The Doyle Lawson Interview

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The Doyle Lawson Interview
http://www.mandolincafe.com/news/publish/mandolins_001212.shtml

The Mandolin Cafe's Forum members have the questions, and Doyle Lawson has the answers for another of our extended feature interviews with a true legend of bluegrass music.

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[Nelson Peddycoart]

Thanks for the interview. The opportunity to hear from the "big dogs on our porch" is a special thing.

[Mike Romkey]

Very practical, down-to-earth, and informative. Thanks.

[grassrootphilosopher]

Thank you, Mr. Lawson
for your great interview. It sums up what a working musician ought to be like:
stellar work ethics
focus on musicianship
profesionalism (to the max)
taste
willingness to learn
etc.

It´s allmost like "how to become a world class performer in just one lesson". (if you could follow the rules and only had talent and were willing to put up with the hardships [see the Jimmy Martin story]).

I highly appreciate your insightful responses. And if ever it may be possible to see you in Europe I will be more than pleased to attend. (I sat on the floor in front of the first row to gather your mandolin picking - apart from the overall musicianship - and mistook your mandolin for a Gil. Whatsoever, I thought it was sort of blonde/cream colored like the Gil A-5 style on the Tone Poems II CD). It sounded good. I enjoyed jamming with Barry Abernathy after the show.

I wish you the best.

[Spgmando]

Mr. Lawson:

Your insights on character, music and life made for a great read. I appreciate the contribution you have made and are making to the bluegrass industry.

I really enjoyed the Jimmy Martin story. If only video cameras and camera phones had been around in 1963!

[Denny Gies]

Another great job by the staff and members of the Cafe. I have loved Doyle and his bands for years. Thanks.

[re simmers]

Another great interview.

Bob

[doc holiday]

Great job on the Doyle Lawson interview. What a great and often under-appreciated mandolin player
Thank You!

[mzurer]

Can anyone elaborate on the "note shape" discussion? I'm afraid that was the one part of the interview where I couldn't make hide nor hair of the answer.

[Spgmando]

Shaped note singing is sometimes called Sacred Harp or Fa-so-la singing. Most popular among church groups, the singing is acapella, not rehearsed, and uses note heads in four "shapes" to aid in sight-reading. It's one of the most powerful and moving things I've ever heard.

A pretty good explanation website: http://fasola.org/

[doc holiday]

If you google "shape note singing" or "sacred harp singing" you'll get some descriptions of a system of notation for singing that dates back to the 1700s. There's more there than I can describe clearly in a few sentences..

[Spgmando]

Meant to include this link showing a great example of shaped note singing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbNh7aPzcMw

[mzurer]

Thanks for the links! I really had assumed it was some kind of tonal description of each note. I think I had "Sacred Harp" knocking around somewhere in my brain, but I've never seen the shape note notation before. Powerful stuff and "real" folk music to be sure.

[Mandolin Cafe]

This interview is celebrating 10 years online today.