Monday's Muse

You know what music is? God's little reminder that there's something else besides us in this universe; harmonic connection between all living beings, everywhere, even the stars.  ~ Robin Williams in August Rush 2007

Monday's Muse

There are only a few notes. Just variations on a theme.  ~ John Lennon

CTO … Sue Wilson & Betsy Kraus Will Play for Chocolate!

That's right … Sue Wilson and Betsy Kraus are THE Bake-Off Band! For 15+ years they've provided sweet tunes for the enjoyment of those satisfying their sweet tooth at the annual Chatham County Council on Aging's Chocolate Cake & Cheesecake Bake-Off.

Enjoy the music AND the winning cakes while supporting programs and services for older adults. $5 for adults ($3 for kids) gets you a plateful of samples from all the winning cakes, plus a glass of milk or a cup of coffee to wash it all down!

Be sure to bring a few extra dollars to purchase a cake to take home. After the cutting of the champion cakes takes place, the real fun begins. The rest of the cakes are auctioned off! Here's a chance to put your money where your mouth is. Buying chocolate for a good cause is a good thing, right? Believe me, there are no "losers" in this cake display!

Check This Out … Just the facts!

What:  27th annual Chocolate Cake and Cheesecake Bake-Off
When:  Sunday, February 8, 3:00 - 5:00pm
Where:  Eastern Senior Center, 365 Highway 87 N, Pittsboro
Why:  To benefit Chatham County Council on Aging
Who: Sue & Betsy are playing music, but we need YOU to make this event successful

Are you a baker? Register now! Bakers who would like to enter their favorite chocolate cake or cheesecake should do so no later than Wednesday, February 4th, 5pm. Click on the link above for more details.

Monday's Muse

You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.  ~ Jack London

CTO … Enquiring Minds Need to Know, "What's in Marya's New Book!"

After my recent mid-week post appeared (Marya Katz Releases New Book of Hammered Dulcimer Arrangements) folks were asking - and I bet you're wondering … 61 tunes? What are they?!

Check This Out … The index of tunes from Marya Katz's newest compilation of tunes, Dulcimations VII, appears below. The book is full of (mostly) traditional jigs, reels, hornpipes, breakdowns, songs, marches, waltzes, etc - arranged in 2-parts for hammered dulcimer - with lots of interesting notes about the tunes.

The work has been done! Get your friends together and start playing!

PS … Look for Marya Katz at the Winston-Salem Dulcimer Festival . She'll be teaching the beginners, getting them off to a good start!

Alphabetical Index of Tunes
(Dulcimations VII, Marya Katz)

1. A Bottle of Wine and a Ginger Cake
2. Ale is Dear
3. Bannocks o’ Barley Meal
4. Behind the Bush in the Garden
5. Bile Them Cabbage Down
6. Bottom of the Punchbowl
7. Broad Run Picnic
8. Buttered Peas
9. Carolan’s Draught
10. Chicken Reel
11. Connelly’s Ale
12. Drops of Brandy
13. Drunk At Night, Dry in the Morning(in G) 
14. Drunken Sailor’s Hornpipe
15. Eat, Drink, and ... Be Merry!
16. Farewell to Whiskey
17. Fat Back Meat and Dumplings
18. Feed Her Candy and Tell Her Lies
19. Good For the Tongue
20. Happy to Meet, Sorry to Part
21. Haste to the Wedding
22. Hunting the Buffalo
23. Johnny, Johnny, Don’t Get Drunk
24. Juice of Barley
25. Kiss the Bride
26. Landlord, Fill the Flowing Bowl
27. Last Night’s Fun
28. Little Brown Jug
29. Little Burnt Potato
30. Lizard Candy
31. Meals on Wheels
32. Merry Mountain Hoedown
33. Merry Night at Tumble Brig
34. Miss Ford Dances
35. Moses, Hoe Your Corn
36. Mug of Brown Ale
37. Paddy, Won’t You Drink the Cider?
38. Peas in the Pot
39. Piece of Chicken and Cornbread
40. Polly Put the Kettle On
41. Reel des Onions
42. Rum and Onions
43. Saturday Night Breakdown
44. Soppin’ the Gravy
45. Stay All Night
46. Stool of Repentance
47. Sugar in My Coffee
48. Sweet Milk and Peaches
49. The Bottle of Brandy
50. The Cup of Tea
51. The Drunken Wives of Fochabers
52. The Grand Picnic
53. The Parting Glass
54. The Roast Beef of Old England
55. The Tipsy Sailor
56. The Wine Testers
57. Tripping up the Stairs
58. Welcome Whiskey Back Again
59. What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor?
60. When Sick is it Tea You Want?
61. Whiskey Before Breakfast

Marya Katz Releases New Book of Hammered Dulcimer Arrangements

This past Monday I attended Marya Katz's all-day workshop called, "A Toast to the Table" or "Eat, Drink, and be Merry!" in which she taught tune arrangements from her newly self-published book, Dulcimations VII. The tunes in the new book (61 in all) have titles related somehow to food and drink and having fun with friends. Sounds inviting, doesn't it?

The really fun thing about these arrangements is they are designed to be played with a friend! Each tune has been arranged as a duet … one person plays the tune, the other plays a harmony line or a rhythmic backup. Each part in itself is not too complex, but together they create a beautiful sound.

Suggested chord progressions are included, and while Marya's arrangements have been written with hammered dulcimer players in mind, they would be appropriate for other instruments as well. Perhaps you have a friend who plays the dulcimer ... or the recorder, or the guitar, or something else. You've been thinking it would be fun to try playing some music together, but you don't know where to start. This book gives you that starting place.

Playing music with friends is one of the most satisfying and enjoyable things I do for fun. I encourage everyone to find a music buddy and start having fun!

Bonus:  It's a sure way to give your playing a boost!

Monday's Muse

No person has the right to rain on your dreams.  ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.