My co-worker just this minute told me she'd heard some guy on the local radio station this morning wanting to know if anyone gave dulcimer lessons (hammered or mountain, I have NO idea. At the moment I'm listening to my Noel Hill CD, not the radio).

Then she says, "Isn't that that thing you play? A dulcimer?"

"No, I play a concertina."

"Oh, I thought it was a dulcimer. What's a dulcimer?"

Taking into consideration my co-worker's general musical knowledge or lack thereof, I said, "It has strings."

Am now banging head on desk repeatedly.

So you can play dulcimer then!?

However many times you tell people they hear what they want to. My non musical friends always ask me how my accordian playing is going.

actually, I used to play mountain dulcimer when I was a kid. Could play a mean "Go Tell Aunt Rhody"

Closest I've come to playing dulcimer -- either kind -- is experimenting with a few belonging to others. Never had one at home.

Did have an Aunt Rhoda, though.

Oh gee no, Rhomylly, now you are listening to a Noell Hill CD. You are gonna be so far ahead of me at boot camp. Oh no, it's okay. You're banging your head. That'll level the playing field. (HOW'S THAT FOR A DOUBLE LAYER PUN, JIM L.?) hee hee hee.

Well I'll just run right over and show your coworker how to play either dulcimer.
I love the strings comment.

My coworkers all think I am nuts. Well, um, yeah, I am; but they REALLY don't get the music thing.

Helen

How could anyone "not get the music thing" whatever I get the same thing at school yeah I am 15 it says so on my you know that thing with all someone's info. If that makes any sense

Oh, yes! I teach music at an elementary school, and it's amazing how to some it seems I'm the Keeper of the Mystic Lore, accessible to a chosen few, incomprehensible to most. I'm NOT talking about the children- they love my concertina, have handled a few odd dulcimers in their time, can figure out how to make most any instrument clunk or toot out a tune- but there's several generations of grownups out there who really don't know a thing about music and want to tell you so at every opportunity.

It's why I do what I do the way I do it- my main goal is to graduate children who may not be fluently literate music readers, but who know that music is something they can do, understand, enjoy, and create!

Ah well, bless you Allison. Maybe you could do in-services in our workplaces and explain "the music thing" to our coworkers.

At least Rhomylly could quit banging her head. I've given up on my coworkers. I just smile at them. Except that just makes them nervous. They kind of back up and shy away when I say anything "musical".

Helen

I have a picture on my hard drive at work which shows three gentlemen playing together, one with a piano accordion, one with a button box, and one with a concertina. No matter how many times I send it to my sister she always asks me "How is the accordion playing coming along" *sigh*

[If anyone wants a copy, let me know ]

(Warning - ranting to follow)

What frustrates me is the number of adults who whisfully bleat "I always wanted to learn music as a child", and who always have some excuse when I suggest that it's not too late to learn.

Something often encountered in my harping days are people who want to "live the life" but not actually do any of the hard work invloved in the learning.

"Oh but you have the knack for music"
"Oh but I don't have the talent like you"

Well thank you very much for immediately discounting the hours of hard work and practice that I put it. No, I did NOT wake up one morning and magically discover that I could play music.

My other pet hate were the people that always tried to sweet talk me into a playing a gig for nothing.

"Oh but it would be great exposure"
Maybe, but you can die from too much exposure

Ok, I'll step down from my soap box now... but it is darn frustrating

Which is one of the reasons I really appreciate you all - cos you understand

Cheers
Morgana

*Slips a pillow under Helen's head*

Well said.
And "exposure" is a form of advertising, but who needs advertising that says, "I'm not worth paying for"?

I do lots of music just for fun, and some of it in public, but if anyone tries to convince me that my performing for free is a favor from them to me, and not the other way around, then I'm gone.

I've developed one firm rule: If anyone gets paid, then I get paid. And I don't mean only the folks on stage. If the sound man gets paid and I don't, then he can mix silence.

