by
Ruth
Categories: PhotographyTags: dust, guitar, home, musical instrument, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday
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Practice Makes Perfect
Tag: guitar
Fellow Blogger’s Book is Here
I’ve followed Didi van Frits for years now. We even had the good fortune to be in Berlin visiting family at the same time and we got to meet in person. That’s was in June 2019. I dedicated a blog post to him in 2013
He has just published his book and I ordered the English version and it has arrived from Germany.
Here’s the link for the details.
About
“I’m 75 years old now. I’ve made a lot of music in my life since I was 12 when I started playing the banjo in a Dixieland orchestra. I studied theology, sociology, psychology, and finally philosophy. Of course, philosophy had the most lasting impact on me. But also painting, photography, caricatures (I love Sempe), and the weekly political debate or the science of history with its often frightening details. Where did I feel most comfortable? With the music.”
Videos at http://www.facebook.com/didi.vanfrits
You can hear my recording of him playing. Just a snippet of his playing guitar at his hotel courtyard when we met.
People at Work: Guitar Teacher
Meet Peter King, guitar teacher. I’ve known Peter about 25 years and he invited me to photograph some of his students while he was teaching guitar- electric, acoustic, jazz, finger picking blues, rock- you name it.
You might have seen his photo on the blog performing with the Fast Friends Band.
Peter holds a Master of Music degree in guitar performance from Duquesne University, performs locally and has released several CDs.
I’m sorry to not have sound to accompany this musical post.
A note from Peter King:
To paraphrase the old Peace Corps ad, teaching guitar is the hardest job I’ve ever loved! The cool thing is — not only do my students learn, but they end up teaching the teacher new tricks as well. What’s more, we have big fun while we’re at it!
Here are some of Peter’s students in his music studio during their lessons.
My favorite shot at the end of the second session. My friend Janice (Peter’s wife) made a cameo appearance/photo bomb.
If you live in the Greater Pittsburgh area and you have always wanted to play the guitar, or brush up on your skills and repertoire, go to Peter King Music website and click on the lessons tab for more information.
Guitar Doc Berlin
Along the Spree River, in a building covered in vines, you can find Guitar Doc. Here’s Anthony working on his 100th guitar. His father being a handyman was always working with his hands so when Anthony was small, he’d look over his shoulder and watch and learn.
There’s a Vintage Guitar Lounge where you can take an instrument from the wall display and test it as you sit and play. Listen to the tone, feel the heft of the polished wood, strum and pick the strings.
A good day for an addition to the People at Work series.
Guitar Doc
https://www.guitardoc.de/ along the Spree River
Organ Grinder, Bagpipes, Guitar,Vibraphone in Berlin
Found music in Berlin. Organ grinder on market day near Winterfeldplatz. Bagpiper by Alexanderplatz. Guitarist by River Spree. Vibraphone by St. Mathias Church. Vibraphone video sample below. 
PETER KING AND THE FAST FRIENDS BAND
Fun time listening to Peter King and Fast Friends Band –
Live Music Saturday night in Aspinwall across the Allegheny River at The Tavern in the Wall.
Peter King
Fast Friends
Mark Perna on Bass.
Eric Kurtzrock on Drums.
Marc Reisman on Harmonica.
Playing the Blues.
Tree Outside Zeke’s Coffee
You write the caption……
A Charm Bracelet Started in the Sixties
Now I’m in my sixties!
Do you have one of these in a drawer or a jewelry box somewhere? I hardly wear jewelry nowadays. These were popular when I was in 7, 8th grade- freshman in high school. (1966-67). Charm bracelet definition and history
Maybe you’re sporting one of those trendy cable types with the bead charms? Each one a carefully chosen gift by someone who knows you or a gift to self, to commemorate an interest, travel or person in your life.
Funny, I have a guitar and a grand piano on mine but am not skilled at either. I taught myself on a Sears guitar the summer of 1964 and could strum Michael, Row the Boat Ashore but a charm to signify guitar playing is funny. And I took piano lessons, unsuccessfully.
I’ve seen gold charm bracelets in antique stores for a lot of money. You wonder about the owner and the significance of the charms collected. And a full charm bracelets can make way too much annoying noise, jingling in the theatre.
Wednesday afternoon, I was out with a couple of friends and admired one’s bracelet with holiday charms, a charm a month bracelet. I told her about mine. She asked me if it still fit! Hmmmm, how much bigger is my wrist now? It has enough links so yes it still does fit but I didn’t know until I got home, dug it out and tried it on. Ha!
The one charm is a typewriter with a tiny carriage that moves back and forth. Fancied myself a writer?
I think I remember which friend gifted me the Forget-Me-Not. There’s an enameled disk from a 1965 field trip to the UN.
When I came home and found my old charm bracelet and went to photograph it, I mistakenly pulled out a crystal dish I thought would look good under it. The dish towel was a better solution. No reflection.
It’s silver and unpolished. I remember you could have the charms sodered on so they wouldn’t come off. If I were to add a charm for my interests today it would have to be a skein of yarn and knitting needles and places visited would fill it up and then some. Charms for my life now could be so different.
Photographing jewelry is tricky, I forgot.
One aspect I wasn’t really aware of or considering is this- “The wearing of charms may have begun as a form of amulet or talisman to ward off evil spirits or bad luck.[1]”.
Of course…….lucky charms! Duh!
Feel free to send a photo of your charm bracelet or a write about a specific charm. Initial pins were the rage in the late sixties, too.
The dish towel for a backdrop
…compared to my first thought of using a the crystal dish as a backdrop to photograph the bracelet
The shadows from the dish looked better than the jewelry.
Plastic charm necklace from the 80’s blogpost you might remember.
Uncle Matty Sings the Christmas Blues
Everyone is happy that Matthew is visiting from Zagreb. He’s either playing the guitar or the piano, telling big brother-little brother stories to his nephews as they fall off to sleep or trying to beat Mark’s Father-in-Law Donald at 360XBox College Football. He helps wash the dishes and keeps us laughing and entertained.
Here are some Matthew moments for the blog followers in Croatia, wondering why he isn’t on the blog!
I hope to get a photo with him before he leaves. We’ll see. It feels good to have everyone together, even for a short time.
Singing the Christmas Blues – Erika’s Mom Marlene on the floor by the tree
Christmas morning. He likes his new hat, fresh off the needles.
Playing with the new Turkey and Fox Puppets with niece Anna (10)
With sister Laura and her husband James at dinner last Saturday night- Spinach Pie on the right
When we were working on the Awkward Photos
Matty with Mark and Laura Christmas Night right before Laura and James went home.
And Matthew wasn’t keen on being the main feature of the blog. So here is one more photo of the grandchildren on Christmas Eve to share the post.
Maura Anna Jack and Michael
Peter Celebrates the Big Five O (+)
Stuffed grape leaves, and fancy cheeses. Goat cheese and fig jam on bruschetta. Green grapes. Some bubbly to toast. M and D brought the most drinkable wine. A secret in the carafe, a blind test. Carlo Rossi. No kidding. Beat out the pricey Portuguese wine. What do we know?
Dates and nuts in a chocolate South African pudding recipe, topped with whiskey whipped cream, created by his wife Janice. Happy Birthday to Peter. Live music at a party makes the evening rhyme. Marc on harmonica and Peter and Doug on guitar. Kim sang a number with the lyrics on her cell phone.
A fun surprise party. Well done, J.
