Sounds like something I would have loved to attend, Gary. I'm really pleased to see Anna Clemenger's tune Brillig included in the playlist- I love that tune and have been playing it for years now.
F. On Feb 15, 2014, at 8:25 PM, Gary Plazyk <[email protected]> wrote: > University of Chicago Folk Festival - Sat 2/15/2014 > Hurdy Gurdy workshop / demonstration > > Mel Dorries, Vince Nichols, and I (Gary Plazyk) presented the fourth hurdy > gurdy workshop / demonstration at the University of Chicago Folk Festival > (http://www.uofcfolk.org/ ). We had an audience of between 40 and 50 people, > and our one-hour program was well-received. I'll include an outline of the > presentation that worked for us; you are welcome to use it as is or as a > starting point for a program of your own. > > We began with the group playing "Are You Sleeping?" [key of C] together once, > then three times as a round, to get people's attention and focus them on us. > We then took turns talking about the following topics and then playing a tune > or two, alternating talking and playing. We finished with a question and > answer (Q & A) session, and then invited people to come up and see the > instruments up close. > > Description of the instrument > * like a mechanical violin with a keyboard > * wheel & crank > * keyboard > * but wait, there's more: drones > * but wait, there's more: sympathetic strings > * but wait, there's more: buzzing bridge > > More about the instrument > * takes a lot of fussing and adjustment (high maintenance instrument) > * rosin & cotton > * tangents > * problem sounds: cats fighting, musical knife sharpener > > But where's your monkey? > * in English, there are other instruments with the same name > * barrel organ (preprogrammed tunes like an ice cream truck) and monkey > * Jack-in-the-Box toy > * other cranked music boxes > * other languages have more descriptive names > * Some hurdy gurdy buskers have been known to bring along a small dog or > marmot (woodchuck or groundhog) > > Different designs in different cultures > * simple begger instrument > * French style > * Hungarian style > * played for dancing, played with bagpipes to lead wedding procession > * used in compositions by Vivaldi, Schubert, others > * the electric guitar of their day > * banned from some towns because of the noise > > The sad story of the Hurdy Gurdy girls > * German girls recruited to entertain with hurdy gurdy at sales shows > * girls shipped to California in Gold Rush era (1850s) > * saloons in American west in 1800s called "hurdy gurdy houses" (Twain), > although some dispute as to which "hurdy gurdy" was meant > * unsavory reputation > > Hurdy gurdy sightings > * Spencer Tracy in the 1937 film Captains Courageous > * Donovan's 1968 song "Hurdy Gurdy Man" - no hurdy gurdy in recording, > but it brought name awareness > * Sting at the 76th Academy Awards in 2003 > * Tom Hanks in the 2004 film Polar express > > Modern hurdy gurdy revival > * refurbishing old instruments > * design features in new instruments > * modern groups incorporating hurdy gurdy > * annual get-togethers in states of Washington and Indiana > > > Accessories and props useful in the presentation: > * Set up a clock or cell phone with a large time display in sight on the > floor to keep track of the time; the U of C workshops are scheduled from the > top of the hour until 50 minutes after, allowing 10 minutes for one group to > pack up and the next group to set up. > * I like to bring a small portable speaker/amp (I use a Pignose), a > microphone stand, and a microphone for whoever is speaking; our presentation > room is fairly large. > * I made up a binder containing pictures of hurdy gurdies: photos of > instruments and copies of art containing hurdy gurdies. > * about a dozen printed copies of the Wikipedia Hurdy Gurdy article to > give to people that might not have Internet access > * business cards listing the national and Chicago hurdy gurdy group > mailing lists > > > Things I would do next time: > * I'd spend a little time having each presenter introduce themselves, > give a brief description of their instrument, and talk about when they first > saw a hurdy gurdy and what kind of music they play on it. > * I'd spend a bit of time on the history of the instrument, its > development from a folk instrument to a fashionable prop in the French court, > to its displacement by more modern instruments, to the repression of street > musicians in Russia in the late 1800s and near-eradication by the Soviets in > the 1930s (250-300 players "lirnyky" rounded up and executed). > * Due to unavoidable problems, several people that normally play hurdy > gurdy as part of a musical group were unable to attend. At past workshops, we > have had a variety of playing styles demonstrated accompanied by guitar, > banjo, penny whistle, and accordion. I think if you can arrange at least > some pieces to be played as part of a group, it makes the instrument seem > less of an historic curiosity and more of a real living instrument. > * I'd mention that there are many YouTube videos - just search [hurdy > gurdy] > * If video projection facilities were available, I think it might be nice > to have a slide show running continuously showing pictures of hurdy gurdies > on a screen in the background. > * I'd suggest stopping after 35 to 40 minutes to leave time for questions > and "meet the instruments". > * I'd state a firm "Thank you, goodbye" at 50 minutes, and say > conversations can be continued out in the hall or in another room, to give > the next group time to set up and start on time. > * Above all, if time is short and it's a question of talking or playing, > PLAY! People are primarily there to hear the instrument! > > > Questions we were asked: > * What does it sound like? (from someone coming in for the next workshop > while we were doing Q & A) > * Was there any music written specifically for the hurdy gurdy? > * Is there special musical notation for hurdy gurdy (drones, buzzing > bridge)? > * What wood is used on the instrument? > * Where can you get one? > * How much does a hurdy gurdy cost? > * Where can you learn to play one? > * Is it hard to play? > * Can you play a hurdy gurdy with other instruments? > * Do many people play them? > * Where can I hear one? > * How does the buzzing bridge work? > > > Tunes that we played (the ones I can remember): > * Are You Sleeping? / Frere Jacques > * Amazing Grace > * several original compositions > * Brillig > * Two An Dros ("Stomp") > * Elenke / Pease Bransle > * Cuckoo > * Horse's Bransle > * Chypre > > > Check with Ann Dorries (http://www.hurdygurdycrafters.com/ ) for photos of > the event. > > > -Gary Plazyk, 2/15/2014 > > -- > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "hurdygurdy" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy > > The rules of posting, courtesy, and other list information may be found at > http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm. 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