Georgiana Brummell

Please forgive the length of this post, but it does take some explaining. I am totally blind and am interested in learning to play classical guitar. The music that interests me for this endeavour is opera, Neapolitan, Italian art song, serenades, parlour songs, Spanish guitar, etc. not folk, popular, rock, country, blues, and so on. I found the following two resources for the blind. https://afb.org/aw/21/2/16906 https://letsplayguitar.org/ The problem is how they teach. I am not the sort who wants to learn a few chords and begin playing songs after my first or second lesson. I am a firm believer in learning music theory, scales, and exercises, and only after a very long while, playing actual songs. This is similar to proper singing instruction, which can take up to six years. To me, these other methods are the equivalent of Vaccai, or for those unfamiliar with him, learning a few tourist phrases of a language to get by, instead of learning via grammar, dialogues, translation, memorisation, etc. Whether or not I ever perform in public, I don't want to learn half way. I do have Harmony : its theory and practice by Ebenezer Prout for the theory, and I am using Perplexity to clean it of errors and supply the missing notation when possible. https://archive.org/details/harmonyitsthe00prouuoft Having said that, I am now researching some nineteenth-century guitar teachers. I've come across names such as Carulli, Aguado, Carcassi, Legnani, Molino, and Sor, all offering something different and for different levels of study. It seems that, for a beginner, Carulli and Carcassi, and possibly Aguado might be good choices. Despite its date of publication, I couldn't find an accessible version of Carulli's Op. 241, though I did find a good lecture about it on Youtube. However, while he plays the notes, I have no idea what fingers he is using for what. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oowE9bD_k44 I also found an English version of the English edition in hard copy on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Ferdinando-Carullis-Guitar-School-Tablature/dp/3950550283 My main problem as a blind student is notation. If he writes strictly on the staff, I won't be able to follow him, unless I could possible run the text, which I will first have to scan with ocr, through Perplexity and see if it can make sense of it. If he uses his own notation 1 through 4 for the left hand, and p for the thumb plus a through d for the right), I can read some of it. But that still leaves me with the issue of where to place my fingers on the strings i.e. first fret, second string, index finger. They offer modern tabliture, but I beleive the same problems will still exist. I don't know, as I know nothing about that system. At the first link for the blind, they mentioned an accessible chords site, but while their main page still works, their accessible one doesn't, and the main one just gives diagrams for the scales and chords with no text to read. Does anyone know where I can find an accessible course for the guitar that is more traditional, or at least a place where I can learn the scales and some exercises? #accessibility #blind #Carulli #ClassicalGuitar #guitar #music #MusicTheory #notation

This post contains several requests, so I will try to organise them in a meaningful manner. I am seeking the following materials. The more stars, the more I want it. I am fully capable of reading things at Project Gutenberg and the Internet Archive, particularly in html and txt formats, but some of this is a bit specialised, and as regards braille music, those options won't work. Note that there is an Introd To Braille Music available, but it costs several hundred dollars!

1. Old course catalogues and books from Hadley School for the Blind. In particular, courses on *** Latin, *** Italian (only if it's traditional with grammar, dialogues, exercises, etc. not just conversational or phrases), *** container gardening, *** braille music, *** crafts, *** home economics, *** cooking, *** general recreational activities, and other things that may interest me (for those who know me or have read my profile).
2. The following books in hard copy braille. I would prefer to avoid UEB and to use either American Grade 2 or Standard English Braille. *** First Theory by Angela Diller, by the American Printing House for the Blind (also other books in the series, or other good music theory books in braille, including anything by Ebenezer Prout, whom I am currently using in txt format) ** Hadley: Braille Music Reading *** Who’s Afraid of Braille Music? by Richard Taesch and William R. McCann (found, must make sure it's in Grade II) *** Maeve Smith, A Course in Braille Music ** Edward Watson, A Guide to Braille Music Notation

• Bettye Krollick, New International Manual of Braille Music ** BANA, Music Braille Code (prior to 2015) *** books on learning the classical guitar using traditional methods i.e. holding, finger positions, notes, scales, exercises, chords, and songs, not just chords and songs *** braille books on singing, using old methods breath support, notes, scales, arpeggios, vocalisations, exercises, ornamentation, etc. then arias (I don't even know if they exist in print, but I had to add them)

#accessibility #blind #books #braille #BrailleMusic #ClassicalGuitar #ContainerGardening #cooking #gardening #Hadley #HomeEconomics #music #MusicTheory #opera #recreation #singing

@asakiyume@wandering.shop I adore cats, so this really made me smile!

