interviewed by tigerbright

[cellio]

Receiving these questions reminded me that I owed questions to a couple people. I've posted some for you on that entry; if you didn't receive the email, let me know.

1. Do you have a favorite fruit? Why that one particularly?

It depends on context, I guess. I really like the flavor of mangos, but have thus far been unsuccessful in doing anything useful with a fresh one. (I'm not convinced I know how to pick out an optimally-ripe one.) A little less exotically, I also really like the flavor of peaches. For just plain eating raw, though, I'll usually grab either apples or bananas.

2. What's the first SF/F book you remember reading?

That would be either A Wrinkle in Time or The Phantom Tollbooth. I read both several times and can no longer recall which came first.

3. How did you end up learning to play the hammered dulcimer (the first thing I noticed about you)?

I learned about the dulcimer via performers like John McCutcheon, Malcolm Daeglish, and Maggie Sansome. (There were others, but those are the ones who stood out.) I was a recent college grad who thought it was a really cool instrument, but the going price was 1.5 months' rent and I wasn't that dedicated. Then one day I was wandering the Three Rivers Arts Festival with friends, and we stopped at the booth of a local instrument-maker. I played with the dulcimer that was on display but decided against; one of my friends was also casually interested. And then the guy manning the booth said that, actually, they were getting out of the hammer-dulcimer business (mountain dulcimers and harps were more popular among their customers), and they would sell their last two for the price of one. That was just what I needed, so we bought them.

Mind, it was a low-quality instrument, and in retrospect I'm surprised I kept it in tune enough to learn on. But it was enough to get me started, and a few years later I went to House of Musical Traditions (near Baltimore, or maybe DC -- even now the cities are somewhat mingled in my geographical hind-brain) and bought a better one made by Dusty Strings. It was a few months' rent, but at that point I didn't care.

4. What's your favorite song to perform, with or without backup?

Wow. Just one? Ok, of the songs I have actually performed (as opposed to the ones I sing in the car or shower), I think it would be "Some Kind of Hero" by Misty Lackey and Leslie Fish. There are other songs as well-written, with as much emotion and power, and that fit my voice well, but for reasons I can't quite identify, that one still tends to come out on top. I'm not sure why.

Comments

[gingicat]

Neat. Thank you for answering!