Beth Hansen-Buth is a musician specializing in small stringed instruments, specifically Autoharp, Mountain Dulcimer, Kantele, and Ukulele. Music is life.
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.
The past few days I have not been able to stop thinking about the prospect of getting my new Autoharp. I'm so incredibly excited about it I can hardly tell you. I have some of my favorite Autoharp music playing on the stereo right now, including Memories of Middle Earth and Heart's Ease by Marc Gunn. A while back I wrote a review of the second of those two albums here on my little Strum Pluck and Drone blog. But with the vision of my new Autoharp in my mind, and the fact that The Hobbit movie will be released on December 14th 2012, it's the first album that is fueling even more excitement for me. I am a hard core Tolkien fan, and proud to admit it. My plan is to have a Hobbit themed music party in the first part of November. What would make it perfect would be to have my new autoharp a few months before that so I can learn some of the Middle Earth themed songs on it to share at the party. Until then, I will try and figure out the theme from the new movie on my trusy mountain dulcimer, because a fan girl has to do what a fan girl has to do.
Timing is everything, and with the saving for the new instrument in the beginning stages, I wanted some more information about that. So, to keep myself busy toward my goal, I sent off an email to the luthier to find out what the turnaround time is for an autoharp and when he would need a deposit. There are songs to learn before my Autumn Music Party, and Marc was kind enough to post the lyrics to a ton of his songs on his website. He is a true Bard, and I'm going to contact him for the chords on a few of them, as he noted he would provide on his lyrics page. If I can learn them on the dulcimer first, then they'll be that much easier to learn on the autoharp when I get it. Not many song writers are so open with their lyrics, and I'm just so glad that Marc is, it will make for a great night next November.
Until then, I have the songs to prepare for next month's Spring Music Party. There's so much to do! Diving into the Folk Music can be that way. Finding time to practice, people to jam with from time to time, research info on my latest music enthusiasm takes time. There are still Finnish tunes that I want to write dulcimer tab for, and now songs about Hobbits to get chord for and print out for my songbook. The printer broke, so now I have to research printers too, that needs to be replaced in the next few days. I still try to find time for my friends, and I was at a lovely tea party this afternoon, and a gathering last night with artists. So much fun to be had, so many songs to sing!
Tonight is a time for me to sit in my room with kitties, to relax and to meditate. I don't do this often enough anymore, it used to be more of a habit in the evening after dinner to take some time to be quiet. Quiet is my soul's food. With so many things demanding my attention, it's nice to slow down and have a date with my soul. Even though I have listened to the album many times, I never thought to listen to Marc Gunn's Heart's Ease as a meditation CD. Not all the songs are super quiet or super slow, maybe that's why I never tried it before. But tonight it seemed like the thing to do. Accompanied by the cool breeze after a summer rain, it is the perfect way to end the day. The flame of a single votive and a small stick of Japanese incense complete the mood for me.
I really love this CD, it has a variety of moods. From sweet melancholy to joy among flowers, the tunes take me on a magical journey each time I listen to it. My intention was to bring a little bit more calm into my day, but I have found a smile as well as I contemplate while listening to Wildflowers of Party Field. There is a feeling that wells up from deep within that music can tap into for me, and this album tosses pebbles into that well until I feel the ripples calming the chaos and setting my mind at rest. Marc Gunn is really a wizard, and his magic dances from his fingers, through the strings of his autoharp and out into the world. There's no other way to adequately describe this album.
As an autoharpist, it is an inspiration. As a Reiki Master it is the perfect accompaniment to my practice. As a lover of fantasy, it ignites my imagination until my mind starts to travel to Hobbiton and beyond. It was a lovely addition to my CD collection, and one that I will surely treasure for years to come. It can be yours too, just buy Heart's Ease: Instrumental Autoharp Music by Marc Gunn from CD Baby. Do it, I dare ya.
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.
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:
