- The Eric Sahlström Institute (ESI) is the center of the nyckelharpa universe and the best place to come learn about the nyckelharpa. The dance program is equally intensive.
- Tobotorsdag! Many Thursdays we have a small concert, fika, and dance in our dance hall. Täby Spelmansgille is coming up tomorrow.
- Being in this remote setting far from family and friends and other activities, we are taking time out from our lives to concentrate on Swedish music and dance. There is time to explore these things in depth, with the help of teachers who know it inside and out. We can spend an hour stroking our nyckelharpas, trying to play the note “D” with the best possible attack, speed, beginning, middle, end, and in tempo, trying to match Olov’s sound when he plays it before and after each of us.
- Our teachers Ditte Andersson, Sonia Sahlström, and Olov Johansson are really wonderful, knowledgeable and personable. They are grounded in the tradition with various backgrounds and each brings something different.
- Olov has thought about every element of nyckelharpa construction, the keys, the tangents, the action, the wood, the bow and hair and tightness and firmness. And playing: the beginning of each stroke, the middle, the ending, where to stroke between the bridge and the key box, how to play fast, slowly, everything. And he is patiently teaching us all of these things. He has tried and adjusted all our nyckelharpas and bows.
- Tobo is a beautiful small village and walking in every direction is lovely.
- People have put windowboxes and planted flowers and added lovely decorative things all around their houses.
- Fika! We have regular, scheduled coffeebreaks in the morning and afternoon with crackers or cake or snacks. Today we had freshly baked brownies, my favorite!
- Our class has 20 really interesting, lively people who are fun to be around. Age range appears to be 18 to 70’s. We created a wonderful “Tobotisdag” this week, playing and dancing for and with each other for the evening.
- The communal kitchen in the annex where we live together is a happy hubbub of cooking and talking laughter and stories and wonderful smells.
nyckelharpa class
close encounter with a cow while walking
beautiful flowers next to a house
Olov is trying out my nyckelharpa next to Harry Hedbom, who made it! He said it sounded good!
relaxing in the annex kitchen/lounge area