Friday, December 6, 2013
Yikes!!! December!!!
Well, someone please tell me where November went? Honestly! And already Dec 6th!!
Since my other job(besides being Co-owner and Office Manager for our veterinary clinic)is Music Director and organist at our local Presbyterian church, most of my musical focus this month will be for the Christmas Eve service. So harp will be on the back burner and keyboards will be front and center. Since I am basically doing THAT job flying by the seat of my pants!, it gets a bit stressful! And my poor little choir keeps shrinking...and yet, that service is packed, and acts like a family reunion- so we want to do well! For many years I played the harp for prelude music before the service, but this year I am not. Such a worry to leave it all alone while I dash between piano and organ, and unsupervised toddlers wander thru the sanctuary! Talk about YIKES!
I am participating in "A Celtic Christmas" on the 14th, organized by Pamela as a fundraiser for the church that sponsors our open mic/coffee house. I will be playing 2 tunes alone- Blessed Be That Maid Marie, and Da Day Dawnes, and doing a duet with her on the Christ Child's Lullaby. It is not strictly Celtic! British Isles!
Also played for our Celtic Evensong, and was very unhappy with how my big boy sounded. Usually my bird's eye maple Kortier is bombproof- hasn't needed lots of babying in terms of humidifying, etc. Holds in tune forever. And I stick that mic down his back at church and he sounds lovely. Sunday night, the tuning pins seemed slippy and the tone on a number of strings sounded hollow and nasty. He felt dried out. Not a good experience. So he is now in my basement, soaking up more humid air than the forced hot air heating system in the house proper. Not a lot, but until I figure out a better plan, there he rests. I realize the harp is about 14 years old now, but the sudden change has me concerned. I brought him to the Harp Connection in Salem 2 years ago to be regulated, and maintained, and that is all that has been needed until now. I like having a contrast to my new Fisher- my sparkly "robust" girl! (Except- are the strings spaced a hair closer together on the Fisher, because when I go from him to her I am overreaching the first 30 minutes or so!) He has a quieter voice, and a bit mellower sound. Any thoughts?
So- if I don't get back to the blog anytime soon, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy Harping New Year! Stay safe, stay warm!
Sharon
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Lucy sings Tra La in December
It's December 3 so high time to get things started here..... I want to post a picture of my Dusty - which lives now in Florida at a wee house in Sarasota. It's a long involved story! I love playing it when I am here as the sound really is different from my Fisher. The only problem, really, is that the strings are slightly further apart? And of course, the wide flat back makes it feel awkward to play, at least at first.
I will explain that in my non-musical life I am a writer and I am finishing up a book that is part of a post-apocalyptic trilogy that was left unfinished by the writer, who I knew quite well. Two and a half years ago I was asked if I would like to finish it...... wisely or unwisely I took it on. I come here to work in a particular place, Sterling Lanier's old 'lair' I call it, a woodshop that was made into his studio when he moved to this house in Sarasota. I am close to his widow and stay with her when I am here. If you are interested, the books he wrote are called Hiero's Journey and The Unforsaken Hiero, the title of the book I am working on is Hiero's Answer. I am in the home stretch and eager to get the first draft completely done, my fantasy being that that could conceivably happen in the next few weeks. (Yeah, right, with Christmas coming? Who am I kidding?) Soon anyway. I have no more than two chapters and an epilogue at the very most to write, I hope!
That might distract me from harping, but I hope not completely. It is a nice way to relax after spending a day at the computer, that is for sure.
The time slipped away and now it is December 9 and I am back home in Vermont..... I never took a picture of the Dusty which was stupid, because I should have - I discovered that two of the rings that protect the wood where the strings go into the soundboard were popping out...... after a call to Dusty Strings it was off to the hardware store for putty epoxy, (the slower drying kind) and the delicate operation of trying to put the stuff on the rings and in the itty-bitty holes without clogging up where the strings go...... then the wait. I couldn't restring until Sunday, so I don't really know how it will go. I didn't force the new strings full up either. I changed four strings in all (one snapped too while I was playing - in fact that is when I noticed the problem) so I may have finally done it enough times in a row for it to be a less traumatic event. Anyway the upshot of all that was that I didn't play much music while I was there, not what I hoped I might.
