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Post by Blackbird on Nov 17, 2008 12:25:21 GMT -1
I'm singing for a Welsh society do on Friday, doing a recital with a harpist friend... wish me luck! Fortunately, she's a Welsh speaker, so should be able to iron out my rubbish pronunciation
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Post by Tegernacus on Nov 17, 2008 12:29:08 GMT -1
just remember to roll your r's. Good luck, I bet it will be fantastic
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Post by arth_frown on Nov 17, 2008 12:38:59 GMT -1
Good luck on Friday
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Post by Adam on Nov 17, 2008 13:48:00 GMT -1
I'm singing for a Welsh society do on Friday, doing a recital with a harpist friend... wish me luck! Fortunately, she's a Welsh speaker, so should be able to iron out my rubbish pronunciation Awesome... I'm sure luck is not an issue, but may the the sounds of the wind and the rain and all the songs of nature carry your words into their hearts
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Post by suelo on Nov 17, 2008 16:52:23 GMT -1
The magic of your harp and your playing will weave it all together - I've experienced it, its awesome.
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Post by Midori on Nov 17, 2008 16:57:16 GMT -1
Have a great time--I'm sure you'll be a great success.
Cheers, Midori
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Post by Blackbird on Nov 19, 2008 22:45:50 GMT -1
Thank you all We've spent the whole day rehearsing today and have put a good set together. Now I've got one day to practice and also to think up some stuff about Edward Jones etc. to use for the introductions. Apparantly my pronunciation is OK
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Post by jez on Nov 20, 2008 6:40:52 GMT -1
And for this you miss Winternights?
Ah, the fickle nature of the young these days...
You know Nick and B, Nick and Carol, Ellen, Anne, Rich, Jenny, T and Olas, Jon, Annette, Alwin the Radish not to mention Anderton and Dolly will all be there?
--
Jez
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Post by mooncrone on Jan 18, 2016 9:32:03 GMT -1
I play 27 string carbon fibre harps - one called Obsidia, one called Ravenswing - which my Husband designed, made, and maintains for me.
I can't read sheet music, I have some kind of undiagnosed neurological issue going on with my eyes/brain/hands, and the notes seem to somehow dance across the page...!!!
I've never had any proper formal lessons, I couldn't find a tutor living close enough, but I am somehow able to learn by "finding it" after listening to songs over and over on You Tube, learning the lyrics (although I can't sing out loud while playing, it doesn't sound right) by making notes about the song construction and practicing for hours and hours, learning to add my own arrangements by copying bits and pieces from various artists all covering the same songs, and making bits up as I go along. I like it, and those around me seem to, too!
I can perform now for around 2 - 3 hours at a time, in pubs, clubs, hotels, and restaurants, in castles, on beaches, where ever I get asked to go really... around 40 different venues now in just under 2 years, about 140 gigs now, including 3 shows as part of the Fishguard Folk Festival, and summer season in a local holiday park.
My favourite has been my summer 2015 gig in Pembroke Castle to raise money for the Town Walls Trust, and the community arts event I took part in called "Black Diamond" where some of my playing was recorded, and given to a producer to make into a multi-artist rave cd - it felt good to be mixing genres and pushing musical boundaries. They played the cd from speakers put on a the deck of a fishing boat which was sailed along the Cleddau River, from Neyland Marina to the quay in Haverfordwest. Good times!
I've just been invited to guest on a local radio show... BB Skone, Radio Pembrokeshire, but I haven't quite got the courage up yet to do that. One for the future. If my nerves hold out.
The music I play includes some chart stuff like Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and Sam Smith, some power ballads & themes from big movies, some 50's/60's rock & roll and smoochy love songs, some 70's/80's/90's stuff like Phil Collins, U2, Thin Lizzy, Kansas, Scorpions, etc., a couple of celtic traditionals, Christmas hymns and what could loosly be classed as modern folk, and one or two of my own pieces. About 120 tunes, in total, from memory, so not too shabby, really!
