bodhran joy

for a week now, duff and i have been playing with the greatest thing ever. duff's uncle denny and aunt barb have sent him a bodhran from ireland. it is a beautiful drum, from malachy kearns, and it sounds great. it has been so much fun to have it, and duff is getting good, fast. last friday we got a text message, in chinese, on the cell phone, and were able to determine that there was a package waiting for one of us at the wuchang train station post office. we sent it to a chinese friend, who confirmed what we suspected. this means that it has been a week since our first, functional, and practical reading of chinese. how exciting. the office worker who helps us was going to the post office on monday, but we couldn't wait. we took the bus and ventured back into the deep, dark, places of a chinese post office to retieve the package. the box said 'the bodhran: the pulse of irish music.' i love that. i have no idea what the post office people must think of us. between the two of us, this year we have gotten mail from ireland, india, france, and the u.s.. and a lot of it. it doesn't seem like they'd notice, but we are foreigners, so i know they do. i can't imagine that there is a huge volume of post from county galway, ireland, to wuhan, china. irish music is popular in japan, but, to my knowledge, it hasn't taken off in china. i haven't found anyone to play with here. wuhan is a huge city! there has to be someone else other than me (an now duff) who plays.

duff is an extremely quick study. the drum came with three tippers, or beaters, and he's getting a feel for all three. we have been working a little every day. we have been working on jigs. most of the tunes i have on my computer are far too fast for him to accompany. i couldn't keep up with the music playing bodhran, and we haven't attempted him accompanying me while i play fiddle, so i sing. i have been lilting, trying not to run out of breath, while he practices keeping the rhythm. i bet by the end of the weekend, i'll have the fiddle out and we'll be playing jig after jig after jig.

spring is the perfect time to learn a new instrument. we can play outside in the park across from the foreign teachers' residence building. when katie, and blayne and lindsay (hopefully!) come in may, we can all have a session together. blayne has how many instruments, now? traveling india and sri lanka with a mandolin, a sitar, and a drum! yay, fun. we'll have to try our luck busking in town. perhaps two foreigners playing irish music will attract a few kuai dropped into our hat.