Re: Personal YouTube Videos

[secsc2]

I'm more than willing to elaborate on this one.

I was at a jam recently with a local musician that has some...local gravitas...and he took  a moment to note that I play pretty good, but I need more "meat on the bone". I love clear advice of this kind. He tells me I need to learn some scales and arpeggios, you see. The idea of improvising from chord shapes, ala Bill Monroe, must indeed be insane.

I did take the criticism, and actually went home, broke out some books and spent a few days wondering what in the hell I was doing. It took me totally off the rails, and needlessly. The method I had been using was working--and working pretty well. "Big Indian Blues" is a tough one to use as as example since it is almost a thing in itself, but I think I've actually developed at least an even hand at improvising in the Monroe style...or maybe a Steve-Monroe style.

I'm more than willing to take criticism and learn from it---but what it came down to was a stylistic difference. I don't particularly care for the modern mandolin style that seems to be on most bluegrass recordings. I don't want to play endless scales. Still though, the little scene sort of knocked my confidence in what I was doing off-kilter. I wonder if anyone else has had this experience?

I'm not the only one that's ever gotten an airing-out from this guy---he does it so well. Oh, if only we all could be so good that we were able to help others like this. Incidentally, after I bought my first mandolin (a warp-necked Johnson whose binding exploded off the neck the first time I strung it with medium gauge strings) I took a couple of lessons from this guy...and didn't go back for anymore.

I guess it didn't kill me so much that I didn't buy a new mandolin yesterday....

-------------- Original message from mistertaterbug <taterbugmu...@gmail.com>: --------------


>
> Steve,
> How can you play a song without scales or arpeggios? The nerve of some
> guys. Where's the beef? Sorry everybody, private joke. Get Steve to
> elaborate.
> Tbug
>
> On Feb 21, 5:41 pm, sec...@bellsouth.net wrote:
> >  Here's one from me--
> >
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuChxF3v4j4&feature=channel_page
> > > Sorry for the low light and bad sound, but my webcam has seen better days. Not
> a scale or arpeggio to be found, Mike. >  -------------- Original message from sgarrity :
> --------------
> >
> >
> >
> > > Thanks for the kind words everybody.  EPB is such a cool tune.  One
> > > day I'll be able to play it like Tater!!
> > > I don't have tab for what I played.  I just kinda stole ideas from
> > > different recordings.  There is some tab for it over at mandozine.com
> > > though.  That'll get you started.
> >
> > > I also recorded Farewell to Longhollow last night.  Took me three
> > > takes to get it how I wanted.  Then I played it back and there was
> > > this loud crunching, cracking sound in the background.  My dog had
> > > been chewing his new bone behind me and I didn't even notice!  LOL
> > > He's goin' outside next time I decide to make a video!  And now it'll
> > > take me another 3-4 trys to get it right again.  ;-)
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