Monday's Muse

"In the very moment you want to give up, give it all you got! You're on the brink of your breakthrough." ~ Aisha Martin

CTO ... Tune List from April 5 - 7 Jam Sessions

15 trapezoids gathered for all or part of the weekend of April 5-7 on top of a mountain near Roaring Gap, NC, for Martha's Dulcimer Day on the Mountain. We worked hard all day that Saturday, practicing chord patterns and rhythms to back up common fiddle tunes. We entertained the neighbors Saturday night. We ate and laughed, shared ideas and played tunes.

Check This Out ... Viola kept notes! Here's a list of tunes in the order they were played during the jam sessions. While some of the "favorites" might have been played several times during the weekend, they are listed here only once. It's a pretty good list ... but there are plenty of great tunes missing! What would YOU have called for next?

Forvantan
Whiskey Before breakfast
Lady of the Lake (Can you play the bass line back up?)
Nail that Catfish to the Tree
Frosty Morning (NOT Cold Frosty Morning)
Midnight on the Water
Ash Grove
Missouri
Waynesboro
Ruth sang The Rooster Song
and Seven Nights Drunk
Willafjord
Little Red Wing
Rights of Man
Black Nag
South Wind
Oklahoma Rooster
John Ryan's Polka
Soldier's Joy
Shepherd's Wife's Waltz
Hangman's Reel
Spotted Pony
NC Breakdown
Smash the Windows
Planxty Fanny Poer
Blackberry Blossom
Ashokan Farewell
Lovers' Waltz

Warning: Serious Practice in Progress

My intention has always been to say, "Yes!" if at all possible to opportunities to perform. Scheduling gigs has provided meaning to my practice, has pushed me to grow, and has helped me learn to manage stage fright.

This winter / spring, I've taken on a big project ... Malcolm Dalglish's "Hymnody of Earth."  It is a collection of songs composed and arranged for hammered dulcimer, choir, and percussion, featuring the poetry of Wendell Berry. I've taken on the responsibility of playing six selected songs from the complete work. That would be six complex pieces to work out, learn, memorize, eventually to coordinate with the choral director, choir, and percussionist. Sometimes I wonder, "What was I thinking?"

But I got smart. I arranged a tutoring session with my friend, Marya Katz, who performed some of the pieces last fall. That was a big help! She provided not only specific tips and suggestions for playing a couple of the pieces, but also the special encouragement and support that a good friend can provide.

Events have been put into motion. Practice is underway. I feel alternately capable and overwhelmed, sometimes both in the same practice session! No matter what, of this project I am certain:

• It will require structured and focused practice.
• It will sometimes take more time than I have to give.
• It will bring on fear and trembling.
• It will get me out of the "minimal practice" rut.
• It will improve my overall playing.
• It will be fun to be a "part" of the "whole".
• It will be over on June 9.

I've been "tweeting" my progress. You can follow me if you like @hammerdulcimer

Have you taken on something big? Is it worth biting off "more than you can chew?" How will you know, if you don't try?

Monday's Muse

"Don't believe everything you think."  ~ Byron Katie

CTO ... I just took my dulcimers to the basement.

Tornado warning for Chatham County. Pittsboro's in the path. I'm not taking a chance! The instruments go to the basement. Granddog's at my feet. Kittycat's on my lap. Hubby is standing by. We're ready to take cover.

"It's my job to make your brain hurt."

I actually did say this to one of my students the other day, and it got such a great response (a good laugh) I've repeated it throughout the week. Believe me, there has been reason to repeat it. I have witnessed serious looks of concentration on the faces of my students. You see, I've been pushing the chord thing and I'm sure many of my students will be convinced that these words were meant especially for them.

But I am convinced that understanding a little chord theory and recognizing chord patterns (root position and inversions) on the instrument is essential to mastery of the instrument. Everything from learning and memorizing a basic tune, to filling out and arranging said tune, to playing effective backup benefits - nay, depends on this knowledge.

So go ahead, stretch your brain ... even when it hurts!

Monday's Muse #2 - In light of today's Boston Marathon bombings ...

"This will be our reply to violence: To make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before."  ~ Leonard Bernstein