Random mandolin sightings

[journeybear]

This post is not as much about the appearance of a mandolin in this particular setting - after all, the original name of "The Cavern Sessions" was "Bluegrass Underground," and the performers have serious BG cred (Brooke has won the award for IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year four years in a row, and Darin is a former member of The Country Gentlemen) - no, it's the manner of play that is so random. If my eyes don't deceive me, she is not playing chords at all. She's just holding the strings, deadening them, and chunking, if that's the term. Not even making an attempt to mime chord changes. I've never seen this before. This is the third song in, and a fine Cajun-esque version of the great Richard Thompson song, and I didn't notice whether she did this on the first two songs - but she did this the whole rest of the show. I'm not a PBS member so I can't watch the entire show from the start, and there's just this song on youtube. Maybe someone else could have a look-see. It seems a pretty random occurrence, and I didn't think worthy of a whole new thread. But it's curious, and so am I.

[Sue Rieter]

...If my eyes don't deveive me, she is not playing chords at all. She's just holding the strings, deadening them, and chunking, if that's the term. Not even making an attempt to mime chord changes. I've never seen this before....

*blush* As a newbie, I will admit to having done this at a jam when I didn't know the song at all. A cello player suggested it to me

[journeybear]

Good advice, and effective, albeit imperfect, practice. But for a professional and highly regarded player to do this for an entire set - baffling. Maybe it was out of tune. But I think there are breaks in the action during the taping during which she could have tuned. Doesn't make sense. Why not just sing?

[James Vwaal]

Good advice, and effective, albeit imperfect, practice. But for a professional and highly regarded player to do this for an entire set - baffling. Maybe it was out of tune. But I think there are breaks in the action during the taping during which she could have tuned. Doesn't make sense. Why not just sing?

Drummers don't play chords either; she is basically playing rhythm by just hitting something in time with the beat. Maybe she needs that to keep in step with the others, IDK.

[Drew Egerton]

Brooke is a wonderful singer and I know she plays some rhythm guitar, but there are several videos of her chopping mandolin like that from other settings. I know Darin can play mandolin but I am guessing Brooke doesn't actually play in the typical sense. Treating it more like a tambourine here.

[journeybear]

No, a drummer doesn't play chords; a drum is a rhythm instrument, generally - there are some drums that can be played with pitch changes by altering drumhead tension, such as tabla and talking drum. There are three elements of music: rhythm, melody, harmony. Fretted string instruments can play all three. Playing chords is a combination of rhythm and harmony, in that the notes played in so doing (typically) produce a harmony as those notes exist in a harmonious relation amongst them.

A mandolin's role in a bluegrass band often also includes producing a strong rhythm, typically on the back beat. Brooke is indeed doing that, but is entirely excluding the harmony elements inherent in regular chord playing. Additionally, she seemed to be doing this intentionally and exclusively. It struck me as odd, and just as was stated, it was like playing a tambourine (I was thinking a washboard). If indeed this is her typical playing method, then I guess the intent is strictly rhythmic. It just seemed odd to me, having never seen this before, not to such an extent - I mean, entirely and exclusively during an entire performance. (Admittedly, I'd never seen this band before, so I appreciate the observation from someone who has.) I'd tend not to believe she needs to do this to maintain her timing, since she's so accomplished, but I can see that this could be a way to provide a bit more rhythm to the ensemble sound without introducing an instrument for this purpose that is atypical in a bluegrass band and thus be somewhat disctracting, such as a tambourine, washboard, or a drum (even though the bass player switched to a snare drum for one song, which was a somewhat dramatic variation of the band's sound). Chunking a mandolin is thus perhaps the most fitting way of doing this.

Thanks. As I said, I found it curious, and it made me curious.

[Charles E.]

Yea that is strange, I guess it gives her something to do with her hands while she sings.

[journeybear]

It so happens Darin and Brooke are the featured artist on a show called "WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour," broadcast from Lexington KY, which will be running tonight on one of my local PBS sub-channels (we have four; this one is called "Create" and is usually devoted to how-to content - cooking, travel, crafts, art, and the like). This show includes brief interview/chat sections, so there may be a revelation about her playing approach.

Or not. I found the show's facebook page, and in their archives the show which will be broadcast. She does indeed play that way all the time - strictly rhythmic chunking. So it's an integral part of their sound. In one amusing detail, she has a tuner clipped to the headstock. The purpose of this escapes me. It's always a good thing to be in tune, but I don't think she is likely to encounter a moment mid-song when she will need to adjust a string.

If this show isn't offered in your area, you can watch it online here. It's WoodSongs #1028: Darin & Brooke Aldridge/Cristina Vane, 12/6/21.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/...91347168080375

[journeybear]

OK, technically, this is not a mandolin sighting, but a Gibson sighting. Also technically, it's not a Gibson mandolin sighting - I just didn't know where else to put this, and it sure didn't seem to necessitate initiating a new thread.

The name "Gibson" came up on Jeopardy last night - not the mandolin but the cocktail - and no one got it! I did, you bet. I yelled at the screen. But they didn't hear me. Sad, sad day.

[Denis Kearns]

Now, would that be the favorite drink of a Gibson Girl?

[journeybear]

Maybe ... not for this Gibson boy. I've never had one, just aware of it ... somehow ...

[Charles E.]

Neither Have I, the idea of an onion instead of a couple of olives in a martini is unthinkable.

[journeybear]

Oh, I dunno. It doesn't sound that bad to me, though I'm fine with olives, no wish to change. I also like an olive or two in a Bloody Mary, along with lots of other stuff. But I'm not much for gin, anyway. Nor all the current variations on Martinis, none of which truly are Martinis.

[jim simpson]

It's funny, I saw that episode of Woodsongs recently and was amused by the non-position changing chunk. Funny also about the tuner clipped on the headstock. There is a local group (who also appeared on Woodsongs) with a female member who was spotted doing the same chunk with her mandolin. A friend was at the concert and she joked about being an imposter.

[pops1]

I like Gin, it has to be gluten free, but..... A martini can also be made with vodka.

[CES]

Generally small pearl onions that have been pickled…so, not like a wedge of raw onion on a skewer. While not something I would generally order, I’ve had them in some Martinis that were pretty darn good (usually at one particular friend’s who is quite the mixologist, or my in laws). But, I’ll readily admit I didn’t realize the drink was called a Gibson. I wonder what’s skewered in a Givson???