minstrel: Re: minstrel digest, Vol 1 #156 - 11 msgs

[nickolas kaugon]

i maintain that if you are not familiar with at least
some of the following:

the book of the dean of lismore
the rowanallan manuscript
the skene manuscript
the robert ap huw manuscript
the stralloah manuscript
musique populaire et folklorique de basse breigtainne
and padraig o'railly's collection of per 1600 irish
gaelic songs.

you have no right to have any opinion about celtic
music in period.

o'carolan isn't period but i would never criticize a
real player for playing. there is planety of harp
music that is period, especially scottish. however
it's rather odd stuff--they weren't part of the main
european culture. 

the sca does attract peole of little talent who do
expect to be rewarded for trying. this doesn't make it
in the fighting, whu should it in the music. i can doo
whole sets of period music and make people listen to
me because i'm a good live audience performer.(when
i'm not ill--which has been too often the case
recently)it can be learned, at least partially. now it
doesn't always work, but at folk live in seattle they
used to put me and a few others in front of the irish
drunks because we could get them to shut up and listen
without haranging them from the stage. i believe that
the nice middle class hobbists ought to show a bit
more respect to those who actaully learn to perform.
and by the way i believe that almost anyone can learn
to grab an audience. music isn't an egalitarian sport.
you need learning practice, talent and  mostly real
intelligence to learn how to get to folks. i've busked
for years so i'm pretty good at it. i don't shout or
use amplification , i try to peak their curiosity
untill a crowd is listening.i have actually busked
with a medievil cittern--this is a very quiet
instrument, but i ot crowd attebtion and money-there
are ways. but you have to use your intelligence to
figure out these things.

unfortunately people like me live itinerant lives and
only get to go to sca events ocassionally so the music
scene tends to be dominated by the plodders who show
up every meeting and every event, and as bill morrisey
said. 
"in all my travels this one thing i've found
 the laws they are not made for the man from out of
town"

that's why i praise an tir because in spite of a few
plodding bigots they are open to a real performer
showing up. ealdormere isn't.

the west is, the east is, and so is calontir. i got
the bums rush in the middle as well oh yeah and also
caid many years ago. so i go where music is wanted as
i don't have many weekends off, and i can perform
almost anywhere for free. i do old folks home--and
they occasionally pay, but the old ladies actually
know the words to my favourite songs. i's rather play
an old folks home on toronto than for bigots.

a muscian has to learn he isn't owed anything , he has
to earn it with the skill he possesses. lord knows i
wish i had more skill. you ought to see alezander
denga conect with an audience out on the street--he's
a magician, but if you watch one of these guys you can
get some idea how to win the audience. there is
nothing wrong with being background music but i still
try to hook some of the feasters and usually i get
more than a few at the end of a feast comming over to
ask about my material and the like.

music isn't accounting, its special, and a harsh
taskmaster. if you think an audience owes you anything
music will squash you fast

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