May be selling my hurdy gurdy

[Jake]

May have to sell my custom-made Volksgurdy hurdy gurdy next year if I
can't learn how to play it. It was built around 2002 and cost almost
$6,000. There was a two-year waiting period just to begin getting it
built.

It has a 3-pickup amplification system, built-in tuner, sympathetic
strings, outputs for various situations (1/4", XLR). It's old world
meets modern technology. Really hope to try and make some progress
learning how to play it otherwise I should consider giving it a good
home. Will consider selling it privately first before going on eBay.

[JULIE BARKER]

Don't sell it. If you want to play bad enough you will succeed. You quite clearly have a good instrument and just need a little support to get up to speed. The hurdy-gurdy has a reputation of being difficult to play, this needn't be the case. Obviously you need to put in some time as with any instrument but with good guidence it is possible to reach a good standard. In many cases this can even be achieved without ever having to learn to read music. I am sure there will be people on this list who could help and maybe even live close to you. Philip G Martin aka Drohne www.drohne.co.uk --- On Mon, 19/12/11, Jake <jake...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Gmail]

Agreed!
Where do you live? Maybe there are other players in your area who would like to get together.

JULIE BARKER <dro...@btinternet.com> wrote:

>Don't sell it. If you want to play bad enough you will succeed. You quite clearly have a good instrument and just need a little support to get up to speed. The hurdy-gurdy has a reputation of being difficult to play, this needn't be the case. Obviously you need to put in some time as with any instrument but with good guidence it is possible to reach a good standard. In many cases this can even be achieved without ever having to learn to read music.
>I am sure there will be people on this list who could help and maybe even live close to you.
>
>Philip G Martin aka Drohne
>www.drohne.co.uk
>
>--- On Mon, 19/12/11, Jake <jake...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>From: Jake <jake...@gmail.com>
>Subject: [HG-new] May be selling my hurdy gurdy
>To: "hurdygurdy" <hurdy...@googlegroups.com>
>Date: Monday, 19 December, 2011, 7:05
>
>
>May have to sell my custom-made Volksgurdy hurdy gurdy next year if I
>can't learn how to play it.   It was built around 2002 and cost almost
>$6,000.   There was a two-year waiting period just to begin getting it
>built.
>
>It has a 3-pickup amplification system, built-in tuner, sympathetic
>strings, outputs for various situations (1/4", XLR).  It's old world
>meets modern technology.   Really hope to try and make some progress
>learning how to play it otherwise I should consider giving it a good
>home.   Will consider selling it privately first before going on eBay.
>
>--
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[Bruno Fournier]

I hope you stick to it, however I am always amazed how people have expensive instruments made for them, without knowing how to play them.  Grant you a cheap HG is worse, however, I would have tried to rent one before coming to the conclusion of buying a $6000 instrument.  I found the same kind of thinking with lute players.  There are people at the lute Society of America, who cannot play the simplest lute tablature on their very expensive lutes...  I guess for some people, money is no object.

 

Bruno

lutenist and poor HG player ( but I built my own...)

Bruno Cognyl-Fournier

 

www.estavel.org

 

[Christa Muths]

The hurdy-gurdy has a reputation of being difficult to play, this needn't be the case.

Oh, oh, don't say that!!!!!!

I have had good and stable relationships all my life: in work, family, friends and most things :-))). Unfortunately I can't say the same about me and my hurdy; to say the least: it's been volatile, unpredictable and at times seems to be impossible to master. I can play it once it's tuned correctly, but the tuning seems to be somehow above my abilities. Sometimes I master it and then I feel like I lifted the Titanic singlehandedly from the bottom of the ocean and about 10 minutes later it is out of tune again.

I have a Weichselbaumer and this really is a very good instrument but sometimes experienced players cannot tune it, players who have other types of instruments.

I remember some years ago Felicitas Dale came to play in the U.K. I knew nothing about hurdies then. During the break I opened the window (which was next to her hurdy) because the air was very sticky. Felicitas ran over from the other side of the room, calling out: "Please don't open the window, please shut it. My hurdy doesn't like it!"

I was totally confused and not quite sure wether I had heard correctly or wether she was somehow  from a very different planet. She closed the window, noticed my very confused expression and explained that hurdies get quickly out of tune when the humidity changes, and that hurdies are  very difficlt to tune.

