one gets a droney sound. has the sound of hitting a drum, and then one gets the vibrato sound. sounds like one -- like more than one note. >> you are creating a rhythmic pattern. not only different dynamic patterns, some notes played louder than others, but they also have different texture. just like any percussionist. the indian drum is a great example. there is such new ones in the way it is played, it creates such a sense of depth in the rhythm. >> to you think there is a gene for music? >> well, you are the scientists. [laughter] i do not know. my grandfather was a side -- violinist with the san francisco symphony. my father was quite a good pianist. my brother was musical, my sister was not. i have a musical cousin. i do not really know. >> let me put it this way and i will try to stumble through a scientific explanation. let me remind the audience at this point that we are going to take questions in five minutes. there are microphones set up in the aisles. please be ready with your questions. if you had

the senate will be in executive session to consider the nomination of christopher droney to be united states circuit judge for the second circuit. at 5:30 there will be a vote on that nomination. mr. president, i trust that you and all our staff, everyone in this great capitol complex had a safe and happy holiday. i hope everyone is well rested because we have a difficult work period ahead of us. we have much to do over the next few weeks. hanukkah and the christmas holiday are quickly moving ahead. this week we need to finish the work on the defense authorization bill and even more. this month we'll also handle a number of nominations, extend unemployment insurance for americans struggling to find work during these difficult times, and we have more appropriations work to do. the continuing resolution to fund the government expires on december 16. we must not neglect the responsibility to continue our work to put americans back to work. so we'll take up additional pieces of president obama's american jobs act. this week we'll introduce legislation that would give the economy a boost b

in 1984, judge droney joined the hartford law firm of reed and reed. he became a stockholder and officer in 1987 and was a member of the firm's trial department for nine years. as u.s. attorney for the district of connecticut from 1993-1997, judge droney personally tried two cases, including the prosecution of the leadership of the ku klux klan in connecticut and argued three appeals in the u.s. court of appeals second circuit. president clinton nominated judge droney to be u.s. district judge for connecticut june 5, 1997. the senate voted 100-0 to confirm his nomination on september 11, 1997. as a u.s. district judge, he has presided over approximately 3,600 cases and over approximately 60 trials. all in all, judge droney's legal career includes 14 years in private practice litigation, four years as u.s. attorney, 14 years as a federal judge. the american bar association standing committee on the federal judiciary has rated judge droney with a unanimous, well-qualified rating. i ask my colleagues to support the nomination. i yield the floor. the presi