u/Due_Independence3268

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Over the years I've somehow ended up with wind instruments from South America, Europe, China and India, some were gifts from friends, others I collected along the way.

In the basket are among others:

1. Irish flute
2. Quena
3. Tin whistle
4. Overtone flute
5. Xiao

I thought it could be fun to introduce them one at a time.

I'll first record it completely on its own, so you can hear what the instrument actually sounds like.

Then I'll choose a traditional/folk melody that suits it and turn that melody into a folk-metal arrangement with guitars, bouzouki, bass, etc.

So, which one should go first?

Hi everyone:

I guess not much is expected from writing this, but here it goes, in the last year and a half I have recorded mixed, and produced 20 original songs, 14 of them on spotify. I am not looking to be famous or anything, Mostly wanted to get all what has been going in my heart and head into the music I love so much, and share it with like-minded people. That said, it has been hard to do it from a bedroom studio, and it is been hard to find collaborators, even in an open minded (in my opinion) community such as is Folk metal. Just wanted to reach out to you guys, and hopefully talk to some of you.

I do not know your name, and you will almost certainly never read this.

Perhaps that is what makes it easier to write.

I first saw you behind the counter of a supermarket in a small Danish coastal town. You had dark hair, striking blue eyes, and the kind of beauty that makes someone pause inwardly, even while the rest of the world continues as normal.

I noticed you, smiled to myself, and carried on with my day.

I was there on holiday with my family, the people I love and the life I would never wish to exchange for a fantasy about a stranger. I did not want anything from you. You were simply a beautiful person I happened to encounter for a moment.

Then, later that evening, I saw you again.

We had gone to a restaurant, and there you were, walking toward our table. For a second, I wondered whether I had mistaken you for someone else, but then you smiled.

You spoke to us warmly and complimented our Danish. It was probably a small and ordinary kindness to you, one of many conversations during a long working day. But your smile stayed with me.

Nothing happened between us. Nothing was supposed to happen.

I did not ask your name. I did not search for you afterward, and I never will. I would not want a passing moment of admiration to become an intrusion into your life.

But I wanted to place the memory somewhere.

You reminded me that a person can briefly enter another person’s day and leave behind something gentle. No promise, no possibility, no story waiting to begin, only a moment of unexpected beauty.

I met you twice.

You smiled at me once.

And although you will never know it, you became one of the loveliest memories of that holiday.

This letter is not an invitation.

It is only a quiet thank you.

I do not know your name, and you will almost certainly never read this.

Perhaps that is what makes it easier to write.

I first saw you behind the counter of a supermarket in a small Danish coastal town. You had dark hair, striking blue eyes, and the kind of beauty that makes someone pause inwardly, even while the rest of the world continues as normal.

I noticed you, smiled to myself, and carried on with my day.

I was there on holiday with my family, the people I love and the life I would never wish to exchange for a fantasy about a stranger. I did not want anything from you. You were simply a beautiful person I happened to encounter for a moment.

Then, later that evening, I saw you again.

We had gone to a restaurant, and there you were, walking toward our table. For a second, I wondered whether I had mistaken you for someone else, but then you smiled.

You spoke to us warmly and complimented our Danish. It was probably a small and ordinary kindness to you, one of many conversations during a long working day. But your smile stayed with me.

Nothing happened between us. Nothing was supposed to happen.

I did not ask your name. I did not search for you afterward, and I never will. I would not want a passing moment of admiration to become an intrusion into your life.

But I wanted to place the memory somewhere.

You reminded me that a person can briefly enter another person’s day and leave behind something gentle. No promise, no possibility, no story waiting to begin—only a moment of unexpected beauty.

I met you twice.

You smiled at me once.

And although you will never know it, you became one of the loveliest memories of that holiday.

This letter is not an invitation.

It is only a quiet thank you.

Hej alle,

Jeg er ved at sætte en lille DIY-smedje op derhjemme, og jeg har næsten alt klar, men jeg mangler stadig noget, jeg kan bruge som ambolt.

Jeg har fundet nogle meget billige støbeståls-ambolte online til omkring 150 kr., men det virker lidt fjollet/spildfuldt at få en sendt fra udlandet, hvis jeg kan finde noget lokalt i stedet.

Jeg har allerede prøvet flere genbrugsbutikker, kontaktet en skrotplads i Aarhus og spurgt firmaet, der arbejder på skinnerne, men uden held indtil videre.

Jeg har hørt, at folk nogle gange bruger et gammelt mukkert-hoved, et øksehoved, et stykke jernbaneskinne eller bare et tungt stykke massivt stål på 5–10 kg som begynderambolt.

