Blog Post #6—Finally, some sleep

Alrighty, let's jump right into this!  My TED Talk was Wednesday (4/5/17), and I honestly think it could not have gone better.  In the beginning, I played a bit of a piece by Gustav Holst which, I'll admit, was a bit r o u g h, but I think I made up for it with the rest of the presentation (hopefully I didn't talk too fast!).  I have terrible stage fright with regard to playing, so I think the fact that I did it in the first place is a really big move for me.

Even though this is probably the most unnecessary thing for me to do, I made another vlog going over my presentation, just for fun.  In it, I address my general talk theme as well as how well I think I executed the TED Commandments.  However, I the rest of this blog aside from the video, will go more specifically into the details of my talk.  So without further adieu:

A LINK TO MY FINAL VLOG

(aka: Liv embarrasses herself on the internet, one last time)

(it's a bit lengthy, but I promise it's worth it!  I mean, who doesn't want to see me be awkward on screen?)

(but if it really is too long... you can always skip the TED evaluation and just watch, like, the last 5 minutes)

So, hopefully you've come to this point having watched the vlog, if not: WATCH IT!  *cough* Anyways, I think my presentation had a lot of really good metaphors that helped reinforce and concretize this abstract idea of 'foundation.' With something as vague as that, I'm pretty satisfied with how I incorporated my Genius Project into it, as well as other things that my audience could relate to.  As mentioned in the vlog, I think the commentary on the education system and how students stop valuing full comprehension and continue to progress through school was a nice touch.

LASTLY, I'm really glad with my script.  I think I used some really good metaphors that helped concretize  the abstract idea of foundation.  Overall, I'm really proud of myself today, and I am truly proud of this project; it's unlike anything I've ever done before, and I'm glad I can close the door on it satisfied.

 As always, the reed means a lot to me.  Thanks for sticking with me; it's been one hell of a *concert.

- OMB
*one last bad music joke

For Blog Post #5 I commented on: Klugherz, Zhang, and Meltzer

Extra Blog Post #5—How are things going? Well, they're certainly /going/...

Hello fellow students that will probably never read this because they, too, are preparing for the TED Talks that begin tomorrow (right, guys...?).  However, as you can probably tell, most (and by that I mean all) of the things mentioned in Extra Blog Post #4 did not happen :/

There's a lot of reasons for this, which I will discuss in my TED Talk on Wednesday as well as the last blog post, but, yeah, those aren't happening.

The fifth and final blog post should be up Wednesday night, in which I will discuss every and all things regarding the final moments of this project.  It's been a ride, that's a for sure.

ANYWAYS, here's to all the presentations tomorrow: Good Luck!!!

A final joke...
An oboe player and his friend are going out to dinner.
The oboe player leaves oboe in his friend's car and says, "What if someone takes it?" The friend replies, "Don't worry, we'll look the car."
They walk into dinner, and about an hour later they return to the car.  Indeed, the window to the car is shattered where the oboe was left.  The oboe player reaches into to the car and screams, "Oh my God!"
The friend shouts, "What?  Is it gone?"
The oboe player returns from the car, two oboes in his hand.
[yes, this joke is so overused]

Thanks!

- OMB

P.S. the song "Happy Together" by The Turtles has an awesome oboe solo (1:27 - 1:43) :]

Extra Blog Post #4—Time is a Social Construct

So, yeah.  Below you'll see a vlog containing a severe amendment to my timeline that I like to call "I literally have no understanding of the concept of time, please kick me out of this program."

THE VLOG

AN UPDATED TIMELINE (this is in the video)
[the rest of] This Week (3/19)

• Upload an Extra Post that contains a video on how to make an oboe reed
• Make a full reed (completed, not perfect)
• Record a video to accompany the Extra Post using this reed

Next Week (3/26)

• Make another completed reed (...or 2?)
• Video of you using this reed; compare and contrast this with the other one
• Write a script for the TED Talk by the end of Wednesday (3/29)

The Following Week (4/2)

• Your TED Talk is tomorrow
• Why do you even need a list of things to do
• What is wrong with you
• Go practice

And a joke...

