Musical Year in Review

I just took a minute to read my end-of-year post from one year ago today. With the 2013 specifics taken out, that post pretty well summarizes 2014 as well. Playing and seeing music has become my primary interest. It's what I want to do with all my free time. I love my guitars, my mandolin, and my basses. I love them all and play them all. Specific musical highlights from the past year are as follows:

• Rosewood is still more fun than I could have believed possible. We probably averaged a gig per month, and that should continue into 2015.
• Darling Wife's birthday plans for me, starting with the Martin factory tour, and ending at the Nazareth Music Center, made for a very special 50th birthday. It's a day I'll never forget, and the HD-28 still takes my breath away. I'm pretty sure I've played it every single day that I've been home since getting it. I don't think I've ever had a "prized possession" - that is, something you'd run into a burning building to save. I now have one.
• We watched and played music in Ireland!
• The acoustic jam meetups are still a lot of fun - both for the music and for the friendships we've developed. And don't look now, but there's a new meetup we'll be attending on Saturday night.
• The 2014 Phila Folk Fest was another highlight, both for the music and the people we camped and jammed with. We're still fine-tuning things, but we're in for the '15 Fest.
• We saw some fantastic performances. Tommy Emmanuel, Natalie MacMaster, The Mavericks, Nickel Creek, The Steep Canyon Rangers (not to mention countless others at the folk fest.) There's so much good music out there.

As far as goals for 2015, I don't have anything specific - just to keep going on this path. Play as much, and with as many people as possible. Get better on the guitar, the mandolin, and the bass as best I can. See as much good music as possible.

What I'm Working On

I've been writing about instruments and gear and standing up vs. sitting down. But what am I playing and working on?

Flatpicking
(Which just means playing single notes with a pick.) I'm playing scales and bluegrass/fiddle tunes. I'm concentrating on good right-hand (picking hand) technique and playing cleanly. I'm not exactly trying to be a bluegrass guitarist (not that there's anything wrong with that), but they're fun tunes to play, and I feel like they're also good exercises. "Red Haired Boy", "Big Sciota", and "Whiskey Before Breakfast", etc., are just plain fun.

Strumming
I'm playing a while bunch of strumming songs, mostly because they're fun and sound good - but also to work on right-hand technique. I've been working on a bunch of Neil Young songs, because his right hand is like a metronome. "Sugar Mountain", "Heart of Gold", "Old Man", "Like a Hurricane." Also John Mayer's "Daughters", REO Speedwagon's "Time For Me To Fly", and a number of others. Ever since Christmas, I've been playing most of these songs on both 6 and 12 strings.

Fingerpicking
Here's where I'm doing the most learning. With flatpicking and strumming, I'm trying to reinforce good technique and replace decades of bad habits, and polishing things I already know. Fingerpicking is a much more recent thing. Here's what I'm working on now:

• Babe I'm Gonna Leave You: I've had this down pretty well for a little while now, and it's one of my warm-up songs. I like hearing the chord progression, so I'm happy to play it for a bit to warm up the fingers.
• Don't Think Twice It's Alright: Classic Dylan - though I wouldn't really call myself a Dylan fan. It's a fun progression, and I can play it, though maybe not at speed.
• Landslide: The Fleetwood Mac classic, and also a Rosewood staple. It's easier than I thought it would be, and I have it pretty much down.
• Green, Green Rocky Road: Here's where things get challenging. This is the song from Inside Llewyn Davis, a move we all *loved* (both the movie and the soundtrack.) The YouTube lesson, from Dave van Ronk himself, is here. It's the first song I've tackled where the thumb is playing rhythm, and the fingers are playing melody on the treble strings. It initially feels like rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time - just impossible. But after maybe 10 days of a *lot* of slow repetition, I can play most of it passably well. This is *very* exciting.
• Windy and Warm: This is a long-term project. I first heard it from Tommy Emmanuel, and later learned that it goes back to Chet Atkins. It's another "thumb and fingers doing different things" song. I can fumble through the main riff kinda/passably well. But, as I say, this is a project. If it progresses, it will be over a period of time.

Seagull 12 String

I've had some bonus money from work burning a hole in my pocket, and also a little Christmas cash. So when Darling Wife asked what I planned to do with it, I told her I was thinking of using part of it on a 12-string guitar. She's often mentioned that she loves the sound of a 12-string, and told me I should do it.

I didn't need to be told twice, and quickly figured out the right one: a Seagull Coastline S12. It's quite inexpensive (as guitars go) and highly rated. Not only that, but this is basically the 12-string version of the Seagull acoustic I already have (that's currently for sale on Craigslist.) It's a fantastic guitar, and sounds like a *much* more expensive instrument than it is. Also (and this is worth a lot in my house) - it's Canadian made, in La Patrie, Quebec. I'm sad to let my 6-string Seagull go, but with a Martin in the house, it's just one 6-string too many.

Santa delivered the Seagull 12 on Christmas Day, and I've been playing it as much as possible ever since. The full shimmery sound you get from is distinctive and very pretty. I've been playing strumming songs pretty much exclusively on the 12.

There's much more I have to learn about a 12. Flatpicking and fingerpicking sound and feel weird. Maybe there's a way to do it...or maybe it's just a strumming guitar. I'll research. But regardless, this is a keeper, and has a place in the rotation.

And now I can officially say that I don't need and don't want any more guitars. (Stop laughing, I'm dead serious. For the moment.)

Pickup in the Mando

Part 2 of my post about getting my babies back from the shop involves the mandolin. I got an L.R. Baggs Radius pickup installed. It was recommended to me both by a friend and by the guy at the shop. It's externally (i.e., non-permanently) mounted, so I could remove it if I wanted to. The pickup is stuck to the surface with a putty, and the cord goes into a small unit that's attached with a bracket.

Darling Wife's initial reaction was, "I don't like the look of it." I don't mind it at all.

The permanent installation option would have been to drill a hole through the end-pin and mount sensors inside the body. Then you would plug in the cord through a socket in the end-pin. But that's (obviously) a much more involved installation process. This was quick and simple.

I plugged it in at the shop to test it, and then again at home. It sounds great - like an amplified mandolin, with nothing else added or subtracted. I can't wait to hear it through the PA.

Most of all, it's good to have the mandolin back in the house. I'd missed playing it.

Standing with the Martin

I got my babies back from the shop today, and I couldn't be more pleased with the work. I mentioned yesterday that I've been standing up all week while playing the Recording King, and had really enjoyed it. Today, now that I had the Martin back with a strap button installed, I would see if I could also play the Martin standing up.

I'll confess now I was a little nervous. It felt so good and natural playing the RK standing up - what if the HD-28 didn't feel as good? It's a bigger-bodied guitar, and maybe too big to stand up with? I tried to reassure myself as I drove home - I've seen countless pictures of countless guitar players standing up playing dreadnaughts, and looking natural and comfortable.

