I agree- I've heard some pretty dire players of all instruments.
However, we don't lose gigs because of them. No one looks at
William's guitar and backs away in horror but they DO when they see
the gurdy. I know that we personally have done a lot to inspire folks
to a new regard of the gurdy, for the most part positive. But still,
we run into folks all the time who are just not happy about a gurdy in
their midst. I imagine banjo and accordion players have similar
issues...
Well, we all do our best to play our best so that everyone benefits.
Felicia.
On Nov 5, 2011, at 11:54 AM, JULIE BARKER wrote:
I have heard some pretty bad and out-of-tune guitar playing in my
time but people don't avoid guitar bands because of it. I think it
is up to all of us to lift the profile of the gurdy so that the
general public know it can sound good and anyone entering gurdyworld
as a maker or player knows what to aspire to.
Philip G Martin aka Drohne
www.drohne.co.uk
--- On Sat, 5/11/11, Felicia Dale <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Felicia Dale <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [HG-new] Specifications for proposed 'builder gurdy' -
part 1, start with one important dimension
To: [email protected]
Date: Saturday, 5 November, 2011, 17:25
Uh... we have actually lost gigs because the organizer found out I
play the gurdy. Their prior experience with gurdies was so bad they
wanted nothing to do with them, even when presented with evidence
that gurdies can sound good. We've also had people nearly leave
concerts for the same reason. I have had more people than I can
remember come up to me and say, Wow, that's a hurdy gurdy? Yours
sounds like a musical instrument! And then comes the story about the
person with the gurdy shaped object made from green wood in a shop
class or some such variation. It's not snobbery, it's just a fact
that there are some dreadful HSOs out there and they do cause
problems for the rest of us. But having said that, I've heard some
lovely instruments sound like garbage because of indifferent set up
or inattention to tuning or lack of skill/talent/sensitivity on the
part of the player. It's not always the instrument that is the
problem as witnessed by the several kits and "home made" gurdies
which have sounded quite lovely and have been played with quite a
high level of skill.
For the record, I would generally not discourage a person from
making a gurdy from scratch or from a kit but only encourage them to
come to this list for the best advice on choosing how to progress.
Just because someone makes a home made instrument (even a gurdy) is
not instantly a guarantee of a bad result- but guidance is key in
all the phases of gurdy building and playing. I usually encourage
folks to just buy a decent one, though, as most people don't have
the time, energy or space to build instruments of any kind let alone
something as complex and demanding as a gurdy.
Felicia.
On Nov 3, 2011, at 2:52 AM, Tony Vincent wrote:
On 3/11/2011 7:42 p.m., Ulrich Joosten wrote:
Dear list,
didn't someone propose tho discuss this topic on a special luthier
list ?
I do not want to offend anybody. In the past 35 years a lot of
qualified instrument makers worked hard to develop modern
instruments that really SOUND like a "real instrument" I hate the
idea of some enthusiastic amateurs proudly presenting their newly
tinkered gurdy with a horrible sound…
Well said! No offence taken. The idea of all those amateur players
banging out screechy old tunes and annoying everyone is anathema to
real musicians with real instruments even if they are just carrying
on a thousand year old folk tradition and enjoying themselves to
boot. What right do they think they have spoiling it for real
musicians? I think I must go and destroy my home made gurdy and
perhaps even enter a monastry and do penance. What on earth was I
thinking?
Well done! You have have redefined snobbery for me. This is exactly
the attitude that has raised such ire in many beginners.
Regards, TonyNZ
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