Day Eighteen.. Or Nineteen?

Not quite sure what day it is and certainly not what time it is.

Holly and Neils had to do a software update on their satellite rig, which meant they had to stay in one place for six hours! Never been known before, but it did mean that we had a lay in, played a bit of Autoharp, Neal and Neils bonded even more in the bat cave, I did some laundry so Gill won't have to, and Coleen actually managed to clear some of her workspace of MLAG stuff. After 4pm, Holly drove me back to her place to switch to the car, then for a final American meal, then dropped me at the airport in plenty of time - after a slight panic when the scales said my big case weighed 76lb - which would have meant it would have to go as cargo! I think they were wrong, as taking a few shirts out and leaving a towel behind brought it down to 56lb. Panic over. Big hugs at the airport, then I charmed BA again into not demanding XS baggage payment and agreeing to me carrying on the harps, which got placed in a first class locker! Uneventful but uncomfortable and sleepless flight, and I breezed through what is laughingly called Border Control at Heathrow - no import duty was requested of me! In fact there was nobody there to make any such request. Three trains, all much earlier than I had expected. The final one I would have had an hours wait for a connection, so I took a taxi instead and got home about 3pm - I think. It feels like 11am and I have not slept since 8am the previous day.

I am now sat here looking at a very nice plaque on my mantelpiece, contemplating the probable delivery of my second grandchild tomorrow, and reliving some wonderful experiences. Not sure quite when it will all sink in, but it would not have been possible without a lot of help and effort and love from a lot of people. Holly and Neils have been magnificent friends and such lovely people. Neal and Coleen were amazing and wonderful. I met so many great people at MLAG. And a special mention must go to Pete for making me such beautiful haps. The GD I used in the contest has such a lovely tone, and my new E is also very special. I hope you think I did them justice Pete.

Tttthhhhats all folks!

Day Seventeen - done

Spent the morning with Holly singing harmonies  - wonderfully, of course - on two tracks, and Niels providing great bass. Then I asked for a massed choir singing a Capella for the final chorus of one song! I don't ask for much, do I? But Neils, Holly, Neal and Coleen duly obliged and we have a laugh out loud moment in a funny song. All in the best possible taste! Some mixing and mastering, change to 16 bit, create montage, add metadata, wave the wand, and I have 18 tracks of my 20 track CD finished! We were able to burn the tracks we have and play them on the CD player upstairs, and I had my first audience of Holly, Neils and Coleen. Holly cried. I took that as a good sign. I cried a little myself.

I am very happy. Two great accomplishments on this trip, all made possible by some lovely people and great friends. But I now have to get back to reality, and Gill, Richard, Melanie, Jeremy, Dylan and Imminent Grandchild No. 2. Better get a good nights sleep tonight, it may be the last for a while.

Day Sixteen - nearly done

So this is where I have been kept chained up for the past week. Well, actually, the past two days I have been next door in the computer end. Two Mics here for recording the Autoharp, one standing mic for singing into. And I have just about finished my bit, just two more parts to sing. I am waiting for Holly and Neils to turn up soon, then we can get a couple of duets done and I need a massed choir of all five of us for one last song. Maybe six as I gather Lucille is due to arrive any time now as well. Everything was not quite smooth today - somehow the groundhogs stole a mandolin part overnight, so Neal had to repeat it! But thanks to Neals hard work today, I have fifteen tracks mastered and polished, and should have eighteen to take home with me in that state, two with bits to add. Again thanks to Neal, I feel I have enough idea of what to do now to be able to finish those tracks on my own Mac in my own studio - once I have taken it out of its box and learned how to use it!

Getting quite sad as it is nearly time to leave. But I will be very glad to get home to see Gill, and have all the excitement of a new grandchild to look forward to as well. Be very sorry to leave all the folks I have met over here though. I am sure we will meet again. When one door closes....

Day Fifteen - winding down

No more photos again, I will try to take some tomorrow.

