Go easy on me

[Womandolin]

I revisited your video again just now and I had to pick up my always present guitar and give you some backing. Really cool. We gotta jam the next time you get to West Michigan.

My roommate is from Michigan. She's moving back out there soon to go to U of M for grad school. Maybe by the time I visit her out there, I'll be able to play in front of an actual real life human without having a nervous breakdown.

[Bertram Henze]

I'll be able to play in front of an actual real life human without having a nervous breakdown.

A first step could be to play an actual real life breakdown

But seriously, recording was the bigger challenge, the rest is easy.

Bertram

[J.Albert]

"Who wants to come to Boston and have a slow jam with me?? Stage fright.. be gone!"

Make sure you go to the Joe Val festival next February. It's put on by the Boston Bluegrass people at the Sheraton hotel in Framingham. Plenty of jamming, both slow and faster!

- John

[Womandolin]

"Who wants to come to Boston and have a slow jam with me?? Stage fright.. be gone!"

Make sure you go to the Joe Val festival next February. It's put on by the Boston Bluegrass people at the Sheraton hotel in Framingham. Plenty of jamming, both slow and faster!

- John

I was there this year. I volunteered actually. I didn't end up being much help but I got to hang out and go to a few workshops. I made some copies for August's vocal harmony workshop. I felt so useful.

[woodwizard]

I am excited about this one.. but it says that windows does not recognize the file type. How did you open it?

Go here
http://www.mandozine.com/music/tabledit_search.php

and download the free TEF view file viewer. I think that is required to view and print out the tab. When you get there it even has a midi file of the tune that you can listen to. You can also slow it down to the speed you're more comfortable with. It's a fun site and there are many many tunes to learn there. Did I say many ...1000's
Have fun.

[CES]

I just found the thread and can't get to youtube from work, so I'll check it out this pm...

On playing in front of others, it's just something you have to do to get over. I have a friend who's not quite as good as I am (and I'm not good), but in playing with him, teaching him technique and what little theory I know as we go along, etc, I've gotten much more comfortable with it.

In the last 2 weeks I've gotten to sit in with a band playing a local party (basically an all afternoon/night jam/great time) and played guitar with a friend who plays semi-professionally and is a phenomenal musician/songwriter at another get-together. At one point in playing with the band (before their show started) the real mando player left for a few minutes. I had my Flatiron pancake (kind of like bringing a knife to a gun fight from a volume standpoint) but was holding rhythm OK, merrily chopping away. The banjo and fiddle players looked over their shoulders signalling me to take a break--they didn't realize the real mando player had left--I almost fell off my hay bail and declined, but in retrospect I'll take it as a complement, though they were also probably just trying to be inclusive given the great guys they seemed to be...

Anyway, the point of the rambling...I was inspired by both experiences to practice harder, learn more tunes, and, probably more importantly, learn more theory so that I'll be a more versatile player...even though I have harsh criticism of my own meager skills, I only got complements and motivation from those experiences...next year I want to be able to at least not look shocked when they give me the nod

Try to find someone near or maybe above your level you can become comfortable playing with as a start, be it mando, guitar, banjo, whatever...there will probably always be some butterflies, but as you gain confidence you'll be less likely to throw up!!

[Womandolin]

Go here
http://www.mandozine.com/music/tabledit_search.php

and download the free TEF view file viewer. I think that is required to view and print out the tab. When you get there it even has a midi file of the tune that you can listen to. You can also slow it down to the speed you're more comfortable with. It's a fun site and there are many many tunes to learn there. Did I say many ...1000's
Have fun.

Thanks I'm always looking for more sites like that.

[Womandolin]

I just found the thread and can't get to youtube from work, so I'll check it out this pm...

On playing in front of others, it's just something you have to do to get over. I have a friend who's not quite as good as I am (and I'm not good), but in playing with him, teaching him technique and what little theory I know as we go along, etc, I've gotten much more comfortable with it.

In the last 2 weeks I've gotten to sit in with a band playing a local party (basically an all afternoon/night jam/great time) and played guitar with a friend who plays semi-professionally and is a phenomenal musician/songwriter at another get-together. At one point in playing with the band (before their show started) the real mando player left for a few minutes. I had my Flatiron pancake (kind of like bringing a knife to a gun fight from a volume standpoint) but was holding rhythm OK, merrily chopping away. The banjo and fiddle players looked over their shoulders signalling me to take a break--they didn't realize the real mando player had left--I almost fell off my hay bail and declined, but in retrospect I'll take it as a complement, though they were also probably just trying to be inclusive given the great guys they seemed to be...

Anyway, the point of the rambling...I was inspired by both experiences to practice harder, learn more tunes, and, probably more importantly, learn more theory so that I'll be a more versatile player...even though I have harsh criticism of my own meager skills, I only got complements and motivation from those experiences...next year I want to be able to at least not look shocked when they give me the nod

Try to find someone near or maybe above your level you can become comfortable playing with as a start, be it mando, guitar, banjo, whatever...there will probably always be some butterflies, but as you gain confidence you'll be less likely to throw up!!

Hey, you seem like you have gotten past the whole embarassment thing. I am at the point where I know it's ok and nobody is judging (and if they are, they can take a flying leap through a rolling doughnut), but I still have a physical reaction to an audience. I get shaky and my hands sweat and my mandolin says "excuse me, but you are not very good at this". Deep down I know I shouldn't worry about it, but you're right... it's going to take some practice to be able to play in front of people. I'm excited to start playing with some of my fellow Boston beginners soon.

[CES]

Nice job with the Hornpipe--keep up the good work...

I'm not at all past the nerves, but I'm discovering how much fun it is to play with and learn from others...makes me want to really be able to contribute to the music the next time we play!! (and, i the case of the jam with the friend, single malt contributed, though I wouldn't recommend that approach in most situations!

I think if the nerves ever totally go away it means you're to a point where you probably don't care enough anymore!!

[cberrius]

OK, I'm game, especially since we seem to have a whole Boston beginners rite of passage thing going on. I've just started to take a look at Fisher's Hornpipe, so I'll spare you that for the moment. Here's Red-Haired Boy:

<http://cberrius.posterous.com/red-haired-boy-take-16>

A little uneven, but at least it sounds hornpipey to me for large portions.

All comments welcome. I, too, am pretty unbruisable.



Chris