Masked Corks in Socks (Variation on a Theme)

[click for a larger image]

Socks, it turns out, do stretch out, so the Musical Assumptions test kitchens have been at work all week trying household objects to fix the problem of stability.

I tried using rubber bands and toothpicks to secure the corks into rows, but they didn't work as well as I hoped. Glue works much better (but you really do have to wait for it to dry, and I would advise using a strong glue).

I was disappointed that the cork-filled plain mask didn't work, but that would be too easy, right? It is also not very attractive, and it doesn't feel terribly comfortable.

KN94 and KN95 masks are perfect for glued six-cork stacks, but they are too short for glued eight-cork stacks. I found that it works perfectly well to cut off the ends of a KN94 mask, tape the mask shut, and insert it into a single sock.

[This is a variation of of the "DIY Corks in Socks Shoulder Rest" post I made last week.]

Solving the Case (Bam Saint Germain Blue Stylus Contoured Viola Case problem that is)

I really like my Bam Saint Germain Stylus case, but it has a habit of falling over backwards when I take my viola out of it. It always has. I suddenly realized today that the strap that holds the case open is just a little bit too long.

I just happened to have a needle and black thread handy, so I put a few stitches in to shorten it. Now it stays upright when it is open!

DIY Corks in Socks Shoulder Rest

Instead of putting on a shoulder rest today, I grabbed my "bows down" DIY string-playing helper, and found that it gave me exactly the kind of support I need to hold the violin comfortably without compromising the freedom I feel when playing without a shoulder rest. So I grabbed some more corks, another pair of socks, and a rubberband, and came up with this.

This six-cork version works for violin, but is too small for my viola. Eight corks works (with the same socks) for viola. You need a bigger rubber band, though.

And using small rubber bands to keep two corks bound together can create a little more stability if the socks you use happen to be on the larger size.

UPDATE: Masked Corks in Socks (Variation on a Theme)

Music Holder "Life Hack" Number 2

In 2011 I made a post about using a 15-inch laptop sleeve as a music holder. Though my laptop sleeves have served me well, they do not work for larger pieces of music. I tried looking for a larger laptop sleeve, but I couldn't stand the smell of the only larger neoprene sleeve I found on line (perhaps more are available now that don't smell). After a few days of letting the neoprene sleeve outgas, I tried washing it. It still smelled terrible, so I threw it away.

I searched around the house in search of a better solution, and happened upon a set of "Skylite" packing cubes (which are actually rectangles) that I bought for (literally) a few dollars at Aldi. It turned out that the largest sleeve would fit the 10 by 13 piece of music that I needed to cart around. I safety-pinned the sleeve to the inside of my inside of my case cover, where it keeps all my music contained, safe, and supported.

Half-step marking hack

Students sometimes don't always pay enough attention to the pencil markings that string players typically use to indicate half steps.

Yesterday, while I was teaching a lesson, I looked at my "supplies" and found a sheet of stars.

I grabbed some scissors, and I cut the triangle-shaped points off one of the stars,

and I pasted them in the places in my student's music that called for half-steps. It worked like a charm!

They come off very easily when you no longer need to have them in the music.

[N.B. This is not the piece my student was playing. It is a passage from the Mel Bonis Violin Sonata.]

Practice Mirror "Hack"

Practicing with a mirror is extremely helpful for string players. My ideal practice space has a large window that takes up much of the wall. When I hang a mirror the normal way, the hook makes the mirror tilt towards the floor. I decided that the best remedy for this problem would be to prop the bottom of the mirror up so that it tilts ever so slightly towards the ceiling, which allows me to see the position of my bow in the space between the fingerboard and the bridge.

I made a set of two tilting "machines" from things I found in my desk drawer:

THE COMPONENTS









THE PROCESS









THE OUTCOME

Cheap and Easy Music Binding

Spiral binding is fine, and it is often quite useful, but sometimes I want to have music that can lie flat. Sometimes I have scores that require paper that is too big for my comb binding machine. I tried my luck with masking tape, but cloth athletic tape, which has the forgiving quality of being removable (if necessary), is the perfect solution.









You can use it to repair books too.

[Update: I now use the paper athletic tape that you can buy at Walgreens in a tape dispenser. The Walgreens brand is best. Trust me.]

A Sheet Music "Life Hack"

If you are like me and keep your 15.4" laptop computer at home most of the time, but have a neoprene travel sleeve for the rare times you do take your computer out of the house, here's a way to put the sleeve to good use:



It is the perfect size for music, and it keeps your music safe from "injury" when you carry it in your shoulder bag or back pack. It also weighs next to nothing, is waterproof, has a great zipper, holds a healthy pile of music, and NEVER wears out.

The text in the lower right hand corner reads "Second Skin folder," the brand name appears to be Tucano, and I believe my color is "Aluminum alloy." Case Logic makes a 16" neoprene folder that sells for 11 bucks, and a 17" folder that sells for 13. Those would probably work beautifully for carrying French music.