[Bards] A small Bardic survey....

barrett1 at cox.net barrett1 at cox.net
Fri May 11 06:57:11 PDT 2007


Hey, redhead.

I have two. They aren't huge, but I consider them very important.

One is avoiding the Curse of the Clockwork Bard. 
"Well, since there are people somewhat to my left and my right, with every other sentence I'm turning left, now right, now left, now right..."
"Ah, there's a an actual circle around a fire, so I'm going to walk all the way around the fire, over and over and over..."
"Hmm, I have to perform for a crowd in front of me that is divided by an aisle. I know! I'll stroll halfway down the aisle and turn around about a quarter of the way through my piece and stroll back up..."

Teach good placement. If there is a horseshoe or a line in front of you, center yourself or place yourself to one side and project to the center. In a circular setting, stand near the edge and face inward. If you swing your head back and forth, you become a tornado siren, wailing and fading to the ears of your audience. You'll lose them faster than a feast token.

Second, strive to be the epitome of your chosen culture. This does not mean an outrageous, overblown accent (which I have been guilty of, and it can be fun for comedy, I mean as a constant. It becomes a hinderance to some pieces) I mean your clothing, your jewelry, your bearing, the references you make in your pieces, the way you ackowledge your audience, everything you can think of. 
You can become a window to that culture, that country, that time. The garish, haphazard, wandering magical gypsy-minstrel-bard is more a product of modern fantasy novels and roleplaying games than it is a figure of history. True Romani are rarely portrayed. Minstrels strove to be acceptable in bearing and dress to French noble society. Study what is appropriate for you, be it an English Gleeman, an Italian courtier or a Norse Skald. Strive to stand out in a crowd as an example of your culture. It takes time and research, but there's a reason costumers are recognized at the Oscars. It's all about immersion.


~Finnacan

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> Maggie MacPherson
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