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 is a piece I wrote and recorded on Christmas Eve. I like it because it reminds me of an artist in Pasadena, Terry Payne, whose work is shown above. Mostly, it reminds me of the music on his website, but then I can easily remember meeting him and his big fluffy dog on the streets of Pasadena while I played my dulcimer there. He was quite a lot older than me, and I’m pretty sure we had little, if anything, in common… But it’s probably the mystery that I liked about him the most. I remember a certain gentle intensity about him. Before I had a chance to get to know him at all, I left for Ireland. While I was in Ireland, Terry sent me a very cool postcard– an illustration of his in the style Polish circus poster that originally had the word “Cyrk” on it, that Terry had cleverly changed to “Cork”. All these years I’ve kept him in mind as the artist I’d like to have design my cd cover. You out there, Terry? You with me on this? Remember your dulcimer girl?
People assume that you go to Ireland to study Irish music. But what I found there was so much more diverse. Unfortunately, I can’t remember this guy’s name or how we met, but he plays the Indian vina. You’re hear it and think “sitar,” and it’s in the same family, but it’s a vina. I really do wish I could remember his name. The minidisc is labeled “vina” and that’s it, although I do know it was 2003, because I remember him coming to practice in my room at the Leeside apartments– the room on the top floor that had the slanted ceiling window thing. I’d wake up in the mornings and watch the scrolling slideshow of clouds, rain, seagulls, patches of blue, clouds, rain, seagulls…
Anyway, this was me and the Irishman with the vina practicing for a rare gig (completely unique for me, actually) at an Indian restaurant in Cork City, 2003. All completely improvised.
