HAMMERING a new jig feat. Mary Ann McLaughlin: "THE SOUNDS OF SILVER"
CLICK HERE TO WATCH MUSIC VIDEO.
Earrings made by Mary Ann McLaughlin, The Silver Studio, St. Regis Falls, NY. (Koehler photo)
Silver leaf earrings by Mary Ann McLaughlin. (Koehler photo)
CONCERT, 1o-22-22, Pickens Hall, Heuvelton, NY
Traditional Arts in Upstate New York [TAUNY] presents Gretchen Koehler's "Fiddling With Traditions" - a new fiddle suite of handcrafted tunes inspired by North Country artists at the historic Pickens Hall, Heuvelton, NY on October 22, 7PM. The concert will feature fiddler Gretchen Koehler & pianist Daniel Kelly. An exhibit of the “Fiddling With Traditions” folk artists will be on display in TAUNY’s Upstairs Gallery in November 2022.
"Fiddling with Traditions" is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
FIDDLING WITH TRADITIONS
With the support of TAUNY Traditional Arts in Upstate New York, I began a project in 2022 called “Fiddling with Traditions.” By the end of the year, I set out to compose a new collection of tunes inspired by conversations with Northern New York artists. After a creative lull during the pandemic, I was in search of new ways to think about approaching music. I conducted interviews with artists from a variety of mediums from quilting to boat building. A very special, multimedia concert featuring my fiddle-piano duo and the art of these extraordinary folks is scheduled for October 22 in Northern New York.
Enjoy!
~Gretchen
Fiddler Gretchen Koehler & Silversmith Mary Ann McLaughin. (Koehler photo)
MARY ANN McLAUGHLIN, SILVERSMITH
Traveling down a quiet road in St. Regis Falls, NY, I arrived at “The Silver Studio” - the home studio of silversmith Mary Ann McLaughin. I was reminded of the joke in our rural area that to get anywhere, you drive to the middle of nowhere, then go a few more miles until you’ve arrived. She told me that her home was built in 1880 and was the farm of the Trim family, for whom the road was named.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
When I first approached Mary Ann about being interviewed, she was certain that I would never be able to write a fiddle tune inspired by her work. Being a fan of her jewelry after discovering my first pair of her earrings 25 years ago, I convinced her to let me try.
The Silver Studio, St. Regis Falls, NY. (Koehler photo)
She showed me around her studio where she makes silver earrings, bracelets and pendants. I got the approval of her “office manager” (aka Sam the cat), and then Mary Ann and I chatted over tea and lemon bars for several hours that felt like minutes. She shared entertaining stories of her historic home, her business ventures, and we compared our experiences moving to the “North Country” -this beautiful part of New York state along the Canadian border. I realized how much I’d missed good, face-to-face conversation during the pandemic and was thoroughly enjoying talking with this artist. The new composition I planned to write about this encounter would definitely reflect that joy.
Jasper/silver earrings by Mary Ann McLaughlin. (Koehler photo.)
PRACTICAL & PROLIFIC
As I got to know Mary Ann, it became clear to me that she was very practical. She’s organized. She works best in the morning. She decides how much money's worth of things she will make in a session. She knows the price of silver, knows what her pieces sell for, and sets an amount that she’d like to create for the day. She listens to and modifies her designs based on comments from her customers. She has a book of her patterns that she calls her “Bible” and, unlike many of my artists, she can easily make identical pieces. As she works, she collects all the scraps of silver, sends them out to be remelted and gets money back in return. Her solid business sense has sustained her for the last 50 years in the greater North Country community. At this point in her career, the majority of her work can be purchased at The TAUNY Center in Canton, NY.
“I’d missed good, face-to-face conversation during the pandemic and was thoroughly enjoying talking with this artist. This piece would reflect that joy.”
A turnstile at the The TAUNY Center Center of earrings by Mary Ann McLaughlin. (Koehler photo)
THE SILVER STUDIO
Her studio is a small, efficient room with several work surfaces and ample storage for her tools and supplies. I enjoyed learning the magic behind how she cuts, hammers, bends, solders, buffs and tumbles silver into her beautiful pieces. She even gave me a turn with her tools and walked me through the steps to making a simple, “skinny” ring. As I struggled a bit with the soldering, I think I helped her appreciate the skill it takes to be a good silversmith.
Silversmith Mary Ann McLaughlin advising Sam the cat to be careful around the soldering equipment. Moments of stamping, soldering, drilling and buffing. (Koehler photo.)
THE SOUNDS OF SILVER
Seeing the many ways she manipulates silver gave me a compositional idea. I thought it would be fun to represent the “sounds” of silver in a fiddle tune. I started by making a list of each “action station” in her studio to which I assigned musical ideas. To choose a time signature (waltz, jig, reel, etc) I actually put on my favorite pair of her earrings, shook my head and decided a “swinging” jig in 6/8 time would be perfect!! From there, I needed to set the tune in a fiddle genre played in this region. I remember laughing when she told me when her boys were young, they’d complain about the morning hammering waking them up. Her steady thumping reminded me of the ever-present foot stomping that is quintessential to Cape Breton fiddling. This genre would create the perfect energy for her tune.
