Summer is ending

The oaks in our yard are dropping acorns, the day lilies have finished blooming and our little vegetable garden is done for the year. While it's a little sad to see the summer go, September is always beautiful here in Maine and I love the light this time of year. I find that I have become more aware of the difference in the light through the seasons in the last few years. Maybe it's because I can't focus so well anymore - normal conditions for people my age. This time of year the light has a golden hue that isn't there in the spring.

We have five or six more outside engagements and then we're inside for the next six months. It is easier to stay in tune when we are inside. There are 56 strings total on the harp, guitar, and fiddles.

Tomorrow we're doing an historical concert in Pemaquid. In addition to the regular kit we'll have the baroque guitar and harp. Both of them are bears to tune under the best of conditions. The harp has bronze strings which are very touchy.




The guitar has 10 friction pegs and tied-on frets, so you have to tune the frets, too.










Here's a close up of the rosette. Everybody asks about this when they see it. As far I can tell it has no acoustic effect to speak of. Whatever effect it might have is very subtle. The inner rosette is made from parchment and has five levels.



Tuning has always been an issue for Castlebay. Theoriginal quartette (circa 1987) had an autoharp, two 12-string guitars, 3 classic guitars, one six string guitar, a bass, a cello, a violin, a 5-string viola (really!) a four octave harp, and sometimes a bowed psaltry! That would be 148 (without the psaltry) - not to mention the wind section or the piano.

We have done a few concerts over the years with our friends Nik Apollonio and Kristen Tescher. We are thinking about scheduling one this autumn. Nik plays 12-string guitar, 10-string cittern and 5-string fiddle. Kristen plays a double strung harp (72 strings), 12-string guitar and fiddle. That would put us at 171 strings unless Nik brings along the 10-string mandoline, too.

I keep the 12-string in dropped D tuning almost all the time and usually have a capo on it somewhere. It plays in better tune with the 11th string at .060".

It also helps to grove the capo for the wound strings. You can get the rubber sleeves for Shubb capos for about 90¢ from American Musical Supply. They do wear out, so it pays to have a spare in the guitar case.