So, I’ve volunteered for the NC Renaissance Faire in April.
This is a small faire that runs for two weekends, and is mostly
staffed with volunteers. Within the Performance Company, I landed
the role of the Minstrel, which hopefully will involve as much playing
as acting. So, I got a Troubadour cittern guitar to tool around with.
What I need now is some way to carry around whistles and possibly
an M&E flute… (though that last might be weighing me down too
much) So, you Ren Faire types (I’m looking at you, Wanderer…) what
do you use to tote your instruments around in a period fashion?
And, are there any songs that folks tend to request that I should
familiarize myself with? The people who put on this faire are
sticklers for historical accuracy (our year is 1576), so I can at least
pretend to have never heard of Danny Boy (yay), and Greensleeves
is, of course, banned by Queen Elizabeth, since it was written by
her father about her mother.
I was hoping that the M&E would look enough like blackwood
to the casual observer that they wouldn’t notice (shhhh!)
They wouldn’t let me wear my cool cavalier hat, like the one
Wanderer wears in his avatar
If it’s the Ren Faire in Raleigh, a plastic flute will be the least of the accuracy worries. For some people, “renn” = LOTS of tattoos, white face makeup, and black leather clothing. I think Nathan will be OK.
And I bet he actually knows how to use his M & E, unlike all the “lords” with sword-like objects.
Oh, yeah. The first couple costuming seminars started with “despite
the things you’ve seen some patrons wear, the volunteer handbook
requires all tatoos be covered, and no goth/vampire makeup.”
My favorite conversation so far:
“This is a family Faire. Let’s try to keep things lighthearted…
by the way, what’s the storyline this year?”
“Witchhunting”
“… Oh.”
I seriously considered fashioning a sword-like sheath for the flute.
It sacrifices accuracy for silliness, which might get it through. I think
I’m one step away from the the jester anyway, and he gets away
with all sorts of stuff that the nobles couldn’t do.
As for carrying my whistles, I go decidedly low tech. I stick one in my boot, one in my other boot, and the low D at my hip under my belt. We never really had much in the way of requests, unless it was Danny Boy. Most ren-faire patrons have no idea that the tunes even have names.
That hat’s at Scarborough Faire…when I was working TRF, they were really anal. I wore a flat cap.
I didn’t even think about the boots. That’s pretty amusing… people
will wonder what you’re going for in there, a boot knife perhaps?
Nope. Whistle, sucker!
I got a woman’s leather skirt from Goodwill and cut it up for the
leather to make my wife a pouch… maybe I can put some kind of
whistle-sized belt pouch together… Hm.
OK, I just didn’t want to be caught unawares if 20 people ask for
“Scotland the Brave” or something (I will learn that one anyway,
the lassie playing the Scottish Ambassador actually immegrated
from Scotland recently.)
Do you mostly play Irish tunes, Wanderer? Or are there some other
traditions that suit Faire well? Doesn’t seem like it would matter
much to the common fairgoer, as long as it’s not modern.
If I have time, I’d like to learn a tune or two from each nation for
which we have Diplomat characters. I believe we have a diplomat
from the Ottoman Empire, France, and Scotland, at least… Might be
nice to make a show of kissing up to the imported nobility.
Sounds familiar. I had to get a flat cap which I threw some feathers
on just in time for the St. Patty’s day parade. I look better in the flat
cap anyway (my head/face shape isn’t really suited to hats).
When I first took whistles out to a faire, I tried putting them in a long free-haning pouch, but I didn’t like the way they kept banging my hip as I walked around. But your mileage may vary..
I mostly play Irish tunes. I occasionally throw in a Breton or Scottish tune. Every now and then, I’ll play Stairway to Heaven or Iron Man if I think it’ll get a laugh and get a tip. Some weekends the patrons are really tight-fisted, and some weekends, the money flows freely. On weekends where I’ve not been doing well, I’ve been known to march up, look lustfully at a young woman, proclaim that I am inspired because she is the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen, and ask if I can woo her with a tune. They always say yes. I then play a slow air with the whistle in my nose. This always gets a tip, even if she does make a face
Yeah, I’ll try to get a pic up of my TRF costume..I threw feathers on mine, and folded up one side, for style
edit: I still had one online after all..
