Before we left the US, Sheila made contact with the Jamtli Spelmanslag (Musician's Group). She learned A) that she was welcome to attend with her nyckelharpa, and B) that they met at 18.30 at Jamtli every other Wednesday. This was not as helpful as probably intended. If you've see the Christmas market post, you will understand that "Jamtli" is a pretty big place. "At Jamtli" isn't terribly specific. In the museum itself? Out in one of the older buildings on the property? And "every other Wednesday", counting from when?
So it took a while to figure all of that out, and there ended up being only one chance to meet up while she still had the nyckelharpa before it gets packed up for shipping. The group meets in the museum itself, on the one evening per week they stay open late, and need to leave by 20.30 when it closes. They very kindly had her choose the first tune--"Båtsman Däck"...basic nyckelharpa repertoire that has become commonly-played all over the country. Sadly, the 2 nyckelharpa-players normally in the group weren't there that night! It sounded a little like this (Sorry, can't get rid of the ads OR fix the YouTube "autoplay next video"):
The dancers in the video are doing the hambo, sort of the national dance of Sweden, rather than Bondpolska from Viksta as would be done in the province of Uppland.
The next 2 tunes were local ones that Sheila had mentioned that she had learned. This was an interesting challenge, because tunes from Jämtland have very different bowing-patterns, and so a different feel, from the ones she's used to playing.
Much of the evening was taken up by discussion of plans to record a CD, and suggestions of tunes for that. So there was a lot of listening, but at least one tune Sheila might take up in future, Jämtlands brudmarsch (Wedding March from Jämtland). Here's the gang from Jamtli on what looks like a lovely autumn day at Jamtli:
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