music of nature and grace - Tingstad and Rumbel - Blog

Music Class in Junior High

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:08:49 -0700

A few years ago when I was in Junior High at Whatcom Middle School in Bellingham, WA, it was required that you took the music class. We had this class twice a week with a Mr. Bartruff as I recall. Imagine that, in these times of “music is not necessary in public education.” Not band or choir, but a class where we studied and learned about music and its history.

We listened to a lot of music. And not only that, we were allowed to bring in our own music to listen to. Well, I brought some in to listen to. I sorta created my own show and tell cuz I don’t recall anybody else bringing in tunes. Pretty sure I brought in “Nashville Cats” and “Do you Believe in Magic” by the Lovin’ Spoonful and “My Green Tambourine” by the Lemon Pipers.

I think the other kids thought I was kinda strange for doing this. I guess I was hoping that maybe I would be able to impress a girl. And that maybe I would be one of the most chased-after boys in school. I was chased all right but mostly by other guys who wanted to kick my pansy-ass. But, I know now that it was all about sharing music and the joy I get from doing that and not some form of an attention seeking device. Sometimes, I think I would rather listen to music than play it.

The Ocarina - Make it STOP!

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:59:37 -0700

    Basically there are two types of people; those that hate the Ocarina and those that love the Ocarina. Fortunately for me and my career I fall in the latter group. In the hands of Nancy Rumbel this potentially irritating little device can imitate a wide variety of styles and cultural genres.
    My personal favorites are the lower tones that create images of the Irish landscape and it’s moods. And not that stuff the Irish refer to as fiddle dee dee music. Which is what they call the New Worlds penchant for that minute part of their music and not that of King Bono.
    I am also a big fan of the Asian sensibilities that can be coaxed out of the ocarina such as in Spring Maiden from Leap of Faith. Now you musta heard by now about the huge ocarina culture and fan base that exists in South Korea. I don’t know about North Korea. I hava a hunch they are not allowed to have or play ocarinas. but they do have a missile shaped like one.
    Then there is the Native American element that replicates the wooden flute of our First Nations People such as in Medicine Tree.
    For many folk the Ocarina is a contextual sound and seems to be accepted with out question when it comes to holiday music. Having recorded 3 christmas albums I know first hand that it is a perfect fit.
    And lastly with a little rapid tongue action it is the perfect substitute for the Peruvian Pan Pipe. Unfortunately this can also lead to a vocal part.
    Alas the Ocarina does not sit well with country western music however we have had some success with the oboe in that regard.

Tingstad & Rumbel Video Blog

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:05:32 -0800

Watch as we have an animated discussion about a new musical direction - ocarina vs. steel guitar ...

Watch the video here!

The Bathtub, Part 1

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:40:50 -0800

In 2000 Tingstad and Rumbel played Carnegie Hall with our good friend Robin Spielberg. At the time Robin lived in Upper Montclair, NJ and so we took lodging at an old, run-down hotel down the block from her house.

Being the pre-Madonna that I am, I switched rooms a few times looking for the just right one and having finally secured the best, I decided to take a shower and chill out a bit.

We had just flown in from Seattle and I was really enjoying the warm water as it helped me regain my composure, when in my reverie I became aware that I could not move my feet. For the briefest moment I thought that something was physically wrong, but quickly realized my feet were actually glued to the bottom of the tub. However, with super human strength I was able to dislodge and lift my feet that were now caked with about an inch of some sorta white gooey crud.

I got out of the tub, but of course I could not walk on the floor, so I crawled on my knees naked across the room to the phone and dialed up Nancy. She quickly understood that I was totally freakin’ and came down to my room at which point she busted up laughing. I tried, unsuccessfully, to convince her that this was not funny and that she oughta go get somebody from the hotel to do what I didn’t really know because the best the front desk could come up with was a can of WD-40. Now I am a huge fan of WD-40 and all its marvels, but what the hell was I suppose to do with it in this case?

