We're havin' a heat wave....

Hi! It's a beautiful day in the mid-Hudson Valley today. It's about 45 degrees F around here, and it's quite sunny. Hard to believe that two days ago it was about 5 degrees with the wind chill. And last week, we had weather in the low 60s. This wild weather makes me kind of skittish, though. I worry about my instrument handling the transition from warm house to cold car to stuffy session.

Is that a chicken or a fiddle?
I finally had to cave and put my little humidifier thing in my fiddle because my pegs kept shrinking and slipping and the strings would loosen all up. My husband says the dampit looks like one of those built-in chicken roaster thermometer things. Halfway through the session it'll start to pop out, and then somebody says, "I think you're done!" (Oh, I'm sure they're joking! ...um...aren't they?)

I said "dampit"
Anyway, you ought keep an eye on the humidity, or lack thereof, in your house, and think about buying a humidifier for either the room you put your instrument in or for the instrument or case itself. (I think I might do both this year, because my short-haired cat is starting to look like a fuller brush.) I'm especially concerned for my friends with wooden instruments: your mandolins, guitars, zouks, flutes, and fiddles. If you don't own a damp-it for your instrument, please get one. They are worth ten times their weight for people who live in cold, dry climates. And they really don't cost much. As for flutes, I suspect you might have to clean them out a little differently in winter and use a damp-it when you're not playing. Check out this link for more info on flute care: http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/care.php.

The Case with Cases
My friend Linda Baker (RIP) told me that when her band was on the road they had a little mishap with a cold guitar: they'd been traveling with the instruments in the trunk of the car. It was really cold outside, and when they arrived at the gig, they brought all the instruments inside. Without waiting for stuff to warm up, somebody opened up a guitar case and it was so cold inside that when the instrument came in contact with the warm air in the room, the finish cracked. So, take your time and let your case and instrument get warmed before you start playing at a session or a gig. The music'll keep and you can finally get that pint you've been pining for.

Glacial tunes...
So, next Wednesday is our December slow session: 12/13 at 7:30 PM at the Old Songs Building, 37 S. Main, Voorheesville, NY. Last month, we handed out the sheet music for The Three Sea Captains, a set dance piece, for study fun! We'll try it out next week, along with the jigs and reels we did last time. Also, there's been a request for Carty's Jig, so let's dust it off and play it. I've got to scan it in, but I'll post it here for y'all to practice.

Stay Warm and See You Soon! -- Hilary