"Sweet" and other annoying words to describe music instruments

[Jim Garber]

But for the record, I dont mind Monte!

Well, my curmudgeonness comes out... I don't like Monte either. Hey, I don't even like curmudgeonness.

[Andrew Roberts]

Wow. I feel like I need to pull out a dictionary for this thread! I often find myself becoming annoyed at myself when I use some of these words. I always wish there were better ways to describe sound, but it is a pretty nebulous task at times. The word that has already been covered here that I am the most guilty of overusing is "woody". The only blanker looks I get when describing musical instruments to people is when I drop the euphonium bomb on them...

[mandocrucian]

http://www.youtube.com/v/-gwXJsWHupg?fs=1&hl=en_US

Gorn ... gorn. It's got a sort of woody quality about it. Gorn. Gorn. Much better than `newspaper' or `litterbin'.

[JEStanek]

.. Oh what about honest play wear ?. most of the play wear I give my mandolins is dishonest.

Bill Monroe's mandolin had some dishonest play wear from some one playing it with a fire poker.

Jamie

[man dough nollij]

I love this thread. I love it so much I wrote "The Adjective Song". I played it on my woody, woofy, resonant, bell-like, balanced, and tubby McGillicuddy F-6, but found that it sounds so much more appropriate on my metallic-sounding, meowy, dissonant, log-like, biased, and showery Bill Ditt number 6. Check it out, I mean it.

[Mandoviol]

http://www.youtube.com/v/-gwXJsWHupg?fs=1&hl=en_US

Gorn ... gorn. It's got a sort of woody quality about it. Gorn. Gorn. Much better than `newspaper' or `litterbin'.

Gorn...gorn...just saying it gives me confidence.

Ocelot....wasp....yowling....

[foldedpath]

Here's another one I ran across recently, in an online store's web page description of an instrument for sale. It's a well-respected store, describing a well-respected luthier's top model, and yes I know it's a tough business, but still...

Great sounding mandolin--throaty and loud with lots of wood and pith. World-class in every way.

I think "throaty" might be new in this thread, but at least I can understand what they're going for there. On the other hand, what the heck is "pith?" Is pith something I want in my mandolin tone? A pithy tone? I dunno...

"Hey, pal... your mandolin sounds really pithy!"

[Ron McMillan]

Plays like butter. I can't stand that phrase.

I'm SOOO glad Mike got that in quickly and proved that I'm not the only person for whom that one grates. That dumb phrase is not only contrived, it is completely meaningless, an empty analogy.

rm

[Nelson Peddycoart]

I'd be upthet if thomeone pithed in my mandolin!

[Nelson Peddycoart]

This does not exactly belong here, but I really hate it when someone lists (mainly on Ebay) an instrument as a Gibson then puts in the description that is an an Epiphone by Gibson (or Squier by Fender), etc.

[Fretbear]

I dislike "tubby".....not the word, the sound.....

[journeybear]

Personally, I like "axe," and since mandolin is an instrument for which the term "chop" is used quite often, it seems appropriate. But what I don't like are "deep" and "full." After all, mandolins are just a bit too trebly (not crazy about that one either, but in this context ...) for those to apply, and they get used way too often to be very meaningful, as do "rich" and "complex," and the very mandolin-specific "Loar-like" and similar overblown constructs. Except in the case of my axe, with its deep, full, rich, and complex Loar-like tone.

This isn't really mandolin specific, but someone pointed out to me last week that I use the word "lead" instead of "break" which seemed really strange to them.

Ummm ... One jug band I've played with, the washboard player thought it was cute to literally take a break when his name was called - just stand there with a few seconds of silence before launching in; or if not, then do so in the middle of his break - I mean, lead - especially in a stop=time section. After a couple of these it gets old; but on the other hand, he was awfully good, and this was part of his schtick, and probably has been for fifty years ... so as annoying as it may be, it's a small price to pay . And it wouldn't be the same if he didn't do this. Still, ever since, I have been careful to say "take a lead" instead of "take a break." In general.

[GRW3]

These words are kind of 'gearhead' 'inside baseball'. Really, they're the kind things guys who play and sample a lot of instruments say to try and communicate what they thinking about the instruments being played. Without the instrument at hand to provide context, they are semi-meaningless.

[Chris Biorkman]

Moist.

[Matt DeBlass]

Not sound-related, but at the top of my personal Irrational Hate List is "taking it to the next level." Don't tell me you are "taking your playing to the next level" unless you are actually moving your practice room upstairs!

My mandolin, on the other hand, is quite nimble, with an atavistic pick attack and a rather droll undertone.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From 250sc - "Hoss and banjo killer just make me roll my eyes " - Spoken only by those who aren't around Banjos too much.
I'm too busy to care about phraseology used by others,having used many 'off-the-wall' terms myself over the years. My own Mando's as sweet as can be,plays like silky smooth butter & chops,barks & howls like all h**l let loose - there,grab onto that & hold tight !!,
Ivan

[frankenstein]

My drum kit is a banjo killer.

[Dave Hanson]

A chainsaw or a sledgehammer is a banjo killer.

Dave H

[Bertram Henze]

What a floopy thread. Now back to playing my well-seasoned OM with its throaty, fifthish sound...

[Bobbie Dier]

I can't stand "Mandolin Tasting". It makes as much sense as "plays like butter".

[MikeEdgerton]

Mike,
it's not one of (actual mandolin content) those Mickey Mouse eared scroll things, is it? My uncle-in-law has one. It doesn't sound half bad but I have to look away.

I always liked the picture Jim Simpson photoshopped of one of those with a second lump scroll on the bottom.

[i-vibe]

a few have mentioned their distaste for "Gibby".....i'll counter w my dislike of "Flatty" for Flatirons.

[i-vibe]

now, i have been guilty of using "demure" to describe my '77 EPI oval hole.

earlier someone mentioned being bugged by people listing Epiphone instruments as Gibsons.....agreed. and you see this all time w Squiers being listed as FENDERS.

[Dan Margolis]

This thread is sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

[AlanN]

For some reason, 'bone does not rankle me feathers as Flatty or Gibby does.