Blowin' in the Wind & performances
Bernie_Bernard@BOPS.VOA.GOV
4 Jun 96 17:08:18
This weekend, my musical partner and I took our instruments (harp, guitar & recorders) to a 4,000-ft mountain top at Shenandoah National Forest on Skyline Drive in Front Royal, Virginia. We set up on a stone wall overlooking several other mountain peaks and a valley. We had a amazingly wonderful time practicing our music and letting it float on the air over the the landscape. A few people came by to take pictures, listen and even applaud! Every few minutes, I would hit a note or arpeggio on the harp at the same moment as a wind gust, which created some augmented chords that I have never heard before! I started playing with the wind, striking a series of notes that would crescendo into the most eerie sounds. Try it sometime... it's like God, the angels and nature are playing along with you.
I also had an interesting performance experience this Sunday. My partner and I played a duet at 2 church services ... a whole different meaning to '2 shows, 8:30 and 10:30!' After the first service, the music director asked me to join the small orchestra (synthesizer, drums, bass & lead guitars, violin, cello, flutes and 2 horns... hip church, eh?) for the second service. He gave me 2 pieces of music, with the chord changes above the lyrics... no written score at all. I was able to follow along, then add some arpeggios or glisses at the end of each line. My first shot at improvisation... not bad for someone who's been playing less than 3 years! Oh, by the way, I was plugged in with my Fishman transducer. A guitarist from a local rock band, who has a recording studio in his home, liked the sound of the electrified harp and asked me to play on his album! He's signed to a division of Epic. Yipes... is this how you get session work?
Thanks for all the ideas about handling stagefright and making a better presentation on stage... keep 'em coming!
Maura D. Bernard
Bernie_Bernard@BOPS.VOA.GOV