What are YOU up to right now ?? - Minstrel Banjo2024-03-29T01:01:06Zhttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/what-are-you-up-to-right-now?commentId=2477478%3AComment%3A98111&feed=yes&xn_auth=noGood variety. Those are disti…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-09-14:2477478:Comment:994232013-09-14T03:41:45.525ZTim Twisshttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/TimTwiss
<p>Good variety. Those are distinctly different tunes.</p>
<p>Good variety. Those are distinctly different tunes.</p> I'm currently working on lear…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-09-13:2477478:Comment:995852013-09-13T17:59:41.659ZStrumeliahttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/Strumelia
<p>I'm currently working on learning to play three new-to-me minstrel tunes - Silver Lake Waltz, Hobson's Jig, and Pompey Ran Away. All three of these tunes present techniques that are relatively new to me as an old stubborn clawhammer player, one who additionally has never played guitar. </p>
<p>Now I 'could' play these tunes more easily by just clawhammering/clodhoppering my comfortable familiar way through them and ignoring the little stroke style fingering delicacies, I've certainly seen…</p>
<p>I'm currently working on learning to play three new-to-me minstrel tunes - Silver Lake Waltz, Hobson's Jig, and Pompey Ran Away. All three of these tunes present techniques that are relatively new to me as an old stubborn clawhammer player, one who additionally has never played guitar. </p>
<p>Now I 'could' play these tunes more easily by just clawhammering/clodhoppering my comfortable familiar way through them and ignoring the little stroke style fingering delicacies, I've certainly seen that done enough. Clawhammer is awfully close to stroke style, and in fact some minstrel tunes don't seem to present much difference at all. But there <em>are</em> differences, and since I really want to add to my stroke playing technical skills (such as they are) by working through them as indicated, I struggle along willingly. Each tune serves me as more than just learning a new melody to play- it becomes for me a lesson to practice over and over. I do like having new things to work on. :) I know that as time goes on and as I get more comfortable with the various stroke techniques, new tunes will present themselves less often as lessons and they'll be easier to just <em>play</em>.</p>
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<p>I'd like to share what each of those tunes is teaching me to do right now, and why it often takes me <em>weeks</em> to learn to play a new tune in stroke style, at least in this stage of my progress. I sometimes wonder if others suspect there's something 'wrong' with me, taking sooo long to play just basic tunes. Alas, if I were younger and/or less set in my playing ways, I might indeed pick up this stuff faster. </p>
<p>In any case, I think little playing/fingering challenges like this must surely be common to everyone just learning, and are perhaps useful to share and discuss specifically ...or maybe just good to commiserate! (lol).</p>
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<p>Let me just start with:</p>
<p><strong>Silver Lake Waltz</strong> -</p>
<p>I've never played waltzes much...the oldtime fiddle session circles I usually play in seem to play very few of them. (from what i observe, waltzes seem to be more common in the Northern repertoire and of course in contra musician circles) So first up, just the <strong>3/4 time</strong> takes a bit of getting used to. I think it's mostly just a mindset thing, since there is no rhythmic strumming involved in this tune. The drop thumbs on open strings (as in the third measure) really help me stay on track and grounded, and I'm totally <em>grateful</em> for them in this piece. ;) </p>
<p>Then, as i find with most stroke style tunes, the <strong>thumb</strong> gets put into use in more unexpected places than i would be using it in clawhammer (CH)- starting right off in the two open middle string notes of the second measure. I suspect that non-CH players don't think about this much, but for some old drop-thumb CH geezers it's awkward and new, and something I've been trying to get used to for over a year now. My thumb hesitates for just that split second, wanting to go to its cozy familiar places ...and then sometimes comes down to the wrong string, even after countless repetitions. My urge is to simply play those notes with my index finger, but I know that as I begin to play more complex stroke style tunes I'd only be slowing myself down by avoiding it. This has been a <em>big thing</em> for me- the using of the thumb to play so many melody notes in stroke style. I'm still tripping up on it and my hand keeps objecting...but I keep pushing on, knowing it <em>will</em> come around eventually. This thumb thing slows me down a lot.</p>
