# Marcy Prochaska: Hammered Dulcimer

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### Princess

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2004

Even on an ordinary day I’m a pretty anxious and strong-willed person. Today, I was even more so. For one thing, I wasn’t entirely happy with what I’d recorded yesterday and uncertain what to do about it. I also really wanted to finish recording the dulcimer today, but I wanted to do it well and not rush, and I was concerned that the remaining two pieces might not be ready yet. That’s a lot of stuff to be anxious and stubborn about.

We started with “Emmanuel.” I wasn’t sure that slowing down at the end of the first section was a good idea after all.

I had no idea how we might fix that without having to re-record the following sections, but it turned out to not be that difficult. I just punched in that last part of the first section plus the first note of the next section, then Matt moved the previously recorded next section up to match. Then I re-recorded the melody line of the third section to clean up some of the timing and expression things I hadn’t done so well yesterday.

Next, we worked on “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” My version starts with an old English tune called “Forest Green,” then two verses of the familiar “St. Louis” tune, and a final verse of “Forest Green.” The first “St. Louis” verse I recorded in four-part harmony.

By the time I got to the tenor part, the sun through the stained-glass window behind me was casting my shadow on the soundboard and creating a glare on the strings — that’s a little disorienting. Matt came in and set up one of those tall wooden baffles behind me to block the sun: “Is that better, Princess?”

After lunch, we finished “Bethlehem,” and started working on “Twinkle, Twinkle, Christmas Star.”

“Twinkle” is a tune I often play when people comment about how difficult the dulcimer looks; I show them that it’s simple to play simple tunes like “Twinkle,” because all the notes are in a nice vertical row with nothing to skip in between. I add more chords and ornaments as I go, then talk about the visual shapes I improvise with and how those shapes and patterns make writing, arranging, and improvising so much easier on this instrument than on the other instruments I’ve tried.

Gradually my arrangement started incorporating some unusual chords and acquired an air of mystery and wonder; I thought it would be cool to include it on this album in honor of the amazing journey of the Magi, those mysterious people from the East who read Jesus’ arrival in the heavens and made their way to Israel to see him.

While we were working on these two tunes, I was increasingly anxious and stubborn. I really wanted to be done. But I was also trying to be careful not to settle for less than my best just for the sake of being done.

That kind of tension makes it difficult to evaluate things and make choices. (Perhaps it also tries Matt’s nearly infinite patience.) So even though we “finished” recording the dulcimer for this album, I’ll have to listen to the results a lot before deciding if I’m really done or not.

Matt’s teasing got me thinking about princesses and extreme sensitivity; “The Princess and the Pea,” for example.

I suppose you can’t have sensitivity without irritability; you can’t be sensitive only to positive things. On the flip side, one might take a second look at the irritable people in one’s life and find out that they are not sensitive only to negative things.

Anyway, I hope Matt and Will and my husband and everyone else around me have not been too bothered by my irritability while working on this project, and I hope that the plus side of that sensitivity will show in the finished CD.

Category: What Child Is This? | Comments: None yet

### Not yet

Tuesday, September 21st, 2004

Today I worked on two tunes: the remaining recorder parts for “Christ Child Lullaby,” and a new piece, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

I’d been practicing those recorder parts several times a day, so they didn’t take too long this morning. In fact, the timing was really nice: I had from 11 to 12:30 to tune, then took a break for lunch, and finished tuning afterwards. Taking a break in the middle of tuning helps keep my ear from getting overly sensitive with concentration.

After lunch, we started on “Emmanuel.” My version starts with an adaptation of the Episcopal Hymnal’s setting, continues with another verse in the standard 4/4 meter, then goes into a sort of two-over-three rhythm.

Recording the middle verse was interesting because it involved a set of softer responses between melody phrases. What we ended up doing is recording one melody phrase, switching tracks, recording the response, switching back to melody, and so on. The last verse was challenging, too, because of the syncopation, timing, and accents. I’m not entirely sure of the editing yet… I’ll have to listen to it a lot and see what I think.

Tomorrow may well be my last day of recording. I just have two more new pieces to do, plus fix one part of another tune. The end is near, but not here yet.

Besides those last bits of recording, I need to do the mixing and mastering and finish the text and graphics. Writing the liner notes is proving to be difficult — there’s only so much room, and it’s hard to decide exactly what I have to say about each piece and then figure out how to say it in the space allotted.

A college friend, artist Andrea Seavers, is working on the cover art and text. She does marvelous Christmas cards: collages mixed with original drawing, painting, and lettering. So far she’s sent me one rough sketch of a Madonna and Child collage based on a Fra Angelico painting, and I think it will be a perfect cover for this album.

Another couple of friends (who happen to also be dulcimer students), Keith and Marty Bryant, took photos of me with the instruments for the traycard, and I’ve also taken some studio shots of guest musicians for the back of the booklet. The last step, besides sending off the CD and graphics to the manufacturers, is planning a release party and concert. I have some ideas, but I’ll wait until it’s finalized before I announce it.

Category: What Child Is This?, Tuning | Comments: None yet

### Summer 2004

Friday, September 10th, 2004

### Chenango Summer Music Festival

This weekend festival in Hamilton, NY, features mostly classical music but also a variety of other musical acts plus a dessert contest. My official performance was a morning show at the Barge Canal coffeehouse; after lunch I also played some on the Village Green. In the afternoon I headed over to Susan Nolen’s home for dinner and a jam session — we had a fiddle and three hammered dulcimers (including a new Nick Blanton… mmmm) and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

### The Cranberry Dulcimer Gathering

In July, I attended the Cranberry Dulcimer Gathering in Binghamton. This festival features workshops, concerts, jams, and sales for hammered dulcimer, mountain dulcimer, and autoharp. I taught two classes, one on modes and one on weddings, and I also got to take classes, including Cliff Cole’s “Special Effects” and “Singing With Dulcimer,” Bob Wey’s “Playing With Your Blocks,” Deb Justice’s “Irish Tunes,” Rick Fogel’s “Playing From The Heart,” and Donna Missigman’s “Waltzes,” shown in the picture. This was a great festival. It was so cool to meet various people: Curt Osgood, who also recorded at Wilburland; Cliff Cole, who reminds me of Tim Seaman; Deb Justice, a fellow William and Mary alum; Bob Wey, who helped me decide to get a strobe tuner; Sam Edelston, who does some really interesting things on the dulcimer; Marya Katz, who also plays a Jerry Read Smith dulcimer…

### The Hanshaw Trio

When Trim the Velvet lost Harry Lawless, we found Craig Higgins and became The Hanshaw Trio. Here we are at the Ithaca Farmers Market on a late August Saturday. The mostly Celtic ensemble includes Jerry Drumheller (fiddle), Craig (guitar and mandolin), and myself (dulcimer).

Category: Performances, Festivals, Photos | Comments: None yet