Sock monsters, picks, and capos

In my quest to learn guitar, I broke down and took my Free To a Good Home guitar in to have it set up to lower the action. If it was lowered, it wasn't by much, but the fret board is much cleaner and they switched it to light Martin Silk & Steel strings. So daily practice has resumed and calouses are coming along nicely. Chords that I can play reasonably well now are G,D,E,C,A,Em,Am,Dm,B7. During my self studies, I have been making use of YouTube, and I ran across this very informative post on how to use a Capo, which warns against the Sock monster. Apparently Sock monsters play guitar and not only take one of your socks, but your picks and capos as well. Watch out people!

Plant Your Hope With Good Seeds

Sometimes I just need to drink in music, and when I do, adding a visual element is wonderful. YouTube is a great place for that, and today I discovered that lots of Game of Thrones fans have been making music videos focusing on Arya Stark. This led me to discovering a new song I want to cover, check it out: There has been lots of daily practice of guitar for me, but it will be many moons before I'm ready to play in front of anyone. I need get a firm foundation first.

Third Time's the Charm...

Around my 14th birthday, or was it Christmas? I got a guitar for my Dad as a gift. It was a Yamaha 6 String and I learned a few chords and played it for a few months before setting it aside to grow my fingernails long. Yup, I was That Girl, all about the makeup and nails and hair and cloths. At some point it got traded in for something or another, I don't even remember what happened to it, to be honest. All I know is that I was not ready to take up the instrument. Both my brother and sister were playing at this time, and they both continue to this day.

Fast forward to my 20's when I was sharing an apartment with my guitar playing sister. We discovered Science Fiction and Fantasy Conventions and the concept of a Music Circle. I was enchanted and in love with the whole scene. I love music circles! So I decided to get myself a 12 String Guitar because I had always loved the sound. I loved that 12 string, I played it all the time. But after a year of daily practice, I could only kind of play a couple of songs. Over time I picked up less and less, and I ended up trading it in for a used flute.

My 50th birthday is coming up in a little over 6 months, and I looked at my husband and said that I think I might take up the guitar. He's gotten used to my growing instrument collection since I first took up the Autoharp in 2009. Soon after this proclamation a friend posted she was giving away a guitar to a good home. It's a classical no-name...there is no name anywhere on it. She bought it for her son off the internet, and I'm working with it to learn the guitar. It's a place to start, and I love how the universe provided me a way to learn guitar without having shell out money for one before I knew if I'd keep playing or not. So as I start over from scatch on the guitar, I am looking around for my 50th birthday present. My sister plays a Martin, but I know all that matters is how it sounds and feels in my arms. Here's a little food for thought:

For the Love of Bluegrass

This past Saturday my brother and I went to the Harvest Jam that is put on annually be the Minnesota Bluegrass Old-Time Music Association (MNBOTMA). I've been listening to Bluegrass Saturday Morning for the past few years and really enjoying it, even though my go to music has always been Celtic Folk Music if I were to choose a favorite. I brought my Ukulele so I could join in on the Ukulele jam. I spent a good amount of time wandering around and being my normal introverted self until my brother showed up around noon.

This was a fantastic event, and I'm beginning to think it was a life-changer for me. My favorite way to experience music is sitting around and playing with others. Although I don't know my Uke well enough to sit in on the Jams, I did find out what it will take for me to get there, and there are resources available locally, most notably BUG - the Bluegrass Ukulele Group that meets twice a month. Looks like I'm finally going to be learning a bunch of Bluegrass standards, this time on my Ukulele!

I have also decided that I need to get out and see live music of some kind on a weekly basis. It feeds my spirit to such a great amount, I can hardly believe that I go so long between such outings. With winter coming in, it may not be as often as I would like, but hopefully as often as I need. I will continue practice my instruments on the long, cold dark nights, going to the monthly open mic in Chaska and hopefully writing more songs as well as increasing my Uke Bluegrass skills.

