![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Somerset and sci-fi
Sunday, July 18th, 2004 07:13 pmThe last time I went to a musicians' convention, it was the Percussive Arts Society convention, it was 1991, and I was studying classical percussion with an eye toward a symphony career.
This morning started early with a solo drive down to the Somerset Folk Harp Festival. I was fairly nervous about going to a professional musician type conference, even to just pop in for the day and wander around the vendor room. I don't know... I've only been playing the harp about six months, and I was afraid I'd feel out of place amongst trained harpers. It also kind of pushed my buttons in terms of reminding me of my burnout from percussion (not a fun time in my life) and bringing up uncomfortable thoughts about my failures and 'what-if's about the life I wanted so desperately but ultimately walked away from. Heavy thoughts for a sunday morning, even a rainy one.
I got to the hotel, paid my $10, and started wandering around. Most of the vendors were harp manufacturers - I saw most of the big names. I chatted with the Stoney End people for a while, told them that I'd been renting one of theirs. They sat me down in front of a couple of different ones and told me to play, chatting about the differences between the models. The Dusty Strings people (I see now looking at the site that I was talking to one of the founders of the company) were even more friendly, taking about half an hour to chat with me, talk about how I got interested in the harp, sit me in front of different instruments and grin at me when I tried them out and sighed longingly (they have a 36-string that sounds so resonant and pure, it's like a grand piano of a harp. *swoon*). She even give me a quick lesson on the cross-strung, which was fun.
Also impressive were the electric and midi harps by David Kortier. I heard Sylvia Woods messing around on the midi harp, and it sounded like.. I don't know. Like a choir of angels. Ethereal and delicate and just... way cool. I remember being impressed with the midi marimba at PASIC, but this was even more beautiful.
I was wearing a sleeveless shirt, and the celtic knot on my shoulder was peeking out. It was amazing how much positive attention my tattoo got, especially from the vendors who had that same design as an inlay on some of their instruments. ;)
I've been planning for years to get that tattoo covered over with another design. The overs and unders aren't done correctly, and it's imperfect, and it's always just bothered me. But now, all of a sudden, I'm starting to think about maybe getting it corrected instead of covering it up. It was really a lot of fun getting so much praise for it.
It was fun altogether, really. I've been tossing this phrase around in my head for a while -- "lipstick tomboy". I think that's what I am. I like to defy gender roles, I like to do things that women aren't supposed to want to do or be able to do, and while part of that is an enjoyment of the things themselves, it's a defiant enjoyment. I'd be lying to myself if I said that it wasn't also a drive just to prove that I can.
How does that fit in context? Very well, actually.
Last music con I went to was a percussion convention. I was treated as a second-class citizen, ignored by the vendors and the workshop leaders, had to kind of fight to try out any instruments or make purchases. I never really thought about it - it was an attitude I faced a lot in percussion. I think part of what wore me out with it in the first place was that I had to work twice as hard to prove myself.
But harp, modern lever harp, is more a woman-dominated field. Here the situation was reversed: even though I know a total of one song, people looked at me and just assumed by my very presence there that I was a competent harper, and invited me to sit down and take their harps for a spin.
Maybe it's a difference of attitude between the fields and non-classical harp people are just friendlier and more laid back than classical percussionists - I'm inclined to think that's part of it - but something clicked in strange ways for me when I realized part of it was likely my gender, as well. There was even a moment of resistance in me when it occurred to me that I was doing something with my gender stereotype instead of contrary to it, for a change.
But I didn't let it stick. I was having too much fun.
I got some loot -- a book of sheet music. A t-shirt. A sturdy canvas knapsack that would make a good computer or overnight bag. A couple of instructional videos: One on how to transfer music knowledge and songs you already know from other instruments and kind of play more by ear and improvisationally rather than learning strictly the songs that you can find in books - the equivalent of teaching the three chords you need to get started on guitar. The other one is on Celtic harp style and how to really play in the Celtic harp style, rather than just playing Celtic songs on a harp. Both of those looked interesting, and I'm looking forward to delving into them.
And, though I'm far from rabid fangirl, how cool is this? I got "Into the West" from RotK, arranged for harp. I couldn't resist. :) I've noodled around with it some this afternoon and it sounds amazing, light and almost haunting. It's really the perfect instrument for the song.
I got home around noon and lounged in the hammock while I watched Matt finish up his day's gardening. He's completely transformed the flower bed in the back, and is doing a great job.
We went out to see I, Robot, expected to hate it, but was actually, honestly, very impressed. It could have been awful, could have been cheesy, but it wasn't. It may not be true to the text of the book, but it never claims to be. What it is, is true to the spirit of the book. It's also a well-crafted piece of cinema. I'm always impressed when the loaded guns in the first act are revisited in the finale, a sign of attention to detail that's sadly lacking from a majority of movies today. I'm also rather impressed that it didn't become a backdrop for a trite love story - that's pretty rare, too. So all in all, Matt and I agreed, we liked it a lot more than we expected to, and we thought ol' Ike would've been proud.