December 14 Now I am realizing that I should have taken pictures of the pins sticking out and the repair process and outcome...... it would have been interesting and possibly useful to someone.
So anyhow, last night I settle down to play and lo and behold POP! the low A string goes - something in it just gave way rather than snapping it just went sort of limp - took me a minute to identify just which string went and that it really was done for. I put the harp away. I don't generally do things as well at night as I do in the morning. But did I get around to dealing with it today? No. And then when I finally did feel ready, late afternoon, the cat got interested, wayyyyy too interested, so then I decided to wait until a time when he isn't around. I got the old one off anyway. It's the first string to go on the Fisher. I expect there will be more. I'm trying to keep the harp hydrated but we've had such incredibly cold weather! Since the floor is cement (radiant heat underneath) I put a little puddle of water just under the harp - and keep it covered, hoping the water, as it evaporates will make a difference. I should find a small cup and break up a sponge the way you do it Andee, and I will, I will. Luckily too, the radiant pipes are far enough apart that there are 'cool' spots and I have made sure the harp is on one of those areas. So not much playing the last couple of days.
Have any of you heard Farewell to Stromness (Peter Maxwell Davies)? There is a clip of someone (.... Scott) forget first name, playing it on the harp - rather well too -. I'm sorely tempted to give it a try, but get a load of the OVERHAND lever change!! I've never seen that before! Yowza. Not even Maeve.
I will explain that in my non-musical life I am a writer and I am finishing up a book that is part of a post-apocalyptic trilogy that was left unfinished by the writer, who I knew quite well. Two and a half years ago I was asked if I would like to finish it...... wisely or unwisely I took it on. I come here to work in a particular place, Sterling Lanier's old 'lair' I call it, a woodshop that was made into his studio when he moved to this house in Sarasota. I am close to his widow and stay with her when I am here. If you are interested, the books he wrote are called Hiero's Journey and The Unforsaken Hiero, the title of the book I am working on is Hiero's Answer. I am in the home stretch and eager to get the first draft completely done, my fantasy being that that could conceivably happen in the next few weeks. (Yeah, right, with Christmas coming? Who am I kidding?) Soon anyway. I have no more than two chapters and an epilogue at the very most to write, I hope!
That might distract me from harping, but I hope not completely. It is a nice way to relax after spending a day at the computer, that is for sure.
The time slipped away and now it is December 9 and I am back home in Vermont..... I never took a picture of the Dusty which was stupid, because I should have - I discovered that two of the rings that protect the wood where the strings go into the soundboard were popping out...... after a call to Dusty Strings it was off to the hardware store for putty epoxy, (the slower drying kind) and the delicate operation of trying to put the stuff on the rings and in the itty-bitty holes without clogging up where the strings go...... then the wait. I couldn't restring until Sunday, so I don't really know how it will go. I didn't force the new strings full up either. I changed four strings in all (one snapped too while I was playing - in fact that is when I noticed the problem) so I may have finally done it enough times in a row for it to be a less traumatic event. Anyway the upshot of all that was that I didn't play much music while I was there, not what I hoped I might.
December 14 Now I am realizing that I should have taken pictures of the pins sticking out and the repair process and outcome...... it would have been interesting and possibly useful to someone.