Well, now I know and battle ..............................................and each time I try to tune my instrument I think of Felicita and her visit to the U.K.

:-)))


Christa

hurdygurdy+...@googlegroups.com

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--

"Wo der Wind des Wandels weht, bauen die einen Mauern und die anderen Windmühlen."

Chinesische Redensart

"Where the wind of change is blowing some build walls and others windmills."
Chinese proverb

"Cuando el viento de cambio sopla unos construyen muros y otros molinos de viento."
Proverbio chino

[Jake Conte]

First off, Bruno, I take exception to some of your comments.  As far as being “amazed how people have expensive instruments made for them, without knowing how to play them”:  Would you rather I buy a cheap poorly-built instrument?   And your comment: “I would have tried to rent one before coming to the conclusion of buying a $6000 instrument”:  I was on this list when I was considering buying a hurdy gurdy and wanted to rent one.  I don’t know anybody here who had a spare hurdy gurdy willing to rent to a perfect stranger.  And, I didn’t know of any music shops that were renting hurdy gurdies.  And, your presumption that “I guess for some people, money is no object” is really not just ridiculous, it’s stupid.  If you have nothing positive to say, don’t bother giving your opinion.  My mother left her children her savings account when she died and, if it wasn’t for that, I would not be able to afford a hurdy gurdy (even today).

 

I first saw a person (Don Heller) performing on a hurdy gurdy in the 1980’s and immediately fell in love with the instrument.  Later saw Jake Walton playing a gurdy in NYC in a concert with Jez Lowe.  I wanted to get a gurdy but didn’t have the money until my mother left me a portion of her savings.

 

I have over 50 musical instruments.  Most are fretted instruments.  The hurdy gurdy is a high maintenance instrument which needs a great deal of care.  I’m sure if I put my mind and energy to it, I should be able to learn how to play it. 

 

There are no local hurdy gurdy players in New Jersey.  The nearest players are in New England.  And, driving 3 to 5 hours for lessons would be difficult.

[Jake Conte]

Just wanted to add/clarify:

 

I am a musician and play primarily electric bass guitar (I have over a dozen basses), guitar (have 6 electric and acoustic guitars), and mandolin (have 7 mandolins and mandola).  In addition, I try and learn how to play whatever I can get my hands on (lap dulcimer, bowed psaltery, cuatro, concert flute, saxophone, kalimba, etc).  Also have a collection of electric pianos and synthesizers.  Last count, I had approximately 50 musical instruments.

 

I became interested in the hurdy gurdy in the early 1980s when Don Heller and his wife Anicet gave a hurdy gurdy demonstration on Staten Island, NY.  And soon after saw Jake Walton play hurdy gurdy on a couple of songs with partner Jez Lowe in a NYC concert.  I fell in love with the hurdy gurdy and wanted to own one and learn how to play it.

 

I could not afford one until my mom died in 1998 and left her 5 children her savings account.  I told my wife that she could do whatever she wanted with the money, but I wanted $5,000 set aside for the dream of my life -- to own a hurdy gurdy.  I searched and investigated and Alden and Cali Hackmann were able to build the hurdy gurdy with the specifications I desired.  There was a two-year waiting period and when it came time to begin building my Volksgurdy I would receive periodic photos of its progress.  It was like watching a baby being born.

 

So, I didn't just have money laying around to put down on such an expensive instrument.  The money came from savings my immigrant mother worked two and three jobs at a time and cooking for an entire school singlehandedly to pay our tuition.  This hurdy gurdy means more to me than just a musical instrument.  If I do decide to eventually sell it, it would be a sad day as every time I look at it I see my mom and how much she meant to me.

 

I just never realized that the hurdy gurdy is such a 'high maintenance' instrument. 

 

I will endeavor to make the effort this year to learn how to play it as it means so much more than another instrument to me.  From seeing Don & Anicet Heller and Jake Walton playing their gurdies, to Vlad visiting here in New Jersey to see my gurdy, to all the useful information on this list, to my mom's sacrifice, I will make every attempt to become another gurdy player in the next year.

 

Sorry for the rant.

 

Jake

[Kevin Hughes]

Hello Jake,
 
I'm curious as to what problems you are encountering in learning to play.  You used the phrase high maintenance in two of your emails.  Could you be more specific as what these issues are?