It turned out not to be a problem. I took a leather strap off one of my basses, put it on the Martin, put it on and played it - and it felt *perfect*. So I spent the rest of the day playing - strumming, flatpicking, and fingerpicking. I suppose I could be biased, but you won't convince me it's not the best sounding guitar in the entire history of the world.

In all seriousness, I don't think I will ever play an acoustic guitar without a strap again, whether sitting or standing. As I noted yesterday, all the posture issues of hunching over the guitar simply disappear when you stand up with it. But when I sit down with the strap, the guitar is still in the same position as standing, so the posture issues also disappear then. This is a nice little discovery.

Bonding with the Backup

As mentioned yesterday, I have two babies in the infirmary. (Thankfully, they're ready to be discharged, and I'll bring them home tomorrow.) With no Martin and no mandolin in the house, that means my backup (the recently-acquired Recording King RO-310) has gotten a *lot* of playing time in the past week. I can honestly say that I'm happier than ever with it.

There are some significant differences between it and the Martin. First, it's a smaller-bodied guitar. It's "000" sized, where the HD-28 is a bigger "dreadnaught" style. (A chart of Martin body sizes is here.) That means a different sound, and it's also a difference in feel when you're standing up and playing it.

For the past week, I've been playing exclusively standing up. I started out just to test if I could actually do it - and found out that I not only could, but that I prefer it. I'm aware that my sitting posture holding a guitar isn't great, and standing up with it makes that issue disappear. I also really like being able to walk around while practicing, instead of being rooted to one spot. When I get the Martin back tomorrow, it will have a strap button, so I'll be able to stand with it. But I know the bigger-bodied dreadnaught will feel different, and I'm very curious to see if I'll like it.

Another difference between the guitars is the tone woods. The HD-28 has rosewood back and sides, and I simply *adore* how it sounds. The backup has mahogany back and sides, like the Martin 18 series (D-18, 000-18). It's a good sound too, just different...maybe drier. It's supposedly the tone wood of choice for fingerpicking.

A surprisingly big difference is the nut width. The HD-28 is 1 11/16 inches wide, and the Recording King is 1 3/4. Those are the two most common nut widths. I recently saw a thread on the Acoustic Guitar Forum, asking if you could really tell the difference that 1/16 of an inch makes. My answer is that you definitely can. I noticed right away when I got the RK that it took me a little time to adjust to one guitar after playing the other. My fingers would land just a little bit "off". I wouldn't call it a problem - but I absolutely do notice the difference, and I do have to adjust from one to the other.

So after a week of intensively playing the backup, I'm curious what it will feel like to sit down with the HD-28. And to stand up with it. Stay tuned for a full report.

The Infirmary

My mandolin and my Martin have been in the infirmary (i.e., are in the shop for a few minor modifications) for the past week, and I'm itching to get them back.

The Martin is in for one simple thing: a strap button. Martin doesn't install strap buttons in the factory - I guess enough people want their guitars without. (If you don't know what I mean by a strap button, look at this.) It's possible to attach a strap to the headstock (for example, here), but I'd rather not do that. And I want to play the Martin standing up - hence the trip to the infirmary.

It's a quick and simple operation. I did it last month on the Recording King acoustic I got in September. The part costs a few dollars. You drill one hole (very carefully!), screw it in, and you're done. But I'm sorry, I'm not taking a drill to my Martin. Nope. I want a guy who's done it 100 times to do it. The tech will also give it a check-up and a string change while he has it.

The mando is getting a pickup installed. See the pic at right from Rosewood's latest gig at the bakery. Sandy's been fooling around with the banjo, and we broke out the banjo/mando lineup for the first time in public. (That's our friend Don joining us on the bass.)

I'm playing the mando into a microphone, which is a little awkward. The mic has to be positioned correctly - then I have to stay still to get a constant volume. It would be much easier to have a pickup and just plug into the P.A. I'd hear this unit recommended by people I trust, including the tech at the shop.

Again, this is something I could probably order online and install myself - what I like about this pickup is that it doesn't involve permanent modifications to the instrument (i.e., drilling holes and installing something inside). But I'd rather someone with experience do the job, so it will be right the first time.

I'm excited, and am looking very forward to getting my babies back and testing the mods.

Mandolin in Ireland

I'm so far behind in blogging that I'll never catch up. And I'm not even going to try. It's not that there's nothing going on - just the opposite, there's so much going on that I don't know where to start. All my recent blogging effort has gone toward documenting our Ireland trip - and thankfully, I can now say that's complete. So it's back to writing about music.

I mentioned in my last post that I decided to take the mandolin to Ireland. That turned out to be the right choice. A number of people brought acoustic guitars, and they took up a lot of space in the airplane overhead compartments and in the bus. I'm glad I had my nice little easy-to-stow mando.

A couple of nights in the hotel bar, people got their instruments out for a jam session, and they were some of the funnest moments we had there. We were given a back area in the bar, and there were 5-6 musicians (plus a number of our tour-mates listening and enjoying pints of Guinness and Irish coffees.) I had my mandolin, there was a fiddler, and everyone else had guitars. We went around in a circle picking songs, and I've progressed far enough on mando to be able to follow the chords on most songs.

We were given a list of jigs, reels, and fiddle tunes to learn for the trip, and I always picked one of these when it was my turn. It was fun and sounded great, with the mando and the fiddle playing melody while the guitars played the accompaniment.

The other mando highlight was on the steps of Slane Castle. The band played one song at the end of our castle tour (as the castle is the site of a huge annual rock concert), and they invited all the musicians on the trip to join in. Don told me to grab his mando (as he was playing his guitar), and we played Whiskey in the Jar.

Oh, and of course I now have an "Ireland" sticker on my mando case.

Friday Miscellaneous

A few random happenings and links, in no particular order.

* We leave for Ireland one week from today. It's a tour that's organized by a band we know - and while it's not a "music" tour, music will be prominently involved. The band has organized some evening pub gigs, and there will also be lots of informal jamming. I'll be bringing my mandolin, and there will also be opportunities to play guitar and bass. It should be a blast.

* I'm still very happy with my recent purchases/trades. The Breedlove mandolin is exactly what I hoped it would be, and the Recording King is a perfect second acoustic. Both are getting plenty of playing time.

* The Great American Guitar Show is coming up in early November.

* Here's a nice little blog post about being a traveling musician, written by the singer of the Stray Birds, a band we saw at Folk Fest '13.

* Interview with Joe Perry on his new memoir, his '59 Les Paul, and more.

* Interesting post about getting more from your practice time. These all feel right to me.

Right-hand Technique

I started to write a post about right-hand technique and holding the pick...and then it occurred to me that maybe I'd already written about it. And what do you know, I have (here.) That was exactly the post I was starting to write. And now, 18 months later, I can say that I actually do hold the pick that way, for both guitar and mandolin - and it finally feels natural and right, for both strumming and flat-picking. And it's been my conscious focus for that whole time. I pretty much had to dismantle many years of bad habits and replace it with proper technique - and it took a *long* time before it felt natural.

