Scandinavian Squeeze-in

[Chris Timson]

Well, I've just got home now after a memorably good SSI. Henk was as good as his word by bringing the Duvel (and other Belgian beers) and there were various bottles of single malt and Irish whiskey floating around (the SSI is not a good place for an abstainer), but it all just lubricated the music, which got better and better as the weekend progressed. For me it was particularly good because this is the first time since the stroke last year that I've felt reasonably at ease with my playing.

 

Louise, Pontus and Jim: that was a blinder, and I want to add my thanks as well.

 

Chris

[JimLucas]

Here's a brief, incomplete review of the weekend:

 

Attendance was down slightly from last year, but not because any previous attendees didn't want to return. In fact all those who missed said please keep them on the list for next year. There seemed to be far more employment-related conflicts this year -- I hope only a temporary sign of the times, -- but others included finger surgery (he'll be fine, and he'll be back) and competition for the Irish national bones title. But we also had some new participants, including two "newly-discovered" Danish players (a third couldn't make it because of a conflict, but I expect he'll be with us next year), and "our own" Jill (Wriglefingers) and Henk.

 

Most of us met Friday evening at Louise and Pontus' home before caravanning out to Gamlegård. I was delayed, so I drove straight there, arriving in time for the evening meal. Then off to Tolvan (I think it translates as "The Twelve") a local cafe/pub run cooperatively by the villagers. This was our fourth year there, and they keep welcoming us back. Good sessioning, as usual. (A couple of us disappeared in the middle to fetch Samantha and Jill, who arrived on late flights.) After we closed Tolvan, we returned to "our" house for more impromptu playing and/or sleep. It was after 3 when I went up to bed, leaving a few others still going.

 

I unfortunately missed Saturday during the day, because Helsingør Sømandsforengens Shantykor (The Elsinore Seaman's Union Shanty Chorus) had carelessly chosen that day to record their first-ever CD. As an accompanist and sometime soloist, I felt obliged to join them. (Besides, I've never before been recorded on a CD, though I should have made one of my own long since.) But here's some of what I hear happened:

.. As usual, there was no program planned in advance, but the paricipants got together to discuss what they wanted to do... and then did it. As usual, there were different workshops running in parallel, accomodating people with differing interests. And as usual, I wished I could have participated in all of them.

.. Jesper taught folks the dance Sønderhoning -- from the town of Sønderho on the little island of Fanø, yet famous throughout Denmark and beyond -- and some of the tunes specific to the dance.

.. Richard taught a workshop in harmony. I understand his approach was one of fitting chords to the different notes of the scale, in order to have them follow the tune.

.. Pontus did a workshop in Swedish folk tunes. The tunes from the different areas of Sweden vary considerably, and each has its own excitement.

.. Well, there were surely others, but I still have to hear about them. We were all so busy doing things that there was little time to talk about what I had missed. Maybe some of the other C.net participants can fill in details here.

 

Saturday evening we gradually progressed from dinner to forming a circle for a playaround-session-concert, and I feel the one was a sort of continuation of the other. The dinner conversation ranged widely, including jokes and stories, and even a song. The "concert" had no audience as such, though the caterer did stay to join us and even sang a song before finally departing. The format was basically "around the circle", but with frequent digressions for comment, conversation, and "that reminds me of this one". Some played tunes; some sang, with or without accompaniment; some told stories. Some played instruments other than concertinas... banjo, autoharp, bones, whistle.... (Don't tell anybody, but not only can Henrik make an English sound like an Irish anglo, he can also make a banjo sound good. ) After twice around the circle, a few folks drifted off to bed, while the rest of us abandoned any pretense of formality as we continued. Once again, I was neither early to bed, nor the last to go. There were two that we had to make a special effort of raising for Sunday breakfast.

 

In another post, somebody mentioned beer and other alcoholic beverages. Don't feel you have to be a boozer to join us. The fact is that far more was left over than was drunk. I think even those who are pub regulars found it difficult to stop playing music for long enough to take a drink.