Er der nogen i eller omkring Aarhus, der tilfældigvis har noget lignende liggende, som de ikke bruger? Jeg vil meget gerne hente det og kan også betale et mindre beløb for det.

På forhånd tak!

Hey everyone,

I’m setting up a small DIY forge at home and have almost everything ready, but I’m still missing something I can use as an anvil.

I found some very cheap cast-steel anvils online for around 150 DKK, but it seems a bit silly/wasteful to have one shipped from another country if I can find something locally.

I’ve already tried a few genbrugsbutikker, contacted a scrapyard in Aarhus, and even asked the rail company currently working on the tracks, but no luck so far.

I’ve heard that people sometimes use an old sledgehammer head, axe head, railway track, or just a heavy 5–10 kg piece of steel as a beginner anvil.

Does anyone in Aarhus happen to have something like that lying around? I’d be happy to take it off your hands, or pay a small amount for it.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice on how to take my composition skills to the next level.

Over the last two years I’ve been composing and recording a full concept album at home. It is very DIY: I play and record all the instruments myself, so the production is not professional, but I’ve learned a lot through the process.

My music sits somewhere around folk metal, Irish folk, and progressive rock/metal. Some of my main influences are Eluveitie, Wardruna, Omnia, Grai, The Pogues, Glen Hansard, The Chieftains, The Dubliners, Planxty, Rapalje, Ayreon, Jethro Tull, Nightwish, and Unleash the Archers.

At the moment I can write complete songs of around 4–6 minutes, but they tend to follow fairly standard structures:

instrumental intro → verse 1 → pre-chorus/chorus → verse 2 → chorus → bridge → final chorus/outro

That works, but I would love to learn how to write more ambitious pieces with several connected sections or “movements,” like Nightwish’s The Greatest Show on Earth, where a long piece feels coherent rather than just several ideas pasted together.

My musical background:

• I’m quite comfortable on Irish flute, tin whistle, quena, and Irish bouzouki.
• I’m competent enough on guitar and bass.
• I can handle bodhrán, simple drums, and drum programming in Hydrogen.
• I understand scales and modes well enough to work with things like D major, B minor, G major, A minor, F# Phrygian, etc.
• I understand written notation in principle, note values, rests, rhythm, what the symbols mean, but I don’t read or write notation fluently.
• My usual workflow is either:
  • write a chord progression and improvise melodies over it, or
  • come up with a melody on flute or in my head and then work out the chords afterward.
• I also use the circle of fifths a lot as a composition exercise.

What I want to learn is how to go from “solid song with a normal structure” to more complex composition: longer forms, recurring themes, transitions between sections, development of motifs, tension/release over 10+ minutes, and making different sections feel like one piece.

I’d be very happy to share one or two examples of my work if that is allowed here, but I don’t want this to come across as self-promotion. I’m mainly looking for advice on what to study, what exercises to try, and how to think structurally when writing longer folk/prog metal pieces.

For people who compose longer progressive, symphonic, folk, or metal pieces: how did you learn to connect sections and develop musical ideas over a longer form?

Thank you in advance

I’m in my mid-40s, have a PhD, and work full-time in a research/data-science role in Europe. Four years ago, my job was my top priority and a big part of my identity. Now I feel very unmotivated and anxious at work.

The strange part is that I get anxious both ways: if I’m not invited to meetings, I worry I’m being pushed out or quietly sidelined; if I am invited, I worry something is wrong. I know this may be burnout or hypervigilance, but it is exhausting.

I’m also the main provider for my family, so quitting impulsively is not realistic. I have a partner and child, and stability matters a lot. At the same time, I feel that my life has expanded beyond my current job. I care about family, music, mentoring, research, and building a more meaningful life. I’m not lazy, I still work hard on things I care about, but my motivation for this specific role has collapsed.

I’m considering a gradual transition rather than a dramatic exit: applying to more aligned roles, building consulting possibilities, and keeping creative work alive on the side. I’m especially interested in hybrid paths: science + data work + communication/consulting + music, rather than one single identity.

Has anyone been through something similar in mid-career?

I’d especially appreciate advice on:

1. How did you tell the difference between normal burnout and a sign that the role was truly no longer right for you?
2. How did you make a transition without endangering family finances?
3. Did changing teams/roles help, or did you need a bigger career change?
4. How many job applications or networking actions per week felt sustainable while working full-time?
5. How did you stop interpreting every workplace signal as a threat?

I’m not looking for “just quit” advice. I’m looking for practical, grounded transition strategies from people who have navigated this without blowing up their life.