Genre Envy

[Dan Johnson]

I gave my band's CD to a guy I work with. He teaches strings at the high school I work at. He mentioned that he had been at a wedding of two classical musicians where there was a Kentucky bluegrass band. He went on to say how the bluegrass band had no idea who they were playing for. Boy, I got kind of embarrassed because I felt like he was commenting on our record. I almost indulged in some genre-envy! Good thing I can't seem to tell the genres apart since last weeks Punch Bros. show. :)

[DerTiefster]

Maybe the classical musicians are bluegrass wannabes and can't get their fingers to do that thing. Stranger things have happened. Or maybe they just like bluegrass and had better things to do on their wedding day.

[Ivan Kelsall]

That's very interesting. It can work both ways however. Several years back,i went to see & hear a well known North of England Jazz Guitarist (Trefor Owen). He's one of the finest Jazz players in Europe. I got talking to him after his show & mentioned that i played Bluegrass Banjo( Mandolin was years away still). Lord above !,the guy was all over me asking questions about how i played & everything. It seems he was as in awe re.Banjo picking as i was over his playing - you never can tell,
Ivan :grin:

[NotJethro]

The way I play, I envy ALL genres.

[Mandoviol]

This is a lot like the "Locked In" thread; people have very eclectic tastes regarding music, even if those tastes are polar-opposites of the music that they play. And hey, some people are always on the perpetual search for a new sound...

[Don Stiernberg]

Open-mindedness and closed-mindedness are not specific to certain genres. It seems there will always be holdovers from earlier eras--the violin teacher who doesn't allow his student to pursue improvisation or fiddling, the picker who plays by ear believing that anyone who reads music is using a crutch.That's why events like the Mark O'conner Fiddle Camps, Mandolin Symposium, Kaufman Kamp, European Mandolin Akademy, Cape Cod Mandolin Camp(just naming a few) are so important. They bring all the genres together and show yet again that in the end IT'S ALL MUSIC.We just have to keep at it with dedication and open hearts and one day classical musicians will be able to improvise, bluegrass and jazz players will be able to read, and so on. Better still there will be less prejudice amongst the genres.

Your story reminds me of an experience that all-time mandolin great Jethro Burns related about
running into jazz genius Stan Getz one time. Upon meeting Homer and Jethro, he wondered why they were in suits and not funny hats, big shoes, blacked out teeth, etc. Then he heard them play. Afterwards he said, "Wow, I didn't know you guys could really play!" I think Jethro's response was something along the lines of the old cliche..."Sorry, it's too late to be friends.."

Nowadays by contrast we have Mark O'Conner recording with Rene Fleming, Bela Fleck recording for Sony Classical, Chris Thile writing symphonies for either bluegrass ensemble or orchestra,Mike Marshall composing his own mandolin concerto, Howard Levy his own harmonica concerto, Del McCoury working with Preservation Hall, etc. That's the future: it's all music.

ooops...one more Jeffo story. His Quartet was booked at The Notre Dame Jazz festival one year. The MC was Tim Hauser of The Manhattan Transfer. Tim was looking for something to say about J-ro and asked"what kind of music will you guys play? What do you call it,Western Swing?"...Jethro said, "nah...it's just music." On stage Tim said"Now ladies and gentlemen here's The Jethro Burns Quartet. They're here to play some music!"

[allenhopkins]

My guess is if the classical musicians booked a bluegrass band for their wedding or reception, they knew exactly what they were getting, and enjoyed that kind of music as well. Perhaps the band members weren't familiar with the bride and groom's classical music background; I've played at weddings where I had no idea whether the two were musicians, biologists or fry cooks at McDonald's.

My general experience has been that snobbish behavior and exclusivity are more found among the listeners to different music genres, than among the musicians. Most musicians I know are interested and appreciative of others' musical efforts, even those who play styles that seem to "clash."

By the way -- and I hate to say it, but it's been my experience -- I've found quite a few people who are into bluegrass, who put down other types of music, and dismiss anything that doesn't adhere to their concept of what BG should be like. There have been some threads in the bluegrass forum including arguments over whether this or that innovation conformed to the BG template. Perhaps, since a lot of the musicians I know play that style, I'd find the same thing if I hung more with jazzers or rockers or classical types. But that's just what I've observed.

[Matt DeBlass]

Hmm... do I have this straight? The bride and groom were classical musicians, and they hired a bluegrass band to play for their reception?
If that's the case, then obviously they find something valid and worthwhile in bluegrass.
Music is music, rhythm, melody and harmony. It's all folk music, as Louis Armstrong famously said: "all music is folk music, I ain't never heard a horse sing a song."

[GTG]

I like this thread. The concept that 'it's all music' is one of my favorites. (Currently playing with mando lines within a synth/electronic music context).

[jim simpson]

I liked the Jethro Burns comment: It's too late to be freinds - what a great sense of humor!

Years back when I lived in another state, a freind and classical musician would attend shows that my band played at. She wondered how we could improvise and play without written music. I believe she was also amazed that most of the band didn't read music. I also envied her disciplined abilities to play written music. I guess it depends on which side of the fence you are on.

[farmerjones]

What strikes me about the OP is the comment came from a teacher.
That's too bad.

Fortunately mandolins are mandolins no matter what style of music they play. Not so much with the violin. There's still a fiddler's stigma. But Allen's and others are right that for dedicated players, there's much more mutual admiration and respect, than there is in the listening public. I guess it's walking a mile in the other guy's mocasins?