Bards - ??

[jonwillowpel at juno.com]

Where do most bards get their material for their stories, songs, music
etc?
Do most of us just repeat the majority of our works from others or do
most
of us create our own material from our own resources, such as folklore
and
history books?
The answer is yes. We do all of that. Each performer/bard balances their
material in the way it makes them happy and entertains their audience.
How good you are is often based on how well you balance your repertory.
 
Some of our work comes from other people. The classics are our stock and
trade. Many times no one knows the artist who wrote them and they are use
by everyone. New pieces are the property of the artist and should not be
used without the permission of the artist. Always get  permission to use
a piece if you plan to record it. If possible give credit to an artist if
you make copies of his work. Doing pieces that make up our oral history
keep up our traditions and keep our culture alive.

Many times we use pieces that are from period. It is hard to make period
works come alive for people but artists that are able to make period
stuff interesting gain a lot of respect. Some of us believe that one of
the duties of a bard is to keep the old tales and music and poetry alive.
When you use period material you open a window into the world of
yesterday. You serve a double purpose of entertaining and educating. 
Often period pieces have morals in them  that help people advance and
deal with this medieval mockup we have built. The more roles you
successfully perform the more respected you are as a performer/bard.

Creating and performing your own work is the sign of a well rounded
performer. Original works can gain an individual performer a lot of
prestige. If lots of people like it you can become sort of a pop star.
Original work allow you to create the perfect piece for your style of
performing. If you are able to write in period forms you can achieve more
recognition as a scholar. 

I personally use period sources or create original work. The classics are
fine but you are usually judged against other performances and often come
off lacking. If you are singing a song everyone will join in. This is
nice but it doesn't give you much of a chance to shine as a performer. I
do think it is very important to have a few pieces that everyone knows so
you can bring everyone together. Group pieces are great if you are stick
performing right after the best performer on site. They are also good
when the energy has left the circle. 

Performing is Living
Willow 
 

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