One thing I found rather strange over the day at the Harvest Jam, I did not see a single Mountain Dulcimer or Autoharp at any of the jams or performances. In my own experience, they are hard for others to jam with, but I thought at least one person would show up with them. As I get to know the jammers, hopefully that mystery will be solved. In the meantime, I know I will be going to more events, jams, and shows featuring bluegrass music.

Why? Because I Can

Last night was my second time performing at the Original Works Open Mic at the Dunn Brothers in Chaska. This time I brought my autoharp, and utilized the pick-up for the first time ever. Rosie sounded great plugged in, I was nervous and fumbled on the chord bars a few times, but my vocals were strong and it was really fun.

Kent Hansen playing Original Music at Open Mic night

 My brother Kent leads this and provides the amp and the mic, he has a huge collection of songs he has written, so he was able to both start out the night and bring it on home after I'd had my turn. I had such a good time listening and playing, and was complimented on my singing so that makes me feel very happy. A friend of my brother's said I should record an album and he will sell my CD's for me at the coffee shop while I'm singing!

Since I first took up the Autoharp six years ago, making music has been my happy place. The fall of 2009 was my first Fall Music Party, and I could only kind of play two songs and I was incredibly nervous to play them even to my friends and family in my own living room. Fear is the mind killer, and I have been chipping away at my stage fright a little bit at a time ever since. My favorite way to experience music is in a circle with other players, so we can all play together. While I really appreciate those who are devoted to performing their music, and I love listening to great performers, I'm coming to it reluctantly myself. But now that I'm writing songs, I really want to share them, and I love love love singing so much that I'll sing the songs that I love the most for others.

It's a busy music month for me, which began with my Fall Music Party on Saturday the 7th which was a ton of fun. We started the night earlier than usual, because if I had my way, everyone would stay and play all night. Alas, it was not to be, as my players all drove quite a distance for the party, the last of the music ended just before midnight. Still, a good time was had by all, and we had a photographer in our midst, who caught me doing what I love to do.

This morning while I was drinking my coffee, I started contemplating why I do this. After all, I have no desire to have a career at this, no ambitions to be a performer at all. I just love music so much, and I love telling story with song. What came to me was that I make music because I can. Life is too short, and I intend to fill mine with music. At some point I might want to throw my creative juices toward recording an album, because it sounds like a fun and rewarding project to me. For now I am in my happy place, and just last night I got another melody for a new song while I drove home from Chaska. My muse is taking me places I never thought I'd go, and it's a very good thing.

Powered by Decaf

Last Thursday night I did not strum, I did not pluck, and I did not drone. What I did do is stand behind a microphone and sing a song that I wrote, with a drummer for back-up. (Thanks Jason!) So begins the next phase of my musical adventure.

I'm going from singing for my cats, to singing in public. It's a really big step for me, because I do have problems with stage fright. But over time I hope to learn to manage it as I sing more and more. This was my first step into the waters, and it was a very safe zone for me. My brother is hosting the Original Works Open Mic night every third Thursday at the Chaska Dunn Brothers. I arrived to find a beautiful old brick building, and it was a relatively quiet night, and I did my best to open my eyes as much as I could and look at my brother and his friend there watching me sing. I arrived 35 minutes before close, so I didn't get the full experience, but the beauty of the venue won me over immediately and I want to go back and fill that lovely coffee shop with some of my original music.

Since caffeine makes me shake even more than my hereditary benign essential tremor does, I was powered by decaf for the night. Now that fall has come and night is here at 7 p.m., I'm looking to get out to more of these small venues to listen, and maybe even to sing a little. I've already made arrangements to switch shifts at work so I can get there by around 6 p.m. so I can experience the whole evening in November. This time I'll bring an instrument, or maybe two, since I don't have very many songs that I've written. Poets and spoken word is welcome too, it's all about orginal stuff.

My hope is that more time spent with other musicians, poets, songwriters, and singers will feed my musical soul, and I'll be able to write some more and expand my original songbook in the coming months. Winter always makes me turn inward, and I wrote my first full song with chords and lyrics in December of 2013. This is a thing to be grateful for, the community of other songwriters and a space to share our works together. Even tonight, I plan on practicing my instruments, working on technique and memorization of songs to perform at the next Fall Music Party.

