Skip to content

Off Key - General Discussion

4.0k Topics 28.6k Posts

A place to talk about whatever you want

  • Pinned threads

    Pinned
    4
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    S
    Great!
  • Washing machine update

    14
    14 Posts
    90 Views
    ShiroKuroS
    @Bernard said: @ShiroKuro Planned obsolescence I feel like a lot of what we see with the shittiness of consumer products isn’t even “planned” though, it’s just slipshod work, a complete lack of commitment to quality, and zero sense of responsibility to consumers. If a cost can be cut, it will be, regardless of the consequences.
  • Word association thread

    1k
    1k Posts
    215k Views
    ShiroKuroS
    Keeper
  • Is Clair de Lune too hard for me?

    47
    47 Posts
    539 Views
    ShiroKuroS
    @AndyD said: the discipline to play each through daily For whatever reason, daily practice and consistency (like returning to daily practice if I miss a day) is the one thing I’m really, really good at. Of course, partly that’s because I worked really hard early on to make consistent practice a routine, and I read all the things online about how to do that. Another reason surely has to do with the fact that I started as an adult and was (still am?) a little bit obsessed with piano. And then the few times I’ve had serious challenges to my ability to stick with piano (grad school, big moves, career changes) I’ve used daily practice (or at least daily playing) as a way to keep me connected to piano even when I wasn’t practicing enough to progress or improve. Getting a good teacher is another ideal, if as is likely, I continue learning certain classical pieces. A lesson every fortnight would do. I am a huge proponent of taking lessons, and I personally prefer in-person, real time lessons. But there are lots of good online options as well (both real time or self-paced). Have you considered something like Tonebase? I believe it’s fairly well-regarded. And if you’re playing classical pieces, it seems like a good model. If fitting real-time lessons into your schedule is challenging, perhaps you could start with something like that? @kluurs are/were you a member of Tonebase?
  • NYT: the World Is a Room with a Piano Waiting to be Played

    5
    5 Posts
    46 Views
    ShiroKuroS
    Everybody’s a critic! I mean, you all make fair points. But there’s so much that’s awful and ugly in the news right now, I personally could use a little beauty and wonder. Even though it’s only an illusion.
  • In praise of bike helmets

    37
    37 Posts
    503 Views
    D
    @realplayer Bike helmets FTW. Analogous to seatbelts. A seatbelt and passenger front airbag saved my life ten years ago. Be safe.
  • Greetings from Shipshewana, Indiana

    23
    23 Posts
    154 Views
    D
    Omg.
  • Canada calls his bluff

    19
    19 Posts
    208 Views
    D
    Exactly.
  • My new toy

    8
    8 Posts
    133 Views
    AndyDA
    The joys of property ownership Fix the leaks! Sounds like a new mattress ought to be high up on your list!
  • Ting

    29
    29 Posts
    2k Views
    MikM
    My Ting came from State Farm too. It also has a $1,000 remediation allowance if it finds an issue.
  • Adios, Milo

    5
    5 Posts
    55 Views
    MikM
    AMF.
  • 2nd gen pet rocks

    1
    1 Posts
    15 Views
    No one has replied
  • Sonic Warfare of the Celts

    1
    1 Posts
    10 Views
    No one has replied
  • Meta-thread: Word association thread

    28
    28 Posts
    620 Views
    wtgW
    @DougG said: Great, now Jon’s last post expects me to come up with a rhyme for “lits”. I’m pretty sure there isn’t one. Could this be the end of the word association thread?
  • Bloomscrolling--what's in bloom where you are?

    355
    355 Posts
    88k Views
    MikM
    Sadly, my Thai basil. Now the leaves aren't much good.
  • Fare thee well, Dolly

    18
    18 Posts
    256 Views
    D
    Link to video Omg!
  • Carlos seriously injured

    1
    1 Posts
    28 Views
    No one has replied
  • The floods in Nepal

    3
    3 Posts
    32 Views
    D
    Yes and seems so random as always.
  • Laughter is the best medicine

    215
    215 Posts
    27k Views
    D
    @jon-nyc said: [image: 1786805318857-screenshot-2026-08-15-at-09.07.28.png] Yes, and Madonna took the first "selfie" in "Desperately Seeking Susan." I mean this as a cultural phenomenon, strictly speaking. People have been pointing cameras at themselves and others for a long time. Lol!
  • Critical to national security

    2
    2 Posts
    30 Views
    D
    Well, they were a communist country for the better part of a century. I will make a note to unpack my smallest violin to play for the oligarchs whose assets are seized. I know the subtext is- "Putin bad!" 10 years of Trump the Ubiquitous and- "Putin bad!" have made a long 10 years. I know this is a legitimate news story but Russia didn't practice "capitalism," either before the break up of the USSR, or after.