Day 3 in Turkmenistan

Day 3


This day started off playing at a conservatory of music. A very cold in tempature conservatory. We played our show and afterwords this very old woman came up to us and began thanking us and being very sweet to us. Come to find out this woman is 81 years old and was a famous Russian opera singer. She sat down to the piano to show us her talents, as the notes get higher she would pop out of her seat, it was so wonderful. she melted my heart.




The school set up a concert for us by the students, so we walked in the museum and there were 2 rows of boys playing dutars and guzjak, totally spelling these wrong, you'll see the video and see what i'm talking about. the Guzjak is like the pontic lyric only in the way it's tuned but is made from mulberry tree wood and a fish skin! i can't believe a fish skin is strong enough, they said it's catfish. Anyway, i love love love that instrument, i want to play in the band. I think i was born in the wrong place. i love that music! you'll see this band you only need one of these instruments because it's soo cool. I got to play on his instrument and it was soo nice. they said with a little instruction i could be really good. Was that a compliment or just like stick with the violin? anyway, they were fabulous. A pleasure to get to hear the traditional folk music.


We had lunch with the ambassador, at his house. it was so nice to sit and have a conversation with him. He is a very interesting person, he filled us in about all his travels in somalia, and also more of the history of turkmenistan. It's so nice to get the cliff notes of a place.
Then we headed to the orphanage, called the palace for orphan children. And it was a palace. the kids were wonderful we taught them hambone, pretty funny. at the end of our concert this young boy came to the stage and sang to a music track. Oh my god, this boy was a professional! he had incredible stage presence and voice. He could teach us something. It was great, they left us with a CD that the children are all on. i can't wait to hear it.


we played a short set at the embassy which is in our hotel, kinda handy. and then for the final part of the day we had a dinner and meeting of other turkmen musicians at the deputy of missions. She opened her house up to all us, made dinner and then held the night sorta like a salon, everyone played a couple of songs, it was so beautiful. We heard so many different styles of music and everyone was so friendly, it was nice to have a chance to talk to people that live and work here. We played with one of the famous turkmen musicians who does a lot of american music and of course we did "what a wonderful world" It makes me feel like we have landed somewhere.