Well, to follow up on the last post (I think), I did not get the extra lessons after the audition. According to Ånon, this is primarily because he is too busy and pretty sure that I have enough to work on with what I'm getting now. This is probably true. It also means that I still have time to work on playing the banjo, torader, and spoons in addition to my more serious instruments. (The ukulele's haven't arrived yet!)
This weekend I celebrated another weekend without hours at the hotel by visiting the crew at Nesland. Nesland is about 2km from here and 4 folk music students live in a charming house there. Not having a car, I walked with my fiddles in my hand and a backpack full of warming beverages and homemade applesauce. Fortunately, Egil, who also lives in the student apartments, had a flashlight function on his phone or it would have been very dark on the way there!
We passed the time watching most of The Pirates of the Caribbean and playing fiddles. The time really flew once we broke out the fiddles! By the time we started leaving it was closing in on 2:30.
It was really cold on the way home. Too cold to talk. And I was really glad that mom had sent me long underwear and that the Nesland crew had lent me a hat and a flashlight. The stars are amazing here; the nights are clear and there isn't much light to interfere, especially when there's no moon. It feels like the Big Dipper is going to swing down and scoop up the school.
Of course, we didn't leave before we had some applesauce. Don't ask me why, I'm sure it's cultural, but Norwegians really want to put applesauce on bread. I guess it sort of makes sense; applesauce resembles jam and Norwegians put just about everything on bread. Still, I would much rather have it fresh and warm on ice cream or just by itself!
Sunday I cleaned my room. I suppose that's not really that exciting, but it is worth mentioning. It was starting to get a little deep in here.
The high-light of today was definitely the dinner I made! Chicken curry salad, as close to Mom's recipe as I could manage. I cooked the chicken with perhaps too much curry and a little bit of coriander, salt and pepper. While the chicken cooled, I chopped up a quarter of an onion, a ton of celery, red grapes, and almonds which I toasted with a little olive oil and salt. I mixed it all together with less mayonnaise than I would have used at home and ate it with rice. Yum!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
November is unstable
That's what the dentist said to me last Monday morning while we were having a conversation about the six to eight inches of snow that were one the ground. At that point in time it was beautiful. And cold.
It stayed cold and clear right through the concert on Wednesday night. When we came out the full moon lit up the clear sky and reflected off the snow covered fields and roads like stadium lights. The stars were amazingly clear against a midnight blue sky.
On Thursday things warmed up a little. Just enough for the rain to fall in the afternoon and turn the entire town into a mud slushie. That was fine until the sun set (around 4pm) and the whole business froze. The roads, the shoulders, the pathways, and especially the treacherous little slope that the student organization intends for us to use as a our method of access to the road were all thick, clear, slippery ice.
Things remained in those conditions all weekend. Well actually, they got a little worse every day as the wind and time wore away at the snow that was left on the ground, leaving only the solid ice behind. We finally got some fresh snow Monday night, but it was too late for me to have escaped unscathed; I slipped on the ice Monday evening on my way to the school. Fortunately, I wasn't moving very fast and I didn't fall very hard.
The fresh snow on Tuesday morning was a welcome sign. Even with the ice underneath, it is much easier to walk on snow. Of course, all good things must come to an end and it rained again this afternoon. The road isn't looking terribly icy right now, but unless it snows again before it gets dark it will be impossible to get down the hill.
What I've learned about walking on the ice. Go slow. Take small steps, keep your knees bent, and keep your center of gravity over your feet. Hmm, sounds like dancing. Also, it's generally less slippery walking over vegetation (like grass) than the road or the path. I'm quite sure there's a scientific reason for that, but all I need to know right now is that it's safer. One more thing, if the ground crunches when you step on it, that is a good indicator that you shoe (or boot) has taken hold of something and it's less likely to slide out from under you.
It stayed cold and clear right through the concert on Wednesday night. When we came out the full moon lit up the clear sky and reflected off the snow covered fields and roads like stadium lights. The stars were amazingly clear against a midnight blue sky.
On Thursday things warmed up a little. Just enough for the rain to fall in the afternoon and turn the entire town into a mud slushie. That was fine until the sun set (around 4pm) and the whole business froze. The roads, the shoulders, the pathways, and especially the treacherous little slope that the student organization intends for us to use as a our method of access to the road were all thick, clear, slippery ice.
