Perfection: The Practice I was Anxious For

At last the day came when guitarist Joshua Payne, upright bass player Geoffrey Rayback, and I could practice on the same night. . .in the same room.

I was familiar with the way Joshua played his guitar to merge in the telling of the Forsaken Brother story. I was anxious to hear how Geoffrey would add to the already-awesome combination of music and story.

After reviewing with Geoffrey and Joshua the basic storyline and where certain sounds were key, it was time for the first telling as a trio to begin.

Joshua blew a couple times on his guitar for soundscapes to summon the winds, and then I followed it with "It was summer. About an hour before sunset."

Part of mind thought and told the story while another part of my brain was listening to how the guitar and upright bass were working together.

Luckily, Julie Barnson, my story buddy, as well as her daughter were there as the audience.

The first time through the music was heavier in sound so that Julie and her daughter had some tough moments to hear the story.

We started the story a second time.

Again, Joshua blew a couple times on his guitar for soundscapes to summon the winds, and then I followed it with "It was summer. About an hour before sunset."

This time it felt the perfect volume between teller and musicians.

In fact, the whole performance seemed perfect.

Towards the climax, when the brother sees the boy on the shore, the extra bass brought a steadiness to the scene while the guitar symbolized chaos. The speed and intensity heightened as the boy became more and more like a wolf.

My own telling strengthened.

We were building on each others' energy.

When we were done, Julie and her daughter applauded loudly.

I celebrated.

We had it.

We only had to wait. . .oh. . .13 days to share this merging of arts at the premiere.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

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