Received: by 10.58.154.102 with SMTP id vn6mr879822veb.2.1349301482504; Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:58:02 -0700 (PDT) X-BeenThere: hurdygurdy@googlegroups.com Received: by 10.220.154.5 with SMTP id m5ls1825209vcw.2.gmail; Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:58:01 -0700 (PDT) Received: by 10.58.28.228 with SMTP id e4mr979647veh.4.1349301481677; Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:58:01 -0700 (PDT) Received: by 10.58.28.228 with SMTP id e4mr979645veh.4.1349301481654; Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:58:01 -0700 (PDT) Return-Path: Received: from mail-vb0-f52.google.com (mail-vb0-f52.google.com [209.85.212.52]) by gmr-mx.google.com with ESMTPS id bn19si302431vdb.0.2012.10.03.14.58.01 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=OTHER); Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:58:01 -0700 (PDT) Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of samrif...@gmail.com designates 209.85.212.52 as permitted sender) client-ip=209.85.212.52; Authentication-Results: gmr-mx.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of samrif...@gmail.com designates 209.85.212.52 as permitted sender) smtp.mail=samrif...@gmail.com; dkim=pass header...@gmail.com Received: by vbjk17 with SMTP id k17so11979970vbj.39 for ; Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:58:01 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:from:date:message-id:subject:to:content-type; bh=oIT6iM0jjI/K2H72Iu+S9h9/UYCdYy5oLcKWilK+vDo=; b=p687HdAu8sjmq+DTQX6l6lQ8Re0Y90grLJ8x6Q97Uls7YrMO286b6ro1JEC+lCp3sd jyH2Nv+Rlt/BE1HAsBT7/AZuV4C2esVW4viSS9i59KSfjdeDVfjanPc4tvXjVAbg3bEQ aiyHx/FUbOBZaOqpXA0QFB8EdAzD3AV+dFluSde5eDfbMgadNpxnW92MAj5/jiOhfmXQ Qzk0kKzTdL9SF9NE2lwx9DXy19QIMj/trH5DOB6hONa58jfNUqGTTvCXM+uZxdmfHCY0 JfJl+fny4wWQm/YUUMOWcu1W6Q3zic6LHHQDPJVljFGYlhhgqX8CXzUf5iUXjy+3pt8w dckg== Received: by 10.52.96.104 with SMTP id dr8mr541021vdb.51.1349301481213; Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:58:01 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.58.207.49 with HTTP; Wed, 3 Oct 2012 14:57:20 -0700 (PDT) From: Samantha Riffle Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2012 23:57:20 +0200 Message-ID: Subject: Interview with Eluveitie's Anna Murphy To: hurdygurdy@googlegroups.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=20cf307c9f507b90a204cb2ebbb7 --20cf307c9f507b90a204cb2ebbb7 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello fellow hurdy-gurdy enthusiasts! Since I know at least a handful of you on here are folk metal fans, I thought I would share some of the hurdy-gurdy related info from an interview I recently conducted with Anna Murphy, the hurdy-gurdy player in the Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie. I talked to her for about half an hour, which resulted in about 3,000 words of written interview text - unfortunately, for very sensible editorial reasons, the published version of the interview is only 1,000 words, and most of the hurdy-gurdy details got cut. If you're interested in the streamlined version (minus the juicy hurdy-gurdy details), you can read it here: http://metal-exposure.com/?page_id=3D10921 For those of you just interested in the specific hurdy-gurdy related information, I'm cutting and pasting it from the unedited interview here: *Interviewer*:* Tell me about your first hurdy-gurdy. Who was the maker, and what sort of features did it * *have?* *Anna Murphy*: My very first one was rented from the Schola Cantorum, the school for early music, in Basel, Switzerland. It was a really old and very, very traditional instrument. It had four strings, and it sounded like shit. It was terrible, but it was very authentic, so it was good for learning how the instrument works and deciding whether or not I really wanted to play it. *I*: *How long did you have that instrument?* *AM*: About six months, until my current instrument was finished being built [by luthier Helmut Gotschy]. *I*: *So now you have a custom Gotschy Novello Classico and a Weichselbaumer Alto. Can you * *tell me a little bit about the features of each of those instruments?* *AM*: Well, the Gotschy has four melody strings in octaves of G and C. I have to tune the Cs up to Ds sometimes, which is obviously not great, but it=92s worked OK so far. It also has three drone strings, in C, G, and a higher C, plus two trumpet strings with three capos so the strings can be played in C, D, E, A, and G. The Weichselbaumer has three melody strings in C, D, and G, and the drones and trumpets are the same as the Gotschy. For our =93party=94 songs =96 like Inis Mona and Thousandfold =96 I usually play on two melody strings tuned a= n octave apart, but when I=92m just accompanying, I only use one low melody string. *I*: *Have you ever had a hurdy-gurdy emergency on stage or during a tour where you had to do * *something really crazy or last-minute to fix it?* *AM*: I actually had the most epic hurdy-gurdy fail ever! I was playing both hurdies on tour once =96 so for some songs I=92d play the Weichselbaumer and some I=92d pla= y the Gotschy =96 and while I was playing the Gotschy, the handle fell off. And I thought, shit, what the fuck is happening? So I started playing my other one, and the exact same thing happened! So both handles were just gone, and I was standing there on stage like a moron. Luckily, our tech came up with an emergency solution: He taped the handle of a screwdriver on so I could finish playing the show. It was actually seems pretty funny now=85! *I*: *Do you ever have trouble finding supplies for your hurdy-gurdy? Or have you ever had * *trouble getting your instrument to sound the way you want it to before a show?* *AM*: Yeah, I usually use liquid rosin, and either it works really well, or it doesn=92t work at all. And when it doesn=92t work, the instrument just squeaks and makes terrible noises. I think with the hurdy-gurdy, you basically have a 50/50 chance of everything working properly. It=92s like taking a dive into the unknown; either it=92s going to sound wonderful, or horrible. And I always lose my rosin, too =96 but luckily it=92s easy to find in stores, an= d of course, [Eluveitie fiddle player] Meri always has hers. *I*: *You mentioned that you went to the Schola Cantorum in Basel. Who was your teacher * *there? And have you worked with any other hurdy-gurdy virtuosos since?* *AM*: Carmen Ehinger was my teacher, but I haven=92t worked with any other experts since then. I basically just taught myself by playing Eluveitie songs. I don=92t play t= he instrument traditionally anyway, so that seemed like the best way to do it. *I*: *Do you have any special exercises that you do to improve your finger speed or dexterity?* *AM*: Not really. I mean, to be honest, learning new Eluveitie stuff is like an exercise; it makes me better. With every album [Eluveitie frontman] Chrigel writes, it just gets faster and harder, and some things are just fucking impossible! And when I start practicing certain tunes, I only play at about 70 or 80 bpm, and I think, I=92m NEVER going to be able to play this at full spee= d! But then, over the course of a couple of weeks, I always manage somehow =96 the song =93Home,= =94 for instance, was a great exercise for me. *I*: *Since you do a lot of sound engineering and are recording your own stuff, have you * *considered playing around with sound effects or pedals with the hurdy-gurdy for Eluveitie?* *AM*: Yeah, I actually have =96 I really wanted to, but it just never happened. I would have to take the time to go to the store and see what works, but I really want to do more experimenting with that. I think I=92m actually going to check out some pedals in the US, because they=92re cheaper there. So there you have it! And in case any of you are actually hardcore Eluveitie fans and want to read the entire unedited interview, you can find it here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6r528us9oj0e6w2/Interview%20with%20Anna%20Murphy.= pdf . Hope you find it both informative and entertaining! ;) Cheers from Berlin, Sam --20cf307c9f507b90a204cb2ebbb7 Content-Type: text/html; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello fellow hurdy-gurdy enthusiasts!

