One of the most unique sounds from Switzerland is the sound of cows grazing the high mountain pastures. The first time you experience it, the sounds is something eerie but calming. Even more so if you can hear the cows and their bells but you can’t see them.
Listen To Cows in An Apline PastureI made this recording a couple of weeks ago when I was in the mountains. It was a sound that you just can’t describe and for a long time I had been wanting to recorded it.
Farm Near Baldegg
Summer is right around the corner, the weather is getting warm and the crops are growing. This week I decided to start the long Easter weekend with a short bus ride up to Baldegg for an open air Alphorn practice session.
There is something totally different about playing the alphorn in a field on the top of some hill or mountain somewhere. It just sounds different, and you get a really great echo if you pick the right spot. For my practice session I choose to play in a farmer’s field that is about a 10 minute hike from the Baldegg restaurant. I pass the farm all the time on my mountain bike trail.
I was riding past the other day around 7:30 in the evening with my wife and it was so beautiful in the light of the late evening sun with the yellow fields that I just had to go back with a camera.
Of course that is what I did. A half an hour playing the horn, waiting for light to be just right, and then a short photo session. I probably could have waited another 20 minutes, but for the first attempt I was happy. And I got in some practice for an upcoming concert in June.
I’ve been invited to play an Alphorn duet at a private party in June with a friend of mine that lives in the area. It should be a good time. All as I continue on my journey to be the best American Alphorn player in Switzerland. I am even going to be featured in an upcoming English language magazine article about my hobby. Who would have thunk it.
Fasnacht and sleepless nights continue. As always you might was well join them because they aren’t going a way. I really liked one groups set of costumes this year that were decorated in the motif of canton (state) flag. Three stars, three strips, and black and blue. I can’t imagine someone dressing up like a state flag in the U.S. but here it seems to be acceptable.
I had several people ask me if I was a photographer for the local paper. I guess the colored flashes and camera gear gave them the idea.
I am finding I don’t mind getting a little extra attention with the camera gear because some of the people that are dressed up are more likely to pose for you.
Alpine Horn Sounds from the Swiss Alps
This is of course another installment in my story to become the best American alphorn player living in Switzerland. Chapter 2, CD release party.
I have been slaving away over the last couple of months recording some tracks in the hopes of creating a small collection of songs. What I ended up with was actually much better than I had anticipated.
It is amazing what an SM57 mic, a little digital Tascam DP-008 recorder and some advice from a Hollywood music producer can get you.
Seriously, I do need to thank my long time grade school friend that is now out in Hollywood. He gave me some good advice and tips that really helped me put the finishing touches on the album.
I also can not go without thanking my neighbor who put up with me practicing a couple of nights a week, and of course my patient and extremely understanding wife. It is truly difficult to escape the 10 foot horn in our apartment.
And for you my dear reader, a sample from the album. Enjoy.
Uf da Banklialp
Bells are an integral part of Swiss life. Cow bells, clock bells, and church bells. Where ever you are in this country you are surrounded by the sounds of bells. So what do they sound like? Here is a sample of our local church bells.
Swiss Church BellsThe church bells are run at 6:25-6:30 pm every Saturday night and 9:20-9:30 am every Sunday. That isn’t really that bad compared to the salute we get every 15 minutes from the clock tower just across the street that seems to like to remind us that it’s still there.
Christmas Concert
My quest to become the best American Alphorn player in Switzerland continues this Sunday November 7th with my second concert. Our group the, Duo Hornfluh, will be playing outside the Shützenhaus Albisgüetli before the main show starting at 14:30. We will be playing approximately between 13:00 and 14:15.
While tickets are 40 CHF for the concert, we’ll be outside so you should be able to see us for free.
I spent some time this weekend getting ready for my upcoming Christmas folk music show. My alphorn colleague and I have about 30 minutes of music already selected and now we need to do our homework and prepare our parts.
I worked on one of the songs this weekend and made a recording with my digital sound recorder.
Yes, that’s me playing both parts. I recorded one track and then went back and added the harmony. I did the final mixdown in Kristal audio.
For any alphorn audiophiles out there, and I know there are a lot, I was also looking for a suitable microphone for an alphorn. Would you believe that no one has really covered that topic in a lot of the pro audio engineering forums out there. Totally unbelievable, I know. After some reading I found some threads about using the Shure SM57 for brass instruments. Back in the day I had an SM57 that I used for my guitar amp, I was always happy with it so that is what I used on the recording.
I was talking to a friend that I had not seen in some time. I think the last time we really spoke was early this year. We were having some drinks and things led to me telling him about my new alphorn skills. I mentioned that I had played at the company picnic and that I had another concert coming up on the 7th of November.
When I told him that he turned to me and said “Are you gigging with that thing?!” While I hadn’t really thought of it that way I guess you could say that. So lets cut to the chase, on 7th of November I will be playing at the 3rd annual Zürcherländlerwiehacht concert at the Shützenhaus Albisgüetli. Say that three times fast. It is a folk music concert featuring a yodeling club, an accordion orchestra, and a few other wildly traditional music groups.
While me and my Swiss colleague will be playing as a warm-up act to greet the guests this feels like a necessary stop on my way to become the best American alphorn player living in Switzerland. It also feels more and more like I am stuck in a strange Christopher Guest movie. But what the heck, I’m enjoying it.
And if you want a preview here is a short clip from our alphorn jam session from this weekend. Gotta get those riffs worked out for the big show.
Lets just say I was on youtube today looking for one think and I came across something that was slightly tangential, but still relevant to Swiss culture. Feast your eyes on this, I definitely have to find out more about this clip.
Update: So Swiss Lady was Switzerland’s 1977 entry to the Eurovision song contest. They lyrics are fantastic. I found a English version of Swiss Lady on youtube.
In my quest to become the best American alphorn player living in Switzerland, I took my horn playing to the next level. Feeling a little cocky, I took my horn and my hat and headed out to the streets. I was ready to try my hand at busking.
Luckily I had a friend with me for moral support for my first venture into the world of busking. The weather was great today and there were so many people on the streets I just thought that if I was ever going to do this, today was the day.
So like a good busker I put on my outfit, including my edelwiess hemd, and headed out to find a good spot. There were a few other buskers on the street including a pair on the guitar and vocals, and the local asian man that plays some sort of 1 stringed instrument with a bow. I made a pass through town looking for a good spot and settled on a a spot in the Banhof platz that looked well traveled and there were a lot of people passing through.
My objective, 30 minutes of music.
I had this fear I would see someone I knew and of course as I was finishing my second to last song, I took of my sunglasses and noticed someone in the crowd standing there that I knew. We exchanged a few pleasantries and I finished up my set.
Despite being a bit cautious at first I made it through a 30 minute set, having to repeat a few of the songs. At the end, I had a nice little pile of change. Not bad for 30 minutes of work really.
Would I do it again, sure. Having looked at some websites on busking there are a few things I need to do to improve my revenue. Item number one, take off the shades and make lots of eye contact. So looks like I have to memorize some more of my music and then get back out there.
