Potential Threat to Top BLD Cubers

[DeeDubb]

Well, you're good at starting a hot thread, so that's something.

I just have a couple of recommendations.

1. Keep the cockiness in this thread. Please don't step on other people's accomplishments with "I'm coming for you" (as you did in the recent Maskow video). They've earned the chance for attention, and deflecting it to yourself is very rude.

2. Remember that most of the best cubers aren't posting on here, because they are busy practicing. If you want to catch up, you'll need to do the same.

As for the music "debate", personally, I don't judge music by genre. I don't assume I'll like/dislike anything simply because of how it's classified. There's some heavy metal I find terrible, and some that I really love. Pretty similar with other genres.

Also, having a debate about what is good and bad music is so subjective that there's really no point. There's no point in telling someone else that they enjoy something inferior. If they enjoy it, that's all that matters.

 

[tseitsei]

P.S. Since you've stepped down from your throne to help me, that gives me a reason to make this post nice and humble. Let's just say our argument ends here. (Wait...was that bragging? Hmm...)



[/SIZE][/FONT]

Glad I could help.

And I'm ok to with ending this argument here.

But I have to say that I don't have a "throne" to step down from There are still many people that are better than me even in my best events (IIRC 20. world rank is my best in 4BLD)... Also I don't mind sharing the information/skills I have gathered during these years with others I know I won't be the best in the world anyway in any event ever...

 

[JemFish]

Well, you're good at starting a hot thread, so that's something.

I just have a couple of recommendations.

1. Keep the cockiness in this thread. Please don't step on other people's accomplishments with "I'm coming for you" (as you did in the recent Maskow video). They've earned the chance for attention, and deflecting it to yourself is very rude.

2. Remember that most of the best cubers aren't posting on here, because they are busy practicing. If you want to catch up, you'll need to do the same.

As for the music "debate", personally, I don't judge music by genre. I don't assume I'll like/dislike anything simply because of how it's classified. There's some heavy metal I find terrible, and some that I really love. Pretty similar with other genres.

Also, having a debate about what is good and bad music is so subjective that there's really no point. There's no point in telling someone else that they enjoy something inferior. If they enjoy it, that's all that matters.

No comment.

Glad I could help.

And I'm ok to with ending this argument here.

But I have to say that I don't have a "throne" to step down from There are still many people that are better than me even in my best events (IIRC 20. world rank is my best in 4BLD)... Also I don't mind sharing the information/skills I have gathered during these years with others I know I won't be the best in the world anyway in any event ever...

Thanks! And I'm sure your really good.

 

[Dene]

I've been watching this music debate with interest, and it sounds like there's only one person in this thread who has any idea what heavy metal actually is... Which rap or hip hop artist regularly works with a choir and live orchestra? I've never heard of any, yet more than half my favourite metal bands have heavy symphonic influences in their music.

Going to leave some light listening...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDe0cXJc-kw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_nL54jTSgM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJt1rdFZXlY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN3yqMr3ffY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DymceY5CowE

I must say I'm no metallica fan, but that was totally badass! Thanks for backing up my empty words with cold-hard evidence.

 

[pappas]

Wow this thread has gotten out of hand.
Jemfish, sounds like you have the motivation and confidence already. Just do what you enjoy and have fun while doing it. We're a small community here. No need to attack other people.

 

[kcl]

I've noticed a trend. A lot of the 'pros' tell little people like me that I "have no idea how hard it is to be a world class cuber." Are you afraid of me or what? You only have the right to tell me to have "more actions/results and less talk" if you watch me every day and see how I'm doing. But no, you don't. Anyway, because of school, I only get about an hour of cubing practice a day, and on weekends I get 3-5 hours. Now instead of picking on me, why don't you, a pro, tell me if that's a good amount of practice or not?


~ JemFish

oh boy. We're trying to tell you this because it's factual. I'm not scared of you, and neither is anybody else here. Your amount of practice is fine, and I'm sure you'll improve nicely, but you need to understand we're not going to lie in your face and tell you you're going to be something great, because we really don't know that with any certainty. I became arguably "world class" faster than most people, and it was damn difficult. I did hours of practice daily (ask anybody who knew me on the forums during my first year or so, they'll tell you I was insane and obsessed), and even now, two years later, I'm only really good at 3-4 events. I know you compared it to Piano, but really there's not a ratio of practice time. I'm a musician as well, and I guarantee that this 'ratio', if it even exists, varies drastically from person to person. It depends on the amount of dedication, practice, etc. However, please don't let this discourage you. Practice hard and I'm sure you'll get there. /endrant

TL;DR
We aren't kidding. Getting world class isn't easy.

edit: ok the post I quoted here was older than I realized and you have resolved some of this. I'll leave it up cause my point stays the same.