Have today finished all I can do on the CD. Three tracks need input from Holly and Neils, and they arrive tomorrow evening so we will have all day Tuesday to record and I can go back with them after that to catch my flight Wednesday at 10.30pm. Looking forward to seeing them again. Two tracks will be coming back with me to the UK unfinished - I need a cello on one of them, so am hoping to persuade Emma Wynne Jones to do that, and I would like a harp on the other - a proper one! - so will ask Annie if she could do that. The other 15 tracks have everything recorded on them that needs recording, so Neal will spend a day mastering tomorrow while I sit and watch and take many notes. Today Coleen recorded six more bass tracks and Neal did two concertina and two mandolin parts - just amazed at the professionalism and musicianship of them both, to be able to come up with great tracks for pieces that you had never heard before in such a short space of time is just amazing.

Was taken out for a meal tonight to celebrate, and for a drive round the locality. Very pretty country, lots of huge houses set back in estates, but even the town houses on the main streets are all detached and pretty, with front porches everywhere, most of which had seats in. We went to a Mexican called Montezumas, so I hope he doesn't take revenge tonight. I had steak fajitas with rice, salad, salsa and refried beans. Not so sure about the last, but the fajitas were great. Then we drove round a bit more and had a choc chip ice cream in a cup.

When we got back, Neal showed me what was possible with Band in a Box. Wow! I will have to get the Mac version of that, I think. A lot cheaper than hiring real musicians, unfortunately.

Looking forward to a hard day of sitting in a chair, listening tomorrow.

Day Fourteen.

No time to take photos again today. Woke up with a really positive attitude, feeling good, and we laid down SIX tracks in the morning! Brilliant. The afternoon was harder as I am down to the hard stuff now, and I only managed to add one tune. I really need to perfect my other tunes before I can play them onto a CD. And I also did some very high singing this morning, and my voice only just made it, I could feel the old quivering problem. I have really stretched it, and must look after it again now.

Fortunately, I am able to. I have 20 tracks laid down with voice and Autoharp, or just Autoharp on the instrumentals, which are very few. I could add a few more instrumentals - maybe one of my contest tracks - but that can wait till I get home. I tried Albatross, for instance, but we couldn't find a cymbal track that I liked - needs a soft beater that can crescendo on the cymbal, not just a strike. And I just could not play George Brabazon or Dylan's Dopvals to my satisfaction. I need a good hours practice just on those tunes before I can record them, and here is not the time to be practicing. Managed to get some funny tracks in as well to lighten the unmitigated misery of my usual repertoire!

The lovely Coleen added bass parts to four tracks this afternoon, and I have six more tomorrow that I am asking for bass on. Not only is she a lovely person and bass player, but she is also a great cook! I am being spoiled rotten with her food! Very healthy and very tasty. I am eating very well, enjoying the American diet. I have not weighed myself since leaving home, but feel sure that I must have lost a few pounds. It s a very low carb diet, and low sugar, with lots of water. Tomorrow and Monday we should get done the rest of what needs recording - some bass, a few harmonies, and some instruments from Neal. Tuesday, Holly and Neils should be here, I hope in time to harmonise three tracks. I hope Neal can get at least some of the mixing and balancing done before I go on Wednesday evening. Getting close now

Day Thirteen!

No photo tonight. No time to take any, too busy. We spent four hours this morning working very hard - well, Neal did, I mostly watched after I had done my playing and singing - on just one song. Again, not saying what, but it had a lot of midi stuff in it - would you believe a glass chorus? That's those wine glass things that you run a finger round the rim? Added just the right chilling factor, especially when combined with a bass rumble in the12Hz range - just north of vomit inducing! Now these are things you don't get to hear on the average Autoharp CD - maybe for very good reason. Very pleased with the result though, which was exactly how I had envisioned the song.

I had to crash out at 4pm though, absolutely tired out and just unable to play even simple stuff. After a sleep, I tried some practice on my new harps, and found a few things that work well in E. I have fourteen tracks laid down in rough. A lot of mixing and balancing to do, most of them still with other instruments to add. If I really push through tomorrow, I think I can get the last six down - there are some quick, Autoharp only ones I want to do. Then a few days to mix and get Coleen to put some lovely bass on, and Neal to add some mandolin and concertina and anything else I can persuade him to add. I think he is quite enjoying exploring his trance and rock side.

Quite pleased with how the voice is holding up. It is embarrassing to have to auto tune, but what an amazing piece of software! I get very close most of the time, but when I tire I do go flat, and it is such a time saver to just tweak the longer notes rather than do it all again and get even more tired. There was one time today when I quavered, and felt my vocal cords had had enough. But considering the pounding they have been taking - most of my songs are ridiculously high - they have held up much better than I had expected after eight months of no singing.

