Re: Mandolin As A New Direction
I respect your decision. You've analyzed your own situation, limitations, goals, etc., and decided what works for you. Of course, part of your decision has to do with your goals. As you said, "I waited too late in life to remotely reach a height in playing the mandolin that I'd be satisfied with." If you were happy to strum "Home on The Range" and "We Shall Overcome", you might have come to a different conclusion. I'm about the same age as you, started mandolin in my mid-60's, and work hard at it with slower results than I'd like. I've also analyzed the situation and decided to continue for my own personal reasons. You have other instruments to play. I have only fiddle, which, due to my physical limitations, I can no longer play for lengthy periods. If I played guitar or some other instrument, I might have made the same decision as you.
By the way, it's not a great idea for the young to advise the old on how to spend their time. I know that there are a few Jackrabbit Johannsen's out there, skiing past the age of one hundred, but most of us are facing physical problems that few middle-aged people even think about. (By the way, I regret nearly every minute that I was forced to spend on a baseball field.)
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.
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