I'm looking foward to the time when the only thing I use my cloth masks for is to clean the dust under my strings.
I'm looking foward to the time when the only thing I use my cloth masks for is to clean the dust under my strings.
I'm really looking forward to weekly bluegrass jams with my friends and bluegrass festivals again.
I'm really looking forward to playing bluegrass tunes fast enough - more practice, did you say?
Today!
Going on vacation and seeing my daughter for the first time in two years.
She asked me to bring a mandolin
I bought some new instruments, a mandolin, a viola, a sax, and a flute. I am looking forward to actually being able to play them!!!
I have a guitar background. Learning these instruments is like learning a new language and mi espanol es muy mallo!
My mandolin playing is advancing but that is be expected as its another fretted instrument. I have the neck memorized and visualized now and I'm getting the hang of playing an instrument tuned in 5ths but I need to work on getting my scale and mode patterns down. Plus I need to learn some standards. I started on a tune called Red Haired Boy.
On the viola I can play a C major scale in tune and make the notes sound decent. Its a modest beginning. I need to get the hang of reading alto cleff.
On the sax I can play a major scale in 2 octaves and get a decent tone but my lip wears out after a few runs.
I haven't tried the flute yet, its still in the mail.
And oh yah, I'm looking forward to winter being over!
And like somebody else said, I'm looking forward to tossing these face diapers in the trash!
And I'm looking forward to getting my Harley out. Already took it for a ride a few days ago.
Last edited by Ash Telecaster; Mar-15-2021 at 10:43am.
I'm looking forward to my new to me Northfield Big Mon and learning to play the mandolin better as well as the guitar and banjo. I'm looking forward to jamming, something I've not done any of really but was getting ready to do when Covid started.
I am looking forward to live in person jams, live in person rehearsal with mandolin orchestra.
I’m looking forward to being able to amp up the band instead of doing stealthy acoustic jams.
Long-term: Playing shows with indoor audiences and the monthly bluegrass openjams.
Short term: Another day and another chance to try and do good.
What I play
2021 Skip Kelley Two-Point
Eastwood 'Ricky'
Morgan Monroe RT-1E
Epiphone Genesis guitars
Various Basses
I just played my second gig of the year at this great outdoor venue - lots of space in the venue and a huge parking lot to tailgate for those that didn't want to come in. I loved every second of it except those seconds where I sort of got freaked out by the amount of people in one space - distanced or not (most people not). I'm not all that afraid of Covid given my age and general health, but I'm really looking forward to the days I can do normal things with a crowd of people without having that paranoid voice screaming in my head haha.
Information on lessons, gigs, and misc musical stuff: www.mattcbruno.com
Weekly free Mandolin Lessons: www.mattcbruno.com/weekly-posts/
My gear and recommendations: www.mattcbruno.com/gear-recommendations/
Cooking fun: www.mattcbruno.com/quarantine-cookbook/
Mando's in use
Primary: Newson 2018
Secondary: Gibson F9 2014
Primary Electric: Jonathan Mann OSEMdc 5
I look forward to indoor jams where we can hear each other better. In the outdoor jams that I currently attend, everyone is having trouble hearing each other doing their breaks (except the banjo player), due to social distancing.
Spring -- it's still dadburned cold in Ottawa.
And, of course, playing in a room with musical friends.
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
Live music, playing it or watching it.
Maybe in this order:
Inviting some friends round for a backyard/garden session.
Getting back to local pub sessions.
Seeing how my newish Eastman 815pge works in a ceilidh band setting when plugged in.
Meeting up with far flung musician friends at festivals.
Revisiting some international pub sessions if I ever get on the road again.
Bren
Live sessions. We used to have the option to play a different session nearly every night of the week. And "band camp" -- and all the other stuff like visiting with family. I've seen my granddaughter live 2 times since last March.
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1920 Lyon & Healy bowlback
1923 Gibson A-1 snakehead
1952 Strad-o-lin
1983 Giannini ABSM1 bandolim
2009 Giannini GBSM3 bandolim
2011 Eastman MD305
Sitting in a pub at a session with a lovely pint of Guinness in front of me - trust me to move home after 12 years away and all the pubs are closed!
2018 Girouard Concert oval A
2015 JP "Whitechapel" tenor banjo
2018 Frank Tate tenor guitar
1969 Martin 00-18
my Youtube channel
Maybe meeting in person some of you fine folks that I have only spoken to online.
Spring. It's snowing here right now (but will be in the '50s by the weekend hopefully).
Getting together more often with bandmates. Planning on another video session in a month for a virtual summer festival.
Hopefully more gigs. And maybe even travel to a festival or two.
And more bike riding. Last year ended up with more miles than the prior 3 combined. Will see if that trend can continue.
Brentrup Model 23, Boeh A5 #37, Gibson A Jr., Flatiron 1N, Coombe Classical flattop, Strad-O-Lin
https://www.facebook.com/LauluAika/
https://www.lauluaika.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Longtine-Am...14404553312723
Gigs. Weddings, brew festivals, music festivals, little venues, big venues, backyard parties, breweries, fundraisers, town parks...any gig will do.
Local BG jams, band practice, playing with others.
2007 Weber Custom Elite "old wood"
2017 Ratliff R5 Custom #1148
Several nice old Fiddles
2007 Martin 000-15S 12 fret Auditorium-slot head
Deering Classic Open Back
Too many microphones
BridgerCreekBoys.com
Not having the first thing I think of when I open the door to leave the house be "do I have my mask?"
And shaking hands again...
"Keep your hat on, we may end up miles from here..." - Kurt Vonnegut
Living through the pandemic -- if I do, so far so good. Age 77, overweight, recurrent lung issues -- a sitting duck for the virus. One Moderna shot down, one to go.
Then, maybe reconstructing my semi-pro music avocation; I was playing 200 gigs a year, paid and unpaid. Last year saw me down to about 45; this year, five so far. We'll see what happens, but no doubt my "second career" in retirement, has taken a real body blow.
It'll be nice just to get out and play "live," performance, jam, sing-around, whatever. And to get to Boston to see kids and grandkids. Resumption of something like normality, not looking for excitement, just hoping to get back some of what was lost.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
Sorry , can't do the Guinness Jill, but here's a couple of lip-lickers from our last trip to Ireland.
Murphy and Beamish, just like it says on the glasses and tasted every bit as good as they looked.
Corner House, Cork city, 29 June , 2019:
And in Orkney a few years back, somebody making good use of a b**jo:
Bren
Brentrup Model 23, Boeh A5 #37, Gibson A Jr., Flatiron 1N, Coombe Classical flattop, Strad-O-Lin
https://www.facebook.com/LauluAika/
https://www.lauluaika.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Longtine-Am...14404553312723
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