Tune Of The Month

[Jody Kruskal]

Happy New Year to you all!

 

My web site has been frozen since November since my computer hard disc failed. The WYSIWYG file that makes the site got corrupted, my primary back up failed and the secondary too. Well... I spent much of my free time this holiday season reconstructing the site and now it’s new, improved and updated.

 

The lesson is “Are all of your important files reliably backed up?” The second lesson is “Life goes on.” The third lesson is “Who cares, as long as long as there is a concertina at hand.”

 

You can help me out. If you take a look at my site, listen to music and follow links, let me know if anything doesn’t work the way you expect it to. Broken links are the main problem. I think I’ve fixed most of them but I probably missed some. Thanks.

 

That said, on to the goodies... November and December’s Tune of the Month offerings. I hope you enjoy listening to my spooky tune Mean Streets and a Christmas carol, Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen. You can hear me playing both of these fine tunes on my (still) new Morse C/G. Enjoy.

[geoffwright]

Some really interesting photos on Jodys gallery. Have a look!!

Well done Jody.

[Hooves]

hey Jody,

 

let see a clip of you playing and making Dancing Henry do his thing.

[Jody Kruskal]

hey Jody,

 

let see a clip of you playing and making Dancing Henry do his thing.

 

Hooves,

 

I would love to, but I actually don't own a video camera. Someday. You do get some Henry time by following the link here, but you may have seen this already in a previous post.

 

Driving Henry is a little like what you were suggesting with the pipe and tabour / one handed concertina idea. Only you use your leg in addition to both hands. Drummers use all of their limbs to play the trap set. Almost anything can be done with practice. I've been practicing Mr. Beverages Maggot with full accompaniment. After a week I'm a long way from dance speed, but it's starting to sound good.

[m3838]

Driving Henry is a little like what you were suggesting with the pipe and tabour / one handed concertina idea. Only you use your leg in addition to both hands.

An extention to the idea:

Have several of those ostriches connected to the string. Imagine the fallout, when Dancing Henry will rest and changed by a number of 5 yellow ostriches. Mm?

And have another string, connected to another leg with a black ostrich, but larger.

And make a song, where there is a holler and a reply. Now you'll have the whole number with two characters, calling each other and a concertina jumping from one knee to another, depending which leg is suppose to drive the string.

Oh boy, I have another idea.

Have this silly Puppet theater, sold in Toy stores. It's not that good, but the idea is to have recogniseable things, but used in an unusual manner.

Through very simple system, have your characters show and dance in the window, while you are sitting next and drive them with your legs, or head, or each end of concertina.

To stabilize the contraption you'll need a solid wooden frame, laying on the ground, pressed by some weights, like sandbags, and the shirm just standing on the frame, so it actually doesn't work under any pull or pressure, it's flimsy.

With practice, and if you like the idea, you can make/buy a puppet drummer, connected to your tapping foot.

Then you can play, accompanied by some simple rhythm from the puppett drummer in the window.

If you are performing on stage for kids and need a good ending, you can have helium balloons,tied behind you. Then at the end you stand slowly and smoothly start leaving the stage sideways. For this you'll have to cover your legs with black velvet and have some artificial legs in your trousers laying on your lap. The legs should be shorter, so when you stand up, they'll be not touching the floor. In front of amazed children (and their parents) Jody will be lifted off and drift away, waving Good-by.

Heart wrenching, no?

[Jody Kruskal]

Dear M3838

 

What a brilliant idea... except for the KISS principle. This is a basic truth that applies especially to performers. When brainstorming, (and thank you for sharing) it’s not useful, but when actually performing, I have to constantly remind myself... Keep It Simple, Stupid.