TL;DR: You don't have to buy a drum set to learn how to play the drums. Instead, just grab the Senstroke by Redison bluetooth drum kit for $189.95, on sale for 5% off as of May 9.

If you want to learn how to play the drums, then a quality set may cost you upwards of $1,000. Not only is this a hefty price to play for individuals who aren't fully committed to the instrument yet, but their massive size may be impossible to fit inside your space. Or at least your housemates may not appreciate it.

With the Senstroke by Redison Bluetooth Drum Kit and App Bundle, you can practice, play, and record on just about any surface for a much more affordable price — and it'll take up little to no space.  Read more...

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These little silicone rubber bowls come in handy in so many ways.

I use them with my digital scale to measure the bulk powder supplements I take. We use them at the dinner table to hold condiments. We use them while preparing meals to hold spices and minced herbs. I keep finding new ways to use them. For instance, when I fry or scramble eggs, I now crack the eggs over one of these bowls so I can pull out shell pieces and woogers (I wish I had a wooger snatcher but the bowl will have to do). Read the rest

Drummers hear all the jokes. What do you call a drummer with half a brain? Gifted. How is a drum solo like a sneeze? You know it's coming, but there's nothing you can do about it. What do you call a drummer that breaks up with his girlfriend? Homeless.

Drummers hear the jokes — and laugh. Because they know they’re the thumping heartbeat of any band. They’re the ones with loads of equipment. And they’re the ones making all that noise while practicing. Yet try to play almost any song without drums and the lack of propulsion and power is instantly palpable.

Drummers are essential. Now, users can join their ranks — and they don’t even need to buy a massive drum kit or rattle their walls to do it. Created by drummers, Senstroke by Redison is the first sensor device that can teach anyone to play the drums and even reproduce the drummer experience, all without any physical drum set.

Just attach the patented Senstroke sensors to a pair of drumsticks and your feet, connect via Bluetooth, and instantly you can turn any surface into a virtual drumhead. Using the impact of the drumsticks and your feet positioning, the sensors reproduce the exact sounds your chosen drum element would make through the Senstroke app. 

Your legs, some cushions, a coffee table, they all become fair game as a drum surface while you refine your skills. And when you attach a pair of headphones, no one else even has to know you’re playing...well, Read the rest

I have a love/hate relationship with musical reaction videos. There are kids reacting to heavy metal (or The Beatles), vocal teachers and opera singers reacting to rock vocalists, millennials reacting to classic rock, and on and on. Some of these are quite moving, for instance, a 20-something hearing Zep's "Since I've Been Loving You" for the first time or a vocal teacher reacting to a Black Metal vocalist's cookie monster growl.

In these two videos, Heline, a classical flutist and music teacher, listens to Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson performing "Bouree" at a 1969 concert and then she listens and reacts to a performance from 1976.

I didn't realize that Anderson had only been playing the flute for a year and had no formal training at the time of the 69 video (their first tour). Heline can appreciate his chutzpah in the first performance and the fact that he's only been playing for a year(!), but is perhaps predictably critical of his playing. She is more impressed with what she sees and hears in the 76 performance.

Personally, I always thought his playing was inspired and his playing, vocalizing, singing and playing, and his other stage antics (the goofy one-legged stance) were a perfect example of "the street finding its own uses for things," using technology in ways in which it was never intended. As with all things artistic, your mileage may vary.

Image: YouTube Read the rest

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, who reported 81 new cases of the disease in her daily update, says there are 4,020 recovered and 1,963 active cases.

Quebec public health officials announced Saturday that a total of 2,786 people have died from COVID-19 and there are now 36,986 confirmed cases.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says three children in the state have now died from a possible complication from the coronavirus involving swollen blood vessels and heart problems.

Canada Post's main plant in Calgary has six confirmed cases of COVID-19. That news was confirmed Friday by Dr. Deena Hinshaw at her daily update.

RCMP say a 50-year-old man died and a 60-year-old man is in hospital following a crash involving a CP Rail train Friday morning.

This week: Suddenly, shockingly, it’s Biden’s to lose Dem primary voters abruptly pulled back from socialism Democrats suddenly get a top candidate for #MTSEN President 2020 Super Tuesday: Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar knew they could not win. But they realized they could help Bernie Sanders win if they stayed in the race for Super […]

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This week: Sanders’s last gasp Coronavirus threatens to upend election calculus Sessions trails in runoff President 2020 Democrats: The consensus of the pundits is that Joe Biden won Sunday’s (mercifully audience-free) debate on points. But even if Bernie Sanders had laid him out flat, it wouldn’t have been enough to stop the former vice president’s […]

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This week: Biden has won — Sanders just has to admit it Political consequences of coronavirus Congress struggles with how to deal with the plague The world’s news is now clearly dominated by coronavirus. Everything — commerce, social life, and yes, even politics — has been put on hold.  Well, that last bit is not […]

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To our readers: We hope you are safe and well. Please exercise care, especially for the sake of your older loved ones, who are at greater risk if they contract coronavirus. This week: Pelosi loses the week Politics of coronavirus end up surprisingly good for Trump Biden faces his own #MeToo allegation House showdown: There […]

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A very Happy Passover and Easter to all our subscribers. This week: Uncertainties prevent post-pandemic planning Democrats postpone convention Wisconsin supreme court race is on for Tuesday Coronavirus pandemic: Americans are just now getting used to the new realities of social distancing and work (or study) from-home-if-at-all. But what the nation needs next is a […]

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=This week: Blacks, not white socialists, are the Democratic Party’s lifeblood Biden’s campaign is coronavirus’ most prominent victim Behind the story of Wisconsin’s strange, last-minute election drama Sanders: Bernie Sanders failed to build on or improve his 2016 showing in the presidential race for one simple reason: He didn’t win black votes. If you are […]

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This week: Negative coronavirus coverage slightly depressing Trump’s rating U.S. has fared well compared to most developing countries Republicans lose after insisting on Wisconsin vote President 2020 Naturally, coronavirus continues to dominate the national discussion, drowning out any mention or thought of the presidential election. Democratic and media efforts to make President Trump the inventor […]

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This week: Value of COVID ‘lockdowns’ about to be tested. Biden fearful over Trump’s fundraising Kansas GOP panics over crowded primary field President 2020 Coronavirus: In most of America, it really does appear that the coronavirus “curve” has been flattened, as people hoped. Thus, in seeking as swift a return to normalcy as possible, President […]

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May 4, 2020 This week: Biden finally forced to address rape accusation Won’t release his office records The Amash factor President 2020 Joe Biden: News consumers have become deeply fatigued by the coronavirus. Many people just don’t want to read or hear any more about it. It has come to the attention of multiple news […]

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Avocado oil is an amazing substance with many incredible uses. It contains an impressive list of healthy vitamins and minerals as well as “good” fatty acids and antioxidants. Avocado oil finds its appliance both in the kitchen and in personal hygiene. Read on to discover all the mindblowing ways you can use it in your […]

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