It has been a long time between posts, my music has continued off and on.  Right now it is turned ON in neon letters daring the long nights of fall and winter to sit and listen to what people like me have to say in melody and verse.Tonight I just wanted to share some of the joy that is simmering in my heart right now, and to give any poets and songwriters a glimpse of the venue which will be hosting a gathering of creative spirits next month. This is the view that the musicians have:

I'm looking forward to some good nights over the coming months. Good think I like coffee! (even if it's decaf)

The Ukulele - Playful Kitten of the Guitar Family

Two years ago in April of 2013 on a whim I bought an Ukulele (Ooo-koo-le-le) and joined the Ukulele Underground forum. I kind of learned a few chords and started learning a couple of songs at that time, and I even brought it out for my Spring Music party. During said party, I discovered that keeping it on my makeshift stand (an easel book display) it was easy to knock over, so the back of the neck got dinged. After the party I felt it would be safer to keep it in the gig bag, so I did that.

Fast forward to February 2015, and my little Ukulele has been out of sight and therefore out of mind, still snug and safe (and unplayed)  it the gig bag. But this winter I found myself needing a little more sunshine, and what could be more sunny than an ukulele? So out of the gig back it went and onto my Autoharp stand it sits now between practice session. Rosie the Autoharp was put safely away in her case for now, she's had plenty of attention over the past 2 years.

I signed up for UU+ which includes lots of pre-recorded classes so I can really learn some solid techniques on my dear little Ukulele. After one week of practice I know three chords and am learning two songs with those chords. I just watched Lesson 2 of Ukulele 101 and am looking forward to completing the 10 week course just in time for my Spring Music Party. For those of you interested in such things I have the Lanikai Concert model # LU21C, a nice inexpensive entry level Ukulele with Aquila nylgut strings. I added some stickers to it, so I wouldn't take myself or my little Ukulele so seriously. 

I love the sound, and I'm pretty sure my cats do as well. It really is kittenish and playful. Due to the small size, the ukulele doesn't have much sustain, so you have to keep strumming to keep sound coming out of it. So just like a kitten, it doesn't hold still very long. It's also a strapless instrument, easy to hold with the crook of my elbow and walk around with. This week spare moments have been spent viewing Uke videos online, and have created a playlist that I go to for tips and inspiration on YouTube. Check it out!

DAD - Dulcimer Acquisition Disease

There is a longing in my heart right now that sings out to the tune of "Basketball Jones" only with Dulcimer in the place of the basketball, and I've got it bad. Last night I cleaned my dulcimer, oiled the fretboard and changed the strings. My sweet Mary Jane looks and sounds wonderful. A week from tomorrow will be my 5th Annual Fall Music Party, and I am very excited to have a bunch of friends over to play and listen. We always welcome both Pickers (musicians) and Grinners (audience) to the party. It's always potluck and BYOB and loads and loads of fun.

So in preparation, I'm taking care of my main instruments. Last week I tuned my autoharp after several months of it sitting idle, it took an entire hour. Now I've got my sweet mountain dulcimer in tip top shape. But the Jones, aka Dulcimer Acquisition Disease or DAD, did not go away because of these activities...and it is so strong. It is an instrument acquisition Jones. I recognize the symptoms.  That longing after something Other than what I already have. There are no funds for a new instrument, I have other plans for my money at the moment such as pay off my credit card, buy a love seat and rug for the living room, and the long term goal is to pay off my student loans.

I think a new dulcimer would be a suitable reward for that final payoff. Don't you? That way I can quietly look at all the dulcimer options available to me, savor the yearning for a new instrument for a good long time, and when the time is right...scratch that itch and get a new dulcimer. There are lots of options out there. Six string, baritone, hourglass, different woods, sound holes and so much more. And you know what? I found the ultimate Mountain Dulcimer porn site. Tons of photos of different models, they even have a Kantele that I can dream about acquiring. It is the same place I bought my sweet Mary Jane from, and the Folkroots travel dulcimer I reviewed last spring.