So, on my own, with no help from anyone and a struggle with towels, I was able to get the offending tub resealer off my now seriously burning feet. Seems as though the hotel was not suppose to let out that room, duh!

Can you imagine what would have happened if I had chosen to sit down for a bath?

What DO We Call our Music???

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:08:17 -0800

I bet if Eric and I had a dime for every time we have been asked this we would have great retirement funds! I describe our music as melodic instrumental and I would even go so far as to say that it is Pop Instrumental. I'm starting the movement right now. The various real and virtual stores used to put it in New Age, this year our music was found in the category of Contemporary Folk for the GRAMMY voting.

I think one of the things that is interesting about our music is that our compositions defy categories. We know what it isn’t; it isn’t jazz, it isn’t classical, it isn’t folk --- it’s kind of a blend of all of those and sometimes a little world, a little pop and a little country. I’m certain that a lot of this has to due with our unique instrumentation of oboe, English horn, double ocarinas and guitar. It just ain’t normal!

Quite honestly, I never really give a thought about trying to write music “in a category”, unless I am assigned a project that demands it. I write music that sounds right to me at the time. As I got older and “into the music business” I realized what a challenge this can be for people trying to “find” the music!! If things are hard to find we often give up searching.

I do have the perfect solution however. Just learn how to spell our names!!! (which is often easier said than done!) You can always find us online and we'll help!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!!

Thanks,
Nancy

My name is Eric and I was born in South Park.

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:58:25 -0800

My name is Eric and I was born in South Park.

Well, my actual location of birth was what is now the McLendons hardware store in Renton, WA. But my folks took me home to their humble abode in what soon become the ghetto of Seattle.I was told that my uncle was Mac Davis and that I inspired his song “In the ghetto.” But now I know that I was not true and that the name of the song was actually “A Vicious Cycle.”

But none the less, it was a big day around the house as my parents were already celebrating Beethoven's and Jane Austen’s birthday and the anniversary of the Boston Teaparty.

After a couple years in the Projects we went for an upgrade and moved to White Center until I was six.

My earliest musical memories were of my mother playing classics on the piano and of my father playing an eclectic mix on the hi-fi. Clare de Lune and Fur Elise were blended with the Kingston Trio, Earl Bostik, Ravi Shankar, Hawaiian Music, The Flower Drum song and Edvard Grieg.

I first became interested in the guitar at 8. And since I always figured I could build what I needed, my first guitar was one that I made with fishing wire and a block of wood. Heavily influenced by the popularity of the Beatles and the attention paid to the older boys at church camp, I realized that the guitar was THE ultimate attention seeking device. For my 9th birthday, I received my first guitar. It was a 4 string guitar with a broken neck that my dad had pulled out of the dumpster at Sears Roebuck and glued back together. Next came a six string folk and a $25 electric from Woolworths paid for by the paper route.

Nancy Rumbel Valentines Day Blog

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 04:22:55 -0800

Happy Valentine's Day! I have to say as I get older Thanksgiving and
Valentine's Day are my two favorite holidays! Dark chocolate, my vice
and candy of choice, just seems to get better and better each year.
I'm positive that it improves my music and outlook on life! But more
to the point I'm grateful for the wonderful family, friends and fans
that I've been blessed with! What a lucky person I am to be able to
play such unusual instruments and share the music. So huge thanks to
you all and I'm sending Hearts & Hugs and a big box of Virtual Dark
Blog Chocolate! I was reminded at a party after a recent show that in
referring to blogs Never have so many said so much so poorly about so
little! However, of course, my blogs will be the exception! Love,
Nancy

My Martin New Yorker

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:43:52 -0800

My main acoustic guitar is a 1961 Martin New Yorker 00-21NY. I tell people that it was my great grampa’s and that he gave it to my grampa who gave it to my dad and then my dad sold it to me. That’s not true. I bought it in 1987 from Steve Einhorn at Artichoke Music in Portland, Oregon. It was in mint condition at that time. It has Brazilian rosewood back and sides ... still.