Day Twelve - Fourth of July!

Not very good, but what do you expect from an iPad! These are some of the fireworks seen from a hill near Neal and Coleen's house near Greencastle, PA. I have forgiven them for celebrating our defeat - I told them I was over it.

Good day, with many more songs recorded and much more complex songs - I did three part harmonies on some, with very little auto tuning and only minimal aggravation for Neal I hope. A few patches on some songs, particularly in the Autoharp playing it seems. Just too many dead strings in some places! But I am taking Neal to places he has never been before in Cubase! We had a drum loop, chorus and flanger in the last song today!! It is, as they say over here, a doozy! It looks as though I now have half a CD in rough. Still a lot for Coleen to do on bass, and I am asking Neal for some banjo, concertina and mandolin so far, and a lot of balancing still to do. Try to get another five or six tracks tomorrow, so I need an early night, I think.

Missing Gill quite badly. I seem unable to find Richard on Skype, he is not there when I look. Perhaps he is watching Murray at Wimbledon. Try again tomorrow.

Day Eleven - first recordings

A very bad start - what kind of house guest knocks over a glass bedside lamp and has it shatter to a thousand pieces? But Neal and Coleen were exceedingly gracious and allowed me to stay on. At nine o clock prompt I started recording - whether I was awake or not! Took some time to get into it, and a mysterious whine and a tendency to produce echo notes that were never there slowed things down a bit at times, but we got four songs/tunes fleshed out, with harp and voice tracks OK. I do not enjoy working to clicks, and actually Neal had a hard time finding a click track at all with his new software, so in fact most of the time I winged it, played the Autoharp track all the way through and then sang to that. It works for me and is actually quite fast when I really know the song and can sing it in my head. For tunes, I have to do that anyway of course. Took me only about a dozen takes to do one of them with just three mistakes that Neal could edit out. The good thing is that you never make the same mistake every time, so if you do it often enough, you can stitch together one perfect take! Not going to tell you what we did, wait till the CD comes out - if ever!

Lovely dinner, on the porch, looking at the fireflies in the video above. Magical creatures. Later on, getting dark, we walked round Coleen's Folly - an area of the garden with rocky outcrops that Coleen is taming. Loved the door with no frame, the bottle tree, and the Woodhenge from their felled Elm tree, the trunk of which as been left like hands open to the sky. Fireflies covered the fields to the distant hills, a train took 10 minutes to pass by, hooting, and the fireflies ascended to the treetops. And I saw a groundhog!!!

Day Ten - Folk Club

The excitement is fading, but the memories are not. We packed early and set off about 11, after breakfast with Judy Dugas in Newport. Good drive home, with me sleeping most of it, I am afraid, and we got back to Holly's in the afternoon, when everyone except me availed themselves of Holly's pool. In the evening we had a terrific takeaway Chinese - probably the nicest Chinese I have ever had. We sang into the night, and worked out harmonies to Let it Be Me and Dream, that I hope to record and hope to have the wonderful Holly singing on. Went to bed tired and happy and had a long sleep.

Tuesday morning, woke to Neils cooking eggs bacon and fries. Then we had a problem. Heather lost her passport. As she flies home tomorrow, this is a big problem. We turned the house upside down, then phoned Gregg Schreiber to turn the bunkhouse upside down. Still no sign of the passport. Online to the British Embassy, downloaded forms, but was unable to contact them to fix an appointment - no online facility and the phone service just looped and got nowhere. So Holly drove Heather to Washington, to the Embassy. And after some humming and hah-ing, they agreed to sort her, gave her an emergency, one trip only passport and cancelled her other one. So she can fly tomorrow.

And we were still able to go to the Reston-Herndon folk club, where amongst many others, Tom Paxton has performed. It s in the back room of a restaurant who's entrance looks like a juke box. The menu was about an inch thick - but I knew what I wanted - burger and fries. And a very good burger it was too. The place was full, and the autoharpers took it over. Cathy first, with Neils and then duetting with Heather. Heather played two tunes - Hawkers Dream, my favourite. Then I did John Hurt, Albatross, and Will the Angels. Then Neal and Coleen did the Remembering Song and my favourite Crossing the Bar - heard that so many times this trip! I think we all went down well, but I had to leave with Neal and Coleen at half I e, to get to Greencastle to their fabulous home. I have never seen so many objects laying around that I thought "Ooh that's nice!" "Oooh look at that!" And "How on earth do you collect so many CDs and so much vinyl!" A tour of the outside awaits tomorrow, then I start recording. Better get some sleep.