It doesn't help that I had a dream the other night that I went to a folk festival and met Bing Futch, a spokesperson for their dulcimers, and host of the Dulcimerica Podcast. I don't remember much about the dream, it was about finding my room and getting registered and stuff. So I think a Dulcimer Festival will be in my future at some point as well. I have lots of things to dream  about, like this little beauty:

This sure would make a sweet addition to my little instrument family. Learning new songs and techniques helps take the edge off the Jones temporarily, so I will do what I can to be worthy of such a beautiful dulcimer someday!

Review of FolkRoots Travel Dulcimer

Last year I was lucky enough to hear about a free trial of a new model of dulcimer. The folks over at Folk Craft Instruments were designing a dulcimer based on an old FolkRoots Travel Dulcimer and were asking for volunteers to try it out and give it a review. So I signed up and many months later, the FolkRoots Travel Dulcimer arrived, with a Honduras Mahogany Body, Honduras Mahogany Soundboard, 22 Inch Scale Length, with 1 1/2 and 8 1/2 Frets.

When I opened the package and pulled out this sweet little dulcimer I was immediately charmed by it's symplicity and clean craftmanship. The color is rich and warm, and I was eager to try out the sound. Because of the short size, it fits nicely in the lap whether there are arms on a chair, or if I'm sitting cross-legged on the floor.

What I found was a crisp tone that was very enjoyable, and more volume than I expected in such a small instrument. It has a bit of a plucky sound that reminds me a little of a Ukulele, due to it's smaller size and short string length no doubt, but not overly so. The notes are not sustained as long as a full size mountain dulcimer, but the tone is quite nice, and has a pleasing warmth.

Fingerpicking gave a surprisingly rich full bodied sound, none of the pluckiness that I mentioned earlier. Vigorous strumming had more of the high silvery mountain dulcimer drone that goes great with traditional tunes. The middle 'A' string did buzz a bit when strummed with strong force, but only when left open. Other than that the action was really sweet and that made it easy to play.

Because I'm used to traditional dulcimers, I found the shallow height of the fretboard a little difficult at first, since I brace against the fretboard with my thumb for both chording with my left hand and fingerpicking with my right. But I did manage to get accustomed to it fairly quickly. I do not play with a noter, and I can see how that might be a challenge as well. I imagine with regular play adding a pickguard might not be a bad idea, as there definitely could be wear and tear over time. But if it's not played very often it would not be an issue.

All in all, the FolkRoots Travel Dulcimer is a sturdy little instrument that you can take anywhere and play. It would make a nice companion on either a hiking trail or college campus, and it is quite charming in my little studio room that I use for practicing. Sadly, it is too similar to my own mountain dulcimer (a Folkcraft FSH) to make it worth keeping; but it has been a pleasure trying out this little beauty, and I can recommend it to anyone who wants a small instrument that they can take anywhere.

My Mountain Dulcimer is like a kitten

My mountain dulcimer is like a kitten, she sleeps in her stand looking all pretty, somehow more adorable each time I glance her way. A couple of days ago she even helped me find my way out of a pickle. I've been wanting to learn Joni Mitchell's "River" for some time now, and due to the variety of chords not usually found in a diatonic dulcimer, I thought my autoharp would be just the instrument. Well, it seems that didn't work quite right. I was missing a key chord, a combination chord of Dm and C, that really sets the tone for the whole song.

 My sweet Mary Jane, and the 1 1/2 fret I had added, came to the rescue. I figured out how to play that particular chord, and the song sounds much more complete. Like a kitten, my mountain dulcimer craves a certain amount of attention. This time stealing it away from my autoharp. Tonight is the night I catch up on some emails I need to write, so I was pretty excited to see an email from the folks at Folkcraft. It seems they are still sending out travel dulcimers for players to review and it's my turn to try it out! So look for my review, complete with photos here on the blog. The other thing in my inbox was a link to Dulcimerica 210 with Big Futch. A couple of sweet tunes on a baritone dulcimer, one of which I can play on my own little Folkcraft. Enjoy!

