Well, I've landed back in Wales once again. I spent a few moments the other day looking at a shroud of mist that had formed over the Black Mountains, which we have rather a splendid view of from here. I almost feel like a dragon is about to fly out from behind it, or a stone giant come tramping down from the top and throw a boulder onto nearby Talgarth.
Speaking of the "hidden jewel of the Black Mountains", I found myself inside the Mill the other day. As far as I was concerned, the drill was as normal - let the water down the leat, oil the bearings, check the wedges holding the wheels and cogs in place, and away we go. And so it was, that the machinery turned, and clanked, and everything was going well... until the school party of 50 kids suddenly descended on me, and I had to give a rather hasty talk about the level of the mill I was on. Luckily, since i do occasionally pay attention, I was able to more or less get by, but the unexpected nature of this incursion of children left me feeling positively scared by the end of it. C'est la vie.
Before I landed in Wales, I had another mini-folk-session with Jake, Jules and Rona. It was great, as always, though as the whiskey flowed, I found my fingers tangling up, and we dwelled rather too long on each song for my liking. The evening ended, whereupon I walked to Asda at 4am, and purchased some supper (!). I was disappointed to miss the Hereford Historical Day on Saturday - it would have been a good opportunity to get out in public, dress "ye olde", and probably make a few coins. It also would have been nice to have an audience that more-or-less expected the type of music I play. Ah well.
Why did I miss it, I hear you ask? Well, for the last few days, i've been assisting Dave and Dee with setting up the blacksmithing display at the Royal Welsh Show. I have to say, it rather puts the Cornish show to shame on that front - they even have a building for the forges! Not a tent! The quality of the work is stupendous, although the judege obviously has no idea, as my poker didn't even place in the "Under £100" category. And I was beaten by Richard Jones' ropey mistletoe! Manky old chisel marks on a leaf that doesn't even have veins that prominent in real life! Sheesh.
Ah well. I'm venturing in on Thursday as well, to take part in the live competition. As i'm a "professional" blacksmith, I'm entering the "An hour and a half to make whatever you jolly well like" class. It's going to be hotly contested, and I don't actually fancy my chances all that much. But, I'll give it a go, and see how I get on. I feel I should note that there's a slim chance my efforts will appear on television, since the BBC and S4C are both covering the event. I hope they bring spare lenses for their cameras.
In other news, I'm still trying to get to grips with some new songs. I rediscovered one of my favourite songs recently, "Song for Ireland", and found a simple accompaniment to it. I find myself getting slightly peeved that, having exerted a massive amount of energy trying to get a compicated accompaniment for "The Blacksmith" learned, I can't seem to do it with ANY other, except maybe "Kellswater", which still isn't quite right. Ah, well. As someone said, 10 years of practice won't do any harm.
For people who are musical instrument enthusiasts, and expecially 8-string nerds like me, there's an excellent documentary on YouTube called Ceird an Cheoil, which not only features some interesting fact, but also some great music by many of my favourite artists. Highlights are Johnny Moynihan's song at the beginning, and the Mandocello playing in the middle. Great stuff. I keep wondering if i ought to get either a bouzouki, or an octave mandola, but then stubborness re-asserts itself, and I feel I ought to stick to my guns. (My intrument is tuned CGDA, as opposed to GDAE or GDAD, favoured by most Irish folkies).
Speaking of my instrument, a few enquiries at d'addario netted me a free set of strings. I was extremely dubious about the gauges, so the rep gave me a free set. Even reading the back of the pack, the scale length is a hell of a lot shorter than the scale of my instrument, but I thought I'd give them a go anyway. To my surprise, they got up to pitch without breaking, and actually play, although the stiffness is noticeable on the fingers. Reading "stringsdirect"'s review of them, it seems that a lot of players use d'addarios octave mandola strings on their tenors - the set i'm using are designed for a Gibson model with a short scale, that the Americans loved "back in the day".
If all goes to plan, Jake Koolman, Lisa Harrison, Molly Budd, and I will be playing at the BABA (British Artists Blacksmiths Association) AGM this year. We've never all been in the same place at the same time with instruments, so things are getting a bit tight! All the same, it should be a laugh. Stay tuned! (And we'll try to stay in tune)
