I have been reading through the older posts on this group and i see that the folks around here aint too shy in stating their opinions in a plain talking, straight shooting fashion, and i must admit, reading some of the more unvarnished comments and threads has been a hoot...
but i also noticed that a lot of folks have actually had the good measure to introduce themselves to the group in general and i realised that i have yet to do so... how rude! So here goes, My names Mark Halpin, i have the good grace to be Irish but i am currently to be found gallavanting about France. I have been troubling mandolins now for about eight years or so... kinda took it up on a whim, everyone i knew played guitar and i figured 'i don't think the world needs another guitarist', so, i found myself buying a mandolin. The strange thing is, as long as i have been messing about with mandolin playing i have rarely met any other mandolin players, a few tenor banjo and bouzouki players few players who moonlight on mandolin for the novelty, but, otherwise i have lived in mandolin isolation... so to all you folks out there who have the opportunity to meet fellow mandolinists, i say, don't take that goodness for granted. Never had any lessons either, so am mostly self-taught when it comes to playing, which means i have more bad habits than a failed nunnery. Since moving to France i have had the time and space to try and redress my playing somewhat and i am starting to make some inroads, its slow going but feels good... i don't mind overly, when i got my first mando i told myself i had a lifetime to learn to play it and remembering that helps me get over the inevitable learning ruttage. I have been known to listen to pretty much any genre of music, i figure if you keep an open ear and a limber imagination you can find inspiration most anywhere. I'll admit though that in the last few years i have tended towards a more mandolin-centric course of listening, much to the exasperation of those around me, but even with this i'll gladly jump from genre to genre.... my current fascination, vocal harmonys... The Inkspots, The Golden Gate Quartet, The Abyssinians, oh, and of that Nashville Bluegrass Band :-D In terms of playing, i have an appreciation for fast picking but its never been my goal or my thing, i prefer space, emotion, group interaction... i just get a kick when everyone finds their space in song or a tune, thats what its there for. Mandolin players that i get a kick from... well given that i do be venturing on this forum, take it as a given that i have a high regard for Mr. Compton's playing, but, also Jethro Burns, Andy Statman, Yank Rachell. The list could go on, all the usual suspects, but for me, each of those players i have mentioned just now have each produced a body of work that resonates with me just that bit more intensely. Well, so as not to be over-rambling, thats my introduction folks... i'm still getting to grips with the group here, going through the threads and clicking the youtube links and generally enjoying what y'all have put out there. -- 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.
