If that tonic could be sold in pint bottles... Well, it's probably better the way it is: available for free to everybody in their right mind. That right mind is probably the most precious thing money can't buy these days.
I've been a fan of the Kerman players for a long time. Good to confirm they are that amazing in person.
YES! Thanks, Jeff!
Perfect. I am convinced that if all the world leaders went to Winfield each year and jammed together then there would be world peace!
Indeed. We could all use some of that tonic. Thanks Jeff.
Amen, brother.
Originally Posted by Mandolin Cafe Very well said! Very well said. Seconded. Well said, that man!
Very well said! Very well said.
Number 5 above is so true. It kills me. I agree with number 1, that is my experience as well. Number 2 I take some issue with. My limited experience is that anything I play electrically is transformed. A silly little tune becomes an anthem. It would be like talking in headlines, or always using capital letters. So the better a piece would work as an anthem, the better it sounds on an electric. Number 4, not me. I mean yea I can play it with nobody around. But, at some point I get real antsi and self conscious about being over 40 and sitting at home playing an electric instrument. If all I had was to play music at home, I would give it up after a while. This is true in my acoustic world as well. Luckily there, I participate regularly in various jams parties and the like, so even when I am home practicing, it is with some public playing in mind. More to the point, however, is that my recent listening as described above has led me to believe that the great music one can make with an electric instrument is in an ensemble with others, and especially with a drummer. Even those great extended guitar solos of the 1970s had a drummer in the background. To my ear, playing electric alone sounds much more like practice then like playing, like I am in charge of part of the music, but not the whole thing. I dunno. My perceptions are likely to change as this adventure continues.
To hear Jacob playing his Kerman, check out the thread of Jacob's warm up routine.
Originally Posted by farmerjones Improvisation and it's big brother composition are endeavors not for the lawful. They are not for the dutiful. Improvisation comes from contempt with what has come before. . There is something gigantic in what you are saying here. One corollary might be that too much love and obsession for what came before gets in the way of improvisation. In any case, its a different take - improvising not so much to decorate or ornament or enhance a tune, but in order to disdainfully scribble on it. Hmmm. I like that. N Not to mess it up as much as to show what it could have been or how it is inadequate or maybe the bare tune promises more than it delivers. Improvisation as improvement. Gigantic thoughts you have.
I'd like to chime in on this one. Things I've learned when using an Emando: 1) you can use tremolo to encourage sustain on an accoustic, you don't need that technique with an electric, there is plenty of sustain. 2) just about any style of music can be translated to an Emando. 3) most people do well to advance their knowledge by focusing on one instrument. Using an Emando for your amplified fix keeps you focused on the mandolin and not dividing your efforts on a guitar. 4) you can play by yourself just fine. 5) MAS is just as serious with Emando's. 6) If you are married or live in close quarters get a 5 watt amp.
This is an interesting post, Jeff. I bought one of the reissue Fender Mandostrats a while back, chiefly to bring with me on lengthy overseas business trips so that I would have something to noodle on in the evenings. It served its purpose well, but wound up mostly sitting in the closet after my spate of business travel ended. I just pulled it out again last weekend and was reminded of what a great little axe I've got. Having just recently attended a swing/Gypsy jazz mandolin workshop, I was playing around with all the new jazz chords I just learned and some perpetual motion circle of fifths studies. I am thinking that there is a good place for electric mandolin in a jazz trio if you can find the right musicians to round one out (and it need not include a drummer, though bass, drums and emando sounds pretty interesting to me!).
What I would love to see is an A/B of Jacob's Kerman with a signed Loar Gibson F5. I would love to sus out what they have in common and where they differ. Its a case where the sound could (not without argument) be considered every bit as good, and yet different. A Kerman in the hands of one of our bluegrass heroes or say Chris Thile, would be absolutely amazing. Chris if you are listening, try one, let us know what you think.
Hmmmm. I just don't know. The impression I got was that he choses the recipient, not the other way around. I figured the only way I would ever get one was to either become a world class player, or buy one from a world class player I had befriended who was temporarily insane enough to sell one to me ahead of his/her many accomplished students who would want one. That said, if I could just get one, for under $10,000 say, by just paying someone, I would really start to consider how I might raise the money. They are that insanely good.
