Irish music session at the Tranzac

It's been over a year since I nervously stepped through the doors at the Tranzac for my first Irish music session in Toronto. I didn't know anyone and had only a handful of tunes that no one else seemed to recognize.

Last night, I couldn't help but compare how I felt then to how I feel now. I still have a long way to go, but at least I'm not a complete newbie anymore. I was able to play along with a fair number of tunes in last night's slow session without sheet music, and even do some playing on some less familiar tunes after hearing them only once or twice; my ear has definitely improved since last year.

I brought my new Burke whistle to the session for the first time and was immensely pleased at how much of a difference it made. For one thing, I could tune it to match the lead player; I adjusted the tuning a couple times last night. But most importantly, I could actually HEAR myself in the crowded room, even when everyone around me was playing. Last night there were mostly fiddles, some accordions and concertinas and Irish flutes, a couple of banjos, a few whistles. I hope to start using my Burke with Urban Tapestry eventually.



For those who missed the entry, I ended up ordering the Burke wide bore brass black tip model (DBSBT). The choice was based on helpful comments from whistle-players in the Chiff and Fipple forums who suggested that the wide bore would be slightly louder, and that the brass model has a darker tone than aluminum.

Anyway, I LOVE MY BURKE WHISTLE!

Last night's session was also enlightening for me because I was sitting beside a newcomer; it was her first session at the Tranzac. I remember how frustrating it was in the beginning for me, when I'd ask people what tune had just been played and no one could remember. How could you not know the name of a tune YOU WERE PLAYING A FEW SECONDS AGO? I felt like asking, but didn't.

I found myself in the opposite role last night when Lisa asked me several times about the names of tunes...and I honestly couldn't remember, despite the fact that my fingers obviously knew the tune I had just been playing.

The "slow session" (where focus is on playing tunes more slowly so people could learn them more easily and beginners could practise) was from roughly 7:30-9 pm. Around 9, the pace picked up. Usually at this point I just put away my whistle and listen, both because I can't keep up yet but also to avoid aggravating my tendinitis.

I enjoy listening as much as playing at these sessions. It's an incredible experience, sitting there in that small room filled with amazing music I'd pay money to hear in a concert hall. As the pace picks up and still more experienced players arrive, feet start tapping, heads nod in time to the music. I also love watching the seasoned musicians in action, bows and picks a blur, fingers flying over whistle and flute holes. The fellow beside me was playing a flute made in the 1800s!

I was in heaven; it was so difficult having to leave before the end of the session, but I knew I had a longer commute back home than when we lived downtown.

Besides, I'll be back soon.

Anyway, I'm so very VERY glad I decided to push open that door at the Tranzac last December; I would have missed out on a world of good if I had chickened out. Thanks again to Mary Bertke for getting me hooked on Irish music sessions in the first place, and to folks at TheSession.org and The Chiff & Fipple message boards for their encouragement and advice. And ESPECIALLY the friendly folk at the Tranzac session.

:-)

Photo below: Taken by John Hall at the GAfilk session in Atlanta earlier in the month. You can see John's other GAfilk photos here.

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My new Burke whistle!

My new Burke whistle arrived this morning! I almost hugged the Canada Post guy; I was so ecstatic. The tone is SO pure, even in the higher registers...no squeaking anymore, even when I try to squeak. It's tunable. The headpiece is etched with the date and Michael Burke's initials. According to the instruction sheet that came with it, the brass will likely darken into a patina. I ended up ordering the Burke wide bore brass black tip model (DBSBT).

Now I just have to improve my whistle skills to justify having such a fine instrument. Thank you, Ginny!

Inspired by the Irish music session at GAfilk (and now by my new whistle, of course), I'm actively starting to learn tunes on my own again. Learned Ten Penny Bit (jig), am going to focus on Sunny Banks (reel) and Will You Come Home With Me (jig), two tunes they apparently learned at the last Tranzac session, which I missed.

Much writing to do this week, including a possible book project for a publisher that approached me last week (fingers crossed).

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Cynthia McQuillin

I was saddened to hear about the death of Cynthia McQuillin. Cynthia died peacefully in her sleep yesterday morning at Kaiser Hospital in Hayward. The cause of death was renal and respiratory failure.