 

I was once asked to look an Orca from Olympic Instruments.  A friend had borrowed it from another friend(who been give it as a gift but never played it) and thought that the bridge needed to be lowered(or the string notches made deeper) and wanted me to look at it and see what I thought.  It turned out that he was trying to tune the open chanterelle to D and so the string was not making good contact with the wheel.  I looked at the paperwork that came with the instrument, found the chanterelle should be tuned to G, tuned it, cottoned the string, did a bit of shimming, and the instrument played. (This was a couple of years ago and I still haven't seen the friend play it.)  But it seemed like the instrument was close to  being good to go when shipped.

 

When starting out the cottoning and related shimming is the first hurdle to overcome.  Neil Brook has a youtube video that is helpful for this.  Next is getting used to turning the crank and playing notes.  The Muskett book is good for this as are Neil Brook's DVD tutorials.  Aftre that work in trompette technique.  Scott Gayman has a great series of youtube videos on this.  And as with any instrument consistent practice yields best results.

 

You will of course have to replace the cotton from time to time.  A tangent or two may shift and need to be realigned.  There could be other issues that arise, however once the instrument is set up it doesn't seem to me to need constant tweaking.  Other folks may have other experiences.

 

I wish you well in your endeavors.

 

Kevin 

[Tania]

Hi Christa.

I just want to mention that Felicia's reaction was nothing unusual in
the situation. I've often done the same when people have opened
windows or doors next to my hammered dulcimer, as would anyone playing
a harp, khanun, valiha, or any other instrument that's similarly
sensitive to temperature & humidity change. (That included my violin
during the brief time that I tried using gut strings.) Stability and
ease of tuning are two good reasons why guitars and mandolins are so
popular.

What I've found with my gurdy in the 14 months I've had it is that the
more time I spend with it, the less time I have to spend adjusting and
tuning it. I was up to about 4 hours a day of gurdy time over the
summer, and could often just pull it out of the case, give each string
a quick tuning adjustment as I set it on the wheel, and I'd be off.
Now I'm lucky to get a couple of hours a week, and we're back to an
unpredictable time spent tweaking the bridges, cotton, rosin and
tangents every time I start. Some days I run out of gurdy time before
I have it where I want it. When that happens I just play a quick tune
on it (if there's time), whatever state it's in, before I put it away.
I'm confident now that, in the long run, any day I mess with it and
remind it what good set-up feels like is better than a day missed.

On Dec 19, 10:50 am, Christa Muths <christa.mu...@gmail.com> wrote:

> ...

> I remember some years ago Felicitas Dale came to play in the U.K. I knew
> nothing about hurdies then. During the break I opened the window (which was
> next to her hurdy) because the air was very sticky. Felicitas ran over from
> the other side of the room, calling out: "Please don't open the window,
> please shut it. My hurdy doesn't like it!"
>
> I was totally confused and not quite sure wether I had heard correctly or

> wether she was somehow  from a very different planet. ...
>
> Christa

[Tania]

Jake, I think that's an entirely justified rant in response to a
poorly considered posting. I do hope that you'll keep at it - it
sounds like you have a wonderful instrument from which you can get a
lot of joy.

Have you been to any hurdy-gurdy gatherings? I got started at the Over
the Water - a whole week of sharing the joys and frustrations of the
instrument with other players of all levels in a supportive community
where you can always turn to someone and say "Why is it doing this?".
Since then I've always tried to find other players or would-be players
wherever I go, for mutual encouragement and for sharing suggestions
and experience. I've found that to be a great help.

[Elizabeth Gilmore]

Hi All, sorry, but WHAT is so high maintenance about a hurdy gurdy?
as compared to any other wooden instrument with strings? Beth

On 12/20/11, Jake Conte <jake...@gmail.com> wrote:
> First off, Bruno, I take exception to some of your comments. As far as

> being* *“amazed how people have expensive instruments made for them,

>>> --- On *Mon, 19/12/11, Jake <jake...@gmail.com>* wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> From: Jake <jake...@gmail.com>
>>> Subject: [HG-new] May be selling my hurdy gurdy
>>> To: "hurdygurdy" <hurdy...@googlegroups.com>
>>> Date: Monday, 19 December, 2011, 7:05
>>>
>>> May have to sell my custom-made Volksgurdy hurdy gurdy next year if I
>>> can't learn how to play it. It was built around 2002 and cost almost
>>> $6,000. There was a two-year waiting period just to begin getting it
>>> built.
>>>
>>> It has a 3-pickup amplification system, built-in tuner, sympathetic
>>> strings, outputs for various situations (1/4", XLR). It's old world
>>> meets modern technology. Really hope to try and make some progress
>>> learning how to play it otherwise I should consider giving it a good
>>> home. Will consider selling it privately first before going on eBay.
>>>
>>> --
>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>>> Groups "hurdygurdy" group.
>>> To post to this group, send email to

