I've had this problem for years, pounding tunes into my head from books is much like breaking rocks. I've learned some from books, but most of the tunes I know now have come from jam session. I've been going to an old time jam for the past couple of years with some very good old fiddlers. Last week one of the old guys came up with a new tune that we all liked. He is in his 80s and still very sharp. Says he can't learn from books as he doesn't read music. We asked where he got the tune, which he couldn't remember the name of. He says, to the surprise of us all. "Off YouTube".
Clyde Clevenger Just My Opinion, But It's Right Salem, Oregon Old Circle ----- Original Message ----- From: "MinnesotaMandolin" <[email protected]> To: "Taterbugmando" <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 7:02:28 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: on the subject of books... Hey all-- I'm curious how others handle this dilemma of mine, or if it's even an issue. When I practice tunes out of books (my primary books are the Phillips vol. 1, O'Neils music of Ireland and the Fiddler's Fakebook) I struggle to make the tune sound "informal." I have a classical background, on guitar and the oboe, and it's hard for me to play off of sheet music without sounding like a presentation. When I learn a song from a person, I don't have this problem. Same with the handful of tunes I've written. But out of the dozens of tunes I've worked on out of books, only a few don't sound like a recital when I play them. I've actually hit a point where the fiddle tune books aren't that much more fun than exercise books, for how stiff they can sound under my fingers. I keep coming back to them though, because I figure it's good for me to work on 'em anyway. I also got a few classical mandolin books so I could read through some sheet music and be happy with the "formality" of my playing. I got a hunch the answer to my question is "practice," but I wonder if anyone has some other tips or suggestions. I normally don't think of myself as a stiff player, but most of my focus is on creating rhythm parts for the original songs my band does. On a related note, how do folks decide to "set" a tune where all the information that might be available about it is its title and the name of the fiddler the book's author collected the song from? just curious, erik --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Taterbugmando" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