Cynthia McQuillin has long been a well-known name in filking circles. Part of the filking community since the early 1970s, Cynthia wrote more than 1,000 songs, 300 of which have been published in tape and CD collections as well as songbooks. She was inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame in 1998.

Her death is a blow to the filking community, and she will be deeply missed.

Please do read Allison's post on the topic.

You can find more information about Cynthia here.

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thanks and a survey

This past weekend, I sang in a Stan Rogers tribute concert with Dandelion Wine in front of a large-ish audience.

I can already sense shrugging shoulders and a "So what?" from a vast majority of you out there. "You're used to performing with Urban Tapestry. What's the big deal?"

Photo courtesy Allison.

In the audience, however, there were those who knew what I was going through, and what my journey's been like. And were probably grateful, as I was, that I didn't faint or throw up by the end. :-D

To put things in perspective: Over 20 ago, when I first came upon filking, I sat in the back and listened. After a year or two, I started bringing my flute. Didn't actually take it out of its CASE, mind you, but still sat in the back with the flute safely hidden in its case, which in turn was safely hidden in my knapsack. Sometimes I'd even take the case out and put it on the floor beside my feet.

Several conventions later, I managed to work up the nerve to take the flute out of its case and noodle timidly along with the occasional song, but playing so quietly that no one could possibly hear me unless they had their head in my lap, an admittedly rare audience listening situation. My hands would sometimes be shaking so hard that a lap-listener might have commented on my unusual vibrato back then.


Photo courtesy Allison.

At some point, Mary Ellen Wessels and Clif Flynt dragged me kicking and screaming into the limelight, and I began playing flute a little more confidently with their encouragement and that of others. Over the years, I gradually got better. I even started doing the occasional flute solo, something I thought I'd never be able to do.

Then I hooked up with Urban Tapestry. By this time, I wasn't quite as nervous when playing the flute in public and happily noodled along on UT songs in open filk circles and in concert. Occasionally someone would ask if I sang. I'd laugh at them and shake my head. Me? SING? No way.

But I underestimated the rapport and trust that grew between the members of Urban Tapestry, the encouragement and support. One day I nervously volunteered to add a third harmony to something we were working on: a Brady Bunch song, I think (!). Allison and Jodi were delighted. The first time I sang with them in public, I was incredibly nervous. My voice shook, veering wildly off-key. I apologized to them later, but they reassured me that I had done just fine.



I started adding more harmonies here and there. From time to time, they'd ask me if I wanted to sing lead. Horrified, I always said no. "I'm happy singing harmonies," I declared. "I'm never ever singing lead." I knew I didn't have a stellar voice and the thought of anyone actually being able to hear it exposed (i.e. without the comfort of Allison's and Jodi's voices masking my own) scared me to death.

Ok, so by now you probably know what's coming next.

One day I actually did agree to sing lead on a verse (ONE verse) in a new song I had written, Hey Tom. It was within my narrow vocal range but, more importantly, I knew how surprised/tickled Tom would be. He was, making all the stress worth it. :-)

And y'know, it wasn't QUITE as traumatic as I thought it would be. Almost, but not quite. Hm, I thought. I could maybe do this again sometime. Then last year, I sang "I'm Gonna Make A Rocketship" in Germany, the first time I'd ever sung lead on a song in concert. Allison and Jodi sang harmonies and counterpoint.


Photo courtesy Rob Wynne.

In the past few year I've been going to some housefilks without Allison or Jodi. Normally I'm content to just listen, but at Sue Posteraro's housefilk I decided that I wanted the local filkers to hear Urban Tapestry's new song, Wo Ist Der Bahnhof?!. So in that circle of familiar and supportive faces, I sang a song by myself for the very first time.

Bolstered by that experience, I sang a song by myself in the open filk at GAfilk for the first time; I remember hearing the calls of encouragement from Judith Hayman and Peggi Warner-Lalonde. Then Dave Clement asked if I'd sing David Francey's "Torn Screen Door" and "Saints and Sinners" with him. The latter was a song I learned the week before GAfilk, prompted by an e-mail from Dave. With support from Dave and Tom, I agreed to do it in open filk and then the concert they were donating to Interfilk; I hadn't realized at that time that Sue would generously open up her private concert to the whole convention! Dave and I had worked up a version of "Torn Screen Door" a year or two back; we had sung it the first time at a small circle at a filk convention. Erica Neely was sitting behind me, I remember, and she whispered encouragement just before we launched into the song, knowing how nervous I was. I mean geez, I was singing with DAVE CLEMENT.


