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Band instruments were also a huge industry in bygone days. Every town had multiple bands. The center of town always had a bandshell. In the late 1890s you prett

by tomcam 4y ago

Band instruments were also a huge industry in bygone days. Every town had multiple bands. The center of town always had a bandshell. In the late 1890s you pretty much couldn’t walk through a city without hearing a band rehearsing somewhere. Elkhart, Indiana hosted dozens if not hundreds of musical instrument factories for a period of about 100 years.

midoridensha 4y ago
They didn't have smartphones and video games back in those days, so people kept themselves occupied with other pursuits...
- toast0 4y ago
  Or easy access to recorded music, although it was starting. Music via the radio wasn't available yet either.
- tablespoon 4y ago
  > They didn't have smartphones and video games back in those days, so people kept themselves occupied with other pursuits... In other words: there were fewer lazy, low-effort distractions, so people had to develop more skills, more frequently.
  - SyzygistSix 4y ago
    And interact with each other. In meatspace. No wonder more babies were being born.
- mellavora 4y ago
  so people engaged in activities which built real community and required frequent, sustained interaction with their neighbors, AND which involved manipulating real-world objects rather than fantasy objects. #1 is generally correlated with increased mental health, something which makes sense when you recognize that we are a social animal. #2 would make for some interesting research
unwind 4y ago
TIL that a hard, curved surface designed to reflect sound towards an audience (and thus typically placed at the back of an actual stage where musicians can play) is called a (band)shell [1]. Thanks! [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_(theater) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_(theater)
- tomcam 4y ago
  Oops thanks.
mellavora 4y ago
Yup, and an industry which promised trouble https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI_Oe-jtgdI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI_Oe-jtgdI "We've surely got trouble! Right here in River City. Right here!"
- tomcam 4y ago
  You understand that’s all I’m going to be singing for the next 24 hours, right? Explain this to my wife. Not my fault!
analog31 4y ago
Changing tastes, and the electric guitar, killed band instruments. Three or four people could replace a 19 piece dance band. The economics were overwhelming. While it's surely a blip and not a trend, there's a shortage of band instruments right now. I just donated my student flute to a nearby music store, and they said they had 40 kids on the waiting list for flutes. The Elkhart brands still exist, but a lot of instruments are made in China. I think people are still interested in music, but electronics have taken over. Today even electric guitars are in decline.
trbleclef 4y ago
In certain parts of the US, you can still find these. I'm thinking Cape Cod for example. In the summer, many towns still have town bands that play weekly or so.
jerrybender 4y ago
Yep, the VFW and other organizations sponsored local bands to keep the military band tradition going. Not so much these days.

by tomcam 4y ago

midoridensha 4y ago

They didn't have smartphones and video games back in those days, so people kept themselves occupied with other pursuits...

toast0 4y ago
Or easy access to recorded music, although it was starting. Music via the radio wasn't available yet either.
tablespoon 4y ago
> They didn't have smartphones and video games back in those days, so people kept themselves occupied with other pursuits... In other words: there were fewer lazy, low-effort distractions, so people had to develop more skills, more frequently.
- SyzygistSix 4y ago
  And interact with each other. In meatspace. No wonder more babies were being born.
mellavora 4y ago
so people engaged in activities which built real community and required frequent, sustained interaction with their neighbors, AND which involved manipulating real-world objects rather than fantasy objects. #1 is generally correlated with increased mental health, something which makes sense when you recognize that we are a social animal. #2 would make for some interesting research

unwind 4y ago

TIL that a hard, curved surface designed to reflect sound towards an audience (and thus typically placed at the back of an actual stage where musicians can play) is called a (band)shell [1]. Thanks! [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_(theater) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_(theater)

tomcam 4y ago
Oops thanks.

mellavora 4y ago

Yup, and an industry which promised trouble https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI_Oe-jtgdI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI_Oe-jtgdI "We've surely got trouble! Right here in River City. Right here!"

tomcam 4y ago
You understand that’s all I’m going to be singing for the next 24 hours, right? Explain this to my wife. Not my fault!

analog31 4y ago

Changing tastes, and the electric guitar, killed band instruments. Three or four people could replace a 19 piece dance band. The economics were overwhelming. While it's surely a blip and not a trend, there's a shortage of band instruments right now. I just donated my student flute to a nearby music store, and they said they had 40 kids on the waiting list for flutes. The Elkhart brands still exist, but a lot of instruments are made in China. I think people are still interested in music, but electronics have taken over. Today even electric guitars are in decline.

trbleclef 4y ago

In certain parts of the US, you can still find these. I'm thinking Cape Cod for example. In the summer, many towns still have town bands that play weekly or so.

jerrybender 4y ago

Yep, the VFW and other organizations sponsored local bands to keep the military band tradition going. Not so much these days.