 

[Tim Major]

I've been watching this music debate with interest, and it sounds like there's only one person in this thread who has any idea what heavy metal actually is... Which rap or hip hop artist regularly works with a choir and live orchestra? I've never heard of any, yet more than half my favourite metal bands have heavy symphonic influences in their music.

Going to leave some light listening...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDe0cXJc-kw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_nL54jTSgM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJt1rdFZXlY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN3yqMr3ffY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DymceY5CowE

There has definitely been some, for example http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hard_Road:_Restrung

I'm not sure why violin is considered to need more skill than other instruments though.

 

[rybaby]

Well, you're good at starting a hot thread, so that's something.

I just have a couple of recommendations.

1. Keep the cockiness in this thread. Please don't step on other people's accomplishments with "I'm coming for you" (as you did in the recent Maskow video). They've earned the chance for attention, and deflecting it to yourself is very rude.

2. Remember that most of the best cubers aren't posting on here, because they are busy practicing. If you want to catch up, you'll need to do the same.

+1 for Dan's wisdom.

I just think saying you're a "potential threat" at this stage is very cocky. I think it's great that you're so passionate about BLD, and I wish you the best of luck. But remember, there are a lot of fast people around. In my opinion, cube because you enjoy it, not because you want to dominate the world. At this stage, don't compare yourself to other people -- focus on beating your own PBs and enjoying yourself in the process.

 

[JemFish]

Wow this thread has gotten out of hand.
Jemfish, sounds like you have the motivation and confidence already. Just do what you enjoy and have fun while doing it. We're a small community here. No need to attack other people.

You're right.

oh boy. We're trying to tell you this because it's factual. I'm not scared of you, and neither is anybody else here. Your amount of practice is fine, and I'm sure you'll improve nicely, but you need to understand we're not going to lie in your face and tell you you're going to be something great, because we really don't know that with any certainty. I became arguably "world class" faster than most people, and it was damn difficult. I did hours of practice daily (ask anybody who knew me on the forums during my first year or so, they'll tell you I was insane and obsessed), and even now, two years later, I'm only really good at 3-4 events. I know you compared it to Piano, but really there's not a ratio of practice time. I'm a musician as well, and I guarantee that this 'ratio', if it even exists, varies drastically from person to person. It depends on the amount of dedication, practice, etc. However, please don't let this discourage you. Practice hard and I'm sure you'll get there. /endrant

TL;DR
We aren't kidding. Getting world class isn't easy.

edit: ok the post I quoted here was older than I realized and you have resolved some of this. I'll leave it up cause my point stays the same.

Nice post! I like how everyone's tone is changing, and thanks for the warning/encouragement.

+1 for Dan's wisdom.

I just think saying you're a "potential threat" at this stage is very cocky. I think it's great that you're so passionate about BLD, and I wish you the best of luck. But remember, there are a lot of fast people around. In my opinion, cube because you enjoy it, not because you want to dominate the world. At this stage, don't compare yourself to other people -- focus on beating your own PBs and enjoying yourself in the process.

You're absolutely right, but here's the thing: I didn't even mean to be cocky. I was just strengthening my bricks of confidence with cement, that's all, but thanks for lending me your shoes anyway.

 

[penguinz7]

Small off-topic question, what does "lending me your shoes mean"?

 

[JemFish]

Small off-topic question, what does "lending me your shoes mean"?

AKA "giving me your opinion."

EDIT: No, on second thought, it's more like "giving me your perspective."

 

[sneaklyfox]

I can tell you from personal experience since I have played violin as well as a host of other instruments like piano, oboe, trombone, and guitar (I won't name all of them) that violin (or other similar string instrument) is definitely harder. I don't know if it's appropriate to start a debate here why I think violin is hardest. Perhaps we should start a new thread in the off topic forum if this continues. Anyway, here's just a few points to consider:
- Accurate finger placement to play in tune. If you compare with guitar, let's say, a guitar has frets so no need to worry too much EXACTLY where you put your fingers.
- If you don't play a stringed instrument, try making a nice tone or even a normal sounding tone. Most beginners would start off with squeaks. Compare that with piano, which even my babies can play just by wiggling a finger and randomly putting a hand down.
- Notes getting louder and vibrating. Once you put your finger down on a piano key, you really can't do much to change the way it sounds even if you imagine that you can. With violin, you have to be in total control at every moment in time you are playing that note to make it sound exactly the way you want.

