Air brushed

I was driving home yesterday listening to the Grand Concert and thinking what great tunes there out there, and how they can be played too fast, then the Iain MacInnes track started and I noticed drones, droning in in the background. I really normally only get to hear my own drones when I play. When I listen to my various CDs that have smallpipes there are other instruments, or singing, and the drones tends to be faded out. The Concert is obviously recorded live, with just a mike pointed at unadulterated pipes, real pipes, with drones droning. I keep thinking drones sound wrong, but they don't, they are part of the sound of pipes, and it's only CDs that make me think they are extra or ugly or overloud.

Anyway, back to today. I was cheerful until late afternoon when I suddenly felt that I couldn't bear another hour without the fan, and it's all of today, and all of tomorrow, and pretty much all of Sunday to get through without him, and even Georgette Heyer couldn't cheer me up. So I dragged the Monkey out and played and played for an hour (a few small bits of attending to dinner in  between) and loved every minute, even though all my tunes (Troy, Alick, Somme, Dragon, Fiddler) all gave me problems. Lots of foot tapping, rather oddly. I don't seem to be able to stop it now. Nothing went well, but I loved it, and played those tunes over and over. Felt much more cheerful, and after all, it's only really tomorrow, and then he'll be back the next day.

Recording is the Boy's Lament for His Dragon, aka The Boy's Lament for His Kite, aka The 72nd's Farewell to Aberdeen.  I'm playing a mix of dots and how I think the tune sounds on the CD, and the bits where I hesitate are the bits where the dots are least like what I think I can hear. I keep practising the final bar run down FEDC, throw on D, G on D, but when I play the tune I end up playing G on D then the throw on D, which doesn't sound as good, but is easier somehow. Needs work. Timing needs work. Everything needs work. Recorder did its usual and left me with the embarrassing ragged start and end.  But the tune is lovely and lively and not much like a lament, but describes well the swing in the step that I'd have if I were saying a cheery farewell to Aberdeen, because its the one place in Scotland I just don't like, not at all, and if I were ever there again I'd be very happy to leave.


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