GRANITE SKYES
Volume 15, No. 9
May, 2003

MAY GATHERING
Sunday, May 25
1-5 pm, Annicchiaricco Theater
1 Thompson St.
Concord, N.H.

Approximate schedule:
1:00 - 2:30   May's tunes
2:30 - 3:30   Annual Meeting & Refreshments
3:30 - 5:00  Requests & Solos

NOTES FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR
-by Sylvia Miskoe
In March I mentioned that I always welcome input from the members and
this month the music is all from their suggestions.  The suggestions
that did not fit in May will appear in June.
Mike Hebb and Cathy Thompson sent a whole packet of Cape Breton tunes.
They narrowed it down to two.  The Golden Rod Jig is by Wilfred Gillis.
Next month we'll get their other choice.
Elly Abelson sent one of his favorite Scott Skinner airs: Herr Roloff's
Farewell.  Herr Roloff was a good friend of Skinner and helped him with
tune books.  Skinner wrote the tune in F.  Just for fun Elly tried it in
G.  He found G too sprightly a key.  Coincidentally I have just learned
the tune and I agree with Elly, it is a grand tune.
Brian Mokler has been promoting Father John Angus Rankin's March ever
since he heard it on a CD.
Kevin Myers brought me Both Sides of the Tweed.  The Tweed River flows
east along the northeast boundary of Scotland and England.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATE
-by Cynthia Blaine, Secretary
Highlights from the last meeting, held May 6, 2003:
The Annual Meeting of SRSNH is scheduled on Sunday, May 25, 2003 at the
Annichiarico Theatre at 3:00 p.m.   The SRSNH will be performing at the
Southern New Hampshire Games in Greenfield on June 7, 2003.   The last
day to sign up for an official SRSNH trip to Cape Breton is May 25,
2003.   If not enough members sign up, the trip will not be an official
SRSNH event.  The next meeting of the Board is scheduled  on June 17,
2003.
All meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. at the NH School of Scottish Arts in
Manchester, and are open to all members.  Please contact the secretary
if you need directions.  Members wishing a complete copy of the Minutes
should contact the Secretary at CBlaine@wadleighlaw.com.

SRSNH ANNUAL MEETING ON MAY 25
Article 3, Section 6 of the Bylaws of the Strathspey & Reel Society of
New Hampshire states:  "An Annual Business Meeting open to all members
in good standing will be held in May on a date and location to be
specified by the Board of Directors.  Members will be notified by mail
at least ten days prior to the meeting."  This year's annual business
meeting will be held during the May gathering, May 25, 2002, at the
Annicchiarico Theater, 1 Thompson St., Concord, NH.  The gathering
begins at 1 pm, and the annual meeting will begin at 2:30 pm.  All
members are encouraged to attend and participate.  Non-members are
welcome to attend.  z

CAPE BRETON TRIP
Last chance to get in on an SRSNH trip to Cape Breton this summer will
be May 25!  For more information, contact Marianne Taylor at
taylorgorman@juno.com, or 603-463-7771.

VOTE!
Members will find a ballot for the Board of Directors included with this
newsletter.  Please take a moment to fill it out - vote for one
candidate for each office; write-ins are welcome.  You can mail your
ballot to SRSNH Ballots, 102 Little Pond, Concord, NH 03301, or bring
them to the May gathering and annual meeting on May 25.  To ensure your
mailed vote is counted, be sure to mail it in time for it to arrive in
Concord by May 23.

GALA 2003
This year's Gala is in need of a producer.  Brian Mokler is taking a
well deserved rest, but will help the new producer get up to speed
quickly with his meticulous lists, notes, and files.  It is high time
that Gala plans got under way!  Please consider taking on a big but
important job this year, and volunteer to produce the Gala  Interested
parties should contact Sandy Lafleur or Sylvia Miskoe before May 25.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS DUE BY MAY 31
If you're planning on attending a summer camp, music workshop, or
participating in any other qualifying activity this year, why not
consider applying for a scholarship grant from the SRSNH?  The second
and final round for grants is now in process and the deadline for
applying for scholarships in 2003 is May 31st.

Application guidelines are as follows:

For attendance at Scottish music schools or festivals, sponsorship of a
workshop or for the study or research of traditional music.

Eligible applicants must have been SRSNH members for at least 6 months
(or be a child of an SRSNH member), be 10 years old or above, and have
studied their instrument for at least two years.

Must not be members or families of either the SRSNH Board of Directors
or the Scholarship Committee.