“I thought it would be fun to represent the “sounds” of silver in a fiddle tune. I started by making a list of each “action station” in her studio to which I assigned a musical idea.”
Bracelets and bangles by Mary Ann McLaughlin, The TAUNY Center, Canton, NY (Koehler photo)
A new pair of Mary Ann McLaughlin’s earrings awaiting hooks. (Koehler photo.)
TIME TO WORK
Lastly, I thought about how Mary Ann does not wait for inspiration to strike, but rather sits down at a planned time and does her work. Taking her cue, I made a plan to get up early, sit at the piano and get to work. I am usually sneaking in composing time between teaching lessons or down time between gigs. This was not my usual business-like manner of designing a tune, but I have to confess, it turned out to be the quickest piece that I composed for my “Fiddling With Traditions” project.
After I punched the music notes into my Finale program and recorded the fiddle/rough piano part, I sent the files to my musical partner, Daniel Kelly who lives downstate. In the file, I included the following photos with notes about the arrangement. An unusual assignment, Daniel emailed me and told me he was thoroughly enjoying the prep work for this piece.
“Taking her cue, I made a plan to get up early, sit at the piano and get to work. This was not my usual business-like manner of designing a tune, but it turned out to be the quickest piece I composed for my “Fiddling With Traditions” project!”
ORGANIZING THE “SOUNDS” OF SILVER
1. CUT 2. STAMP 3. MALLET 4. HAMMER
1. CUTTING STATION= represented by rests and silence that we’ll “cut”into the melody. Sharp movements. I set the tune in the key of A w/3 sharps.
2. STAMPING STATION= Imprint many left hand ornamentations (fiddle) & texture and several Jazz grooves from piano.
3. MALLET SOUNDS= low register, soft thumping in left hand of the piano. This is the sound that woke up her boys.
4. HAMMER SOUNDS= high register “bell tones” in piano. Bam, bam! High energy of Cape Breton fiddle style and foot tapping throughout.
5. BEND 6. FILE 7. TUMBLE 8. WEAR
5. BENDING & HEAT= She uses heat to bend/twist. Melismatic piano lines, riffs and twisty melodic lines. Hit all 4 strings of the fiddle.
6. FILING STATION= She uses handheld files & buffers. Use smooth bow strokes and sweeping piano accomp. No sharp edges.
7. THE TUMBLER= Fun and flirty sound. Imagine that the pieces are having fun rolling around in there together! But maybe a couple of the pieces suffer from vertigo, poor things. Overall, their last party together before their trip to The TAUNY Center Folkstore.
8. THE MIRROR= A “reflective” intro. Wearable art. A personal, unique relationship with Mary Ann’s jewelry.
Each section of Gretchen Koehler’s composition corresponded to various work stations at Mary Ann McLaughlin’s studio.
Pendants by Mary Ann McLaughlin on display at The TAUNY Center, Canton, NY. (Koehler photos)
CLICK THE ARROW BELOW TO SEE THE MUSIC VIDEO
LISTENING GUIDE
The piano opens this tune with a moment of reflection and a little “zhuzh” in the mirror to represent that this is “wearable art.”
The fiddle launches to an energetic Cape Breton infused jig. Recalling the sound that woke up her children in the morning, listen for the silversmith’s mallet represented by a soft, low thumping in the piano. At times, in contrast to the soft rubber mallet, the piano surprises with moments of the ball-peen hammer hitting metal. In addition, the fiddle and piano “tap” out traditional ornamentation, just as the silver pieces are decorate with a collection of stamps.
Just as the metal is cut into lengths and patterns snipped into the sheets, the fiddle and piano “cut” into the melody with abrupt silence. As a musical joke, the tune is set in the key of A, a fiddle key with a lot of “sharps.” To be sure every last sharp edge is filed off, the fiddle and piano smooth out the tune with long bows and held notes.
The jazz grooves in the piano give the melody shape and movement like the bending and twisting of long silver wire. Nearing the end of the piece, the finished jewelry is loaded into the tumbling machine, and the music has fun as it rolls around, too. The tune comes to a close as the shiny jewelry is inventoried and taken and from The Silver Studio to The TAUNY Center to be sold.
To Mary Ann -I told you I found you wonderfully inspiring and I am glad you let me celebrate what you do with fiddle music. Thank you ever-so-much for being a special part of “Fiddling With Traditions.” ~Gretchen
The filming of “The Sound of Silver” at the The TAUNY Center. Music video coming soon! Stay tuned!!
FIDDLING WITH TRADITIONS CONCERT:
Debut performance, Koehler & Kelly, October 22, 2022, Pickens Hall, Heuvelton, NY.
FIDDLING WITH TRADITIONS EXHIBIT:
Visit TAUNY’s Upstairs Gallery, Canton, NY during the month of November.