Well, keep your toes and fingers crossed. With a little smiling down from the gods I'll be in Canberra next April and might just bring some of those topics along...
Putater On Mar 15, 7:10 pm, Linda <[email protected]> wrote: > All of the postings here are very interesting and fun to read even tho > I will not be present at the workshop, it offers new slants and ideas > to think on. > > It is lots of fun to read about set lists, as its an issue here, great > too, the insight into Hartford's way. > > So far, the way its done in the group I play with is to mix things up, > different keys, fast, slow, minor, major, and singing placed between > instrumentals. We try for at least one novelty tune in a given set. > Also things folks are familiar with and something new... > Since we are a fairly large community group band, we take it in turns > to develop set lists as a learning experience. Sometimes, a largish > preliminary list is made then a vote is taken by raise of hands to > whittle down the list to the size needed for the gig. We like to have > a set of tunes we are all current with, but add something new, a new > tune or a new arrangement, to keep us from getting bored with it. > > Seems for the pros, everything is very different, maybe some audiences > come for the fast ..knock em dead picking, others for the harmony > singing, etc. > > The idea here, is to keep the audience and us alert...as ...we are > hardly in the Hartford or Monroe or Compton class of things. We try > to avoid playing too many waltzes, it loses the audience's attention > pretty quick like. Also we mainly do old-time tunes and they can > start to all sound the same to an untrained ear, so breaking things up > helps that issue. Audiences here respond the most to singing. Next > to seriously toe tapping stuff. > > With our group, what we lack in musicianship we try to, shall I say, > cover up with our vitality and sense of joy/fun for what we are > doing. It works for us. > > Thanks to all... > > linda > > On Mar 16, 10:03 am, mistertaterbug <[email protected]> wrote: > > > John, > > I've "courted" Ronnie Mc for the last two years. No dice. He's busy(or > > in this year's instance, *might* be...). Skaggs flat out said he was > > too busy. Sam and Grisman would be good, but they command a high price > > and are really doing other things. There is quite a large percentage > > of people who come to the camp that are staunch Monroe fanatics that > > really have little tolerance for much foolishness, as I'm sure you're > > aware of by now. I've already approached Terry about a jam class. Some > > of your other topics have been run through the mill to good use, some > > passed over, some seem very hard to present, but I do understand what > > you're getting at with them all. One thing that Jody suggested last > > year was to maybe use one class period to teach one song such as one > > of the more lengthy and elaborate tunes like "Tanyards" or "Land of > > Lincoln", explain the moves and make sure everyone understands what's > > going on. I agree with that one. Theory talk is over my head and I > > really don't think that a lot of the public "gets" it anyway. Keep 'em > > coming. > > > TBugger > > > On Mar 9, 9:11 pm, taurodont <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I have been to all of the previous camps. I think it is time to court > > > Ronnie McCoury for one of these. Or Sam? That said I thought last > > > years line up was fantastic. The wonderful tenor vocalists really > > > made the faculty concert special. > > > > A few topics to consider: > > > > 1. Closed position playing and techniques Monroe used and repeated. > > > 2. A whole class on the break to Columbus Stockade Blues > > > 3. Double stops- can you ever really have enough? > > > 4. Blue Moon of Ky. in 3 keys > > > 5. Rhythm patterns- the whole class plays the same chord or double > > > stop but has to learn a variety of different, useful rhythms. > > > 6. Compare a known melody against Monroe's interpretation of it. > > > 7. Playing the same note for more than one beat. This elementary > > > technique seems to be almost lost in many of todays pickers. > > > 8. A class on restraint. Possibly the hardest technique to master. > > > Some tunes Bill only took a half break on. why? > > > 9. A class on vocal harmony. Maybe show the notes on the mandolin to > > > help explain the intervals at work. > > > 10. Mastering the keys of B and Bb in one easy lesson. Obviously > > > bullshit but always good to learn more about as long as they make > > > capos for banjo players. > > > 11. Turnaround kickoffs- I sat in on Richie's class last year and it > > > seemed to be a hit. These miniature pieces people can master > > > relatively quickly and feel like they are leaving with something > > > useful. > > > 12. Singing one of Bill's tunes in a normal humans register. I.E. > > > transposition. > > > 13. Intro to the bluegrass jam for beginners featuring a few Bill > > > tunes. This would be a good one to supply a few basic tabs and chords > > > for a few months in advance for them to work on. > > > > Last year one of the fellow campers suggested that the intermediate or > > > advanced Campers could easily teach some of the beginners classes. I > > > would be willing and I bet we could get Terry Bullin to teach that > > > Stockade Blues class if we can get him out of N.C. for a weekend. > > > Just a thought. Maybe with a slight tuition reduction or something. > > > I wouldn't do it so much for the money as for the fact that I enjoy > > > teaching. This might leave more funds for the pro's? I think any > > > int./ adv. picker could fill up a beginners class on double stops or a > > > basic class on a fiddle tune or pick direction. > > > > Good luck planning this thing Mike. I am sure with you at the helm it > > > will be worth going to. Figure I'll be there again. John > > > > On Mar 9, 11:48 am, Mike Hedding <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I still think another good topic for discussion would be taking a tune > > > > monroe didn't typically play and have the class try to individually > > > > create their own monroe influenced solo for the song. > > > > > I think this could lead to some good discussion if everyone played > > > > their solo's and kind of compared what parts of the melody the skipped > > > > or tried to bring out. I think it'd be interesting at least, I think > > > > you'd get quite of bit of variation between the solos and everyone > > > > could kind of steal the best things from each persons solos and the > > > > class could then come to some sort of consensus on the "final" break. > > > > > This for me is something I need help on anyways. It's sometimes hard > > > > to transfer the knowledge to a new tune and make it work in the style > > > > that we all love. Any help on this would be appreciated. > > > > > Mike -- 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=en.