Things remained in those conditions all weekend. Well actually, they got a little worse every day as the wind and time wore away at the snow that was left on the ground, leaving only the solid ice behind. We finally got some fresh snow Monday night, but it was too late for me to have escaped unscathed; I slipped on the ice Monday evening on my way to the school. Fortunately, I wasn't moving very fast and I didn't fall very hard.
The fresh snow on Tuesday morning was a welcome sign. Even with the ice underneath, it is much easier to walk on snow. Of course, all good things must come to an end and it rained again this afternoon. The road isn't looking terribly icy right now, but unless it snows again before it gets dark it will be impossible to get down the hill.
What I've learned about walking on the ice. Go slow. Take small steps, keep your knees bent, and keep your center of gravity over your feet. Hmm, sounds like dancing. Also, it's generally less slippery walking over vegetation (like grass) than the road or the path. I'm quite sure there's a scientific reason for that, but all I need to know right now is that it's safer. One more thing, if the ground crunches when you step on it, that is a good indicator that you shoe (or boot) has taken hold of something and it's less likely to slide out from under you.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Busy, Busy, Busy
Wow! What a week!
Over the weekend, starting Thursday night, I took a fabulous course with Unni Boksasp. She is brilliant; her voice is amazing, she is a phenomenal teacher, and she is a really nice person. Over the course of the weekend she managed to make everyone in the class happy by covering pretty much every genre possible in Norwegian vocal tradition (from cow calls to religious folksongs). We also all got a fifteen minute private lesson with her. While fifteen minutes isn't a very long time, she did manage to give good tips and encouragement.
Unni gave two bits of advice I can pass on here. The first is it really is important to warm up if you're going to be singing for any length of time. Each day we warmed up for about a half an hour, and then another ten to fifteen minutes after lunch. Remember that you should warm up your whole body when you sing!
The second bit of advice is - enunciate. Enunciate everything until you think you've got it clear and then over enunciate a little bit more. Especially if you're tralling, the syllables are what drive the rhythm in the music and are very important. If you're singing for dancing (or dancing to singing) you can appreciate how important the enunciation of the rhythm is. That's not to say that everyone in a group has to use the same syllables in a trall, but that's a different topic...
Somewhere during the course of the weekend I managed to find time to write my first paper. Our assignment was to analyze a tune (Skjåken, track #3 on CD5 - Folkemusikk fra Oppland in the Norsk Folkemusikk series). I think the entire class made the assignment harder than it needed to be, but it wasn't easy. Also, the tune is enough to drive a person crazy after listening to it nearly 100 times in the span of a week.
If that weren't enough, we had auditions today for extra lessons. The way it works is if you're good enough to be worthy of extra lessons, the teachers will try to find the time to give them to you. Otherwise, you get a note saying something along the lines of, 'We think you have enough with what you're getting now.' So, I practiced like mad all weekend (between taking the course with Unni and working on the paper).
Today at 4pm it was my turn in the hot seat. I was up first and got to the room before the instructors. I had prepared four tunes, but was only going to play three of them. I was shaking like a leaf. This isn't particularly compatible with fiddling, but I didn't really have any options. I sat down, introduced my first tune, said some words about the tuning and played it.
They were tapping their feet. I made it through the rough parts. I remembered to breath. It was over! Two more tunes...
I announced them, still shaking, and began to play. I survived the first one and introduced the last tune. I played it. Finally, I was done with the ordeal! My mistakes were minor, but they were there. I wasn't playing for a prize, but I was playing for judges. I'll know by the end of the week if I passed that test or not. At least I tried.
Over the weekend, starting Thursday night, I took a fabulous course with Unni Boksasp. She is brilliant; her voice is amazing, she is a phenomenal teacher, and she is a really nice person. Over the course of the weekend she managed to make everyone in the class happy by covering pretty much every genre possible in Norwegian vocal tradition (from cow calls to religious folksongs). We also all got a fifteen minute private lesson with her. While fifteen minutes isn't a very long time, she did manage to give good tips and encouragement.
Unni gave two bits of advice I can pass on here. The first is it really is important to warm up if you're going to be singing for any length of time. Each day we warmed up for about a half an hour, and then another ten to fifteen minutes after lunch. Remember that you should warm up your whole body when you sing!
The second bit of advice is - enunciate. Enunciate everything until you think you've got it clear and then over enunciate a little bit more. Especially if you're tralling, the syllables are what drive the rhythm in the music and are very important. If you're singing for dancing (or dancing to singing) you can appreciate how important the enunciation of the rhythm is. That's not to say that everyone in a group has to use the same syllables in a trall, but that's a different topic...
