Music, Maestro!

Warning: This is one of those posts with way too many links for one sitting. I started with enough material for three posts, then edited out all but the most awesome links. You may want to bookmark this so you can come back later to enjoy what you don't have time for now.

After spending more than half my life playing music on the radio, plus ten years married to another disc jockey followed by ten years married to a professional musician, you could say I know a little about music. Once I took a test and found I have an excellent “ear” for music. That means I can hear exactly how badly I sing!

Have you heard of the all-dwarf Kiss tribute band Mini Kiss? They rock! Their rivals are a band called Tiny Kiss.

Play tubular bells here. The instrument, not the song.

If you like Samorost, you’ll also enjoy The Polyphonic Spree-The Quest for the Rest. The little speaker bar at the bottom controls not the volume, but the song playing.

Your Theme Song is Beautiful Day by U2

"Sky falls, you feel like It's a beautiful day Don't let it get away" You see the beauty in life, especially in ordinary everyday moments. And if you're feeling down, even that seems a little beautiful too.

What's Your Theme Song?

If you enjoyed Desktop Blues from a few weeks ago, you’ll also enjoy the Hip Hop Machine.

Extreme Cello Playing is a “sport” involving playing the cello in odd places. Really. Right now they are working on playing on all the cathedral roofs in England. (via Arbroath)

I am all for mixing musical genres, in fact Dred Zeppelin is one of my favorites. But The Yodelin Rapper is just as far out as it gets!

If you think you can’t sing, this might make you feel better about it. But this one’s kinda cute. (via Arbroath)

You are going to enjoy the animated music video Animusic Pipe Dream. When you are ready for more, try Animusic Starship Groove.

Its not what you’d call lip syching, but what WOULD you call it? (via Arbroath)

He sang Stairway to Heaven backwards phonetically, then reversed the tape. Watch this!

The Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britian plays Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Play the piano right here on your keyboard! Well, I didn’t say you’d play well, did I?

Whoever thought they’d make a guitar pick into a high-tech gadeget? The Light Pick.

THE ACCORDIAN

A drummer, sick of all the drummer jokes, decides to change his instrument. After some thought, he decides on the accordion. So he goes to the music store and says to the owner, "I'd like to look at the accordions, please."

The owner gestures to a shelf in the corner and says "All our accordions are over there."

After browsing, the drummer says, "I think I'd like the big red one in the corner."

The store owner looks at him and says, "You're a drummer, aren't you?"

The drummer, crestfallen, says, "How did you know?"

The store owner says, "That `big red accordion' is the radiator."

INSTRUMENTS OF A DIFFERENT SORT

Gas Tank Orchestra plays instruments made out of... gas tanks.

Ham violin.

How to play the spoons.

A guitar made from an oilcan. Perfect for the Tin Man!

Jon Rose plays a fence. Yes, a barbed-wire fence as a musical instument. See the videos! (via Neatorama)

You’ve heard of cigar box banjos... now here’s a hubcap banjo!

The man with the musical suit. He can dance, too! (via Arbroath) Here’s his website.

The TRATTIs are screaming devices for children. they are musical instruments for playing together. TRATTIs generate noise and sound and music (depending on your ear) according to what the kid is looking at. Just what you always wanted!

Game controllers as musical instruments.

TUBA OR NOT TUBA

What's the range of a tuba?
Twenty yards if you've got a good arm!
How many tuba players does it take to change a light bulb?
Three! One to hold the bulb and two to drink 'till the room spins.
What's a tuba for?
1 1/2" by 3 1/2" unless you request "full cut."
How do you fix a broken tuba?
With a tuba glue.
These two tuba players walk past a bar...
Well, it could happen!

As I was preparing this entry, my friend Ed Bremson posted a song he wrote and recorded. Check it out!

Previously on Miss Cellania: Music Notes

Thought for today: There's nothing I like better than the sound of a banjo, unless of course it's the sound of a chicken caught in a vacuum cleaner.

humor jokes video funny games music musician instruments band orchestra weird Save To Del.icio.us

Comments

[Dick]

When we lived out near Black Diamond we had a neighbor who was a DJ on a Seattle oldies rock station. He was about impossible to beat in Trivial Pursuit on any music question, even those not about rock.

[OmegaMom]

Oh, my. The Ukelele Orchestra of GB truly rocks out! Woohoo!

[rockyjay]

Well, I've got "Beautiful Day" by U2 as well, whereas I was waiting more like a Seinfeld Theme...

Speaking of U2 songs this one is more like for me:

I'm not afraid of anything in this world
There's nothing you can throw at me that I haven't already heard
I'm just trying to find a decent melody
A song that I can sing in my own company

Lyrics from: "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of"

[Simply Coll]

Music has always been a big part of my life. I have no talent when it comes to singing or playing an instrument.. but music has always been able to sooth my soul or speak to my heart. Would you believe that my husband and I each bought ourselves our first MP3 players yesterday. Mine is red and his is black. We spent all day yesterday loading them with our favourite songs. What fun!!

[Skunkfeathers]

Some days, my theme song is 'Today'; sometimes, it's 'Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road'. I'm flexible.

A colleague found and downloaded for me the weirdest song I've ever heard, anywhere. I don't have a link to it; it's just as well, trust me. If you want to hear it, I can email it. But careful what you wish for ;-)

[ed bremson]

Well of course I love A Stairway to Heaven, and think Led Zeppelin is one of the great groups of all time. Robert Plant also had a great voice. The link where the guy sings backwards was interesting and prompted me to do a little surfing of my own. I came up with this, which you might be able to use in the future? http://jeffmilner.com/backmasking.htm
It contains several songs that you can play forwards and backwards. In the Stairway song, I could hear the word "Satan" a couple of times when played backwards. I do not attach any particular significance to this, however. Interesting article in wikipedia on Stairway.

Music is very important to me, as I'm sure you might guess. Your post today made me think about music, and specifically about Stairway to Heaven, which has been a large part of my life for 30+ years. I'm glad about that. Thank you.

[raggedy]

Great post! I love music!
Hugssss

[ed]

with that backmasking link, you can also display the lyrics, backwards and forwards, which makes it easier to hear them. Very interesting, especially "Number nine"

[jacek]

Very true... but I doubt I will be hounded by a bunch of crazed bloggers looking to get me hitched... :)

[PAgent]

Q: What do you call a musician that just broke up with his girlfriend?

A: Homeless!

[Jean-Luc Picard]

Have you heard the Rolf Harris version of 'Stairway To Heaven'?

[actor212]

When they do the movie of my life, the director will sit down with the scorer and composer, and try to write music to define me.

I suspect they'll end up cheating and throwing the entire Ozzy Osbourne catalog up, and the theme will be Iron Man.

And I don't even LIKE Ozzy...

[Happy and Blue 2]

Great post. Huge pile of links but a great post.
I think the Australian Idol guy is the best..

[Pen/ssprite]

this is REALLY going to date & age me (my birthday is in 4 days) - I remember Spike Jones - I also clearly remember watching a B&W TV with a round tube that glowed a tinge of green, with him and his band doing Cocktails for Two ;)

[Jim]

You really really REALLY need to play in the next mixmania! - your mix would be INCREDIBLE!!!