It's May, Tra La!

 I'd like to see how we all feel about a monthly 'Post'  format - the weeks seem to fly by too fast.   Over the course of a month maybe I can set some loose goals and then comment week by week informally (as in, daily or when I feel like it, within that week) how it is going and then do some kind of summary.

This is the time when I need to start seriously focussing on Carolan for the upcoming Festival.  And then the month after that the Carolan session at Somerset which was my big fat idea, so I feel like I should be psyched and involved.  (You might want to check the Vermont event out, Pam - Just put in Carolan Festival - Vermont  2013 and it should pop up, probably a 2-3 hour drive for you, not too bad) where I've taught a few times.  This year I've been asked to help with the sessions at the festival, which  means it is time to practice Carolan....... they come back quickly, but they fall out quickly too and I'd like to add a couple of new ones if I can.  I really like Hugh O'Donnell, I must say.

Have I told you the story, Andee of my rebellious students at this festival?   I will, I promise!

General goals will be to go over my Carolan list.  It is divided into the tunes that are really very solid but need to be 'brought up', tunes that I've never quite quite quite gotten to where I want them, tunes that are a mess, and one or two I am determined to add to the soup.   Other than that, I will be learning my Clare tunes mostly - this week will be Patsy Geary's and The Battering Ram..... both jigs.

Week One May 1-4 (short week)....  buffed Kean O'Hara which Grainne taught ages ago - Most people seem to just play that first bit once and then move on - for some reason I got into the habit of playing those first four.... or so.... measures  twice.  There is also a place where I don't count quite right.  I'll have to give it a good listen and maybe peek in the book.   I started the O'Donnell, but can't find anyone playing it really nicely on youtube though, too bad.  I'll have to poke around.

Week Two May 5-12 Oh yes, I think this set up is much much better!!!!  Less stressful.   Well you will have a fit Andee, if I remember correctly - last night we went down to Barre VT to see MARTIN HAYES and he was, of course, sublime.  Been awhile since I saw him in concert and Knox hadn't seen him ever and was blown away.  (Have I told you Knox has taken up the Small Pipes??? He is coming along slow but steady - doesn't practice enough).  We're all fired up to tackle The Castle and The Nightingale.
On the harp I'm making steady progress through the Carolan tunes I know and are in the booklet that the Carolan Festival folks use (really just reprints of the tunes that have been taught/played a lot at the event).  Anything I sort of know I'm trying to improve so I can at least play it on the concertina and there are a couple of others, the above mentioned O'Donnell and also the oh so lovely Lord Inchiquin!  I'd like to add those, one way or another, to the repertoire.  Along with Madame Maxwell and and and and

I have no idea what I was going to say there...... but I'll just leave it as is.  Tonight is Clare class - Patsy Geary's (jig) and The Battering Ram which I have finally learned.... so I won't have to sort of fake it as sessions anymore...... or just sit there like a dummy.  I had the middle section but not the 1st and 3rd both with little tricksinesses.  It's the 10th now and I'm working on our next set, reels this week, The Ewe Reel (also known as The Green Blanket) and the Bell Harbour Reel.  The Ewe Reel is a bit of a stinker with a lot of back and forth of f naturals and sharps.  I can't really imagine tackling it on the Harp.  Bell Harbour maybe.

Week Three already!  I'm inching along with Inchiquin and also reviving Festus Burke - I've never really gotten the B section (or is it C - that's another issue) up to speed- most of it is easy, just one little bit, of course.  Otherwise I'm working mostly on the stuff for class, see above.   I meant to go to the Montpelier session yesterday but one thing and another intervened and then it was too late - if I go I like getting there a wee bit early for a good seat.  Thursday already!!!!!   Class was good, survived the two reels credibly, on to the last three tunes of the season - 'the growlers' apparently they are called - Rolling the the Barrel,  something or other, and the Earl's Chair...... I've sort of half learned the last and have certainly heard the other two plenty of times.  I'll plug in the name of tune two after I remember what it is.  I'm on a short writing retreat and I brought the harp as well as the c'tina and since I am by myself I should have some time to keep working on Lord Inchiquin and O'Donnell, which are newer ones.  I'm experimenting in just playing a single note as accompaniment to work on flexibility in playing different chords - single note, then open fifths, then octaves, tenths etc. fit in here and there but trying to loosen up.  I tend to learn a tune JUST ONE WAY and never play it another way comfortably.  Want to see if I can get anywhere by doing something like this.

