I can second much of what Nan said. I do Renfests 6 weekends at a time in
all weathers, although dusty is seldom one here in Louisiana. My main venue is
puppet shows with hurdy-gurdy before and after (and sometimes during),
although the gaps of time between shows cause boredom, and I usually play a
set or
so in the meantime. I'm glad the dumbeks are not cheap enough here to cause a
problem, but players might have trouble walking while they play, which I do
not. Can't imagine dealing with conditions like that for $50 a day plus hat.
Might want to get a CD together pronto-- that's what the musicians here do to
make extra $.
I also bring my big harp out and do a set from time to time. The
difference is that I built a permanent building on the site to store all this
stuff
safely. I don't have the sticky-fingered kids issue, possibly because I give
off invisible "keep 3 feet away" rays. When I talk to the patrons about the
instrument, I have to warn them not to touch the wheel, which they will almost
inevitably try to do. The question most often asked is "Where does the wind
come from?" Most people here think it has a bellows inside.
A big WOW to the bees story. And I would very much like to hear
Melissa's comebacks. My best story is probably the puppet show we did with the
hurdy-gurdy sitting on the porch unbeknownst to me, and rain began to pour,
and the
audience to climb onto the porch to get out of the rain. Didn't realize it
was out there until the show was over-- Believe it or not, after cleaning it
and drying it meticulously with tissue paper in every nook and cranny, it
played fine. The finish still looks the same. The wheel cover was on, for a
miracle. This was a Balazs instrument, for those who are fans of his. I still
play
this instrument regularly, two years later. I wrote him about it, and almost
gave him a coronary.
Cheers,
Alice
In a message dated 2/3/2008 11:31:39 P.M. Central Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
Hi, Kathy--even though you haven't asked, I'll answer!
I worked at a Renn Fair for a number of years here in Massachusetts for $100
a day plus hat privileges. (you should ask for more money!)
It was very, very dusty and the dust would settle on the wheel and just chew
up my cotton--I got REALLY good at changing cotton through dire necessity,
as well as in determining how much rosin to apply as weather conditions
changed. I drew the line at bringing it out in the rain, though....all the
musicians would carry tinwhistles along as a kind of musical instrument
insurance policy. It was um, shall we say, "memorable" to hear droves of
musicians with varying degrees of proficiency tootling on the whistles in
the drizzle for bedraggled fair-goers... One year a heavy storm knocked all
the bee hives out of the trees and there were swarms of angry bees settling
everywhere, including my keybox and I lived in mortal fear of getting stung.
Perhaps they were attracted by the buzz? The final straw was when a vendor
started selling dumbeks and inebriated patrons would charge over to where I
was playing to just jam along...
But I digress! Ultimately, what is important is the pleasure we derive from
the instruments and the music we play (in the absence of incompetent dumbek
neophytes, that is!) Keep us in the loop regarding the progress you make,
I'm crossing my fingers for you.
Oh--and if you do bring the gurdy to your Renn Fair, be prepared to endure
some really stupid questions asked many, many times! (Melissa on the list
has some very good come backs, if you're interested...)
Nan
> And speaking of that -- I won't even ask if any of you have ever worked a
> RenFaire. Have any of you ever been to one, and seen the conditions under
> which the entertainers work? The weather can be anything from 45 to 105
> degrees, Rain, wind, mud, dust. Little kids putting their sticky hands on
> your stuff. Would any of you take your expensive, touchy instruments into
> such an environment six weekends in a row, for fifty dollars a day and
> tips from passing the hat? I won't take my best harp to a RenFaire, that's
> why I've got two backups. (One of which my husband built. From a kit.)
>
> Kathy Hutchins
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
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