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Author Topic: Living with MAD  (Read 32851 times)

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press on regardless

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Living with MAD
« on: May 16, 2008, 10:03:35 AM »

As a hopeless case here are my top tips for the afflicted to maintain some appearance of normality:

1. Above all else do what ever it takes get your partner addicted. This avoids all the little white lies later on when funds start disapppearing inexplicably. More importantly of course for the addicted it doubles the potential number of boxes in the house at any one time.

2. If the above cannot be achieved never miss an opportunity to impress upon your partner that playing music in general and the box in particular is all about the good wholesome things in life, and what a positive effect this is having on your relationship (with your partner). That way when finances inevitably go pear shaped you can say " i'm really only doing this for us dear".

3. I learnt this one early on by bitter experience. Keep an eye on folk turning up at sessions etc with new boxes, especially beginners. Despite the best advice here and elsewhere loads of people, including me, buy boxes without playing them and a few weeks later are often willing to off load the m at a knockdown price.

4. if you are bidding on ebay never set a maximum price you are prepared to pay. If you do you might not win.   


Must get back to ebay, any more tips?

cheers Paul
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Theo

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2008, 10:57:56 AM »

Nice topic Paul!

Something I learned early in my learning, but still too late:  when you hear someone playing a box that sounds great remember its more down to the player than the box.  If you need therapy on this then listen to Tony Hall or John K playing a two-row Hohner.  Once you can play that well on a basic box then you can go shopping for something better.

Anyone who can follow that sage advice can save themselves large amounts of money  ;D
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Theo Gibb - Gateshead UK

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morrisman

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2008, 11:24:49 AM »

My other hobby is classic cars and there's a very similar thread over on another forum at the moment regarding CHPD (Compulsive Heap Purchasing Disorder).

We boys do like our toys :)
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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2008, 12:42:30 PM »

As a hopeless case here are my top tips for the afflicted to maintain some appearance of normality:

1. Above all else do what ever it takes get your partner addicted. This avoids all the little white lies later on when funds start disapppearing inexplicably. More importantly of course for the addicted it doubles the potential number of boxes in the house at any one time.

cheers Paul

Tried option 1 but missed the target and am now having to support HDAD (Hammered Dulcimer Acquisition Disease) as well as MAD  :-\

C age ing

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2008, 01:44:50 PM »

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Pushpull

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2008, 02:12:19 PM »

As a hopeless case here are my top tips for the afflicted to maintain some appearance of normality:

1. Above all else do what ever it takes get your partner addicted. This avoids all the little white lies later on when funds start disapppearing inexplicably. More importantly of course for the addicted it doubles the potential number of boxes in the house at any one time.

Yep, worked for me. Once I got to 4, my partner popped out and came back with a Lilly and a Max. Result!! Oh and there are also her 3 concertinas should the fancy so take me.

Roy (running out of lebensraum, thinking of invading the neighbours).
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Allan Smith

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2008, 02:15:38 PM »

Sympathy all round, just avoid Gas (Saxophone Gear Acquisition Syndrome).

You should worry - a dozen to 15 tin whistles,7 assorted frets ( mandolins & banjos ) as well as the trio of melodeons !

I'll know the family's caught on when my daughter tels me I've got a  MAD TWAD FAD :P...........

Hmmmmmm........Has Steve D. also got CAD ?

Or Dazbo OAD ?

Lets face it - we're all doomed

Smith

Matthew B

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2008, 03:30:21 PM »

If you need therapy on this then listen to Tony Hall or John K playing a two-row Hohner.  Once you can play that well on a basic box then you can go shopping for something better.

Truly wonderful advice Theo.

Why didn't it work for you?
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Theo

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #8 on: May 16, 2008, 03:32:50 PM »

Here is the ultimate nightmare that awaits....

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Theo Gibb - Gateshead UK

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Theo

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #9 on: May 16, 2008, 03:44:34 PM »

Truly wonderful advice Theo.

Why didn't it work for you?

I'm fantastic at giving advice, hopeless at following it.   >:(
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Theo Gibb - Gateshead UK

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press on regardless

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #10 on: May 16, 2008, 04:08:58 PM »


"If you need therapy on this then listen to Tony Hall or John K playing a two-row Hohner.  Once you can play that well on a basic box then you can go shopping for something better."

Truly cr*p advice Theo, the likes of me could never buy another box in a million years, this will never do.

I like to think i'm doing my bit for the econony.
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Randal Scott

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #11 on: May 17, 2008, 04:27:23 PM »

I always appreciate when these threads arise; various afflictions of *AS are my main weakness.  Started in college when I began to amass what now exceeds 2K CDs (as a grad student in art history, I justified it as "research").  I've only come to melodeons this year and already have five, plus several concertinas and PAs.  I never met a musical instrument I wasn't captivated by.  Strings are definitely the worst--there are so many permutations.  It all started when I found how easily banjos can be overhauled, tweaked, mixed-and-matched, parted-out and reconditioned; antiques can be had on ebay all day long for a song.

