Yes it is very interesting. Tud, I did not know that long perspective on the OT music but felt it like you told it in my bones and I have rankled about every body playing the same thing ever since I got involved with it. Its great that there are young folks who are interested. I hear tell the 'chicken' music and jug band stuff has a serious following with a lot of young folks.
On Jan 6, 12:30 pm, [email protected] wrote: > 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 > athttp://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en.
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