Week Four  Hm. things are pretty much the same - I'm on a writing retreat and so am alone, and when I need a break I play music or take a walk or do some chore that needs doing.  I sort of have learned the last Clare tunes for the last class on Tuesday  (see above) and for some reason then I got obsessed with a set of tunes that Billy and Grainne taught back to back at one workshop - Johnny Will you Marry Me and The Braes of Mar - the Scottish one is the original tune.  It's fascinating to go from one to the other.
I should post a pic of the wisteria on the porch where I am, it is incredible - the hum of bees is constant all day.
 ...... A few days have gone by..... last Clare class was last night.  No music yet today, but our monthly session is tomorrow night, so I hope (now) to practice a few tunes I'm likely to want to play or that will be played..... and probably a little bit of Carolan.  I keep worrying the same few tunes, so I'm going to try to move on.  One issue I have is with Carolan's Quarrel - Grainne taught it at a workshop and I subsequently have spent wayyyyy too much time playing it exactly as she taught it which has proved impossible to get right.  I've been wanting to take it apart and simplify an accompaniment that won't tangle me up hopelessly..... I love her rendering but ultimately adhering to it rigidly just isn't going to work.
.....Confession - I've become obsessed with putting together a Master List of all the tunes I've learned in the last three years in this class with Hilari and Benedict - it's over 100 tunes!  Incredible.  The idea is to put just enough letter notation by each tune name to help bring it back to mind.  I'm going to organize them a couple of different ways, by class and by type.   I have to test each one, to get the letters right, and I use the harp to do that, so I guess that is a form of playing...... I have learned a few of these on the harp.  When I finish I'll attach it.


Week Five  The Clare class is ended, so now it is time to focus EXCLUSIVELY on Carolan tunes for the festival on the 15th.  The problem is not getting overwhelmed and darting about from one tune to the next.  Oh help!

Oh the Merry Month of May

Week 1 (April 28 - May 4)  In honor of May I have been reviving Samradh Samradh (Summer Summer) which is an easy little tune, but for some reason I never learned it fully.  It was taught to me 15 years ago by Janet Harbison when I took her week long harp intensive in the Antrim Glens.

I've also been learning The Shire Song (Concerning Hobbits) and though I've spent a lot of time on it the second longer and more complicated part is still barely formed.  I can play the first part and then go into another tune, but really should learn the whole thing properly.

I really jumped the gun with my busking idea as the weather has been windy and cold and a bit wet.  I went walking yesterday in the Dales and needed gloves, hat, scarf, multiple layers.  So yeah, I'll leave it til temps and conditions are more summery.

Wednesday is the day....

....that we'll visit a local recording studio, so you would think that all practice would be focused on our 3-4 songs. Haha, all these other hornpipes and jigs from a new collection I got seem to be taking over. I am not a big believer in over-practicing, though; going over and Over and OVER something seems to make me a little TENSE (!) so it's probably just as well. Here is the CD cover or label I'm thinking of using, there seems to be no copyright involved:

Thank you both for your encouragement. It was a wild few hours, and I certainly learned a lot! The studio is known for acoustic recordings, but I think I was their first harper - I said I wanted to set up somewhere in the studio where there were no verticals behind the harp strings, and the engineer had to stop and think about it for a bit. I was not as nervous as I sometimes am when I play out, and after a few re-starts I realized: where else can you make mistakes and know that they'll be cleaned up in the mixing? Ugh, I think it's time to have my harp re-strung, although maybe when I hear the master the strings will sparkle a little more. We were so busy listening and experimenting that we forgot to take photos. But that's OK- at least we'll have a 3-track CD that we can use as PR/give away to friends. My new, USB-charging tuner is on its way, so thanks for that idea as well. A quick question: when you travel long-distance with your harp underneath a hatchback window, doo you use a space blanket to reflect the heat? I would be swearing up a storm if I was on my way to Parsipanny and heard popping strings behind me......

Thursday - Nothing, not one string was vibrated on this day.
Friday - Beginning to sight-read through a recent mail delivery: Irish Dance Tunes for all Harps. So many songs that I have heard before but never knew by name. Hate, hate, hate paying attention to fingering, but love that someone has done much of it for me and most is so comfortable. Going away for the weekend, and back to school next Monday, so this is it as far as intense practicing for a while. 

Saturday - Home early, ran through a few just-sight-read songs. New tuner arrived in the mail, can't wait 'til the battery is charged. Made a business card. That's it. Happy Saturday!

Amid Distractions....

Yes, well a kitten is a mighty distraction (a mite of distraction?) - but he likes the harp already.  He is mostly black with a bit of white, a real tuxedo cat, and has chosen the black (and white keyed) piano as his 'safe' place.  Obviously young Ernest has a sense of style.                                                                                    

                                              


Sunday - 21  I am about  to practice - although probably first I'll go over my tunes for my Clare class.  There's  a third optional tune and likely I'll tackle that too.  Then I'll go off and play them on the c'tina and that may be it for music.  Duangare Castle, the O'Mahoney hornpipe, and...... Oh, I'll come back with the other name.   And I will review what I can remember of The Sheep in the Boat, both air and jig.  The jig is a Junior Crehan composition and I have it in the book his daughter put together too.  Can't remember what key he has it in in there, something a bit higher than D I bet, to avoid the low notes for the fluters and pipers.
Monday - 22 - Kind of obliged to work on the above tunes - and added the 'optional' hornpipe Tuamgraney Castle which I liked.  On the CD they gave us, however, are two barndances that I am MAD about - think will sound GREAT on the harp or c'tina - Joe Bane's and the Gypsy Princess - Jack Talty playing with someone else, two concertinas, just gorgeous.  I know a beautiful slow reel on the harp called Joe Bane's, a real killer, that I got off a Kate MacNamara  c'tina album.  Lots of good cross-over.   I did moodle a bit with the Sheeps and got that same feeling of hopelessness I've always had about them, that I'll never quite get them right.  It's very odd how some tunes just never make it into your repertoire despite quite a lot of work.
Tuesday - 23
Wednesday - 24
Thursday - 25
Friday - 26
Saturday  - 27 The reality is...... busy busy week and with the Clare class, I have to settle down and learn those tune, jigs this week - one of them, the Humours of Kilclogher is very harp friendly.  The others are fine, most jigs are, Patsy Geary's and...... Rooms of Dooagh which is certainly quite a name.

