Saving Rare Recordings nets a Grammy

Started by Sarge · 9 posts · 2,186 views

  1. #1
    A mathematician wins a Grammy award for developing a new algorithm that enables salvaging of vintage recordings. They won the Grammy for salvaging a 1949 Woody Guthrie live performance which is the only known one of him in front of a live audience. The recording predates magnetic tape and was recorded on copper wire.

    http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20080209/mathtrek.asp

    Make sure that you listen to the samples that they have in the article to hear the difference between originals and the one with the distortion removed. It's just amazing that they can fix things that much.

    The web page was really slow loading for me so be patient.
  2. #2
    That is simply amazing.

  3. #3
    That's awesome. Anything that can be done to restore old recordings is a great advance in my book, and I've always been amazed by the power mathematics wields.

    I've been spending some time learning to play harmonica. . .I've played with it in the past, but started up again in earnest recently. One of the great things about the harmonica is the community around it. People don't seem to respect it like say, guitar or piano, though they would if they knew what was involved. One of the beneficial side-effects seems to be that harp players are very approachable, and generally don't have a fat head.

    The reason why I mention this is that one of the guys on a harp forum I'm on just won a Grammy for playing on a blues album. I wouldn't have thought I'd be able to ask questions of, or just BS with, a Grammy winner or any of the other well-known harp players I've run into. It's cool to have access to the authors of the how-to-play books I've read, and the guys who recorded the CD's I have.

    The Internet is a strange and wondrous thing.


  4. #4
    DocJon wrote:The Internet is a strange and wondrous thing.


    No truer words have ever been spoken. At least on this forum....

    Very cool about the harmonica and the Grammy winner! It's one of those usually under-appreciated instruments (outside of cowboys and the blues) that adds just the right touch sometimes.

    I've thought some recently about trying to learn to play the guitar, but keep convincing myself I don't have the time. I probably should stop that and just do it.
  5. #5
    Sarge wrote:No truer words have ever been spoken. At least on this forum....

    I've thought some recently about trying to learn to play the guitar, but keep convincing myself I don't have the time. I probably should stop that and just do it.


    Go to Youtube and type in something like "guitar lesson" and see what comes up. I've got a lot of info for the harmonica that way - more than I can actually use at this point, but I used Keepvid so I'll always have it for future reference.

    One guy has over 100 lessons, ~10 minutes long, for the harmonica. He's a very good harp player, and an English professor as well, so he has great communication skills. Another guy who's offered me his help was a student of Paul Butterfield. Maybe you can find something similar for the guitar. I'm willing to bet you can, since it's a more popular instrument.

  6. #6
    You're probably right. My Father, Mother, and brother also play so I have them as well. I tried to learn once as a kid but didn't have the money to buy my own guitar so I used my mother's acoustic. The problem is that I'm a lefty and just couldn't coordinate myself right handed. It just felt wrong.

    One of my sons has expressed an interest in the guitar as well, so me learning might help him learn as well.
  7. #7
    Sarge wrote:The problem is that I'm a lefty....


    I always knew there was something not right about that boy.....

    Ah, just get Guitar Hero III for the WII. Then, it won't matter how "good" you are as long as you have fun. 😛

    I thought I read that one of Woodie's daughters or grandchildren had never heard him play live and this was very important to her..... I'll have to give it a listen when I get time.

    My best friend from HS has played the Harmonica off and on for as long as I remember. I don't ever remember hearing him complete any songs though. More of a piece of this song, a piece of that song.
  8. #8
    Atomm wrote:I always knew there was something not right about that boy.....

    Ah, just get Guitar Hero III for the WII. Then, it won't matter how "good" you are as long as you have fun. 😛

    I thought I read that one of Woodie's daughters or grandchildren had never heard him play live and this was very important to her..... I'll have to give it a listen when I get time.

    My best friend from HS has played the Harmonica off and on for as long as I remember. I don't ever remember hearing him complete any songs though. More of a piece of this song, a piece of that song.


    There was a discussion on one of the harp lists yesterday about ppl who can take a solo and do fills versus those that can play the melody of a song. One person (who says they're very modestly talented) was taken aback when, at a player get-together, she started playing a simple little ditty over in a corner. The others were much more talented (or so she thought), and were talking over her head, so she was just occupying herself. As it turns out, the "more talented" guys stopped whet they were doing, came over to her and asked her to do it again. They were awesome blues guys, excelling at solos and fills, but they were impressed by a simple melody!

    It's hard to get REALLY good at an instrument. It takes a great deal of time and dedication.

    Why just play Guitar Hero when you can LEARN the guitar?

    http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/03/guitar-...-a-real-guitar/

    http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/02/guitar-hero-for.html