The final hurdle was strumming - just the easy up-and-down playing of a chord on the guitar. Even after playing single notes felt good with the new way, strumming didn't feel good - and I always had the urge to go back to the old way. But I kept at it, and have tried to go through some repetitions of some strumming songs every day (recently from among the following):

• "Old Man", Neil Young
• "Sugar Mountain", Neil Young
• "Melissa", Allman Brothers Band
• "Ramble On", Led Zeppelin
• "Time For Me To Fly", REO Speedwagon
• "Daughters", John Mayer

On a related note, last Sunday was this month's acoustic jam meetup. That's a great chance to strum for three hours, and it was also the public unveiling of my new baby. Our friends ooh'ed and aah'ed appropriately - although the guy who most wants to see it wasn't there. Hopefully next month.

There weren't meetups in July or August, and I'd missed the June session, so this was my first jam in four months, and I'm pretty sure this was the first time that I'd held the pick the right way for the whole jam.

The song I brought to the jam was Neil Young's "Sugar Mountain". Here's the song, a good tab (though tuning down is only necessary if you want to play along to the studio recording), and a good guitar lesson.

NMD: Breedlove Premier OF Mandolin

Yesterday, just one day after NGD, it was New Mandolin Day. The Breedlove Premier OF mandolin I'd ordered on trade arrived via FedEx, after an interminable week and a half without a mandolin in the house.

I unpacked it, tuned it up, played a chord - and I'm pretty sure I heard a choir of angels sing. Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but it sounded *fantastic*. I played some chords, scales, arpeggios, and tunes, and continued to be very impressed. It's a clear upgrade over the Eastman, and by far the best-sounding mando I've ever played.

That actually isn't saying much, as I've played very few good-quality mandolins. The problem is finding a music store that actually stocks an inventory of decent instruments. Guitar Center and guitar and band instrument-oriented music stores usually have a few mandos on the wall - but they're usually cheap instruments that are poorly set up.

I've just recently found a music store in Reading that sells and services good-quality acoustic instruments (guitars, mandolins, fiddles,etc.) To get a *great* selection of mandolin inventory, I'd have to go to Mandolin Brothers in Staten Island. That would be a cool trip, and maybe I'll get there one day - but it would be a full day trip, and I just haven't had the time.

The other alternative, which is what I've used, is online. The Mandolin Store is widely regarded as very reputable, and that's my experience. They'll ship you anything you want, and they accept returns or trades. Yes, of course it's better to actually play an instrument before buying. But I've done plenty of research before ordering, and it's worked out.

Back to my Breedlove. I've had it for a day now, and I'm *extremely* pleased. I already mentioned that I love how it sounds, which was my hope. A pleasant surprise is that I also find it easier to play than the Eastman - some passages that I sometimes struggled with on the Eastman, I'm finding that I can play much more cleanly. The Eastman has a 1 3/32" nut, which I think is standard, and I never regarded it as too narrow. The Breedlove has a slightly wider 1 3/16" nut, and I notice the difference in a good way.

I'm happy, and I think this is a keeper. Though Darling Wife shakes her head and says, "You always love an instrument when you first get it." And she's right, only time will tell. But my only desire now is to play the instruments I have.

NGD: Recording King RO-310

Yes, yesterday was New Guitar Day. I wrote recently about wanting a second acoustic - a decent quality instrument that would have a niche between the Martin and the travel guitar. When the Seagull didn't work out, I stopped actively pursuing that - but I look at the Craigslist classifieds every day as a matter of habit. I enjoy following what people are trying to sell.

Early this week, I saw an ad that piqued my interest. A mint condition Recording King RO-310. From some reading I've been doing, I've been looking at two brands, Recording King and Blue Ridge, as possible good candidates for a second acoustic. They're both making reasonably-priced, good quality guitars - and in many cases, basically to Martin specs.

The RO-310 is very close to the specs of a Martin 000-18. The "000" body size is smaller than the standard dreadnaught, and it's a solid wood guitar, not a laminate. The top is Adirondack spruce, and the sides and back are mahogany. It has a slightly wider fingerboard (1 3/4" vs. the standard 1 11/16"), which is considered ideal for fingerpicking.

The seller bought it a year ago from Elderly, a reputable dealer, and one that would give the instrument a proper setup. He said he got it to try the 000 size, and didn't like it. I went and looked at it yesterday, and his story checked out. It really is mint condition.

We had negotiated a price before I went there. I haggle in advance - if the condition is as advertised, and I want it, we've already agreed on the final price. So I went and played it, and it really did seem mint. So I gave him an envelope of cash and brought it home.

To questions of why this was necessary, my answer is, "it isn't." I saw the chance to get what should be a good guitar at a *great* price. I'm interested to see how the 000 body size and the wider fingerboard feel. I'm interested to see how the Adirondack top and the mahogany sides and back sound, as that's the combination that's made Martin's D-18 and 000-18 famous. I think I'll have a niche for it as a second acoustic, and as a travel guitar for when it won't be exposed to the elements (the River, absolutely...the Folk Fest or a campground, no.) And if I decide to unload it, I'm near certain I can sell it for at least what I paid for it.

I think it was a great deal for a good guitar. Between this and the mandolin that's on the way, my music fund is pretty much empty. And that's okay, I'll replenish it with sales and with gig earnings. I'm happy. Happy NGD to me.

Now about that new mandolin....

A Few Acronyms

GAS: guitar acquisition syndrome

MAS: mandolin acquisition syndrome

NGD: new guitar day

(Just in case, purely hypothetically speaking, I have the opportunity to use any of these in upcoming posts.)

Monday Catch-up

So much going on, and so little time to blog. Here's a quick catch-up. Each of these points could be a post of its own, but a bullet point will have to do for now.

• After many years of Tuesday night rehearsals in the basement, the aikido band went out and played an open mic. Our lead guitarist couldn't make it at the last minute, so we played as a trio. It was a blast, and we were tentatively offered a paying gig. We'll see what happens. Of course, the band has a FB page, here.
• 
  Rosewood gigs continue, one after the other, and it still seems like this much fun is probably illegal. Occasionally it's so much fun that I even crack a smile.
• The Mandolin Store has received my trade and has shipped me the Breedlove. It's supposed to arrive on...Thursday. Thursday?!? I have to wait until Thursday!? Sigh.... :-)
• I discovered The Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum, and if there was ever an online place for me, this is it. And as I laughed to Darling Wife, a better bunch of enablers never existed. If you have 19 Martins and are wondering if you should get #20, you can find a whole bunch of people ready to help talk you into it. I shared my own Martin story on the forum, here.
• YouTube guitar lesson of the week: acoustic guitar version of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes", as performed by Heart's Nancy Wilson. Gorgeous.