I believe that I contacted him a few years ago (his web page). IIRC his mandolins run about the same price as a mid- to upper-level F5 would in the US. I seem to recall something like $6,000USD. Please correct me if I am wrong. Let us know, Jeff, when you get yours.
Well first of all I don't know that he is. I listened to some interesting stories about how Arik Kerman comes out with instruments designed for a particular player's idiosyncrasies. And also, Arik is working with his son making mandolins. So I am not sure what is going on. I understand most Kerman's are owned by someone who bought the mandolin directly from Arik, the few that aren't have been bought or acquired directly from the person who got it from Arik. For sure at some point all the Kerman's that will ever be will have been built. I would love to own one, but I would love to be able to hover above the ground too.
Bummer that he's retired, eh?
To address the issue of "showmanship": In my sixties now, I've lately realized that to entertain, I must make a spectacle of myself! Not to become a David Lee Roth. But to enjoy the hell out of the sounds I make, and - very important - show everybody how much fun I am having. And to care about my audience having a good time, and show them this too. I practice hard, and I'm proud of what I can do! So now I take better care of my grooming, wear nicer clothes when I perform, etc. I'm no beauty, but I want people to look at me without wincing. It really is this simple. Like P.T. Barnum, I'm putting on a show. More fun is being had than ever. The whole deal is, "Everybody look at me! Dig my sounds!"
Originally Posted by JeffD Any resemblance to any person alive or dead is purely coincidence, and the result of a lot of work. I guess that's what every fiction writer could say. But now I know for sure that you should be one. That is, if you are not a figment of your own imagination... That Uncle Charles story is the stuff for a country song, with a video featuring Morgan Freeman.
Its all "creative non-fiction" meaning I made it up. From bits and pieces of things I have experienced, people I have known, or friends have told me, you know, the mental stuff you store up just being alive. It doesn't mean it isn't true, or that it doesn't have a truth to it. Any resemblance to any person alive or dead is purely coincidence, and the result of a lot of work.
Beautiful memories... thanks for sharing.
Expect more of these stories. I have a ton of them.
You should write books. It feels like I was there.
This might be my favorite thing I've ever read.
Makes perfect sense to me
Nice piece. Wish I still have my Kentucky 172 because I would then own 2 mandolins. I only play with a friend, and my Loar 590 is perfect but sometimes I do think an A-style would fit a song better then an F-style.
It can't be overstated. I have to drive an hour to get the jam I go to. Absolutely worth it. So I guess I'm just barely lucky. I do worry for the future though. I'm by far the youngest one there. I have no problem with that except that it doesn't look good in the long term. When I'm the age of the folks I jam with, will I still have something like this? Agh I don't wanna think about it
Though different than acoustic mandolin in many ways, playing emando is working my brain around the same fretboard. So its not entirely irrelevant practice.
A friend pointed out a band i have always loved - Steeleye Span, and how they took electric guitar and other rock elements into traditional folk music and made something great out of it. Similarly, to an extent, with traditional French music - Malicorne. Something for me to think about, anyway. At least there is some connection with the music I do already.
I have been down a similar path, as well. I was able to fill in the role of electric guitar a couple times with my mandobird in a church praise band, and I think the congregation as a whole just thought it was a guitar. I've not had the opportunity since, but I agree the only way this can be done is starting my own band, devoid of ensemble preconceptions and traditions. This is pretty much what Paul Glasse in Austin, Tx does with his jazz duos and trio. Outstanding music if you ever get a chance to hear his playing. Also, there is an entire world of Guitarra Baiana in South America where the instrument is common. Check out some of the videos of Marcos Moletta. [YOUTUBE=MadbzbVJU5E][/YOUTUBE]
I concluded awhile back that if I only had 15 minutes, I would spend it practicing the basics. If I jump right in and practice a piece that I'm learning or maintaining, I end up playing it poorly. It's always better if I have warmed up with the basics. Fortunately I almost always have more than 15 minutes (I'm retired). But the biggest jump for me came when I began looking forward to practicing, rather than looking past it. As my teacher says, scales are also music.
