# Marcy Prochaska

### Hammered Dulcimer

## Film Scoring

I’ve been hired to provide music for a short nature film that the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is putting together. The video is mostly plants, with some birds and animals and water, running through the seasons from summer to spring.

The first stage was negotiating a fee — I have no experience in film scoring whatsoever, so I had no idea how much time it would take or how else to decide on a fee. I ended up asking other musicians and researching a bit online, then deciding what seemed reasonable given my standard performance fees, the estimated time involved, the kind and length of the project, and the kind of organization the lab is. Whew.

Once the lab accepted my fees, I met with the person I’d been in contact with, David Brown, who did the camera work for the film. He showed me a draft of the film and introduced me to other folks working on it. A week or so later I got a copy of the film to work with.

One day I watched it, looking for the water scenes that would mark musical and seasonal transitions, and paying attention to the moods of each section. Another day I brainstormed ideas of tunes for each section, and started trying them out along with the video. A few more days of this, and I was ready to show the team what I’d come up with. I was excited because I thought the music I’d chosen worked well with the film, but since I’ve never done this before I was also a little nervous, uncertain what the lab folks would think.

This afternoon, I set up the dulcimer in David’s “Cave” (a small office full of audio-visual equipment), David got the film running, and he and Bob (one of the engineers) listened while I played the two options for the first section: “Praeludium I” (Bach) and “Winter East and Kensington” (an original). David immediately liked the original piece, which was gratifying, but Bob suggested the Praeludium would be easier to work with. They want to include natural sound, and it’s still up in the air whether the music will be simply lowered in volume during the natural sounds, or turned off altogether. I suggested that while the Praeludium has a nicely repetitive rhythmic pattern, it has more drastic modulations, whereas the original piece follows a repeating chord progression and only has one key change. We decided why not record both and then see which works better with the natural sound.

What a relief! They liked it. In fact, at one point David said he was having a hard time not jumping up and down, he was so excited. Very nice.

The rest of the session went similarly. I’d chosen “Hewlett” (O’Carolan) for the summer-to-fall section and my own “Third Street Market” for the final spring section (fun because David had first heard me playing at that market). For the fall-to-winter section, I had two options again: “Easter Thursday” or “Menuet” (Quantz). Both guys liked “Easter Thursday” for that section, and we decided to use “Menuet” for the credits. Carrie Crompton, whose version of “Menuet” I play, will be pleased; when I asked her permission to use the arrangement in this project, she mentioned she was a birder and a fan of the Cornell Lab.

Well — a good meeting! Made my day.

Published in:

- Film score

on April 25, 2005 at 5:14 pm Comments Off on Film Scoring

## Cut offs

After listening to our takes from the previous sessions, we realized that we had some problems with Morrison’s Jig and with the Cakewalk software.

On Morrison’s, I found that I was playing harmony notes in the B part that didn’t work with the guitar chords. Jerry and I had also both learned the tune with high B’s in the B part, but I’ve since found out that it’s traditionally played with high A’s instead. Just as well, because none of the five takes were really good enough anyway.

So, after warming up with some Scandinavian tunes — Jerry was going to be marching with Laurie Hart’s group in the Ithaca Festival Parade, and I’d learned the tunes two years ago in a workshop with Laurie — we tackled the Out on the Ocean / Morrison’s / Kesh set again.

We had some good takes. But when we stopped to listen to what we felt was the best one, we found that Cakewalk had cut off the end of it. We had waited a decent amount of time for the dulcimer’s sustain to die down before hitting “stop,” but the cut off point was in the final B part. We tried a few things — restarting the program, changing some of the options — and then finally figured out that it must be a processing delay.

Computers are fast, but some of the sound, in working its way through the program, must be delayed enough that when we hit “stop” it’s much earlier than we think it is. The strange thing is that some takes get cut off and some don’t; there must be some variable that delays some more than others.

We turned to Winter East and Kensington. It’s a tune I wrote in honor of two dulcimer friends who lived on those streets. If I remember right, I wrote different parts of it at their houses: during a rehearsal break at Tom’s, and I think during the evening at Tim’s where I was comparing his dulcimer to Anne’s to decide which one I wanted to order. I recorded it as a dulcimer solo on No Loose Threads.

When we moved here and I started playing with Jerry in Trim the Velvet, I wrote a fiddle harmony with sustained notes to contrast with the note-y melody. Craig comes in on the second A part with fingerpicking. Mmmm. I’m excited about recording this trio version.

We did a few takes, experimenting with waiting much much longer before hitting “stop” — once we played it through twice with a pause in between. That one got cut off towards the end of the second time through. We did another, continuing to make noise after a sufficient pause to let the dulcimer’s sustain die out. It was cut off during the noise, but we got the whole actual take. It might even be a good one.