Somewhere during the course of the weekend I managed to find time to write my first paper. Our assignment was to analyze a tune (Skjåken, track #3 on CD5 - Folkemusikk fra Oppland in the Norsk Folkemusikk series). I think the entire class made the assignment harder than it needed to be, but it wasn't easy. Also, the tune is enough to drive a person crazy after listening to it nearly 100 times in the span of a week.
If that weren't enough, we had auditions today for extra lessons. The way it works is if you're good enough to be worthy of extra lessons, the teachers will try to find the time to give them to you. Otherwise, you get a note saying something along the lines of, 'We think you have enough with what you're getting now.' So, I practiced like mad all weekend (between taking the course with Unni and working on the paper).
Today at 4pm it was my turn in the hot seat. I was up first and got to the room before the instructors. I had prepared four tunes, but was only going to play three of them. I was shaking like a leaf. This isn't particularly compatible with fiddling, but I didn't really have any options. I sat down, introduced my first tune, said some words about the tuning and played it.
They were tapping their feet. I made it through the rough parts. I remembered to breath. It was over! Two more tunes...
I announced them, still shaking, and began to play. I survived the first one and introduced the last tune. I played it. Finally, I was done with the ordeal! My mistakes were minor, but they were there. I wasn't playing for a prize, but I was playing for judges. I'll know by the end of the week if I passed that test or not. At least I tried.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Storm Weather!
You might expect a weather update from that headline, but instead you're getting a concert review. Last night Rauland was graced with the rockin' presence of the Storm Weather Shanty Choir, http://www.shantychoir.com. The six members of the band sing to their own accompaniment on a variety of instruments. They sing everything you would expect from a Norwegian shanty choir. That is to say they sing shanties in Norwegian and English and sometimes a little of both. If you're lucky, you get to hear them sing sad songs about love lost; if you're really lucky, they break out their boy-band moves.
It seems natural that there is a healthy serving of audience participation in their performances. If everyone is going to be singing along anyway, why not make them sing out? Håkon Vatle, the head shantyman, is also a great performer and can get a crowd of any size singing and shouting and doing pretty much whatever he wants.
After the concert, we had the usual sequence of events. We clear the chairs, students play for dancing; people either dance, drink, or go home, and probably all of the above.
At one point, I was standing at the edge of the dance floor listening to my classmates play a really lovely waltz after a string of nordlandspols. It struck me that one of the things I'm really missing here is a really good waltz once in a while. I think I've danced one since school started. It's just hard to beat that feeling when the music is just right and you and your partner are moving perfectly together.
It seems natural that there is a healthy serving of audience participation in their performances. If everyone is going to be singing along anyway, why not make them sing out? Håkon Vatle, the head shantyman, is also a great performer and can get a crowd of any size singing and shouting and doing pretty much whatever he wants.
After the concert, we had the usual sequence of events. We clear the chairs, students play for dancing; people either dance, drink, or go home, and probably all of the above.
At one point, I was standing at the edge of the dance floor listening to my classmates play a really lovely waltz after a string of nordlandspols. It struck me that one of the things I'm really missing here is a really good waltz once in a while. I think I've danced one since school started. It's just hard to beat that feeling when the music is just right and you and your partner are moving perfectly together.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Rauland weather report
Friday night I enjoyed dinner and conversation with my friend Anja and her roommates. It was snowing when I headed out to her house. It snowed while we ate dinner and talked about our teachers and classes. It snowed while we enjoyed ice cream over a lively discussion of religion and politics and future careers.
It was still snowing when I walked home that night. It was dark and beautiful, the snow making the whole world seem brighter in contrast. Best of all, it was quiet. Absolutely still. I took down the hood on my jacket and stopped walking just to enjoy the silence. It was cold, though, so I didn't stand around listening to nothing for long.
Saturday was a slushy miserable combination of snow and rain. It had its good moments though. I played with Iselin, then she helped me make applesauce. David came over and we played some more before making pizza. Then we watched a soccer match with Stine and Benjamin. It was nice to relax with my classmates.
On Sunday it rained and rained and rained. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought I was at home. Of course at home, it wouldn't have turned into snow. Right about the time Marco and Mona picked me up for some singing and dinner (which turned into a few bottles of wine, good conversation, and me crashing in their extra bedroom) it started to snow again.