 

Kantele Journey

Taking up the Kantele is a journey through another land, mainly Finland, and one where I do not speak the language. But I think I have met a guide, and I will be contacting her about learning to play the 10 string Kantele. It is none other than Diane Jarvi, and I had the pleasure to make her acquaintance a week ago. I have been thoroughly enjoying the new albums of hers that I picked up, and it's renewed my excitement in really learning to master this instrument and a learn a wider variety of techniques. Diane studied Kantele at the Sibelius Academy in Finland, and has done workshops on playing the Kantele across the region. One thing I am considering is added a strap to my 10 string so I can play it standing up. Here's a little bit of inspiration for me and all you other Kantele fans out there: All in Finnish, of course! I'm learning some words and phrases here and there, and working on a song in Finnish right now that is quite lovely. This journey began with my lovely five string kantele in 2010, and now continues with the ten string here in 2012. It is an odd journey, but it's rich and fascinating, filled with unexpected twists and turns. I learn and sing and play as I go along, and it is delightful and my soul glories in it.

A Long Expected Party

My posts here of late have been few and far between. It's not that I haven't been pursuing music, it's quite the opposite. Since I last posted I have completed building my ten string Kantele, pictures were taken by my sister and husband and I have yet to obtain them. When I do I will be certain to create a nice long blog post of my kantele building adventures.

Rehearsals for Season 4 of the Idisi has begun, and I am having a wonderful time with all of my wyld sisters every wednesday night. We are getting ready for a big photo shoot this coming Sunday, it will be a great time providing the weather is accomodating. Wyld women photograph best in a natural environment, after all. It's an exciting time in my life, and I am most looking forward to sharing all the happenings with my friends next month at my Annual Fall Music party.

Let's talk a little about The HOBBIT A Long Expected Party, shall we? I have preared some songs that are Middle Earth inspired, one on my mountain dulcimer, and three on my autoharp. I hadn't even had my autoharp in my little eager hands a week when I was suddenly inspired and worked out a melody to one of my favorite Tolkien poems, I Sit and Think, which is attributed to Bilbo Baggins:

I sit beside the fire and think of all that I have seen,
of meadow-flowers and butterflies
in summers that have been;
Of yellow leaves and gossamer
in autumns that there were,
with morning mist and silver sun
and wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think
of how the world will be
when winter comes without a spring
that I shall never see.
For still there are so many things
that I have never seen:
in every wood in every spring
there is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think
of people long ago,
and people who will see a world
that I shall never know.
But all the while I sit and think
of times there were before,
I listen for returning feet
and voices at the door.

This is the first song I have written that has words to it, so it is a milestone for me. I have a couple that I wrote on the mountain dulcimer and a couple on the five string kantele. I love to play them and I think they sound good, to my ears anyway, and if there are some quiet moments I may play them at the party as well.

While I would like to spend all my spare time practicing my instruments between now and November 17th, I will be spending a considerable amount of time getting the house ready. We pulled up the carpeting in the living room this past weekend, and there is more prep work to do before we can sand and finish the hard wood floors. The good news is that there does not appear to be any gouges or damaged boards. But there are many stains which may or may not come off in the sanding process. We'll see. A stained but re-finnished hardwood floor is still more attractive than a stained old carpet.

But back to the music, there is one little bit of trivia that I want to share. There is a strong link between Authoharps and The Hobbit. Marc Gunn, Autoharpist and Tolkien fan extrodinare, wrote some of my favorite songs in honor of middle earth that I have ever heard. In fact, his song Ring of Hope, is one that I have prepared for the party. But don't worry, you can learn some Hobbit friendly tunes in time for the event yourself. Just purchase his songbook via downloadable PDF, like I did!