Mandolin Trade

In my last post, I mentioned that I had second thoughts on using my "music fund" for a second acoustic guitar. One possibility was trading my mandolin.

I got my Eastman last Christmas, and it's a good instrument. It was a very nice upgrade from the entry-level Kentucky I had before that. I've played it a *lot*, and I generally liked it...but there was always a nagging unhappiness. It has a good sound, but seems "small". When I've played with other folks, the sound seems to disappear. Maybe that's the fault of my playing...I don't know. And I always seemed to have a hard time keeping it exactly in tune.

I decided to give it one last chance. One night last week, I took it to a shop in Reading that's highly recommended. I had a great time talking music and gear with the proprietor as he looked over my mando, changed the strings, did some little adjustments, etc. He pronounced it in good shape.

So then, the test. I took it to the river with me last weekend. Would the new strings and the setup make a difference? Sadly, no. So I decided that I'd sell it and get another one. Not to do a big upgrade, just to get a good solid instrument.

My first thought was that I'd list it on the classified of Mandolin Cafe. But then I looked at The Mandolin Store (the highly reputable place where I bought both the Eastman and Kentucky), and I saw that they do trades. So I phoned them, and we did a trade. My Eastman is currently en route to them, and as soon as they get it and verify its condition, they'll ship me a Breedlove Premier OF.

I'm hoping, if all goes well, to have it by the middle of next week. I'm very much missing having a mandolin in the house. I really do play it every day.

Review and pics when it arrives.

From Canada...and Back

A note about how I fund gear purchases. A well-known fact is that I'm a frugal soul - to the untrained eye, that is often mistaken for being a cheap bastard - but I can assure you there's a (sometimes extremely) subtle difference. In my own mind, that difference is crystal clear. Anyway, I like getting new gear, and through the wonders of Craigslist, I've sold many things, and bought many other things with the proceeds - the overall net cash outlay has been very small.

Darling Wife has also suggested that I should keep my Rosewood proceeds separate, as part of my "music fund" with Craigslist sales proceeds. She has occasionally raised an eyebrow at my accounting methods - for example, a few weeks ago we had a paying gig. I made $55. Darling Wife was there (as the most supportive wife ever), and both my daughters had nothing going on, and came out to see us. Their bill at the end of the night was $51. So how much went into my music fund? $55, of course.

I've made some recent sales, and we've been gigging regularly - so the music fund has grown to a level where I've been thinking about what I want to buy. I decided on a mid-range acoustic guitar.

I have my Martin, which I like better every time I play it - which is every day. I still regard it as a lifetime guitar, and would only sell it if that's the only way I can get a kidney that I need to stay alive. I have my travel guitar, which I love for what it is. But I thought that I might be able to get something in the middle for somewhere in the $300-400 price range. Another guitar to have around the house (because you can never have too many), and something I could travel with, though maybe not to the beach or the campground.

I decided on the Seagull Entourage Rustic Mini Jumbo. I already have a Seagull acoustic - my Canadian beauty - which is a great instrument, and is now my younger daughter's. Many people consider Seagulls to be the best bang for your buck out there, and that's been my experience. The mini jumbo size would fit in my travel guitar's case. So with a Guitar Center 15% off coupon in hand, I ordered it, and it arrived three days later. I unpacked it, played it...and tried to convince myself I liked the sound.

I played it again later...and tried to convince myself I liked the sound. Then Darling Wife walked through the room as I was playing it, and simply said, "Rin Tin Tin." Meaning that it had a very thin, tinny sound. And she was right.

It occurred to me that maybe it was a bad set of strings. So I called Guitar Center and asked if I could still return it if I changed the strings. They said I could - so I put a new set on, played it again...and there was no difference. Rin Tin Tin.

The next day was Saturday, so I took it to Guitar Center, and they took it back and credited my card with no questions. It turns out it was surprisingly easy to send an ill-behaved Canadian back where it came from.

I'm sure I can get a good second acoustic in that price range - but, sadly, this wasn't the one. With my slush find restored, I started having second thoughts about what to use it on.

Stay tuned to find out what I decided.

Natalie MacMaster

Saturday night, Main Stage

The slot in the Saturday night concert before Tommy Emmanuel was Natalie MacMaster, who was at the top of Darling Wife's "must see" list. She's a fiddler from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia who plays traditional maritime/Celtic music. According to DW, she's a former child prodigy from a family of musicians from Cape Breton who all play the traditional style. DW said she saw her on TV from a young age, and was looking forward to seeing her in person.

She hit the stage like she was shot out of a gun - very high energy, backed by a five-piece band. The musicianship was impeccable - but the most noteworthy thing to me was how she moved. She was never still - she danced the whole time she played. I'm sure it was some kind of traditional step dance, and it was mesmerizing to watch her move while the musical pyrotechnics were happening.

Sunday morning, Camp Stage

Darling Wife loved her the most - but the rest of us weren't far behind. Everyone at the campground later was raving about the back-to-back sets of Natalie and Tommy Emmanuel. And people were laughing and shaking their heads over the fact that she said she's had six kids over the past eight years - including a four-month-old.

Sunday morning, there was a Celtic lineup at the smaller Camp Stage, and Natalie was on the bill for that, so all of our camp went to see it. We were excited to see her in a small, more informal setting, and she didn't disappoint. She came out with just a drummer and a keyboardist, and started out sitting down. But by the second song, she couldn't help herself and got up and started moving. She played for 45 minutes, and left us yelling for more.

Seeing her, and so many other good fiddlers, gave me strong desire to learn the fiddle. But I have to resist - there are only so many hours in the day.

A quick YouTube search doesn't turn up any footage of her performance at the Folk Fest, but here's a good example of her playing.

Tommy Emmanuel, CGP

In my post about our time at the Phila Folk Fest, I said there were a few performers I needed to talk about in detail. Tommy Emmanuel is first and foremost.

He's a fingerstyle guitarist who I've discovered over the past year via Pandora, and he was the performer who I was most excited about when the Folk Fest announced this year's lineup. His style reminded me a bit of Chet Atkins, who I loved as a boy from my Dad's record collection. I wasn't completely surprised to find that he grew up idolizing Chet Atkins and spent endless hours trying to figure out his fingerpicking style.

I also found out the source of the "CGP" initials that he uses as a title, and which is imprinted on the 12th fret of his guitars. Chet Atkins coined the term "Certified Guitar Player", and gave the honor to himself and four others (I'll save you the Googling: John Knowles, Tommy Emmanuel, Steve Wariner, and Jerry Reed.)

Tommy was the next-to-last performer on the Saturday night concert, but we had a surprise. Janis Ian was two slots before him. I didn't know that much about her, except that she was a 70's folkie who had a big hit with "At Seventeen", which I love - I think it's a gorgeous song. Well, at the end of her set, Janis said that she'd just met Tommy Emmanuel for the first time backstage, and that he said he was a big fan, and asked if he could play a couple of songs with her. She said her first instinct was to say "no", but she reconsidered and brought him out.