Day Nine - Farewell to MLAG

My new harp bag

The mother of pearl decal

D'Aigle Cascade chromatic

Very sad day. 

First really sunny hot day with a slight breeze and no sense of rain. Breakfast - coffee and a muffin now my milk for cornflakes has run out - then joined the gospel jam at 10. Lead by John and Kathie, various people were called out to lead Gospel songs. I gave them Will the Angels Play Their harps For Me - and it went down very well. I really feel so much warmth from so many people. One kind lady, a preacher, offered to help me out with funds to come back next year - seriously. This had the effect of making me consider this issue. I cannot see me returning. I miss Gill, and it is not fair on her to spend all of this money just on me. She would not come. She would hate camping, would get claustrophobic on the plane, would be ill with the heat and would have nothing to do for seven days. I see this as a once in a lifetime trip, literally. Which is very sad.

Then another great concert. John and Heidi - love the relationship those two have - did Rose of my Heart. Carey did Crossing the Bar!! Already I am in tears. Tina Barr did a rousing set. Then Neal closed. We all stood in a circle, held hands, and sang Family Reunion(?). Well, they sang. I was sobbing too much to sing.

What was needed was two hours of hard work, packing the stage, taking down the jam tent, clearing up generally. So I did that and got to ride in the back of Greggs pickup truck- the full American experience. Then a nap before dinner at six. Some jamming now, more later.

Very good jam from about 9 to 11, love Rick Fitzgeralds voice and guitar work. Final goodbyes and goodnight Mountain Laurel.

Day Eight - Saturday morning coming down

I felt too embarrassed and guilty to go out of my popup last night. I just couldn't face everyone, still don't really feel I belong in the company of these people, but also couldn't sleep. I just lay beneath the stars, playing my Autoharp, thanking the Lord for my fingers.

This morning I woke late and still a little tearful. I can't walk a step without people coming up and congratulating me - Hey! I'm British, I don't get praise! Sat in on Harvey Reid's workshop on amplification, but he was trying to show the differences between his pickup, Lavalliere mic, his own mic, the stage mic, each played through the stage system or his amp, in combination, with or without a ground lifter, with different forms of equalisation ......sorry, he lost me at Lavalliere. Working on how I get everything home. I have bought a double Blue Heron carry on bag and will take my two new harps in that as carry on. Pete assures me he has never had a problem there. The old harps will go in my case as before. I need some form of valuation from Pete to get it through customs, he has agreed to value it at $2000, making $5000 total I will be bringing in - at 20% duty. So then the only problem is carrying them, a shoulder bag and my case through the underground and the train system. Not looking forward to that.

Today, sing with Cathy soon, lunch duty, workshop on how to make a CD with Eileen Kozloff, then I give a workshop on the dance tunes I have. Going now to try to practice those with Ian.

All is good. Cathy's singing workshop was fun. My workshop went fine - except Americans don't know that Humpty Dumpty has a tune!  Concert this evening was again excellent. Really enjoyed Carey Dubbert's Jesu Joy, Tom Schroeder's Pachelbel and Hewlett combo, Katseyes Music in My Mothers House, and Harvey Reid's My heart is full of love - which for the first few times I heard as My heart is full o' flour! Had a good jam with Doofus afterwards. Bed about 12.30, listening to some jamming till nearly two.

Day Seven - The Contest (contd)

OK. Pinch me. When I wake up will I still be Third Place Winner at Mountain Laurel 2013?

I went in the room to draw numbers at 7.20 and my heart sank. Cindy Harris, Cathy Britell, Doug Pratt, Bonnie Phipps, Tom Fladmark, Michael Poole, Drew Smith, Robert Grappell, Kim Goodhue, Vicky Lehman and Muriel Powers - who had done an amazing set in the Open Stage - amongst the 16 competitors. Some of the giants of the Autoharp were in this competition, and very few were missing. So what did I expect? I knew it would be like this. Sixteen competitors, I drew number 8. Come my time, I started with Dylan's Dopvals and messed up the start. Got through it only OK. Also messed the start of Fields of Gold, but it was marginally better than OK, I knew I had a good arrangement and it worked well. But after the first round, I had myself 7th or 8th. So did Holly. 

