Відео

I do have a nice wooden flute, but I need to work on my embouchure. I don't practice the flute enough.

​@@TheImprovyssey You are good at improvs, how are you with playing written tunes?

@@TanzMitMir43 Not bad. I'm classically trained on the flute, so I can sight-read in the treble clef. I've also taken harp lessons for almost a decade, so I'm a lot better at the bass clef than I used to be. I can't really sight-read on the piano (or not very quickly, anyway) but can read the melody and improvise the accompaniment.

@@TheImprovyssey I have been binge watching a lot of old Soviet movies lately (many are incredibly good) and if ever there was a tune made for the kalimba or accordion it's "Polyushke Polye" or "The Song of the Plains" - would you have a go at it on your other channel perhaps. The Kalimba Tabs YT channel has the tabs if you need them. Thanks

@@TanzMitMir43 I'll think about it...though probably not immediately. I'm drowning in marking right now and don't have much time. But we'll see!

It depends. In this case, I fiddled around briefly with various whistles before deciding on the D whistle, but I didn't play much before I made the video. However, I played the concertina a few times earlier in the day. I'll often just sit down, turn on the camera, and play. Occasionally, I screw up badly enough that I have to start again. Daily practice can range from just the video to substantially more time spent with various instruments. But at the very least, I get those three minutes in there. It may not seem like much, but I've improved on most of my instruments since I started. Everybody's process is different, but I find it useful that I'll always have that short time every day when I have to play music. It's become a sort of musical diary, which is fun too.

It's a no-name Italian concertina that cost me $65 on Facebook Marketplace. It was likely sold to a tourist at some point in the second half of the twentieth century. Understandably, it's not the most professional ever instrument, and I do hope to find a nicer Anglo at some point, but all the notes sound, the buttons don't stick, the bellows don't leak, the instrument is mostly in tune with itself, and the buttons hardly ever fall into the body. It's been great to learn the basics on.

No, this was pure improvisation. I just sat down at the piano and played.

I haven't broken a string yet, but I expect it's not too bad. I've never actually broken a zither string, possibly because I'm used to these kinds of tuners and know you have to turn the pegs by TINY increments, not crank away at them, as people used to guitars might do. Each string has a little ball on one end, so the main difficulty would be winding the string around the tuning peg, which is always the most fiddly part of stringing anything resembling a harp.

@@TheImprovyssey thanks so much for the info and tips on tuning. It does sound nice. I'm going to order one today!

@@nightheme365 Hurrah!

@@TheImprovyssey 😁

Soon. But my harp really needs to be tuned (a lot), and I may have been avoiding that.

Is the drone from Shruti box? Am I hearing more than one pitch?

@@geneveiveharper Yes, it is, and yes, you are. I've unstopped low F, low Bb, middle F, and middle Bb (it's a three-octave box).

A lot of them stay here all year as well.

The little guy with the pickaxe is eternal.

@@TheImprovyssey 😆 sorry to laugh, but I know the feeling!

Pain.

Yep...an MK Pro low D. It's a great whistle.

i also like how you made it sound like something unfolding or opening, like a flower. I might feel that because of your title too...

This particular instrument isn't chromatic, but I do have chromatic treble and alto Hugh Tracey kalimbas. I like them a lot, though I find I tend to forget about the chromatic tines on the back. That's just me, though. There are markers (little dots) on the alto kalimba to show you the approximate position of the tines on the back, which is helpful. It's very possible to play chromatically once you get used to the position of the back tines. Caveat: the alto is a pretty chunky instrument, so if you have small hands, reaching the back tines and the front tines simultaneously may be a bit of a stretch.

@@TheImprovyssey Thanks so much! Now I understand why there was so much made in the product descriptions at Kalimba Magic about hand size. (Where did you buy yours, if I may ask? Your HT Kalimba, I mean, not your hands.) And they have the solid-body chromatic Celeste alto model, which is easier for those with smaller hands to play. My hands are pretty large, with long fingers, so I don't really need the help, but like the solid bodies more than the hollow bodies. Having found your channel, I see that we both have a tendency to collect lots of instruments. Making your improvisations seems like a good way to excuse the mountain of musical stuff that results. I've been exploring the kantele, viola, classical kemence (Turkish), salterio cromatico (an in-line, Italian-made, chromatic hognose psaltery, concertina, cross-strung harp, and harmonica. Bravo to you for what you're doing!

@@joanandbrandon I got mine from Kalimba Magic. And yeah, it's hard NOT to collect instruments. My apartment may be a wee bit cluttered.

It depends. I'm happy to improvise on pre-existing music, but only if it's in the public domain, as I don't want the Licensing Gremlins to descend on me. I've noodled away on public-domain material before (and still have this one guy who always tries to get my videos taken down when I improvise on "Silent Night").

@@TheImprovyssey Yikes, I didn't know they cracked down on copyright infrigements so hard. Seems a little radical for just a cover. Well, if you have time of course could you try to play Lullaby for Outis by Zihvya its by a small creator here on yt so rest assured you won't have to worry about those licensing gremlins😂(presumably) and of course give credits. I really like what you're doing here on youtube and I especially like your kalimba covers and improvisation but is it ok if I offer a suggestion? Feel free to disregard it but maybe tell stories with it or have an animated picture of some sort, some kind of experimentation will bring another element of allure to your videos I feel like.... idk! I'm just some internet person. Cheers! (Sorry for length😭🙏)

@@user-ji1ow4gq8z That's a really neat piece. Unfortunately, it really requires a chromatic instrument; the kalimba is diatonic. I have a couple of chromatic kalimbas, but the way they work wouldn't be conducive to the playing of a piece like that (or, at least, it would be beyond my skill level). But I love the sounds achieved in "Lullaby for Outis." Re. your suggestion: I would definitely do that if I had more time. I'm working on some more involved pieces that come with accompanying images. I've also done some musical storytelling; you can find it on my channel in the "Musical Stories" playlist.

It's definitely one of the cutest instruments I own.

I'm guessing you got that ukulele in Borneo

@@geneveiveharper It's a baglamas: a tiny bouzouki (a Greek instrument). Alas, I didn't get it in Borneo.

Heh...thanks. I don't know if the terrible toy accordion has a brand name. It is simply the worst.

How about a video of the accordion terrible???! Pretty please?!?

@@ThePianoMan-li5dr I've got one somewhere (I assume it's Improv 386). I'm not sure where the terrible accordion is at the moment. I prefer to play the non-terrible accordion, though I can't right now because I'm recovering from broken ribs and can't lift it.