Dream Autoharp Arrives

The long wait is ended, and my Dream Autoharp, the d'Aigle Desert Rose 18 chord chromatic, is resting comfortably in her stand between the bookcase and my little electric fireplace in my studio. In the end, she did not get the chord bar layout that I selected, but the standard one. It was a surprise, but I found one song that I can play in my book that I wouldn't have been able to with my selection. And two that won't work. But one of those is "Red is the Rose", which is now one of my favorites on my mountain dulcimer, so all will be well. It's part of the challenge, learning to play with the limitations of the instrument. All instruments have limitations in one way or another, as do our dreams.

Zithers as a whole are nearly limitless, especially in their most well known form, the pianoforte. That's right. I said pianoforte, because that was the original name, and yes it is a zither. A hammered zither that can play both soft, piano, and loud, forte. This was an advancement of the original harpsichord design, which plucked the strings and therefore did not have as much variety in volume. But I digress. The important thing is I have an Autoharp again, and I can play it. I'm actually amused at how easy it was to pick up and start playing again, I even can pick a bit of melody of Ode to Joy. Delighted doesn't begin to describe what I'm feeling. It's like coming home again, full of comfort, but also knowing I don't have to leave. My autoharp is here to stay, and I'm eager to work on more music and master the tunes that I was just beginning to learn a year ago. The camera is not here, but there will be pictures posted this weekend for sure.

I think I shall play her one more time before bed...

Them's Pickin' words

I don't think I've ever taken a picture from my facebook feed and posted it here before. Well, there is a first time for everything, because I love everything about it. Here's why:

1. It's true
2. It's on a pick
3. The pick is on a chain that you can wear around your neck

Yup, that pretty much sums up what music can do. It keeps bringing me back, time and time again. When I need to express myself and I can't find words, I pick up an instrument. It's all about communication, even if it's only the cats I'm playing for. Frankly, I think they just may understand the music better than my innane banter I throw at them. Playing music has become a meditation privately, and all that time spent alone means I've gotten practice enough that I can play with other musicians now and again.

In two days I will be ready to send my final paymenet for my autoharp, and I feel really blessed. Many friends contributed to the Dream Autoharp fund, and I am humbled by their generosity. Dreams are something we can share with each other and participate in. Like songs, they speak to the heart when words fail.

Jammin' at Merlin's Rest

Last Tuesday night I resolved myself to be brave and join in the Tuesday night jam at Merlin's Rest. When I arrived with my dulcimer, book, and purse, I would have awkwardly stumbled in through the door, but a waitress opened it for me. I've known about the Jam for a long time, but I just never got the courage to join in until now. This was a big step for me, as there usually are some very fine musicians who show up.

Musicians Open Jam Session: 8:30
If you are a musician and want to share your talents or maybe learn some new ones – stop in every Tuesday. A fantastic evening of listening and joining in with some of Minnesota’s top musicians

So I was there at 8:30, and a hammered dulcimer player, who also plays guitar was there, as well as one other guitar player. I asked if it was OK to join them, and open means open, so I sat down to play. The hammered dulcimer player did not want to lead in any songs right away, so I alternated with the guitarist. I led in three songs: Wild Mountain Thyme, Diamonds & Rust, and Where Have all the Flowers gone. Actually I was kind of nervous, but not as nervous as I thought I would be.

My quiet dulcimer did not do well against all the noise of the bar, but I got a little applause starting out anyway. Sometime after my second song, the hammered dulcimer player wandered off. I played anything I had that wasn't a ballad, so I began packing up at around 9:15 and the other guitarist went for a beer break. Minnesota Ren Fest starts this weekend, so I'm guessing that may have affected how many musicians were showing up, or how few. I might try showing up again when I am confident of a couple more "bar friendly" songs, and with heaviers strings and pick in hand to try and combat the noise. All in all, it was a successful night for me, if a short one. My new autoharp might be a better choice regarding the noise, and it has more chords, so I'd be less limited in a jam environment.

We'll see if I go next week.

Musical Adventures

Once upon a time the warriors were in a battle and it wasn't going well. They needed to call in for additional reinforcements, and so they used the Merseberg Incantation:

'Once the Idisi sat, sat here and there,
some bound fetters, some hampered the army,
some untied fetters:
Escape from the fetters, flee from the enemies.'