So anyhow, last night I settle down to play and lo and behold POP! the low A string goes - something in it just gave way rather than snapping it just went sort of limp - took me a minute to identify just which string went and that it really was done for. I put the harp away. I don't generally do things as well at night as I do in the morning. But did I get around to dealing with it today? No. And then when I finally did feel ready, late afternoon, the cat got interested, wayyyyy too interested, so then I decided to wait until a time when he isn't around. I got the old one off anyway. It's the first string to go on the Fisher. I expect there will be more. I'm trying to keep the harp hydrated but we've had such incredibly cold weather! Since the floor is cement (radiant heat underneath) I put a little puddle of water just under the harp - and keep it covered, hoping the water, as it evaporates will make a difference. I should find a small cup and break up a sponge the way you do it Andee, and I will, I will. Luckily too, the radiant pipes are far enough apart that there are 'cool' spots and I have made sure the harp is on one of those areas. So not much playing the last couple of days.
Have any of you heard Farewell to Stromness (Peter Maxwell Davies)? There is a clip of someone (.... Scott) forget first name, playing it on the harp - rather well too -. I'm sorely tempted to give it a try, but get a load of the OVERHAND lever change!! I've never seen that before! Yowza. Not even Maeve.
Monday, December 2, 2013
December is upon us! (says Andee)
I have been working so much--things are not back to normal yet, so that means less harping. However, today was my day off and I visited this shop: http://www.earlymusicshop.com/About.aspx I've been wanting to check out the Camac Janet. Well I played for an hour in the shop! It really is a great harp. Very expensive!
The other night I had a dream that was harp related. I do believe that some / most dreams are loaded with meaning and there for us if we choose to listen.
In the dream I was agreeing with an older gentleman that yes, I would be available to play for his group (not sure what his group was, but some kind of club of members with similar interests of some sort). The performance was to be music and something to do with Seamus Heaney.
Now of course I am familiar with Seamus Heaney but I've never read his poems. Today I read a few of them and definitely resonate with at least a couple of them.
Would it be pretentious to read a poem and follow it with a tune or an air that I felt went well with it? My choice at the moment it Lovers on Aran teamed up with Mist Covered Mountain / Cliffs of Moher. Here's the poem in case you're curious.
Lovers on Aran
The other night I had a dream that was harp related. I do believe that some / most dreams are loaded with meaning and there for us if we choose to listen.
In the dream I was agreeing with an older gentleman that yes, I would be available to play for his group (not sure what his group was, but some kind of club of members with similar interests of some sort). The performance was to be music and something to do with Seamus Heaney.
Now of course I am familiar with Seamus Heaney but I've never read his poems. Today I read a few of them and definitely resonate with at least a couple of them.
Would it be pretentious to read a poem and follow it with a tune or an air that I felt went well with it? My choice at the moment it Lovers on Aran teamed up with Mist Covered Mountain / Cliffs of Moher. Here's the poem in case you're curious.
Lovers on Aran
The timeless waves, bright, sifting, broken glass,
Came dazzling around, into the rocks,
Came glinting, sifting from the Americas
To posess Aran. Or did Aran rush
to throw wide arms of rock around a tide
That yielded with an ebb, with a soft crash?
Did sea define the land or land the sea?
Each drew new meaning from the waves' collision.
Sea broke on land to full identity.
Came dazzling around, into the rocks,
Came glinting, sifting from the Americas
To posess Aran. Or did Aran rush
to throw wide arms of rock around a tide
That yielded with an ebb, with a soft crash?
Did sea define the land or land the sea?
Each drew new meaning from the waves' collision.
Sea broke on land to full identity.
Seamus Heaney
My question is: Is this pretentious?
A weird thing about the dream; the next day an older gentlemen acquaintance of mine who I hadn't seen in ages stopped by my shop to say hello.
He is about to become secretary of the Retired People's Club and I asked him if they had need of a performance anytime in the future as I asked a couple of years ago but things were all booked up for the whole year. He said yes and I gave him my card.
Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) It's east to laugh off Danny Boy and to vow never to learn it on principle. However, I have changed my mind.
