…went pretty well. And I played about 5-6 pieces and screwed up a bit, but my fingers have no blisters, thanks to several days of noodling around and getting my fingers used to the idea. Considering I only remembered F, G, A, E, and D, D7 yesterday morning, I did pretty well last night. What I didn’t figure on was my breathing—Lord! I’m not that long-winded in the first place, and when going full out to an audience, I usually vamp a couple of measures when I have to catch my breath, if singing solo. But last night I had to ask for a singalong, which means everybody charges ahead and I didn’t get my couple of measures delay. Worse, I couldn’t see the damn music, and I was having to skip between word on one page and music notation on the other. The rest of me is in pretty good shape, but the eyes aren’t what they used to be, and even with a light behind me, the focus range was just wrong. I kept having to lean forward to see the music, on one page, and then lean further to read the words. So, well, but I remembered the chord fingerings, I got through it, and everybody laughed and was forgiving. We’re set up to do this again on January 2nd. By then I may have breathing under control and I won’t be trying to remember under fire which is Cmaj and which is Gmaj. And I think I’m going to downtune and capo up, which will put me in standard range, but soften that first-fret deathgrip, which improves the clarity of the fingering: ie, if you can’t press the strings down hard enough, your note will be a little ‘off’. Lower frets are easier on the fingers, and downtuning and using a capo (bar that fits across the strings) redefines which is first-fret, assigning first-fret to an easier, lower fret. I could file the ‘nut’ down a micro-bit, thus lowering the strings, but it’s inlaid, so you’d get into big, big trouble if you muffed it, producing a strings-too-close-to-the-fretboard buzz. Easier to just downtune and redefine the frets via capo.
Well, I should have more chord range and more adventurous songs by next time, and maybe more wind. We’ll see.
This has nothing to do with filk, but is a follow-up to whether frozen bananas work in smoothies. I don’t know about smoothies, but I have found that it makes a good ice-cream substitute. Cold, creamy, lightly sweet, thick enough to spoon up. I’m experimenting with different ad-ins… berries, mangoes, peaches, etc. And using soy milk instead of regular milk. So far it’s all good.
You are truly a woman of many parts.
Phil Brown
Wow,are you going to take your show on the road to the Sci-fi conferences?
Nighthawkatshejidan,that’s a great idea thanks!
😆 if I can get a little more ‘in voice’ or at least remember all my fingerings.
You were great last night, you goofy grape! I’m so glad you did pushing the speed of light. That takes the 12 to do right.
I got a question about my new laptop stand so I asked my
friends and it is a ‘Rubbermaid/Rolodex ventilated,adjust
-able metal laptop stand’. I found the best price at the
Amazon.com at $15.99. Maybe I should have checked CJ’s
store,sorry!
No, I don’t have that item—but thanks for thinking of me! Congrats on your new comfy stand! I’m just glad you got it.
Sounds like great fun, if one is musically talented (I am not). But at this time my son (mid-twenties), quite musically gifted, is taking up the bass guitar. He won a Fender in a “Lost” fan contest (a very long story). Any Lost fans interested in audio-related aspects of the series might check out his blog, audiblylost.com. Although a former child chorister at a NYC cathedral, he is, of course, far to shy to actualy SING!
I offer this surfing suggestion in the fullness of unreasoning parental pride.
As you should! 😀 😀 😀 I don’t follow lost, but the site is great!
He’d love filking. It’s sort of like musical fanfic. I’m sure there are “Lost” filkers out there!
As for you…musical talent is definitely NOT a prerequisite! The small filks, home or room filks at a con, are best, IMO, because it encourages the comraderie aspect. The bigger ones, esp when they throw in a bardic circle, can get pretty boring while you wait for the next in line to get going. Small ones, you share and learn and make friends.
I’m personally of the chaotic bent—not bardic. If you feel ready to play, pay attention to the going ‘theme,’ pick something that fits, and take your turn: look ready, finger your strings and play a bar quietly (sort of like putting on your turn signal before attempting to pass) and sensible filkers give way to you and let you play your piece. That way nobody gets embarrassed into performing or even picking things they may not be familiar with. There does need to be a strong ‘lead’ filker to deliver a traditional warning if somebody turns ‘filkhog.’ Most feel that chaotic filk works best in a small group—but I’ve been in chaotic groups of an easy hundred, with maybe 15-20 guitars, a couple of bodruns, a balalaika, a harp or two, and a hammer dulcimer and had it run very smoothly, with hardly a pause in the music, just one to the next, self-policing, often with every instrument in action and a good number of the people singing along. A lot more fun, in my book, than five minutes of dither while the bardic leader asks “pick, pass or play” of some shy person who really doesn’t know what the name is, but it’s something about a spaceship.