Such is the way of things, that when all else fails, calling for the magical women to come and do their work is what changed the fate of those in battle. In Minnesota, women have taken up the call. Led by the phenominal Dayna Jean Wolters, The Idisi makes music and magic.

'The Idisi is a gathering of women intent on singing and opening the world up to the sonic healing, especially that of the Divine Feminine.

We are a chorus of women raising the vibrations of ourselves, and of those we encounter through music of many cultures, faith practices, and life paths.

The Idisi come together with great love, respect, and honor among ourselves as artists and access the healing properties of sonics to share that energy with as many people as we can.

We are on a powerful journey of Joy, Love, and Light.'

Yesterday I auditioned for the Idisi, and I was welcomed into their company. Rehersals start in October, and I am thrilled to be on this new and wondrous journey of music and spirit, becoming one of the Idisi myself in truth. I have their album and found it to be moving and wonderful.

Finnish Folk Music

Falling in love with the music of my Finnish ancestry was easy. It is beautiful and many songs can be played on my five string kantale. The Finns are known for their rather dark sense of humor, but there is another way of looking at it. Marjorie Edgar was a collector of Finnish folk music in the first half of the twentieth century and she had this to say about it:

Finnish dance tunes are gay and Finnish humor is charming. The latter appears in many of the songs, and there are so many hearty rollicking tunes that one wonders if the usual American idea of "the gloomy music of the northern countries" Is not a misconception. Even the melancholy airs, of which there are plenty and among the most lovely, have no feeling of self-pity; they are rather detached in spirit and have a mysticism of a purely Finnish type, as unconscious of its quality as a stream or a spruce would be.

On the other hand, I personally have a tendency to get into some down moods. But it's not depression, I've decided, it's just my Finnish nature. It's taken me until middle-age to realize that it's OK when things don't go your way, and if you truly love something, keep at it no matter what. At the same time I need to be practical and pragmatic, but pursuing my love of zithers relentlessly is my ultimate musical goal. Another way of putting it is a uniquely Finnish term called sisu. From Wikipedia:

Sisu is an ability to finish a task successfully, as defined by Roman Schatz in his book From Finland with Love (2005), and decisiveness. Usually sisu means the will and decisiveness to surmount challenges against impossible odds.

I've never considered myself as disciplined, but rather stubborn and determined. Add to that a willingness to do the work, and I think I'm beginning to understand sisu a bit. I have goals, in that I want to share Finnish folk music and the Finnish folk instrument of the Kantele by writing some music books in the next year. To that end, I've begun learning a program to create tabulature for the Mountain Dulcimer, plan on learning the 10 string Kantele after I build it, and I just learned about Finnish music camp. I missed it this year, but I'll keep an eye on the website for next year. For more on Sisu and the Finnish mentality, check out this video on car racing. It makes me proud to be half Finnish.

Dream to Reality: Autoharp Aquisition Part 2

My vision of what my life is with music is pictured here, specifically, my new Autoharp sitting inside Bag End in Hobbiton. The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien have, for the past 30 years, been a delight and inspiration to me. This coming winter The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be coming out in theaters near you, (get your Facebook covers now!) and I am thrilled beyond belief. So much so that I really wanted to share this feeling with everyone here, because it ties in with my Autoharp in a big way. In my last post I mentioned the Bards of Old, and I have to say, that Tolkien was one of the best bards of all time. My goal, when I get my Autoharp, is to learn some Tolkien inspired music. Lucky for me, Marc Gunn has been out there playing his Autoharp and writing songs! His most recent release is Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits, and I had to get a copy, of course. He even signed it! Now that I'm totally into music, adding some of his tunes to my repetoir is a key goal. Since my love of LOTR began, the lyrics Tolken wrote have filled my mind. My sister once put some to music, and I hope to be able to do the same as well, and I also want to learn the theme to the animated Hobbit movie.

