Re: Norman's sage advice
I have a friend who took private lessons from Andy Statman and he shared some of his lesson experiences with me. One thing Andy said that stuck out in my mind was you need to really learn one thing completely. Don't dabble in bluegrass, learn a little swing, switch to choro, go explore jazz, then learn some more bluegrass. Pick one and master that language. Then all those other languages will make sense. If you never master the one thing, you'll never acquire the understanding you need to really speak in any of the languages. Your playing will have no depth. Being lazy and a slow learner, I haven't learned Monroe yet. There's some tunes/breaks I've learned note for note. There's some tunes/breaks I get a sense of and just wing it. The more you learn note for note, the easier it gets to wing it. And the stuff you can't play (the limitations you run into), you find another way to make something that fits into the feeling of the tune. On Tue, Nov 3, 2009 at 7:06 PM, mistertaterbug taterbugmu...@gmail.com wrote: Fo'teen, You ask a valid question...several actually. In my opinion the answer would be yes, try. Getting the general gist seems to leave me wanting more. I don't really think it's possible to understand what's being listened to with only getting the gist of it. One thing that occurs in the pursuit of understanding another's style is that the ears change over time, you become educated on what you're hearing and therefore new things occur to one's musical mind that simply were not there before because there was not enough education to understand them. My opinion, of course. Brian presents an interesting point about acquiring one's own nuances. David Grisman says that he used to try and play like Monroe in the early days, but the more he tried, the more his own thing emerged. Who's to say why dawg music was born or whether it had anything to do with Grisman's pursuit of Monroe. I think it probably had more to do with David doing a whole lot of mandolin playing and his muse speaking the loudest. There is also a lot of evidence that even Monroe played sounds and arrangements he heard being played by others. John Hartford used to say that he believed that a person's style is based on that person's limitations, that no one can play what they actually hear inside them. I would suggest taking that idea a step further and say that many times personal limitations are self-imposed. Not always, sure, but that would also take into consideration Brian's lazy streak(and my own). I know a number of musicians who openly admit to not being able to play at the level they know they could if they would just focus and work on it, yours truly included. I'm rambling on, so I'll get back to the point as I understand it. Yes, it is good to seek the nuances, to believe in something and follow it. Doing the work to learn only makes one a better player and opens other doors to personal discovery. Our own sounds will emerge no matter how hard we try to sound like someone else. Taterhead On Nov 3, 2:22 pm, 14strings perrypale...@gmail.com wrote: Does anybody here get bit by the guitar flatpicking bug once in a while? I'm presently on one such binge now. It's fun to jump ship once in a while and makes coming back the mandolin fresh. Anyway I was watching Norman Blake's first Homespun guitar video and he said something that I've heard before but the way he said it made it finally sink in. He said, and I paraphrase I want you to get the idea of what I'm doing but I want you to do it your own way this way you'll play the best of what YOU have to offer In other words it's really difficult to get the EXACT nuance of someone elses playing and should we even try? Or should we get the general gist of it and play what comes naturally to us? --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Taterbugmando group. To post to this group, send email to taterbugmando@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to taterbugmando+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
Re: Norman's sage advice
i personally feel nothing you learn well goes wasted... whether its bluegrass, jazz or anything... ofcourse one should focus on mastering at least one style... and what mr hartford said about style evolving out of our limitations, is so true... never thought it that way. --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Taterbugmando group. To post to this group, send email to taterbugmando@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to taterbugmando+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
Re: Norman's sage advice
Lot's of good discussions here. Andy Statman's point about completely learning ONE style I take to heart for I am a professional Jack of all Trades and master in none! :) I'm a member of the lazy club too.. I think the intention of the Norman's Blake comment was not to invite laziness but to take advantage of the natural tendency of our own inherent phrasing. Therefore give the best of what we have unforced,naturally. I don't think Norman was suggesting to leave out chunks of content. Perry --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Taterbugmando group. To post to this group, send email to taterbugmando@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to taterbugmando+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
Re: Norman's sage advice
I had one of the best comments I'd ever heard on my playing last Saturday. A friend I hadn't seen in a while said, Damn, sounds good. You've come a long way. You even have your own style. I suppose the style he could have been referring to was suck, but I don't think so. I've just gotten comfortable with what I can do, and know where to go. I know I'll never play the mandolin like Mike Compton or Bill Monroe or Chris Thile of whoever the hell--that's just my limitation, but I do a more than passable job at playing like Steve. I also know that I'm constantly learning and being more adventurous with it and try to be more confident in playing like myself, which is easier said than done. I try to kick myself and say, play harder and practice harder, but the minute this stops being fun and feels more like the shit I do every day sitting at this desk then there's something wrong. A banjo buddy asked me if I could pick mandolin on his group's CD today, so I can put a notch on the belt for Steve-style. For the record, that involves one very red eye and NOT sucking. From: 14strings perrypale...@gmail.com To: Taterbugmando taterbugmando@googlegroups.com Sent: Wed, November 4, 2009 1:33:24 PM Subject: Re: Norman's sage advice Lot's of good discussions here. Andy Statman's point about completely learning ONE style I take to heart for I am a professional Jack of all Trades and master in none! :) I'm a member of the lazy club too.. I think the intention of the Norman's Blake comment was not to invite laziness but to take advantage of the natural tendency of our own inherent phrasing. Therefore give the best of what we have unforced,naturally. I don't think Norman was suggesting to leave out chunks of content. Perry --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Taterbugmando group. To post to this group, send email to taterbugmando@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to taterbugmando+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