I am considering using BGT to create some games. I know nothing about programming and heard this is easy to use. I may use it with Perplexity. I have no interest in cross-platform development, cloud things, web-based games, etc. This is just for Windows, preferably XP and 7, 32-bit (which will naturally work on 64-bit as well). I'd also like to keep things relatively simple. At any rate, I just visited this part of the Nathan Tech website, and all of the links to developer resources no longer work, including the BGT site from the Internet Archive. Why is the main page still here if the important materials are not? I believe some programs on other parts of the site can no longer be found either, and I am referring to ones specifically by this company. Note that this is not meant to insult the developers. I'm just a bit confused. https://www.nathantech.net/products/developer/legacy.php Fortunately, I did find the BGT engine itself, but it would be nice to have some extras. #32-bit #accessibility #AudioGames #blind #BGT #games #gaming #NathanTech #programming #technology #Windows7 #WindowsXP

@DolphinSeeker@mstdn.social I'm just smiling from my Windows 7 machine. None of that nonsense for me.

@Annacats@mastodon.social I've loved cats ever since I was a child. They're so beautiful and special.

@Annacats@mastodon.social As someone who is totally blind, that is a fascinating question! Sadly, I am not owned by any cats, though I adore them. I would imagine there would be various ways I could tell them apart, particularly if each had a different sort of fur.

@Christinecats@mastodon.social How sad. At least he is being loved and cared for. Thanks for all the wonderful work you do with these precious cats.

@georgepenney@sunny.garden Wow. That first story was... unexpected. I guess I can't chide only the young for being vulgar in public and online (the number of posts with obscenities and generally bad language I see each day, even in so-called decent forums is amazing). Mostly, I'm referring to Reddit. My moms would have laughed aloud, though.

@countrymetalhead@someplace.social Your way makes sense. The other seems very strange to me.

@georgepenney@sunny.garden hahaha That does sound funny. I must admit, I've never heard of a pony at a beach, nor of going to a beach during the winter. But everyone had fun, it seems.

@georgepenney@sunny.garden Last night definitely went to the children. That was delightful! Thanks for saving the spider, though I did laugh at the idea of your lecturing him.

@ACBNational@mastodon.social Will there be virtual exhibits as well, or at least, demonstrations for us at home to listen to?

@jcsteelguitars@spaceplace.jonathancandler.com @mckensie@tweesecake.social I'm making these for myself first, and then anyone else who may be interested. I like 7. So if it doesn't work with it, I don't need it.

@Swede1952@universeodon.com I actually do remember a time before I started learning braille. I had a book with the alphabet and some tactile drawings of hands in it and I would pretend to read it. I might have two different books with hard covers then, but that I don't remember very well. I remember learning braille itself at around six or so, and as I got older, I was frustrated that I couldn't use a pencil like everyone else. Many, many years later (within the last five years or so), I found something called the Sensational Blackboard. Unlike other tactile drawing boards where you have to write backward and flip the paper (always a special, plastic kind) over to read it, this allowed me to use regular paper and to write normally. It was truly a marvel to me, and I realised that I could finally truly learn to write by hand! Then, I lost the darned thing. haha

@Swede1952@universeodon.com Don't worry. Neither the Roomba nor artificial intelligence will take over the world. The cats simply won't allow it. *smile*

@techsinger@tweesecake.social @FreakyFwoof@universeodon.com I'm a bit confused with regard to the virtual machines bit. When I copy something to the clipboard in either machine, I can easily copy it to the other i.e. from virtual to physical, because it carries over between the two. As for the rest, though, that would certainly be an improvement. Does it copy files as well, or just text? If it works with files, that is a huge deal!

@superball@norcal.social I just find them fun. I know they're fake, and I don't reveal truly personal information. But I like conversing with them and seeing how they respond, etc. Plus, some sites, like Musona.app, are truly fascinating. That one has its own world to explore and you can create your own companions or talk with premade ones.