 

Sunday morning after breakfast was informal until we gathered for the group photos -- our instruments, including non-concertinas, and our instruments with ourselves -- and then to clean the house and pack for our departure. An after-the-official-end event the first year -- lunch at a local restaurant, where we also did an impromptu concert -- turned into an annual tradition, but the "audience" at the restaurant was just the few folks who had come for Sunday lunch. This year Louise' mother arranged for us to do the same for a luncheon of an organization she belongs to. I think the audience was about 100 people, and our performance clearly did not spoil their apetites. No, we had a great time, and they definitely enjoyed us. I think we've just established a new "regular" venue.

 

After the lunch-concert we saw some folks to the train (less than 10 min. walk from the lunch venue; whoever planned that deserves a medal!), the "locals" (Swedes & Danes) drove home, and a few came back to Louise & Pontus' place for dinner and a night's rest before departing in the morning. I left them at about 8 pm to drive myself home.

 

As usual, I enjoyed myself immensely, and I'm really sorry that I missed some of it this year. Next year I won't let that happen. I'm really glad we do this!

[ldpaulson]

Chris:

 

I was very touched by your comment about the event.

 

For me it was particularly good because this is the first time since the stroke last year that I've felt reasonably at ease with my playing.

 

I am sure it was the good company as much as the good spirits that helped. Feeling comfortable among the group probably helped you ease off any self-judgement/criticism you've been doing. This can be true even for those of us not facing a physical challenge. So often mind and body work together that we forget that they can easily get in the way of each other.

 

Hooray for you!

 

ldp

[Henk van Aalten]

Some more info on this remark of Jim:

 

.. Jesper taught folks the dance Sønderhoning -- from the town of Sønderho on the little island of Fanø, yet famous throughout Denmark and beyond -- and some of the tunes specific to the dance.

 

I was so lucky to be at Jespers workshop. He is a great story-teller and a natural teacher, although he never gave a workshop before and was for the first time at at a squeeze-in like the the SSI .

The first tune he learned us was a so called Sønderhoning, titled: "Hans Peder Madsens styk"

You can find the tune at: http://www.folketshus.dk/cgi-bin/visnode.cgi?fa-hansped.

 

The second one he taught us was "Andet Brudestykke" and you can find it at: http://www.folketshus.dk/cgi-bin/visnode.cgi?fa-brud2.

 

You can find much more very nice Sønderhonings at:

http://www.folketshus.dk/spillefolk/noder.html. Select tune type "Fanø og Mandø ".

 

Thanks again Jesper for your great workshop !!

Edited April 28, 2004 by Henk van Aalten

[JimLucas]

The first tune he taught us was a so called Sønderhoning, titled Hans Peder Madsens styk.

Which translates as "Hans Peder Madsen's piece", or in more idiomatic English, "Hans Peder Madsen's tune".

 

The second one he taught us was Andet Brudestykke.

Which translates as "Second Bride's piece", or "The Second Bride's March". (I believe that's the second march, not the second bride. )

[Lester Bailey]

Enough already!

 

I couldn't make it which was bad enough but to hear you guys going on and on about how good it was..................................

 

Mind you there's always next year

[JimLucas]

You can find much more very nice Sønderhonings at:

http://www.folketshus.dk/spillefolk/noder.html. Select tune type "Fanø og Mandø ".

If you start browsing through the tunes here, you may find some with the notation *=slutning near the end. That means "ending", and the section so marked is meant to be played -- instead of the measure(s) immediately following the preceding isolated * -- as a special ending the last time through the tune.

 

A few translations also for the search engine:

.. Melodityper = Tune types

.. Gå til = Go to

(Sorry. I'm not going to translate the categories.)

 

.. Fast søgning = Fixed search

.. Søg = Search

(Again, no translations of categories.)

 

.. Fri søgning = Free search (open search)

.. Alt = Everything

.. Titler = Titles

.. Komponistnavne = Composer names

 

.. Noder indlagt eller rettet siden: = Notes entered or edited since:

 

Have fun!

[JimLucas]

Mind you there's always next year 

We'll be expecting you.

[Chris Timson]

Mind you there's always next year 

I could have done with you this year. The one teeny tiny criticism I could make (and it's not a criticism, because an event like this is the people who come, and you accept it and them and enjoy what comes) is that the Irish contingent had it mostly their own way this year. We could have used your melodeon to give the English stuff more volume

 

Chris

 

Edited to add PS

 

PS all being well I should be bringing the anglodeon next year.

Edited April 28, 2004 by Chris Timson