Alex Basson

12,145 reputation

2756

bio	website	conditionallyconvergent.com
	location	Brooklyn, NY
	age	38
visits	member for	2 years
	seen	12 hours ago
stats	profile views	88

I'm an iOS developer, and I'm also especially interested in database programming and web development. I started programming computers as a hobby when I was a kid, beginning with Logo and progressing through BASIC, Pascal, PHP, and Scheme before coming across the nirvana that is Python. I used to be the head of the math department at an independent school here in Brooklyn, NY, where I taught mainly calculus courses and started experimenting with incorporating CS concepts into my school's math curriculum.

I come from a musical family---my father was the Principle Bassoon in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for almost forty years (yes, I've heard the joke about our last name, and yes, it's funny), and my uncle was a Julliard-trained cellist in the Atlanta Symphony for at least as long. I started playing the piano when I was five, and I picked up the guitar and bass at fifteen. About three years ago I started learning to play clawhammer banjo, and I can't seem to put it down. :) My main musical interests center around jazz and American folk music.

	12,145 reputation	bio	website	conditionallyconvergent.com	visits	member for	2 years
2756 badges		location	Brooklyn, NY		seen	12 hours ago

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May 5	awarded	Nice Answer
Apr 26	awarded	Yearling
Mar 31	revised	Why do we need note names like B♭, D♭ etc.? Why not use only A♯, C♯ and so on? deleted 2 characters in body
Mar 18	awarded	Guru
Mar 14	awarded	Nice Answer
Feb 15	awarded	Nice Answer
Feb 15	revised	humbucker vs two single-coils added 1 characters in body
Jan 15	answered	How can I learn foot-from-hand and foot-from-beat independence on the drums?
Jan 7	comment	How is counterpoint different from harmony? Harmony is not a "second sound you hear". It is the context created by the combination of all the sounds you hear. Even music with a single melodic line---e.g. unaccompanied violin or solo singer---has harmony despite its not even having a second sound. Do not confuse "harmony" with "accompaniment".
Jan 7	comment	How is counterpoint different from harmony? I have to take issue with the implication that Bach wasn't aware of or intentional about his use of harmony, as "he just meant them to go together" implies. He meant them to go together because he deeply understood the harmonic consequences of superimposing those lines. His use of harmony was no accident; rather it was the product of someone who completely understood what he was doing.
Jan 4	comment	Does the species of woods used play any role on the sound of a violin? @horatio The soundboard is part of the soundbox, right? But I take your point, and as you probably know, many guitar manufacturers offer a model with a solid wood top and laminate back and sides as a cost savings. But these models, while they can sound really good, still can't match the quality of tone of an all-solid wood instrument.
Jan 4	awarded	Enlightened
Jan 4	awarded	Nice Answer
Jan 4	revised	Does the species of woods used play any role on the sound of a violin? added 2 characters in body
Jan 3	comment	Does the species of woods used play any role on the sound of a violin? @horatio It's true that the soundboard (aka the top of the soundbox) is more important than the back and sides (though they all contribute to the overall sound), but the material--and not just the shape---of the soundboard makes a huge difference in tone quality. Have you ever had the chance to play two guitars of the same make and model but with different soundboard materials? Seagull, for example, offers a cedar vs. spruce option on several of their models, and it makes a big difference.
Jan 3	revised	Does the species of woods used play any role on the sound of a violin? added 1159 characters in body
Jan 3	answered	Does the species of woods used play any role on the sound of a violin?
Dec 28	comment	How do I play this ornament/slur? (Guitar Tab) The standard notation includes explicit left-hand fingering on every note of the first half of the bar. For example, it indicates that the guitarist should hold the low B with the 3rd finger while playing the D, E, and F# with the 4th, 1st, and 4th fingers, respectively.
Dec 28	revised	How do I play this ornament/slur? (Guitar Tab) added 125 characters in body
Dec 28	comment	How do I play this ornament/slur? (Guitar Tab) I should clarify: Yes, there are chord indications above the staff. But those are there to help the player understand the harmony of the piece, not to tell the player to hold down a whole Bm7 chord or a whole G chord. The left-hand fingering given over the notes of the staff clearly indicate what the player should be holding down, and it's not a whole chord.