Had a good couple of solo sessions at the Farmers Market today. I got there just past 8am, and set up initially inside near Peet's... off the foot traffic, but I could people-watch. Echos were great. After a break I played at the outside top of the steps to the second level and could let it rip, but motorcycle & bus noises got too great.
At least four people asked me to please come back again... cool. The early morning seems to have the better demographics... easier to provide a soundscape, less chance of being a spectacle. (Was supposed to meet Jeannie & Chuck there but he called in sick.)
Musettes worked in real well... fit the mood. Started off with Espoir Perdu. This week's work on Swing Waltz paid off. Retour des Hierophants and Indifference are dependable. For rags, I intro'd Pineapple, Weeping Willow and Elite Syncopations... managed to get through Original Rags this time. Hornpipes may or may not have fit... maybe on a sunnier day? Rights of Man & Golden Eagle worked, though. Hard minor reels like Bank of Ireland & Congress Reel seemed to work. Actually sang "I'm Satisfied with You", but not too loud... playing was dependable. Had the urge to sound out "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Oreleans", and got lost on the bridge's modulation, but I think there are possibilities for that material in that place. Didn't remember to play any paso dobles or choros, but did play Sadegur Khosid, and I think more of this will work in well too.
Playing solo is a lot harder than playing with others... concentration is more of an issue. I did bonk, but not at any point severely. At one point with Original Rags I had some transcendence, where I got past the fingering & mechanics and could focus on the experience I was providing... next week I'll look more to get out of my head like that.
Overall, I think it can work.
Afterwards I saw a trio of 20-somethings playing out back, "The Tanglers". They had a goofy/sweet girl playing PA, a studious guy playing 5-string banjo (like an oud on one tune), a percussionist. I liked how I couldn't pigeonhole them. But by that point the foot traffic was too insane and I cut out quick.
When I got back home I had another good-sized session on MIDI, starting with "It's the Talk of the Town", then Alhambra, Temptation Rag, a few more. I was in a similar state of mind to when I was playing live... trying to keep the rhythm and continuity past any finger fluffs, that curious split-awareness... it wasn't like when I usually play privately; the state-of-mind carried over, odd.
posted by macromed5 at 8:41 PM
Good week. Hit three sessions a day all week, except for Friday. Focus was on rags, musette, and back to some klezmer and choro... tunes that could provide a backdrop at the Farmers Market. Got an iPod. Played at FM a bit solo Saturday, then with Jeannie & Chuck for two sets Sunday.
On material I'm working for note-perfect, or at least continuity-perfect, presentations. Rags are slowly getting to the point where I don't embarass myself too greatly, although there are still times when I lose focus and forget what key I'm in. The key is concentration... been playing in public with my eyes closed, as necessary. I've played Original Rags, Bohemian Rag and Swipesy Cakewalk before people...next up are Pineapple Rag, Weeping Willow, Elite Syncopations, Turpin rags, Entertainer, and Sensation.
For musette I was able to knock off Bohemian Waltz (sp? Medard Ferrero) this weekend, although I didn't play it as authoritatively as I do in practice. Still, it's a first step. Retour des Hirondelles is reliable. Swing Waltz and Flambee Montalbanaise I know well, but I still lose place in them occasionally in public. This weekend I want to test Mysterieuse, Manouche, Alhambra and Adios Sevilla.
Klezmer tunes I've brought back have been Light & Lively, Skyliner Khosed, Sadegur. I haven't proofed these in front of others yet, but such tunes must be in the repertoire. For choros I've stayed safe with Segura Ele, Vou Vivendo, and occasionally Apanhei-te Cavaquinho and Tico-Tico. I need to feel comfortable with a core set in front of people before I bring back other tunes I've worked on, or try to add new tunes to those I've memorized.
Last week I listened to a lot of gospel quartets and Ray Charles. So far this week it's early Flaco Jimenez. The iPod had an unexpected effect in letting me listen to music in the mix of genres that I'm used to playing... previously I'd choose a CD to last me the day, but now I can hear one type of music after another, and I know that's the right way to be. As usual, there are complications... I need to pick up an external drive to hold these compressed versions, and need an alternative power source to listen to this throughout the day.
Playing with Jeannie & Chuck was much more fun than at the Plough... we could hear each other, there wasn't interference from too many voices. They're game for 9am Saturday... I'll try to get there at 8am to work some of my own stuff first. (We even tried new stuff last Saturday... Cielito Lindo, the Giants Song, other.)
Have also been playing on Handsonic while ripping tunes... I think I need to get it in a mix of other instruments to see how it can really do; doesn't work well solo...?
Summary: A period of refining existing material to get it presentable.
posted by macromed5 at 9:18 PM 