The bluegrass vs. OT debate is interesting as well as the "why do these darn kids play so many notes" discussion. Interesting conversation and interesting opinions - they all make sense to me.
I think another part of the puzzle with the young folks is just that they are young... When you're young, you like to do the wild stuff on the skate board, the motorcycle, the slam dunk, the wild hair cut, and the flashy pickin. There are a few "old souls" around - kids who like and appriciate the old stuff and play it pretty close to the original. But many kids are excited about playing and try to cram maybe a little too much in. I'm not a huge Thile fan but respect his playing - he was always an amazing picker even as a kid but I think maybe has toned it down a little as he's matured into an adult. I think most of us who started out as kids were more interested in pickin than singing and wanted to play 'em fast and notey. I know I did. I'm 49 now and I'm as interested in the singing as much as the picking. I'm guessing may of these kids will follow that same path. So, kids are going to be kids -- I'm just glad there are a few interested and that I'll have someone to listen to when I get too old to pick. John Gay Memphis -----Original Message----- From: Tud Jones <[email protected]> To: Taterbugmando <[email protected]> Sent: Tue, Jan 5, 2010 6:31 pm Subject: Re: Alex playng Old Time Since this topic seems to be (d)evolving into a bit of a comparison f BG and OT styles, traditions, vitality etc, I thought I'd toss my ickel into the kitty...To me, the main thing that impacts how a usician will interpret a traditional music is what that player thinks s most important about that tradition or what touches them the most bout it. This could be a variety of many things...technique, olitics, gender, popular culture, class, religion, ego, need/want to ake a living, soul, sound, what is going to attract that nice ookin' boy or girl in the corner, etc etc...Folks will preserve the hings most important to them or the things that satisfy their reconceived notion about a music or culture is all about. A few pinions and thoughts... While I highly respect the technique of Bruce Molsky, to me as a istener, technique is the part of old time fiddling that he found to e most important. He's obviously done his homework on the complex owing involved in some Southern styles. He also has wonderful ntonation. I think that his bow technique and great intonation has een inspiring to lots of younger musicians like Alex, Tatiana and thers who come to OT music from a classical background. To me, the ew tradition being focused on is based on impeccable chops and that s one of the points emphasized in the initial post in this thread. I hink contemporary bluegrass has the same priorities. Bluegrass has lways been about outstanding picking and singing but recent enerations focus more and more on flawless skills. It makes me wonder f bluegrass could go down the same road that jazz did. Jazz began as vernacular music and became a new form of American classical music. n the beginning you learned jazz on the streets, brothels and peakeasy night clubs. Now you learn it in college. Bluegrass still as some street credibility as hillbilly music (I use that term with he utmost respect) but it too is beginning to show up in college. Topher mentions in his post a workshop leader who mentioned that Old-time music was primarily music for dancing to and for articipating in, and that bluegrass was primarily a musical form that howcased the musicians in a concert setting". I'll agree with ortions of that statement and argue for some other perspectives. I hink that nowadays OT music is primarily for dancing and articipating in but that approach to the music and culture of OT usic is dates to the 1960's and '70s rather than the 1860's-'70s. Tom arter (formerly of the Fuzzy Mountain String Band) has a wonderful ssay called "Looking for Henry Reed" that describes the new approach nd aesthetic that the Hollow Rock String Band had. They started the everybody play the melody" approach so common now. Alan Jabbour imself wrote that the focus is on the music and the social ntegration of the players and dancers as a group and not the usicians as individuals. No individual would take a solo. This festival style" approach to playing OT music is what dominates the cene today in my opinion. There are few folks out and about playing T music as you might have heard on a pre-war commercial recording. hose records had lots of variety in instruments and pproaches...Wonderful singing instead of the current OT approach of ellowing the tune out in unison. The older bands were also olyrythmic (African influence) in their band styles rather than the urrent unison (European influence) approach. As to bluegrass, it was definitely an elite-level, performance based usic played by professionals at the beginning. Today, any stroll into he campground at the fester will show bluegrass alive as a true folk usic with lots of non professional pickers at all levels from rank eginner to powerful. -- ou received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Taterbugmando" group. o post to this group, send email to [email protected]. o unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. or more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en.--
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