What time is it?

Time is a social construct created by the human race to feel some sort of stability within this strange place we call earth, Janet.

Thanks for the read!

- OMB

Blog Post #5—Let's take a step back from reeds, shall we? (5)

Guten Tag (I'm running out of greetings, please forgive me), readers!  Last week was a HUGE success, and I'm really proud of what I accomplished!  Unfortunately, I must take a step back from over-enthusiastic vlogs of myself screaming over a quaking piece of wood to *learn you guys a thing or two.  So, in light of my newfound crowing reed (see here), I've decided to do some nifty, cool research on the oboe as a whole.

A Shawm

To kick off, the first definite appearances of the oboe were in the 17th century (Baroque Period), through an instrument called the hautbois (you think I'm kidding; trust me, I wish I was, too).
The hautbois, was a descedant of the shawm, the medieval version of the oboe.  Despite appearances dating back to the Egyptian times that depict images of double reed instruments, these two occurrences are the first official oboe sightings.

A Hautbois

The baroque oboe (hautbois) was made of boxwood and had only three keys.  Additionally, to play an octave higher, an oboe player at that time had to use more air, as opposed to just using the octave key on the modern day oboe.  And, to be quite honest, I would have died as an oboe player in the 17th century because my asthmatic lungs would not be able to survive.


Now, moving onto the classical period (18th - 19th-ish century), the oboe was given a pretty snazzy makeover!  For example, it was resized, keys were added, it had r a n g e!  By this period, the oboe had a range from a C4 to an F6.

Classical Period Oboe

From here, the modern oboe finally emerges.  However, there is still an old-modern oboe that exists in our world today. Developed in the 1880s, the Viennese, or Wiener, Oboe is the spawn of the Germans and Austrians.  This oboe, holding a smaller size and different reed shape than the modern oboe, is thought to be the last direct replicate of the historically known instrument.  Though it has been succeeded by the modern Conservatoire Oboe, the Viennese Oboe is still used today in place of the hautbois in various Baroque pieces.

Viennese Oboe

Finally, we arrive at the modern oboe, the Conservatoire Oboe.

Conservatoire Oboe

This oboe, made from African blackwood (grenadilla), was created in the 19th century as a further development of the instrument.  The Conservatoire Oboe was developed by the Triebert family in Paris.  One of the most significant differences of this oboe as compared to all its predecessors, was the utilization of the Boehm key system, the structure of keys and tone holes used on the flute.  The addition of this system to the oboe allowed for an oboist to produce larger amounts of sound in a more efficient manner.  To this day, the Conservatoire Oboe is used as the modern version of the instrument.

Now you might be thinking, Liv, why does this matter? So what? Literally no one cares about the oboe.  I've never even heard an oboe in my life.  What's an oboe?  Whom?

Well, first of all, RUDE.  Second of all, I'LL TELL YOU WHY THIS MATTERS.

The oboe is obviously used in a lot of classical music.  Pieces such as...

• Marcello—Oboe Concerto in C Minor
• Srul Irving Glick—Sonata for Oboe and Piano
• Antonio Vivaldi—Oboe Concerto in F Major
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky—Swan Lake (Swan Theme)

While these pieces are all very beautiful and certainly characterize the oboe, it is also very prevalent in modern music.  The oboe is often used in film music, for example, due to its sad, flowing, melancholic sound.  Generally the it is used to convey a specific emotion for the duration of its playing.  For example, in both Star Trek and Star Wars, composers have pieces featuring the oboe, one sounding very hopeful and ready to charge, while the other sounds more defeated.  Below is a list of film songs that feature the oboe.

