Airport Express doesn’t like 802.11n

Bought a new router (net connection was dropping for a second a few times a day) and replaced it with a Belkin N Wireless Router.  All hard wired computers were back online pretty quick.

The Airport Express that I use to play music in the office did NOT connect though.  When I tried to configure it I would get this:

An error occured while trying to access the Apple wireless device.  Make sure your network connection is valid and try again.  Error 10057

After trying MANY things I flipped my router from “802.11b & 802.11g & 802.11n” to “802.11g” the Airport Express now works.  I don’t know what this does to my range/speed for devices that are able to talk 802.11n.

The bigger problem is the long network cable that no longer works… zero changes to that end of things but connecting a computer directly to the other end fails to work.  Little choice but replacing the entire cable, about 20ft long… through the basement… through a hub.

I hate networking – but not as much as I hate printers.

Pathatique Line Niner

Made it to line nine today – In the last video I decided to stop playing it from the beginning and focus on the section being learned. This will cut down on the length of video I need to upload etc.

At my current rate I should be done before opening day – but I fear there are some hard parts coming up that might take a lot more time then what I’ve laid down to date.

I am very much enjoying this goal BTW: It’s motivated me to find all the missing ivory chips from the keyboard and fix them. Who knows – I might get the piano tuned someday soon!

As usual: To track my progress start here:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pCoR2s6yl9fw3B1rC1N1vdw

See more progress on: Play Beethoven’s Pathatique from beginning to end

Free Octave

I’m a big fan of the Star Spangled Banner.  I find it inspiring to witness crowds in the thousands silence themselves during it’s performance pre-game.  This year’s rendition by Jennifer Hudson was notable for a few reasons, but what I really liked about it is the musical flair added during the singing of line “O’re the land of the free, and the home of the brave.” 

Many performers add a note to the word “Free” by raising up an octave – I think it’s amazing.  I call this technique the “Free Octave” and always cheer then I hear it.  It comes right at the end of the song too – and is a perfect queue to begin the applause.  It also coincides with fly-by timing nicely.

Hudson’s rendition is available on the iTunes store, and you can hear her “Free Octove” at the 2:11 mark in the recording.

Recorded Pathatique Line 1 and posted to YouTube

Check it out: Not only did I make a spreadsheet to track the goal (easier to plan than do), but I incorporated a youtube recording of me playing the first line in the spreadsheet.

Check the Spreadsheet

Or check just the line one youTube video

Got most of the 2nd line down today – but I won’t consider it “done” until I can play it well enough to consider recording it.

Way ahead of schedule.

See more progress on: Play Beethoven’s Pathatique from beginning to end

Working on piano piece one line at a time

I’m not sure what reminded me of this one – but I finally dug out my copy of the sheet music and put it on the piano. Played through the first line.

I need to decide an appropriate rate to learn this song at – a certain number of lines per month kind of thing.

I suppose I’ll count the lines in the piece, decide on a date I’d like to know it by, and do the math. I figure “Before I’m 40” is a pretty good goal on this one.

26 lines in the first movement.
60 line in the second movement.
28 in the third movement.
For a total of 114 lines. Yikes.

Did the math and set up a mini goal of the 1st movement learned this year.  Made a spreadsheet and everything.

 

See more progress on: Play Beethoven’s Pathatique from beginning to end

Kids MP3 player list

01 Don’t Know Why.mp3
01 Upside Down.mp3
02 Bohemian Rhapsody.m4p
03 Barbie Girl.mp3
03 Grade 9.mp3
03 Satellite.mp3
04 Linus And Lucy.mp3
05 Christmas Time Is Here.mp3
05 Stash.mp3
06 If I Had Eyes.mp3
07 Ants Marching.mp3
07 Jingle Bells.mp3
07 Skating.mp3
08 If I Had $1000000.mp3
09 Silver Bells.mp3
14 Spider Pig.m4p
They Might Be Giants) – Particle Man.mp3

Airport Express

Bought an airport express a few weeks ago to get iTunes music into the media room.  I was hoping it would be a “plug it in and it’ll work,” but it wasn’t.  I had the flashing amber light.  I tried a number of things, searching for answers online etc, but to no avail.  Yesterday I called apple support, got right through, and got my question answered.  I was trying to set it up from a hard wired computer – so it wasn’t seeing it.  I plugged the airport directly into the computer and was able to set it up.  Now I’ve got the entire grateful dead library available on the main speaker system.  Kudos to apple support – really top notch get the problem solved right away kinda response.  I guess a dig to the online support, as I couldn’t find the answer there.

Mounting Man

I don’t know why, but today there was a flurry of mounting things on walls.  It may have been triggered by a piece of art arriving in the mail, or the finding of the stud finder – which eluded me for a good month.

First was a couple of Star Trek framed posters in the boys room:

Next was the Fenway Scoreboard I got last April – wanted to have it hanging in the office before the playoffs start:

I had the drill, the level, some screws and the ruler out, so I hung the paper towel holder under the sink:

This is the piece of art we ordered a week ago – it’s made on some sort of foam, very rich texture, which is much nicer than I imagined it would be:

And finally, I moved the guitars to somewhere I think I can leave them for a while.  There’s supposed to be a rear channel speaker there, and will be someday soon.  The good guitar is out of kids reach, and the kids guitar (with a new string) is easy for a young one to grab should the musical bug bite them:

That’s a few less empty walls.  Plenty more to go.  Mistakes were made, and I really only used the stud finder successfully on the first trek poster – on the others I thought I was pounding a nail into a stud but it turned out to be just drywall and I had to sink an anchor in the hole.  Hanging the scoreboard involved some salty language, but it got done.

I am a little worried about how the rear channel speaker will interact with the guitars… but that is only a single variable in a complex equation I’m working on.

Satuday Concert

TheGirl had a concert today, and she did great. I think the song we’ve been working on is perfect for her – and I want her to learn the whole thing.

I have some work to do becoming her perfect accompaniment, but I think her hearing me practice for her performance is only going to make her want to work harder. I can only hope. Here’s her most recent performance – Saturday Concert #2

M@

Piano Decible Simulator

We’re going to be looking for a new house soon, and I was thinking about how I never get to play my piano any more because if the kids are awake then they want to play, or if they’re watching a movie the piano is too loud for them, and if they are asleep I can’t play.

So while looking at new houses I thought it’d be nice to have a small device that makes about as much sound as the piano and put it in the room we plan to use for the piano – and then see how it sounds from various parts of the house.

It would have to be small, battery powered and possibly fit in my pocket.