<p>Then there are the <strong>triplets</strong>. I've always avoided tripletts like the plague in CH. I even avoided them during my brief foray into mandolin playing long ago. Never had much use for them in my traditional dulcimer playing either. I don't normally gravitate towards Irish repertoire, which uses a <em>lot</em> of triplets. Now I find I can no longer get away with pretending they don't exist. =8-* What's more, the triplets in Silver Lake Waltz <span style="text-decoration: underline;">also</span> call for the thumb to be used in that decidedly unclawhammerly manner. <em>DOUBLE</em> <em>DAMN!</em> lol So there I go, sitting and playing that triplett over and over and over until it's sounding good. Then I get to that point in the tune where it is, and the triplet falls apart again. grrrrr.... I must be a glutton for punishment because I go back for more and keep playing the thing over and over. Apparently I'm also now a closet masochist.</p>
<p>The last little tricky thing in Silver Lake Waltz that challenges me is the left hand <strong>'semi-contortionist stacked chord'</strong> of the third measure of the B part, followed by a repeat with a slight change. Again, not something I've typically done much of in clawhammer, though some CH players do play full chords like this. Sounds so 'classical' to me. And on a fretless the fingertips have to be fairly accurately placed- you can't just throw your fingertip down anywhere between two frets and get a good note. Ugh, I keep muting or buzzing one or another <em>essential</em> note of this phrase with some 'mystery part' of some other finger. Gotta also remember to keep that hand arched up high. This little phrase is arguably the prettiest moment in the entire tune, so buzzing my way through it with poor intonation is simply unacceptable to my aural <em>feng shui sanity. </em> That crucial phrase cannot really be changed or the fingering altered, so nothing to be done but continue to tackle it head on. </p>
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<p>It's all both a blessing and a curse. Am I overly concerned with details? Perhaps, but the alternative is worse- doomed to keep bumbling awkwardly through tunes that I'd <em>like</em> to be playing with at least some amount of grace and ease. Is it all worth all the struggle? <em>Of course!</em> =8-)</p>
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<p></p> Terry-that sounds good to me!tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-08-27:2477478:Comment:988542013-08-27T09:33:06.985ZValerie Diaz Leroyhttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/ValerieDiazLeroy
Terry-that sounds good to me!
Terry-that sounds good to me! Finishing up some rims. I'm l…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-08-27:2477478:Comment:988532013-08-27T08:39:51.101ZBell Banjoshttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/TerryBell
<p>Finishing up some rims. I'm looking forward to getting a big shipment of Pennsylvania Curly Maple for necks - mostly Boucher style.</p>
<p>Finishing up some rims. I'm looking forward to getting a big shipment of Pennsylvania Curly Maple for necks - mostly Boucher style.</p> This evening Brian and I star…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-08-27:2477478:Comment:986352013-08-27T03:49:50.406ZStrumeliahttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/Strumelia
<p>This evening Brian and I started fooling around trying to play Kick Up the Devil on a Holiday. It's not difficult to play, but the challenge is each of us figuring out interesting complimentary stuff to do when the other person is playing the straight melody. Plus, we can alternate playing the melody as well if it works well. If we both play the same thing it's sort of a lost opportunity. This is all the fun part! Playing can be like a dance. :)</p>
<p>This evening Brian and I started fooling around trying to play Kick Up the Devil on a Holiday. It's not difficult to play, but the challenge is each of us figuring out interesting complimentary stuff to do when the other person is playing the straight melody. Plus, we can alternate playing the melody as well if it works well. If we both play the same thing it's sort of a lost opportunity. This is all the fun part! Playing can be like a dance. :)</p> Thanks Tim. Preciate it! Ju…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-08-26:2477478:Comment:988522013-08-26T19:51:34.561ZPaul Draperhttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/PaulDraper
