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Jigging to my own beat
Sep. 17th, 2010 10:53 pmI got to the train station this evening three minutes after a train had left. Since this meant that I had almost twenty minutes to wait until the next one, I pulled out my melodeon (Friday night is jig practice night).
I practised a few things, including Banks of the Dee (which I've never practised before, just fudged my way through at performances, which is not particularly cool). Then I decided to try something new.
There's a few people who jig and play an instrument to accompany themselves simultaneously. I've seen a video of a man who did that with a violin. Richard and Dave, both friends of mine, reportedly did a double jig with a whistle – one whistle, that they passed between them as they swapped over (wish I'd seen it).
So I decided to try it. There wasn't anyone on either my platform or the one opposite. No-one to see if I stuffed up. I tried Highland Mary, because that's one of the jigs we're learning at the moment, and I really need to get better at remembering the tune.
And I fumbled my way all the way through just fine! I was actually able to keep playing while I danced, even if a bit creakily, with more wrong notes than usual and much more stilted than usual, but I have proven to myself that I can, in fact, play and dance at the same time (this is the morris equivalent of rubbing your belly and patting your head, only much harder. Many of us struggle to be able to talk and play melodeon simultaneously). I have found this so exciting and encouraging that I may keep practising when I have time. I am nowhere near being able to dance out doing both, of course. But the fact that I can do it at all I find very impressive. It will take a long time until I'm doing much more than stepping through the dance rather than properly dancing it, though, of course.
It was funny, though. My housemate was out when I got home, so I had a go in our music room, which has a mirror on one wall. There I am: lovely scoop-neck top, strings of pale pink beads, a large rose pinned in my updo, and dark lipstick ... with a melodeon strapped to my front, attempting some very unladylike moves. It made me feel much more like myself after some 'girly' make-up shopping this afternoon.
I practised a few things, including Banks of the Dee (which I've never practised before, just fudged my way through at performances, which is not particularly cool). Then I decided to try something new.
There's a few people who jig and play an instrument to accompany themselves simultaneously. I've seen a video of a man who did that with a violin. Richard and Dave, both friends of mine, reportedly did a double jig with a whistle – one whistle, that they passed between them as they swapped over (wish I'd seen it).
So I decided to try it. There wasn't anyone on either my platform or the one opposite. No-one to see if I stuffed up. I tried Highland Mary, because that's one of the jigs we're learning at the moment, and I really need to get better at remembering the tune.
And I fumbled my way all the way through just fine! I was actually able to keep playing while I danced, even if a bit creakily, with more wrong notes than usual and much more stilted than usual, but I have proven to myself that I can, in fact, play and dance at the same time (this is the morris equivalent of rubbing your belly and patting your head, only much harder. Many of us struggle to be able to talk and play melodeon simultaneously). I have found this so exciting and encouraging that I may keep practising when I have time. I am nowhere near being able to dance out doing both, of course. But the fact that I can do it at all I find very impressive. It will take a long time until I'm doing much more than stepping through the dance rather than properly dancing it, though, of course.
It was funny, though. My housemate was out when I got home, so I had a go in our music room, which has a mirror on one wall. There I am: lovely scoop-neck top, strings of pale pink beads, a large rose pinned in my updo, and dark lipstick ... with a melodeon strapped to my front, attempting some very unladylike moves. It made me feel much more like myself after some 'girly' make-up shopping this afternoon.