Photo courtesy John Hall.

But I'll stop rambling and get to the point...

Some performers are lucky enough to arrive on the scene with the confidence and skill level without having to worry about performance jitters or massive insecurities.

Some, however, are like me and have had to work at it very hard, helped by the support and patience of others. I think about that every time I see (and strongly identify with) a shy filker in a circle, someone whose talents are still developing, who sits nervously clutching a lyric sheet or instrument as they wait for their turn. I feel very lucky to have had the nurturing environment of the filk community helping to nudge me into reaching beyond my comfort zone, and I try to give back when I can.

Here's a poll for all you musician types out there, beginning or seasoned: Do you have anyone to whom you're especially grateful because of their encouragement and support? If you have a blog, feel free to answer in your blog but be sure to post your link so I can find it!

My poll answer: I'm grateful to the filk community in general, of course, but especially grateful to Allison, Jodi, Jeff, Mary Ellen, Clif, Rand, Dave, Tom, Erica, Kathleen, Judith and the rest of the Toronto-area filkers.


Urban Tapestry's audience in Germany.

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GAfilk highlights (part 3)

As promised, here are some more highlights from GAFilk, in no particular order:

- Getting a chance to finally have a real conversation with Sherman Dorn on Friday night.



- Swing dance workshop with Mark Osier. It was great to see my friend MarkO again, but even more fun to see him in dance instructor mode. :-)

- Meeting Karen Anderson.

- Seeing Carolyn Brown as Interfilk Guest. Yay for Torontonians! She certainly did us proud. Jodi and I also got to hang out with her and Marie in the airport on the way home.



- New buttons from Dave Alway. Thanks, Dave!

- Chatting with Sheryl just before MarkO's swing workshop started.

- Talking comic-making with Adam English.

- Going drinking with John Hall. Ok, so maybe I had half a glass of white wine spritzer. That's a lot of booze for me. And I stayed awake for at least a couple hours afterward!

- The wonderful con suite courtesy Cris Schoenborn. She had chocolate fondue again! And some really amazing chocolate truffles! And some non-chocolate stuff, of course... ;-)



- Having my first real conversation with Tanya Huff, at the Waffle House. Shortly after, I saw in the hotel hallway and didn't recognize her; I don't think she's going to let me forget about that one. :-D

- Sue Posteraro's red socks. Plus Sue's smile, and she was always smiling whenever I saw her at the convention this past weekend. :-)

- Getting a cool penguin tea-maker from Crystal and Steve. I've already tried it out several times, and it works wonderfully!

- Seeing several people (including Crystal, Deborah, Adam) try out my new rollable keyboard.



- Seeing Katy and Ju in horns!

- Wireless Internet access in the hotel! The connection in our room was pretty flakey, but it was good enough for me to pick up e-mail and it was FREE, so I can't really complain.

- Opening ceremonies.

- Seeing Josh and Naomi relaxing on the couch in GAfilk function space in nearly exactly the same positions (on the same couch!) as when I saw them for the first time last year. :-D



- Blueberry muffins from Mary B.

- Seeing the Suttons again. It's been way too long.

- Posing for silly pictures in the hallway with Tanya, Michelle, Jodi and Mary. (Photo link courtesy Rob Wynne)

- Hearing Dandelion Wine! I can never get tired of hearing Dave and Tom sing.

- Chatting with Myra Hunter at the registration desk again. This year they had coloured markers which also happened to be fabric markers; I used these to finish off my Dandelion Wine square for the Interfilk Quilt.

- Chocolate cake from Mary C.



- Finally getting to meet/hear Michelle Dockery. Lordy, what a voice that gal has! She was kind enough to sing "Mal's Song" for me in open filk; I'm sure she was requested to do this song many times.

- Being attacked by the Toastmaster (blackmail photo courtesy Rob Wynne).

- Seeing/hearing Tony Fabris again! Thanks to Tony for being Urban Tapestry's stunt guitarist for Library Boy. We wanted to sing it for Rand's girlfriend Erin, who had never heard the song before. Here's a photo that Rob took (tho I think we were singing "Closer to Fine" at the time).

