My favorite expression on individuality is: "Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
Regards%2C%0D%0A%0D%0APat ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Hedding" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Cc: "Taterbugmando" <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 6:56:54 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: Re: Thinking more outside of a Jam Alright at the advice of everyone I am going to just be myself then. I am keeping my tuner on my headstock and no one is going to stop me! Mike Hedding On Nov 18, 2009, at 7:53 AM, mistertaterbug <[email protected]> wrote: > If anyone cares to, go to "Remember the Cross" and "That Home Above" > by the Monroe/Flatt/Scruggs/Wise/Rainwater band. One is clearly B, the > other B flat. But, they are both clearly played out of A. There are a > number of other noteworthy cuts, "The First Whippoorwill" for one, > that are played out of one key but are clearly not pitched in that > key. So, did fucking Bill Monroe (to quote fucking Gaudreau) tune up > or capo up? It's not tape drag. As Terry Bullin once said,"Well, maybe > he did it in the studio but surely he wouldn't have done it out in > public." It's just silly. If the situation requires a different voice > and the capo provides it, use it. When did it become against the rules > to use the tools? > > I started using a capo now and then due to saving time and aggravation > in the studio. Also, open tunings. I'd really love to use more open > tunings. Listen to the cut on Dr. Ralph's recording of "Lift Him Up". > That's tuned open, but there were a few songs where we tuned open only > to have TBone say that he'd like to go up a half step. Now, retuning 8 > strings on a mandolin every which way and expecting it to settle down > in a few minutes is just unreasonable. Slapping on a capo is not, > especially when time is money. > > As for working up solos and improvising... > I think that maybe we can go back to "the Father" one more time and > consider this approach. Over the years, if I listen to songs that > Monroe did over a number of decades, such as "Uncle Pen", "On and On", > "Bluegrass Breakdown", etc, what I hear is a script, a framework over > which variations are applied. I'm not talking about the construction > of the song so much as I am the construction of his solos in the song. > It seems that he worked out a solo that served as the basic pattern to > follow, but changed small aspects of it occasionally as his whim > dictated. But the basic "script" was predominantly the same. This may > be helpful, maybe not. Just thought I'd throw it out there. > > I had a short conversation with Russ Barenburg the other day and the > subject of improvisation came up. He said that he occasionally has > people ask him about improvising, as do I. It's really an individual > learning experience and there doesn't seem to be any one way to > approach it or teach it. He said that to him it is ridiculous to > assume that it is possible to whip out an improvised solo that rivals > something that requires one sitting down and working it out and > learning it over the course of say, several months. But that seems to > be what some people assume they will be able to do with a few > "rules". I think that it is easy to overlook the fact that the sound > our heros have/had did not just appear overnight but took sometimes a > lifetime of blood, sweat, and tears to acquire. There is too much > impatience in us all. > > I think that Eric has a valid point, that being each song deserves a > look to see what the best approach is. I agree with Eric too (Who is > this Eric guy? He seems to know a lot of stuff...) regarding using > tunings and capos, if a person wants a specific sound, go where it is > regardless of how you need to get there. As John Hartford used to say > (and I know I've quoted him saying this before...), "This is art and > there ain't no damned rules." > > Be bold, be yourself, be honest. The audience can spot a phony from > the back row. > > Puhtater > > On Nov 17, 6:46 pm, [email protected] wrote: >> Ron Spears tells a very good Jimmy Gaudreau capo story. At a gig >> somewhere, Jimmy put a capo on his mandolin and Ron >> gave him the "hairy eyeball" as only Ron can do and Jimmy got right >> in Ron's face and says "I ain't fucking Bill Monroe." >> Might even be true. >> >> Clyde Clevenger >> Just My Opinion, But It's Right >> Salem, Oregon >> Old Circle >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Don Grieser" <[email protected]> >> To: [email protected] >> Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 4:36:23 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada >> Pacific >> Subject: Re: Thinking more outside of a Jam >> >> I saw Jimmy Gaudreau use a capo on his mandolin at a bluegrass >> festival. It sounded great. It's a tool. Use it for a certain sound >> or >> effect but not because you're too lazy to learn to play in Bb or B. >> Monroe style players play out of closed positions anyway even when >> they don't have to, right? > > -- > > 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= > . > > -- 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=. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Taterbugmando" group. 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