Published in:

- Hanshaw Sessions

on April 21, 2005 at 11:30 pm Comments Off on Cut offs

## Playing engineer

I’ve been listening to our takes so far.

We’re using Cakewalk’s Guitar Tracks Pro, which our guitarist Craig has on his home computer. Cakewalk also has a trial version, which I’ve downloaded. Craig gives me the takes as Cakewalk bundles, which means I can not only listen to them, but adjust the mix, panning, effects, etc. The trial version does have limits, but it’s sufficiently functional for this.

What fun! One of the things I loved about my studio recordings (No Loose Threads, recorded at Outback Studio in Virginia, and What Child Is This? at Electric Wilburland just south of Ithaca) is getting a close look at the engineering part of things. Mixers, effects, editing, etc. It’s fascinating to me. Now here I am getting a little chance to try it myself.

Today I’ve been listening to a set of reels: Star of Munster and Old Copper Plate. We start Star slow with just fiddle, then dulcimer, then hit dance tempo and the guitar joins in. There’s a dramatic transition, then on the last Old Copper Plate, while the fiddle is playing the melody, I’m playing a march called Down the Brae that fits with it in interesting ways.

I’ve decided that I like the medley best when the guitar is panned 50% left and the dulcimer 50% right, fiddle center; I’ve adjusted the volume for a good balance; and with the right reverb, the fiddle soars on that opening solo. Now I need to figure out which of the thirteen takes are good enough all the way through, and then we can choose the best of those.

Published in:

- Hanshaw Sessions

on April 20, 2005 at 12:26 pm Comments Off on Playing engineer

## Farmers’ Market’s Open!

One of my favorite places to play is the Ithaca Farmers Market. It’s a covered pavilion, sort of shaped like a t with a long cross-bar and a shorter vertical line. The wooden boardwalk-style floor and the peaked roof are charming, and the open sides allow the freshness of outdoors to come in. Vendors range from the usual produce sellers to organic meats and cheeses, flowers and plants, arts and crafts, and a delicious assortment of breakfast, lunch, and dessert foods.

This year’s season opened April 2; I was busy elsewhere that weekend but went down to play this Saturday. It was sunny but a bit chilly; perhaps a third of the vendor booths were occupied, but there was still a nice crowd of visitors. I had a great time, despite not feeling my toes until after lunch. I got to chat a bit with some interesting listeners, I got to eat some delicious French onion soup and a sticky bun, and after lunch I got to jam with a fiddler and a concertina player. I love the market.

Still, there are a few concerns.

Locations: Another band was playing and singing in the center intersection — a location that is usually off-limits to musicians once the market is in full swing — and I played in the shade of the tree at the crossbar end — where the Cambodian food usually is. Once the season gets going, these locations won’t be available. In the past I’ve often played in the other end of the crossbar, where the pavilion opens into a circle with some seating. Crow, the fellow who organizes music for the market, tells me that there is some debate about whether the market will allow music in the circle end this season. The concern is that musicians would attract standing crowds, blocking traffic through the aisles. However, a soloist like myself does not take up much space and doesn’t attract standing crowds. People tend to stop and listen for a tune or two and then move on. If they disallow this location, there’s only one other place for a band: the boat landing on the shore of the lake. Most Saturdays, there’s been two or three musicians or bands, one officially scheduled, and the rest fit in where we can. If only one location is allowed, there’ll be a lot less music this season.

Checking in: All musicians and bands are supposed to check in with Crow before setting up and playing at the market. He schedules one official band each week and then fits in any other musicians where they will not interfere with one another, with foot traffic, or with vendors. Too often, musicians just show up and play without checking in. When they set up in a bad place — too close to another musician, right in front of a vendor, or in an area where they’re blocking traffic — it provokes vendor complaints and makes all of us look bad. I’ve suggested that the market make two or three badges, one for each music location, with the term “Musician” and the location on them. That would make it easier for the market manager and vendors to enforce the checking in policy. Besides, I think a lot of folks see musicians playing and just assume anyone can come play; badges will let them know that musicians need to check in.

Published in:

- Performances

on April 11, 2005 at 9:52 am Comments Off on Farmers’ Market’s Open!

## Take Two, er, Fourteen

Imagine playing the same medley fourteen times in a row; now imagine doing that without getting bored. That was tonight’s session.

We were working on Star of Munster / Old Copper Plate. We start out with the fiddle playing Star about half dance speed, like an air. In the second A part I join in with some light arpeggios. Then the second time through we hit dance tempo and the guitar joins in.

Once more, then we transition to Old Copper Plate, starting with a spare accompaniment for a sense of subdued suspense or tension. The third and final time through I play Down the Brae, a march, under the Old Copper Plate fiddle melody, while the guitar is also playing Old Copper Plate chords. It’s a fun arrangement.