Ok, that's three points. Enough points. I'm sure I could add a lot more points.

Regarding the heavy metal, I'll change what I said before. Some heavy metal does not classify as music in my books, namely the screaming-as-loud-as-possible kind which is usually the first thing I think of when I think of heavy metal. Ok, it's not all like that I know. You're right, Dene. It IS music. But my real and full opinion on heavy metal is actually much stronger than a simple dislike of a music genre. But I don't think I will bring that up here as I don't see a point in offending people on a cubing forum, especially when I don't see that anything good would come of it.

 

[DeeDubb]

You're right.


You're absolutely right, but here's the thing: I didn't even mean to be cocky. I was just strengthening my bricks of confidence with cement, that's all, but thanks for lending me your shoes anyway.

It's fine, just keep it out of other people's accomplishment threads please. That's all I'm saying. They've earned their moment to shine, and saying "I'm coming for you" intentionally or unintentionally attempts to steal their spotlight.

 

[IRNjuggle28]

Can't decide if I love your attitude or hate it, lol. I like how motivated you seem, but take what Dan said to heart. I want you to kick ass at BLD anyway, so good luck. :tu

 

[Dene]

Regarding the heavy metal, I'll change what I said before. Some heavy metal does not classify as music in my books, namely the screaming-as-loud-as-possible kind which is usually the first thing I think of when I think of heavy metal. Ok, it's not all like that I know. You're right, Dene. It IS music. But my real and full opinion on heavy metal is actually much stronger than a simple dislike of a music genre. But I don't think I will bring that up here as I don't see a point in offending people on a cubing forum, especially when I don't see that anything good would come of it.

Lol dw I was only joking about being offended. You'd be hard-pressed to ever offend me... But now I'm curious what you mean about your real reason for hating metal. Tell me

 

[Ickathu]

More seriously, putting 10,000 hours of practise into piano or into 3BLD either way doesn't matter at all unless you get enjoyment from skill acquisition. Your relative position in the pack of people who engage in the same activity is unimportant. At 3bld it is still conceivable that any individual could put in thousands of hours of deliberate practise and shape their entire person around the skill and become the best, at least for a short while. Just because in piano (a several-hundred year-old 'hobby') no one individual can have confidence that they could work multiple thousands of hours and become 'the best', it doesn't detract anything from that effort, nor make it comparable to 3bld in that way.

This. Just enjoy it, whatever "it" may be.

Which rap or hip hop artist regularly works with a choir and live orchestra? I've never heard of any, yet more than half my favourite metal bands have heavy symphonic influences in their music.

I'm not saying that rap or hip hop are better than orchestra (or heavy metal, or ANY music genre for that matter). To be honest, my favorite thing to listen to is probably violin or piano solos (1 person, not an orchestra). But I don't necessarily want to listen to that all the time.
It's hard to quantify the amount of skill something requires. Does heavy metal require more skill than playing the flute? Maybe, maybe not. Does hip hop require more skill than squealing like a pig? Maybe, maybe not.
But who cares what requires more skill?
If you like to listen to it, then don't worry about what other people think. I like CHH and CCM (Christian hip hop and Christian contemporary music); I like piano and violin; I like acapella; etc. If you don't like it, or if you think that it requires no musical talent whatsoever, I really don't care. I'm going to continue to listen to it, because I like listening to it.

As for the music "debate", personally, I don't judge music by genre. I don't assume I'll like/dislike anything simply because of how it's classified. There's some heavy metal I find terrible, and some that I really love. Pretty similar with other genres.

Also, having a debate about what is good and bad music is so subjective that there's really no point. There's no point in telling someone else that they enjoy something inferior. If they enjoy it, that's all that matters.

Both good points. (Also, ninja'd)


JemFish, I think I said this earlier, but keep up your attitude. It's cocky, but confident-cocky, not look-at-me-I'm-the-best-cocky. Even if you are the best, you don't want to have that attitude. Stay confident. And don't worry about offending people. Here's a great post by Julien Smith (NSFW): link.

 

[JemFish]

[Concerning the] accurate finger placement [of playing a violin] to play in tune. If you compare with guitar, let's say, a guitar has frets so no need to worry too much EXACTLY where you put your fingers.

