From: someone@anywheret.net   
      
   "JimD"  wrote in message news:2018021112110874376-email@nowherecom...   
      
   > I made my second snow man friday :-)   
      
   I haven't gotten around to thinking about that, because I'm too cold.   
      
   > the first one ( this week ) was the first snow man I've made since I was a   
   > pup.  Like, sometime back in the mic 60's ?  Ha.  It was kinda sad tho,   
   > not very big, and wife said it had a pointed head. So, when the latest   
   > snow came a few days ago, I went whole hog. Much bigger, and with a hat   
   > and a corn cob pipe and sunglasses.   That lump of snow may still be out   
   > there slowly melting in mid June :-)   
      
   That would have to be one huge snow man ;) Last huge one I made was in   
   1967's Big Snow. My sister made one too and in a couple of minutes, the   
   bottom parts of both of them were over our heads, so we knew we'd never be   
   able to complete them. So instead, we stuck them together, hollowed them   
   out, and made a snow fort ;)   
      
   Then a couple of days later, everyone started shoveling out. My father's car   
   was totally buried with nothing more than a tiny hill of snow several feet   
   above the roof - didn't even look like anything was under that snow but   
   there was, and as he was digging it out, he gave me a shovel and 'invited'   
   me to help ;) After getting all tired and sweaty too, it finally occurred to   
   me that working with snow was nowhere near as much fun as playing with it,   
   and my enjoyment of it began declining more and more rapidly each year ever   
   since ;)   
      
   > Getting the nuances back is WHY the robot drummer is the thing.  That's   
   > what it does, plays a drum track and adds variations.   
      
   PROGRAMMED variations - not the same thing, even if randomly generated.   
      
   > It always seemed too complex, so I hadn't bothered with it until now.  You   
   > have to pick a drummer ( they have names ) and a drum kit, and then tell   
   > him ( no chick drummers yet ) whether to play loud or soft, simple or   
   > complex.   
      
   A robot is still a robot.   
      
   > Those directions can be changed whenever during the song. So a first verse   
   > can be simple and soft, and he can then go to louder and more fills on the   
   > chorus.   
      
   But it's still only a soulless simulation.   
      
   > Yeah, it's pathetic in the sense that it's putting some real drummer out   
   > of work.   
      
   I wouldn't say that, because there's simply no substitute for a skilled   
   musician...but for some Idiot, always...but a machine as the substitute is   
   the truly pathetic part!   
      
   > Not in our case.  We still have a real drummer, two actually, but I'll   
   > certainly use this on my solo and duo gigs. It adds some spice as compared   
   > to drum parts I would play ahead of time.   
      
   I'd have no problem doing that for practice...along with tracks, loopers,   
   etc., but Never for a Live performance...and for the same reason...nothing   
   less than 100 percent Vibe!!!   
      
   > there are limitless videos about this thing on youtube. here's on that   
   > seems ok. it just touches on the possibilities. So many, that's why I took   
   > so long to start using it. It seems overwhelming   
      
   Mindless, Soulless, Idiot Zombie Robot albums often list credits Not for   
   musicianship, but PROGRAMMING!!!   
   And that's NOT what *real* Music is about!!!   
      
   > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7VV5Lkcyus   
      
      
   Jim,   
      
   I wouldn't mind something like that for practice, but once that sample   
   'song' was played, it became very obvious that those who prefer robots the   
   most are OTHER ROBOTS!!!   
      
   NO THANKS!!!   
      
   Ouisie   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)