Since I know at le= ast a handful of you on here are folk metal fans, I thought I would share s= ome of the hurdy-gurdy related info from an interview I recently conducted = with Anna Murphy, the hurdy-gurdy player in the Swiss folk metal band Eluve= itie. I talked to her for about half an hour, which resulted in about 3,000= words of written interview text - unfortunately, for very sensible editori= al reasons, the published version of the interview is only 1,000 words, and= most of the hurdy-gurdy details got cut. If you're interested in the s= treamlined version (minus the juicy hurdy-gurdy details), you can read it h= ere:=A0http://metal-= exposure.com/?page_id=3D10921

For those of you just interested in the specific hurdy-= gurdy related information, I'm cutting and pasting it from the unedited= interview here:

Interviewer: Tell = me about your first hurdy-gurdy. Who was the maker, and what sort of featur= es did it=A0
have?
Anna Murphy: My very first one was rente= d from the Schola Cantorum, the school for early music, in=A0
Bas= el, Switzerland. It was a really old and very, very traditional instrument.= It had four=A0
strings, and it sounded like shit. It was terrible, but it was very au= thentic, so it was good for=A0
learning how the instrument works = and deciding whether or not I really wanted to play it.
=A0=A0
I: How long did you have that instrument?
A= M: About six months, until my current instrument was finished being bui= lt [by luthier=A0
Helmut Gotschy]. =A0