They played "At Seventeen", and it was absolutely magical - a moment you couldn't script and couldn't re-create. The kind of moment you just consider yourself privileged to witness. The highlight of the Fest by far for me.

Then an hour later he came out and played his own set, and it was killer. He's an unbelievable guitar player, a fantastic showman, and seems like a friendly down-to-earth guy. He did things that just left me shaking my head, asking myself if I'd actually seen what I thought I saw.

Since getting home, I've been gorging myself on Tommy Emmanuel links and articles and YouTube videos. Here are a few highlights:

• TED Talk: My Life As A One-Man Band (if you look at one link, look at this)
• Drivetime (written for his daughter)
• Beatles Medley
• Tommy explains his stage setup

I saw somewhere that he gives 300 concerts a year. I thought that must be a typo, but he repeats that fact in his TED talk. I can only shake my head - that's 6 shows a week, 50 weeks a year. That sounds to me like a *crushing* travel load. But he talks about it as if he enjoys it. Boggling. But if that means he'll be coming around here soon, I'm all in favor of it.

Guitar Lessons

I've written before about the three months of guitar lessons I took...geez, over three years ago. It was an incredible learning experience - and as I wrote in that last link, I stopped because there was too much coming at me too quickly (the old expression "trying to drink from a fire hose" comes to mind.)

The things we worked on have stayed with me - technical things like how to hold the pick, and music theory things like why you memorize and practice different scales (surprisingly, it turns out they're not just something that music teachers use to torture students, they're the backbone of soloing and improvisation.) The knowledge of pentatonic scales has improved my guitar, bass, and mandolin playing a lot.

I mentioned in my last post that the pendulum of my attention is swinging back from the mandolin (which has been my primary focus for the past year or so) back to the guitar. I still love the mandolin and play it every day. But there's a new Martin in the house, I just can't keep my hands off of it.

I mentioned holding the pick. I'd never known the right way to hold it, so I'd been doing it wrong for my entire life. But changing it felt *way* too awkward, and I figured I never would. When I started mandolin, I did it the right way, as I was starting from scratch and had no bad habits to break. After a year of intensive practice, that's now the only way that feels natural. So I sat down with the Martin and started going up and down the scale while holding the pick the right way - and to my complete shock, I went quickly and cleanly (relative to anything I'd ever been able to do before) up and down the fretboard.

Holy smokes, what a pleasant surprise. My mandolin practicing had also paid off on the guitar. This gives me a string desire to improve technically, both in flatpicking and fingerpicking. I've liked the online mandolin lessons I've been taking through ArtistWorks, so I signed up for three months of the flatpicking course, taught by Bryan Sutton, who apparently is a big name in bluegrass guitar. Details soon on how it's going.

August Catch-up

A quick miscellaneous catch-up post, before a whole bunch of new stuff happens:

* Our annual Ocean City, MD vacation was two weeks ago. For the second straight year, I've brought my travel guitar with me, and playing it on the beach at night is a blast. I sit on the wall, facing away from the boardwalk, so no one really hears me (which is good - I don't want to be noticed or heard by people walking by.) One guy did sit down close to me one night, and after a while said to me, "That sounds great! Santana!" I smiled and thanked him - even though I was playing Hotel California.

* Eight days to folk fest! We're quite excited, both about the performers on the bill (final schedule is here), and even more about the jamming and the whole camp scene. Much more about this soon.

* July's Rosewood gigs at the bakery and the Craft Ale House were fun and successful. We've been offered more dates at both venues, so we'll be busy into the fall. We added a few songs into the set list, and one we really liked (and that went over very well) was Robert Plant's Band of Joy rockabilly version of "Rock and Roll." (Band of Joy version is here, our version at the bakery is here - Brother Chris can be heard singing along!)

* I've written before about what a huge amount of admiration I have for John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin. This video is so interesting. He talks about how he started playing mandolin - basically, he'd heard it, thought the sound was interesting, and wanted a small instrument that he could take with him anywhere. So he saw one and picked it up on a whim. What he doesn't mention is that one year later he was playing it on Zeppelin albums and onstage as an integral part of their acoustic set. Boggling. And then he talks about going to bluegrass festivals and jams now - just walking up and buying a ticket! - and being surprised that Mike Marshall and Chris Thile want to play with him. I just shake my head.

* My Martin is the sweetest-sounding baby that ever existed. Well, you'll have a hard time convincing me that she's not. I'm playing every day, and it's pure pleasure. I'm still playing mandolin every day too, but the pendulum is definitely swinging back toward the guitar, from the mandolin (which has been my main focus for the past year.) More about that very soon.

James Taylor Lessons

If there was any doubt that the Internet is an amazing place, let me present James Taylor guitar lessons - by James Taylor!

I like James Taylor a lot. He's too soft and mellow for some people, and I understand that. I don't want a steady diet of only James either. And his songs are *so* ubiquitous that I know some people have had enough - and I get that too. But I do like him - I like his songs, I like his voice, and I *love* his acoustic guitar playing.

Sitting down and trying to figure out what he's doing on songs like "Fire and Rain", "Carolina in my Mind", "Country Road", and "Something in the Way She Moves" is daunting. He's not just strumming chords - there are chord fragments mixed with some pretty fancy fingerpicking.

I've blogged before that "Something in the Way She Moves" is one of my all-time favorite songs, and one that I've been working on for a while. I basically understand what he's doing, and it's not conceptually that complicated - but it's tricky and damned difficult to play at speed. The thought of being able to play that so easily that you could go out every night in front of thousands of people and play it - oh, and by the way, sing the song at the same time - is boggling to me.

Anyway, that's a long intro to the fact that I just discovered that he's posted some guitar lessons for his songs. There's not a lot of explanation, but there's a very clear video of both his left and right hands. Very very cool.

You hear stories of some musicians who regard how they play their songs as a trade secret, and very much do not want anyone giving away their secrets, let alone putting tutorial videos on their own web site. Kudos to James Taylor.

June Wrap-up

Unbelievably, the calendar now says July. June was a very fun and very eventful month. Brief highlights, as follows:

* Annapolis is a fun little town. Playing on a sailboat for a small group of friends is a blast. Unfortunately there are no pics, but hopefully we'll do it again. And the next day, we discovered another very fun acoustic band: Sparks, Raymond, and McCoy playing on the street at an Arts Fest. They play Annapolis and Kent Island, and I'll see them again if I ever have the opportunity.

St. Peter's Bakery, 6/20/2014

* Rosewood gigs continue. We had another very fun gig at the bakery a week ago Friday, and the next one is coming up in just 10 days (Fri, July 11). Then we play the Craft Ale House in Royersford the next night (Sat, July 12). That's a new venue for us, and also a 3-hour gig (where we're used to playing for two hours at the bakery and the West End Alley.)

