A long day yesterday. We had out third full rehearsal of the Wonderland show. Lots to do. This time I used a new two-tier keyboard stand by Adam Hall, which was faulty. The stand is supposed to fit inside the tubing of the keyboard stand, but it's secured by tightening a bolt which should slide the second half of the hexagonal nut up because the second half breaks with the first at a 45 degree angle. For a start, this barely slides, the joint is not slippery (it is painted) and the bolt itself is so loose that it's easy to tighten if from the bottom, making the angle closer to flush than 45 degrees. This nut only grips the inner pipe at its points (the design should use a tube, ideally with a slightly rough exterior like 400 grit sandpaper, rather than hexagon). Finally, the tubes has an inner weld, a pronounced ridge, and by sheer bad luck, the corner of the nut on the right hand stand exactly corresponded with this ridge, so that the stand could never be secured vertically. I had to make extensive modifications.
The playing was okay but there is a lot to work out. Over time, our simple act of piano and poetry has evolved into a complex act of lots of instruments, and keeping the sound quality high is a unique task each time. Some tracks, like Herr Kasperle will be very different from the recording, but this was always inevitable, the recording was designed to be its best in that medium while ignoring any live considerations. I would love a new synthesizer, but must sell my SY-85 first. I designed a couple of new Microkorg sounds for new parts. What a great synth that remains.
The rehearsal was complete by 6pm. I'm full of anxiety and the desire to paint, create, do. I need good weather and rest to paint well but I don't feel ready today and the weather is uncertain and possibly rainy for today and tomorrow.