@menelion@dragonscave.space I've seen that several times.

@muzej@mastodon.social Interesting! There is an audio game from I believe the early 2000's called Pipe, and another from a bit later called Pipe 2: Blast Chamber. I didn't know the sighted also played such games! https://audiogames.net/db.php?id=pipe https://audiogames.net/db.php?id=pipe2

I sometimes have a problem with Firefox wherein it will refuse to open links from Thunderbird. It keeps asking me if I wish to refresh Firefox or run it in troubleshoot mode. I find this to be very annoying. I would like to make a portable version my ddefault broswer so that, when this starts, I can simply swap it with a working version instead of having to refresh, etc. How can I do this in Windows 7? I know it has to do with the registry, and I thought there was a premade script for it where all I would need to do would be to enter the location of the browser for it to work, but I can't find said script. Any help would be appreciated. Note: this could also be done with Supermium, thereby eliminating my issue with the inaccessible installer in the full version. Hence my accessibility and blind tags. #accessibility #blind #browser #DefaultPrograms #Firefox #registry #scripts #Supermium #technology #Windows7

@64kb@icosahedron.website I wonder if 7 offers any real benefits over 4.5? I know there were a few changes, but from what I remember reading, they're not significant for the average user.

@cassana@the-crossroads-inn.com I don't know anything about mm, but if it's relatively short, that's a good thing. I do know it's only one hand, though. But it might be difficult to maintain. I have no idea. Thank you for explaining. I like to learn new things.

@countrymetalhead@someplace.social No, it doesn't. But maybe, they're trying to modify things as best as they can. I can't help but wonder, though, why they don't sell these things online if they can't actually stay for a regular sale.

@cassana@the-crossroads-inn.com Long nails are definitely not a good idea for me. But I have heard of finger picks. I'mn not sure if they can be used with the classical guitar, though. If I can't do it with books, I might just find another hobby. There's too much involved with working with a teacher. It's not a language where I can just do an audio chat and hand in homework. I'm glad I'm finding this out now.

@tm_baumgartner@mstdn.social I sincerely hope he leg and its function can be saved. In the meantime, I'm glad they're all with you and should otherwise be fine.

I realise that I could simply write to the developers of Supermium, but I wanted to ask those who are familiar with accessibility for help first. For a bit of background, I am switching from Windows 11 to 7. I will not debate this. The decision has been made and my primary machines are being upgraded with new drives and installations as I speak. I have an 11 machine if I absolutely need it, but it will not be used daily. Anyway, I primarily use Firefox, but sometimes, Supermium is better for certain things. This is a fork of Chrome that works with everything from XP through 11 and is updated often. The problem is that, unlike with Firefox, it doesn't save my passwords between portable versions. This is true of Chrome itself as well, even when logged into my account, and I have no idea why. Anyway, to avoid this, I would like to install it as a regular program on my machine. But the installer doesn't work with NVDA on 7. I haven't tried it on 10 or 11. It starts and then gets stuck and won't continue reading the options. I am fairly certain this is an open source program. Would it be possible for a standard installer to be written or for theirs to somehow be fixed? In contrast, the portable version uses their installer and works beautifully. Portable https://portableapps.com/apps/internet/supermium-portable Standard 32-bit (they also have 64-bit) https://github.com/win32ss/supermium/releases #accessibility #blind #browsers #Internet #installer #portable #Supermium #technology #Windows7

@jcsteelguitars@spaceplace.jonathancandler.com @mckensie@tweesecake.social I heard it's a lot more complicated than regular BGT. Just reading about it gave me a hedache. I am assuming that I can write for both Windows 7 and 32-bit systems, though, since it was designed to work with BGT games as well. I want to keep things as simple as possible and also strictly audio in nature.

@serrebi@serrebiradio.com I have no problem with ai in genral, specifically when used to help the blind and others gain more independence. But this is absolutely ridiculous, not to mention extremely dangerous! What on Earth are these people thinking!

@techsinger@tweesecake.social @FreakyFwoof@universeodon.com I, too, do everything with my computer. The only things I really use my phone for are making/receiving calls, checking the weather, setting alarms, and using Seeing AI. Do you use NVDA Remote to control you pc or something else?