To apply, obtain an application form from any of the following
scholarship committee members (the application can be emailed to you),
and return it postmarked by May 31st.  Please remember to include a
brochure or catalog for the activity you wish to participate in.

If you have questions or to obtain an application, contact the following
committee members:
Lynn McElroy, (603) 267-8812 lmcelroy@metrocast.net;
Gary Hume (603) 679-5895;
Susan Willoughby (603) 435-9965

PICTURES FROM NEFFA
By George, she's done it again!  Ev Roberts took some great pictures on
the last day of NEFFA, and has posted them for everyone to enjoy at
http://jawsa.homestead.com/SRS7.htm
Thanks, Ev!

FROM THE MAILBAG:
We recently received this lovely letter from a listener, who is also the
father of one of our members:
"I want to congratulate the members of the Strathspey & Reel Society of
NH for their outstanding performance during the annual NEFFA Fair held
April 27 at Natick (Massachusetts) High School.
The degree of professionalism and versatility displayed by the ensemble
infected the audience with a high degree of enthusiasm prompting dancing
in the aisle by a number of couples.
Particularly stimulating was the style of vocalist Susan Christie
Woodward, who captivated the audience with her rendtioin of folk songs
that seemed to transport those present back hundreds of years.
Musical Director and accordionist Sylvia Miskoe is to be commended for
developing such a creative program.
I look forward to future performances by the ensemble."
- Robert A. Casticone, Salem, NH

JULY 4 FIDDLE CONTEST
There will be a Fiddler's Contest again this year at the New Boston,
annual 4th of July celebration on Friday, July 4 at the Hillsboro 4H
Fairgrounds in New Boston, NH. A total of $650 in prizes will go to
winners in three categories: under 11, under 18, and open. The contest
begins at 2:00 pm.
Contestants are encouraged to register in advance, but registration will
remain open until 1:30 at the event. Come enjoy all the events of this
historic annual small town celebration from the 10:00 AM parade to the
evening fireworks.
To register, arrange piano or guitar back-up, or for more information,
contact Frank Woodward (603) 487-2480; email yankee@grolen.com, attn:
Fiddle Contest

HOW MANY FINGERS?
        The trivia challenge has been met!  Brian Yates, piper and
long-time friend of SRSNH, had all the answers.  He didn't even need all
the hints loaded into last month's newsletter.
     As you will recall, the question was a long description of the
military career of a Scottish soldier who served in the Boer War, the
Nile, the Sudan, and South Africa, serving with distinction throughout
and rising through the ranks to Major Ganeral, and immortalized in
song.  The actual question was:
 Not counting his thumb, how many fingers did the composer's father have
on his left hand when he died?"

Here are the hints from last month:
"Read the challenge one more time, and try a little harder - it's not as
obscure as one might think.  No heroics are needed to find the right
answer- a little knowledge about famous Scottish tunes and composers
and/or one good search engine will get you to the answer at once.  If no
one comes up with it this month, I will just keep on hectoring you to
try, try again.  The first one to submit the real skinny on the unnamed
soldier, and etc., etc.."

Got it yet??

The answer is - one.  The soldier is General Sir Hector MacDonald, the
tune is Hector the Hero, the composer is J. Scott Skinner.  Skinner's
father lost 3 fingers on his left hand in an accident, and so at  the
time of his death there was only one finger remaining.

Congratulations, Brian - your lovely prize is on the way.

NEW TRIVIA CHALLENGE
Brian Yates offers the following:

What other famous Scottish musician lost three fingers from one of his
playing hands and continued to play? Which hand? How did he lose them?

And here's a related challenge especially for the fiddlers:

Imagine you were yourself missing a finger or two,  or (a much less
permanent problem!) two fiddle strings.
Can you name:
     3 tunes that can be played entirely on the E and A strings?
     2 tunes that can be played entirely on the A and D strings?
    1 tune that can be played entirely on the D and G strings?

Please send your answers to the Editor at ebassett@ttlc.net.  Good luck,
and have fun!