April 21 - 27 and I'm off all week!

Yeah, so lots of time to practice!  And of course if there is a sunny warm-ish day I'll do my busking.

Sunday  Coming to grips now with Sheep in the Boat air followed by the jig.  Went over the chords with Mike and he said they all sounded fine.

Monday  Had the harp ladies over today for a rehearsal.  We went over some of our old stuff as it's been a while since we met up and I usually don't play the group's stuff unless I'm practicing for something specific.

A bit fed up with the weather forecast as it now seems to be showing cloudy with chance of rain and quite cool over the next few days.

Here is a photo from the last open mic we went to a couple weeks ago.  I also wanted to see if I could figure out how to get a photo on here.


And here's a pic from the farmer's market last August.






The 3 photos above are of the group I play with Pennine Harps.  This was from two summers ago, our group has gained two more harpers since then.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday  I have been practicing assorted stuff all week.

Yesterday, in preparation for my busking (which is today--yikes!)  I decided to go through all my stuff including those I haven't played in a long time.  I skipped over the pieces that would require way too much work at the moment and concentrated on those that I could get back into playability with not too much effort.

However, about of a third of the way through this project I was struck with the uncontrollable desire to learn "The Shire Song" (Theme from LOTR).  Why I never thought to learn this 10 years ago I have no idea as my entire life back then was secretly about elves, fairies, and all things fantasy.  It's not very difficult, I've got the first bit which can be played on it's own.  Will eventually learn the next part which is a bit harder.

Saturday  Well the typical English weather has prevented me from busking yesterday.  It was windy and cold!  I went for a walk and had to wear gloves it was that chilly.  And today, while bright is promising to be cold and windy again....

12 harps and harpers in the room!

Sunday  Today I practiced for about an hour and a half (lots of stuff, old and new) before going to the play-together at my friend Pam's house.  I was wondering if we'd break our record (February saw 10 harps in one room) and we did as we had 12!  Pam taught us a few Welsh tunes and we had tea and Welsh cakes.  It was a lovely time.

I got some nice comments on the wonderful tone of my Dusty and someone even said it sounded as if it was amplified.  I love my Dusty and it's come a long way with me, nearly from the very beginning.  I almost feel ungrateful when I say I wish it had two more strings in the bass.

Monday  Open mic night again tomorrow night, running through a few things to see what I'll play.  At the moment I think it will be Mist Covered Mountain / Cliffs of Moher, Cooley's / Tailor's Twist, The Leaving of Liverpool (maybe), The Foggy Dew / Rights of Man.
Practiced a few more things, still looking for something to go with Nova Scotia Reel.  I might put it with Egan's Polka for now.  Had a look at an old barndance Paddy Mc Ginty's Goat which makes me laugh to myself for two reasons.  One, it has some naughty lyrics to it and two, I once played it as a recessional at a wedding due to the priest (reverend?) putting me on the spot at the very last minute!

Wednesday  I now have committed myself to busking in front of my shop.  All of the money will go to our shop (it's a charity).  My area manager is encouraging shops to do something for this 'shop of the week' thing which is generating feel-good stories and extra revenue for the charity.  One of the managers got sponsored to do a sky dive and made loads of money for her shop.  This will be my contribution.  I'm planning on doing it next week as the weather is supposed to be nice, in fact a "heatwave" is predicted--this means temps of 70 degrees!  Gonna get my busking head on today and make a sign with our official logo so people will know I'm  not keeping the money--it goes to the charity.

Driving myself crazy working on Anach Cuain and the jig Sheep in the Boat all day.  I've got the ABCs and am trying to get my timing down by playing with countless recordings and youtube videos.  But the one version that is alluding me is Kevin Crehan's which is unfortunate as I would think that one would be pretty right on.  Maybe it's just hard aligning the harp with the fiddle.  Have found a really good box version that flows nicely.  Not crazy about my chords as I think they need more variation, but Mike should be able to help me with that later.  I think I better work on something else as it's now Thursday.

Practice makes Perfect?

