EasyEd
Jul-26-2004, 5:42pm
Hey All,
OK so I'm jazzed! Even two days after I'm still jazzed! I just attended my first ever music camp with my daughter. It was a fiddle camp in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. It was oriented toward old time but included some bluegrass standards. I attended as a "guest" since my daughter plays the fiddle however I "unfortunately" happened to bring my mando along and whether I could play it or not (NOT in my case) I had little choice but to try - in public no less. Starting at 9AM and going till 11PM+ I listened to and participated in trying to play along with various waltzes, reels, jigs an two steps. The concept of mando on the backbeats went right out the window as the chord changes come so fast - besides where is the back beat on a song in 6/8 time (I know now and the answer is in the PS at the end of this post)? In this dive in the deep end and sink or swim - but nobody drowns - method - I learned a lot about playin with others how to find and move chords on a fifths tuned instrument like a mando plus more two finger chords, substitution of major chords for relative minors and vice versa, even the idea of goin -3 1 and 3 instead of 1 3 an 5 makin up the major chord. Luckily there were willing guitar, keyboard and fiddle players that I could sit beside and they would tell me the chord changes as we went along since I knew absolutely none of the music. I'm now working on my second no tab song - Irish Washerwoman - and plan to be well armed with at least a little real ability next year. Anyway the point of this post is for any of you who have never been to a music camp - GO you'll NEVER regret it. I plan to make a camp a year a regular part of my life. Besides the learning these camps give you motivation for next year cause who wants to go back without being better? Now I realize that many of you have been to many camps and may find them boring but to a newbie like me it was a high point in my life to date. Best $400 US all meals and lodging included for two people I've spent in a long time. Anyway I'm off to practice!
Take Care! -Ed-
PS 3 an 6
OK so I'm jazzed! Even two days after I'm still jazzed! I just attended my first ever music camp with my daughter. It was a fiddle camp in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. It was oriented toward old time but included some bluegrass standards. I attended as a "guest" since my daughter plays the fiddle however I "unfortunately" happened to bring my mando along and whether I could play it or not (NOT in my case) I had little choice but to try - in public no less. Starting at 9AM and going till 11PM+ I listened to and participated in trying to play along with various waltzes, reels, jigs an two steps. The concept of mando on the backbeats went right out the window as the chord changes come so fast - besides where is the back beat on a song in 6/8 time (I know now and the answer is in the PS at the end of this post)? In this dive in the deep end and sink or swim - but nobody drowns - method - I learned a lot about playin with others how to find and move chords on a fifths tuned instrument like a mando plus more two finger chords, substitution of major chords for relative minors and vice versa, even the idea of goin -3 1 and 3 instead of 1 3 an 5 makin up the major chord. Luckily there were willing guitar, keyboard and fiddle players that I could sit beside and they would tell me the chord changes as we went along since I knew absolutely none of the music. I'm now working on my second no tab song - Irish Washerwoman - and plan to be well armed with at least a little real ability next year. Anyway the point of this post is for any of you who have never been to a music camp - GO you'll NEVER regret it. I plan to make a camp a year a regular part of my life. Besides the learning these camps give you motivation for next year cause who wants to go back without being better? Now I realize that many of you have been to many camps and may find them boring but to a newbie like me it was a high point in my life to date. Best $400 US all meals and lodging included for two people I've spent in a long time. Anyway I'm off to practice!
Take Care! -Ed-
PS 3 an 6