Up to now I've pre-learned the solos I pick. That works OK for fiddle tunes in the jams I attend. Except for vocal tunes. You never know where the capo will land on those tunes and what key the singer will want. So there I am playing chords and shaking off a break on Banks of the Ohio, because the only key I know the solo is in G and the singer is using E. I have the famous FFcp book. TBH I tied it too soon and never got on with it. But I always understood it was key. ...
Sitting at home on Sunday waiting for the Panthers to play. Perfectly content. Took an glance at the Cafe classifieds to see if it goes over 400 mandolins (went to 397) Next thing I know, I think I've found my Christmas present. 90 mintues later I'm at MandoMutt's swapping a sunburst for a blonde. No pictures atm but it's a 2 Pava home now No more mas this Christmas!
Playing alone at home for first two years - I tended to gravitate to intermediate versions of fiddle tunes that had more notes than it should have but filled out things nicely. I wasn't concerned with speed, just enjoying the learning process Fast forward two years: I'm playing regular with two guitar players now who are a bit ahead of me in speed. And I've found that practicing more (and harder) doesn't guarantee immediate results re speed. I am picking up speed ...
Updated Sep-26-2015 at 7:47pm by Mark Wilson