I find it frustrating that all four of our daughters, in their formative years, have had lessons on at least two instruments each, plus voice lessons, and all at their instigation, and now do not play at all. Admittedly one has given up clarinet because of a finger nerve injury and she does say she will start up something else when she has time!

OK, perhaps in years to come they'll restart and have a good grounding to start from. I suppose that I just have to accept that we have done our bit as parents in providing the opportunity. I admit that I wish I had been pushed just a bit when I was young then perhaps I would be able to read music to play from. I can manage to sight read to sing but not to play.

Robin Madge

You think it's tough to explain playing music to your coworkers? At least that's something they've heard of and knew that people do! Try explaining Scottish Country Dancing!! A lot of times when people ask what I'm doing over the weekend, even if I'm teaching a class that night and there's a big ball the next night, I just say "oh, nothing really" and don't even try. Some days it's just too hard to answer the same questions all over again for 20 minutes!


Steven

I've been lucky to have some contrary experiences. Like my first day on a Wall Street job:

Dressed in suit and tie, I got on the elevator to descend to the cafeteria for lunch, when who should I see next to me but a fellow English Country Dancer. It took him a moment to recognize me -- he'd never seen me in a suit, -- but then he quickly asked, "Where's your tin whistle?"

I just smiled, pulling open one side of my suit jacket to reveal, in an inside pocket....

Morgana, I get those comments too, and they drive me crazy!!!

I get them *again* when people find out I'm a writer.

Anyway, I've stopped banging my head on my desk and am now going to adopt Helen's technique of smiling mysteriously and scaring the hell out of my co-workers...oh wait, I already do that, for religious reasons

And I'm with Steven. When people ask me what I'm doing this weekend, my answer is almost always "nothing." Sure beats explaining.

Your religion teaches you to scare the hell out of your co-workers?
Isn't there a gentler way?


Not me. "Shanty festival", "meeting of concertina players", "Morris dancing", or whatever it is. But I never "have time to explain".

That way, if they're actually sorry they asked, they'll hesitate to ask again, and I won't have wasted my time explaining.
But if they're interested enough to look me up on Monday and ask for more details, then I may have a new convert.

Boy oh boy, does Morgana’s rant resonate with me. I am a mathematician in real life. Most of the time this comes up in conversation with someone new, the person proudly announces that they never could do mathematics.

On a trip across the Pacific a few years ago, I was seated next to a women who was meeting her husband in New Zealand to begin a concert tour, she was an pianist. She was unmathematical and very happy to begin her conversation with me explaining this in great detail. During her monolog, I hatched a plan to devote my turn to describing music as often inoffensive diversion that could effectively drown out more unpleasant noises.

In the end, I didn’t proceed. I realized that she would never get the connection with her point of view, and I would probably just end up as an uncultured scientist in one of her after-concert stories. Rather I told her that I played 3 (at the time) instruments and that, although I listen to all sorts of music, I play tradition American music. She asked about my formal training in music, but alas I have none. She then proceeded to tell me about the advantages of knowing music theory. Then I went to sleep.

At the end of the flight she took one last opportunity to proclaim her ignorance of mathematics, but to suggest that I could never really appreciate music until I studied the classical form more. In the end, I am sure that I became the uncultured scientist in her after-concert story.

Oh well....

Dan Madden

Hey Morgana,

I'd love a copy of that picture.

Rhomylly,

Really, do the smile and scare them silly routine. It's such fun. And sometimes you get asked less often to do the mundane stuff because everyone will be afraid to approach you. Try it. You might like it.

Helen

AWESOME! When I first started lurking here there was a young fellow, Chris Stevens, who was 17 I think. He must be 20 now and is an amazing player. I wish I had started at 15. I didn't get my Herrington until I was 35.

Morgana has prompted me to get one hate in writing,it is to provide background music.Music which is totally ignored and talked over ,no clapping no acknowledgement nothing.They sit there munching sandwiches ,cakes etc drinking champagne while we are in a corner playing our heart out.These corporate gigs are usually very well paid,but they can stuff their money because I refuse to do them.I play to enjoy myself and these are not enjoyable.
There I feel a lot better now.
Mr Grumpy

Oh Mr. Grumpy,

You have inspired me to write and maybe a deluge of others.