It seems to have snowed all night. We have roughly four inches of new snow and a real winter wonderland feeling. Of course, as the dentist said when I met him on my way out of work this morning, November is unstable, weather-wise. All we can do is hope that this snow stays. It's really no fun starting over with the ice every time it snows!
It was still snowing when I walked home that night. It was dark and beautiful, the snow making the whole world seem brighter in contrast. Best of all, it was quiet. Absolutely still. I took down the hood on my jacket and stopped walking just to enjoy the silence. It was cold, though, so I didn't stand around listening to nothing for long.
Saturday was a slushy miserable combination of snow and rain. It had its good moments though. I played with Iselin, then she helped me make applesauce. David came over and we played some more before making pizza. Then we watched a soccer match with Stine and Benjamin. It was nice to relax with my classmates.
On Sunday it rained and rained and rained. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought I was at home. Of course at home, it wouldn't have turned into snow. Right about the time Marco and Mona picked me up for some singing and dinner (which turned into a few bottles of wine, good conversation, and me crashing in their extra bedroom) it started to snow again.
It seems to have snowed all night. We have roughly four inches of new snow and a real winter wonderland feeling. Of course, as the dentist said when I met him on my way out of work this morning, November is unstable, weather-wise. All we can do is hope that this snow stays. It's really no fun starting over with the ice every time it snows!
Weekly Schedule
Since there was a request - here is my basic weekly schedule. I'm not actually sure we've made it through an entire week without some changes to the schedule, but this is the framework we try to follow.
Monday - Music Theory
Tuesday - Samspel, Vocal Tradition, Dance
Wedensday - Ear training, Individual lesson
Thursday - Tradition (covering all aspects except vocal), Spelmannslag, sometimes singing
Friday - Folkmusic and Society, sometimes singing, torader
Wednesday nights often have concerts. Sunday evenings the local dance group meets. We practice and play music and travel to festivals whenever we have the time, money, and desire!
Monday - Music Theory
Tuesday - Samspel, Vocal Tradition, Dance
Wedensday - Ear training, Individual lesson
Thursday - Tradition (covering all aspects except vocal), Spelmannslag, sometimes singing
Friday - Folkmusic and Society, sometimes singing, torader
Wednesday nights often have concerts. Sunday evenings the local dance group meets. We practice and play music and travel to festivals whenever we have the time, money, and desire!
Friday, November 7, 2008
From Sunshine to Snowstorm
This week has been delightful. I got paid from both of my jobs. I made it to the doctor to refill my prescriptions. My prescriptions arrived at the gas station (there isn't a pharmacy in town). I ordered a ukulele. I stayed up late and got up early to watch the election. I attended the local spelmannslag rehearsal. We have managed to stay busy even without a Wednesday night concert.
We sang in classes this week. We sang and danced ballads (stordans) in our vocal tradition class. In our ear-training class, we sang the whole hour! And, we had a really great hour of singing in our singing group.
Until today, the sun has been shining. Bright sunshine filled the clear skies at lunch most days. We sat outside and soaked up the rays, surrounded by the picturesque campus coated with a thin layer of snow. I wouldn't call it exactly warm, but it wasn't cold either.
Today the snow came again. I was a little worried this morning when I headed to class, since the precipitation began as rain. By the time lunch rolled around it was definitely snow and lots of it. Hopefully, I don't have to worry about ice anymore for a long time!
This weekend promises to be relaxing and productive. I have a few practice dates lined up, but with the hotel closed, I will still have plenty of time to relax and read. I've got to rest up for next week - we'll have a concert by Storm Weather Shanty Choir and then I'm taking an extra course in kveding from Unni Boksasp.
We sang in classes this week. We sang and danced ballads (stordans) in our vocal tradition class. In our ear-training class, we sang the whole hour! And, we had a really great hour of singing in our singing group.
Until today, the sun has been shining. Bright sunshine filled the clear skies at lunch most days. We sat outside and soaked up the rays, surrounded by the picturesque campus coated with a thin layer of snow. I wouldn't call it exactly warm, but it wasn't cold either.
Today the snow came again. I was a little worried this morning when I headed to class, since the precipitation began as rain. By the time lunch rolled around it was definitely snow and lots of it. Hopefully, I don't have to worry about ice anymore for a long time!
