Forum Activity for @guy-babusek

Ahhh, Tuning pegs! I didn't think of that! I've been clipping my little contact tuner on any piece of real estate that would hold it, and all the time the pegs were right there!
Thanks, Guy.

I had some string buzz on one of mine and my string-things friend adjusted my frets (with a little hammer - I was so worried watching that) and sanded down the bridge some and it fixed it right up. Lowering the action really helped with finger-dancing too.

Then he worked on the sides of the frets - seems they were hanging over the edge a little and was causing some discomfort since I do mostly noter and use my finger to guide along the side of the fretboard. Spent about an hour with a fine file on those.

Oiled my machines, conditioned the fretboard, totally tweaked it up for me. Cost me a dinner is all.

Your mileage may vary though - I trust this guy to know his stuff. You need a tweaks strings-things friend.

Ha! Ha! John Henry!

No the Bobbies did not leave us a tip!!!! :-(

We always busked in Bath because that was the best place and Bob's family was there. We once heard a great Bluegrass band playing and we went to hear them and talk to them thinking they were American's because they were playing "Grandfather's Clock". When they stopped they had the English accent-we were surprised because they sang with an American accent! Hahaha

Gosh! We love England! It's been too long since we have been there!

Another funny story is that I broke some strings on my HD and I forgot to bring my extra strings with me! We went to a piano store in Bristol to get some extras but they kept breaking too. I had enough from them to keep up, but the funny thing was we couldn't find our car! We were so lost and turned around! We parked in a "car park" but found out there were lot's of them with the same name in Bristol and we were so confused and turned around!!!!! It took us about 4 hours to find the right "car park". Hahahaha

Bob's family came from England (Bath) and we visited them and had a wonderful time! I love it there! We are considering moving to England for a while because of the crap that is going on here in the states with OBAMA. I guess we would just have to rent our farm here???

Anyway, we love England and it's very cool!

Oh yeah! I will have to tell you about the time we were almost arrested in a laundry mat in Oxford for changing strings while we were waiting on our laundry. I was called a "tory!" :-)

Kendra

Hi ya'll,

I love to busk! Bob and I have been busking many places.

I wanted to share my best all-time busking story with you. It's pretty funny!

Bob and I were on tour in the British Isles and busking is a big deal there. Me, having red hair and being very Irish, and Bob having family in Bath, found that if we did not open our mouths we were thought of as natives. (all the rich Americans would throw us money haha)

Anyway we were busking in this little town in northern England, doing a pretty good job of collecting money, and we noticed the local "bobbies" (policemen) were watching us closely. While we were playing they seemed to get a little closer and a little closer. We were sure they were going to make us quit or ask for a permit or something, so we were getting a little nervous.

Finally they walked up to us and said, "You are better than the usual lot that play here!" and walked on.

We were really relieved and thought that was one of the funniest things that ever happened to us.

We were mostly playing the "other" dulcimer that you play with hammers, and guitar, but we did have the mountain dulcimer and played it some as well.

Thanks for reading,

Dulcerina aka Kendra

some people would say that playing a dulcimer through an amp is nothing short of blasphemous.

Dusty Turtle said:

The hit of the day, though, was the limberjack. He danced around while I sang "There ain't no bugs on me" and the kids couldn't get enough. Whenever I tried to stop they began clapping their hands in unison and chanting "more, more, more." Finally the teacher had to bribe them with blueberry muffins to allow me to escape and get on with my day.

I had the same experience playing my limberjacks at farmers' markets and such.
Yes, there are some small children who seem jaded and uninterested, but then you get the other ones who make it all worth while. Last summer, a group of four children, ranging from age 4 to 7 or so, stopped dead in their tracks and came running over to watch my limberjack dance. You wouldn't believe how HUGE their eyes got, like dinner plates!, and then they all started laughing and pointing in delight, and the more he danced the more they laughed. Then they started trying to dance like the limberjack, and they laughed even MORE, finally collapsing right there on the ground in a heap of child glee and belly laughs. It made me so happy ! I think that was the very best audience i ever had . :)
I love playing my limberjacks. I have five of them, all different. I may wind up with more eventually, I love them that much. Plus, they are way cheaper than banjos! ;D Here are photos of three of them.

The hit of the day, though, was the limberjack. He danced around while I sang "There ain't no bugs on me" and the kids couldn't get enough. Whenever I tried to stop they began clapping their hands in unison and chanting "more, more, more." Finally the teacher had to bribe them with blueberry muffins to allow me to escape and get on with my day.

some people would say that playing a dulcimer through an amp is nothing short of blasphemous.

The real fun busking though (my opinion)... - it's watching those little kids dance to a tune or hearing a story from someone about their now gone relative that "used to play that sort of music..."

Hi Andy...Yes, it was a rails to trail. It is the section that goes thru town. There is a playground, several picnic areas and the depot, in the area.

Andy Huffman said:

Bravo Vicki! Bravo! What a great story. Was this on the rails to trail?

I busked this afternoon. Well, is it busking if you don't get any tips?! ~8-)

I had 20 minutes between my music lesson and picking up my grandson. I went to the riverwalk, sat on a bench and played. It was a very difficult thing for me to do. I've never played solo, in public. I took a deep breath and started playing. The world did not end, I did not throw up and no one noticed when I made a mistake.

Most people just walked by, some smiled and nodded. One little girl asked what I was playing...she thought is was some kind of violin. I told her about my dulcimer. In those short 20 minutes, I grew more as a musician than I have in years of playing in private or a group.

As for blocking traffic, I didn't. (People were exercising so they didn't stop, but they may next time. If they do, there is plenty of room to get off the trail). If they didn't like it, all they had to do was move a few steps away to be out of earshot.