• "Suite for Oboe and Piano" From the Original Score To "Star Trek: The Original Series"
  click here to listen (0:00 - 2:08)
• "Gabriel's Oboe" From The Missing Soundtrack
  click here to listen (0:18 - end)

• "Plantarium" La La Land (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
  click here to listen (1:01 - 1:12)

• (the solos in) "Symphonic Suite from Far and Away" From Far and Away
  click here to listen [ psst!  I may be playing this ;) ]

As you can see, in all of these pieces (including the classical ones), the oboe is utilized to convey specific emotions in relation to the setting, development, and tone of the scene.  Additionally, the oboe is said to "speak," as it plays, many times taking up "roles" of scenes through its unique melodies and sound qualities.

So, I'd say the oboe is pretty neat... Maybe I'll learn how to play it sometime!

WELL, that's all, folks!  Kudos to you if you read all that.  I really enjoyed learning about the oboe and its evolution / importance to a piece of music, and I hope you did, too!

Bis später!

- OMB

*yes, this is on purpose

P.S. Click HERE for a link to my vlog, from when I first got a reed to make sound
P.P.S. Please click HERE for a very important vlog / update for this week!

For Blog Post #4 I commented on: Han, Kuo, and Wee

Extra Blog Post #3—Heads Up!

Hey, guys!  Here's just a general *list of things to look out for this week on my blog, whether as a cyclical post or an Extra one.

• A "Oboe Reed Making for Dummies" type video, in which I go through the steps on how to make a reed, while perhaps actually making a final, working reed!
• A post all grounded in research—history, special qualities, fun facts, and [most importantly] relevancy, of the oboe

And a joke for the road...

What's the difference between an oboe and a bassoon?

You can hit a baseball further with a bassoon. 

Thanks for sticking with me this far!  :]

- OMB

*honestly, this post is mostly for my benefit, so I have concrete evidence that I have to get stuff done—hopefully a new tactic to not procrastinate as much...?

Extra Blog Post #2—S C R E A M [feat. an interview] (VLOG)

IT'S ALIVE!  HERE is the link to my interview with Heidi Brann, oboist and reed maker.  Seeing as it's still ~20 minutes long, I've created a legend to help you navigate your way through the video.

Legend [things in red are the most important bits to watch!]
0:00- How long have you been making reeds?
1:21- What made you want to sell reed products as part of your career, rather than just playing?
1:48- Would you say that at this point, you spend more time making reeds than actually playing?
3:28- Being a good oboe player vs. having a good reed
3:52- Would you say that making reeds has helped your playing, musicianship, and sound quality? [4:24 - 4:53 is particularly interesting for this question]
7:00- What makes a reed "American" vs. "European"?
8:47- The "family tree" of oboe players
9:03- Classical Music: Is it dying?
10:29- Tips and Tricks
14:01- More tips and tricks!
15:52- Any last words???
17:17- Conclusion

Now, since this post is titled "S C R E A M [feat. an interview]," you probably realized that the interview isn't the most important thing here—you're right.  So, from "S C R E A M," you can probably guess that I've either a) reached my breaking point and am now preparing my death, OR b) made a reed that makes sound...

THE LATTER IS TRUE, AND I AM FREAKING OUT!!!  Before I go any further, I sincerely apologize to my gifted class for having to endure my extreme (and disruptive) shock when the reed made the tiniest bit of noise; however, I also greatly appreciate all the positive feedback from it, so thank you guys!

Now, to continue, let me set the stage, so to speak, with a *vlog:

THIS IS A LINK TO THE VLOG ON MY GOOGLE DRIVE

like if you see my dog :]

And for some photos...

she's beauty

she's grace

WELL, that's it for this second Extra Blog Post!  I'm so, so happy with how things are going, and I'd LOVE to hear some feedback on what you all think!

As I promised, here's another bad music joke:

Oboist: Did you hear my last recital?
Friend: I hope so.

Thanks for reading!

- OMB

*TECHNICALLY, I posted my interview before my vlog, so is this legal?

