Webcams on Laptop computer

I've been trying out a fairly new webcam on my laptop so that I can put a video of the playing of a NAF, and it just wouldn't work! Don't know what the problem is, and I tried it in 3 different USB plugs!

Did a virus scan and it came up with a Trojan - of Generic title. Hopefully I fixed the problem and I'll have a video on this site shortly. Does anyone have any hints to making a decent clip?

My LiveTown Club pics.

These are the pictures taken of me by Peter Trapp, at my debut public performance with the Native American Flutes and my Medicine Drum. All I have done to them is to crop the excess surrounding wall space and lightened the colour balance. I used Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition 3.2

After the LiveTown Club event

It's now the morning after the LiveTown Club event and my debut as a public 'performer'.
Although it was quite a small audience, there was a really nice community feel in the hall. The hardest part was microphone testing and levels thingy, standing there without any intro. and just playing to get where I stood with my drum and flutes right.
I felt really relaxed and calm once I was on the stage for the performance part. Great to have a few people in the hall who I knew, as well.

I loved it!

Robert Rabbin is just so spot on with the focus on Shakti first and just being your authentic self. Having done his 'You Are the Message' workshop has been a fantastic background for me even saying "Yes" to doing a performance to an audience. For anyone considering being in front of people for speaking or performing, I highly recommend his work.
I received a lot of good feedback on how lovely I played, and they sensed the heart with the music. Even good comments came my way about my singing and having such a powerful voice!

I'm really looking forward to the next one being planned for Feb. 14th 2009.
Hope I get asked to perform again!

LiveTown Club - A live music event

I've been asked to open the evening with the Native American Flutes, and share a little of my journey with them. A debut for me!

Feel welcome to come along. Tickets will be available at the door on the night or ring Rosemary to find out where you can get them before the night.

Time: December 5, 2008 at 7:30pm
Location: Littlehampton Peace Memorial Hall
Street: 93 Main Road
City/Town: Littlehampton
Contact Info: Rosemary Herd mailto: mailto:mreya@livetownclub.com
Mobile Phone: 0427 336 131

Event Type: Live, Music, Performance

Macclesfield Strawberry Fete Market

It was a cool morning as I headed off with the car loaded, to have a stall at the market. It was certainly a bigger market than I was expecting today. I set up my spot under a beautiful big tree and got set to enjoy my day. It was a lot cool in the shade of the tree, almost cold. Lucky I did put in a jacket!

It was really nice to watch others organize themselves in their setting up procedures. I took lots of notes on things which I might do to improve how I do things in future.

And then I had my first customer who bought a flute. I really enjoyed demonstrating and playing for people to hear and know the particular sound these flutes gift. After that excitement I settled in and took in the ambience of the people and their dogs. It was great to see them enjoying the day.

The other nice thing was seeing several people there whom I hadn't seen in several years, and they just happened to be passing through. What a thrill.

By the afternoon, it was sunshine and gentle breeze. I even got sunburned on my cheeks! A lovely day.

A Quote

I have just been reading through my emails, and this is a piece I have extracted from a digest which I receive from the NAFlute healing and health

I am
I am enough
I love and am loved
I gave someone a smile and a kind word
and saved one for myself.
watch a leaf fly through the air
held up by unseen breath
the age of miracles is not past
it is now.

blessings
Robert

This expresses my living perfectly! I just had to share it.
Namaste to you all.

Rainbows on my walls

A brand new day, and I woke up to rainbows on my walls!

The sun was shining through my crystal dolphin at just the right spots, and how beautiful it was to waken to the colours.

Missing a market day.

I had a very early morning call this morning from my daughter who is moving from London to Galway, Ireland. She had her bags stolen off the bus just before going into the airport and was left with her carry on hand luggage and the clothes she stood in.

It was difficult to get back to sleep, but I did. In thinking about it once I woke up this morning, I realised that we travel with so much personal baggage on all levels of our Being which is not absolutely necessary for our life paths, it really does slow us down in our growing and moving forward. This happening for my daughter may have been Great Spirit's way of lightening her load, and showing her a lesson of what is important for her life.

Which got me to thinking more about what is important for my life. Today, it was not to go to Market, but to write the Teleseminar I have had in mind for a few months, write a workshop for the NAF to present as either Teleseminars or a physical location event....... and more.

Today I invest my time in writing.


I plan to be at the Macclesfield Strawberry Market on November 23rd with the NAF's and more information regarding a Workshop or Teleseminar.


