New to forum, but not to life...

Hi Tony,welcome glad you found us
You'll meet some wonderful,friendly people from around the world here.Its one of the reasons I joined
Enjoy yourself
Sue in Buffalo,NY
 

Considering how many welcoming message we are getting in this thread, I think it best to extend a heartfelt THANKS to everybody here, so I don't overly clutter up this thread with each response.

Thanks...

Tony
 
Pinky said:
Nice guitar, Tony - welcome from Toronto! A few musicians here, and interesting topics :)

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Back in the late 80s, I frequently flew into Tornto to go through Customs and then catch a flight to Ottawa, where I worked on a project with the (then) Bell Northern Research. On the few occasions that I was able to venture into Toronto itself, it was always fun.

Back in the late 70s, I played full time in a trio that played supper clubs and resorts, and the Holiday Inn circuit. We spent 6 months playing up in Canada, long enough to get Social Insurance cards. I don't know if you folks still have those or if something else has taken their place. In any case, all the folks I interacted in both travel situations were quite friendly. I have fond memories of my times in Canada. I have heard that Toronto has a very healthy music scene.

Tony
 
tbeltrans said:
Back in the late 80s, I frequently flew into Tornto to go through Customs and then catch a flight to Ottawa, where I worked on a project with the (then) Bell Northern Research. On the few occasions that I was able to venture into Toronto itself, it was always fun.

Back in the late 70s, I played full time in a trio that played supper clubs and resorts, and the Holiday Inn circuit. We spent 6 months playing up in Canada, long enough to get Social Insurance cards. I don't know if you folks still have those or if something else has taken their place. In any case, all the folks I interacted in both travel situations were quite friendly. I have fond memories of my times in Canada. I have heard that Toronto has a very healthy music scene.

Tony
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Yes, to work here, one must have a SIN card! We do indeed have a thriving music scene here. Nice to hear that your experience here was positive and friendly and that you have good memories of that time.

Were you in Ottawa during winter months .. maybe you skated on the Rideau Canal?
 
tbeltrans said:
Thanks Ruth. When I was working full time, there was a period in the late 80s when I was routinely flying into Newark and working on a project with AT&T in NYC. It just seemed easier to drive into NYC from there. I stayed in Tenafly and drove in to NYC every morning. I was born in Queens, but we moved out to California when I was going into first grade.
Tony
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I know where Tenafly is....I lived many years in New Jersey....
Welcome to the Forum....
 
Pinky said:
Yes, to work here, one must have a SIN card! We do indeed have a thriving music scene here. Nice to hear that your experience here was positive and friendly and that you have good memories of that time.

Were you in Ottawa during winter months .. maybe you skated on the Rideau Canal?
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When I was working with Bell Northern Research in Ottawa, there was little time for other activities. It has been far too long since I have ice skated and even then, I didn't get into it very much.

Tony
 
peppermint said:
I know where Tenafly is....I lived many years in New Jersey....
Welcome to the Forum....
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I think it was in reference to Tenafly that I first heard the term "bedroom community". If I live in that general area, my preference would be for a place such as Tenafly rather than downtown in NYC.

Tony
 
Keesha said:
Welcome ❤
🎼 Musician here 🎷
🇨🇦
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Thanks Keesha. So you play sax? I worked in a trio back in the late 70s and the band leader played sax. It was good experience for me because I usually had to play in either Bb or Eb on guitar. It is not at all difficult, so when I hear guitar players say it is, I figure they have a mental block of some kind. We just have to know our instrument.

Tony
 
tbeltrans said:
Thanks Keesha. So you play sax? I worked in a trio back in the late 70s and the band leader played sax. It was good experience for me because I usually had to play in either Bb or Eb on guitar. It is not at all difficult, so when I hear guitar players say it is, I figure they have a mental block of some kind. We just have to know our instrument.

Tony
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Yes I play Eb alto saxophone and Bb soprano. I play piano and sing as well. When I was younger I played in a few bands. Now most of my work is solo. Sometimes I volunteer at nursing homes. Seniors make terrific audiences.

Have fun here Tony
 
Keesha said:
Yes I play Eb alto saxophone and Bb soprano. I play piano and sing as well. When I was younger I played in a few bands. Now most of my work is solo. Sometimes I volunteer at nursing homes. Seniors make terrific audiences.

Have fun here Tony
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Piano does seem to be a staple for many musicians whose main instrument is something else. I also play piano, but I approached it specifically as a DIY project. Though I can read standard notation, I am not good at sight reading it (i.e. in real time) because I never had the desire to play exactly what somebody else did. To me, that has already been done many times before and if I don't have something of my own to say (even my own interpretation of a known tune), I have no reason to play. Guitarists (at least those who learned before the internet) typically have quite good relative pitch from learning off of recordings. As I understand it, at least for jazz musicians, sax players do similar. To me, music is a HEARING art, so I value what my ears tell me, much more than what I can see on paper.

Tony
 


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