This is probably the hardest thing about violin, although I can't say for sure because I've never played instruments from the violin family. (Same goes for the trombone, except that it's the length of the whatever-you-call-it rather than finger placement.) For people who can't hear in-tune and out-of-tune notes, this one thing makes MANY violin players horrible. And I mean horrible. It's not worth going to a violin recital if there aren't any professionals. And even still, many professionals play out-of-tune anyway.

Violin (and trombone) are only extremely hard if you can't hear in-tune and out-of-tune notes, and you wouldn't even notice which makes it worse. Musical violin players and non-musical violin players will contrast black-and-white just by listening to their in-tuneness. For a violinist to play along with other instruments, he/she would probably also need at least absolute pitch.

Life is easy for pianists concerning pitch, but there are many other things which balance out difficulty...

ANYWAY, this is a cubing forum. Enough of music (for now).

It's fine, just keep it out of other people's accomplishment threads please. That's all I'm saying. They've earned their moment to shine, and saying "I'm coming for you" intentionally or unintentionally attempts to steal their spotlight.

OK

Can't decide if I love your attitude or hate it, lol. I like how motivated you seem, but take what Dan said to heart. I want you to kick ass at BLD anyway, so good luck. :tu

Well after all, I'm human, and humans aren't perfect. Love my attitude and hate my attitude.

Just enjoy it, whatever "it" may be.

I will.

I'm not saying that rap or hip hop are better than orchestra (or heavy metal, or ANY music genre for that matter). To be honest, my favorite thing to listen to is probably violin or piano solos (1 person, not an orchestra). But I don't necessarily want to listen to that all the time.
It's hard to quantify the amount of skill something requires. Does heavy metal require more skill than playing the flute? Maybe, maybe not. Does hip hop require more skill than squealing like a pig? Maybe, maybe not.
But who cares what requires more skill?
If you like to listen to it, then don't worry about what other people think. I like CHH and CCM (Christian hip hop and Christian contemporary music); I like piano and violin; I like acapella; etc. If you don't like it, or if you think that it requires no musical talent whatsoever, I really don't care. I'm going to continue to listen to it, because I like listening to it.

You're absolutely right. Who cares if rapping doesn't even require half the skill of playing piano? It's fun!

JemFish, I think I said this earlier, but keep up your attitude. It's cocky, but confident-cocky, not look-at-me-I'm-the-best-cocky. Even if you are the best, you don't want to have that attitude. Stay confident. And don't worry about offending people. Here's a great post by Julien Smith (NSFW): link.

You're right. And that was a great post by the way, although I didn't read the entire thing. (Not too happy about all the f-words though.)

~ JemFish

 

[sneaklyfox]

Lol dw I was only joking about being offended. You'd be hard-pressed to ever offend me... But now I'm curious what you mean about your real reason for hating metal. Tell me

Oh... well that's good I didn't actually offend you anyway. But no, I still think it's better not to say on a cubing forum. It wouldn't change anything and I don't want to argue about it.

This is probably the hardest thing about violin, although I can't say for sure because I've never played instruments from the violin family. (Same goes for the trombone, except that it's the length of the whatever-you-call-it rather than finger placement.) For people who can't hear in-tune and out-of-tune notes, this one thing makes MANY violin players horrible. And I mean horrible. It's not worth going to a violin recital if there aren't any professionals. And even still, many professionals play out-of-tune anyway.

Violin (and trombone) are only extremely hard if you can't hear in-tune and out-of-tune notes, and you wouldn't even notice which makes it worse. Musical violin players and non-musical violin players will contrast black-and-white just by listening to their in-tuneness. For a violinist to play along with other instruments, he/she would probably also need at least absolute pitch.

I'm not sure I would say that playing in tune is the hardest thing about playing the violin though it's always a concern with most any left hand technique. The right bow hand actually requires a lot of skill, more than one might think, and is usually what separates the musical players from the unmusical players. But I guess this depends on your definition of "being musical". But the ability to hear what in-tuneness is or how finely in tune you are is exactly what makes teaching violin so difficult for me. I'm EXTREMELY picky about being in tune. Even though I often have to lower my standards in a lesson so I can teach other useful violin technique, I still usually find myself continually shouting "YOU'RE FLAT!" or "YOU'RE SHARP!"... "HIGHER!"... "LOWER!" at my students. Makes for a really boring lesson but sometimes I just can't stand the really bad notes!

I would think that having absolute pitch is worse because what if, say, a piano is slightly out of tune then you would feel really off. I also wonder what people with absolute pitch do when it comes to different keys because of temper. I have relative pitch, which I think is much more useful.

