<html><div style='background-color:'><P>I strongly agree with most of the things that have been said about bardic circles. The thing i MOST agree with is having the actual competition during the day and then juat having fun in the circle at night. We are missing out on performing our art for many people who will not attend a bardic circle, but would listen during the daytime. Also, many attendees are "day-trippers" who cannot stay unil midnight for a bardic competition to end. The pressure of this bardic circle competition also does intimidate some...me, I would sing at the white house on national TV and follow Finnigan Dub or The Irish Rovers, but many are not that way. In my humble opinion, let's have the competition during the day as a a regular part of the days events and then hold a fun time in the circle at night. I have had to personally miss out on several competitions because i
HAD to day trip it due to my mundane job. Just my opinion and my two cents worth and it is probably worth about that much, but just felt i had to add this.</P>
<P>Yours in Service to the Music and The Dream;</P>
<P>Lord Cormac of Skorragardr<BR><BR></P><BR><BR><BR>
<DIV><FONT face="Lucida Handwriting, Cursive" color=#ff3333><STRONG>Okiewiter</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
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From: <I>Cisco Cividanes <engtrktwo@earthlink.net></I><BR>Reply-To: <I>Ansteorran Bardic list <bards@lists.ansteorra.org></I><BR>To: <I>Ansteorran Bardic list <bards@lists.ansteorra.org></I><BR>Subject: <I>Re: [Bards] Situations That Ruin Bardic Circles</I><BR>Date: <I>Sun, 29 Apr 2007 23:12:29 -0500</I><BR>>Greeting, I read this post was was rather surprised and pleased to see<BR>>how well it both summed up its points and mirrored my own opinions in<BR>>many respects.<BR>>Well written, Lord Kennith.<BR>><BR>>However, I would like to interject my own, humble experiences and point<BR>>out some specifics with my thoughts differ with your own.<BR>><BR>>Ken Theriot wrote:<BR>> > Bardic circles represent the primary type of venue for us to perform at<BR>> > events.<BR>>Ok, I will not say that this is wrong by any respect, but I would
like<BR>>to offer an alternate opinion.<BR>><BR>>I think that we should strive to offer our arts to the general populars<BR>>more than is the case now. I try to perform for (and WITH) small groups<BR>>of people during during feast, near the list field, before court, and<BR>>just in general. During some events I will just wonder and sing to<BR>>myself, offering my song to the ambiance of the event, and politely<BR>>retreating when I am asked. I really, really enjoy the chance to take<BR>>people who say that they cant sing and ask them to follow me in a short<BR>>round of "Three blind mice" or "Rose", even if they cant sing worth<BR>>anything, they almost always walk away smiling after having shared a<BR>>musical moment.<BR>><BR>>My point here is that I believe that if we go to events just saying<BR>>"Okay, I want to compete and then Ill sing at
the bardic circle." We're<BR>>shortchanging ourselves and the event.<BR>><BR>>Please note, all of the above is said with the assumption that we as<BR>>bards also observe and demand the basic rules of diplomacy and respect.<BR>><BR>> ><BR>> ><BR>> > Good Circles: Smallish circle (no more than 15-20 people...around 10 is<BR>> > best), not a competition, well-ordered (turn passes from person to person in<BR>> > a specific order), and time-limited (performances should not be more than,<BR>> > say, 10 minutes).<BR>> ><BR>><BR>>I would add only this.<BR>>Sing-alongs are an often overlooked and extremely enjoyable part of<BR>>bardic. I have heard several people say (and I agree with them to an<BR>>extent) that they like performing with more than they like being<BR>>performed at.<BR>><BR>>So, more rounds, more
sing-alongs, and more groups sings are good things.<BR>><BR>> > Summary of Common Problems with Bardic Circles and How to Solve Them:<BR>> ><BR>><BR>>Here are a few problems that also exit.<BR>><BR>>I'm not going to make any friends here, but please understand, I say the<BR>>below out of honesty and mean no harm or insult to anyone.<BR>><BR>>At least in the north, bardic circles attract bards, but not anyone<BR>>else. So, for me, bardic circles in and of themselves are bad because we<BR>>aren't sharing our art with the general populace, and I feel that should<BR>>be my first priority (after having fun).<BR>><BR>>Also, they are often times intimidating (I HAVE TO FOLLOW MASTER<BR>>XXXX!?!?!?!)<BR>><BR>>They can be boring (sorry guys, but I call them as I see them, and I<BR>>have been bored to tears before).<BR>><BR>>And
lastly, (sorry, but this one has to be said) Bardic circles sometime<BR>>attract bards that I don't like and don't want to hang around with.<BR>><BR>><BR>> > 1. Problem: People who perform without waiting their turn.<BR>> ><BR>>On this, I totally agree, and I think we should stand up and loudly tell<BR>>people "HEY, ITS NOT YOUR TURN!"<BR>>being as blunt or polite as the situation dictates.<BR>><BR>> > 2. Problem: Stories that are 20+ minutes long!!!! Reason: Hogging airtime.<BR>> > Solution: If you have a 20 minute story, serialize it into 10-minute<BR>> > increments and do one increment per turn. Circle leader must state a<BR>> > 10-minute (or some other agreed-upon time) rule up front, and periodically<BR>> > thereafter.<BR>> ><BR>>anything over 10 minutes will kill an audience. If they don't get up<BR>>now,
they likley just wont even come back next time.<BR>><BR>> > 3. Problem: Songs filked to obviously modern tunes (A filk to "Will The<BR>> > Circle Be Unbroken" is one I have heard twice in the past 6 months).<BR>> ><BR>>Totally with you on this! I like modern filks myself, but stating the<BR>>rules up front is always good.<BR>> > 4. Problem: Bardic Circles With More than 20 People. ... Suggestions:<BR>> > 1. For every new person that joins after a certain point, reduce the<BR>> > time-limit per piece. 2. Hold a private, invite-only circle.<BR>> ><BR>>Okay, I see what you mean, but I don't like either of those<BR>>suggestions.Shortening the time limit hurts the performer for something<BR>>they didn't do, and invitation only circles wind up preventing new<BR>>material from reaching people, mainly because the invitation largely
go<BR>>out to people you already know.<BR>>That being said, I'm not saying I have all the answers, as a mater of<BR>>fact I don't have any suggestions of alternatives here. But the fact<BR>>remains that I don't believe we have come up with the best possible ones<BR>>as of yet.<BR>><BR>> > 5. Problem: Bardic Circle As a Competition.<BR>> ><BR>><BR>>TOTALLY WITH YOU!<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>>We disagree on some points, and as you may have guessed I'm not totally<BR>>enthralled with bardic circles like some are. But I feel that our<BR>>agreement outweighs our differences, and there is merit to your ideas,<BR>>and substance to your words, let that never be questioned.<BR>><BR>>In service<BR>>Lord Ivo Blackhawk<BR>> > Kenneth<BR>> ><BR>> ><BR>>
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