Well I went...drove 2hrs to get there and stayed about 4hrs. I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't "my" people. Very friendly but unusual(or maybe they were normal and I'm unusual). There were so many small jam circles in every knoock and cranny in this place your brain got confused. I don't think there was any purist there cause anything goes seemed to be the motto as long as the song continued. I found myself gravitating to the jam circles that were mini bluegrass jams. Too many fiddles and banjo's for me after the 3rd hour. I look forward to Wintergrass in WA next month.
I think I would have fit in better had I just gotten out of bed grabbed my clothes out of the dirty clothes hamper and walked out the door with bedhead and halitosis. On Jan 16, 5:00 pm, Linda <[email protected]> wrote: > There is a bit of truth in it, some things were left out, mabe its > better that way...<G> > > On Jan 17, 11:51 am, Mike <[email protected]> wrote: > > > :-)) well, you know that's going to get passed around! > > > On Jan 16, 3:32 pm, Terry Bullin <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Since we're on the subject of Old Time Music, I thought this was funny > > > and pretty close to the truth. > > > > Subject: Fw: How to Tell the Difference Between Old Time & Bluegrass... > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >> The following is a satirical piece credited to Bruce Thompson and > > > >> Wayne Shrubsall. (It might be satire but it comes pretty close to > > > >> telling it like it is.) Read on: > > > >> > > > >> The Difference Between Bluegrass and Old Time Music, by Toby Adobe & > > > >> Moby Adobe > > > >> > > > >> BANJO: An OT banjo is open-backed, with an old towel (probably never > > > >> washed) stuffed in the back to dampen sound. A BG banjo has a > > > >> resonator to make it louder. An OT banjo weighs 5 pounds, towel > > > >> included. A BG banjo weighs 40 pounds. A BG banjo player has had > > > >> spinal fusion surgery on all his vertebrae, and therefore stands very > > > >> straight. If an OT banjo player stands, he slouches. An OT banjo > > > >> player can lose 3 right-hand fingers and 2 left-hand fingers in an > > > >> industrial accident without affecting his performance. A BG banjo > > > >> needs 24 frets. An OT banjo needs no more than 5, and some don’t need > > > >> any. A BG banjo player puts jewelry on his fingertips to play. An OT > > > >> banjo player puts super glue on his fingernails to strengthen them. > > > >> (Never shake hands with an OT banjo player while he’s fussing with his > > > >> nails.) > > > >> > > > >> FIDDLE: A BG fiddle is tuned GDAE. An OT fiddle can be in a hundred > > > >> different tunings. OT fiddlers seldom use more than two fingers of > > > >> their left hand, and use tunings that maximize the number of open > > > >> strings played. BG fiddlers study 7th position fingering patterns > > > >> with Isaac Stern, and take pride in never playing an open string. An > > > >> OT fiddle player can make dogs howl & incapacitated people suffering > > > >> from sciatic nerve damage. “A good OT fiddle player?” - Now there’s an > > > >> oxymoron. An OT fiddle player only uses a quarter of his bow. The rest > > > >> is just wasted. The BG fiddler paid $10,000 for his fiddle at the > > > >> Violin Shop in Nashville. The OT fiddler got his for $15 at a yard > > > >> sale. > > > >> > > > >> GUITAR: An OT guitarist knows the major chords in G and C, and owns a > > > >> capo for A and D. (The capo is never used anywhere other than at the > > > >> second fret.) A BG guitarist can play in E-flat without a capo. The > > > >> fanciest chord an OT guitarist needs is an A to insert between the G > > > >> and the D7 chord. A BG guitarist needs to know C#aug+7-4. OT > > > >> guitarists stash extra picks under a rubber band around the top of the > > > >> peghead. BG guitarists would never cover any part of the peghead that > > > >> might obscure the gilded label of their $3,000 guitar. > > > >> > > > >> MANDOLIN: It’s possible to have an OT band without a mandolin. > > > >> Mandolin players spend half their time tuning their mandolin and the > > > >> other half of their time playing their mandolin out of tune. OT > > > >> mandolin players use “A” model instruments (pear shaped) by obscure > > > >> makers. BG mandolin players use “F” model Gibsons that cost $100 per > > > >> decibel. > > > >> > > > >> BASS: A BG band always has a bass. An old OT band doesn’t have a bass, > > > >> but new time OT bands seem to need one for reasons that are unclear. A > > > >> BG bass starts playing with the band on the first note. An OT bass, if > > > >> present, starts sometime after the rest of the band has run through > > > >> the tune at least once - depending on his blood-alcohol content. A BG > > > >> bass is polished and shiny. An OT bass is often used as yard furniture. > > > >> > > > >> OTHER INSTRUMENTS: A BG band might have a Dobro. An OT band might have > > > >> anything that makes noise including: spoons, washboard, hammered or > > > >> lap dulcimer, jaw harp, didgeridoo, harmonica, conga, wash tub bass, > > > >> miscellaneous rattles & shakers, or 1 gallon jug (empty). > > > >> > > > >> INSTRUMENTATION: All the instruments in an OT band play together all > > > >> the time. BG bands feature solos on each instrument. BG bands have > > > >> carefully mapped-out choreography due to the need to provide solo > > > >> breaks. If OT band members move around, they tend to run into each > > > >> other. Because of this problem, OT bands often sit down when > > > >> performing, while BG bands almost always stand. Because they’re > > > >> sitting, OT bands have the stamina to play for a square or contra > > > >> dance. The audience claps after each BG solo break. If anyone claps > > > >> for an OT band it confuses them, even after the tune is over. > > > >> > > > >> THE MUSIC: OT songs are about whiskey and food. BG songs are about > > > >> God, mother, and the girl who did me wrong. If the girlfriend isn’t > > > >> murdered by the third verse, it ain’t Bluegrass. OT bands have > > > >> nonsense names like “Hoss Hair Pullers,” “Fruit Jar Drinkers,” and > > > >> “Skillet Lickers”. BG bands have serious gender-specific name like > > > >> “Bluegrass Boys,” “Foggy Mountain Boys,” and “Clinch Mountain Boys.” > > > >> The most common OT keys are major and modal (i.e. minor). BG uses > > > >> major, mixolydian, Dorian and minor keys. A BG band has between 1 and > > > >> 3 singers who are singing about an octave above their natural vocal > > > >> range. Some OT bands have no singers at all. A BG band has a vocal > > > >> orchestrator who arranges duet, trio, and (occasional) quartet > > > >> harmonies. In an OT band, anyone who feels like it can sing or make > > > >> comments during the performance. All BG tunes & songs last 3 minutes. > > > >> OT tunes & songs sometimes last all night. > > > >> > > > >> PERSONALITIES & STAGE PRESENCE: BG band members wear uniforms, such as > > > >> blue polyester suits and gray Stetson hats. OT bands wear jeans, > > > >> sandals, work shirts and caps from seed companies. Both the Stetsons > > > >> and seed caps cover bald spots. Chicks in BG bands have big hair and > > > >> Kevlar undergarments. Chicks in OT bands jiggle nicely under their > > > >> overalls. A BG band tells terrible jokes while tuning. An OT band > > > >> tells terrible jokes without bothering to tune. BG band members never > > > >> smile. OT band members will smile if you give them a drink. You can > > > >> get fired from a BG band for being obviously drunk on stage. BG > > > >> musicians eat barbecue ribs. OT musicians eat tofu. BG musicians have > > > >> high frequency hearing loss from standing near the banjo player. OT > > > >> musicians have high frequency hearing loss from standing near the > > > >> fiddler. > > > >> > > > >> FESTIVALS: A BG band travels in an old converted Greyhound bus that > > > >> idles all weekend with the air conditioner running full blast, and > > > >> fumigates the county with diesel exhaust. The band’s name and > > > >> Inspirational Statement are painted on both the side and front of the > > > >> bus in script lettering. An OT band travels in a rusted-out 1965 VW > > > >> microbus that blows an engine in North Nowhere, Nebraska. (It’s also > > > >> pretty evident that their vehicles don’t have air conditioning.) BG > > > >> bumper stickers are in red, white and blue and have stars and/or > > > >> stripes on them. OT bumper stickers don’t make any sense (e.g. “Gid is > > > >> My Co-Pilot”). BG musicians stay on the bus or at the nearest Motel 6. > > > >> OT musicians camp in the parking lot. > > > >> > > > >> > > > >>
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