound, and I was pleasantly surprised by the musical combination. I figured, if one viola and trombone sound okay, two trombones and a viola should sound better, so I was happy to recruit another horn. I’ve also added photos of cherry blossoms I’ve taken in Japan and here in Portland.
I dedicate this to my Aunt Mika and to anyone celebrating their birthday during this crazy time.
“…shares stories of irrational decision making—from historical blunders to the kinds of everyday errors that could affect your future. Choiceology, an original podcast from Charles Schwab, explores the lessons of behavioral economics, exposing the psychological traps that lead to expensive mistakes.”
It may sound academic and dry. Admittedly, it does appeal to my degree in Psychology.
However, they take really interesting stories (the international space station, a Zamboni driver, Star Wars, professional gamblers, etc.) to illustrate various traits of human behavior and biases. Experts are interviewed to explain these in understandable terms.
Best of all, practical advice is give on how to avoid falling prey to these inherent human biases and irrational decisions. Fascinating and practical!
This song was stuck in my head when I woke up this morning.
My father and I performed a piano and violin arrangement of this song this decades ago in a hometown restaurant. It comes from a book of Fritz Kreisler arrangements.
Performing with my father circa 1986 in a Coos Bay restaurant – just realized he was 5 years older then than I am today
Here I am playing it on the viola instead of the violin. It has a lot of double-stops (playing two notes at the same time), which are difficult on most string instruments, but especially on the viola – an instrument notoriously difficult to play in tune.
Although I am big fan of and support the US Postal Service, I am not a fan of visiting the post office. Especially with Covid-19 concerns, I wish to avoid post office waiting lines.
super easy website to navigate (just enter your package dimensions, weight, address)
no monthly fees (I’m looking at you, Stamps dot com)
easy to compare different shipping methods to find the best rate (I’m looking at you, USPS.com – whoever designed your web interface should be severely punished)
low, corporate shipping rates
tracking numbers included
print out your shipping label on your home computer (your regular printer will do just fine)
just need a scale (a simple kitchen scale will do for many/most)
Even if you only need to ship one thing, it might take you less time to set up a new account and print out a label than it would to wait in line at the post office.
People who ship a lot may save a lot of money and time. You can opt to buy self-adhesive labels to put in your home printer, or consider upgrading to a dedicated label printer.
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Does this seem like an advertisement? I don’t get any benefit from sharing this info other than the pleasure knowing I might have saved my friends some time and money.
The 1939 romantic British pop song, “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square,” by Maschwitz and Sherwin has been performed by countless artists. I was first introduced to it by an a capella rendition on a Manhattan Transfer album.
A month or so ago, long-time family friend and bassist extraordinaire and founding member of the avant-garde jazz group, Oregon, Glen Moore, posted a video of Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen & Michel Petrucciani performing it.
The song got stuck in my head and so I reached out to friends of mine to record my transcription for string quartet.
Here it is:
The lyric, “The whole wide world…seemed upside-down…” takes on a much different tone today.
I love listening to podcasts, and especially now, during shelter-in-place and physical distancing (I prefer that term to “social distancing”), podcasts may be a great way to pass the time, learn something, or if you are having trouble going to sleep or are filled with difficult emotions, for relaxation.
What is a Podcast?
If you don’t know, a podcast is kind of like an internet radio show. You can listen to these audio shows whenever you want. You can pause and restart at any time. There are tons of podcasts on every topic you can think of, and you can subscribe to the ones you like.
They are organized by topic, free (some offer additional and/or ad-free content if you are willing to pay a little bit), and vary from shows from one individual talking about whatever they like to those from large companies and broadcasters (NPR, ESPN, etc.). Anyone can host their own podcast, and it takes very little gear and money to do so.
Most people listen to them on their smartphones. What you need is an app that lets you listen to and subscribe to podcasts. iPhone folks might use Apple Podcasts, Overcast, ListenApp, or many others. Android users might use Google Podcasts, Podkicker, etc. There are many cross-platform apps including Spotify, Pocket Casts (which I use), TuneIn Radio, and more. Here’s a list of apps.
Once you have an app installed, you can search for a particular podcast, or by a topic, listen and subscribe if you wish. Your phone can download shows automatically for you to listen on your own, in the car, whenever, even if you happen to be out of cell phone and WiFi range.
Don’t have a smartphone or don’t want to be bothered with yet another app? Most podcasts have websites you can visit and listen to shows. You give up the ease of subscribing to and auto downloading shows that you can take with you, though.
Toby’s favorite podcasts
What podcasts do I recommend? As I said, I listen to a lot of podcasts, and my mood changes from week to week and month to month. Here are some of my current favorites:
Well-Known and Popular Podcasts – these might be good for first-timer podcast listeners to check out: This American Life – one of the most popular podcasts out there. The Moth Podcast – live storytelling. Funny, fascinating, heartbreaking, never dull. RadioLab – a great podcast, a bit in the vein of This American Life, but more science/history; truly fascinating and entertaining Heavyweight – going back to a moment of regret; highly rated. I am warm/cold on it as I find the host both funny and grating at times
Science and Technology The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week – three hosts share three separate really weird stories, then vote on the weirdest; fun and interesting Choiceology with Katy Milkman – Wharton prof Milkman explores stories of irrational decision-making and the science behind it Reply All – podcast about the internet. Wouldn’t seem interesting, but it is very!