The tricky part is managing both tempo and accuracy. The more energetic we get, the more we feel it, the more we tend to creep up the tempo and the harder it is to hit the right notes and to stay together.

Jerry says it’s also hard to just start the medley, partly because he’s got to play all by himself, but partly just because beginnings are always hard. I’ve found that, too; the first note or phrase is often the most difficult.

Endings are tough too. By the end of this piece, Jerry’s almost out of bow, so it’s challenging to draw out the last note. Once the bow slipped over the bridge during that last note, making a sudden squeak almost like a slide whistle — gave us all a good laugh.

I think the fact that I didn’t get bored after fourteen takes says a lot for the group dynamics of our trio. I get a lot of energy listening to and playing with these guys. We work well together. And I like just being with them, too.

Published in:

- Hanshaw Sessions

on April 7, 2005 at 8:27 pm Comments Off on Take Two, er, Fourteen

## Tuning Day

Today is tuning day. About once a week I tune my dulcimer; lately that’s been Thursdays because The Hanshaw Trio is recording on Thursday evenings.

Tuning is my least favorite thing about the hammered dulcimer. That’s putting it mildly. My screensaver says “Tuning is evil.” I’ve called it my nemesis. It’s sometimes had me in tears, and once almost ready to quit dulcimer altogether. It’s been a while since I’ve felt that bad about it, and in fact lately I’ve been feeling, if not enthusiastic, at least less frustrated.

A little background on what it’s like to tune a dulcimer. Mine has ninety strings, all of which are tuned by turning little squared off pins with a T-shaped, star-bit wrench. Thirty-eight of these strings are on the treble bridge, which is the only bridge that divides the strings into two playable notes. So for these thirty-eight strings, I have to pay attention to both sides, making sure both notes are in tune.

Most dulcimer players can tune in twenty minutes, maybe forty, rarely an hour. I, on the other hand, have a history of tuning times averaging two hours, sometimes taking as much as twice as long. Now the first thing to remember is that I take a lot of time to do everything, and another thing is that I’m a hypersensitive perfectionist. These two things probably explain my longer tuning times. I’ll also note that it’s worse when I’m recording, because I’m even more perfectionistic and sensitive about something as permanent as a recording than I am about live performances.

Here are some of the issues that hinder tuning quickly:

Wrench / tuning pin issues: Sometimes the wrench seems to be turning the pin, but when you let go the note slips back to where it was. Sometimes the pin is really stiff and difficult to turn; then you might finally get it to move and it goes too far. Other pins are a bit loose and turn too far even when you’re very careful. These issues just have to be endured.

String issues: Each of my strings is doubled; that is, it starts at one tuning pin, goes across the dulcimer, around a hitch pin, and back across to a second tuning pin. Sometimes tuning one half of the string affects the other half a little; it helps to go back and forth between them. The treble strings sometimes have trouble because of tension and friction. One side may be in tune, and if the string sticks a little on the main bridge or the side saddles, the other side may not be in tune. Lifting the strings gently off the bridge and setting them down again helps; sometimes pushing on the sharp side of the string or the top of the bridge also helps. Occasionally the treble bridge itself is not in exactly the right position, so that it doesn’t have the necessary perfect fifth interval from one side to the other. I have a tool for adjusting the bridge position, but it’s a last resort.

Tuner issues: I used to use a digital tuner with an LED display of lights and a “needle.” Then I switched to a tuner with a mechanical needle. Both would sometimes have a delayed response, or would respond differently to the same input, or waver. The mechanical one was a little more steady. I suppose there are three issues here. One is that these tuners are not that precise; I think it’s maybe +/-3 cents. Another is that these tuners use sampling, rather than continuous real-time reading. The other issue is with the dulcimer: so many strings means some are going to resonate sympathetically, which could interfere with the tuner’s reading.

I tackled the first two issues by getting a strobe tuner, a Conn Strobotuner ST-11 from the 70s. Strobe tuners are precise to I think +/-1/100th cents, maybe 1/10th. They also read continuously in real-time. I also really like the display. It’s a wheel with a black and white pattern on it, spinning at the frequency of the desired pitch. Behind it are lights flashing at the frequency of the input. When they match, the pattern appears stationary. It seems to rotate left if it’s flat, and right if it’s sharp. Sometimes I get good strong clear readings. Sometimes sympathetic vibrations — the third issue — cause a little wavering. I can usually help that by hand damping the other strings that have the same pitch.

Ear issues: The more I concentrate on what I’m doing, and the longer I’m at it, the more sensitive my ear gets, so that I hear, or think I hear, awful dissonances even when the tuner thinks the strings are in tune. Taking breaks helps, by allowing my ear to relax. (You might think that my more precise tuner would make this worse, but it actually makes it better. “Really close” on a digital tuner rarely sounded good enough to me, but the lack of precision meant I couldn’t really do anything about it other than trust my ear, which, getting too sensitive, would not be very trustworthy. “Really close” on my Conn is so precise I can relax and know it’ll sound great even if my ear doesn’t think so at the moment.)