I: So now you have a custom Gotschy Novello Classico and a Weichs= elbaumer Alto. Can you=A0
tell me a little bit about the features of each of those instrument= s?=A0
AM: Well, the Gotschy has four melody strings in= octaves of G and C. I have to tune the Cs=A0
up to Ds sometimes,= which is obviously not great, but it=92s worked OK so far. It also has thr= ee=A0
drone strings, in C, G, and a higher C, plus two trumpet strings with = three capos so the strings=A0
can be played in C, D, E, A, and G.= The Weichselbaumer has three melody strings in C, D,=A0
and G, a= nd the drones and trumpets are the same as the Gotschy. For our =93party=94= songs =96 like=A0
Inis Mona and Thousandfold =96 I usually play on two melody strings tu= ned an octave apart, but=A0
when I=92m just accompanying, I only = use one low melody string.
=A0
I: Have you ev= er had a hurdy-gurdy emergency on stage or during a tour where you had to d= o=A0
something really crazy or last-minute to fix it?
A= M: I actually had the most epic hurdy-gurdy fail ever! I was playing bo= th hurdies on tour=A0
once =96 so for some songs I=92d play the W= eichselbaumer and some I=92d play the Gotschy =96 and=A0
while I was playing the Gotschy, the handle fell off. And I thought, s= hit, what the fuck is=A0
happening? So I started playing my other= one, and the exact same thing happened! So both=A0
handles were = just gone, and I was standing there on stage like a moron. Luckily, our tec= h=A0
came up with an emergency solution: He taped the handle of a screwdriv= er on so I could=A0
finish playing the show. It was actually seem= s pretty funny now=85!

I: Do you ever ha= ve trouble finding supplies for your hurdy-gurdy? Or have you ever had=A0
trouble getting your instrument to sound the way you want it to bef= ore a show?=A0
AM: Yeah, I usually use liquid rosin, a= nd either it works really well, or it doesn=92t work at all.=A0
A= nd when it doesn=92t work, the instrument just squeaks and makes terrible n= oises. I think with=A0
the hurdy-gurdy, you basically have a 50/50 chance of everything worki= ng properly. It=92s like=A0
taking a dive into the unknown; eithe= r it=92s going to sound wonderful, or horrible. And I=A0
always l= ose my rosin, too =96 but luckily it=92s easy to find in stores, and of cou= rse, [Eluveitie fiddle player]
Meri always=A0has hers.=A0

I: You m= entioned that you went to the Schola Cantorum in Basel. Who was your teache= r=A0
there? And have you worked with any other hurdy-gurdy= virtuosos since?
AM: Carmen Ehinger was my teacher, but I haven=92t worked with = any other experts since then.=A0
I basically just taught myself b= y playing Eluveitie songs. I don=92t play the instrument=A0
tradi= tionally anyway, so that seemed like the best way to do it.=A0

I: Do you have any special exercises that you= do to improve your finger speed or dexterity?=A0
AM: = Not really. I mean, to be honest, learning new Eluveitie stuff is like an e= xercise; it makes=A0
me better. With every album [Eluveitie frontman] Chrigel writes, it ju= st gets faster and harder, and some things are=A0
just fucking im= possible! And when I start practicing certain tunes, I only play at about 7= 0 or=A0
80 bpm, and I think, I=92m NEVER going to be able to play this at full= speed! But then, over the=A0
course of a couple of weeks, I alwa= ys manage somehow =96 the song =93Home,=94 for instance, was=A0
a= great exercise for me.

I: Since you do a lot of sound eng= ineering and are recording your own stuff, have you=A0
con= sidered playing around with sound effects or pedals with the hurdy-gurdy fo= r Eluveitie?
AM: Yeah, I actually have =96 I really wanted to, but it just n= ever happened. I would have to=A0
take the time to go to the stor= e and see what works, but I really want to do more=A0
experimenti= ng with that. I think I=92m actually going to check out some pedals in the = US,=A0
because they=92re cheaper there.

So the= re you have it! And in case any of you are actually hardcore Eluveitie fans= and want to read the entire unedited interview, you can find it here:=A0https://www.dropbox.com/s/6r528us9oj0e6w2/Interview%20with%20= Anna%20Murphy.pdf.

Hope you find it both informative and entertaining! ;)<= /div>

Cheers from Berlin,
Sam
--20cf307c9f507b90a204cb2ebbb7--