Practice would be fun if . . .

. . . I just didn't have to tune my dulcimer before I play music with other people.  But, this awful task has now only been taking me about 20 minutes, instead of 45 minutes to an hour. When I first got my Snark tuner, I have to admit that I only got it because they just seemed so new and different than my old rectangular tuners. Or maybe those bright colors attracted me!

Regardless. Now that I have it (and only about $12 from Elderly), tuning is practically a breeze. I still wish I didn't have to do it, but it isn't nearly the chore it was. I couldn't figure out why it was so much faster. I asked Renzo. (He had one long before I did.) He figures it's the reaction time and I suppose I have to agree with him. It is right there when you pluck the string.

So last night when we had band practice, I don't think I started tuning until about 6:40 for 7:00 practice, and I didn't have to worry about finishing. And Renzo didn't even come over and check to see if I was in tune, either. He loves to do that. Before we play for a dance, he goes up to my dulcimer and checks it to be sure I tuned. Does he actually think that I would show up to play for any event without tuning?? Come on.

The Rossford Dance was Fantastic!

The Rossford Dance last Saturday was fantastic. They're done for the summer now, but when they get started again in the fall, everyone should check this one out.

We were very tight on time, as we had to get sound inside, set up and get tuned, and we had probably had less than an hour to do all of that. (We need to remember to ask to have someone there early for us to get in next time.) AND, the gym dance hall was full of tables and chairs, set up for an unknown church function. So those needed to be cleared away, too.

Ed Vincent teaching a dance move

Ed Vincent stepped in to call the dance. I'd like to know where he gets all of that energy! And - he let us pretty much decide what we were going to play for each dance. Unbelievable!! A caller that trusts the band! Well, actually, we do have several callers that we work with that do. We understand that in their experience, there's a tune they like that works well with this dance or that dance. We don't mind that. But, please.

Ed Vincent

We would appreciate not being told for every single dance to play this tune and that's it. OK - I'm wandering. I'll have to remember to blog about this topic later.

Ed was fun and energetic. It was nice working with him.

Mike and Rachel Vinarcik

There were about 70 dancers in attendance. That was really nice. There were long lines so the dancers could really get into the dance without starting and suddenly having to wait out and switch at the end. And really good energy! We had lots of energy-sharing going on Saturday.

We know that we were playing much faster than we like to for dances, though, but those energetic folks didn't seem to mind. To us, it's better to keep it a bit slower (not dragging), so we can keep the feel in and the syncopation and bounce. When you get going as fast as we were, sometimes you can't even get all of the notes in.

One of the scout families from our troop showed up to dance, and had the best time! I'm glad they came and got to experience the dancing. I'd say they're hooked now! Maybe they can get some of the others out. I've been offering that if any of the scouts from our troop - Troop 237 from New Boston -- come out to any of the dances we're playing for that I'll pay their way. The rule is that they have to come and say "hi" to me.

What are you up to, now?

Hi. I'm Bob.

Missin' the Music

I fell behind in my blogging, and definitely fell behind in my music. At least it feels that way, because I have not been playing the dulcimer much in the last few weeks. I was working on SO MANY new tunes and then it hit me. Lots of traveling, working, jury duty, bad colds (as if there are any good ones), and yard work. If it hadn't been for the colds we had, there would have still been music-playing going on. We always work around those other things. But there was just no functioning.

Huron Wind Ensemble at Adler Planetarium

We did squeeze in a 4-day trip to Chicago with the Huron High School Wind Ensemble. We are so proud of this group. This was forty of the most talented and well-behaved teens that you could ever meet. Being a chaperone just meant that for the occasional check-in, your five would come stand by you for a second to get a count. All of them got up on time, met where they were supposed to at the right time and place, looked great, and played fantastically.

HHS Wind Ensemble at The Field Museum

This was such a full itinerary, visiting Shedd Aquarium, Navy Pier, Willis Tower, just to name a few. The real exciting part of the trip was that the band performed at three locations -- The Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and the Museum of Science and Industry. At each location, we were given high accolades. The representatives that worked with us had only good things to say about our group's professionalism, attire, and skill. The band director, Mr. Matthew Herr, has worked hard with this group and deserves a huge round of applause himself.

Performing at The Field Museum

That trip was two weeks ago, and just this last weekend, the Wind Ensemble performed at the State MSBOA Festival, earning a 2 overall. This was a very good rating, as high ratings for the day were tough to get. As I understand it, there was only one rating of 1 awarded.

Pre-concert at The Museum of Science & Industry

Way to go, Huron High School Wind Ensemble!!

At MSI -- They are way up there!