It is now 4yrs since I first contacted Mud Catters and I'd like to say I've 'cracked it' and I play and sing a few simple English folk songs with it. I'm 81 yrs old now and my memory ain't what it used to be, so I sing some of the tunes I used to play and sing with my Castagnari Handry melodian
A comment was made earlier by Stim said that most Ukrainians can speak English...that is my experience too, but few can read or write it.You also spoke about the tuning and at first the tuning that the Sec of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus sent me I thought was nonsense. There are 2 rows of tuning pegs, one for the black notes on a piano and the other for the white ones. In the info from the Chorus I noticed the info for the black notes had repeated duplicated B and F notes. I immediately thought that it was a typist's error. I wasn't bright enough to realise there were 7 different white notes and 5 different black notes on a piano. To go on, I would get lost, but just to say there is a wonderful mechanism activated by the 7 switches on top and now I can find accidentals where I think they should be.
Larissa Burak, who I have mentioned before before, helped no end as she had a bandura identical to mine...and then I was on my way.
I have bought some Ukrainian costume from Kiev and at the last 2 Wimborne folk festivals,on the South coast of England, I think I spent as much time speaking about the instrument as playing it. I am also taking it to local folk clubs and Music Nights where I play and sing to it.. At 1st I played it for 2hrs a night and now the same music takes about 90 mins. I had v stiff fingers which practise eventually sorted out.
I really appreciate all the input from this site, I certainly found much encouragement from you all, mike@mdowding.co.uk