I really haven't had much time to get online and update everyone who's reading (thanks for letting me know by the way!)
And no Don I haven't tried bacon and cabbage - well, the bacon is ok... but I really dislike cabbage. The Guiness, I think, is much better than the states - it doesn't travel well. It's best in Dublin, but I can only have a half pint of it - it's got a very strong bitter flavor. And it's really rich.
And I'm totally healthy now everyone, no worries!
Mom, Dad and I have been exploring the Glen. We went to the Silver Strand the other day with Poppy and Lucy, two ladies from Northern Ireland that we met at the school. Mom and Dad hiked over a giant mountain about 3 miles away into the neighboring town. They went to the woolen mills and to see a dolmen - an ancient burial site.
Fiddle week has been pretty good... learning by ear is challenging, especially since I've been trained classically... but our instructor talks a lot, and it's often about the geneaology of the area and people and places nearby - which means nothing to me as I don't know any thing, any place or anyone that is particular to the area...
I think I may have been better suited to travel the country more to get more of the different styles of fiddling... I've been told I have quite a mix, which makes sense because in fiddle books they usually put quite the mix in, so one minute I'll play a tune from Sligo county and the next will be from Clare or Cork. I knew very few Donegal style tunes - they're almost all major and they are all very smilar to each other - after a while they all blend together... only every once in a while will you get one that sounds quite different.. its' challenging. And you feel somewhat out of place when you are trying to play in a session and a tune sounds like one you know but it's just different enough that you can't play well enough to keep up with the other musicians. It's frustrating.
It's mostly frustrating because it's not about ability here -which I've got in loads... to be perfectly honest, and I'll probably sound like a jerk saying it, but I'm more of an advanced technique player than most of the fiddlers playing in the area. I can get a better tone and I'm way more in tune than most of the locals. Here what seems to make you really good is knowing all these tunes - it's repetoire and quantity more than quality - although that does play a role too. The best of the best of the best are those that were classically trained but live here so they have the technique and the repetoire. They're GOOD. I wish I knew more so that I could play more...
Right now I need a break from the pubs... it's annoying... sessions start at 11pm and go on until 4 or 5am... and then everyone gets up for class or work at 10am. I can't survive on 3-4 hours of sleep so I play for an hour and then leave, so if they play any tunes I DO know it's usually later in the night and I miss it all... Argh.
Yeah, I think I've been here too long. I'm looking forward to going home. It's way too rainy.