>>> hurdy...@googlegroups.com<http://uk.mc877.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=hurdy...@googlegroups.com>

>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to

>>> hurdygurdy+...@googlegroups.com<http://uk.mc877.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=unsub...@googlegroups.com>

[cwhill]

I'm probably showing how little I know about the instrument but I find
mine very stable indeed.
I suffer form problems with my spine now so need to select when I am
able to play (and arthritis does limit the speed of tunes) but apart
from the usual cottoning, tuning and the occasional tweak of the
tangents, I find it as stable as most instruments once the inital setups
have been seen too (OK shimming and the like may seem fiddly after
changing strings as does rosining every so often but I really wouldn't
call it high maintenance, just day-to-day stuff).
May it be that a new player has a far higher expectation of what a HG
does "on it's own"?

Along with most bowed instruments, it takes a LOT of time and effort to
get it to sound well (we have all listened to the school evenings when
the pupils scratch their way through their violin solos, I think).
The HG is far more responsive to "how" it's played at a basic level than
many instruments - and we haven't yet got to the trompette - a whole art
in itself.
I found the biggest problem was turning the wheel at the right speed
when starting to play (going back to the same problem with kids and a
violin). It takes a leap of faith to turn it fast enough to produce a
good sound (and, of course, a lot of time to learn how much rosin to put
on it and to get it even).
You just don't get a proper sound until those things come together
(presuming the setup is OK of course).
I found a similar problem with Northumbrian small pipes in getting a
proper pressure up. There's a feeling of "take it easy until you know
how to play it which, of course, is the wrong way around as it will
always sound bad.
I do wonder if people who say how difficult an instrument it is to play
(we are talking general playing for fun here, not professional stuff)
could find out they could play in a matter of minutes if they had just
one lesson from a player.
We can easily forget the basic stuff as, once we have learned it, it's
quite natural.
Just a thought.

Colin Hill

On 20/12/2011 20:47, Elizabeth Gilmore wrote:
> Hi All, sorry, but WHAT is so high maintenance about a hurdy gurdy?
> as compared to any other wooden instrument with strings? Beth
>

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[Jake Conte]

Hi Elisabeth and Kevin,

 

By "high maintenance" I mean the whole cotton issue.  Do I put to much cotton, loo little cotton?  Tweaking the tangents.  One player once told me not to worry about whether I put too much or too little cotton.  Eventually I should know how much to put on.   Another roadblock was that I had asked to have it set up in D/G as I play primarily Celtic music and figured D/G would be better suited for that.  

 

And, not to dwell on Bruno's comments, but I just wanted to add that this was going to be my one and only hurdy gurdy purchase and I wanted to get it with all the 'bells and whistles' and I wouldn't be able to afford a second gurdy.  Now, I'm thinking maybe I should have bought a more basic model  instead.  They did make a "Symphonie" model which was a lot less expensive.

 

Thank you all for your inspiration.  I will definitely make a go of it and, hopefully, will not be putting it up for sale next year. 

Jake

 

--

[Kevin Hughes]

Hi Jake,

 

I have another question about your statement:

 

“Another roadblock was that I had asked to have it set up in D/G as I play primarily Celtic music and figured D/G would be better suited for that. “

 

Could you elaborate on how this is causing difficulties for you?

 

cheers,

Kevin

 

 

 

[Felicia Dale]

Jake, where are you located? Perhaps someone with a bit more experience could swing a meeting with you and help you out with the cotton and rosin issues. I would be glad to give it a try if we're within striking distance of each other. 

Felicia.

[Felicia Dale]

Christa, I AM from a different planet! LOL! :D

I think I actually remember that night... Thank you for remembering me and my persnickety fears of my gurdy getting out of tune.  

Hope to see you again someday.

Felicia.