Blog Post #4—The Midpoint (4)

Preface:
As I write this blog post, I'm listening to the "Have a Great Day!" playlist on Spotify, and it is absolutely fantastic—10/10 would recommend.

Hey guys!  Before you all start yelling at me about how I didn't make an Extra Blog Post with my interview, LET ME EXPLAIN!  The video interview with Heidi Brann took a lot more time to cut down, and even when I keep only the essential parts, it's still ~25 minutes.  Additionally, this past week has been r o u g h, in terms of having time to talk about what I've been doing, due to a lot of factors.  However, this post will give a nice overview of what I've done in my absence and also address some stuff, like the interview.

So first off, I finally fixed the issue with getting the reeds to close.  By making the staples (corks) a little bit narrower around the metal part (see picture below), I've made it so the shaped gouges can wrap nicely around it without any gaps.

Two Weeks Ago vs. Two Days Ago

The right staple is much narrower,
and more suitable for tying the reed!

However, *with every success, a new problem grows present.  As I stated in my timeline at the beginning of this project, by Week 4 I wanted to have posted my interview as well as have made a "working reed," and, well, that did not happen.  As I write to you, fellow readers, my keyboard covered in reed dust, I can firmly state that I do not have a working reed.

Oof.  Talk about a letdown!  It's extremely frustrating to realize that a month into a project, you can't meet the expectation you've set for yourself at this point.  I will have to adjust my timeline so that hopefully next week I'll have the working reed(???).  This is a major setback, though I can't say it's one I didn't anticipate coming.  After all, "perfecting" the process of making reeds is a lifetime pursuit.

BUT FEAR NOT, FELLOW READERS; I SHALL PREVAIL!

Some good has come out of this week, and it's that I finally feel confident in how I'm scraping the reed.  Additionally, I have a fairly good idea as to how to make a reed without assistance; it's only a matter of (perfect) practicing and perfecting.

Anyways, that's really it for this week.  Don't worry, I'm also mentally reprimanding myself for my lack of work production this week... Trust me, I know.  This next week will be better, though!  I am currently working on a reed, of which the tip looks very similar to the company bought one I use.

the tip colors are very alike!
(store bought vs. my own)

Also, since this is the midpoint of the project, here's a picture of all 8 reeds I've made / scraped since Week 1 until Now.

a moment of silence for Reed #3
who didn't make it in any shape or form
#RIPinPeace

If you compare Week 1 to now, you can see that I'm really starting to get the hang of the scraping, especially so that the color varies in different parts of the reed.

Now, finally, the moment you've all been waiting for... MY INTERVIEW:










Hm?  There's no video, you say?  Yeah... funny story 'bout that.  So, 6 hours ago (2:00 PM) prior to posting this, I had it all planned out: I'd finish editing the interview, make a little concluding part, adjust the sound, save the file as a Movie, and upload it.  So there I am, excited to save the video.  My finger triumphantly clicks the "Save movie" button in the top right corner.  1%... 2%... 5%... 17%... 20%—

i love to suffer endlessly with no mercy whatsoever

So, yeah.  Dammit (censorship is key [are you proud of me, Dana?]).  As a Middle School survivor, I know that you never delete the videos you use in Movie Maker until you're done the video you're making, so something's wrong here that's out of my control.  My journey to the Tech Office is being planned as we speak, and as for the video... I will upload it (as an Extra post) as soon as the Technology Gods conclude that they've punished me enough for creating group chats that contain the same general 5 people in different combinations.  As a great blogger once said only 8 paragraphs before this: Oof.

OVERALL, this  past week has been a handful of ups and downs, all of which have contributed to my utmost frustration and satisfaction.  However, I still have half the project to go, and that fact will keep me going.

Here's to a better week, folks—thanks for reading!

- OMB

P.S. Sorry for the long post again... Hold habits die hard?

*Wow what a deep quote by your's truly.  Victor Hugo whom???

For Blog Post #3 I commented on: Zarrow, Stevens, and Acuna