I need to take one of those Candace Dunham workshops at Somerset - get rid of your sloppy habits, practice carefully, etc, etc. Is there anyone else here who gets a little ADHD-ish when they play? I make promises to myself: no you can't move on to another song until you can play A Fig for a Kiss at a pretty good clip with absolutely NO mistakes. But honestly, I want to hear how Kiss the Quaker is doing, what's one or more little mistake? I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not very disciplined. Which is what I will try to work on this week, and I think my knee needs 3 more days at home, so it's the perfect time to be more careful. I would like to play 4 songs perfectly at a moderate speed: Fig, Quaker, Geese in the Bog, Lisdoonvarna......argh, too much, I know..........
Sunday - played for more than an hour, skipping back and forth between those 4 songs, as well as my regulars. Wondered: if I played from memory and watched my hands, wouldn't I be more accurate?  Seesaw humidity makes tuning difficult and me fractious. 
Monday - played more almost 2 hours, and was extremely dedicated about checking fingerings instead of doing whatever I wanted. Husband asked if we wanted to take our guitar/harp duo into a recording studio to make a demo CD. Nervous but excited at the possibility. We worked together on Swan Lk 243 and Ashokan, were pleased with our duet decisions and the parallel harmony we worked out. Wish it took something other than knee surgery to get me time enough to play this long on a weekday.
Tuesday-slow Pracrtice Day, so of course everything went well. Since I'm home recuperating, spent a lot of time on YouTube, listening to versions of Fig, Geese, etc. Everyone's playing is so fast! JP has reserved local recording studio time to make a 3-tune demo, useful for bookings. Since I don't think we've played Swan Lk 243 even once without fixing or changing something, this sounds like a train wreck waiting to happen, but still I am excited. I thought his idea about wearing 'click track' headphones to keep our tempo regulated was for the birds - who wants harp music to run like a well-regulated machine??
Wednesday- Concentrated on the 3 songs we'll record (swan lk 243, Ashokan, Planxty Drew), doing a lot of re-arranging of Ashokan in particular. A good rehearsal with JP after dinner, although he would rather sub. Trip to Sligo for Planxty Drew, and I guess I've agreed. Since 2 of these are NOT dance tunes, I will appreciate the rhythmic freedom. Have moved the harp from the upstairs 'music room' to the dining room; now it's my job to re-position it every day, to get used to different placement. Of course, moving means tuning....and retuning....and retuning......
Thursday - A crappy AM Doctor visit, and then home to just read and lie down. Evening rehearsal with the guitar dude, made some great changes to our arrangements. Picked CD cover or labels, still not sure how this works. Watched details of Massachusetts madness and read a great L. Bernstien quote: This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before. Decided that this is my new motto. 

Lucy Ponders Performance Anxiety

So yes, this is the day I have a tiny concert, really just a gathering of friends and a few extras, but even that seems to push my nervous buttons.  I find it ONLY applies to playing completely solo.  Provided I am playing with someone else and know that I know the tunes, I can do pretty well, unless it is a room full of total strangers.....   Another thing that happens is that I'll start out great and at the very moment I think, I'm doing OK! then I mess up.  But how to keep from having that thought?

One idea I've had lately that seems to help and perhaps I've mentioned it is that I do think I've put myself in the role of having to 'hold up' the music, instead of trusting the music itself and letting it hold me up as I play.  I've been trying to keep that thought in mind when I play with others at a session , or someone asks me to start a tune.  Also reminding myself that even the simplest tune is beautiful and so what if we have all played Fanny P. a million times, a million more wouldn't be too many, would it?  It's funny to think that I get sort of stuck on myself - I feel so humble about the music in general, but that is the point, the music itself is wonderful and amazing all I have to do is go with it, let it happen, right????

Sunday April 14 - The concert is later today...... have to tune, have to tidy myself up..... I'll run through the tunes once or twice but that will be IT. Will post later.
LATER.  It went extremely well!  And a fun session afterwards.
Monday April 15 - Worked on Tailor's Twist  - ah I see you play it with Cooley's, so I'll get on that too - I'm a bit lost now that the concert is done.
Tuesday April 16 - Our spring class with Hilari and Benedict starts "Music of County Clare"  Harooo!!!  This means that I will probably be mostly playing the concertina as I desperately try to learn new tunes in time for class.  At least two per week.  Often, since the fam aren't too keen on the 'tina I use the harp to learn the melody.   It's all by ear Pam - H & B make CD's for us, playing the tune medium and slow, and then with examples of how others play the tunes.  Very cool.
Wednesday April 17-  My husband's birthday and guests coming and all sorts of folderol.  Practice of any kind highly unlikely.
Thursday April 18 - I'm working on The Tailor's Twist and I got Cooley's out - I almost had that one nailed down a few years ago and then dropped it.  I'm kind of distracted at the moment because we got a new kitten today!!!!!!  Ernie.  He is a 'tuxedo' cat and has chosen the black piano as his 'safe' place.
Friday April 19-  Today besides playing with Ernie and doing the things I was supposed to do (but not all of them) I also had to spend time learning my new class tunes, Duangare Castle (Fling) and Kitty O'Mahoney (hornpipe)....  As I often do, I'm learning the melodies first on the harp then I'll go out to my studio (unless everyone goes out) to practice the tunes on the c'tina.  
Saturday April 20 -

Andee's week 7th April - 13th April

Well I'm over my fever now, I guess as Lucy said, this wasn't the year to do the fleadh.  It'll be in Manchester next year, so hopefully I'll be able to make it then.  I heard there was only one other harp in the over 18s.

