Calinda

Comment by Strumelia on August 15, 2015 at 11:35am

Love how you play it Mark, like a pat of butter melting on a hot biscuit.    :)

Love the way you let the resonance flow so naturally from one note into the next...like traveling by ice skating compared to by pogo stick...sometimes i feel like I'm pogo-ing or snowshoeing...lol.  Your playing always inspires me.

Comment by Mark Weems on August 15, 2015 at 1:31pm

Ha! As always Lisa, thanks for your kind words. Can I use that part about the hot biscuit for my music bio.? Really though, that resonance flow your talking about is just a part of the intrinsic sound of this 4 string gourd instrument - that's why I love it so much. My early banjo mentor, Joe Ayers, always stresses this fluidity of tone, and deliberately arranges pieces with this aspect in mind. With some 5 string minstrel banjos the notes just kind of drop off really fast, making it difficult to create this fluidity. 

Comment by Strumelia on August 15, 2015 at 8:19pm

Funny you mention that, as I've been trying to learn the bones lately (sloooow process), and in my practice sessions have found myself gravitating especially to the Joe Ayers material because it has a nice tempo, and because it's so flowing, thus pairs especially well against the bones' staccato effect.

Comment by Chris Prieto on August 16, 2015 at 12:27pm

thats funny i like to practice bones (and concertina) on some of those black and white old john booker band vids. so stompy, and james p got the bones trotting along nicely.

Comment by Strumelia on August 16, 2015 at 1:53pm

Agreed- James is awesome on bones!  

Chris, anyone who can play banjo, bones, and concertina (or fiddle) is someone I totally look up to.   :)

Comment by Chris Prieto on August 16, 2015 at 8:07pm

well I'm not too gifted in the ways of the concertina, only a few tunes I play well. I sound a lil bit better after a few beers tho hehe

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