Santa Maria del Mar
Santa Maria del Mar may not be the most important structure of Barcelona but it is the beloved church of the city which is still in use. It can be translated like St. Mary by the Sea. The name “by the Sea” is no more relevant today, but it gives an idea about the whereabout of the sea in 14th century. After I returned to Turkey I made some search and learn that, the work for the church began in 1320’s and ended in 1383. In the middle ages 60 years for such a construction is...
DevamıMuseum fur Naturkunde
In my childhood I used to think that there are two kinds of museums: The ones with remnants of ancient civilizations and others with dinosaur skeletons. Without this topics a museum should not be a museum. It is easy to understand why I have the opinion of the first type, I’ ve been to Anatolian Civilizations Museum in primary school. But I don’t know why I limited the other museums only to dinosaurs. I was not lucky to see a dinosaur in my childhood and teenage years but finally I had a...
DevamıMercado Central
In early April of 2011, I visited Valencia with my family. This trip was initially a business trip so unlike my habits I didn’t do much search before coming. After arrival it became clear that we have one full day to explore Valencia. So we looked what we can do. In fact, I’d never noticed Mercado Central. Maybe you have seen before, there are articles in newspapers that lists “Ten Best Places to Visit”. My mother saw such an article and take it with her. We saw the market place in...
DevamıMateu in El Palmar
One of the most famous Spanish dish is paella. Similar to Turkish pilav main ingredient is rice but this one is a dish in itself, not an accompanist. Some regions in Turkey different ingredients are added in pilav, but so far I have not seen such a rich pilav in Turkish cuisine. [nrelate-related] In tourist zones, as we all know, one can not go beyond to eat a bad example of real “special dish”. We experienced this, one more time in Barcelona so in Valencia we did not want to take risks....
DevamıJüdisch Museum
I already knew that, Germans are very successful in museums, but Jüdisch Museum was still impressed me when I see it. First, the architecture of the building is very different and special, I can’t go on without mentioning it. Architect Daniel Libeskind designed the base of the building as a transformed version of the Star of David. Disturbing angles of the lines at the base continues at the other walls so that a person can not feel peaceful and comfortable inside the building. Thanks to the...
DevamıHenry Sotherans’
There is a treasure in 2, Sackville Street amidst all the turmoil of the Piccadilly region in London. Henry Sotheran’s is an incomparable bookshop to a bibliophile. To find this place by pure luck was a good surprise for me. I guess have a blessing from someone … Established in 1761 at York, Henry Sotheran Limited, holds the title of being the world’s oldest antique book dealer. Until 1815 they stay in York and then moved in to London. In 1936, they moved to their address in...
DevamıJ. P. Guivier
Probably you already know this from other articles on my web page but let me say it again: I started to learn cello in an adult age. When I was in London I haven’t planned to see a string shop but during a concert I saw several ads of shops in city. So, why not, I thought. The other day I was around Marlyebone and remembered that, I’m pretty close to Bishop Strings and decided to see it. In Turkey we don’t have specialized string shops, so we don’t have a chance to deal expert...
DevamıGewandhaus
Some places become synonym with the city its built in. When you remember one, the other one automatically comes to mind. I think Leipzig and Gewandhaus has such a relationship. With its 270 year old history, Gewandhaus made a significant contribution to Leipzig’s important position in the classical music world. In fact my reason to visit Leipzig was to listen a concert. [nrelate-related] In 1743, 16 merchants come together and has established “Grand Concert” a...
DevamıDeutsches Historisches Museum
As usual, let me start with the building. This building is built as arsenal and it is one of the most important baroque building in Berlin. Walls of the inner hall of the building is decorated with the painful faces of dying soldiers. The designs are not story of heroisms; just the vivid and realistic expressions in moment of death. [nrelate-related] In 1848, during a rebellion, Berliners hoping to join the revolution, tried to enter building to find ammo. As a result many have...
DevamıDeutsche Technik Museum
In January 2011, when I had a chance to make a trip to Berlin, I decided to devote this trip to museums. And while looking to the list, the first one draw my attention was Deutsche Technikmuseum. This is maybe because I graduated from Istanbul Teknik Universitesi, an university for engineering education. And indeed the first day I go to see that museum and liked it very much. [nrelate-related] Germany has always been an active force and one of the main reasons for this is the high...