[Felicia Dale]

Tania, that's been my experience too. The more time I spend with my
gurdy the more the balance goes from tweaking/tuning to playing. If I
leave it in its case for too long it gets snippy with me and demands
quite a bit of tweaking before it's ready to play consistently again.

My gurdy is a 20+ year old Volksgurdy tuned in G/C with no bells or
whistles at all. Up until this last year it's been particularly
dependable despite the usual issues with gut strings, tangents and
humidity changes. This last year I spent most of my time on other
things and didn't get much chance to play it and right now it's being
a total pig about everything. Oh, well. Back to the grind stone...

Felicia.

[Felicia Dale]

Jake, I saw in one of your posts that you live in New Jersey. I'm going to be out on the eastern seaboard for most of next year so I imagine there should be some sort of opportunity for us to meet, if you'd like to do so. You can contact me at this email address or just watch our website to see where we are:

www.pintndale.com

Then you can avoid us more easily, too. :)

I hope you don't give up on that wonderful sounding gurdy. If you do, please let me know right away. I'd be interested in taking a look at it for myself and may know of others who need a high-end gurdy with electronics. Of course, knowing this list a dozen other folks have already emailed you privately with the same message! :D

Personally, I think you were right to go for a better quality instrument right from the beginning. If I could have afforded it myself I would have done the same. Luckily, my Volksgurdy has done what I needed it to do and only recently has been not quite enough instrument for me. I still love it, though, that's for sure.

Felicia.

On Dec 20, 2011, at 6:42 PM, Jake Conte wrote:

[Tom LOzano]

Hi Jake,

Another solution if you like is to skype each other and go one thing at the time to set you up with your gurdy.

Let me know if that is a possibility,

Best,

Tom Lozano.

[Felicia Dale]

Tom, Skype is a great idea! 

Felicia.

[Jake Conte]

That's not a roadblock for me personally.  What I meant was that, since my gurdy was set up in D/G it may be difficult to play with other gurdy players who have their's set up C/G  I'm not good at having to transpose 'on the fly.'  Had to do that when I played alto and tenor saxophones.

 

--

[Jake Conte]

Felicia, I'm in East Brunswick in central New Jersey.  I know there are some gurdy players in New England, but that would be a 3-6 hour drive by car.

[Jake Conte]

Felicia, that would be nice of you.  I would also love to see you perform.

 

I play mostly guitar, mandolin and electric bass in a Celtic duo.  My partner in Castle Keep now lives in Pennsylvania and is about a 2hour ride so we make it a whole day to rehearse.  She suggested the other day that I could bring mu hurdy gurdy there and I can spend an hour before rehearsal playing with my gurdy while she plays with her harp.  This way we both will work towards learning our instruments.  Will begin after the new year.  I am really excited as I think I'm going to try and make it a go as this gurdy means more than just a cool instrument as it also has sentimental value. 

[Jake Conte]

Hi Tom and Felicia,  I've heard of Skype but don't know anything about it.  Will investigate and maybe is something possible to try.  Thank you.

[Jake Conte]

Felicia, that was kinda my thinking.  That there would be players here that may be interested in my gurdy should I decide to sell it.  But, I want to make the effort to learn to play it as it has sentimental value to me and I also had to wait almost three years for it to be built.

 

And, since it would probably be the only gurdy I would ever own, I wanted to have it with all the bells and whistles.  I also wanted it to be played acoustically as well as amplified.  I was very pleased with the woods used and the Hackmanns were very good at explaining the different types of woods and aesthetic qualities of each.

 

I will check your web site and see when you're in this area so we can meet up.

 

On Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 11:31 PM, Felicia Dale <cruiks...@pintndale.com> wrote:

[Jake Conte]

Thank you, Tania.  I was on this list a few years ago and while I have been unable to attend the Over The Water gathering, some hurdy gurdy players on the east coast (New England area) were planning to get together at a central location (probably Massachusetts).  Wonder if they are still getting together?

 

 

[Tom LOzano]

Hi Jake,

And besides the skype for the mean time, latter will be a HG workshop in Bloomington, IN at the end of April. We will be teaching maintenance, set up, dog making, ...That can be a great opportunity for you to make a great jump with your gurdy. Then, you will never want to sell it.
Think about it and check into the skype program, which is free.

Tom Lozano.

[Felicia Dale]

Jake, I think you got a great gurdy. I think it's far better to get a better instrument that you can grow into rather than something you grow out of too quickly. On the other hand, not everyone needs such a complex instrument but with your back ground in music I still think you made the right decision.

