Aggressive players

[fred d]

sorry for the spelling but my stroke limitess me thanks? My question is WAY DO some people have to be so aggresive in there playing LOUD to FAST ect I just want to get along but AS post truma vet there aggresiveness is hurtfull I,m tired of fighting and becouse of military suplyed medicanshion i can survive until someone chalanges me than I kinda freak out, should i quit I take mecation put some people think there I sbould not play or sing,. very good but keep on trying http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[Daniel Wheeler]

No quitting my man. Unless it is out of necessity of course but definitely do not quit on someone elses word this mando thing we do or more than that, this music thing we do is for our own enjoyment above all else and some might even say its the best therapy of all. Keep on pickin http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[mandroid]

You will also note the Bluegrass tendency to have Competitions,
If you win then your CV has bragging rights
(Guys do see how far up the wall each can 'wet it' too, why would music competitions be exempt?)

and the fee you can demand is put up a bit.

same thing in Classical music ,


more players than Gigs.

[JEStanek]

I would encourage you not to quit playing but maybe to look for a different situation to play in. You could look for a slower bluegrass jam or maybe an old time one. Different styles but similar music.

I play music to relax and enjoy myself not get all stressed out. If you have a similar goal you may want to switch whom you're playing with.

Good luck,
Jamie

[Red Henry]

Some folks are more polite than others. I wish that everyone used good picking etiquette, but I think that some of them get carried away and just don't think. Not everybody can try to pick like Bill Monroe and get away with it!

Red

[Bob Wiegers]

I think you've hit on why I dont really like to play bluegrass (or at least one of the reasons). by nature I'm a very laid back person, so flying fingers doesnt do a whole lot for me. I end up gravitating to mellow folk and old-time kinda stuff. perhaps something like Norman Blake could be what you're looking for?

[Red Henry]

No need to give up on bluegrass for that reason. The best bluegrass players won't run over you. It's the other, thoughtless ones that don't use good manners.

Red

[MikeEdgerton]

It's the difference between making music and showing everyone how good you think you are. The former is good, the latter generally becomes disappointing.

[John Flynn]

Switch to old-time. You will still get some of that bad behavior, but not as much IMHO. And you get to play melody as much as you want!

[David Newton]

So it's really no different in music and bluegrass than in normal life? Musicians like to pretend they are better than the dog-eat-dog rat-race (poor animals get all the blame) but the old human failings still come out.

Fred, don't give up, keep looking for a friend to play with. Someone is bound to come along.

[Santiago]

This is a 100 year old story. There's the old folksong "Puttin' on the Style," that goes: "Puttin' on the agony. Puttin' on the style. That's what all the young folks are doing all the while. And, as I look around me, I'm very apt to smile. Putting on the agony, puttin' on the style." Young folks want to be the fastest gun, and they always will. Mature men don't care to compete in this manner, they just smile from behind their wisdom and for the most part play better than do the hotshots. Pick you jamming partners as carefully as you pick your strings, and don't worry about the aggressive types. Let those who run with the big dogs get hit by cars... me I'm content to pick on the porch.

[Pete Martin]

No need to give up on bluegrass for that reason. The best bluegrass players won't run over you. It's the other, thoughtless ones that don't use good manners.

Red
I totally agreement agree with Reds statement here.

There is more to music than high tempos! Some of the best players I know don't play fast all the time, some of the worst do.

[Jason Holmes]

I agree too, and I think Red hit the nail right on the head. I often find bluegrass players are very musically considerate, as that's a backbone of that kind of music, when you're not leading you're supporting. I'd say it's not the genre, just the folks you find yourself playing it with. Playing with the right bunch of folks is a whole lot of fun.

[pager]

Sorry Fred. That is just not right. The majority of bluegrass people I have played with have been wonderful and considerate folk. If they are aggressive towards you - dump em. You don't need em. OR send them my way. If they want to play aggressive, we will get out the Gibson SG and the valve Marshall 1/2 stack and we can see how they like AC/DC on a cranked out Marshall. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

[mandozilla]

It seems to me that many folks, fairly new to bluegrass, substitute speed and flash for a lack of feeling, taste, and knowledge of bluegrass music. IMHO 90% of what a good bluegrass musician does is in support of the other pickers in the band or jam to make the whole complete.

[sailaway]

You can find all kinds of good folk to pick with if you 1) post a note at your local music shops 2) contact your local guitar/banjo/mando teachers and ask them to pass around your name to some of their students. our local jam had one obnoxious player who hogged songs and stole breaks and insulted everyone's playing such as --HEY (fill in name of offending bass player) YOU CAN"T PLAY THAT THING GET HOWARD IN HERE so we just MOVED 6 of us to a different location ,at someone's house, by invite only!!! haha:p

[AlanN]

Yep, 1 bad apple can spoil the pie. There's a fellow around here who fits that bill. So much so, that if people who come just to listen see him up there with his mandolin won't even come into the store.

Just play at your own speed.

[allenhopkins]

Fred -- hesitating about asking this, but there's a lot more in your post than just a musical question.

A veteran with post-traumatic stress syndrome, on government-provided medication, but when challenged you "freak out" -- all kinds of cautionary signs there. #Life holds a helluva lot more stresses than an inconsiderate picker at a bluegrass jam.

Please, please take care of yourself. #Get good professional care, and be wary of competitive or stressful environments unless you're sure you can handle them. #The world, unfortunately, has more than its share of the inconsiderate and insensitive. #There are many, many supportive and comfortable musical environments that don't threaten to trigger bad reactions. #Lots of good advice in this thread. #Check back and let us know if you've found a more pleasant niche.

[mando_dan]

Sometimes the best picking is slow, thoughtful, and elegant. There are too many speed demons out there- make your mark by playing beautifully. Good luck!

[lgc]

Just playing devil's advocate here but there are definitely times and places for fast, aggressive picking. I bet most people on the forum have been to jams that were hindered by people involved who were not ready to participate at the level most people wanted. That is not a reason to be rude but I do think people should be aware of their own skill level and whether it is fair to others jamming. I love playing music with little children or people who are even barely hobbyists but I also like playing some fast hardcore BG.

[Oldschool]

I used to feel quite intimidated by those fast pickers. They would throw me in over my head over and over again. They didnt mean any harm, thats just how they learned themselves. I would try to do my best and more often than not, I tanked. But then I started getting it and I began caring less about what others thought of my expertise. As a result, I learned a lot more about the mando. Being challenged on your instrument, if you can do it in a supportive envoronment, will make you better. Any as many here have already said, you dont have to be fast to enjoy it. Dont give up if you love the mando and music. It's therapy for many of us.