Sunday  Still too fevered to get out of bed for very long.
Monday  Resting after a tough day at work.
Tuesday  My day off; lots of time to practice.  Watch this space.
So it's open mic night tonight so I'm just concentrating on what I'll play tonight.  Cooley's / Tailor's Twist hornpipes and All Around the Faery Fort / The New Broom (barndances) and Miss Hamilton (Cornelius Lyons piece) and The Temperance / Morning Star reels.  Have also played the other things I was going to play at the fleadh--O'Sullivan's March and yet again Were You at the Rock.

Can I say my hands feel like big fat stiff cold sausages?  Never before had I had this problem, even in cold weather (it is still very cold here).  My elegant 33 year old very-young-and-not-nearly-middle-aged harp hands have now become 49 year old-old-lady harp hands and I do not like it one bit. Not One Bit.

Wednesday and Thursday I've been practicing lots of bits and pieces also running through some stuff on the fiddle.  Starting to teach myself the jig 'Tell Her I Am' (which I already know on the fiddle) on the harp.  It's one of my faves that Martin Hayes does and I was hoping he'd play it in concert and he did inspired me to try it on the harp.  He puts it with Gallagher's Frolics and I already can play that, so perfect set.

Refreshing myself on the Junior Crehan hornpipe 'Her Long Golden Hair Was Hanging Down Her Back' which I learned about a year ago.  It's sort of hard so I'm proud of myself for sticking that one out.  I love the tune.  Love Junior Crehan tunes in general and may learn the air An an Chuin (spelling wrong) which the jig of the same name is derived from.  Haven't got too far on that one yet.

Oxycodone AND practicing?

Wednesday is the date of my second knee arthro this year (I'm thinking it's just time for a new knee!) and I am curious to know how my practicing will be affected. More crunchy bits being removed probably means more medication/more time off from work - will I haul myself over to practice, keeping the leg both straightened and elevated? I didn't take more than 2 Oxys last time, because I hate the fuzzy way I feel on them. But my guitarist husband - please, I'm changing my mention of him to just JP -and I have worked out a beautiful harmony on Ashokan, and if I don't keep playing it, it will all go down the tubes. I'll probably be housebound for a week, so I'd love to play 90 minutes a day, with lots and lots of sight reading. Wish me luck!

Monday - Ugh, ugly day with the knee at work; who wants to cry in front of their students? Heading upstairs now to practice, though. My 2 new favorite songs are A Fig for a Kiss and Geese in the Bog. Hope to have Boys of Ballisodare firmly under my fingers by Friday, too. Does anyone have ideas for increasing speed besides being patient and beginning slowly? (Maybe I don't have the patient part quite down yet....) The Mister came up to speed on Ashokan - now I am the slacker!
Tuesday - Stayed home from work after Monday's knee episodes. Played the harp for a little more than an hour. Worked on the songs listed above; decided to improve on some given fingerings and ornaments with good-for-my-ego results! Decided to retire, play the harp all day, and watch the $ roll in. Then reality set in....
Wednesday - The day of the dreaded knee surgery. No harp strings plucked as a result. Looking forward to three sick days and lots of playing.

And Lucy harps on

It's interesting playing a nylon stringed harp after a steady diet of the carbon fiber.  Not only is the sound softer and 'wider' with the nylon, but the feeling under the fingers is dramatically different.  My fingers get sore more quickly from the nylon - they seem less bouncy and more resistant so I think I pull harder on them.   Which brings me to another observation.   When I play, it's hard to describe, but the actual touching of the strings evokes a physical response in me - that is - it is hugely satisfying in some way I can't describe.  I always feel 'better' in some obscure way after I practice, even when it wasn't a very good practice.  I don't have this sensation from the concertina buttons!

Sunday April 7 - slightly frustrating practice - very tired and clumsy for some reason - worked on the two double jigs  - boyz and green fields.  Run through of Amongst Friends too - the event is Sunday the 15th which is beginning to loom and make my palms sweat.
Monday April 8 Tuesday April 9 Wednesday April 10 played the pieces I'm playing in the 'concert' on Sunday and the double jigs a few times each day.
Thursday April 11 - No playing, travel day
Friday April 12 - Home in VT.  Tired and getting NERVOUS about Sunday.  Argh.  Haven't practiced yet but I hope to.
Saturday April 13 - I did practice my 'concert' tunes (now the person organizing it has started calling it that......) and also worked on The Tailor's Twist - Hoping that this time maybe I'll stick with it long enough to 'get' it!

Here is my first harp, my faithful Dusty.  I had my first lesson with Kathy on a terrible little harp - one of those Paki things - and as I looked around her house, I saw immediately that I would have to get a 'real' harp.  Which I did almost the next day.   I never spend money on anything except books normally (I mean beyond what a person has to have to live) and my husband was flabbergasted that I just went out and did it.  "You must be really into this harping thing!" was all he could say.

(Understatement of the decade. )

Harping in Hillsborough Week of April1st

Hmm, played for an hour this morning, mostly old favorites because I'm trying to make things more 'musical' and less like a fingering perfection. Did review Lisdoonvarna/Quaker/Morrison's Jig, which are OK if you like the slowest possible tempo. Playing quickly and nimbly is my downfall, mainly because of stage fright. Am thinking of moving the harp to a new room everyday to get more comfortable in new settings. Also hoping to continue making Tuesday 'Super Slow Tuesday' : everything at half-speed to check fingering, phrasing and the like. But the biggest goal is to play for 20 solid minutes every day. Time will tell.......

