[Artemisia] Re: Bardic at Uprising!

[Julia H. West]

Greetings, good folk of Artemisia,

For the bardics at Uprising (in the Main Pavilion each evening) I'd like to try 
something I've done for many years in SF filk circles but never tried at an SCA 
bardic, which is a "Poker Chip" bardic.  Those of you who have been to bardic 
circles are probably familiar with "Chaos" (whoever has the strongest voice or 
can start quickest gets to do the next song) and "Pick, Pass, or Play" (it goes 
around in a strict circle, and everyone gets to perform their piece when it 
becomes their turn).  Both of these have some disadvantages.  In Chaos, the shy 
folk, or those with little voices, are often never heard.  In PPorP it may take 
FOREVER to get to you, and when it comes to you, the silly filk you wanted to do 
may not be a good "follower" for the angsty tear-jerker you just heard.  I think 
the "Poker Chip" bardic solves these problems to some extent.

Everyone attending gets a token (it's poker chips at the filk circles because 
they're cheap and easy to see--I'm using those squashed-glass thingies you often 
see in fish tanks for the bardic because they're less mundane looking than 
plastic poker chips) when they arrive at the circle.  When you want to perform, 
you throw your token into the middle, and people know it's your turn.  Or, you 
can request something ("Does anyone know 'Men of Harlech' in the original Welsh?
" or "Can we hear that one that Master So-and-so sang in court last month?")  
Or, you can say, "Wow, I've got a perfect follower for that song Lady So-and-so 
just sang!" and toss your token in.  If you don't have a token, you may be able 
to cajole someone else into using their token, and request you do one!

After awhile, when all tokens are in, they're passed out again and it all starts 
over.  This makes for a much looser bardic, everyone gets a turn to participate 
in =some= way, and it seems to be a lot more fun.  (Quite late, when everyone is 
fairly mellow and most people have gone to bed, we usually abandon tokens and go 
to Chaos.)

Anyway, what do folks think of this?

Another thing I'd like to do, at least at first, is have people introduce 
themselves when they perform.  We're from many shires, baronies, and even 
kingdoms, and can't know =everyone= well.  Sometimes at the filk circles I run, 
where I know most of the people (and at cons people have nametags), I'll realize 
by the end of the weekend that I love that person's singing but don't know her 
name!

So, those of you with bardic leanings (or even those who just want to come and 
listen)--what think you?

Diolch (thanks),

Meistres Rhonwen