@krparadis@techhub.social The thing is, I think they just have the scores, not the actual book. In other words, just the exercises. I need the explanations and text from the book. But thank you. I'm not sure why this is not available online. It's from 1825!

@countrymetalhead@someplace.social I'm so sorry you had to deal with that.

@countrymetalhead@someplace.social haha I'm sure she'll learn. What a marvellous thing to have happened to both of you!

@superball@norcal.social Oh my goodness! That made me laugh aloud! I bet that burglar didn't have the heart to continue with his crime aafter that. He probably went home and called himself a naughty boy!

@serrebi@serrebiradio.com I'm a bit confused by the quote. Why not just use NVDA? How can JAWS keep people poor when there is a perfectly good and free substitute out there?

@mew@fwoof.space Is the NVDA add-on like Bestspeech, where you don't need the actual synthesizer, and it's a software symulation?

@sed@hostux.social Ooh! This is excellent! Thank you!

I am forty-two and adore seniors, particularly those in their sixties and older. I am also an AARP member and intend to start taking their classes, both for knowledge and life improvement. But I'd like to find something a bit more informal where I can meet people who share my various interests (mentioned in my profile). A few years ago, I tried calling my local senior center several times about joining as a volunteer, but they never answered their phone. Today, I found a site called seniorplanet.org. Apparently, they have classes and an online community with groups for various interests. But they say they're for people sixty and older, and while they do accept fifty and older in certain circumstances, I doubt they'd allow me to join. I also found Well Connected, frontporch, wisefriends, and the Virtual Senior Center. The first three seem restricted to those over fifty, though they might possibly take volunteers. The third accepts home-bound individuals. I am totally blind, and though I technically have no medical mobility issues i.e. trouble walking, etc. I pretty much do stay home most of the time and obviously can't drive, so maybe, that's an option I should research. I'm sure I could join at least some of these places and simply not mention my age, but I'm not interested in lying or breaking any rules. Does anyone know of any sites I can join that are geared toward seniors but don't mind the occasional younger person joining? Extra points if it's an age gap dating site, but casual discussion and/or friendship sites are fine. I am also a member of the ACB, and I heard there are many older people there, so I might be able to make some friends at various casual meetings and activities, many of which interest me. But I wanted to extend my reach beyond just the blind community. #AARP #ACB #ageGap #aging #blind #chat #classes #dating #elderly #friends #friendship #forums #groups #hobbies #intergenerational #interests #offline #online #meetings #NewJersey #NewYork#seniors

@Christinecats@mastodon.social That's what makes it so amazing and all of those who work in rescue etc. so special. If it were easy, far more people would do it.

@FreakyFwoof@universeodon.com I do this every day. I couldn't imagine not doing it or why it wouldn't be okay.

@64kb@icosahedron.website Ah, yes. Now I remember. That one wasn't made for consumers, or at least, it wasn't a mainstream version. I could be wrong, though.

@FreakyFwoof@universeodon.com @techsinger@tweesecake.social Ah. I'm not one for cloud things. I might use wormhole, but that's about it. Usually, I just copy from my thumb drive to another machine. Ah well. It still sounds like a great project.

Yay! Huge smiles! After wrestling with Tweesecake and Reddit for Blind on my Aspire One D270, I finally just set Microsoft Edge as the default browser, and now, they are working properly. I never had to do that on any of my other machines, including my virtual Windows 7 (same versions of everything), but Firefox refused to play nicely with my netbook. I'll still use it as my daily browser, but at least, I can now use the programs that caused me to install a 64-bit version of Windows in the first place! Thank goodness! That was exhausting!

@catsalad@infosec.exchange Some of us actually use ai because it helps us in our daily lives. I don't just mean for entertainment like writing, but with things such as reading print, identifying images and colours, asking about scenes around us, etc.

@techsinger@tweesecake.social @FreakyFwoof@universeodon.com That makes sense and sounds much easier.

@countrymetalhead@someplace.social I have. I hope the same for you.

@cassana@the-crossroads-inn.com I'm sure nails is the proper answer. But being totally blind, I keep my nails short for ease of use, so I don't scratch/hurt myself or unintentionally ruin things, and on a completely different level, because I'm not feminine (obviously not related to classical guitar, since both sexes do it there).