Tuesday- I can post on my own page? Magnificent! Thanks, as usual.
Tuesday-International Slow Day here in Hillsborough. My favorite! Checked fingering/phrasing/volume/tempo, etc. No wrong notes at slow speed, so you feel really good when you're done, too. Read through Rights of Man, which I haven't played for ages, and Little Beggarman.

Wednesday - Lisdoonvarna, Morrison, Quaker looking good. Rights of Man if I choose a slow, slow speed. Waiting (and waiting...) for my husband to learn a new 'A' section of Swan Lk 243 and the alto notes in Ashokan Farewell, and getting privately impatient, time for me to move on to something new.

Thursday & Friday - Away at a teaching conference, no harping at all :((.

A new week for Lucy

The competition:

Sunday - 31 March Off to a good start this morning, despite being slightly worse for the wear from a rare night out.......
Met with two friends in the am to practice for our micro-gig, truly, more of a house party where the host wants those of us who normally are too shy to play anything to step up to the plate..... so we are trying.
I'm going to play Amongst Friends and Miss Johnson's solo - the second followed by George White's with my two friends, flute and fiddle playing too.   The flute friend will play Salute to Baltimore which then fiddle and me on c'tina will follow with Devanney's Goat and then we will all three play Trip to Athlone/Garrett Barry's.  And that will be our whole set!  Our fiddle friend refuses to play anything solo, wise maid that she is!
Monday - 1 April  I did play the concertina quite a bit yesterday, meeting up with my friend Beth.  We take a class with Benedict Kohler and Hilari Farrington at The Summit School in Montpelier - been doing that now for several years - and we were reviewing last year's tunes...... I'm always amazed when I can remember a tune at all.  Then at home I played through the 3 tunes for the micro gig on the harp one last time because......
Tuesday - 2 April ..... today I am en route to Sarasota Florida - now wait, before you groan and moan , I am going to be working most of the time.  But I do have my old harp, Andee, the Dusty is down there, so I will get to play some and I have my concertina with me.  They always unpack it totally at the airport and have to hem and haw over it - I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Burlington now - I always call it a 'little accordion' never a concertina which makes them all panic.   It's possible I'll play a little something tonight, but equally likely that I won't!
 Wednesday - 3 April - The Dusty took a couple of tunings, but might be settling down now.  Mostly ran through the usual tunes I've been working on lately.
Thursday  - 4 April - Inspired by Andee I've returned to that marvelous hornpipe - The Tailor's Twist, otherwise I'm still at work on the same five tunes...... Amongst Friends may be shifting into that long term place, which feels great!
Friday - 5 April - Put in some time in the evening- maybe a half hour - mostly on The Tailor's Twist...... 
Saturday -  6 April

Andee's week March 31 - April 6

I decided I would do a quick intro to myself since there may be new members joining us who don't know me.  .

I took lessons with Kathy DeAngelo for 10 years.  About 7 years into those lessons they became, for the most part fiddle lessons.  During this time I met Lucy and Laura who were also taking lessons with Kathy.  I lived in Philadelphia at the time, but 6 years ago I moved to Leeds, England (married a Brit).

I do miss all my old harp friends!  This little group will not only boost me to practice more but I love that it has re-connected me to some old friends and also new friends will be made, I'm sure!

My repertoire is 99% Irish , a sprinkling of Scottish, and a few bits and pieces.   Mike and I go to a regular open mic night (acoustic and very folk-friendly) which keeps me practicing, updating, and revising my repertoire.  In summer we go to Kilfenora, West Clare for 2 weeks and it's full-on sessions (but my fiddling needs to be brought back up to that standard again), hopefully this year I'll be able to participate a bit more in the sessions.  Mike plays guitar and mandolin.

Sunday  Getting a fair bit practiced today.  Besides much of what I practiced last week I also had a run through of Miss Hamilton, All Around the Faery Fort / The New Broom, Carolan's Concerto, Down By the Salley Gardens / Kitty's Wedding.  Mike played with me for a while on some new ones and a few old ones and had some good suggestions for me regarding alternate chords, as well as tempo and emphasis.  He's good like that!

Wednesday  Ahhhhh!  What have I done?  I've decided to compete in the Northern Regional Comhaltas Fleadh!  I didn't even know it was happening (this Saturday! Right here in Leeds!) until a new acquaintance of mine told me.  I sort of decided on the spot I'd do it.

So that gives me 3 evenings (after work) to decide which tunes I'm doing and to practice.  Tonight I spent about an hour going through stuff.  So far I've decided to do Cooley's Hornpipe, either All Around the Faery Fort (barndance) *or* O'Sullivan's March, for a reel it's a choice between Kitty's Gone a Milking, The Temperance Reel, or the Morningstar Reel, and my fourth piece will be Were You at the Rock?.

I'll have Mike help me decide which pieces to do out of my choices.

I am terrified and excited.  Kathy says, "Just have fun" but I don't think it will be fun--but it will be an experience that's for sure!

