All Strung Up!
Another week, another session, and another unique set of strings going crack....
I'm not sure if its just the increasing enthusiasm within sessions recently, but there's been a fair number of strings snapping recently. I mean, Andy's bouzouki had a string give up its last petulant note right in the middle of a cracking set of Clare mann jigs - how dare it! Then last week it was DADGAD Al's turn to lose his dirty little G string... ...luckily he came packed for the session and had a spare..!
Personally, I see an analogy between strings and human will - my strings snapped this week when medicine was shoved off the menu and music was placed firmly on it. Some people think i'm mad, others, think its the first normal thing i've done, but they all reckon my strings snapped!
But the string snapping crown must of course go to Mr DADDAD, Paul Campbell, who snaps them with such monotonous regularity we should start placing wagers on whether he'll last the next set of tunes...
...this reminds of the story of "Bill", a Cumberland fiddler who featured in a 1930s Musical Quaterly article. The author and the "I" in this article is Jeffrey Mark the pianist in the trio concerned:
Bill's other musical partner was a box player whose instrument played in Bb and Eb..... 'This you might imagine would have been hard on Bill who, like all country fiddlers, very sensibly confined himself, as far as possible, to the keys of D and G. Bill, however, met the situation squarely by screwing up all the strings a semitone, so that for the accordeon's Eb and Bb he simply had to finger as for the keys D and A. This was rather hard, incidently, on the pianist, who at that stage of his musical career, shared Bill's preference for D and G. But I managed to familiarize myself with the flat keys, and got along, somehow! The real trouble was that the heavy pressure of Bill's bow was too much for his over-taut strings, and he generally managed to break two or three every night. Even in those crude musical circles, Bill was known as one who always "laid on hard," and the snapping of his strings was looked forward to as part of the evening's entertainment. After each report, I invariably looked round apprehensively, but Bill used to shout back at me "Gan on lad, divn't stop! Ah'll seun catch up wid thee!"'
So there you go then. Its been going on since the year dot, and should be looked forward to as part of the evenings hilarity. Well, not wishing to falter that sentiment, who'll offer me some odds on Campbell's strings going plonk tonight during the Jolly Stinker?.......
See yous'll later!
22.03.2007. 10:47
I am resigned to breaking strings every week. Its just one of those things..
However speaking of strings... My guitar goes by the name "Norman" as he was born in the same building as Seagull, Lavaree and another named guitar, "Simon and Patrick."
Now I am open to many points of view but a certain guitar player who should remain nameless, but he's known as Kelleher, has cast aspertions on Norman's testosterone level.
I say here and now Norman wears no G-strings.....something that cannot be said about that Irishman's guitar... Simon and Patrick....
Simon and Patrick.. ..hmmmm.. ..Colin and Justin??!
Nuff said!
Michael Kelleher on 25.03.2007. 04:38
I've told you before Simon and Patrick were detectives not decorators. Plus I'd rather have someone in my arms that wears a G string then a Dad called Norman.
BTW it wasn't the guitar I was casting aspertions on!!! For reference see the village people play jigs in the Fish photo on Bev Whelans page
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