Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day 2007

Subject: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: maldenny
Date: 12 Oct 07 - 02:20 PM

We're holding the 10th annual Audlem Bagpipe and Hurdy Gurdy day on Saturday 10th November this year.

The event takes place in the Shroppie Fly (one of Audlem's three pubs) at 12.30 p.m. til 5.30 p.m. Food is available in all three pubs, and there's a good choice of beers. The evening in the Shroppie Fly will continue with the Boat Band.

It's a smallish event, around 30 musicians came last year, but all are welcome.

If you want any further info, you can contact Mal at [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: open mike
Date: 13 Oct 07 - 12:14 AM

Any where near this fellow? http://www.gurdy.co.uk/
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=75431781
he has a band called the Maud and a yahoo group for hurdy gurdies here:
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/hurdygurdyforum
are nyckelharpas welcome?
perhaps you will want to contact those links to invite others to join?

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: PMB
Date: 13 Oct 07 - 05:17 AM

There was a young lady playing nyckelharpa very well last year. The rule seems to be "anything a bit odd", but as a group of miscellanea playing together would be both cacophonous and would drown out the differences, people also brought fiddles, recorders etc. to accompany and complement the main course. It's all too eay to have too much of the beer there.

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: GUEST,John & Marie
Date: 13 Oct 07 - 07:00 AM

Hi Malc
Have a good day at the festival, have a beer or 2 for us, and you never know you may have some surprise visitors! Stranger things have happened.

All the best

The Paddies

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: tutti flutti
Date: 13 Oct 07 - 08:43 AM

Just to add to what PMB said - the day isn't only for bagpipes and hurdy gurdies (is that spelling right? - looks odd) although they do and should be the main thing. I agree about the nyckelharpa player last year - I really enjoyed her contribution.

I play neither bagpipes not hurdy gurdy but have been made very welcome so I would say that if you're thinking of going - go! you'll enjoy it. And the boat band in the evening is a big bonus

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: DeeRod
Date: 13 Oct 07 - 12:10 PM

Rats! Wrong country! I have a home made hurdy gurdy (Bob Clayton aka Songster BOB) & I made in '77 based on a Hungarian one seen at Smithsonian Folklife festival (looks like a flower box), and a D set of Burleigh Northumbrian Small pipes. (Allistair Anderson got me into that THEN said "you know every time I come over here I have nothing but reed trouble").

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: GUEST,MinesAPint
Date: 14 Oct 07 - 11:33 AM

Alistair Anderson - now there's a musician!

Do any of you play his Road to the North in sessions?
I've tried it once or twice (without the second violin part because I can't play two lines at once!) and the responses have been good. Yet I never hear anyone else play it, even though it's a fabulous tune. Why do you think this is?

Don't know if Road to the North *could* be played on a hurdy gurdy but it would make a fabulous bagpipe tune if the range is right (showing my ignorance of both instruments here but no-ones looking).

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: tutti flutti
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 03:54 AM

Who's going then?
Malc obviously. PMB?

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: PMB
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 05:01 AM

appen.

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: maldenny
Date: 16 Oct 07 - 12:57 PM

Thanks 'open mike' - I've put a notice on the yahoo hurdy gurdy forum, so they should know about it now - the 'anything a bit odd' rule might put off some of the purists though!

The 'anything a bit odd' rule has benefits - I now know that (a) An ostrich egg ocarina isn't really loud enough to be heard in a session. (b)A Bulbul Tarang is great for medieval and renaissance music.

Last Year's nyckelharpa was very welcome and sounded great - hope it/she shows up again this year.

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: Mr Happy
Date: 02 Nov 07 - 04:04 PM

refesh!

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: greg stephens
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 02:04 PM

Splendid turn out this afternoon. I am just setting off to see the stupendiferous Boat Band playing tonight.

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: Mo the caller
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 05:03 AM

Did you think they were any good Greg?!?
I might have been there myself but I was enjoying 'Stradivarious' in top form and Colin Hume calling a very good programme of dances

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: Marilyn
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 06:37 AM

Don't know what Greg thought of them but I thought they were fantastic!

We were there all day, Mo, from 12 noon to midnight and Rachel was with us too. I didn't count how many hurdy-gurdies and bagpipes there were but there were lots! It was packed and the atmosphere was buzzing.

At tea-time when things had quietened down a bit and all the hurdy-gurdy and bagpipe players had left Rachel, Peter and I went for a short walk along the canal towpath to stretch our legs and get the circulation going again. Then we went back in and, as there was only Joan and Chris and ourselves, we started our own little session which people joined as they arrived for the evening.

When the Boat Band arrived Greg said that, as there was already a session going, they would continue with that format rather than set up the PA system and do a 'concert' so they played their stuff and invited everyone to join in. We all got chances to lead pieces as well and Greg made sure no-one was left out. They were superb as always and the evening was very enjoyable.

The twelve hours of continuous music making left us shattered but it was a nice kind of tiredness! Looking forward to next year.

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: Fred McCormick
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 06:57 AM

I was there! I saw everything! Well, the afternoon at any rate. Couldn't stick around for the evening. Thoroughly enjoyable session, and I enjoyed the pub almost as much as the music. One or two people had managed to disguise their pipes and hurdy gurdys as mandolins and accordeons. in fact I even saw one that looked a bit like a bodhran :-)

And what a delight to find a dog friendly establishment nowadays.

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: Marilyn
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 07:44 AM

Hi Fred,

Which one was you / where were you sat?

I was with the largish group sat in the corner under the stairs.
We cunningly disguised our bagpipes as flute / whisltes / recorders and had our hurdy gurdies out in full view disguised as melodeons and guitars. Clever, what?

Were you the chap sat at the bottom of the stairs with the lovely dog?

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: Fred McCormick
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 10:20 AM

Marilyn,

You got it in one. I couldn't disguise myself as the hunchback of Notre Dame when I've got my dog with me.

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 05:04 AM

Great day again, no nyckelharpas though :( Shame I couldn't stay for the evening do, and gazing on that magnificent array of handpumps when I had to drive was a test of character.

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: Marilyn
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 06:49 AM

PMB - I was disappointed that the woman with the nyckelharpa didn't come this year. She was a bit of a highlight of last year's do, wasn't she?

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: Jack Campin
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 09:16 AM

Sounds interesting. How do you get there by public transport? Is there any accommodation?

Bit ironic that they have a Transport Festival but their railway station closed 40 years ago.

Subject: RE: Audlem Bagpipe & Hurdy Gurdy Day
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 09:35 AM

Best way is by canal, Jack, but there's a bit of a gap between Glasgow and Tewitfield if you're coming from Edinburgh. It does solve the accommodation problem, though. If you set off now, you should be there ready for next year's do. Bus services are sparse, so you'd be best off arranging for a floor and a lift with someone nearby.