DevamıCamp Nou
If you ask to the people around the world, “What is Barcelona?” the answer of the majority would probably be “football team”. This football Club has become synonymous with the City and the things it represents so much that, even the residents of the city may give this answer. Their slogan “More than just a club” fits into place. The meaning of this Club, for Catalan people, does really means more than just a club. As a football country, in Spain, football...
DevamıKeeping the Cello
Do you realize that cello is not a tiny instrument to store under your bed? I brought my first cello to home without a stand. For some weeks I kept it inside its’ softcase but it is neither practical nor safe. Then I started to search for a stand to use at home. I think one of the better ways of storing cello at home is this kind of stand: This stand carries the cello at scroll. Its’ height is adjustable so I adjusted it to support at endpin also. Although this stand is nice,...
DevamıBuying the Bow
While telling others how excellent one instrument sounds, one fact usually is forgotten: Bow. The bow strongly affects the sound of your cello. An expensive bow doesn’t always mean a better one, because you must add the cello to equation. So, while choosing a bow you must try them with the particular cello you’ll use. [nrelate-related] While trying, keep trying. The more you try, the better your choice will be. Bow must be balanced and fit your hand nice. A heavy bow makes the sound duller...
DevamıKeeping Tune and Time
So, you find a teacher, you have a cello, you have the bow. What else do you need? Books? Yes, you definitely need books, but I want to talk about it in a future article. I want to talk about other gadgets you’ll need in your cello life. Before spending money on something, ask your teacher first. He/She may give recommendations and if you are lucky give some spare parts on the list. [nrelate-related] Tuner: If you are an adult beginner and never studied music before, the first thing you’ll...
DevamıMusic Stand
For an comfortable practice you must definitely have a music stand. Putting your practice book here and there may be a cheaper alternative but believe me it does not work. Being comfortable while studying is one of the key-points of an effective study. [nrelate-related] After I begin to use a music stand, even my study times gets longer. My first stand was this Hercule unit. This is foldable and easy to carry. It can hold even heavy books, so it is a good buy. Later on I designed a custom...
DevamıRosining and then Cleaning
You need rosin in order to get sound from your cello. Otherwise the hair on bow would slip on the strings without producing a sound. So, rosin is a definite part of cello playing. Some say rosin is rosin; others believes some make improvements. No matter what you believe, you need one. My first rosin was Gustave Bernardel and it was nice. Afterwards while searching in the web I see that people are suggesting Magic Rosin. I tried it and it is nice also. So which one is better? I don’t know....
DevamıScheduling Practice
I will tell you straightly, learning cello is like learning a new language on top of skates, at the same time learning skating. You have to mentally connected to what you are doing while at the same time doing physical activity. Keep muscles doing the job in a relaxed mood, and your eyes must follow the tunes while your both hands do different jobs, and moreover you have to be aware if all these muscles are aching or not. This is a lot of bandwidth for your brain and to accustomed it you need...
DevamıTrying with Left Hand
“Ok, now I’m changing my bow hand, trying it with left hand…” I heard this phrase from my cello teacher Yiğit Tan a dozen of times. Whenever I had a problem with holding the bow, he tries to fix it and at the end saying this phrase passes the bow to other hand. No! He is not doing this to free his right hand, and punch me in the face. [nrelate-related] Learning an instrument like cello in the adult age is quite a challenge, and the worst thing happens to an adult student is,...
DevamıLOTR Chess Set – Black Army
While working on the Black Army set up, I tried to gather together the “Worst” characters ever. Of course there were some restrictions, but the end result was a really bad team: [nrelate-related] King: Eaglemoss naturally used Sauron in Set 1 for the King, so do I. In fact, considering the logic of chess, he is better suited than Gandalf, because he rather sits at home unlike the Gandalf who has sword in hand and hurry to next Battle. Queen: I think if this chess set is prepared depending...
DevamıLOTR Chess Set – White Army
Obviously my preference of White Army mainly depends on the characters of the fellowship. Primarily I tried to place that main characters to the appropriate positions on the chessboard and then choose other pieces considering both logic of chess and the importance of them in the book. Here are my choices: [nrelate-related] King: Eaglemoss used Aragorn as King in the Set 1, but I chose Gandalf. Because Gandalf was the mightiest of the “good” ones leader of them. For this reason he is better...
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