I got out my fiddle

I'm playing music again! And it's really fun.  Jbird and I enjoy preparing music together and we have a wedding to play all the way in October.  I've started rehearsing us this early because I have to find the music for it.  With no piano and no second viola, we're trying to put together violin/viola duets.  A small detail is that it's outdoors and we have no mics.  I've done this plenty of times with a full string quartet but it's a bit daunting with just two instruments.  It's always fun to play with Jbird, he's very loving and humble about it.

I was also contacted through an ad on craigslist* by a high whistler.  What is the high whistle, I hear you ask.  I've always called it the Irish tin whistle.    It's not tin and costs more than the $6 I spent on some for my music room back when I had a job.  He has one for just about every key.  When I got back from Romp, the bluegrass festival we went to, in June I was really excited to start playing some fiddle and then it kind of all fell into place.  We have had two rehearsals and Jbird tells me we sound very Irish.  I keep trying to introduce bluegrass into the mix, but he's played in a couple of Irish bands and his instrument is heard with Irish tunes more.  I don't hate it though.  I'm just saying, I'm aiming for bluegrass.  Last week we had Irish beer so it felt more like a party than a rehearsal.  This week we'll be joined by a folkalist - a folk singer - AND a guitarist.  Thus we have a band.  Jbird plays too, except he feels strange on the piano.  So we're looking for a bodhrán drum** and a melodica. 

*craigslist: for all those Kiwis who don't use it, it's an online classifieds

** bodhrán drum: an Irish drum