Crime and Justice Criminal – fascinating podcast about crime, detection, and justice More Perfect – amazing podcast about the supreme court. Sounds boring, but it is fascinating! Sold In America – fascinating, heart-breaking 8-episode series about sexual slavery in America, and the unintended consequences of laws intended to protect victims Caught – Lives of juvenile justice – stories about kids getting into trouble and mass incarceration (pre-southern border wall family separation, etc.) The Clearing – April Balascio’s emotional journey from reporting her father and investigating allegations that he was a mass murderer Serial – seasons 1 and 3 (skip 2). Season 1 gripped a lot of the podcast nation with its long form story about a teen convicted of murdering his girlfriend. Ear Hustle – podcast made and recorded within San Quinten Prison about life in jail
History and Social Commentary Death, Sex, and Money – fascinating podcast about those three topics we are told we should “never discuss” You’re Wrong About – reviewing stories you thought you knew; kind of like “Adam Ruins Everything” Rumble with Michael Moore – Moore talks about current events and interviews interesting people UnErased – fascinating, heart-breaking series about the “pray the gay away” movement Uncivil – history podcast about the Civil War and how those stories connect to issues of race today. Way more interesting than it sounds. I especially cannot recommend more highly the last two episodes, “The Ring” and “The Fugitive” Remade in America – hosted by Bassem Youssef, aka Egypt’s “Jon Stewart.” Interesting, entertaining, and thoughtful discussion on race, identity, and being an outsider Rough Translation – how are stories, news, etc. discussed elsewhere in the world? Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel – listen to actual therapy sessions hosted by couples therapist and author of “Mating in Captivity” Esther Perel Revisioninst History with Malcolmn Gladwell – long, fascinating journey through overlooked and misunderstood historical events/people
Misc. Song Exploder – musicians break down how they were inspired and created a song
Relaxation: 99% Invisible – honestly, I often listen to this to go to sleep since the host, Roman Mars has such a gentle, soothing voice. Slow Radio – probably not good for cooking or running, but for slowing down. 5-20 minute episodes that are gentle, relaxing recordings of nature, and gentle stories. I like it just before going to bed.
Years ago I wrote a parody which I performed for a Classical Revolution PDX when we regularly performed at The Waypost in NE Portland (hence the references to “The Waypost” in the song).
Here I am accompanied by bassist Rob Busey with whom I perform in the Newport Symphony. Thanks, Rob!
My last music offering was on the serious side. Here is something upbeat and humorous. It is my parody of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass.”
When I first heard her hit, the idea to rewrite the words as “All About That Bratsch'” came to me immediately – “Bratsche” (“Brah-cheh”) is the German word for “viola.”
The words came pretty quickly to me, and then I arranged it for string quartet.
Here are my friends, Casey, Mitchell, Dana, and Erin backing me up on my parody.
Fact: There are more jokes about the viola than about any other musical instrument or vocal range.
You can verify this by looking at the de facto compendium of music jokes, hosted at MIT. So numerous are the viola jokes that they split them into two sections.
I picked up the viola two decades ago and was smitten. I still play my violin, but it mostly sits silently neglected in my dual case while its larger companion is removed and played regularly. My blog post of a couple days ago was one of those rare occasions where I played my violin.
Many people do not know what a viola is and how it differs from the violin. I gave a little talk a few months ago on this very topic. Click this link to see my presentation slides (28 slides in total):
It talks about the history and development of the instrument, why there are so many viola jokes, and famous people and composers who loved the viola. I hope you enjoy the slides while learning about the viola.
I borrowed quotes from Jennifer’s Stumm’s excellent Ted Talk about the viola: “An Imperfect Instrument.” She includes several excellent musical excerpts in her talk demonstrating the sound of this lovely instrument:
Here is an excellent performance by my friend, Aurora Giselle Torres Cuevas performing the Prelude from Bach’s Suite No. 2 in D Minor which really showcase the viola and its unique sound and rich tone.
Why do I love the viola? I composed my own soliloquy to the viola twenty years ago (with all due respect to the violin and the wonderful people who have mastered that beautiful instrument):
The violin is like a high school or college student: full of fire, energy, passion, and ego…but not much emotional depth.
The viola is the blues singer. Her voice has been destroyed by cheap booze and cigarettes. She’s loved and been betrayed…many times. When she sings of happiness, it is tinged with pain, because we know it won’t last. When she sings a sad tune, it cuts deeply, for it comes from personal loss.
Toby Loftus
If you have any questions about the viola, feel free to comment and I’ll respond as best I can.
Blatant Calm 