That's the goal. The reality is I still need to make one more payment and patiently await the arrival of my Autoharp. Or not so patiently. Every once in a while, I'll pick up my poor old broken autoharp and hold it and press the buttons. I can never play it again, but it's good to feel it in my arms, close my eyes, and imagine myself in Bag End with my new one. For me, music has become the greatest adventure. I can create and learn and share, it's just so exciting! I also get to dive deep into the folk music of my ancestors while I'm at it. I've gone a year without being able to play this instrument which opened up a whole new world to me. To be able to hold and play one that was made just for me, well that will be a day of joy indeed. Until then, I am still accepting donations, there's just $312.00 left on my layaway. Please consider making a donation today.

Itchy Fingers

It's summer and I have itchy fingers. They are itching on a daily basis for the Autoharp that I have on layaway. It will be several weeks yet before I get my new baby, but they are itching nonetheless. This malady is coming with increasing frequency and intensity as the day of arrival draws near. Visions of songs dance in my head, the ones that I learned on Autoharp that I never learned on Dulcimer, and the ones I had planned to learn...all are popping into my mind as I wait for my new Autoharp. Tonight I write the check for the fourth of five payments, and I'm amazed at how quickly time has passed since I made my decision in April.

A lot has happened since then. I've written another song on the Dulcimer, and learned two new lovely standard folk tunes: "Southwind" and "The Storms are on the Ocean" which I play just about every day. It's fun learning just the melody on the mountain dulcimer and not worry about the words.  Maybe I'll learn the chords and lyrics when I get my Autoharp, so I'll have two different versions to choose from on my different instruments. And as much as I enjoy practicing my dulcimer, and it sits so joyfully on my lap, I long to embrace my new Autoharp. Nothing can compare with the intimacy of that instrument, as it vibrates against my body, my heart can't help but respond. So much joy these zithers have brought to my life! They are like members of the family, as much as the cats are. I learn to care for them, play with them, and share them with others. And then there are the long moments we spend alone together, getting to know our abilities and strengthening them together, my zithers and I. It is a mystical relationship, and I feel connected to the Bards of Old as I learn tunes played hundreds of years ago.

The feelings go so deep, I feel as if there are strings on my soul that I awaken as I strum my zithers, a resonance and mystery fills me as I play. I wonder what songs I will write on the Autoharp, and how will she feel under my fingers? I can only imagine and long for the end of summer to come, darkening evenings and hours by candlelight to practice. It's so exciting! I feel like I'm off on a new adventure.

Strange Zithers & Autoharp Gourmet Beef Stew

There's a pot of beef stew simmering on the stove, and my fingers are itching to play autoharp. I've tried plying them with my kantele, my dulcimer, even pulling out the wood pieces for my kantele kit and I still have itchy fingers. This ailment was probably triggered by writing out a check for my next payment for my Dream Autoharp that is on layaway with d'Aigle Autoharps.

I've also had dreams of strange zithers arriving on my doorstep. Rare and wonderful, I always find they come with complete instructions and I run into people who have played them for years. Never quite an autoharp, they have unusual gizmos or strings to set them apart from the ordinary zither. So now that the little beasties are haunting my dreams and making my fingers long for them, what's a girl to do? Look over her Autoharp Gourmet book that's what!

I have the CD around here somewhere too...ah there it is...much better having the soundtrack for this blog post going. The CD came with an electronic version of the music for every song on the CD. I was just starting to learn to pick melodies on my Autoharp when I had to set it aside due to a fatal crack in the soundboard that made it un-tunable. I was working with Karen Mueller herself as my teacher and her wonderful sheet music that came on the Autoharp Gourmet.

In just a few short months I hope to resume my lessons and continue on my journey as an autoharpist. Until then, I will peruse the web for videos, pictures, and more information. If I cannot feed my fingers by giving them an autoharp to play, then I will at least feed my mind and ears with the sound of this incredible instrument. The day my new autoharp comes will be a joyous one indeed! There will be happy fingers at last, and an Autumn Music party to plan. I love starting new things in the fall, it's a great time for me to learn and enjoy the good things in life. Even though it's the height of summer, that beef stew smells really good right now. I must be anticipating the arrival of the new addition to my little zither clan with all my senses!