With cousins visiting from Pennsylvania, I’m reminded of Heather and Dexter’s link to the Old New World, going back to the founder of the Mennonite community in America—and from whom the Amish are descended—Hans Herr. Heather & Dexter’s family tree traces directly back on Nancy’s side. Here’s my diary entry from August 04, 1991, when […]

This lovely gramophone has been in my kitchen for nearly twenty years, and it’s time to find it a new home. I’ve inherited my grandfather’s dresser and I need to make space. The cabinet is functional and stylish, with interior lights and a fully-working radio and record player. In fact the Garrard deck is a […]

Here’s a great Horace Silver track from yesterday’s rehearsal at Dan’s up the road. Following the greatest musical advice I ever had: “all try to start and end at the same time”. Crap recording on my phone but I think we more-or-less got there. [audio:http://www.davidh.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/SenorBlues.mp3|titles=SenorBlues]

Andy was in London and I was at a loose end, in need of stretching my legs. I ambled down to the Angel, Islington with my camera. Once you start looking, it’s impossible to stop. I was really late for Andy.    

All the birds that we’ve seen in our Hackney garden. We’re in Dalston, and the garden backs onto St Marks churchyard. the yard and gardens together make a substantial green space with trees and plenty of cover. The usual suspects, with one exception: we’ve never seen a thrush. As for the heron, we have a […]

a man inexplicably holding a euphonium

I read this. I don’t understand what the argument is here. The Smithsonian offers scans for sale. It finds interesting images and other documents that are out of copyright, scans them and sells the digital images. They are not claiming to own copyright on the seed packets. The Smithsonian has an archiving facility, it has […]

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Pentatonic shapes crop up all over the guitar neck. Here’s an exercise that helps to visualise some on the top three strings. Starting with any pentatonic scale, you can work through the circle of fifths by changing one note at a time: one note will be raised a semitone to move to the next key. […]

I took a break from type-setting 242 individual drum patterns mid-morning, taking good coffee and a toasted bagel into the sharp, icy sunlight. Sitting on the step below the shed, stock still, gazing at the motionless fish in the pond, I became aware of little flicks of life just above my head. I turned my […]