A Late Samhain

Last night we gathered in Minneapolis to celebrate Samhain, it was a night a ritual and feasting. I had the runes I made blessed in circle, and the song that we sang is apparently a traditional American Halloween tune, and the words are this:

Ghost of John

Have you seen the Ghost of John?
Long white bones and the rest all gone,
Ooh, ooh!
Wouldn’t it be chilly with no skin on?

So I looked online trying to find if there's any hint of an author of it, as it is taught with a variety of melodies on grade school playgrounds across the U.S. I did find a version that says it's the Ghost of Tom, and is attributed to Martha Grubb, and it includes chords:

Em                Am       Em
Have you seen the ghost of Tom?
Em                        Am       Em
Long white bones with the skin all gone
Em               Am
Ooooooooh Oooooh Oooooooh
Em                    B     Em  D      Em
Wouldn’t it be chilly with  no  flesh  on?

It may be included in the following school song book: McGraw-Hill Share The Music Grade 4 Teacher's Edition by Rene Boyer-White , but I have no way of knowing as there is no listing or info on this.

Norse Magic

OK, so it's been quite a while since I updated the blog. I'm busy exploring who and what I am all about, finding my center. One place I'm looking for that is through my ancestral myths and legends. I'm half Norwegian on my father's side and half Finnish on my mother's side. So I'm reading up on Norse mythology, and studying Volva Staving with Kari Tauring to tap into my subconscious to see what I can stir up.

I recently saw Kari with Drew Miller (of Boiled in Lead fame) Live at the Capri:



It was a really magical night, and I already picked up the CD for this one.

Ren Fest Trip

I'm off the the Renaissance Festival today! According to websters:

Renaissance
* Main Entry: re·nais·sance
* Pronunciation: \ˌre-nə-ˈsän(t)s, -ˈzän(t)s, -ˈsäⁿs, -ˈzäⁿs, ˈre-nə-ˌ, chiefly British ri-ˈnā-sən(t)s\
* Function: noun
* Usage: often attributive
* Etymology: French, from Middle French, rebirth, from Old French renaistre to be born again, from Latin renasci, from re- + nasci to be born — more at nation
* Date: 1845

1a : the transitional movement in Europe between medieval and modern times beginning in the 14th century in Italy, lasting into the 17th century, and marked by a humanistic revival of classical influence expressed in a flowering of the arts and literature and by the beginnings of modern science
b : the period of the Renaissance
c : the neoclassic style of architecture prevailing during the Renaissance
2 often capitalized : a movement or period of vigorous artistic and intellectual activity

Small World Gets Smaller

I was so happy to find Marc Gunn on the internet. Now I find that I would have found him sooner if only I had gone to Marscon 2009. I was busy with things like moving, the timing just wouldn't allow me to get to the convention. Now I'm more committed than ever to go next year. Crazy world keeps getting smaller. Well, here is Marc doing something Filkish with the Autoharp:



I was actually Artist Guest of Honor at Marscon in 2006. Really I was. Now I'm eager to get back into the swing of going to conventions, showing my art, and hopefully singing some good old fashioned folk music, Celtic and otherwise. I've had two autoharp lessons so far and I'm getting the hang of it to the point that I'm currently learning 3+ songs with multiple strumming techniques.

Isn't life interesting? I was just thinking it would be so much fun to have Marc Gunn come to CONvergence or Marscon as a musical guest, and he's already been here. This must be the year of the Autoharp or something.

Irish Songs etc.

My Autoharp arrived safely to my home yesterday evening, completely out of tune and missing the tiny wrench needed for the fine tuning. Today I went out on a quest to obtain a tuner, some picks, sign up for my first lesson, and then to the hardware store for the wrench.

Online this week I discovered Marc Gunn. He's a fan friendly, Ren-Faire working, singer of Irish music and what's more - he plays Autoharp. For you purists out there, I will note that the Autoharp should not be played at a Renaissance Fair, as it was only invented in the mid 1800's, but it's great for Celtic music. But for me, it's the perfect fit, and he even has put together a lovely web-page for people like me who want to learn to sing and play Irish songs:

Folk and Art

While searching the internet for songs that I would like to learn to play on my lovely Autoharp when it arrives, I found this favorite of mine by Joan Baez. It's called "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda." A song about a young Australian soldier maimed during the Battle of Gallipoli (1915) during the First World War; written by Eric Bogle in 1972. The paintings of Degas, Sargent, and the visual arts of Spadecaller, augment the song's theme.



I heard her play it live once, her opening act was Dar Williams who made me cry. Seriously, just sitting there wondering if the opening act was any good and there I go...crying. I'm such a schmuck.

SF&F Con Creates Music...And Musicians

It's all Becca's fault. If she hadn't pulled out that Autoharp from the case on that fateful June evening and played it right there in front of me and the whole world, I never would have known how much I wanted one of my own. So now I've gone and ordered this one from Ebay:


So now it's my latest obsession, along with all things related to folk/irish music. It even comes with it's own gig bag to keep it safe and sound.


Speaking of sound, I plan to visit Homestead Pickin' Parlor to pick up a tuner and see about taking classes with Karen Mueller, because she actually did write the book on Celtic Autoharp. I may never watch TV again, I'll be busy tuning my Autoharp. And yes, Becca, it has 21 bars and the fine tuning. It was a good deal on Ebay, brand new, free shipping and even had the soft-case with it. I'm all kinds of excited to dive right in and learn how to play well enough to sing, and then well enough to play with the Autoharp as my main instrument.

BTW-I sing well without an instrument, but accapella sounds lonely in a music circle. The thing about Autoharps is that they are not respected by folks around here much. They probably heard more than one that was horribly out of tune and decided they weren't cool. Also, all you have to do to get a chord is push a button. That's a big plus for me as a vocalist, because it will be much easier to learn material without having the difficulty of learning guitar.

Life is meant for living, and I'm tired of sitting outside the music circle when my voice is longing to soar. I love the sound of the 'harp anyway, always have, and I plan to learn to play it well enough to earn a little respect with it as well.