Especially considering the harps were only experimental projects, so don't have sharps levers on yet...!
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Post by lorna on Jan 18, 2016 12:04:04 GMT -1
I'd love to hear some of your harp music. Do feel free to post links here. If you have any devotional music for Brythonic gods and goddesses we're looking for sound recordings for this site if you fancy submitting something?
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Post by mooncrone on Jan 18, 2016 16:30:37 GMT -1
I'd love to hear some of your harp music. Do feel free to post links here. If you have any devotional music for Brythonic gods and goddesses we're looking for sound recordings for this site if you fancy submitting something? Hi lorna, thank you for your reply to my post, and for expressing an interest in my music there aren't too many recordings of my work available yet, as far as I know... but here's what I have... playing "everything I do, I do it for you" at Llawhaden castle, here... www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-A5N9xqexg and playing "meet me on the corner" in Pembroke Castle, here... www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnuwuMZQfIoneither were "performance" quality, they were just rehearsals which happened to get captured on film so I could give myself a bit of feed-back, but I was pleased with them, considering! As to submitting something... mmm... now there's a challenge! Get back to you on that one soon perhaps?
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Post by mooncrone on Jan 24, 2016 14:22:40 GMT -1
This is me playing for a local CND event, to mark another passing of Hiroshima, I had just met one of the survivors and found it somewhat overwhelming. This is me playing upstairs in Carew Castle which has links to Princess Nest, apparently. (Although other castles lay claim to her story too) and outside, at the base of the Carew Cross Pembroke Castle gig rehearsals I've played some awesome venues recently! This is Gwedoline, my wooden harp And here are my new harps, back to back. The one with the flat back is called Obsidia, and the one with the more traditional rounded back is called Ravenswing My clever Hubby made them from Carbon Fibre. He's poorly right now, but when he is better he is making me another one. It will be bigger and have more strings. The form of it will be a "cross strung", with 2 sets of strings which cross over in the middles, one set tuned sharps, the other not. It will mean, once I have mastered it, I will be able to play more tunes. Happy days!
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Post by lorna on Jan 26, 2016 13:49:14 GMT -1
Thanks for sharing these lovely pieces and your pictures - you've played in some amazing places. Sometimes when I recite poetry I feel like I'm doing it as much for the place as the audience (although in some ways they're really not that distinct). Do you find that?
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Post by mooncrone on Jan 27, 2016 12:16:57 GMT -1
Thanks for sharing these lovely pieces and your pictures - you've played in some amazing places. Sometimes when I recite poetry I feel like I'm doing it as much for the place as the audience (although in some ways they're really not that distinct). Do you find that? aw, you're very welcome, thank you for the lovely comments, you are very kind... I must confess don't take well to being in "the spotlight" too much, and find it difficult to accept people could actually like and appreciate what I do... (years of self worth and self confidence issues due to turbulent upbringing and un-diagnosed learning difficulties etc) The harps have changed my world, fetching me out of all that. My love of the music pushes me to stretch my self-imposed boundaries, in that alone, it's very healing and satisfying. And yes, I do feel that. Often. When I play sometimes it's just me, and the birds... (and maybe the odd ancient elder or shining one in spirit) I think they are my happiest times!!!
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Post by mooncrone on Feb 1, 2016 9:38:17 GMT -1
This was me, yesterday, in a place called The S.A.D. Cafe (hence the sounds of tea spoons rattling) Celine Dions' "Because You Loved Me", first time in public... learned at Yule and only just decided on my arrangement of it... and cut off before it ends... apologies for the grumpy face, concentrating to get it right... and some well dodgy "finger picking" going on, which other harpists would deem taboo but it sounds nice to me... should get better the more I play it... enjoy! www.facebook.com/groups/sadcafe/
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Post by keltikdancer on Jul 11, 2016 20:12:03 GMT -1
Hello all, I'm snowed under at the moment, but here is a link to my website. You'll find all manner of music there: www.theshapeshifter.usCheers! Richard
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