Thursday  Was coughing a lot a work, getting a bit worried.  By the time I got home I ate something and got straight into bed.  Called out sick on Friday which I never do.  Coughing, sneezing. achey, fever, headache, the whole shebang.  It's now Saturday morning (the day of the fleadh) and I'm feeling a lot better, can actually get out of bed but lost my practice time Thursday and Friday night.  Plus still not nearly 100% better.

Yeah only 3 days to get nervous about it was kind of nice.  But I will do it next year and so now I have a year to prepare and a year to get nervous about it!  I really do want to do it, I hope they hold it in Leeds next year as well.

Hello from Pam

Hello to everyone, and thanks so much for including me as a blog contributor. I am Pam, down a looooooong dirt road in western New Hampshire. I'm a public school music teacher and a keyboard player in a local band. But what I think about, listen to, and practice the most is Celtic harp music. I have only been playing for about three years. I took a year's worth of lessons with a nearby pedal harpist, but now I work on my own, which means that there are probably big holes in my repertoire and technique; I know I should care more, but honestly, I love how things are working out!  There are no other harpists near me, but that's fine - I play out with my guitarist husband as ThistleWood, sometimes accompany a local madrigal group, and have just started working with a local flutist. (Sorry, flautist sounds so....la-dee-dah!).

Like probably most of you, I have pieces almost ready for performance, in-the-works, and in-my-dreams. I'm hoping that putting up a public rehearsal schedule will inspire me to move those last 2 categories along. Here is what I'll be doing this weekend, my prime rehearsal time:

* putting the finishing touches on Catriona McKay's Swan Lk 243
* trying to memorize K. Robertson's Fhear a Bhata
* working on 3 arrangements that our ThistleWood duo would like to record: Sue Richard's Baptist Johnson, Planxty Drew and our own arrangement of something else (Scarborough Fair? The Grenadier and the Lady???)
* My new pieces are 3 shorties: Road to Lisdoonvarna, Merrily Kiss the Quaker and Morrison's Jig.

It's a beautiful day, and I want to sit and read in the sun while the last batch of sap boils down. And it's already 1:00! But I'll get to that harp after I post this.

Thanks for reading with me. Happy Easter!

Andee's Week March 24 - 31

Well I now have a new manager at work, and while I'm still full-time for the next two weeks, at least I'm full-time doing the job of one person, not two.  However, I still haven't managed to practice yet this week!  I spent Sunday napping, I was that exhausted (you'd think I was still anemic, but I'm not) from work.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is my day off so I am going to practice loads!  Watch this space...

I've also *got* to do some fiddle practicing as I should be a lot further along by now!  There is a gentleman (in Ireland) who is both a harper and a fiddler (Paul Dooley) who, every year since I *stopped* playing my fiddle in sessions turns to me husband while pointing at me and says, "Doesn't that lady play the fiddle?".  Mikee then replies, "That's no lady, that's my wife!"  It has become a bit of a joke these past 5 years or so and now I have promised to bring my fiddle to the session this coming summer.  All I need to do is get those tunes back under my fingers again (easy, right?).  Well it's 7 months on and Ireland is 5 months away....I've got a lot of practicing to do!  (By the way, he never brings his harp to sessions.  He plays on a wire strung harp he made himself.)

Thursday  Getting a good amount of harping and fiddling in today.  Working on a lot of the same harp stuff as last week, plus did a run through of  Cooley's and Tailor's Twist hornpipes.  My Leaving of Liverpool is sounding much much better thanks to playing along with a youtube video of an American Irish band who actually sing and play it in the same key that I do--always a plus!

Scared the cat away with my fiddling, ran through a few hornpipes, jigs, reels just to see if I still had them under my fingers.  A bit of slumming as Lucy says.  Went back and forth between my old fiddle and my new fiddle.  The old fiddle is actually new and the new fiddle is actually old.  I acquired it recently and found out it's over 150 years old!

Friday  Immediately after work and a quick dinner we ran out to see the great Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill in concert!  So no time to practice.  Kathy, if you are reading this, during intermission I told Mike the story of Emma's reaction to "Would you like to hear Martin and Dennis come back out for another set?"  and then Emma who had been patiently enjoying and enduring the concert (she was still a little girl at the time) and was fully aware of just how long a Martin and Dennis set could be, shouted "Nooooooooo!"

I love that story!  Anyway, great concert of course and he played a few of my favorites including "Tell Her I Am" which I'm pretty sure I had it down as a slip jig and I think he plays it as a slip jig on his CD, but played it as a jig last night.  Gotta brush up on that one!  He played it with Gallagher's Frolics.

Laura: Happy Harping

Yes Lucy, I think this is working....I also didn't practice every day but I practiced more than I would have. Last week I mixed it up a bit. I am still working on:
The Green Fields of Woodford
Molly St. George
I also played some oldies but goodies for us Delaware Valley Harp Orchestra players:
Glass of Beer
The Downfall of Paris

My goal for this week would be to do some singing with the harp....I keep saying I am going to do it but I never do....

Happy harping this week y'all :0)

Lucy's week March 24-30

Lucy checks in for another week.