The guitar got its name because of and in homage to the folk revival in the late ”˜50’s and early 60’s that centered around clubs in Manhattan like the Cafe Wha? and the Gaslight where there were air shafts up to the apartments and the windows would open into the air shafts, so when people would applaud, the neighbors would get disturbed and call the police. So then the audience couldn't applaud; they had to snap their fingers instead.

Many people mistake it from a distance for a classic guitar with nylon strings because of the slotted head stock. Actually it was designed to be both a steel or nylon string guitar, but I have never seen one strung up with nylon. I think I will try it someday. But since I hate to change strings, that might be a while.

My recordings and performances in the 80’s were done either with my Ramirez or Traphegan classic guitars which both had wide necks. Fingerpicking a standard width neck was almost impossible for me. So when was I told about the Martin New Yorker steel string guitar with a classic width neck I was thrilled. This was the beginning of my chronic Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.

Nancy Rumbel at Grammy Week

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:26:44 -0800

I'm down at Grammy Week having a great time hearing wonderful musicians! It's nice to get to listen to live music and sit in the audience for a change. The week included a Tuesday evening Salute to Jazz (Kenny Burrell), Wednesday evening Salute to Classical (tribute to Placido Domingo) and tonight was a special honoring of music in television as part of the Grammy Foundation preservation and archiving focus. I'm really excited that a friend introduced me to a man who works at the Library of Congress who also has a stereoscope collection - so I will finally learn how to clean some of my cards! The weather has been such a great treat from the Seattle grey -- I have actually seen the sun and the full moon! Tomorrow I am really excited to go the MusiCares Person of the Year fund raiser with Neil Young. MusiCares is a non-profit that I do volunteer work for. It helps provide emergency funds for people in the music business during crisis! This is their biggest fund raiser of the year. Eric and I are hoping to do a fund raiser for MusiCares up in the Seattle area this year. Hope that you tune into the Grammy telecast --- I'll wave!

We're blogging in 2010!

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:35:28 -0800

A Word From Nancy

Yes Nancy is Blogging - Miracles Never Cease!

Welcome One and All and Happy New Year--- This blog will be a great way for me to be more personal with you and let you know what I've been up to as an artist.
I had a really wonderful Holiday touring season. We played our first of many 25th Anniversary shows in Langley WA where we actually have played a show each of these 25 years! Amazing! Our duo is now often a trio with the addition of our dear friend and great bass player Garey Shelton. This year of the 25th Anniversary will include many of our older compositions --- yes all the way back to Fisherman's Dream!!! We are hoping to do more house concerts this year - so if you are interested please let us know!

Thanks for your support for the past 25 years!! Peace, Nancy

A Word From Eric

I love to listen to music, which makes this just about the best time to be alive. I like to write, record, perform, and make my living in music. And the tools available now are better than ever, making it easy to get my ideas down. The good news is that anyone can make a CD. The bad news is... anyone can make a CD. Which means that a lot of garbage gets put out there. But as they say, one man’s garbage is another man's feast. So the chances of finding some music that really floats my boat are pretty good. I can easily get lost in all the choices between MySpace, YouTube and all the other online resources. And if I am not diggin’ the new stuff, access to the old tunes is just a click away.

In the last few years I have become a big fan of traditional country. And now I can check out old footage of Kitty Wells, Ray Price, and Ferlin Husky with ease on YouTube. Also guitar lessons and playing tips are there for the taking. I have just recently taken up the pedal steel guitar, and the interweb is just full of websites and videos with folks sharing what they know.

This new-fangled technology has also provided the opportunity to be in touch with the artists that we love, and to get more insight on their interests and what kind of people they are--and how this affects their craft. So stay in touch and let us know what you are thinkin' and we will do the same.