My previous director at work wanted me to play hammer dulcimer at parties with coworkers. I was insulted because she wanted me to provide background music. No one would be listening, I couldn't join in to what everyone else was doing, and of course there would be some people who would be criticizing my playing.

I told her no way. That was not my kind of playing. I kept my dulcimer playing and my work very separate and never regretted it.

I am sure I would grow faster musicallyif I played with others or for others, but I would want to do that in a different format. I am sure some people do the background music playing and enjoy it. I just didn't want to do it with people with whom I work.

Helen

Hoping that Mr. Grumpy is feeling a whole lot better now.

Madden: You are the real winner in your story; the snooty pianist obviously just didn't get that music and maths are two sides of the same coin. Her loss, defintely your gain

Robin: I can understand your frustration, but look at it this way: you have given your daughters a wonderful gift that will never really go to waste

Alan: I can totally relate to that. In my former musical life as a Celtic Harper, I played quite a few corporate functions and even the odd pre-wedding reception cocktail parties where I'm sure the real reason I was hired was to "look good".

Then there was the inevitable comment "you play harp, you must be an angel" (usually said by some smug moron who thought it terribly original and witty). Fortunately years of experience had supplied my reply: "Yes, and Satan was once an angel too".

Funny thing, no one has ever accused me of being an angel with the concertina

All together now: FREE REED ROCKS!

Cheers
Morgana

Morgana, that is the FUNNIEST comeback I have EVER heard.

oh, my, that really was funny

The Devil, you say!

Does that price include shipping.
If so, I'll take two reed rocks.
Do I get a choice of colors?

Alternative misinterpretation: Who is Mr. Rocks, and why are they holding him prisoner?

I had you down as an angel Morgana,I will change my records accordingly.
How about the usual request"Excuse me ,Do you know "Amazing Grace"?
Al

"No, but I know her brother" [Other less polite responses omitted ]

I usually got requests for tunes totally unsuitable for harp [eg Whiskey in the Jar"] or that perennial wise-crack "Stairway to Heaven" [which I learnt the first verse just to shut them up ]

I once played at a Celtic festival where the organizer made it very clear that "Danny Boy" was not to be played... so of course everyone played it

Most people don't seem to realise that not all tunes should fabulous on all instruments. Whilse I do love the verison of "Danny Boy" played by the brass band in the movie "Brassed Off" (it fit so well within the context of the scene), it's not something I want to hear played solo on every single instrument ever made.

Music is such a personal thing... horses for courses etc.

After all the wonderfully supportive replies I received in my previous thread (See "Concertina Blues") I had a fabulous practice session when I realised that when I play the tunes I love, it doesn't sound half bad It's only when I play the tunes that I that I don't feel passionate about (and which my heart just isn't in to) that I sound like a complete novice. I will continue to work on the less-favourite tunes for the beginners session, but it has helped renew my faith in my playing.

Thanks guys

Cheers
Morgana

[Jim: Yes, but they're all red ]

Check me, you other brass players...That arrangement has been around a long time (I can sing the 2nd and 3rd cornet parts right now) and if memory serves, is by Percy Grainger (or one of the other well known English arrangers). I find it one of the few versions of that tune I can sit all the way through. I guess our job is to find the tunes or songs that work for that well for us on our own instruments, as Morgana says.

Oo oo, Morgana,

If the free reed rocks are red, I want some. Red is my favorite color. And I LOVE rocks. Gathered 2 pails full on vacation when I was a little kid and wanted to bring them ALL home. My poor dad.

Yes yes send Jim his first. He did ask first.

Yes Jim I also liked you misinterpreted version of Mr. Rocks needing freeing, but I'm sticking with the one about rocks.

I suppose the cost of shipping the rocks will approach the price of a concertina.

Helen

Me either. Nor would I want to be


So, is this the prehistoric version of the concertina?? I'll be you get some wicked arm muscles playing it!