It's a new week, wipe the sla..- I mean - strings clean and start anew. Tune. I did that yesterday, finally, and as always, marvel at how much, uh, better it sounds......
I have no idea at all what to put on the roster for this week. Amongst Friends is going to have to stay until this party in April, that is called "Playing Among Friends" so it's a natural choice. Gotta play it until I don't have to think at all anymore. Because Andee mentioned George White's I had to review that and all of a sudden I had a brainstorm that the reel I wanted to attach to it was Miss Johnson's which Patrick Ourceau taught at a workshop last summer...... So that leaves me wondering, should it be another go-around with Molly St. George? Or is it time to get back to one of my eternal Carolan challenges..... there are several I've been gnawing away on for years now.
Sunday March 10 So far all I've played the concertina because the family is out of the house and they all prefer it that way..... Aw.... I'm not that bad, am I? All I ended up doing was review of last week's tunes. I am going to choose a Carolan, but what?
Monday March11 Hmmm Off to play concertina this morning..... So now I've ended up doing the thing I do, which is scattering my energy around playing a little of this a little of that: reviewing last week's stuff, and I did play this week's tunes, except I can't decide on a Carolan tune so then I got distracted with Napoleon Crossing the Rhine. What hornpipe would go with that, that's where I really fell off the rails..... Maybe I could try it with The Rights of Man?
Tuesday March 12 So far I haven't played at all. I have 'decided' however that when I do, I will get back to work on Lord Galway's Lamentation which is coming along, but isn't at all solid yet. I haven't played much and probably won't but I did have a brainstorm about what to Play with Boys of the Town - namely - The Green Hills of Woodford - so two double jigs together in that order. Very nice transition. What the heck is a double jig anyway??
Wednesday March 13 So far..... not so much harp although I did play a bit of concertina. I think I have spring fever, my brain is very everywhere today. But I did manage to do the double jig combo once this morning and I think it really will be a nice fit. Still haven't tried the hornpipe combo, but just in my head it sounds good. Lots of in my head harping. Does that count?
Thursday March 14 I Played my double jigs a little bit...... still waiting for someone to tell me what makes a double jig a double jig.....
Friday March 15 Not sure how, but Friday got away with me totally. I know I played my new 'set' of reels, Miss Johnson's learned at a workshop from Patrick Ourceau and George White's. And I think I also worked a bit on my double jigs.
Saturday March 16 Not much today, I did, for some reason, play Fanny Power a couple of times, esp practicing playing those thirds on top the last time around. And my reel set and a little practice of The Green Hills of Woodford - really I can't play either of them without reviewing the left hand first, the melody is fine, but the left hand is very unsettled. I keep working on just 'knowing' what notes to play on the left, but it's not something that comes naturally to me. Anyhow, I doubt I'll play anymore tonight. And tomorrow is a new week.
Andee and I will each make our own weekly post..... and whichever of youse who comes along, we'll get you set up and signed in. So Come West Along the Road with us......
Andee and I will each make our own weekly post..... and whichever of youse who comes along, we'll get you set up and signed in. So Come West Along the Road with us......
Andee - you should be able to click on the little pencil just above there, next to where it says comments - you could write right in the blog then, if you like.
ReplyDeletesee where it says posted by Hepzibah at 11:17 a.m. There should be a pencil visible. Try clicking on that? That should give you the writeable blog - when you are done press 'update'.
ReplyDeleteI never learned Crabs in the Skillet. I guess we all need that lesson. I wonder if there is a Youtube version that Kathy will sanction. I'll see if it is in Dennis Grab bag too.
Your name should appear as a 'contributor' too...... and come to the March 10-17 week..... that's where I am now.
ReplyDeleteGosh I am only just now seeing this new post of yours and you have answered my questions where I was still posting under the previous comment. Hopefully I'll get used to this...
ReplyDeleteHmmm, the only pencil I see is one which appears after Hepzibah but no where else...
ReplyDeleteI have the notes for Crabs and the only youtube versions of it that exist are not harps.
Yes, click on that and see if you get the writeable-on version of the blog. I bet you will!
ReplyDeleteWow, lots of versions of Crabs! The one Kathy taught us has Eb and Bb. I'll have to go through the ones in the link and see what matches up best.
ReplyDeleteI will post in the blog my weeks's goals after work today
I'm really confused! Clicking on the pencil next to your name doesn't do anything. Mike showed me how to make a post by clicking on 'new post' at the very top of the page. In fact, I don't even see any pencils next to your name except for down here in the 'comments' area. Sorry to be such a pain, but I'm just not getting it yet!
ReplyDeleteI think a double jig is the same as a jig--def a question for Dennis--or google!
ReplyDeleteLots of concertina practicing for you--that's good! So you are going to sessions?
Yes - I have a very nice group of irish music friends here - I'm so lucky Benedict (the piper) and Hilarie (harp and piano accordion) teach a class in Montpelier twice a year and through them this group has sort of formed, of the loyal students.... I'm more comfortable here than I was in Philadelphia (with the exception of Kathy and Dennis' session) - it's a very laid back group and we like taking tunes at our own pace. There's also a slightly younger 'fast' group - but the two factions have plenty of overlap. We'll have to ask an expert about the jig/double jig question! It's a bit of a mystery to me.
ReplyDeleteI like the term 'head harping'! There is one weekly session in Leeds but it's a bit fast for me. We go to our folk-friendly open mic night instead and our friend Brian who runs it plays mostly Irish music so he and Mike play together a lot. We still haven't made it to the monthly session at the Leeds Irish Centre but I hear it's quite laid back. And of course we go to Ireland for two weeks in the summer and play in the sessions there.
ReplyDeleteDo you still go to your special place? Where you met? Of course you do!!! I'd love to see it someday. I'm terrified of driving in Ireland though. Pathetic, but there you have it. We could barely manage it in Australia thirty years ago, so we know we would be hopeless now.
ReplyDeleteYes, we go to the same place every summer, the place where we met--The Boghill Centre!
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ReplyDeleteStill not sure how I get my post to come out formatted like what you've done or with my profile pic. But anyway--tune of the week that I'm teaching is Mo Ghile Mear, arranged and re-arranged specifically to fit the skill set of the student. You can imagine that a student that has a small harp doesn't do the same thing as someone who's got 34 or 36 strings at their disposal.
I will invite you, dear Kathy, to be a 'contributor' and then you can start your own posts.
ReplyDeleteYay! Kathy's on here now!
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