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Post by Dick Glasgow on Oct 31, 2007 5:17:10 GMT 1
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Post by Dick Glasgow on Oct 31, 2007 6:15:54 GMT 1
Since it's Halloween today, here's something that happened to me, many years ago, which might amuse you!
True Story
Nearly forty years ago, I was working as a Gamekeeper on a large estate in Co Meath, Ireland and during the winter, my duties involved going out around the roads of the estate, on my bicycle every night around 1 or 2am ... on Poacher Patrol!
Now one stretch of the road passed through a very dark wood & right in the middle was an old, derelict Gate Lodge called The Black Lodge!
I must say it was very creepy indeed to have to cycle past this old Lodge in the pitch dark & of course I always sped past, on the opposite side of the road ... just in case.
Naturally, there were all sorts of local ghost stories associated with this creepy place so I wanted to take no chances.
Anyway, imagine my horror when, speeding past one particularly stormy night, I spotted what appeared to be a very faint, flickering light in one of the upstairs windows.
So, not being the heroic type, I decided to go for back up & returned to base & enlisted the help of the Head Keeper.
When we returned, the faint light was still flickering in the window, so in we went & up the stairs we crept, slowly, trying not to creak any of the old wooden steps, all the time hoping that we wouldn't simply fall straight through the rotten timber.
Anyway, at the top of the stairs, we paused at the door to the room & in the pitch dark we could hear no sound at all, so Sam, being the boss, told me to go in first ( Oh lucky, lucky me!  )
So I slowly, slowly opened the door, all the time making myself ready to beat a very hasty retreat, when, to our surprise we found, not a ghost, but an old tramp, asleep on the floor with a candle by his side! :roll:
Naturally we let him stay the night, & he moved on the next day, but I've absolutely no idea how he ever managed to sleep a wink in that creepy old building in the middle of the wood.
He clearly did not believe in ghosts!
Sleep well!   |
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cooper
Dulci-Zither (60 - 70 Posts)
Posts: 62
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Post by cooper on Oct 31, 2007 16:03:41 GMT 1
That is a funny story, thanks for sharing!
The scariest thing I have ever experienced on Halloween was as a kid living in San Fransico. We lived right next to Golden Gate Park and my step dad wanted to take a suspicious detour across the street into the park while trick or treating. Reflecting back on it now, I should have been suspicious, but as a kid all I was thinking about was candy. Well, to my surprise there were people in white bed sheets that ended up chasing us out of the park.
To this day, I can not still get my mom and aunt to admit that they were two of the 4 ghosts that jumped out of the bushes.
BTW, two "spooky" songs that are appropriate for this time of year that I play are "Abbot's Bromely Horn Dance" and "Jump to the Sun (aka South of France)."
Happy Halloween!
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Post by Nikita on Nov 1, 2007 10:40:02 GMT 1
Hey, Jump at the Sun... used to play that on the box ! nice tune, composed by John Kirkpatrick... actually, one of the first I heard HD (not hackbrett, but anglo-saxon hammered dulcimer), was on a record from John Kirkpatrick on box and concertina, and Sue Harris on HD... I have to try that tune on Hackbrett  ;D ;D ;D |
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cooper
Dulci-Zither (60 - 70 Posts)
Posts: 62
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Post by cooper on Nov 1, 2007 17:30:25 GMT 1
Yeah, that song is a contra-dance favorite this time of year. The problem with the song is that it is in one of those strange keys to play fast on the dulcimer. So, I end up using the same hammer several times in a row on the first part of the song. I have only played it in gm and dm (it's that eb in gm or ab in dm), but maybe I should try a different tactic.
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Post by Nikita on Nov 2, 2007 8:59:14 GMT 1
the "original" key is gm... but we play it in Am, with the eb. t'would be a db in gm, but maybe that easier on HD, db and csharp being quite the same... I don't know, I don't have these problems on hackbrett...
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cooper
Dulci-Zither (60 - 70 Posts)
Posts: 62
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Post by cooper on Nov 3, 2007 0:43:55 GMT 1
oppps! this is what I get for responding without my dulcimer in front of me. I think I had my flats (or sharps?) confused. I learned it by ear (which is rare for me).
A minor might be a better key to play in and thanks for that suggestion.
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Halloween Songs
