October Odyssey

Leaving home on the Friday, two weekends ago, I drove down to New Brunswick to attend The Harper's Escape.  I think my 12th year?   Different this time because Grainne, having just given birth to #2, Liam, was not there, nor Billy  (I still brought my bottle of Balvenie which I began bringing for him mainly).  Maeve Gilchrist taught the group I was in and Eileen Gannon was also there.  So,  different but very very good.   I will play The Factory Girl and Farewell to Limerick, but .... I don't know about the jig, not really my thing, but you never know.  Simply watching Maeve play is a revelation.  I very much like the jig the other class learned... Walsh's, I think,it is called, a hornpipe, so I will be learning that, I expect

In case you haven't seen it here is this you-tube offering that a local cable station posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4Cbz0abebE&feature=youtu.be

Watch Maeve especially!  I think it is hilarious that they devoted even five seconds to a concertina.  And I was appalled to see how grim I look when I play and also that sometimes my mouth is open!  I must work on that . .  My suspicion is that sometimes when I think I am smiling all I have actually succeeded in doing is to neutralize my expression so that while it is not grim, neither is it exactly happy-looking either. Drat. That is probably my biggest takeaway from HE this year.  More on that further down however....

As is more often the case, my favorite time is not the classes and workshops but  hanging about playing and talking harp shop (and other stuff).  This year folks were NOT shy about the Balvenie,  I'm happy to say, which was great, because the idea is to lower the anxiety level and have fun when we do FINALLY get to just play.  Sunday evening, our extra night, was the best although we were all in the 'drop' stage of 'harp til you drop'.  If I ever organize anything it would be collegial, no instructors, for people at this "level" that we, the folks that read or write in this blog*, are all at, presumably.   Is it all right to say that while one is never done learning and benefitting from the teaching and example of marvelous players, DIY, at this stage, is the most important thing to go for?

*To new readers:  If you want to be a writing participant, just let me know down below and I'll get you started! 

OK, so back to the musical odyssey.  I spent most of the week editing a manuscript while staying at a B&B that inspired my thoughts of a harp gathering, also visiting with my daughter now at college in Bronxville, just outside of NYC (we went into the Met, etcetera) and THEN I went up to the Northeast Tionol in East Durham where my sister (fiddle) and I always share a room and play play play - I also usually meet up with Eileen McIntyre and that great New Jersey crowd of hers and we play every tune we know and it is so much fun!  I also play the concertina quite a lot at the sessions, and because of the class I take with Benedict Koehler and Hilarie Farrington here in VT, my repertoire is improving. For reasons I cannot comprehend, the session group always stop playing tunes I know when I finally get settled and ready to play.  When I leave they start up again.   Be that as it may.... I have really been obsessing with steadiness, consistency and rhythm issues on the concertina like really trying to get my whole body involved and moving when I play.  What I need to work on with BOTH instruments:  play them like I really mean it.   And that includes being comfortable playing an air and filling the air with silences..... I'm probably the quietest concertina player in existence as it now stands.  The harp I do already play with more steadiness and conviction and I have to say I think it is because of my stint in Kathy's Harp Orchestra.   

At the Tionol I learned a jig  - "Bubbling Wine" by Paddy O'Brien in a class about the composer given by (fiddler Matt Mancuso) that I might try out on the harp.  A very cool tune indeed. 

One piece of news is that next year the Harper's Escape and the Tionol are on the same weekend.  It is a special time with my sister, so that does not bode well for the HE.    

Further, I'd like to apologize to everyone for my long absence.  RL has been very compelling. I work as a writer and that has been absorbing all my energy, which is good for me, but bad for music.  This is also the time of year when I have the six-week class with Benedict and Hilarie..... two more to go!  This weekend my local posse, The Flies in the Porter, has a gig at the Harvest Festival at the big monitor bar in Richmond owned by the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. In September we played two farmer's markets, one in Richmond and the other in Stowe in September.   The Stowe gig was five hours and we lucked out with an incredible day, just perfect.  It's one of the 'bigger' markets and there were tons of out-of-staters there.  We felt very.... picturesque.   I played the harp and the concertina both. 

I hope this makes up a little for my long absence.  There's snow now on our local mountain.  Cheers!