HELPING STUDENTS FIND TEACHERS
Many SRSNH members are music students, and many are teachers.  Some
students are looking for a teacher, and some teachers are looking for
students.  It is possible that this very newsletter could help them find
each other!  In the June newsletter, we'll run a listing of teachers of
anything related to Scottish music, dance, and culture.  If you'd like
to be listed either as a teacher or a student looking for a teacher,
send your name, your area of interest or expertise
(instrument/dance/voice/Gaelic/kilt-making/etc.) to the Editor at
ebassett@ttlc.net

LEFTIES AND RIGHTIES
-by Ryan Thomson
My new book is out which promotes left-handed fiddling for lefties. It's
entitled "Playing Violin and Fiddle Left Handed." It's turning out to
bequite controversial. One classical teacher from Massachusetts who
bought one has switched two of her lefty 8-year-old kids from right to
left.
They had each been playing about two months righty. After starting over
on their "lefty" fiddles (restrung) they were playing better lefty after
a week, than from the previous two months of struggling with right
handed bowing! Another classical violist tells me that I am threatening
the tradition of right handed playing in orchestras. Maybe it is only a
matter of time until the very first all lefty playing orchestra appears!

http://home.tiac.net/~cfiddle/lefthandedbook.html

SRSNH OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, COMMITTEES, & VOLUNTEERS
Music Director:  Sylvia Miskoe
Board of Directors:
 Sandy Lafleur, President
Bob Reed, Vice President
Ed Los, Treasurer
Cindy Blaine, Secretary
Ellen Bassett, Bruce Cobb, & Frank Woodward, Members at large
Scholarship Committee: Lynn McElroy, Chair; Gary Hume, Susan Willoughby
Memberships, Email Newsletters: Barbara McOwen
Webmaster: Terry Traub
Mailings: Sabrina Matteson
Back Music: Allen Brown;
Newsletter Editor: Ellen Bassett
Photographer: Evelyn Roberts
T-shirts: Bruce Cobb Refreshments: Calvin Gardner, Christina Brown

SRSNH EVENTS

Gatherings on Sunday afternoons, 1-5 pm, Annicchiarico Music Theater,
Thompson & S. Main Sts, Concord, N.H. All ages, all instruments, all
levels welcome; free, with potluck refreshments.  May 25, June 29.
September 28.

Rehearsal, May 21, 7:30 pm, 102 Little Pond Rd., Concord NH - for May
23rd concert; same program as for June 7 - both are NEFFA sets plus a
little more.  Let Sylvia know you're coming - smiskoe@aol.com

Concert, May 23, 6:30-8, Meeting House at Riverfront assisted living
center; sign up with Sylvia Miskoe.

Southern NH Highland Games, June 7, Greenfield, NH, concert 1 pm.  Sign
up with Sylvia Miskoe.

CALENDAR

Fiddle Workshops:  Bruce Molsky on 5/24/03 (10am to 3:30pm) and Tommy
Peoples on 6/12/03 (3pm to 5pm).  Both workshops will be limited to
about a dozen people and will be held at the Burlington Violin Shop,
Burlington, VT.  You must pre-register to be able to participate.  For
more information and/or to sign up, send a message to
mrksustc@together.net.

Johnny Cunningham in Concert - Legendary Scottish fiddler Johnny
Cunningham, Sunday, May 25, 8 pm, Unitarian Church, Main St.,
Montpelier, VT.  Tickets $13 advance, $15 at the door.  Advance tickets
available at Vermont Violins, 24 Main St., Montpelier, or by check made
out to Johnny Cunningham, mailed to Beth Telford, 1060 Bent Hill Rd.,
Braintree, VT 05060.

Annual New Boston 4th of July Fiddle contest,  July 4, 2:00 pm, New
Boston NH.  Frank Woodward, 603-487-2480, yankee@grolen.com

Clan Du concerts:
July 20, Bow Band Stand, Bow, NH 6-8 pm
August 2, 11, 1 and 3 o'clock, Sunapee Arts Festival, Newbury, NH
August 23, 2:30 pm, Quechee Highland Games, Quechee, VT
September 13, all day, The Big E, W. Springfield, MA

Ceilidh Trail School of Music in Cape Breton, July 28 through August 1,
2003, with fiddlers JP Cormier, Joe Cormier, Buddy McMaster, Brenda
Stubbert, pianist Hilda Chaisson, guitarist Scott MacMillan.; $395 US,
$595 Canadian. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced sessions.
Reservations required, early sign-up suggested.  For more information
www.ceilidhtrail.com, or J9RAND@aol.com

Boston Harbor Scottish Fiddle School, August 9-16, with Angus Grant,
John Campbell, and Hanneke Cassel.  All ages, all instruments, all
levels are welcome. There will be lots of jam sessions and general music
clinics, though most of the instrumental teaching will be directed
towards the fiddle.  Contact Marcie van Cleave at the Folk Art Center,
42 West Foster St., Melrose, Mass. 02176-3811, 781-662-7475,
fac@facone.org, http://www.facone.org.