Ah, but who knows what will manifest in the meantime....!?



Roz

Flute Circle of Nov. 8th

It was a small circle again, of 2. Myself and 1 participant.

Had a ball.

We were able to explore sounds in a very relaxed way. Started with a drumming welcome song and began to play the flutes from then on.
Did the random pick of the fluties (pics. of the possible open/closed positions, cut out and stuck onto pop sticks with magnets on them to place on a magnet/white board), and played the tunes in many different ways and had so much fun. I did have a backing CD playing in the background to give the various base rhythms.
Then we played a specific song to learn, which is really easy to play. It is called "Holy Ground", the one which I have recorded on the music player to the left on this page somewhere. I find it a wonderful song to place myself in sacred space, and give that edge to the songs I play. At least it does for me.

At the near completion of our Flute Circle, I was asked to play at a LiveTown event in Mt. Barker, and I am looking forward to sharing the NAF with others in this way. So the two of us will practice a song and get the songs of the Flute out there! Thank you Rosemary.

A windy day at Maccy Market

Well, as the title of this post suggests it was a windy day. Because I was tired after spending yesterday at a "Come UnStuck" workshop given by Leonie Marks, I slept in. So I was late to the Macclesfield Village Market this morning and since the weather looked a bit iffy at that early time of day, the hall was full!

I therefore set up my stall outside! With no cover or walls to protect me, the flutes and books, it was a little bit of a battle with the wind. Not that it blew a gale all the time, there were time slots that were a bit breezy to say the least.

I gave up at around the 2:15pm and let the wind be the master, instead of battling with the cloth blowing around, books flipping open and a CD which blew right off the table and decided to travel quite a distance down the road, on it's edge all the way. No scratches, just a few dings on the edge of the CD and a broken case. Don't know if it will still play though, unless I can smooth the rough bits it might catch in the player.

There is always interest in the flutes, with people coming to ask questions and enjoying it when I play a bit of a demo for them. I'm enjoying this interaction a lot, and get to play quite a bit more confidently now. It was also very interesting to play outside and compete with a wind that kept wanting to steal the song from the flute as I played. Good fun though.

Only a couple of weeks to the next Flute Circle (2nd Saturday of the month). Let me know if you are coming along. That way I can have a Welcome Pack ready for you.

Namaste for now.

The NEW Strathalbyn Market Day

Doesn't take long for the time to fly past.
I was going to post this the DAY AFTER the market and look it is now the 2nd day after!

It was a very cool and drizzly type of day on Sunday here in Strathalbyn. I was also trying out a new gazebo type of tent arrangement, and I hadn't ever put one of those up before and let alone by myself! And of course it had started a very very light drizzle.........
Isn't it wonderful when people will get in together to help each other.
Had it up in next to no time - still a bit damp on my old body though, as I didn't even think it was going to 'rain'. Tied the back two corners to the fence that I was lucky enough to be close enough to and a few pegs (very little thin ones) at each ground corner of this mighty structure.

All set up and ready to go.

Standing back to peruse the display of the Flutes, and oh my! It was already looking like I'd built the leaning tower of Piza. The front uprights were a little crooked, I didn't have a hammer to pull up/hit back in those tiny little pegs (it was very hard ground). So, leaning tower of Strath is what I was sitting under.

It was a slow market as a town close by had a big fair on which had been very well advertised, but I enjoyed watching the people (and many times their dogs) as they wandered through and sometimes purchased from the stalls. There were quite a few who came my way to see the 'recorders', so I had fun chatting with them and playing a few demo tunes on them. Overall, I think they were quite surprised at how lovely they sounded. None sold this time, but I am certainly excited that more people can hear them and consider the possibilities for their own healing and stress release. Some weren't too convinced at how easy they are to learn to play, others were.

So looking forward to the next market day.

Flute Circle for October

It was great to share Flute Circle (at Strathalbyn) with one of the regulars being able to come along. Anita did have a very good excuse for not being to the last few, as she has been in America spending a few months on a Native Indian Reservation. What a wonderful experience that would have been. I was also shown a really cute little flute which she purchased in her travels.


We enjoyed playing a couple of the printed songs together, and Anita also played her 'songs from the heart'. I really enjoy the sharing and hearing the changes in peoples' songs. There is so much to gain when we can share this Gift from Great Spirit.


