Betcha $10

I had a little laugh on Friday during my classical violin lesson with Keadron. On Oct. 6, despite Keadron's initial objections, she agreed to let me record our lesson with my Olympus DVR 320m. Keadron's misgivings surfaced again on Oct. 13 and when we started, she asked me not to record the lesson. After a few minutes of discussion, she gave in, but then told me with a chagrined smile that she owed her friend Robin $10 for losing the bet that she wouldn't cave. I gave her a ten dollar bill and told her to buy herself and Robin a beer next time they got together.

Trifecta

I attended three different sessions yesterday in Charlottesville. Following my 1-2pm lesson with Cleek, I went to The Shebeen (3-6pm), Fellini's (6:15-8pm), and finally Durty Nellie's (8:15-9:30pm). I doubt that I will do that often, but it made for a great day of music.

Best so far

I've had two Irish fiddle lessons with Cleek Schrey and am happy with the results. Cleek is a young (twenty-something) but very skilled player and his teaching style is just about perfect for me. Rather than just teaching me tunes, Cleek provides detailed explanations of music theory and the historical context of the techniques, players, and music. He also demonstrates these techniques very clearly and shows great patience.

Trading up

The importance of a good bow cannot be overemphasized. My Klaus Uebel bow has served me well, but I began to notice some slight problems with its agility and tone. After looking over several candidates, I upgraded to a heavier (61.3 grams), but better balanced bow, by the French maker Deschamps circa 1925. The stick is round and has a classic French curved ebony frog with an inlaid mother-of-pearl Parisian eye and a silver screw/wrap. This is not my dream bow, but should serve me well for some time to come.

Harvest ceilidh

On Friday night, I hosted an Irish session at my country home. A friend of mine who runs a local restaurant prepared a large batch of chili and cornbread for me to serve to my guests and it was quite a hit. Everyone raved about the food and it added a lot to the enjoyment.

We ended up with a flute, two guitars, tenor guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, tenor banjo, whistle, viola, and seven fiddles. Rain prevented the bonfire I had intended, but we had a great time and played until 2am.

I will probably make this an annual event.