SESSIONS, JAMS, DANCES

2nd Sundays - English dancing, 6:30-9:30 pm., Howard Auditorium, 99
Pleasant Street, Concord, N.H. $6, or $5 for ECDSNH members. Judith
Ackerson 603-934-2543, or jnoska@cyberportal.net;
http://people.star.net/blw/dance/english.html

3rd Sundays - English dancing, 6:30-9 pm, Woman's City Club

375 Middle St, Portsmouth, NH, $6 or $5 for ECDSNH members. Call Dave
Bateman 603-886-5071 or dbateman@net1plus.com.
3rd Sundays - Gaelic Club, 3-7 pm., Canadian American Club,
Watertown,Mass. Peggy Morrison, 978-858-3792.

Mondays - Contra dance, 8 - 10:30, callers & musicians welcome to take a
turn.  Nelson, N.H. Town Hall, $3 827-3732.

Tuesdays - Irish/Celtic Sessions at The Barley House Restaurant and
Tavern, 132 North Main Street, Concord, N.H. 7:00 to 10:00 pm.
603-229-0083.

Wednesdays -Wednesday Night Soiree - 7:30 - 10:30 in the Durham
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (20 Madbury Rd.; corner of Woodman
Rd.). Jam session with an emphasis on fiddle tunes of Canada. $2
donation requested. Peter Yarensky (603-664-2513 or
peter.yarensky@unh.edu

1st Wednesdays - Jam session, 7 pm, Foodee's, in the Milford Oval,
Milford, N.H. Sandy Lafleur 603-673-8497.

Wed or Thurs - Scottish Country Dance, 7-9 pm., Chandler Library,
Nashua, N.H. Loren Wright 603-891-2331.

1st Thursdays:  Contra dance, Dover City Hall, 8:00 - Lamprey River
Band, guest callers and musicians invited. $5; Peter Yarensky
603-664-2513.

2nd and 4th Thursdays - Beginner jam, 7-9pm, Fiddler's Loft (see
Monday's info), free.

Fridays - Seacoast Scottish Country Dance class, Greenland Parish Hall
on Rte 151, Greenland, N.H., 7:30-9:30 pm,  through end of June, Laurie
Stevens 603-773-9795.

1st Fridays: Contra dance, Windham, N.H. Town Hall, ½ mi. W of exit
3,I-93; Neil Harvey 603-890-8907.

2nd Fridays: Contra dance, Kittery, Me. Grange Hall (now called the Left
Banke), 8 pm - various bands. $6.

3rd Fridays - Square and Contra Dances. Roaring Jelly, Lexington, Mass.
Susan Elberger, Caller, and Debby Knight, Music Director. To dance or
join band, call 781-944-3544, www.toc.lcs.mit.edu/~slonim/rjelly.html.

4th Fridays - Contra dance, 8-11 pm, Town Hall, Milford, N.H. Open band.
Sylvia Miskoe, 603-225-6546.

Saturday afternoon - play fiddle with John Campbell at his home in
Maynard, Mass. For specifics, John 978-897-7031.

Saturday Afternoons, Arlington Comm. Traditional Music Sessions, May 10,
May 24, and Jun 7.  All sessions are on Saturday afternoons from 3:00 to
6:30 pm at the Fox Library, corner of Mass Ave and Cleveland St in East
Arlington, Ma. Admission is $1 per person.  Call 781-643-3603 for
further information.

2nd Saturdays,  Contra dance, 8-11 pm, Town Hall, Gilmanton, N.H., $5
per person, $10 family

2nd Saturdays - Contra dance, 8-11, Francestown, N.H. Town Hall.  Frank
Woodward, 603-487-2480, yankee@grolen.com.

3rd Saturdays - Contra dance, 8 pm, East Concord Community Center, $5

4th Saturdays - Contra dance, Dover City Hall, 8:30 pm - various bands.
$7, 603-659-7038.

A REMINDER: Deadline for June articles is June 6.  No calendar dates
before June 16 will be included.

Granite Skyes is published monthly (10 issues) between September and
June by the Strathspey & Reel Society of New Hampshire. Subscription
$8/yr ($18 overseas). Individual domestic memberships cost $20/yr;
please inquire about other rates. Edited by Ellen Bassett. All items
welcome, depending on space available; e-mail by the 1st of the month
for inclusion in the mid-month mailing to ebassett@ttlc.net  in text
only format. Email subscription is free; send request to
bmcowen@world.std.com.   The SRSNH Web Page is maintained by Terry
Traub, http://www.srsnh.org