Re: Norman's sage advice
One time, I heard an animal trainer being asked whether dogs were smarter, or cats. He said dogs were smarter at being dogs, and cats were smarter at being cats. I like that answer. Topher On Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 10:40 AM, Steve Cantrell sec...@bellsouth.net wrote: I had one of the best comments I'd ever heard on my playing last Saturday. A friend I hadn't seen in a while said, Damn, sounds good. You've come a long way. You even have your own style. I suppose the style he could have been referring to was suck, but I don't think so. I've just gotten comfortable with what I can do, and know where to go. I know I'll never play the mandolin like Mike Compton or Bill Monroe or Chris Thile of whoever the hell--that's just my limitation, but I do a more than passable job at playing like Steve. I also know that I'm constantly learning and being more adventurous with it and try to be more confident in playing like myself, which is easier said than done. I try to kick myself and say, play harder and practice harder, but the minute this stops being fun and feels more like the shit I do every day sitting at this desk then there's something wrong. A banjo buddy asked me if I could pick mandolin on his group's CD today, so I can put a notch on the belt for Steve-style. For the record, that involves one very red eye and NOT sucking. From: 14strings perrypale...@gmail.com To: Taterbugmando taterbugmando@googlegroups.com Sent: Wed, November 4, 2009 1:33:24 PM Subject: Re: Norman's sage advice Lot's of good discussions here. Andy Statman's point about completely learning ONE style I take to heart for I am a professional Jack of all Trades and master in none! :) I'm a member of the lazy club too.. I think the intention of the Norman's Blake comment was not to invite laziness but to take advantage of the natural tendency of our own inherent phrasing. Therefore give the best of what we have unforced,naturally. I don't think Norman was suggesting to leave out chunks of content. Perry --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Taterbugmando group. To post to this group, send email to taterbugmando@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to taterbugmando+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
Re: Norman's sage advice
I can sit down and pick out just about anything if I work at it long enough- but I often notice a few weeks later if I go back and play with the record after playing a solo on my own for awhile, I'm playing it a little differently- not better for sure, but not necessarily worse I don't think. I think we all hear things a bit differently, and our sense of timing and phrasing sometimes varies a bit. What I have yet to really get good at is improv- to me that's when you've really mastered your instrument. I have to sit down and compose solos to stuff I write- I can't just take off and let it flow out of me. Maybe someday... The main limit I have these days- other than time- is dexterity due to a bit of age-induced arthritis in the hands. I don't think I'll ever be able to play as fast as some bluegrass pickers. Some bluegrass is so fast I can't even imagine being able to play it. I think some of it fast just for fast's sake- like some heavy metal guitar, and I really don't care if I can never do that... Bill in Nashville On Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 12:44 PM, Topher Gayle surfns...@gmail.com wrote: One time, I heard an animal trainer being asked whether dogs were smarter, or cats. He said dogs were smarter at being dogs, and cats were smarter at being cats. I like that answer. Topher On Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 10:40 AM, Steve Cantrell sec...@bellsouth.net wrote: I had one of the best comments I'd ever heard on my playing last Saturday. A friend I hadn't seen in a while said, Damn, sounds good. You've come a long way. You even have your own style. I suppose the style he could have been referring to was suck, but I don't think so. I've just gotten comfortable with what I can do, and know where to go. I know I'll never play the mandolin like Mike Compton or Bill Monroe or Chris Thile of whoever the hell--that's just my limitation, but I do a more than passable job at playing like Steve. I also know that I'm constantly learning and being more adventurous with it and try to be more confident in playing like myself, which is easier said than done. I try to kick myself and say, play harder and practice harder, but the minute this stops being fun and feels more like the shit I do every day sitting at this desk then there's something wrong. A banjo buddy asked me if I could pick mandolin on his group's CD today, so I can put a notch on the belt for Steve-style. For the record, that involves one very red eye and NOT sucking. From: 14strings perrypale...@gmail.com To: Taterbugmando taterbugmando@googlegroups.com Sent: Wed, November 4, 2009 1:33:24 PM Subject: Re: Norman's sage advice Lot's of good discussions here. Andy Statman's point about completely learning ONE style I take to heart for I am a professional Jack of all Trades and master in none! :) I'm a member of the lazy club too.. I think the intention of the Norman's Blake comment was not to invite laziness but to take advantage of the natural tendency of our own inherent phrasing. Therefore give the best of what we have unforced,naturally. I don't think Norman was suggesting to leave out chunks of content. Perry --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Taterbugmando group. To post to this group, send email to taterbugmando@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to taterbugmando+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