Being able to share takes me back to the day I went to Willie's (the maker of the flutes I have in my shop) to pick up some more flutes to take around to market days. A friend and I travelled to his home and he played for us an absolutely beautiful song as a 'duet' with a YouTube video being the other 'player'. It was a privilege to listen and watch. Beauty in the fullest! And another GREAT way to practice playing with our flutes!

The day after Market Day

Hi again to you.

It is the day after the Macclesfield Village Market day and now the 2nd which I have been to. I noticed that I haven't posted since before the 1st market day which I went to! A bit remiss, but better late than never......

Both days were exciting experiences, even if the visitor numbers were apparently lower than the usual 'crowd' who flow through the hall doors. A little chilly when in the hall, but not a great deal warmer in the sun as the breeze had a bit of a chill factor. I was happy to be in the hall, overall.

I am enjoying the experience of a small market. It does entice me enough that I will try one of the bigger markets in the area before too long. I figure that baby steps are needed before I take any 'giant leaps for mankind....' or for myself for that matter. It is all so exciting and anticipation really gets the creative juices going in the mind - what other stuff can I do or take to market?
There are quite a few people who ask about the NA Flutes, I know the pleasure of it will spread further afield.

All things take time to grow and develop. And I'm growing and growing along with it all......

Off to the Market

I'm off to the Macclesfield Village Market tomorrow. I'm quite excited, as it will be another first! I am going to have a stall, where I will be selling Native American Style Flutes made by Willie Kingi, and also some of the books which I have in stock. A few CD's thrown in, and I'm expecting a fun day. One of my friends is going to come along with me, to suss out for when she may be ready to do a stall herself, selling her hand-crafted jewellery.

I expect it to be a great day.....

September Flute Circle / Mini Workshop

So much happening around us. Busy-ness everywhere. In all our busy-ness are we letting time go by so fast with so much filling every day, that we 'forget' to look after ourselves? I believe the NAF helps me to better look after myself, by creating that inner peace and inner awareness which calms my soul, and leads me to guidance about myself that is beyond the worldly experience.

It was a solo Circle this month, where I was able to pursue the silence and calm within me, as I wondered how best to share and spread my love and passion for this wonderful instrument. It is so much fun to share with others in a face-to-face environment, with the energy of people together for a similar interest creating an alive space within our inner being.

aha! - Market Days are another way that I can share my flute playing. I'm going to be picking up some more flutes from Willie to have a stall at the Macclesfield Market next Sunday the 21st, and sharing the stall with a friend who makes jewellery. I have a supply of personal growth and metaphysical books that I'll take along too, as so many of these have been very helpful to me in my own self-understanding and growth. Especially in the area of self-awareness and getting over that "I'm not good enough to ...... " .

Are my thoughts too loud?

A day at the Market

Well, I bit the bullet and went to my first Market Day. It was Father's Day so the market was small, but I really enjoyed playing my flutes in the coffee shop and being able to share the music in a public arena. Definitely will try that again.

Drumming Circle

Part of my journey with the NAFlutes is joining in with a local Drumming Circle. I was able to get to another of the gatherings last night, taking a friend along with me for her 2nd taste of the drumming.

It was another wonderful night. Sharing the drumming is a really deep experience with the songs we share and the story which is told with the combination of drum beat (our hearts) and our voices (our breath). We also had the wonderful gift of Willie Kingi being there with his flutes.

His songs are beautiful. I am so thankful for the gift of his music and being there to experience the depths and heights where this music takes me. It was great to be able to show Willie the 2 new flutes which I have bought from overseas, and which he hasn't seen.

I have a John Vames flute and another which I found in a shop in Glastonbury, UK. That one I don't know who the maker is as the only marking on the flute says Navajo.

My next step on this path is definitely going to be getting out to Market Days to share these beautiful songs with others.

A play with sound recording

I have just uploaded a few sound files to the music player. The way I recorded these was through Audacity, which is very easy to use. I then exported the file as an MP3 (needed a little add-in) and did the upload. I hope you enjoy them. It is so liberating to get past my own judgement of how I think I sound, as to just putting them out there for others to enjoy - or not! I enjoyed the process of putting it together.

Into new ideas

Well, I have now purchased a webcam for the laptop. I'm hoping to be able to record a few more songs on the flutes, to give you an earful of different sounds that the flutes can make. The webcam has an inbuilt microphone. Not sure that I'm ready to go the full monty by doing a video of my playing as yet, but it certainly is something to look forward to as a future challenge. Looking forward to getting a start on it........... in a day or 2

A Yahoo Group

Well, I have just tried to start a New Group in the Yahoo Groups, and I got a bit frustrated with trying to upload a picture of myself, so I have given up for the moment.