My dulcimer was much quieter than the thumping music in the parking lot, the noisy motorcycles or crying kids. I'm going back...soon...but I'm taking a tin cup. ~8-)

I busked this afternoon. Well, is it busking if you don't get any tips?! ~8-)

I had 20 minutes between my music lesson and picking up my grandson. I went to the riverwalk, sat on a bench and played. It was a very difficult thing for me to do. I've never played solo, in public. I took a deep breath and started playing. The world did not end, I did not throw up and no one noticed when I made a mistake.

Most people just walked by, some smiled and nodded. One little girl asked what I was playing...she thought is was some kind of violin. I told her about my dulcimer. In those short 20 minutes, I grew more as a musician than I have in years of playing in private or a group.

As for blocking traffic, I didn't. (People were exercising so they didn't stop, but they may next time. If they do, there is plenty of room to get off the trail). If they didn't like it, all they had to do was move a few steps away to be out of earshot.

My dulcimer was much quieter than the thumping music in the parking lot, the noisy motorcycles or crying kids. I'm going back...soon...but I'm taking a tin cup. ~8-)

I've never been to Chicago - I can only imagine it's a pretty packed place the likes of NYC, London, Paris, Munich, etc... Those have a long and storied history of street performance (busking is simply playing in a public place for tips - so most "street performers" whether hired and licensed or begging for alms are buskers) that has at times even extended into some pretty important religious and political change movements.

I don't see that a performer takes up any more space than does a hot-dog or balloon vendor, nor does he impede traffic any more. The street performer certainly takes up less space than does a 'sidewalk sale'. He's no louder than the city's regular traffic and much less loud than a police or ambulance siren. He can't compete with a 500watt car-stereo rolling boom-box or even with a stock Harley Davidson. He can't take up all that much sidewalk that a normal person can't walk around him with minimal effort and if he's gathered a crowd then that would imply that someone wants to hear/see the performance, a passerby might want to notice that and take a minute to see why.

He doesn't inconvenience the foot traffic anymore than does a group of tourists standing in place staring at the rooftops. No more than does that couple saying goodbye with a long kiss - right in the middle of the doorway. No more than do old-friends meeting on the street and deciding to stop there in the center of the walk to reminisce on old times. Far less than do those poorly behaved children zipping in and out of every crevice and corner they can find while mom obliviously chats on her cell...

He's unlike any other business person you encounter - his product is try before you buy and he won't be all that offended if you enjoy the entertainment and don't offer to pay. He doesn't bombard you with billboards and bus-placards extolling the virtue of his particular art over all others, creating a visual cacophony of material greed, he just puts it out there for you - free. Take it, or leave it.

He can't, while performing, give the "can you spare a dime" pinch that the typical vagrant beggar offers and at least is offering some service - a moment of entertainment - in return for his lunch.

Given the pace of our society these days, he serves the needed function of slowing things down just a little. Of course, some people don't have enough time to slow down and listen to a musician or watch a mime or hear a story... they're in a hurry to reach the end of the race. They have places to be, things to do, people to meet, ... how sad for them - they don't even notice the birds in front of Saint Paul's.

I'm in no hurry to hasten the end of my life though - I'll take a minute to see if the busker can entertain or inform me. If not, I move on. If he can, I toss him some coin. He has an important social function that a free society can ill afford to restrain.

Just my thoughts though. Some people disagree.

it becomes a matter of free speach. The current ruling is you cannot prohibit free speach in any public area where it has a tradition of assembly.
It's funny people take art and culture to be a nuisance. Expression is shunned for quiet in a city overrun with the sounds of traffic, people, and technology.

I'm not shoveling anything! I'm wondering though...I've been to Chicago and experienced the street performers. I think there is a difference between them and busking. Aren't the street performers licensed, usually found in the same location and trying to make a living? I think of buskers as transient entertainment...does that make sense, is there a difference?

Usually the street performers are licensed, but they are still out there with their instrument cases open for tips. They aren't paid performers. There are festivals around the city that also have stage venues and street performers. However the unlicensed busker still gets around. At least with a licensing system one can hope for some measure of performance level, though you couldn't prove it by me.My objection to most of them is simply that I hate listening to them. Music to me is very personal, I like what I like, and I don't listen to what I don't like. And I certainly object to having certain sounds bombard my ears including, rock, jazz, blues. And many of the street musicians are doing that sort of music. Many are now amped and the decibel level is deafening. I actually had to walk through a crowd of listeners to a small jazz band (loud on drums) and past the booming sound equipment. I clapped my hands over my ears to at least dampen the sound a bit and charged through. There was no way around the group and crowd unless I wanted to step out into on coming traffic. Not a good idea.I really hate street performers. I'll pay to go to a concert, but with street performers that you can hear a couple of blocks away, forget it. The only town that has had street performers and buskers that I enjoyed was Edinburgh. There were bagpipers in the park. And they weren't crowding the sidewalks. I'll take a bagpiper over a jazz or blues band any day. heheheheheee

Dusty Turtle said:

As others have suggested, making a joke about not playing a request is probably the best route when you really don't know the material requested.

Dusty,
Having to do with that, one of my favorite things to say between tunes when we are playing out in public is:
"We've had a request from the audience.....but we've decided to keep playing anyway." Always gets a good laugh! :D

I am dying to know what people in New England would request from someone busking with a dulcimer. Probably along the lines of "an explanation of what the heck that thing is???"

As others have suggested, making a joke about not playing a request is probably the best route when you really don't know the material requested.

Of course, for all you "northerners" (aka "Yankees"); it's gonna get cold out there - you should move down here to the beach.