I recently watched a program on BBC about the history of Danny Boy. It was the most comprehensive program ever conceived about one song, ever! There were musicologists, musicians, singers, social historians, actors (like Gabrielle Byrne)--so many people all talking about Danny Boy from its original roots as Londonderry Aire to it being set to words (by an Englishman in 1913) and it's place in history. How it was politicized during The Easter Uprising, WWI, and WWII. How it was incorporated into jazz, blues, rock and country (they showed everyone from opera singers, film stars, Elvis, Johnny Cash and my favorite--Harry Belafonte (who knew?!) doing fantastic versions.
Well guess what piece I am now obsessed with learning? I will have a super version by St. Pat's Day!
Danny Boy is shaping up as is Tell Her I Am (finally) and am going to play the two as a set. Don't think it'll be ready for open mic tomorrow, though....
I am hearing very good things about a newish harpmaker in Galway, Brian Callan, whose harps are supposed to be just like Fisher harps in sound and quality. My friend Fiana (was taught by Janet Harbison) reports that she adivsed Brian at the early stages of his harp building and now many of Janet's students (many of which have the Camac Janet) are now on waiting lists for one of Brian's harps. But you can't get them anywhere else except for Galway at the moment. Might look into trying one next summer when we're in Clare.
Open mic night last night was good. I played my Irish Christmas set of Silent Night / O'Sullivan's March and Flying to the Fleadh. 'Flying' could have been better, but it's really getting there. I'm thinking of doing that one at the fleadh this year if I decide to compete.
In the second half I did Danny Boy / Tell Her I Am. I barely had those two ready, but it turned out pretty good, but I had to think *a lot* during Danny Boy about which chords were next.
My second piece was the poem (Lovers on Aran) and then into Mist Covered Mountain / Cliffs of Moher which I do think people appreciated. I'll do it again in the future, but I'll just practice my delivery (phrasing) of the poem a bit more.
I also brought my homemade chocolate chip cookies to pass around and they held their weight fairly well among the more traditional British treats of mini sausage rolls and mince pies.
Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) It's east to laugh off Danny Boy and to vow never to learn it on principle. However, I have changed my mind.
I recently watched a program on BBC about the history of Danny Boy. It was the most comprehensive program ever conceived about one song, ever! There were musicologists, musicians, singers, social historians, actors (like Gabrielle Byrne)--so many people all talking about Danny Boy from its original roots as Londonderry Aire to it being set to words (by an Englishman in 1913) and it's place in history. How it was politicized during The Easter Uprising, WWI, and WWII. How it was incorporated into jazz, blues, rock and country (they showed everyone from opera singers, film stars, Elvis, Johnny Cash and my favorite--Harry Belafonte (who knew?!) doing fantastic versions.
Well guess what piece I am now obsessed with learning? I will have a super version by St. Pat's Day!
Danny Boy is shaping up as is Tell Her I Am (finally) and am going to play the two as a set. Don't think it'll be ready for open mic tomorrow, though....
I am hearing very good things about a newish harpmaker in Galway, Brian Callan, whose harps are supposed to be just like Fisher harps in sound and quality. My friend Fiana (was taught by Janet Harbison) reports that she adivsed Brian at the early stages of his harp building and now many of Janet's students (many of which have the Camac Janet) are now on waiting lists for one of Brian's harps. But you can't get them anywhere else except for Galway at the moment. Might look into trying one next summer when we're in Clare.
Open mic night last night was good. I played my Irish Christmas set of Silent Night / O'Sullivan's March and Flying to the Fleadh. 'Flying' could have been better, but it's really getting there. I'm thinking of doing that one at the fleadh this year if I decide to compete.
In the second half I did Danny Boy / Tell Her I Am. I barely had those two ready, but it turned out pretty good, but I had to think *a lot* during Danny Boy about which chords were next.
My second piece was the poem (Lovers on Aran) and then into Mist Covered Mountain / Cliffs of Moher which I do think people appreciated. I'll do it again in the future, but I'll just practice my delivery (phrasing) of the poem a bit more.
I also brought my homemade chocolate chip cookies to pass around and they held their weight fairly well among the more traditional British treats of mini sausage rolls and mince pies.
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