Hm... It was some years back at an early Mandolin Symposium. I chose
Mike's class on Monroe Fiddle Tunes, or maybe it was Monroe's Toolbox.
Anyhow, one of my strongest impressions was Mikes big, black work boot
thumping away with the regularity and precision of a well-greased
machine. It wasn't an aid, so much as an accompaniment. It seemed to
come naturally from his whole self, but just got expressed through his
foot.
A couple of years later I found myself in Floyd, VA on a Friday night
at their famous Country Store. There again, I got schooled. The band
played fiddle tunes to a town of cloggers, young and old. A lightbulb
turned with a great big "Duh!!" This music serves a function that can
unite a community; at its heart is that rhythm. If you can't dance to
it, it's useless, and for me that's how fast a fiddle tune should be
played.
I've tried imitating (without much success) some of Mike's rhythmic
flourishes on mando. I've discovered the fundamental rhythm ain't in
my body yet. Oh, lord, do I have to take up dancing now?
Jim Kendrick
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