Beth Hansen-Buth is a musician specializing in small stringed instruments, specifically Autoharp, Mountain Dulcimer, Kantele, and Ukulele. Music is life.
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:
It's true
It's on a pick
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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! 