Felicia.

[Felicia Dale]

Hm. Well, I'm going to be based in the DC area but traveling up and down and all around quite a bit over the next year starting in the spring. I bet we'll be within striking distance of each other at some point or another. I also really like the idea of Skype. I can get William (my husband) to aim a camera directly at what I'm doing re: cottoning and as for tuning we could work that out by talking and listening. 

I'm not bothered by the c/g v d/g tuning. I can either transpose or play harmonies to whatever you're playing. 

And if you do put your gurdy up for sale, let me know, okay? It sounds like a lovely instrument. 

Felicia.

[April of the Tulstin Troubadours]

On Dec 23, 2011, at 10:25 PM, Felicia Dale wrote:
>Hm. Well, I'm going to be based in the DC area but traveling up and down and all around quite a bit over the next year starting in the >spring. I bet we'll be within striking distance of each other at some point or another. I also really like the idea of Skype. I can get >William (my husband) to aim a camera directly at what I'm doing re: cottoning and as for tuning we could work that out by talking and >listening.

Quick introduction - my name is April, and I play as part of a Ren
Faire/SCA duo called the Tulstin Troubadours. I play bowed psaltery,
bodhran, flute, and pennywhistle, but I've been wanting a hurdy gurdy
for a *really* long time. My first instrument was piano (since the
age of about 3), so a hurdy gurdy seemed to be the best way for me to
raise my individual volume and add additional notes (harmonies) to
what I'm able to play, while still singing. I just made a downpayment
on a custom gurdy from Altarwinds (an Aquitane body with extra
strings), and I'd be interested in possibly getting a lesson via Skype
on cottoning as well, if it's not too much trouble. (I'm in central
Texas, and I only know of one other gurdy player in my area, and it's
not his main instrument).

Thanks in advance!

April D. Porter
http://www.facebook.com/TulstinTroubadours
http://www.tulstintroubadours.com

[Jake Conte]

Hi Felicia, thank you for your help.  I agree that getting a better instrument to grow into is better than outgrowing one.  I knew that this would probably be my only hurdy gurdy purchase that's why I wanted to get all the options available.  I went with the 3-pickup amplification system because I figured I wanted the option of playing acoustically with our duo and electrically with a full band.  I went with geared tuners because I know the problem in trying to tune with friction pegs.  I probably could have gone without the sympathetic strings or built-in tuner but, by that point, I had almost all the sha-bang :-) 

 

With Skype, do I need to download a program or subscribe to a service?  I'll check into it.

 

Let me know when you're in the New Jersey area. 

 

Jake

[Felicia Dale]

Hi, Jake,

Well, I would have bought "more" gurdy myself right off the bat but I didn't have any idea what was available and took the only referral I could get- which turned out just fine. I've been very happy with my Volksgurdy for about 20 years now. I have out-grown it in some ways and am seriously looking forward to my new one (with lots of bells and whistles!) but I doubt I could have done better at the time for the money. It has been amazingly stable and easy to keep in tune, for the most part, which is not always the case as we all know! Also, I love the sound of it- it's very clear, bright and yet mellow enough to sing over, the drones are well balanced against the chanters and though it doesn't have sympathetics it still has a wonderful ring to it. Overall, I think I was incredibly fortunate. I have Anna Clemenger to thank for recommending Hubbert to me and getting me started playing as well. I doubt I would have had nearly such a good experience as a beginner player without her help. That's one reason I am nearly always ready and willing to help others. Got to pass that good karma on. 

Skype is free to download. There is only a charge (really cheap!) if you use it to call someone's land line or cell phone. Skype to Skype calls are free as are video calls. The only thing needed for video calls is a camera (obviously) and a fast enough connection that it doesn't pause a lot. 

I'll be heading to the east coast some time in the spring and will be based in the DC area for about a year, maybe longer depending on how things go. We'll keep in touch and see if we can't get together.

Felicia. 

[Alf Bashore]

Felicia,

Let all of us on the East Coast know when you are here.  You are such a delightful performer.

And you are aware of Folk College in Huntington PA at the end of May. A Gurdy player will be offering workshops and will be performing.

Gurdy-less currently.

Why is a Hurdy Gurdy like the new year?  Because it always comes around....!  

Happy New Year,
Alf