* I'm still playing mandolin every day, but my focus has definitely shifted back to the guitar. You can't have a Martin at your fingertips and not want to play it at every opportunity. The vibration that it gives off when you play a chord is something I *feel* as well as hear, and it's a treat.

* It's about six weeks to the Folk Fest, and I'm looking very forward to it. I'm specifically looking forward to seeing Tommy Emmanuel, Natalie McMaster, Sarah Jarosz, and the Steep Canyon Rangers. Our Buddha Shebang camp friends are starting to oil their already-well-oiled machine.

* I saw a couple of YouTube guitar lessons on REO Speedwagon's "Time For Me To Fly", and I'd forgotten what a good tune that is. It's a standard 1/4/5 song, but with some unique chord voicings. Here's a lesson on how REO's Kevin Cronin actually plays it (and yes, I verified via YouTube that he really does play it that way.) Here's another way to play it, which is how I've been playing it. It's a fun song to play, and the Martin just *rings* when you play those open chords.

* Here's a tutorial on John Mayer's "Daughters". It's a beautiful song with some jazz-type chords, and I've been playing it a lot.

Nazareth Music Center

(Continued from here)

We left the Martin Guitar factory with catalogs and information in hand, including the fact that there was a Martin dealer one mile away. We went across the street to a pizza place, and decided that we'd stop at the dealer after we grabbed a quick lunch. I was trying not to get my hopes up too high - but it suddenly did seem possible, that if all went well, I might actually be coming home with a Martin guitar that very day.

The GPS got us to the Nazareth Music Center with no difficulty. We asked if we could see some guitars, and they asked if we wanted to see Martins. We said we very much did, and they laughingly called their store, "part 2 of the Martin tour." I'm fairly certain we're not the first people to finish the factory tour and head directly for the nearest dealer. They had a whole room dedicated to Martins, with anything you could ask for in stock (there's a picture of the room on their Martin page).

The HD-28 I ended up coming home with.

The first thing they asked me to do was put on a shop apron - which makes sense, they don't want belt buckles or anything like that scratching the guitars. I asked to play a 000-28, which is what I thought I wanted - and they put one in my lap. But then they said I needed to also try...I forget the terminology, but a 000-28 with a different kind of internal bracing (maybe it was called a 000-28H?) The "H" is apparently an upgrade - and it did sound a little better to both of our ears.

Then I asked for a D-28 (the same guitar in a full-sized dreadnaught body.) It sounded fantastic, and a noticeably bigger sound. After playing each guitar, I looked over at Darling Wife, and she was smiling and nodding as if to say it sounded great. Then they put another one in my lap - the HD-28 (the "H" being the same upgrade as the 000-28H over the 000-28.) I played a chord and thought "wow!" Then I looked over at DW and she was nodding her head vigorously. It was *clearly* the best and biggest-sounding guitar.

One happy birthday boy!

I played them all again, one after the other, trying my best to compare. It was really a no-lose decision - they all sounded fantastic, and I would have been thrilled with any of them. But the HD-28 just sounded the best. So I said it was the one. They wiped it off, put it in the case, and sent me home with it.

There's a line from the end of my favorite movie, where Ralphie, after getting his Red Ryder b.b. gun, calls it, "the best present I had ever received - or would ever receive." That's pretty much how I feel. I'm still almost in shock to have such a beautiful instrument right here at my fingertips. My Darling Wife out-did herself, and I could not be more grateful. This is truly a lifetime guitar - it is not an exaggeration to say that I will never need to upgrade again in my life.

It's also not an exaggeration to say that it was a day I'll never forget. The factory and museum tour alone would have made it a memorable day - but actually picking out a Martin and coming home with it? That was completely unexpected, and made it an all-time day to remember. No, the birthday Martin wasn't really a surprise - but with Meadowood Music closed for the day, it never occurred to me as a possibility that it might happen the same day.

Thank you, Lori, from the bottom of my heart.

Martin Factory Tour

I recently had a round-number birthday, and Darling Wife suggested we go to the Martin Guitar factory and museum in Nazareth, PA for the day. She was working the actual day of my birthday, so I took a personal day on the day before, and off we went.

This is something we've talked about for a while. Martin is famous as a maker of high-end acoustic guitars, and they make them right here in Pennsylvania. It's not that far away (1.5 hours), and everyone I know who's been on the tour highly recommends it.

There has been talk of a birthday Martin, but that's not happening today. We've looked at Martin dealers, and the one we'll go to is Meadowood Music, up near Reading - and they're closed on Mondays.

We arrived around 11:30am after an easy drive up the Northeast Extension, and were assigned to the 12:30 tour. That gave us time to look through the museum - which was fascinating. Martin has been making guitars since the 1830's, and the museum was a history of the guitar in addition to the history of the company. Things got especially interesting when you got to the 50's and 60's up to today, as just about anyone you've ever heard of has played a Martin, and there were instruments from Elvis, Bob Dylan, Lennon and McCartney, Johnny Cash, Crosby Stills & Nash, Eric Clapton, etc., etc.

Our tour group was called at 12:25, and the tour lasted about an hour. You actually walk through the factory and workshops as they're making guitars. It was so interesting to see blocks of wood coming in, and the various stages as building and assembling guitars. There's machinery that does a lot of the precision cutting - but there's also a lot of it that's done by hand.

When the tour is over, they direct you to the gift shop (of course I now have a Martin Guitar t-shirt), and the Picking Room - a roomful of high end Martins that you can play (but not buy, you have to buy from a dealer.)

I played everything that had up on the wall. The D-18 sounded fantastic, with an especially strong treble sound. The 000-28 had a very satisfying fatter sound, and I kinda liked the smaller body "000" size instead of the full-size dreadnaught (the "D" in D-18 or D-28.) The twelve-string D-2812 had an *amazing* sound - I don't think I ever fully appreciated the big ringing sound of a good 12-string guitar.

So I had some ideas on what I'd potentially be interested if and when we finally found a time to get up to Meadowood. But it was past 2pm and we were hungry, so we got ready to go. It had been a *hugely* fun day. We grabbed some catalogs and information, including a list of area dealers. The nearest one was one mile away....

(Continued here)

Mavericks Concert, 5/16/2014

The long-awaited Mavericks concert was last Friday night at the Keswick Theater in Glenside. Darling Wife and I were excited - we enjoyed them so much at the Folk Fest.

Showtime was listed as 8pm, and there was no mention of an opening act, so we hustled to make it there by 8:00. Sure enough, the Mavericks came on around 8:15.

I was wondering what the band line-up would be. They were a 9-piece band at the Fest, but the publicity photos for this tour show five people. I was wondering if this would be a stripped down - but no, nine people came out - the same lineup as last summer. I guess the other four aren't officially "Mavericks."

