Post by davidmdahl on May 31, 2005 18:48:02 GMT
I am back from the Folklife Festival which happened over the Memorial Day weekend at the Seattle Center in Seattle, Washington, USA. This is a large festival for folk and traditional culture, including music and dancing, from all over the world. I performed on Vietnamese monochord (dan bau) and flute (sao) with the Huong Viet Performing Arts Group. One of the highlights for me was jamming on erhu with Carlos Alden (also on erhu) and Dick Valentine on xiao and dizi.
Another highlight was the exciting performance on Mongolian horse-head fiddle by a Mr. Libo. The sound of this fiddle is very rich and beautiful, and the playing technique is fascinating. In contrast with the erhu, there is a finger board, but unlike Western string instruments such as the cello, the fingers are under the strings. What an expressive instrument, and musician!
There were many other great performances too numerous to mention. I am already looking forward to next year.
Best wishes,
David Dahl
Portland, Oregon
USA
Another highlight was the exciting performance on Mongolian horse-head fiddle by a Mr. Libo. The sound of this fiddle is very rich and beautiful, and the playing technique is fascinating. In contrast with the erhu, there is a finger board, but unlike Western string instruments such as the cello, the fingers are under the strings. What an expressive instrument, and musician!
There were many other great performances too numerous to mention. I am already looking forward to next year.
Best wishes,
David Dahl
Portland, Oregon
USA