Try back here later, and I may have succeeded!

A few discoveries.

Just remembering back to when I was getting waylaid on the internet, looking for anything I could find about the NAFlutes. There really is quite a huge amount of information out there, if only I had all the time in the world to read it all! Is that what it's about, information overload?

I really only wanted to get more info and learning tools, or even lessons. I have already mentioned Odell Borg and his video lessons, with a link below to the YouTube and some others who have also thought to put lessons together for the aspiring NAF player.

It was through this process that I began discovering the Groups. Yahoo has some really good ones. I have signed up for 7 of them relating to the NAF in some way. Even after the year and a bit, I'm still trying to get the hang of the Group posting and replying and suchlike. Takes a bit of time when not up with all of the technological advances of the internet and computers in general. Fun though. And it is really great to see how others are sharing ideas and having questions asked and answered.

http://groups.yahoo.com/

All I did was type in Native American Flute and a few different combinations of that phrase, and discovered a wonderful world of communication. I may even start one myself, for the Flute Circle at Strathalbyn in South Australia.

I think I'll go look for some more.......

Steps and steps

Or should I call it breath and more breath. What fun this journey.

When to breath, and what notes to play. I have become analytical - I'm not liking it much when I start thinking about the notes which come out with my breath. Too much Western thinking, I think!

Much better to just play, and play from the heart.

I'm continuing on my journey with the flute. Playing better each time, and gaining so much within. It is a Divine instrument. All the processes of creation to have it be in the form of this style of flute - how can one person describe the blessing of this creation. It needs to be experienced.

There has been quite a few music pieces which I have now printed out, in anticipation of being able to read the Nakai Tab a bit later. I know how to read sheet music, but not the Nakai Tab yet, at least not to fully understand the connection of the notes on the paper to the notes playable on the NAF.

Oh, a friend told me too by the way that NAF has a meaning in England (or somewhere other than Australia) of something not nice! When I use the NAF it does mean Native American Flute and nothing negative at all!

I'm trying to record my playing as well, and see how it works to upload to a Blog. Have the recording done, but now trying to find out how to do the upload!

Start of a wonderful journey

When I got back home, I began to make friends with my new flute. I was a little fearful of playing it to begin, in case I made it sound lousy - after hearing Willie's songs I knew that wouldn't be hard to do.

I just wasn't prepared to have gone through all that dreadful driving on that yesterday, to get home and not play such a beautiful instrument, because it might sound terrible! Goodness, how could such a thing sound terrible. So I picked it up and played.

Well, it wasn't fantastic as far as technique and smoothness goes, but it was my song.

One of the important things which Willie passed on to me was to play from the heart.
The way the 5 hole NAF is designed and tuned it can't make a note sound bad.
It has a wonderful way of being musical even when all I was doing was going up and down the holes, one at a time and getting to know my flute, getting to know more from my heart.

Then I got into going with the flow - following the few simple 'rules' that Odell Borg has passed along in his learning videos on You Tube.

Oh yes, I was back to the trusty Internet to learn more - and more..............

Blessings to you on your paths.

Introduction

Hi to you all.
My purpose initially for this blog is to share my Native American Flute journey with others.

It has been just over a year now since I purchased my first flute from Willie Kingi. And yet my story begins before that event.

I first heard a NAF when I went to a womens workshop where "Peru - The Singing Woman" was the guest presenter. In amongst the chanting and singing was played this divine instrument.

I knew I had to search out where I could possibly buy one. Trusty Internet. When I did the search the website of James Three Bears listed information on Two Feather Flutes. I noticed it was a local telephone number, so I rang. Found out he was only over the hill! So we organised a day for me to go and have a look at his flutes.
That day came. It was pouring down with rain all the way, and at times in deluge proportions so that I had to drive along at a crawl because a few of the road edges had washed out near the top of the hills. I kept going and finally arrived at Willie's.

What a joy to meet him, and to be able to hear this magic sound again. And WOW, Willie plays beautifully from deep within the heart. I went home with the flute pictured on the home page here. It continued to rain all through my drive back home, but I don't remember being as scared by it on that return trip. I felt that I knew my way back home without seeing, as the sounds of the songs Willie played repeated in my memory.

I got home safely. I also had the deepest feeling of having done the best thing in buying that flute.

So that was the start of my big adventure in NAF. Buying my first flute.