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Honorary advisor
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Y'all need to know the pitfalls of playin' too much Bluegrass before it takes over and is too late ...
Once a fine picture of a closely shaved ,well kept individual , alas Bluegrass had it's way degenerating into the pityfull figure before you today ...commonly found to be wearing coveralls and sandals or barefoot and often reffered to as less than socially acceptable in general ....
Save yourselves while there is still time ....play something Irish or Scottish often enough to ward off the enevitable degeneration to come ...
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Spent Several successive Sunday jam sessions with our local bluegrass band. Most of the time the mandolin player spent the 2-3 hrs playing rhythmic chop chords as the mandolin played the roll of snare drum while the Bass kept the main beat. Only occasionally did the mandolinist get to play lead since he had to share that role with Fiddle, 2 guitars, and a banjo player who also doubled on mandolin. Bluegrass is fine to listen to but I think being part of the rhythm section terribly limiting for a beautiful instrument.
Honorary advisor
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Hey Ray ,
Good point ...I agree ...that's why friends don't let friends do chords on their mandolins ...gets boring real fast ...love to pick 'em 'till the cows come home ...ye ha ...
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Ha ha.. Tucs.. I like your sense of humor... Funny Guy!
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
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Hi, @Tucson1 . Here in Washington state I went down to to the local MJ's Pot Store to investigate this blue grass you speak of, but they just looked at me with blank, dull eyes. Oh well, at least I tried to followup on your suggestion. gwscheer
(In Washington state marijuana is legal, and in Pullman, Mary Jane Smith (no really, that is her name) opened Mary Jane's Pot Store
"Make every note beautiful", Ivan Galamian
“To play a wrong note is INSIGNIFICANT; To play without PASSION is INEXCUSABLE!” , Ludvig Van Beethovan
"It ain't rocket surgery"
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I'm afraid that I've started to experiment with bluegrass. I can stop anytime, I know it! (But do I really want to?)
Seriously, though, I've been to two bluegrass jams so far and I've been very glad to have my mando and have been perfectly happy to just play chords. I never would have been able to keep up on fiddle or lead mando. I hope that will change eventually, but for now I'm happy to just strum or chop along and try to absorb the music and observe good players' technique.
When the work's all done and the sun's settin' low,
I pull out my fiddle and I rosin up the bow.
Honorary advisor
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Oh , sure KS ....that's always the way it starts out ...a couple of harmless bluegrass jams ...lots of fun strumin' along ....then the trouble starts ...ya begin cheating easy two finger chords by usein' yer thumb whenever ya can even though ya don't need to
Then , in the parking lot away from the main groups , yer approched by a familare face , maybe one of the folks ya jamed with before ....and they're givin ya really thin picks fer fast pickin ....once yer hooked on those it's on to the hard stuff ...thumb picks ....
Then there's no goin' back ...no way out ...ohhh my ....until at last yer lookin' at makin' a glass finger slide from the neck of an old A 1 sauce bottle ...
But maybe there's hope ...maybe you'll be the one that got away without payin' the piper ...maybe ya won't start lookin' at western boots and sandals when yer out shoppin'...maybe ....Well , hech ....here's Spotted Pony ...fer fiddle or mandolin pickin ' ....might as well get yer feet wet and see how deep the water is ...
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LOL. That's funny.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Agreed that is so wrong but it so right hahahahahha
Master the Frog and you have mastered the bow.
Albert Sammons
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I am re-opening this thread to all still attached to it for a bunch of reasons
#1 I used to live in Tucson, and anyone that knows how to spell it, must have lived there as well.
#2 I will get to the point-
I really can't believe my good fortune, but I have been introduced to a mandolin player, a bass player, and well.... I knew the guitar player-- just one mile down the street- who would have thunk it ? all beautiful people.
They are trying real hard to fit a violin into the list of songs- but it is mostly bluegrass, which I love......... but have almost no experience playing the songs. The funny thing is, if you take a picture of us, we look great, and we even have our moments. LOL
Can anyone suggest a song that I can learn that would accommodate us ? we are working together almost daily, but I really don't feel I fit in yet with the music selection..... although- I have to say, my violin picks up the voice voice of the mandolin player (also the singer) really well !
I swear- someday I will be playing as well as my imagination
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@Leana Have you seen the Brian Wicklund books? When I switched from learning Suzuki I found those 2 amazing books.
I have been going to a great bluegrass jam for 2 years now. The people are awesome!! I have learned so much from them. I was so excited last night when I was I able to hear chord changes coming!!
LOL! @Tucson I changed my name from Pat to Patty! Sounds more bluegrassy!! hehe!!
Violinist start date - May 2013
Fiddler start date - May 2014
FIDDLE- Gift from a dear friend. A 1930-40 german copy, of a french copy of a Stradivarius. BOW - $50 carbon fiber. Strings - Dominants with E Pirastro Gold string.
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@Schaick - I can be such a dumb butt sometimes- it's actually not bluegrass, it's blues that we are trying to play- which at my level, should be easier. LOL
Anyways, any day we learn something is a good day- These guys know more technical stuff than I do... so I never walk out without inspiration, but it's a bit frustrating...... cuz what I really want is to be in a rock and roll band, but no way am I ready for that ! LOL
Thanks- I will listen to more of
Brian Wicklund (just for fun !)
I swear- someday I will be playing as well as my imagination
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Raywells said
Spent Several successive Sunday jam sessions with our local bluegrass band. Most of the time the mandolin player spent the 2-3 hrs playing rhythmic chop chords as the mandolin played the roll of snare drum while the Bass kept the main beat. Only occasionally did the mandolinist get to play lead since he had to share that role with Fiddle, 2 guitars, and a banjo player who also doubled on mandolin. Bluegrass is fine to listen to but I think being part of the rhythm section terribly limiting for a beautiful instrument.
Really? Bill Monroe didn't have too much troublem making himself heard and he had Lester Flatt and Earl Scrugs to play over.
The search for great technique does not always lead to great music, but the search for great music does always lead to great technique.
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I don't see the correlation between that Bach Prelude performance and bluegrass. Although I think she would be able to play some nice bluegrass if she wanted to.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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