The Flying Elbows

The Flying Elbows are a small musical group, with the lead a violinist (or fiddler, as I'm learning to call the instrument when its played this way) who play on Martha's Vineyard. 

We first heard them years ago when we went "up-Island" to a contra dance. And, watching them play, we understood why the name: those elbows do fly because they're playing 90 miles/hour and no brakes. 

The tunes reminiscent of Irish and Southern music, rich in harmonies and thrills (at least I'm thrilled with it). I tried to describe it so I could write about it; as far as I can tell, there's no way to emulate in words that old-timey music with dashing dancing prancing instruments (fiddle, banjo, guitar, etc.) except with the instruments themselves. The first fiddle often leads with a kind of tune and the others play harmonies. No, that's inadequate. I'll think of another way to describe it....

A violin/fiddle can play only one note at a time (unlike, say, a piano); however, the fiddler overcomes this apparent limitation by playing extremely fast, so the notes tend to blur and blend into a recognizable tune that depends on clumps of notes rather than individuals. 

One of the players said this: "It's not bluegrass music; this music came before bluegrass."

He closed with this classic: "Old timey music is better than it sounds!"

Sadly, my explanation, while having the virtue that it sounds simple and easy (like so many theories abounding today) is incorrect. A reader, Elizabeth, sent me a corrective email, which I quote here:

"I play fiddle and I wanted to let you know that a violin/fiddle can play more than one note at a time. The violin has 4 strings and there are 4 fingers on the fingerboard. The bow can play on more than one string at a time. The fiddler can play chords using 2, 3 or even 4 strings at a time. Old-time New England fiddlers and dance callers could have the bridge of their fiddle altered to make it straight across instead of arched. This would make it possible for the fiddler to play 4 strings at a time so their instrument would be loud, as they had no amplification way back then. You mention the rich harmonies. A fiddler can harmonize a tune by using 'double stops', meaning they can play at least 2 notes at a time."

Let this be a warning to us. If anyone, especially some of the political bloggers, produces a theory that sounds as if it could be correct, it probably is not. Reality is more complex and therefore more interesting...

Evolution? Creative Design? We report, you decide

Here's the pitch: any intelligent designer, designing life, would include an algorithm for evolution. Comment?

Down in NJ

This weekend in NYC, we heard a lecture by astrophysicist Dr. Laurance Doyle, and he was brilliant. Pointed out that quantum physics and current physicists' experiments tend to agree that the universe is not material; in fact, matter does not really exist. The closer one looks at apparent matter, the less it appears to be. This leads to all kinds of fascinating developments in theory and practice.

HOWEVER, from that high point, we went over to NJ and spent the night in a new motel, one of those famous chains whose initials are BW... in Mt. Olive. First we discovered that only hot water came out of the bathroom sink tap. Fortunately this wasn't true of the shower! Then when I tried to use the internet, it asked for a password that the desk clerk didn't have. Crowning note: when Penny took a shower she smelled gas (not a human emission). 

Good thing, though, got to spend an afternoon with oldest daughter and her family. Her husband is a Non-Vegetarian: eats only meat, and he cooked up a couple of humongous chunks for dinner, of which I ate a bit more than my portion. It may not be real, an illusion, but the taste and satisfaction rates are pretty high. (Did you ever see the movie MATRIX? Same situation: can see through the illusion to the reality behind, but still like the illusion of a steak.)

Watchmen

Continuing my quest to read more graphic novels before I begin my own, I just finished Watchmen, a graphic novel by Alan Moore. Moore also authored V for Vendetta, and these two confirm me in determining that I shall never again read anything by him.  His work is filthy, degraded, bloody, amoral... I don't like it. 

But let me explain a bit more. Imagine a Quentin Tarantino movie with even more emphasis on blood, monotonous conversations, boredom broken by violent action in which nobody, NOBODY is safe from a horrible death.  And a twisted ending (as different from an ending with a twist) is mandatory.

However, I'm getting closer to starting my own graphic novel. This week I submitted portions of two separate novels to editors and agents. Waiting for their responses gives me time to think about doing my own graphic novel--writing and drawing it. Once I begin, I'll post pictures on this blog.