Relax your hand on a table or the arm of a chair, lift your index finger, curve it and press the tip for a second as you would when playing, lay the finger down and relax it, do the same with the...
Relax your hand on a table or the arm of a chair, lift your index finger, curve it and press the tip for a second as you would when playing, lay the finger down and relax it, do the same with the...
Thanks for that, Don.
Bill Monroe was influenced by the African-American fiddler, Arnold Schultz.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Shultz
In the 1920s and 30s, mainly northern record companies...
Your work is most appreciated, Scott.
And a tip o' the hat to the moderators, who assist in creating the atmosphere that we all (well, most of us) value at Mandolin Cafe.
Frank, you ol' tear-jerker, you. Nice singing.
From the same period, here's some fine mandolin playing by Nancy Blake at 33:20. The tunes are: Within A Mile/Durham Rangers/Far from Home/Primrose Lass.
If the links don't work, search for...
I'm with the "you've got to play fast" school. I know that in tai chi, after doing the moves slowly for years, you're supposed to be able to use them rapidly when necessary for self defence. However,...
I hear them singing words. ;)
"Un Canadien Errant" is an anthemic song in Quebec. In 1837, some Canadians in Upper (Ontario) and Lower (Quebec) Canadian rebelled against the colonial...
You might be interested in Lisa Ornstein's (bilingual) book, Danse Ce Soir – Fiddle and Accordion Music of Quebec (Mel Bay). She's an ethnomusicologist and an excellent fiddler, who has been studying...
An afterthought: To be fair to fiddlers, a fiddler might work for some time at mastering a complex tune or medley, using sophisticated techniques, then go to a "session" to find that fellow musicians...
To tell you the truth, even fiddlers can't keep up with "the Fiddlers." You're relatively new to this, Sue, so it'll take time. In fact, many never get there. Miles Davis, so I'm told, couldn't play...
I always enjoy your playing and interpretation of tunes, Colin.
Various sources attribute this tune to Davey Arthur in the mid-70s, before he joined the Fureys, though it has clearly gone into...
Play da blues, Frank! That was wonderful. Your mandolin has beautiful tone.
The tone when you tune your mandolin to A-G-E-D?
As John's likely tucked in, over in Scotland, I'll take the liberty of answering your question. The Song-A-Week group can be found at:
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/group.php?groupid=67
...
Welcome aboard, Garrett.
I'm making no assumptions about whether you're an ear learner, but I think you might find David Greenberg's explanation of the "feeling" of Cape Breton music helpful. Though...
I realze thar you're right, it is the "Bluegrass Stomp," but the Stonemans take it in a very different direction than Bill Monroe did. It brings to mind the high speed excitement of the Del-Tones,...
I posted this one elsewhere ("Roni Stoneman R.I.P.") but thought that I should share it here as well. Here's Donna Stoneman going wild with the Stonemans..I guess bluegrass bands crossing genres goes...
It's a highly individual journey. What works for me won't necessarily work for you. I use Voltaren and arnica gel, which varies greatly in price from brand to brand. I also do hand exercises,...
And if it was like the Colonial Tavern in Toronto during the same period, the heavy drinkers got the seats near the stage, where they argued loudly about whatever while the young jazz buffs were 'way...
That gave me a smile.
Treating it seriously though, I'm a very light drinker, who can go for months without a beer, a shot, or a glass of wine. When I was young, an older man told me that when I go...
Still, you have to remember that some people take moderation to extremes.;)
Cons: 5. Play badly (I've witnessed it too often.)
Again, I don't know how much you know about the blues, but I agree with Bob's comment (above). Often in blues, you don't have a "tune" (melody) so much as a chord pattern that you can improvise...
When I was in high school, I sat in the music room with a few music-student friends, chatting with the teacher. He was a jazz musician, who played professionally, beginning in Oscar Peterson's band...
Well, the more you drink, the better I sound. However, the more I drink...