This weekend promises to be relaxing and productive. I have a few practice dates lined up, but with the hotel closed, I will still have plenty of time to relax and read. I've got to rest up for next week - we'll have a concert by Storm Weather Shanty Choir and then I'm taking an extra course in kveding from Unni Boksasp.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Folkemusikkhelga i Suldal
This weekend I enjoyed a trip over the mountains to the West with two of my classmates. We descended to sea-level on the bus (I hate traveling by bus) to Sand in Suldal, which is in Rogaland.
Sveinung's mother was the course organizer for the weekend, and also let us stay at her house. Over the course of the weekend, Sveinung and I took a kvedar (singer) class with Halvor Håkanes and David took hardingfele with Arngunn Timenes Bell (who is the sister of one of our classmates here in Rauland).
After we arrived on Friday, we unpacked and then headed up to Mo Laksegard where the courses were held and where most people were staying. Like Seabeck, they have houses that people sleep in, you can order your meals whether or not you're staying there, there's a small but functional bar, two fireplaces, a pool for warmer times of the year, and a dance hall.
We got straight to work on Friday, singing a few soothing melodies; a lullabye or two and a couple of stev. I raised the excitement level by getting locked in the bathroom during the break. I, like most people, lock the door when I use a bathroom. Somehow, the wrong key had been placed in the lock. After several minutes of trying, unsuccessfully, to unlock the door, I was about ready to call for help when several other class members arrived on the other side of the door.
We sent the key out the window and they tried unlocking it from the other side. Eventually the solution became clear. I would have to exit the bathroom the same way as the key. They brought around a chair and faster than Sveinung could get my camera, I was out the bathroom window and back on solid ground.
The rest of the weekend was considerably less exciting, but fun nonetheless. We learned a bunch of good tunes (stev, ballad, and slåttestev) from Halvor. We learned Suldalspringar, which is a super peppy dance. Saturday night was a presentation of everything we had learned, plus the teachers played solo. Some folks played for dancing after the concert as well.
On Sunday, we finished the courses in the morning and then began our bus journey home. We finally arrived in Rauland and made the decision (David and I) to go straight to dance. We were already a half hour late. It's always a small crowd, but it's fun and it's good to dance on a Sunday evening. Last night was the first time I've played for dancing and that was really fun.
This morning I was going to get up early to wash at the dentist's office (at 6am). I was in the middle of a dream about being late for a doctor's appointment when suddenly I woke up and realized that it was far too light outside to be 6am. It was in fact 8am. I had time to take out the garbage and vacuum, but that was all. I guess I was tired from the weekend!
Sveinung's mother was the course organizer for the weekend, and also let us stay at her house. Over the course of the weekend, Sveinung and I took a kvedar (singer) class with Halvor Håkanes and David took hardingfele with Arngunn Timenes Bell (who is the sister of one of our classmates here in Rauland).
After we arrived on Friday, we unpacked and then headed up to Mo Laksegard where the courses were held and where most people were staying. Like Seabeck, they have houses that people sleep in, you can order your meals whether or not you're staying there, there's a small but functional bar, two fireplaces, a pool for warmer times of the year, and a dance hall.
We got straight to work on Friday, singing a few soothing melodies; a lullabye or two and a couple of stev. I raised the excitement level by getting locked in the bathroom during the break. I, like most people, lock the door when I use a bathroom. Somehow, the wrong key had been placed in the lock. After several minutes of trying, unsuccessfully, to unlock the door, I was about ready to call for help when several other class members arrived on the other side of the door.
We sent the key out the window and they tried unlocking it from the other side. Eventually the solution became clear. I would have to exit the bathroom the same way as the key. They brought around a chair and faster than Sveinung could get my camera, I was out the bathroom window and back on solid ground.
The rest of the weekend was considerably less exciting, but fun nonetheless. We learned a bunch of good tunes (stev, ballad, and slåttestev) from Halvor. We learned Suldalspringar, which is a super peppy dance. Saturday night was a presentation of everything we had learned, plus the teachers played solo. Some folks played for dancing after the concert as well.
On Sunday, we finished the courses in the morning and then began our bus journey home. We finally arrived in Rauland and made the decision (David and I) to go straight to dance. We were already a half hour late. It's always a small crowd, but it's fun and it's good to dance on a Sunday evening. Last night was the first time I've played for dancing and that was really fun.
This morning I was going to get up early to wash at the dentist's office (at 6am). I was in the middle of a dream about being late for a doctor's appointment when suddenly I woke up and realized that it was far too light outside to be 6am. It was in fact 8am. I had time to take out the garbage and vacuum, but that was all. I guess I was tired from the weekend!
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