February's almost over!

Hello harp ladies--sorry I've been absent!  I've been full-time plus at work still and also just got back from visiting my mom in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where I can sadly say there are no harps or irish music as far as the eye can see and the ear can hear.  Except for perhaps some Plastic Paddy music scheduled in March.  That being said, I *did* hear a man playing pennywhistle just off the beach and I think he was playing The Merry Blacksmith.  I wanted to say something to him but he was gone when we went past the second time.

I know you are all so sick of snow but we've had a mild winter in the UK and today feels almost like spring.  I really really wanted snow at least once this year but it doesn't look likely now.

I am very, very behind in both my harp and fiddle stuff and Irish Month is only days away so I've got to get playing.....I'll stop by here again later!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it......

February- I have heard it described as the longest shortest month in the calendar!  Well, despite the weather, and all the snow we are buried under, it seems to be moving pretty quickly!  At the very beginning of the month I had back to back gigs.  The "All Ladies" night at the Coffee House was a blast.  I played with my daughter Kate- she played flute with the "Christ Child's lullaby" that I have incorporated whole sections of Stephanie Curcios arrangement into (There is a lovely little descant like part that plays perfectly over her variation of the traditional tune as well as over the traditional tune!  So harp and flute trade off those melodies.) and she played on flute the 2nd harp part of Sue Richard's arrangement of "Var Det Du" (Scandinavian piece) and she sang with the harp on "She moved thru the Fair", which is a tune I really love.  I play broken and harmony chords when she sings the melody, then take the melody when she takes a break!) 

I also have met with another flute player who is interested in doing Celtic Evensong services with me, as well as just having fun with Celtic, early, Baroque or classical stuff.  I may have to resort to the piano for the Baroque and Classical- don't have the time or inclination to really work that up on the Celtic harp with all the necessary lever changes, and the piano is so much easier for me to play that stuff on!  But having someone to make music with for fun is great.  She has recently plugged into an oboeist and a cellist- so who knows what might happen down the road!

An answer to a prayer has just come thru- a friend of mine and fellow ex-library trustee- just finally succumbed to taking Celtic harp lessons and just bought a slightly used 2013 Rees harp and is over the moon about learning to play!  She is right in town, and a brilliant lady, so I am sure she will reach and surpass me as quickly as Miss Pamela did! At any rate, while she is also a busy person, I think we will be able to get together and do duets  and I am really looking forward to that!  She is also a Physician's assistant at a local hospital, and interested in Music therapy courses, as am I....so maybe another whole new thing may be happening over the next year or two.  I LOVE the sound of multiple harps playing....really transportive!

Oh, the second gig the next night was our Celtic Evensong service, and Kate and I did the same harp/flute things, so we were in practice!  The weather made it tough for attendees at both venues to get out, so it was a bit sad that more folks weren't there to hear or participate.- but you get what you get, and it is all good!

Now I just need more hours in the day... or more days in the week...or more weeks in the month...Take care in this everlasting winter cold, Dear Ladies!

Sharon

February, Sunshine, Snow and Music

February 11 Not exactly straight lines here, as this is a photo of a painting...... it's me with corgis and cats, painted by a friend who stopped by while I was practicing and took pictures of me practicing.  I did tell her the left hand should be higher up than the right..... but it obviously doesn't work compositionally.   I'm thinking of asking her if she would let me use the photo for a 'business' card - I do have people stop and ask for them during my hospital gig and I don't have any.  I particularly like the red socks, which apparently I really was wearing that day.

I've had two gigs so far this month, one with no harp at a snowshoe festival at the Green Mountain Club (concertina instead) and one with harp playing on the balcony at the Richmond Free Library with a small group during their Book Sale.  Both were very very different and both were extremely fun.  I think the hospital experience is helping me be calmer and more confident.  Yay!

I know many of you have gigs and things that were coming up, I'd love to hear about them.  Especially photos!