<p>Thanks Tim. Preciate it! Just a question of practice and confidence....<br></br> <br></br> <cite>Tim Twiss said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/what-are-you-up-to-right-now?commentId=2477478%3AComment%3A98809#2477478Comment98943"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Nothing new, i'm sure. Just encouraging you.</p>
<p><br></br> <br></br> <cite>Tim Twiss said:…</cite></p>
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<p>Thanks Tim. Preciate it! Just a question of practice and confidence....<br/> <br/> <cite>Tim Twiss said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/what-are-you-up-to-right-now?commentId=2477478%3AComment%3A98809#2477478Comment98943"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Nothing new, i'm sure. Just encouraging you.</p>
<p><br/> <br/> <cite>Tim Twiss said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/comment/show?id=2477478%3AComment%3A98631&xn_out=json&firstPage=0&lastPage=1&xg_token=c39612fa785d31d6a9d04aed4c0dbaf6&_=1377544910869#2477478Comment98631"><div><p>Paul, most people just sing a unison like with the banjo. Syncopation and bum ditty arrive naturally.</p>
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</blockquote> Ha thanks Al! Mouth works fi…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-08-26:2477478:Comment:988092013-08-26T19:48:50.264ZPaul Draperhttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/PaulDraper
<p>Ha thanks Al! Mouth works fine, it's the brain that falters....<br/> <br/> <cite>Al Smitley said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/what-are-you-up-to-right-now?commentId=2477478%3AComment%3A98942&xg_source=activity#2477478Comment98942"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Well, Paul, your right and left hand seem to coordinate well together. I'm confident you will be able to get your mouth in there as well!</p>
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<p>Ha thanks Al! Mouth works fine, it's the brain that falters....<br/> <br/> <cite>Al Smitley said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/what-are-you-up-to-right-now?commentId=2477478%3AComment%3A98942&xg_source=activity#2477478Comment98942"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Well, Paul, your right and left hand seem to coordinate well together. I'm confident you will be able to get your mouth in there as well!</p>
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</blockquote> Nothing new, i'm sure. Just e…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-08-26:2477478:Comment:989432013-08-26T19:22:16.931ZTim Twisshttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/TimTwiss
<p>Nothing new, i'm sure. Just encouraging you.</p>
<p><br/> <br/> <cite>Tim Twiss said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/comment/show?id=2477478%3AComment%3A98631&xn_out=json&firstPage=0&lastPage=1&xg_token=c39612fa785d31d6a9d04aed4c0dbaf6&_=1377544910869#2477478Comment98631"><div><p>Paul, most people just sing a unison like with the banjo. Syncopation and bum ditty arrive naturally.</p>
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<p>Nothing new, i'm sure. Just encouraging you.</p>
<p><br/> <br/> <cite>Tim Twiss said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/comment/show?id=2477478%3AComment%3A98631&xn_out=json&firstPage=0&lastPage=1&xg_token=c39612fa785d31d6a9d04aed4c0dbaf6&_=1377544910869#2477478Comment98631"><div><p>Paul, most people just sing a unison like with the banjo. Syncopation and bum ditty arrive naturally.</p>
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</blockquote> Paul, most people just sing a…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-08-26:2477478:Comment:986312013-08-26T19:21:47.955ZTim Twisshttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/TimTwiss
<p>Paul, most people just sing a unison like with the banjo. Syncopation and bum ditty arrive naturally.</p>
<p>Paul, most people just sing a unison like with the banjo. Syncopation and bum ditty arrive naturally.</p> Well, Paul, your right and le…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-08-26:2477478:Comment:989422013-08-26T19:05:26.348ZAl Smitleyhttps://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/AlSmitley
<p>Well, Paul, your right and left hand seem to coordinate well together. I'm confident you will be able to get your mouth in there as well!</p>
<p>Well, Paul, your right and left hand seem to coordinate well together. I'm confident you will be able to get your mouth in there as well!</p>