I did practice a little last week, not what I always hope for, but more than I might have, so I think this is working.  The main thing is to keep playing the three tunes for the 14th April do.  I've settled on the three listed below in the Monday space.  But I also hope to keep working on some other things: the two double jigs - Boys of the Town &Woodford, as well as starting to get the melody of the hornpipe Kitty's Wedding, which is great on the harp under my fingers.    

Sunday 24 March - I think I played the three tunes listed below at least one time through....
Monday 25 March - Worked quite hard on Amongst Friends, Miss Johnson's (reel) and George White's (reel).   Will probably work on them a bit more as I am playing the first two solo at a 'do' on April 14.... I'll be joined by a flute and fiddle for GW's.  Nailbiter for me as I am a shy performer.  Lots of slumming with the concertina today.
Tuesday 26 March - At the risk of repeating myself..... I did play for maybe a half hour, and pretty much the same tunes  as mentioned above.  Also slumming on the c'tina as it was a kitchen session night.  So lots of music.  I took a workshop with Mary McNamara last spring and still haven't really learned those tunes, and they are marvelous ones, so I worked a bit on them.
Wednesday 27 March - now I am repeating myself.  Played the tunes of the week, nothing else.
Thursday 28 March - Didn't play at all.   Ran through the Mary McN '99' jig and that was IT.
Friday 29 March - Did get through the 3 tunes for the micro-gig and also a few runs through the double jigs.  I am being quite faithful to this little set of tunes, I must say.
Saturday 30 March - Starting today with the concertina - the family is out which means I can be in the living room!  While the cats are away the mice do play!

                    Today's photo is to show my efforts to stay organized..... one of my notebooks.

Lucy writes, well well, well  another week and St Patrick's Day to boot.....

So far no music today but I fell down walking the dog and whacked the small of my back and it is sore, so I am being very lazy and quiet, but I think I will play soon.  So what should it be?  Well, I think I have to keep on keeping on with the two double jigs.  (Woodford and Boyz).

This week's photo has nothing to do with irish music, but evokes something magical - as if there are water sprites at work in our local river.  Irish music has a lot of magic in it, so that works for me!

Sunday 17 March - A run through of Woodford
Monday 18 March  I did play I did I did - the two double jigs, Woodford and Boyz - and I rilly have to tune again.  Later in the evening I played a couple of hornpipes, just the melody, that I am learning on the concertina -- this because the daughter can do homework when I play the harp, but not when I'm playing the concertina..... they are, just for interest, The Good-Natured Man and Kitty's Wedding.  Kitty's Wedding is actually quite wonderful on the harp and I'm tempted to add it to the 'must learn' list.
Tuesday 19 March - Worked a little on the double jig set.  I think the left hand of Woodford is finally beginning to settle in.....  Otherwise, I was reviewing concertina tunes I'm supposed to know as my class starts up in April sometime....
Wednesday 20 March - Caught up in dealing with financial stuff - it is that time of year - I've only managed to play Amongst Friends - that being the tune I'm playing at this 'thing' in mid-April..... argh.
Thursday 21 March - so far I have not played a thing, working at the local library most of the day.  And now I'm sort of tired.
Friday 22 March - Spent 4 1/2 hours driving my little darling around to appointments and D&D -- I did have my teeth cleaned and finished a book while waiting..... I played Amongst Friends once and then Miss Johnson's and half of George White's and was out of time.
Saturday 23 March

And now we are three!  Big welcome to Laura.

Andee: March 17 - 24
Sunday  St. Pat's Day!  Got to practicing late in the day due to being struck down with the worst cramps ever (sorry if that is TMI!), glad I didn't have any gigs today.

Been working on my recent new tunes (the ones I practiced last week) plus did a quickie review of Flying to the Fleadh (still have it under my fingers thank goodness) and am now doing a review of  Novia Scotia Reel (it's on John and John's CD) which sounds really good if you do a D drone on the B part in the left hand the last time through (rather than the G) which is what they do and then go into a tune in G, don't remember what I used to put with it so will try a few G reels to see what sounds good with it.  Well it sounds good as the first tune then going into Come West and then Mountain Rd.

Monday No practice. :-(

Tuesday  It's my day off so I can get lots of practicing in.  It's also open mic night tonight so I'm concentrating mostly on what I plan to play tonight:
Nova Scotia Reel / Come West Along the Road / Mountain Road
Were You at the Rock?
George White's / Man of the House
Father O'Flynn / MacAllistrum's March
I  may hit on a few other things as well which could serve as back-ups since I'm maybe not 100% confident with all of the above.

Wednesday I practiced so much on Tuesday I split the skin on my right thumb and it hurts!  Plus didn't get back from the open mic til late--only a few hours sleep so no practice tonight--taking it easy and letting my thumb heal.

Thursday and my birthday!  It's been a hectic day so far (I worked today) and we haven't had dinner yet so we will see if I get any practicing in today....
I did get a bit of playing in on my birthday.  Mike helped me with 'The Leaving of  Liverpool', which is a really simple song, but he noticed that it wasn't flowing and the phrasing was out of synch with the way it would be sung.  My left hand was determining the phrasing rather than the other way around.  I|t was a good insight.  Now I've got to play along with a recording (or a youtube) of it to get it right.