[Bards] Discussion question
Cathy Polakoff
cathy.polakoff at comcast.net
Fri Jul 30 14:27:31 PDT 2004
Speaking of lines that beg to be used in a piece, would you mind if I used
the "Do Fighters Dream of More than War" line? It struck a chord with me
(no pun intended) regarding a piece I'm trying to write about Triple A.
Also, thank you for the advice, as I consider myself to be a beginner and
what you said was very helpful.
Anna bat Chaim
At 06:11 AM 7/30/2004 -0500, you wrote:
>My method of becoming a better bard began with an attempt to increase my
>repertoire (sic). I was tired of singing and hearing the same songs at
>every event we went to. So, I began seeking out pieces from bards in
>other regions of our great Kingdom as well as a few from bards in other
>Kingdoms. I sought permission to perform those pieces, then set about
>learning them. From there, I found a bit of inspiration and (on the
>occasion that the muses smile down on me), I can write my own. Another
>source of inspiration for my own pieces is listening to the stories people
>tell (outside of the bardic circle). Many people are passionate about
>their pursuits in the SCA and when they are around their friends and
>families, they will sometime ramble on and on about something they ve seen
>or done that touched them in some way. Usually (for me at least), those
>stories have at least one line that will stick with me and BEG to have a
>piece written about them. I have a notebook that I keep those single
>lines in and when the hankering to write hits me and I can t decide what
>to write about, I pull out that book and flip through it looking for
>inspiration. (Some examples of lines in the book are: Real Men Don t
>Wear Lace and Do Fighters Dream of More than War) Now, I am not condoning
>the act of eavesdropping on private conversations&I m merely talking about
>taking in your surroundings and listening to the people who share this
>dream with us.
>
>
>
>As far as performances&Some of the things I ve learned to be a better
>performing bard&If you start a piece and it s not reaching the audience,
>don t be afraid to stop the song and start a different one. NEVER
>apologize for your performance (i.e. I know I don t sing this song as
>well as So-and-So, the Titled Bard of Everywhere, but here s my
>rendition). Instead, introduce the piece (especially if it s not one of
>your own), list the author if you know who it is (and if you don t find
>out). People have favorites that they ll want to hear from you every time
>you walk through (or near) their camp THIS IS A COMPLIMENT, treat it as
>such. If you ve just walked up on a circle, and someone says Sing
>Something , and you haven t had a chance to read the circle to know what
>the mood is, pull a couple of old stand-bys (songs you know forwards,
>backwards, and upside down), put the songs into categories (goofy, happy,
>war marches, love songs, etc) and ask the group to pick a category&don t
>list the songs as many will not know them&
>
>
>
>Before I wrap up, one last thing. If possible, find another bard you
>trust&when you ve got a new piece to perform ask them to listen to it and
>ask them to give honest, constructive criticism&be willing to accept the
>critique and learn from it (remember, you don t have to agree with them or
>incorporate all of their suggestions into the piece)&Polish the piece if
>necessary and then ask them to listen again. I ve never met a bard who
>isn t willing to listen to another bard and offer pointers . I may be a
>bit naïve here too, but I ve never met a malicious bard who will give
>negative pointers to worsen the piece.
>
>
>
>Here s where I break one of my own rules&I know I m not the greatest bard
>in the Kingdom& I know that I still have a lot to learn and lot to write
>(sometimes I wish the songs would come out as a solid unit though)&But I m
>willing to gather whatever knowledge I can from whichever bard is willing
>to share (that seems to be most of them I ve found) and run with it&I ve
>come a long way (from knowing two songs not worth singing in my own
>encampment to being one of the Titled Bards of Namron), but I know the
>journey is just beginning.
>
>
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>In Service to the Dream,
>
>Lady Adalia Nyx VonDerBerg
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>----------
>From: bards-bounces+emily.minier=dtag.com at ansteorra.org
>[mailto:bards-bounces+emily.minier=dtag.com at ansteorra.org] On Behalf Of
>Dawn Rummel
>Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2004 4:14 PM
>To: Bardic
>Subject: [Bards] Discussion question
>
>
>
>Question: How do you, personally, work to become a better bard?
>
>
>
>Antonia/Dawn
>
>It's the little things in life...
>
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