They were everything we remembered. It's hard to describe exactly what they do. There's a rockabilly feel...and a bit of a Latin feel...and there's such an infectious beat that you simply have to get up and move.

They announced before the show that dancing wasn't allowed in the center aisle - but it was allowed in the side aisles. Well, after a few songs, there was no containing Darling Wife - she got up and went down the right-side aisle (we were seated about half-way back toward the right.) I lost track of her, as I was enjoying the show.

Two and a half hours later, after about six encores, they finally said goodnight for the last time and the house lights came back on. I waited for Darling Wife...then waited some more...then finally saw her. It turns out that she got pretty much right in front of the stage, and pronounced it the best time ever. I'm pretty sure that if Raul Malo had beckoned, she would have jumped on the tour bus, and I'd now be getting postcards from the road. But sadly, it wasn't to be.

The Mavericks are seriously the funnest band out there. Not to be missed.

Nickel Creek Concert (Part 2)

(Continued from here)

I'm finally getting around to writing a review of the concert. First of all, a few people, when I mentioned that I was going to the show, asked what kind of music they play - and I struggled for a response. I wanted to say "bluegrass" - but that's not entirely accurate. They play bluegrass instruments, and they do play a few traditional bluegrass songs. "Modern acoustic"? "Americana"?

Their Wiki page describes them as "American progressive acoustic music trio", which is probably the best you can do in summary - but still not an answer that rolls off the tongue in conversation.

The tour is advertised as the 25-year anniversary of the formation of the band - which is boggling, since they're all in their 30's now.

I'll start with this note. I follow a few people on Twitter, and Steve Martin is one. He's funny (obviously), and is also a respected bluegrass banjo player who tours with the Steep Canyon Rangers (who, as an aside, are on the bill for Folk Fest '14). Anyway, I saw this Steve Martin post on my Twitter feed last night:

Flabbergasting concert with Nickel Creek tonight. Musicianship reigns supreme.

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

The band is three people: Chris Thile on mandolin, Sara Watkins on fiddle, and (brother) Sean Watkins on guitar. They all sing - and they were accompanied by upright bass player Mark Shatz.

So yes, flabbergasting. They're all incredible musicians, and they're as tight as can be. It was pure pleasure to watch and listen to. Chris Thile is regarded as not only the best mandolin player, but one of the very best musicians, and I can't add any accolades beyond saying it was jaw-dropping to watch. But what I really enjoyed were, 1) how much fun he seemed to be having, and, 2) how *easy* he made it look.

Of course, it's a band, not a Chris Thile solo show, and each of the four musicians commanded attention. The fiddle and guitar work were top-notch, and the vocal harmonies were very impressive. Mark Shatz on the upright bass fit in very nicely, and he was prominent without being overpowering.

They played for two hours, and had us clapping our hands, stomping our feet, and yelling for more. If you have the chance to see them, they're not to be missed.

Musical Week in Review, 5/16

As usual, there's more going on than time to write about it. I know I still have my Nickel Creek concert review to write (spoiler - it was *awesome*!) Here are a few random notes:

* Here's something I blogged last year after the Folk Fest:

The Mavericks: I had never heard of these guys, but they blew the place away. Totally fantastic. They were a 9-piece band, including horns and accordion. They had a swing that almost sounded Latin at times - and the program said the bandleader is a Cuban-American guy based out of Miami. His voice had almost a Roy Orbison sound. Almost everyone we talked to later said some variation of "Holy smokes, did you see the Mavericks?!?" I would absolutely see them again if they came locally.

Well, they're in town tonight, and Darling Wife and I will be there. We've been looking very forward to this. If you're not dancing, swaying, clapping your hands, or tapping your feet when the Mavericks are playing, you're most likely dead.

* Speaking of the Folk Fest, I saw on a friend's FB that it's 90 days to Folk Fest '14. Darling Wife and I have our "all festival camping" tickets. The initial line-up is here. I won't say I'm super-excited about anyone specific (though Tommy Emmanuel will be a highlight), but in my limited experience, part of what makes the Folk Fest really cool is that you discover fantastic people you never would have heard of otherwise. I was really hoping Nickel Creek would be on the bill, but they're not (at least not in this initial line-up.)

* Rosewood has a gig tomorrow night at the West End Alley in Pottstown. We've played here a number of times over the past year, and it's always been a very fun evening. We've been working on some new songs, and a couple will be in the set. More details in my gig write-up afterwards.

Nickel Creek Concert (Part 1)

I've become a big fan of all things Chris Thile, including the bluegrass/progressive acoustic band where he got his start, Nickel Creek. I saw the announcement last year that the band was getting back together after a 7-year hiatus, and that there would be an album and a tour.

When a tour date was announced for the Tower Theater, I was poised and ready. I fired up my web browser - and was able to get one ticket. No available pairs. It was a good location - basically front and center, so I grabbed it. I asked Darling Wife if she still wanted to go (seated separately) if I could get another single. She did, and I was able to get a second single seat.

Fast forward to the day of the show. We had the first ticket I ordered...but not the second. We searched and searched...and couldn't find it. I went to my e-mail to look for a confirmation...and I didn't have one. I have no idea what happened - I have a clear memory of ordering the second ticket, but there's no record of it. I guess there must have been a final confirmation ("click here to complete your order"), and I didn't click it. I'm still mystified....

I looked online to see if tickets were still available...and a few were. It looked like the venue had reserved some seats and had released them at the last minute. There was most of a row available in row CC (right-center, 8 rows from the stage.) I grabbed it (taking care to actually complete the transaction), and we were good to go.

The Secret Sisters

We got there a little before the 8pm showtime. There was an opening act, The Secret Sisters, and I wanted to see them. We found our separate seats - Darling Wife with the first ticket, a fantastic seat, left-center, about 15 rows back, on the aisle. She told me to take the better seat, as I was the one who really wanted to see this band.

The Secret Sisters went on a little after 8:00, and we *loved* them. The band was two sisters from Alabama who sing roots/country songs. One sister played acoustic guitar on some songs, and they were backed by an electric guitar player and a drummer. The vocal harmonies sounded great, and I know I've heard some of their songs on WXPN. They were very well-received by the crowd.

I did some Googling of them afterwards, and they're not unknowns by any means. They've gotten attention and help from some big names (most notably, Jack White and T-Bone Burnett).

During the intermission, I told Daring Wife to come sit with me. There was an empty seat to my right, and two to my left. If someone arrived late with those tickets, she could go back to her seat - but if they didn't, then we could sit together.

Shortly after 9:00, no one had arrived to claim those seats, and the house lights went down and Nickel Creek came onstage.

(To be continued)

Musical Month in Review

I'm so far behind in blogging that I'll never catch up - and I won't even try. But there are a number of things going on, each of which could easily be a post of its own.

