Thread: Advice From Truefitt & Hill Master Barber

Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

Yea, I don't think it's so much the audio but rather the way the barber speaks. One variable could be the fact the barber is moving around, which might be what makes him harder to understand than Mantic who is still.

Hello, Old_School:

You're probably right. I don't know whether he has his own microphone or they're improvising the sound system.

Many thanks.

Regards,

Obie

Whats up with the mood candle?

Hey, I'm just sayin'.

Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

Was anyone able to understand the barber at all times? For me it was just like listening to a drunkard "rah blah higgedy hu blah what this does rahdablahblah".

The guy getting shaved (Mantic?) I could understand no problem so I know it wasn't an audio problem.

I don't know why, but this has given me uncontrollable giggles. And no, I can't understand a damn word he's saying in either version. But my underpowered (yet stubbornly resilient) little netbook doesn't have the best sound quality.

Also... I can do up a tie better than that. Backwards.

I was able to understand the barber without any problem. I watched the improved audio versions. To be honest, the stuff the barber says sounds good theoretically, but I obviously won't accept it just because he's a "master barber." I'll very likely test out some of the stuff he does to see if it works, though. I'm quite sure some will work for me and some won't; some will be easy to incorporate into my routine and some won't.

Again, its a great video. I am curious now what constitutes a "Master Barber". If I became a barber tomorrow. How would I become a Master Barber?

When I went to T & H, same exact place, I asked for a shave. They told me that I could not have one. Then, they said, you could have the apprentice shave you? I said sure, why not. He did a pretty decent job.

So, I know there are Apprentices, Barbers, and Master Barbers at T & H.

Ladies and gentlemen:

All of you make good points about the video.

I dare say, most of the problem with the video is probably the state of my hearing. Vietnam took a big toll on my hearing — it was a noisy neighborhood where everybody was banging something, especially the artillery boys.

For a guy who has been in classical music and jazz much of my life, the rusty hearing is especially hard to take. Unfortunately I can't send out to be honed as I would a razor. Ah, well, that's another topic.

I will try to view the video several more times. I am sure I can learn something from it, as I have from Lynn's videos and Jockey's. I have seen all of Mantics videos and consider them well done and informative.

Keep on trying, is what I say.

Regards,

Obie

I'm in the same boat as Obie. I thought the barber had poorer diction than Mantic and coupled with background noise from the radio, a bit of reverb from the acoustics, and marginal microphone, I found it difficult if not annoying to listen.

But then, I have trouble with some people in real life as well. There are some slack jawed people out there that have truly awful diction coupled with a regional drawl that makes understanding their speech impossible. It is very irritating, and the older I get, the less tolerant I become.

I used to feel that because of my hearing (damaged as it is), I wouldn't appreciate high end audio reproduction. I am finding out that can't be further from the truth. It's the poor audio reproduction that gives me the most dificulty!

Hello, Flyout:

I, too, have difficulty understanding some people, especially on the telephone, because they either speak too fast, as if running for their lives, or muffle and slur their words, as if caught in an underground mine. Either way, it's a challenge to try to understand them.

That does not, of course, count the problem of butchering the language. Advertising and sports are notorious for destroying our language. The term "free gift," which advertisers use a lot, often confuses me. If it's a gift, that means it's free. Or "the most unique." Unique means one of a kind. Most unique, then, means what, the most one of a kind? Or the term "exact same." Same means the same in every way. "Exact same" mean what? The list goes on.

I don't mean everyone must sound like a great orator, a Shakespearean actor, but even the smallest attempt at speaking the language properly would be nice. After all, our language is part of our identity.

Years ago on the radio, I interviewed the great actor Vincent Price. Oh, what pleasure. The man was not only noble in every sense, but his command of the language, his enunciation and his general speaking pace mesmerized me. Oh, my, to speak the language the way he did must be worth the greatest straight razor ever made.

Anyway, after viewing the Truefitt & Hill video and understanding half of it, I finally gave up and drank a glass of wine.

Regards,

Obie