You can see the pouch I was talking about…that lasted one weekend.
That’s what I was worried about. A lot of people “road test” their
costumes by marching in the St. Pat’s parade (we march together
to advertise the faire), so I’ll see how it goes.
Wow. Disturbing, in a hilarious way.
Awesome. I’ve seen a guy alternate an Occarina between nose and
mouth, but I’ve not considered putting a whistle there.
Huh. Those feathers look good on the underside of the brim.
I stuck mine at a jaunty angle on the turned-up side. I had to hot
glue them just to hold them in place long enough for some thread.
Yeah, I could see that being annoying. Mine wouldn’t be too long,
since I only need a high D and C, and maybe my Bingamon Ahava
Raba for when the belly dancers go by.
What if you tied the lower part of the bag to your leg in some way? Not sure if it would “ride comfortably”, but it would keep it from banging your hip/leg.
Of course, you could always build a bag that slings over your back.
I have taken my whistles to faire, (In my boot also!) but never wind up being brave enough to actually play.
I was working on a whistlers bag a while back. The thing was mostly a big pocket, with little sections sewn in there to hold individual whistles. You could then roll it up and tie it closed, and could either carry it, or strap it to yourself somewhere.
Not sure if that is making any sense whatsoever. I can come up with a sketch and show you if you are interested. I really don’t think you would have any problems making one. It’s extremely simple
-cough- Someone here was actually trying to get me to make them and sell them… a while back, before all hell broke loose at home and I just couldnt.
Anyhoo… I wouldnt reccomend carrying them in a regular drawstring pouch, as they swing too much, and they always seem to meander around your belt and get tangled up in your legs and… its just bad. But if you could make a sheath out of leather, that might be a better idea, Less swing factor, and leather would be more apt to stay PUT.
This is essentially what I have done. I took it to practice on Sunday,
and noone poo-poohed the design, so I guess it’s in. Mine doesn’t roll
up, though; it has pockets for three whistles (including my Sweetheart
C, which is the general size & shape of a rcordr), and I put a belt
loop on the back so that it hangs next to my leg. It’s pretty comfy,
actually, though I’ll probably put a tie on the bottom keep it parallel
to my thigh when I sit down.
I found some trad. Breton tunes that sound really nice on flute, so I
will have to devise some sort of flute sheath for sure. Breton tunes
seem to have more breathing places which make them easier for a
novice flautist like me.
This might sound silly…
Hell, it’s the whistle board.
But what type of garb are you wearing? Pants? Slops? Kilt?
I have an idea, an idea, an idea that may just help.
Unless you -are- wearing a kilt, then the idea is kind of void and not useful at all.
I was going to say, if you are wearing a pair of pants, one could make pockets running along the outer seam of either the thigh or calf… you could be a walking whistle/flute rack.
Might not be a terrible idea in the long run, saves on belt space, less weight hanging from your hips. the things arent able to swing around, rattle about.. etc.
Every once in a while, when I’d have my hands full, I’d shove mine in the bodice… But they are a little long for that, and incites… alot of commentary for someone as shy as me.
Lad, I don’t know where you’ve been, but I see you’ve won first prize…
I got the boots from Bald Mountain…there’s another company that makes nearly identical boots, Catskill Mountain Catskill Mountain Moccasins. A friend of mine got some catskills, and really, were every bit as good as what I had, and I think he paid quite a bit less.
If I had to do it over again, I might not get the flap over. I like the way it looks, but it also drags the boot down my leg and makes it wrinkle up. Since it’s moccasin style buffalo leather, it’s soft, and so doesn’t hold the weight of the flap as well as it probably could.
I am wearing pants… not a bad idea, fits in w/ the boot thing. “I can
pull a whistle from anywhere!” If I had any assurance that it would be
cool enough in April, I’d line my cloak w/ whistles! (We have really
apocolyptic weather here in Aprill: rain and freezing cold, followed by
blazing heat and tornados. Then the frogs… shudder)
As long as it doesn’t keep me from sitting cross-legged on the ground,
might not be too bad at all.
