Cygnet Folk Festival

Coming up next weekend...

http://www.cygnetfolkfestival.org/

I'll be playing with the Hobart Old Time Stringband and the Heritage Fiddle Ensemble. Also, I'll be doing a Appalachian-style jamming workshop.

The HOT Stringband will be doing a couple of fun concerts and a contradance workshop. The Heritage Strings have some fabulous tunes written by an early settler from Tasmania, Alexander Laing. The tunes have recently come to light in the Tasmanian Library archives. The tune names have links to local history and places, which make them all the more interesting. Plus, they are very sweet, sweet tunes.

A few are in the key of B flat, the key signature that has usually sent me to the bar for a beverage or caused me to close the tunebook and work on a different hobby. But, now, I could not escape it. It is time for me to get over it and learn how to play in B flat. Whine, whine, whine... there's no open strings on the top 2 strings. They all have to be noted. So, here I sit practicing my scales like a good student. Making progress. Strenghthening up my pinky and working on my accuracy. What a good challenge.

The upside just might be that now I can play the Democratic Rage Hornpipe (B flat) in the New England Fiddler's Repertoire in time for next October. :-)

Housekeeping note: I added a link to my festival recording page in the section to the right of the page.