Fortunately, as soon as I take delivery on an A/D Corso, I'll have reached my saturation point for instruments that I NEED (does not include my four hammered dulcimers, which I acquired largely for aesthetic reasons).  Spouse supports my musical neuroses for the most part--only becoming seriously problematic when I time it wrong and leave some instruments lying about which my wife likes to STACK when she's vacuuming.. >:(  (I suppose partnering does make sense in order to perpetuate the species...)

« Last Edit: May 17, 2008, 06:40:06 PM by catty »
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Pete Dunk

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #12 on: May 29, 2008, 06:11:06 PM »

In the house there are two musicians. Oh and:

6 English concertinas (only 3 playable at the moment)
An anglo concertina (awaiting repair and tuning)
2 melodeons (1 being repaired/tuned)
6 guitars
A cheapo mandolin
A concert flute
Various bamboo flutes
A fistful of tin whistles
A dozen or more recorders ranging from Aulos plastic jobbies to a number of Moeck Rottenburghs and a Kung garklien
A 12/11 hammered dulcimer I made years ago and never play
A Yamaha keyboard
A midi keyboard and a Roland Sound Canvas SC88VL sound module

In about three weeks I'll be picking up a 1920s Wheatstone tenor/treble Aeola with newly plated ends, and while we are on holiday Sal will be visiting a Northumbrian pipemaker...

Aquisition disorders, us? Nah!
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Liliputs D/G (G scale), C/F, Bb/Eb, Albrecht Custom D/G (G scale)

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #13 on: May 29, 2008, 07:12:59 PM »

Bit of a shock to realise I've got six boxes in the house at the moment, and I'm primarily a fiddler. ;D

Dare I say it, if IAD is becoming a problem, switch to fiddle!  The majority of fiddlers seem to have just their one and only...
Tom
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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #14 on: May 29, 2008, 08:25:18 PM »

  The majority of fiddlers seem to have just their one and only...
Tom

Oh no they don't, not the ones I know anyway, they all have at least one spare.  I started fiddle as a second instrument a couple of years ago and there are now 4 fiddles in the house!
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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #15 on: May 29, 2008, 11:17:28 PM »

  The majority of fiddlers seem to have just their one and only...
Tom

Oh no they don't, not the ones I know anyway, they all have at least one spare.  I started fiddle as a second instrument a couple of years ago and there are now 4 fiddles in the house!

Fair amendment Theo, you're probably right, but somewhat QED!  ;D Having a spare isn't the same thing as FAD!

I assume F(iddle)AD is less likely to strike because as both a plus and a minus, "fiddles are all relatively similar"* but by and large they can nearly all do all the stuff.*

(* Not true of course, but it'll do for this discussion which is about boxes!)

Presumably a component of MAD (getting back to topic) is
"well, there's my one row, because it's nice to have one of those, and there's my two and a half row for when I want to play complicated stuff, and there's my old [Whatever] that I don't mind where I take, and there's my.... Etc" ;D
Tom
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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #16 on: May 29, 2008, 11:44:06 PM »

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #17 on: May 30, 2008, 12:25:28 AM »

Lists?  Bring it on:

Hohner Trichord/Student VM chimera (B/C/C#)
Hohner Trichord II (B/C/C#)
Borsini (B/C/C#)
Serenellini 513k (D/G)
Hohner Lilliput (C/F)
Hohner Preciosa (C/F)
Hohner Pokerwork 1 row (G)
Hohner 3 stop 1 row (C)

Excalibur Continental Button Accordion
Lachenal Crane duet concertina

Fiddle, Moody 1925
Giordano Electric fiddle
Stroh fiddle
Nyckelharpa (Swedish Key Fiddle)
Hohner G3T headless electric guitar
Carter-Starter pedal steel guitar
Samich Ukulele
Appalachian dulcimer, anon
Wentworth musical saw
Tabor, Chandler
Assorted 3 hole pipes
Piano, anon
EMS smallpipes

Hmm, I think I've just worked out why I'm not rich.  In a few years time I probably won't be able to play any of them, some I already can't.  Anyone want to buy any of them...?
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C age ing

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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #18 on: May 30, 2008, 05:43:05 AM »

I was thinking, stop laughing, about these Acquisition and Listing disorders, when I happened to really look at a piece of Sellotape. It comes in various widths, variable available degrees of adhesiveness, widths, both Imperial and Metric is known as Durex in Australia......................
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Re: Living with MAD
« Reply #19 on: May 30, 2008, 05:46:09 AM »

Tom's thesis is often true; I know a few fiddlers who do, indeed, own one primary fiddle.

Here's my crazy list:

5 melodeons
4 concertinas
3 piano accordions
~15 guitars
~12 banjos
2 mandolins
3 mandolas
2 octave mandolin
2 5-course cittern
1 5-course waldzither
2 Irish bouzouki
1 saz
1 oud (broken-unplayable)
3 fiddles
1 upright bass
3 bass guitar
2 ukuleles
2 banjo ukes
2 hammered dulcimers
1 piano
1 flute
1 alto sax
drum kit
various percussion

I regret selling my pedal steel, but I could barely lift it anyway--once threw my back out on a gig.. :o
« Last Edit: June 18, 2009, 10:21:17 PM by catty »
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