Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." -- C.S. Lewis

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." -- C.S. Lewis

At rehearsal last night I found ways to hold the guitar and ways to strum that mostly didn't hurt too badly with the elastic bandage on. I couldn't do some of the right-hand stuff I wanted to on the new tune we worked on, and I won't be anywhere near as loud or flourish-ey as usual, but I can play. Reapplying a cold pack every so often helped a tinyt bit; icing my wrist during our breaks will probably matter a lot more than trying to sneak a little cold time during discussions of arrangements.

I had to take off the bandage to play the Butterfly Jig and On Aleksandr's Exile; getting into the strumming on the Foxhunter Reel (third tune in the Butterfly set) was iffy -- without the bandage, it was awfully easy to hurt myself. I may sit out the melody for Butterfly so I can keep my wrist wrapped, depending on how I feel when we get to that point. More importantly, I have to be careful how I move the guitar (those of you who've seen a Homespun Ceilidh Band performance know that I don't exactly hold it still when I play) because changing the angle that my right arm reaches across can quickly become painful. That, and just remembering not to strum too vigorously, will be the difficult adjustments. The way I was compensating for my right wrist made my right upper-arm and left shoulder get very tired very quickly. If I make it to both gigs, I'll probably be pretty sore by Saturday evening. But I think I can do this without making my wrist drastically worse. If I can keep focus on Not Strumming Too Hard. So I'll probably look a little distracted or like I'm concentrating, and not be as animated as usual (*sigh*) but not adding injury atop injury is important. Let's see how far a combination of acting and multitasking can get me in presenting an entertaining visual performance to go with the music. Wish me luck.

With my wrist messed up, I have to make sure that most of my rasgueados start with the pinkie -- while I can get away with leading with my index finger on a really short rasgueado thrown in as a sort of grace-ornament, if I start with the index finger on an accented beat, OhMyGoodness that Hurts. Must lead with the pinkie! Moving my arm just a liiiitle too far at the end of a stroke hurts too. :-(

I'm still, this close to the last minute, trying to work out transportation details. I'll be at New Deal tomorrow night (tomorrow looks to be a painfully busy, near frantic, day), and I'm trying to sort out Bowie on Saturday.

I haven't checked whether I can play guitar behind my head right now. (I was able to play the electric bass behind my head during the Wolgemutations concert at Pennsic despite the wrist problem, but that wasn't strumming.) So I don't know whether I'll be doing that this weekend. I don't remember how long it's been since I last played a HCB gig without throwing that stunt in there someplace.

At rehearsal last night I found ways to hold the guitar and ways to strum that mostly didn't hurt too badly with the elastic bandage on. I couldn't do some of the right-hand stuff I wanted to on the new tune we worked on, and I won't be anywhere near as loud or flourish-ey as usual, but I can play. Reapplying a cold pack every so often helped a tinyt bit; icing my wrist during our breaks will probably matter a lot more than trying to sneak a little cold time during discussions of arrangements.

I had to take off the bandage to play the Butterfly Jig and On Aleksandr's Exile; getting into the strumming on the Foxhunter Reel (third tune in the Butterfly set) was iffy -- without the bandage, it was awfully easy to hurt myself. I may sit out the melody for Butterfly so I can keep my wrist wrapped, depending on how I feel when we get to that point. More importantly, I have to be careful how I move the guitar (those of you who've seen a Homespun Ceilidh Band performance know that I don't exactly hold it still when I play) because changing the angle that my right arm reaches across can quickly become painful. That, and just remembering not to strum too vigorously, will be the difficult adjustments. The way I was compensating for my right wrist made my right upper-arm and left shoulder get very tired very quickly. If I make it to both gigs, I'll probably be pretty sore by Saturday evening. But I think I can do this without making my wrist drastically worse. If I can keep focus on Not Strumming Too Hard. So I'll probably look a little distracted or like I'm concentrating, and not be as animated as usual (*sigh*) but not adding injury atop injury is important. Let's see how far a combination of acting and multitasking can get me in presenting an entertaining visual performance to go with the music. Wish me luck.

With my wrist messed up, I have to make sure that most of my rasgueados start with the pinkie -- while I can get away with leading with my index finger on a really short rasgueado thrown in as a sort of grace-ornament, if I start with the index finger on an accented beat, OhMyGoodness that Hurts. Must lead with the pinkie! Moving my arm just a liiiitle too far at the end of a stroke hurts too. :-(

I'm still, this close to the last minute, trying to work out transportation details. I'll be at New Deal tomorrow night (tomorrow looks to be a painfully busy, near frantic, day), and I'm trying to sort out Bowie on Saturday.

I haven't checked whether I can play guitar behind my head right now. (I was able to play the electric bass behind my head during the Wolgemutations concert at Pennsic despite the wrist problem, but that wasn't strumming.) So I don't know whether I'll be doing that this weekend. I don't remember how long it's been since I last played a HCB gig without throwing that stunt in there someplace.