None of you, want to know how I respond to copyright claims, but it works quite effectively, and I have not been bugged since, however I am quite threatening in my response.
I ran across this video recently, and it reminded me of this thread. Really interesting video on intergenerational conflicts, so thought I would share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD0x7ho_IYc
I ran across this video recently, and it reminded me of this thread. Really interesting video on intergenerational conflicts, so thought I would share. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD0x7ho_IYc
This has been an interesting thread, and although seemingly exhausted, I think keeping alive the idea of introducing the younger set (now I really feel old) to 20'sand 30's music is a good one.
It's been my experience that introducing people to "period" music on "period" machines is a part of the historical experience, as someone on the forum observed that a gramophone is like a time machine. That's the pitch I use when I take a couple of gramophones to local Boy Scout troops when they work on the music merit badge, or when I visit a private secondary school in my area that has a great music teacher who is a family friend. Besides overseeing the schools string program, she teaches a listening history of American music to all student-musicians and the interest shown by these 16-17-year-olds in the gramophones themselves is actually encouraging. She listened to a bunch of records at our house and chose a few recorded by Weems, Shilkret and Goldkette and then had me demonstrate the machines with those records during her class. She had the kids make notes on the arrangement of certain songs; "Pay attention to how the arrangers established 'the line' and then observe how they carry it thought the entire piece." I do think she is exceptional; she is determined to have the kids actually appreciate what they are hearing. She also teaches the kids to fox trot!!! I found it amazing how kids take to something new if you make it engaging and fun.
That was my experience in the fall of 2019, before covid shuttered the schools (and the scout meetings.) I hope to return to it this coming fall.
I've had decent luck in showing up at music festivals (electronic dance music) with wind-ups and a few crates of 78's. My demonstrations and workshops reliably draw good sized crowds and people are genuinely interested in learning about the music and technology. 2020 was such that the events were very small and very private, the benefit of this was that anyone with the desire to DJ had the opportunity, and I was happy to jump right in! While I brought a wide variety of music, much of it was the hot 1920's dance and the later revival versions (such as Firehouse Five). Playing 1920's dance music was generally well received but did have some challenges at that type of event.. those challenges are that the music has too little bass and that people don't generally know how to dance to it. I've been working with Ableton Live (software) to find a way to add a proper bass line to existing music, which has proven to be more challenging than you might think.
Of all the workshops at the few events I saw in 2020, the one which drew in the largest crowd was a workshop I hosted on recording to brown wax cylinders.
I believe that there's interest but no one is trying to "recruit" or advertise to the younger people, this is only compounded by the general "hermit" mentality that many 78 collectors seem to be born with; that is to say that younger people are more interested in social events where something interesting is happening, which doesn't seem to really happen in the 78 community.
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