And now? Home, hanging out, enjoying that last gasp of fresh air before tomorrow, when we dive back into the old 9 to 5.
This morning started early with a solo drive down to the Somerset Folk Harp Festival. I was fairly nervous about going to a professional musician type conference, even to just pop in for the day and wander around the vendor room. I don't know... I've only been playing the harp about six months, and I was afraid I'd feel out of place amongst trained harpers. It also kind of pushed my buttons in terms of reminding me of my burnout from percussion (not a fun time in my life) and bringing up uncomfortable thoughts about my failures and 'what-if's about the life I wanted so desperately but ultimately walked away from. Heavy thoughts for a sunday morning, even a rainy one.
I got to the hotel, paid my $10, and started wandering around. Most of the vendors were harp manufacturers - I saw most of the big names. I chatted with the Stoney End people for a while, told them that I'd been renting one of theirs. They sat me down in front of a couple of different ones and told me to play, chatting about the differences between the models. The Dusty Strings people (I see now looking at the site that I was talking to one of the founders of the company) were even more friendly, taking about half an hour to chat with me, talk about how I got interested in the harp, sit me in front of different instruments and grin at me when I tried them out and sighed longingly (they have a 36-string that sounds so resonant and pure, it's like a grand piano of a harp. *swoon*). She even give me a quick lesson on the cross-strung, which was fun.
Also impressive were the electric and midi harps by David Kortier. I heard Sylvia Woods messing around on the midi harp, and it sounded like.. I don't know. Like a choir of angels. Ethereal and delicate and just... way cool. I remember being impressed with the midi marimba at PASIC, but this was even more beautiful.
I was wearing a sleeveless shirt, and the celtic knot on my shoulder was peeking out. It was amazing how much positive attention my tattoo got, especially from the vendors who had that same design as an inlay on some of their instruments. ;)
I've been planning for years to get that tattoo covered over with another design. The overs and unders aren't done correctly, and it's imperfect, and it's always just bothered me. But now, all of a sudden, I'm starting to think about maybe getting it corrected instead of covering it up. It was really a lot of fun getting so much praise for it.
It was fun altogether, really. I've been tossing this phrase around in my head for a while -- "lipstick tomboy". I think that's what I am. I like to defy gender roles, I like to do things that women aren't supposed to want to do or be able to do, and while part of that is an enjoyment of the things themselves, it's a defiant enjoyment. I'd be lying to myself if I said that it wasn't also a drive just to prove that I can.
How does that fit in context? Very well, actually.
Last music con I went to was a percussion convention. I was treated as a second-class citizen, ignored by the vendors and the workshop leaders, had to kind of fight to try out any instruments or make purchases. I never really thought about it - it was an attitude I faced a lot in percussion. I think part of what wore me out with it in the first place was that I had to work twice as hard to prove myself.
But harp, modern lever harp, is more a woman-dominated field. Here the situation was reversed: even though I know a total of one song, people looked at me and just assumed by my very presence there that I was a competent harper, and invited me to sit down and take their harps for a spin.
Maybe it's a difference of attitude between the fields and non-classical harp people are just friendlier and more laid back than classical percussionists - I'm inclined to think that's part of it - but something clicked in strange ways for me when I realized part of it was likely my gender, as well. There was even a moment of resistance in me when it occurred to me that I was doing something with my gender stereotype instead of contrary to it, for a change.
But I didn't let it stick. I was having too much fun.
I got some loot -- a book of sheet music. A t-shirt. A sturdy canvas knapsack that would make a good computer or overnight bag. A couple of instructional videos: One on how to transfer music knowledge and songs you already know from other instruments and kind of play more by ear and improvisationally rather than learning strictly the songs that you can find in books - the equivalent of teaching the three chords you need to get started on guitar. The other one is on Celtic harp style and how to really play in the Celtic harp style, rather than just playing Celtic songs on a harp. Both of those looked interesting, and I'm looking forward to delving into them.
And, though I'm far from rabid fangirl, how cool is this? I got "Into the West" from RotK, arranged for harp. I couldn't resist. :) I've noodled around with it some this afternoon and it sounds amazing, light and almost haunting. It's really the perfect instrument for the song.
I got home around noon and lounged in the hammock while I watched Matt finish up his day's gardening. He's completely transformed the flower bed in the back, and is doing a great job.
We went out to see I, Robot, expected to hate it, but was actually, honestly, very impressed. It could have been awful, could have been cheesy, but it wasn't. It may not be true to the text of the book, but it never claims to be. What it is, is true to the spirit of the book. It's also a well-crafted piece of cinema. I'm always impressed when the loaded guns in the first act are revisited in the finale, a sign of attention to detail that's sadly lacking from a majority of movies today. I'm also rather impressed that it didn't become a backdrop for a trite love story - that's pretty rare, too. So all in all, Matt and I agreed, we liked it a lot more than we expected to, and we thought ol' Ike would've been proud.
And now? Home, hanging out, enjoying that last gasp of fresh air before tomorrow, when we dive back into the old 9 to 5.