* I had another bakery gig with Rosewood on Apr. 18, and I really think it was our best yet. It was our first time playing out with our new sound system, and it sounded noticeably better - both to us, and to some listeners who've heard us before. Every table in the place was reserved (not that it's a huge place, but still...), and we got some very flattering feedback. Oh, and I played mandolin on one song. Exciting and scary at the same time. We're still working how to properly fit it into the mix.

* I've sold one bass amp and bought its replacement. Here's today's favorite.

* I'm still fairly mandolin-obsessed. I'm having fun with the Mike Marshall lessons - and I'm now fairly proficient at sending him a video of my playing. His feedback is always helpful, and I can feel that I'm improving.

* We're going to see Chris Thile with Nickel Creek tonight at the Tower Theater, and I'm excited. Chris is a mandolin prodigy/virtuoso. He has a number of collaboration projects and solo efforts all going on seemingly at the same time, and he's currently touring with his original bluegrass band (that he started when he was eight years old.) I very much wanted to see his classical show last fall at the Academy of Music (he was touring behind a solo CD of Bach partitas), but I couldn't. I heard from friends afterwards that it was awe-inspiring. Stay timed for a review of tonight's show.

* Still on Chris Thile, there are 5-6 videos on YouTube of a recent visit he made to a vintage instrument dealer in Nashville. Fascinating.

* I wasn't able to make the monthly bluegrass jam last night at Chaplin's. Darling Wife was just getting back from her home and native land. Maybe next month.

Bluegrass Jam

I've been aware of a monthly bluegrass jam at Chaplin's in Spring City for a number of months now. I was wondering if I was good enough on the mandolin to follow along - and whether it was beginner-friendly (i.e., whether you get the stink eye if you can't rip off a blistering solo whenever you get the nod.)

I went in December just to watch - and in hindsight I should have taken my mando. It was a friendly group with all levels of players, and very beginner friendly. The host, Ted the Fiddler, knew me, as he also hosts the Sunday night open mics, and I've played there with Rosewood twice - and he told me point blank that I should have brought my mando. Oh well, who knew?

So I've been looking forward to going back and actually playing. Only there were snowstorms on the first Thursday of the month in Jan. and Feb., and a very important theatrical event in March. So last Thursday was my first opportunity.

I'm in the orange cap on the left

There was a nice mix of instruments: maybe 5 guitar players, a banjo, a dobro, two mandolins, electric bass, fiddle, harp. Everyone was competent, and some were really good players. We went around the circle picking songs, mostly bluegrass standards.

I'm familiar with most of these, and they're all fairly simple chord progressions in major keys, so I had no trouble following along. But I don't know the repertoire well enough to pick a song myself, so I passed when it was my turn.

I took a couple of leads when it was my turn, and disappointed myself - because I know I can do better. And I will be better next month - I'll be working in simple improvisation over basic chord progressions. I know the theory and know how to do it - so now it's just a matter of getting more comfortable and doing it.

Everyone was very friendly and the music was quite good. I hope I'll be able to make next month's jam.

Mandolin in the Keys

Last week I took the family to Islamorada in the Florida Keys for a little warm-weather getaway. We took similar vacations in '09 and '10 and enjoyed it very much both times.

When thinking of traveling now, I immediately think about bringing an instrument with me. I've brought my travel guitar with me on a number of trips, and even on a plane, and this time I was thinking I'd bring both a guitar and a mandolin. But I decided against the guitar at the last minute. Interpreted one way, its measurements would be just over the maximum allowable size for Southwest Airlines. They might have let it slide, but I wasn't willing to risk the chance of a $75 surcharge. The mandolin would be my carry-on bag - and that worked fine.

An observation about practice. When I was in the band and orchestra in school, I despised practice. I did it when absolutely necessary - or more often, when a parent mentioned pointedly that it had been a while since they'd heard the sound of a clarinet or a string bass. It was an obligation - *never* something I did for the enjoyment of it.

There were some very talented people in the high school orchestra, and I heard stories that they'd practice for four, five, or six hours at a time. That was always completely incomprehensible to me - why would you subject yourself to that if you had a choice?!?

I finally understand. I play scales and finger exercises on the mandolin every day - because I enjoy it. And Wednesday morning at the hotel in Islamorada, with my ladies sleeping late and getting ready for a day at the hotel pool and beach, I practiced for at least two hours in an isolated corner of the hotel beach, underneath palm trees, while looking out at the blue/green Caribbean. I played major and pentatonic scales in every key, probably for an hour. Chords, double-stops, tremolo practice. Then I played songs for probably another hour. I could have happily kept going for much longer, but my ladies were down and I wanted to join them.

The next day, we drove to Key West for the day - and there were eye rolls when I brought the mandolin along. But I thought why not bring it - if they wanted to shop or sun-bathe, I could find a quiet spot to play.

And that's exactly what happened - after an afternoon of walking, shopping, and hanging out, they wanted a little beach time. So I grabbed my mando and found a quiet spot to play. When it was time for a group pic, I tried to put it down, but they insisted I bring it into the pic.

Friday morning was more of the same at the hotel beach. And I loved it.

It was a shame we didn't have the travel guitar with us. Greta and I would both have liked having it with us. And it would have been very cool to play some songs with her. But playing on the beach under the palm trees was great.

Musical Week in Review, 3/25

* Our friend Don (from the acoustic jams and the Folk Fest) turned 60 on Sunday, and to celebrate, he invited a few friends to his house on Saturday night for a jam. We'd been to one of his jams before, so we knew it would be a great time. And it was. Great music with good people. I took a guitar and a mandolin, and played each about the same amount. It was gratifying to find out that I'm now comfortable keeping up with most songs on the mando. Super fun evening.

* I saw that there was going to be a two-hour mandolin workshop in Ardmore on Sunday. My afternoon was pretty much free, so I decided to attend. It was fun and helpful. I wouldn't say I learned anything brand new, but it was good to review some things, and to hear some things in a new way. The focus was moveable chord shapes. I realize that I know a decent bit of music theory, and it always kinda startles me that not everyone knows that.

* I'm still on a major "Inside Llewyn Davis" kick. I *love* the soundtrack. I've been playing some of the songs, and decided to see if I could learn "Green Green Rocky Road". A few clicks later, I was watching Dave van Ronk show how to play his song! Dave van Ronk is the musician that "Llewyn Davis" is loosely based on. Very cool. He starts by calling the song "easy", and then demonstrates a finger-picking pattern that's going to take me a while to learn. But that's my project.

* Rosewood practice last night. We play Sunday afternoon at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Band-o-Rama fundraiser, and we're looking forward to it.

* I'm about to download some travel music. I like to get some new music to take on vacation, and I've decided on two discs from Mike Marshall, my mandolin teacher. I've heard tracks from both these discs on Pandora, and thought they were fantastic:
     * Mike Marshall & Darol Anger: At Home and on the Range
     * Mike Marshall & Darol Anger with Vasen