Will issues: All of the above issues are real and need to be dealt with. But the one issue that has made me dread and hate tuning, that has made me cry over it, is the issue of Will. Coming up against one of the above issues, I might will myself to overcome it; but you can’t overcome these things by will. Just because I want the tuning pin to move a certain way doesn’t mean it’s going to. Just because I want the tuner to give a clear reading doesn’t mean it has to. And, most of all, just because my ear insists that a) the note is off and b) I should keep at it until my ear likes it doesn’t mean that I’ll succeed. My ear is ready to hear dissonance, and the more I try to please it the more it’ll resist. I’ve learned that I need to practice caring less about precision, trusting my tuner. And I need to treat the strings like problems on a math test. If I have trouble with one, I should move on to the next and come back to it later. Most of the time, when I come back to it, my ear has relaxed and likes it just fine.

I have often thought that it would be nice if I could approach tuning the dulcimer the way I approach changing my guitar strings. I love changing guitar strings. I get to sit down with my guitar and take good care of it, removing the strings, polishing the body, putting a treatment on the fretboard. And I know how great it’ll sound with new strings. In the same way I know tuning my dulcimer is taking good care of it. I also dust the thing and clean / polish the strings whenever I tune. I think, as I’m making progress with this issue of Will, that I’m getting closer to the time when I can enjoy tuning like I enjoy changing guitar strings.

Published in:

- Tuning

on April 7, 2005 at 10:39 am Comments Off on Tuning Day

## One Spring Day: Joe, a Fashion Show, and a Bulldozer

This week has been warm. The patches of grass have conquered most of the snow’s territory. I’ve even been outside, digging up those nasty thorny thistles and cutting back last year’s overgrowth in the roadside ditch.

Wednesday it was so nice I took my dulcimer downtown to the Commons. Ithaca has created a pedestrian shopping / hang out area by replacing one street with a broad sidewalk, dotted with seating areas, covered pavilions, and playgrounds. It was lovely to play outside again. The challenge is getting used to playing for hours at a time again, something I haven’t done since late last summer. (Funny, too, how suddenly life changes. January until now, I’ve been mostly occupied with how to use all the time on my hands. Now all the sudden I feel like I have to make time to do all the things I want to do.)

Anyway, three interesting things happened while I was busking on Wednesday.

This fellow with a baby was standing around at a distance, listening, then came and talked to me during a break. Said he just moved here, built a dulcimer once, and also does some music, and we talked a bit about the music scene here. Turns out to be Joe Crookston. He had such a kind, easygoing, engaging way about him, neither self-effacing nor self-aggrandizing. I’d read about him in the mass of music information that a local jam organizer sends out each week, but it’s different to meet someone in a quiet ordinary way than to read their promotional material in the midst of everyone else’s promotional material. When I got home I did look up his website and downloaded one of the songs to hear and liked it quite a bit. Maybe I’ll catch one of his shows sometime.

Later I heard the unmistakable noise of approaching heavy machinery. So I stopped playing and looked around. Here comes a dump truck and a bulldozer, and they’re stopping right next to me. Are they going to dig? I don’t see anything that needs to be repaired. The bulldozer lowers its scoop and proceeds to… pick up a small pile of snow!?! The City of Ithaca has no better use for its heavy machinery? A guy with a shovel could have removed that snow just as quickly, with less noise and less waste of fuel and equipment. Wow. This is the last town I would have expected to do something like that, here where everyone’s an environmentalist.

Finally, the woman who makes the gorgeous velvet shawls and such at Shangri-La came over and asked me about playing for their private fashion show this Saturday evening. She offered me a dress in exchange. These dresses are amazing. Flowing silk velvet with intricate burnt-out designs, fringe, and subtle colors. The one we liked best for me is black with paisley and touches of lavender. I’m a little concerned that it might not allow enough movement (I have to be able to bend and squat in order to set up my dulcimer, and I like some freedom of movement while playing), and it’s also so elegant I don’t know when I’ll get to wear it. I’ll be wearing it Saturday night, and then I’ll be able to tell if it’ll work for me or not. Meanwhile I was thinking wouldn’t it be cool to have a fabric featuring my logo, the inner rosette from my dulcimer. She makes the fabrics, so if the black dress doesn’t work, maybe we could negotiate for something custom, perhaps in exchange for another performance sometime.

I also saw some folks from church, talked to a variety of other people, had a sausage and peppers sandwich, and made some money in tips. What a lovely spring day. Except for the bulldozer.

Published in:

- Performances

on April 1, 2005 at 8:51 am Comments Off on One Spring Day: Joe, a Fashion Show, and a Bulldozer
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