- Brenda Sutton winning my Interfilk package. Thanks, Brenda!

Photo courtesy Erin.

- Singing Hey Tom early in the weekend. It was the first time I had ever sung a song by myself in an open filk (i.e. without Allison and/or Jodi). Many thanks to the local filkers for letting me practise solo singing on them first. :-) More about this in a future Blathering.

- Watching Margaret Middleton in action, fixing up my Dandelion Wine quilt square so it could be added to the others. Thank you, Margaret!

- Seeing Erin and Rand again.



- Last filk circle (photo link courtesy Rob).


- Not having to be up on stage in "My Filk." I humiliated myself a couple years ago, not even being able to remember lyrics from Jodi's song "The Lady." MUCH more fun to be in the audience! :-D Rob, as usual, was an excellent gamehost.

- Dave Rood as Toastmaster.

- Irish music session on Friday night. I was so happy I nearly exploded; it was INCREDIBLY fun. Lots of participants, including Bill Rintz, whom I hadn't seen for years, as well as Mary, Dave, Tom, Helen, Phil, Sherman and Kathryn. I was actually able to play some tunes from memory this time. MANY THANK to Mary B. for organizing this event! Here's a pic that John Hall took.

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- Kathleen's amazing dragon bead necklace.

- Bellydancing workshop with Sharlene. This wasn't an official part of the programming, but put together on the fly because enough women at the convention were interested. It was WAY fun, with lots of giggling and joking. I also really enjoyed Sharlene's singing with Kathleen Sloan and Kathy Mar in open filk.

- Playing flute in Dandelion Wine's concert. Here's a pic that John Hall took.

- Saturday afternoon conversation with MarkO.



- Getting a postcard and lyrics from Marilisa via Deborah. After seeing Marilisa and Mich do their "Home" parody at Filkcontinental, I asked Marilisa for the lyrics. I showed them to Rand and Adam during GAfilk, and Adam liked the lyrics so much he said they were better than the original. :-D

- Seeing people in their fancy duds on Saturday night.

- Talking Celtic music with Bill Rintz.

- Being introduced to Woodchuck cider by John Hall. I don't like beer, and had just started liking Strongbow after being introduced to it by Jodi. I like Woodchuck even more, probably because it has a lower alcohol content. :-)

- Seeing Jodi in her "Canadian chanteuse" role with the GAfilk House Band. I -love- hearing her sing jazz.



- Getting some more nMC headshot photos: Deborah, Kate.

- The GAfilk songbook, put together by Mary Crowell. Wow, what a project that must have been; it looks fantastic and the hefty volume makes a wonderful (and useful) souvenir of the weekend. Thanks, Mary!

- Seeing Sue Posteraro win Dandelion Wine's Interfilk contribution, an hour-long private Stan Rogers tribute concert. Sue generously opened up the concert to the entire convention on Sunday.



- Another first for me: singing with Dandelion Wine in their Stan Rogers concert. I sang with Dave Clement on the a capella "Torn Screen Door" (David Francey tune) as well as with Dave and Tom on "Saints and Sinners" (another David Francey tune). Yes, I was terrified, but I think it went okay. :-) More on this in a future Blathering. If anyone has a recording of this, I would very much love a copy.

- Meeting David Glasser for the first time. What a sweetie!

- The GAfilk banquet/dance, of course. See this Blathering.

- Seeing Daniel Glasser menace Adam English in open filk while singing his now infamous "Close Your Eyes."



- Having Juliane Honisch as our Honourary Urban Tapestrite (since Allison was sadly not able to attend GAfilk this year). We performed "Another Round" in open filk, a piece that Ju wrote and that we had performed in Germany.

- Getting together with filkers, sometimes accidentally, in the Atlanta airport on the way home, including: Ju, Katy, Steve, Michelle, Tony, Carolyn, Marie and Kathy Mar.

- Katy and Steve providing dessert at the airport. ;-)

I know I'm missing some highlights; there were so many at GAfilk. :-) Rob Wynne has collected a number of GAfilk online reports. You can see my Flickr photo set from Gafilk, Rob's photos, and John Hall's photos.

THANK YOU so much to the concom and guests for all your hard work!

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