bellowbelle Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 My husband gets email regularly from WAG (Worcester Artists' Group) here in Massachusetts, and I took note of one we got today, saying they're looking for 'mini' street performers for a neighborhood, school-related (I think) block party. I didn't quite get the 'mini' at first, but I think what they mean is they don't plan to have big huge blaring bands. I emailed the contact person, and got a favorable response. I can't say much about it so far, not even sure it'll all happen, but....assuming it does, I guess I'll be busy practicing away all July! I've always insisted that I'll not play in public...it's scary...but, it's mainly that I don't like a silent, staring, intense type of audience. This one will be much more casual. Geared towards kids, and also more elderly 'kids,' too. Something to look forward to. I'll enjoy performing in a relaxed setting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenferry Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 Congratulations, Wendy! You deserve a lot of credit for being brave. I think it will be wonderful for the folks at the block party, probably nobody has seen a concertina in person there before (just guessing!). What tunes do you think you'll want to play? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Evans Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 Rock on Wendy, Rock on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_boveri Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 i hope you get the gig! playing in public is fun, and the more casual the better. if you dont already, it might be good to spend a couple minutes at the end of your practicing sessions on playing without stopping to correct mistakes. if you have your "party pieces" well down, try it with pieces you dont play well. maybe sing the tunes in your head, so if you miss a whole phrase, jump back in when you can. i find that doing this helps to get rid of the fear of messing up, because you've already practiced messing up ahead of time. this can also expand your repertoire. if 90% of your time is spent on practicing mastery and 10% is spent on practicing continuous playing, you will play more tunes at each practice session. often when i am in that last session of practice, a tune pops out that i havent played in years. of course i butcher it, but a day or two later, i usually work on it during the mastery part of practice, where i can break it down into phrases and not gloss over any mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellowbelle Posted June 27, 2006 Author Share Posted June 27, 2006 Unless the sponsoring group for this event decides to not go ahead with it, it sounds like I've got my space there. It's all kind of if-y right now, but, of course, it will be no loss if I practice and learn some new stuff, either way! What will I play? Well... Since it's mainly for kids but also may include the residents at a large apartment tower for the elderly, I'd like to do a lot of fun, happy stuff like 'I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts' -- which I've got arranged for EC by Henry Stanley, since it's in the 'Dancin' With My Baby' book (not sure I gave that title exactly). I've also had fun singing and playing 'I'm Popeye The Sailor Man,' though I need to work on that one, heheh...(and I can't quite get my voice that gruff, don't want to, either...) HOWEVER, what I'll do is also include some SIMPLE classical stuff like, say, 'The Ash Grove' (again, I have that one arranged for EC, in the ICA publication -- arranged by a Mr. Butler....Henry, is that? I can't recall the first name at the moment.) A steady stream of goofy songs can get annoying, so some classical-sounding tunes will help balance things. I've also got some blues songs that I keep working on, that might qualify. I'm not particularly a blues singer, but, well....as far as I know, no one's set any criteria for an English-concertina-playing blues singer! Hehe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterT Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 HOWEVER, what I'll do is also include some SIMPLE classical stuff like, say, 'The Ash Grove' (again, I have that one arranged for EC, in the ICA publication -- arranged by a Mr. Butler.... Hi Wendy, Frank Butler. Yes, practice hard. Hope that it goes well on the day; relax, and enjoy yourself. Regards, Peter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhomylly Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 Wendy, once you get into the performing, it will be a lot of fun, I know! Whoohooo! Wendy's got a gig! Wendy's got a gig! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animaterra Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Congratulations, Wendy! It sounds like a fun way to ease into performing. And I think you've got the right idea regarding programming: A steady stream of goofy songs can get annoying, so some classical-sounding tunes will help balance things. I've also got some blues songs that I keep working on, Good variety will keep you interested as well as your audience! Keep us posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_boveri Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 sounds like its going to be a good show! i'm impressed... all i play on the concertina is irish music. i've done a little work on getting some brazilian choro music on the concertina, but its hardly the balanced repertoire you're going to have. the audience is in for a treat. concertina is one of the best instruments to play in public... most people have never seen one before, so people are really interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellowbelle Posted June 29, 2006 Author Share Posted June 29, 2006 sounds like its going to be a good show! i'm impressed... all i play on the concertina is irish music. i've done a little work on getting some brazilian choro music on the concertina, but its hardly the balanced repertoire you're going to have. the audience is in for a treat. concertina is one of the best instruments to play in public... most people have never seen one before, so people are really interested. I've managed to learn a few Irish and/or trad tunes, but, I'm no pro in that genre. I don't think I'll ever impress many people with my ability to play Irish tunes! I'll probably include the few trad/Irish tunes that I really know by heart, but, even then, they won't be embellished at all. I sometimes hear people say they don't want to play 'just chords,' but, I'm quite happy to play 'just chords,' though, I have gotten a bit more melodious. The songs that I'll sing as well as play, I'm more apt to keep simple with 'just chords,' Arpeggiated or not, etc.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellowbelle Posted July 1, 2006 Author Share Posted July 1, 2006 (edited) Warning: Do not 'practice hard.' I have been taking lots of Tylenol and Advil and I have one thumb on ice now. I have hand/finger trouble anyway, but, this is extra! I'm not sure I'll be able to do the event...time will tell. I fear that my thumb may need surgery. The swelling hasn't gone down in two days -- it seems like some kind of cellulitis or something. Anyway, I did loosen the thumb straps on my concertina, that's a help. After reviewing my song lists, if I do play at this event, I think I'll try to do mainly all playing -- only sing very few songs, especially since I don't have a sound system. So, too, if my physical condition at the time is if-y, I at least won't have to sing. And, I think I'll try to play mainly selections from the music I have that's arranged specifically for the concertina. So, that includes Henry Stanley, Eugene Riviere, and the tunes arranged by Frank Butler. Stanley and Riviere are mainly Victorian-era, I guess. edit added a few hours later: Okay, so I made myself a doctor appointment at 'Urgent Care' for today! I'm guessing I'll be taking some antibiotics. Edited July 1, 2006 by bellowbelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.elliott Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 I agree that casual public performance is the best way of getting into playing 'out' generally. When my kids were small, a 'Dad thing' to do was to take them down to the local park to play on the swings, climbing frame etc, so I used to take the concertina down, sit under the trees and play 'for my own amusement'. I often collected a small audience, if they were kids I would play nursery songs, otherwise I would peg down some dots with small stones and 'practice'. In 'practice' you are supposed to make mistakes...... It helped get over some of my reluctance to perform in public, I am still not comfortable, and probably never will be, I am now waiting for grandkids, to continue the gambit, perhaps in another 5 or 10 years............... Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellowbelle Posted July 3, 2006 Author Share Posted July 3, 2006 one-handed typing today... i had to have surgery on my right thumb. so, my gig is certainly in question, now, but... ah, well, that's life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterT Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Oh my God! This sounds terrible, and is maybe a warning to those of us with fragile bodies. Hope that you thumb soon recovers, Wendy. Regards, Peter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animaterra Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 Oh, Wendy! I hope that looks worse than it is! Rest that thumb (do you have any choice??) and let us know how you're doing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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