Yes kids do emulate what their parents or peers do, in my case (fortunately) my youngest son has seen me practice and knows of my practice habits of taking my mandolin to work to practice in the stairwell or wherever it was convenient. He practices his guitar (and now mandolin) whenever and wherever and at this point blows me out of the water. The point is not all children follow in their parents footsteps with regards to their passion of music, but one can only hope. Great blog Jeff D. Best regards from a fellow mandolin player on the left coast, Jeff D.
You have a good point. Kids do emulate. If you are someone who plays music, they will not think it unnatural to do the same.
Another thing we do: we set an example, a positive example. I’ve noticed a trend in the public school system where trimming the budget translates into marginalizing the arts; liberal arts programs [art, music, languages] stand an increased risk of being downsized, or perhaps eliminated. Staying in line with the musical theme here, school band/orchestra programs are slowly losing funding. This, for many, is the first and maybe the only way to learn to play an instrument. Some cultivate and carry the musical interest on, some don’t; some even go on to learn more diverse instruments, and again some don’t; but at least they’re exposed to some type of music. And there are those who are driven to learn to play music regardless the situation. I/we fall into this category. My children watched/heard me practice and play and also learned to play music. And now I get to start the process with my grandchildren. They get to see, hear and be a part of the experience of playing an instrument. Maybe they’ll want to learn and play along someday [which would please me greatly] but for now we simply have fun. We strum and sing songs for short periods of time [have to account for attention spans of young ones, of course]. The good part is that I have more time and patience to expend than when I was younger. There are so many influences portrayed through advertising, not all bad and not all good, that many times require explanation to the young ears and eyes that see them through the myriad of media outlets. My musical influence to my grandchildren, or anyone else for that matter requires no explanation; it's an enjoyable part of what I do. I hope that the positive example we set takes hold.
When ever I am behind a mandolin it is my own enjoyment - for that matter. What I mean is, be it practice, or jamming, I do it mostly for me. I occasionally perform, and that has to be for the audience, which is part of what I don't like about it.
I work on classical a lot these days. I am not adept at it, but I get a lot out of throwing myself against it. And I warm up every home practice with stuff I know, and finish up with stuff I know, to keep my mood positive. But most of the time I am playing stuff I know and play well its at a jam. Sometimes at an open mike or a performance, but mostly at a jam session. I was thinking if just playing stuff you already know, at home by yourself, is a separate category of activity, or is it really just practicing? I am not sure. If you are making a recording then yea, or perhaps its just a delayed performance in front of others. But playing what you are already great at, alone, - well my thinking when I wrote the piece was that it was practice, because one knows one can stop at any point and do it again or work it out differently. And just knowing that makes it practice. But now I am not so sure.
Do you never play for your own enjoyment? Not practising or improving but performing old pieces mastered long ago just for pleasure? Quite a bit of my mandolin time is spent like that.
My friend complained to me that he spends a lot of time walking his dog. I asked him, what the heck else are you going to do with him, he is lousy at dominoes, and hasn't learned to play bridge.
It is an end in itself. Its a way to get away from things, to get away from people for a while, and to kind of meditate without Zazen. But nobody advertises it that way. What if guitar center said, "come, buy a guitar and spend hours and hours and weeks and months and years, by yourself, working on playing it well, so that you can occationally spend a little time not quite impressing your friends".
Jeff, I think you pretty much nailed the concept, especially the part [in your reply] about the magical effect of regular practice. Sometimes the regular practice is a way to detach from the rigors of the workday in order to concentrate on, or immerse myself into something that I enjoy. It's a form of stress relief for me.
Or not. You should find your own path and follow it your own way. I have gone through long stretches of just engaging in activity three, struggling along. Its magical what regular practice does. Magical. Everything, the most unexpected things, become easier, smoother, less conscious, more effortless. Its really true. And one might argue that the experience of becoming more competent as a direct result of practicing, that alone, would get us addicted to practicing. Oh were that true. Even now I go back and forth and up and down and occasionally revert back to practicing just to get it over with and get on to the jamming. I have found the above way of thinking about it a great tonic against those times when I just don't want to work hard.
I knew someone was going to ask me about car racing "have you tried it?". I actually did once, a kind of an informal drag race when I was young and stupid. So much adrenaline. I don't know how those guys can keep a level head on their strategy and tactics.
