[Bards] Instruct me, please

Tue May 27 11:02:13 PDT 2008

Saemundr,

Welcome!  I am pretty sure that no matter what you do, nobody here is going
to “laugh you back into your shadows.”  

Here’s my story.  I was a guitar player and singer/songwriter (as a hobby)
before I got into the SCA 20 years ago.  It was my lady who brought me in,
and I was immediately thrown together with her ready group of friends in
Caid, many of whom were bards.  I knew I wanted to perform, but the big
problem was repertoire!  Where could I find SCA bardic stuff to play?  I
heard someone play a couple of Archie Fisher songs (a folk singer from
Scotland) and loved them.  I was also introduced to Stan Rogers music, and
started to learn a bunch of his songs as well.  It was at this point that
the ever-persistent question of “what is appropriate for SCA settings?” came
to light.  As it turned, out some of these songs (all written within the
last 20-40 years) were considered perfectly acceptable by almost everyone
for any SCA setting, and others were deemed far too modern.  What was the
difference?  Mostly it was the subject matter
..the lyrics.  For example,
the Archie Fisher song “The Witch of the Westmereland,” (also recorded by
Stan Rogers:-)), is usually considered appropriate due to the
traditional-style telling of a period-like story in a period-like way.  But
Stan Rogers’ “Night Guard,” for example, which talks about pickup trucks and
cattle rustling, is not considered appropriate (hopefully for obvious
reasons).  The same for Archie Fisher’s “Bill Hosie,” which talks about the
designer of the Spitfire fighter plane.  So basically, my first lesson was
this: It is generally OK to do songs (stories, poems etc.) whose language
and subject matter are not obviously too modern, even if they were written
in the 20th century.  I started with Stan and Archie, then discovered Dougie
McLean (also from Scotland), and other great folk singer/songwriters (mainly
from the British Isles or Canada), and started doing “covers” of their
“perioid” (our term for songs lacking enough blatant modernisms not to
offend) or traditional songs.  Then I had a little bit of a repertoire and
could perform at bardic circles without snapping too many people out of
their medieval atmosphere.  Eventually I started writing songs of my own,
then co-writing with my lady, and now we have lots of original songs that we
mainly do.

Of course, actual period songs (documentable to before 1600) are always a
perfect choice, if a tad bit harder to find recordings of.  It’s actually
much easier these days though, with internet radio stations playing lots of
groups who perform period songs.  Try Live365 and search for “renaissance,”
of “medieval” music, and you’ll find lots of hits.  RenRadio is one source.
There are many others. 

That’s my story so far:-).  And I’m still learning!  It might be really
helpful if you found some bards in your area (Namron, I assume?) who might
have good advice.  I’m down in San Antonio (Bjornsborg) myself.

<I play guitar although it seems that guitar tends to be looked down on>

Be assured that there is plenty of evidence for the use of guitars in period
that people shouldn’t look down on them.  But I know some do.  This led me
early on to find lots of documentation on guitars.  In most SCA versions of
period stuff (armor materials, fighting styles, food ingredients, dyes, the
list goes on), there are differences between what was used (and sometimes
how) in period, and what we use today.  The guitar, however, is one of those
things whose differences are relatively small (how it was tuned, what the
strings were made of, how many strings there were, etc.).  But if you want
just a taste of the body of evidence of guitar in period, look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vihuela.  The woodcut is from our period
(1536), and the instrument, though called a “vihuela,” sure looks an awful
lot like a modern guitar right?  So feel free to play that guitar in a
bardic setting!  I always do, and so does the current kingdom bard (Master
Ihon), and several others in our kingdom.  

So I hope this has been of some help to you.  

Good luck and welcome!

Kenneth      

  _____  

From: Jim L Couch [mailto:jimcouch at gmail.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 8:31 AM
To: Ansteorran Bardic list
Subject: [Bards] Instruct me, please

Dearest good gentles and gentle-ladies of the lyst

Never have I competed in a "bardic" competition, nor participated in a
bardic circle save one.  However, mundanely I have participated in
entertainment (amateur) off and on.  Naturally, your list and arts interests
me a great deal.

I have "played" off and on (mostly off) for a couple years but I have often
found it difficult to understand how a new person begins to find their way
into the entertainment arts of the SCA.  I wondered if any of you would mind
thinking back and telling me what it was that lead you to where you are now.
Perhaps I just don't have the personality for the arts, but I have always
been one to listen to teachers and the instructs of others.. and I will
pursue this dream to life or any dying end.

As for talents?  Only mundanely, of course, I do sing decently.  I play
guitar although it seems that guitar tends to be looked down on.  I have
acted, directed, and wrote several plays even if they weren't the skill of a
master.. i still enjoyed it.  I love to story-tell but I will admit I am
slow to "improv" it.

I had the good fortune of attending the good Duchess Willow's class on
storytelling (I believe) a couple years ago during my first year in the SCA.
I will be attending Kings College in Steppes (I believe it is) in a couple
weeks.  My hope is that it will help me tremendously.

Mostly, I find it difficult to step out of my shadow unless challenged.  I
lack self confidence to "promote" myself.  I am uncertain what constitutes
good SCA bardic material.  I am certain that there are other problem areas
but these are the most difficult for me.  I deeply admire what you, kind
readers, do and I have followed your discussions here.  Please share any
advice you can offer.

I pray that the answers to these questions and more will find their way to
me before I throw myself to the wind and am promptly laughed back into my
shadows, never to appear again.  

ágætliga (honorably)

Sæmundr the pure of Namron

-- 

My life, my hobbies, and pictures at http://jimcouch.googlepages.com/ 

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