 

[JemFish]

I'm not sure I would say that playing in tune is the hardest thing about playing the violin though it's always a concern with most any left hand technique. The right bow hand actually requires a lot of skill, more than one might think, and is usually what separates the musical players from the unmusical players. But I guess this depends on your definition of "being musical". But the ability to hear what in-tuneness is or how finely in tune you are is exactly what makes teaching violin so difficult for me. I'm EXTREMELY picky about being in tune. Even though I often have to lower my standards in a lesson so I can teach other useful violin technique, I still usually find myself continually shouting "YOU'RE FLAT!" or "YOU'RE SHARP!"... "HIGHER!"... "LOWER!" at my students. Makes for a really boring lesson but sometimes I just can't stand the really bad notes!

I would think that having absolute pitch is worse because what if, say, a piano is slightly out of tune then you would feel really off. I also wonder what people with absolute pitch do when it comes to different keys because of temper. I have relative pitch, which I think is much more useful.

Oh! I didn't think that the bow required a lot of skill; that's interesting. Well, my definition of "being musical" covers a LOT of things, but hearing in-tuneness is one of the big ones. Another one is rhythm. Some people just CAN'T clap in time with music, no matter how hard they try; watching them is like torture. Anyway, I don't want to offend anyone...

EDIT: For violinists without (at least) relative pitch, playing in tune would be the hardest thing. For violinist with (at least) relative pitch, bowing would be harder.

Yeah, I guess having perfect or absolute pitch would be quite sad, but your standards would (in terms of pitch) be higher than other people. I can't decide whether perfect or absolute pitch is a good thing or not, but it doesn't really matter; I'm quite satisfied with relative pitch. (Wait - the meaning of 'relative pitch' is basically being able to hear in-tuneness.)

I love cubing forums - so much music.

EDIT: I was listening to the iTunes radio when I found this prelude. It's absolutely beautiful! Good old Chopin will always be my favourite. Also, try to find another artist if you can; I don't like it when Martha Argerich plays Chopin, but that's all I could find. (That was random.)

 

[sneaklyfox]

Oh! I didn't think that the bow required a lot of skill; that's interesting. Well, my definition of "being musical" covers a LOT of things, but hearing in-tuneness is one of the big ones. Another one is rhythm. Some people just CAN'T clap in time with music, no matter how hard they try; watching them is like torture. Anyway, I don't want to offend anyone...

EDIT: For violinists without (at least) relative pitch, playing in tune would be the hardest thing. For violinist with (at least) relative pitch, bowing would be harder.

Yeah, I guess having perfect or absolute pitch would be quite sad, but your standards would (in terms of pitch) be higher than other people. I can't decided whether perfect or absolute pitch is a good thing or not, but it doesn't really matter; I'm quite satisfied with relative pitch. (Wait - the meaning of 'relative pitch' is basically being able to hear in-tuneness.)

I love cubing forums - so much music.

EDIT: I was listening to the iTunes radio when I found this prelude. It's absolutely beautiful! Good old Chopin will always be my favourite. Also, try to find another artist if you can; I don't like it when Martha Argerich plays Chopin, but that's all I could find. (That was random.)

Oh yes, the bow does require a lot of skill to play well but it's more subjective and more dependent on interpretation. For playing in tune, either you're right or you're wrong. I will attempt to explain a bit more about the bow. There are just so many variables at every point in time that depend on each other to some degree and need to be finely controlled : speed, pressure, angle, placement relative to the bridge, etc... and meanwhile where the bow touches the string is always changing. For pressure, all your fingers have to work together to give the right type of pressure. And the thing is it's not so easy to practice slowly because you will run out of bow. And then there are techniques like spiccato which requires you to do it at speed and be able to control the way the bow bounces off the string. The tone you are trying to create can change in so many different ways because there are so many variables. So it's hardly ever exactly the same so you have to listen very carefully to so many more changes to know how you should play the next note.

When I say "being musical", I am talking about interpretation as opposed to "being technical". For example, what is a tasteful rubato? Playing steadily and with proper rhythm is hard for some people. Playing rubato must be a headache for them. When you make a crescendo of four notes, how much louder should each succeeding note be? Unmusical musicians don't really know how to play rubato properly, change dynamics properly, play rit. or accel., breathe and phrase nicely, shape their lines well, and all such stuff, etc. etc.

Nice Chopin prelude. I'm a romantic as well.