You should try the driving experiences sometimes. I drove a car at Charlotte Motor Speedway last year. It was a 'real car' from a few years back that had obviously been de-tuned and governed down to what they considered an acceptable speed. But still, it was awesome! Hauling off into turn 1 with the gas mashed and it drops down and banks 30 degrees....it's a huge rush. It'd be like getting invited to pick on stage with Sam Bush....but probably less scary. Nice post though. Appreciate the perspective. Even playing in a band now, I need to remind myself sometimes of where I'm at. Yea I'm an OK picker, but I play in a band whose biggest show so far is about 40 people in a BBQ restaurant.
I have watched the movie again, and I have a better interpretation. It is not a movie about what happened, it is a movie portraying the memory of what happened. It's what a famous person remembers and recounts to interviewers. Its personal memory-space, where humiliations are deeper and more personal, and where success is achieved through individual hero like dedication and sacrifice.
Which proves I guess, that my system is no system, just love.
OK since then I have a couple of f hole mandolins that I love, and one of them, yes, has a scroll and points.
Thought #2 - You'd think performance is another bailiwick, but the part that prevents one from succeeding in performance is connected to everything else. There's a proper and balanced level of give-a-rip. Also there is a point of view modification typically. First thing I would say is to get better at gift giving. Any and all gifts, no matter how small. When it comes time for me to play a gig, I don't place an over-large value on the gift that I am giving. While it's as good as I can muster, I know it's not going to be perfect. You can imagine, the folks you are playing to are just musicians without instruments. But in truth, 90% may not know how to play. Consequently, they impart your gift with more value than you do. But you have to think they're musicians to keep your ego in check. Jack Benny had no ego. If you can connect to your audience to the point where they believe they can play too, that's a great place. And you know this because you've sat and played with a few other pickers and it really gels. That truly is a great place. But hey, why play gigs if you can get the same feeling at a jam? Everybody has there own answer. There is no wrong answer. Like you, you'll probably never see my face on a CD at Walmart. And I know you've figured it out by now, it's not musicianship that gets you to that point anyway. But my journey to a more well rounded musician, has brought me through the two aforementioned endeavors. I know for fact you're better mandolinist than I. It's like genres: We explore classical. We explore jazz. We come back a more rounded musician. If one lives long enough and is curious enough, who knows what one would explore next? But one last word of caution, "eventually" does expire, and we don't know when.
First, let me say JeffD I love your thought provoking blogs. Unfortunately, they provoke (my) thoughts. Improvisation and it's big brother composition are endeavors not for the lawful. They are not for the dutiful. Improvisation comes from contempt with what has come before. If you can't think of another way to say something, than what has already been said, well. . . you're doomed to walk the trodden path. You can't care if you step in mud. I ask you, is it so bad to step in mud 80 times to get to a path of gold? If you don't care, then really don't care. Stand there with mandolin in hand and play as if you were drunk. Step 2, learn to love it. I wish I could take credit but a pianist named Ken Werner, who wrote Effortless Mastery helped me to more fully develop my understanding.
Originally Posted by OldSausage It seems to me the difficulty here is the problem of learning to improvise well. The plain fact of the matter is that learning to improvise is extremely difficult work and very time consuming. But if you are really not interested in learning to improvise well, that's great, you've saved yourself a lot of work, and there are plenty of other big challenges for musicians. But don't pretend you couldn't do it if you really tried, because you could, it's just a hard problem to solve, perhaps a harder problem than you realized, and saying you couldn't discourages others from trying. It's a challenge, but you can do it. I agree here on several points - One, I think there is a general problem for beginners or those new to the challenge of approaching playing with an improvising concept. It's a big spectrum of music - and many would be greatly assisted to have help with it; goals, tools, methods, etc. Broadly - we listen, acquiring musical vernacular, and apply it to our playing. So it's a very natural, organic process. Yet, it may not be evident to someone as to HOW to do this. At the same time, there's a great deal of internal process involved in music-making - for many, it's probable that external assistance would be a great resource. I have concern for the language we have wrt these aspects - (pedagogies, processes, etc). I think it may be okay for a person to self-appraise as being "unable" to accomplish something (as above) - so long as contexts and conditions are clearly identified (lessening the chances for discouragement, etc). Too often generalizations and platitudes are served-up, along with a little bit of information, and generally accepted as valid by the indiscriminate reader.
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