I was too busy making mojitos to fuss with the camera (or a fiddle, or a dulcimer) while the big part of the party went on. But when it all died down, I found myself in a fairly odd–but totally fun–jam session with Ken Doyle on Irish flute and Ken Harrison on saw. This is our rendition of Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies”. A rather soulful ensemble, don’t you think?

18th Street “surprise” party for Rick Davis, July 5th, 2008:

After all the excitement of the Chattanooga Dulcimer Festival last weekend, it all boiled down to a few modal tunes I got to share with Matt Evans at the old time jam last Monday.  After a weekend of wailing away on my dulcimer, we quieted down with “Texas” and “Falls of Richmond” all slow and groovy, and Matt pulled out this one, “White Face Reel”.  Quiet moments like these are rare at our session.  The voice you hear at the end is Shelley, my dulcimer friend from Chicago, one of half a dozen guests who stuck around for a free day after the festival was over.  Yes, there will be some dulcimer fest videos soon…. I was too busy to capture any of it myself, but Philip was on the scene working his magic.  Now he just needs to work his editing magic and get those puppies uploaded!  In due time… In the meantime, Fred, enjoy some fine banjo playing from my buddy Matt.

Matt Evans, White Face Reel, Market Street Tavern, June 23, 2008:

Sometime late in 2007 I met little Ethan Ferguson at a campfire at the Cove Lake State Park in Campbell County, TN. He was playing fiddle, I was playing dulcimer, and we mutually became each other’s biggest fans that day. I was lucky to run into Ethan again this past weekend at the Louie Bluie Festival, also at the park, and I took this video of him and his band stealing the show. It’s hard to believe Ethan’s only 10 years old. He plays fiddle like a champ, runs that band like a CEO, and talks to the crowd like he’s a star on the Grand Ole Opry. It’s exciting to imagine the musical path this kid’s life will take. I hope our paths cross again!

Last week was a great one.  Music all week… and yet, hardly any of it captured.  With Chattanooga all up in its Riverbend frenzy now, I’m happy to report that my week was full of traditional music and dulcimer lessons.  One happy surprise was a visit from George and Martha.  (Okay, I admit, it wouldn’t have been so much of a surprise if I had actually written it down on my calendar.)  They came and enjoyed our Monday night old time session, and then later in the week I had a two hour lesson with George in which we worked on Chief O’Neill’s Favorite Hornpipe.  (I wonder what it was called before the chief decided it was his favorite.)  I promised George I’d email him this video we took of me playing through the tune very slowly, but instead I’ve decided to post it here on the blog since it’s a tune I frequently teach.  It’s good for players who have mild bridge-crossing anxiety!

This past weekend, Butch and I performed at JAMFest in Lee’s Summit, MO. (near Kansas City) We put on the usual Butch and Christie show for them, complete with angry game and all. Angry game = When Butch and I know a tune perhaps a little too well, we’ll stare at each other and make ugly angry faces, just to keep things interesting.

Anyway, in this clip, it’s just a closeup of me playing Little Billy Wilson. Thanks to Scott for taking the video!!

And a closeup of my hammers as I back up Butch on Booth Shot Lincoln:

Due to a scheduling/weather snafu, we got bumped out of our usual spot at the Market Street Tavern tonight just after we started our old time jam.  Luckily, the house isn’t too far away, and miraculously, it was even clean enough for guests, so we negotiated with the kind tavern for a case of beer to go, and transported the whole jam to 18th Street.  Now I generally look forward to Monday nights as my fiddle practice night, but given that there were already one-hundred-and-eleventy-seven fiddles, I went for the more diverse option, the dulcimer.  Of course, I was also able to pull out the banjo on a tune, and even spun around on my stool and banged one out on the piano.  It turned out to be a really fun evening with some great tunes!  Thanks to all of you who came, for being so flexible.  Looking forward to next week’s jam, back at the Market Street Tavern, 6-9.  For anyone who has just happened upon this post, the weekly old time jam on Monday nights is open to any musicians who want to play old time tunes–no experience necessary!  Beginners welcome!

Here’s the tune, Old Chattanooga, being played in my living room, Monday, May 26, 2008:

This is what happens when you stay up too late vainly googling yourself. I found this mp3 that my friend Paul Beck had posted in the CWA (Cimbalom World Association) online forum sometime after the 2003 congress in Appenzell, Switzerland. It’s a clip from my solo performance, where I was simultaneously representing Ireland and the USA. I do recall the stagefright I was experiencing at the time. I do recall Kalman Balogh watching me from the wings. I don’t recall the names of some of the tunes that wriggled their way into this mad medley, but I do know that the first one is “Flying to the Fleadh” (a longtime favorite), and the second tune is “Bear Island Reel”. “John Stenson’s” is the final tune. I also know that my playing style has changed a lot since this performance. For one thing, I NEVER play this fast anymore when I’m on my own. And even though I’ve all but lost my grip on Irish tunes these days, I know that I play them with far more swing… Anyway, it’s a rare recording that captures me, on stage, solo, stringing together tunes willy-nilly, improv and all. And what’s with the long airy intro at the beginning? I don’t remember doing that, or even thinking of it. But heck, I think I oughta use it from now on!

Christie Burns, on stage at the CWA congress in Appenzell, Switzerland, October 2003:

Weee! I just got my brand new Bose stick sound system (L1 model II), set it all up, plugged in my dulcimer (the Masterworks) and took off on some kind of improvisation using the delay effect. Ain’t ya proud, Dan? Ok, so this is like way a lot of fun… I’ll keep this post short and go back to playing with my new toy! Good times to come! And sweet sounding music.

“Stick Today”, recorded by Christie Burns on 18th Street, May 18, 2008:

This past Sunday, Butch and I were playing our first of many Sundays out at the aquarium. He’d gotten up for a bathroom break, so I was left there alone to improvise on my dulcimer. A small meditation on my mother, and Mothers Day in general, is what came out. When Butch came back, he added in all kinds of ambient loops with the guitar, real spacey rhythmless stuff, and it sounded great. I should’ve been recording then, but I wasn’t. Instead, I’ve recreated my part here in the living room this morning on the brand new Masterworks 16/15c I’m selling.

It’s called, “My Mother Is Beautiful,” recorded on 18th Street in Chattanooga, May 13, 2008:

There’s a funny thing happening around Chattanooga these days. There are hammered dulcimer players living on streets across from other dulcimer players, the sole dulcimer players’ magazine in the USA is published on Signal Mountain, dulcimer players can be found on the street and in churches all over town, at festivals, parties, art galleries… And now we even have a guy who’s building them. It’s been fun teaching dulcimer lessons to Ned Smith, because not only do I get to see his musical progress with the pieces, but every time he comes for a lesson, I get to try out a new dulcimer he’s just built. And they’re really nice!! Ned and I are highly critical of one another’s work (and we wouldn’t have it any other way, right Ned?), so I’ve been offering opinions and perspectives on his instruments all along. Today he walked in with the one I love the best so far, so I decided to record a quick piece of music on it and post it to the blog. Ned has his own website about his instruments: http://www.creekhilldulcimers.com/ and he’ll also be taking orders for new instruments at the Chattanooga Dulcimer Festival this summer. I almost didn’t let him take this dulcimer home with him today… It’s pretty, and it sounds great–and will sound even better once it’s broken in. This tune I recorded is “Flying to the Fleadh” by Patrick Davey, a tune I seem to have gotten a bit rusty on, and I really did not tune the B on the bass bridge as well as I should have… but still, I think the beauty of the instrument comes out.