But, to my amazement, my number was called for the second round. My jaw was on the floor, I could not believe it. But I got to play again. So I went for it. And I have only just realised I actually played Great Uncle Henry in the wrong key! I played in D when I had practiced in G!! But, I went for it, and it worked. Then  Albatross - I was in the zone, eyes closed and the music was just pouring out of me. I knew I stood a chance. But not against Cindy, or Bonnie Phipps. Cindy's pieces were majestic, rhythmical and lyrical. Bonnie's pieces were just out of this world. She took Autoharp playing to a whole new level, I have never heard anything as musical on an Autoharp, and we all knew who the winner was after the last piece she played. But, in the opinion of the judges,  I beat Drew Smith, and Tom Fladmark in the final of Mountain Laurel 2013.

Now how do I get four harps home?

Day Seven - The Contest

Very late night as Cindy's singing jam lasted till three am - but I didn't want it to end! Maggie Dodds and Eileen Kozloff in particular, singing songs, some of which I knew. I should have joined them but I needed rest. Which I didn't really get. I was up at 7.30 to reserve Heather a place in the Open Mic, which was oversubscribed and Nadine could not get signed in. Hope she does so tomorrow.

Spent some of the morning getting a private lesson with Drew Smith and his amazing Autoharp. 47 strings! 22 chord bars, arranged in two rows! Chromatic, but the extra strings are really close doubles! You will love him at Sore Fingers, but be prepared to stretch those hands, and I would think a chromatic harp will be essential. Then played a little with Ryan Hulin before he had to fly home today, missing the contest. Then had to rudely chuck him out so I got some time to practice, and so far it is going very well indeed, the harp is sounding better than ever and surprisingly keeping its tuning in this heat. It is hot again, after the torrential rain yesterday. For the rest of the day, lunch, take Kathy Wieland's songwriting workshop, practice some more, watch Heather in her Open Stage, a light supper and draw numbers for the contest at 7pm. I have been working on the pieces for months, I have got a really good sound with them, I am going out to enjoy playing. Drew Smith told me he will be in it as well - but he has not decided yet what tunes to play!

To be continued.....

Day Six - Open Stage

Day five - MLAG Registration day

Day four - first workshop with Carey Dubbert

Day three - MLAG AT LAST

Great breakfast of sausage and egg from Neils, then we packed Holly's RV and car. Cathy drove Heather and myself in the car while Holly drove the RV, about four hours North to Newport PA. passing Gettysburg, Three Mile Island and Allentown - everywhere you look in America there is a song. Beautiful country. We stopped on the way for a steak sub and fries - healthy food is not really an option, see what I had for dinner later.

Then I arrived at the Mountain Laurel  campsite to find my popup. More of a let down really. I have a bed, a roof over me and a light that works. Nothing else. No sink, no water, no fridge, no aircon. And it is HOT! Boy is it hot! I am running with sweat and have to drink gallons. And it is a humid heat, not dry like in France. Neal and Coleen found me a fan, then Holly drove us into town to buy ice and a cool box, and gave me water, lots of it! On the way back we stopped for two of the most enormous and delicious pizzas I have ever seen, then we made a pilgrimage to holy ground. The site of the first workshop making autoharps. The original site of Mountain Laurel. The home of George Orthey. And I met him, and he punched me! There was a mozzy on my shoulder, so he said! I went into the bunkhouse where Heather was sleeping, and saw the pictures of the Carters and Stonemans and Mike Fenton on the walls. And I saw fireflies, loads of them in the woods! Add these to the red cardinals, humming bird, huge butterflies, wild swathes of day lilies, deer and chipmunks I have already seen - what a wonderful land.

Back to the popup, try to make some sense of it. Apart from anything else, it seems to be unstable - if I move to one end it rocks alarmingly. And the ice in the cool box melts and runs all over the floor because of the way it is tilted. But I am so chuffed to be here, nothing matters. Some jamming, I got to play a tune to Cindy Harris, Cathy and Nadine, and then joined a group who had a book of about 300 songs that they were working from - all in G apparently! Now 11pm, and in bed. Sweating. No way will I sleep. At least tomorrow I will be in the hall with air conditioning.