Bravo to Hank, Mark, Kevin and Lex! I appreciate each of you posting your performances. I liked them all. By chance I started playing Irish Washerwoman yesterday, so maybe I'll get up the courage to join the fray by the end of the month. Adam
That was good Lex. You've got that swingy hornpipy rhythm working nicely. The C part is indeed the same as what I was trying to do. The oval hole A I was playing (Gibson A-4) started out as a really nice mandolin 100 yrs ago. But time has not been kind to it nor was some less than fantastic luthier who attempted to rescue it from a sinking top. It has beautifully resonant G and D strings, but the upper courses are pretty subdued. It sounds really nice on dark old timey bassy tunes. On the something like this I have to really dig in to get some tone out. It was a pretty good price for an A-4 when I bought it, but after gaining more experience with it I don't think it was a bargain. You have an Eastman, don't you? It sounds really nice. Next month is Irish WasherWoman. IWW. Wobblies, if you will. I found a neat version I am going to try to work up.
Hank it is German, and pronounced Stee vee. Had an old farmer of german origin tell me that it was always a good be bet to ignore the first vowel and pronounce the second in a german name.
Lex, you've got a smooth relaxed sound going on there. I've done a couple things to try to get my tempo better. I ditched the C part as one challenge too many at this point, and used a rounder pick, but it still sounds like I'm playing a different tune. Maybe I am. There are a lot of variations of Fisher's out there.
Lex and Sleet, good job and attaboy to both of you! Sleet, it definitely sounds like Fisher's tune to me. I find all the variations we've come up with here to be interesting, and it's a real treat to hear everyone's recital and to hear the different instruments. Kevin, do you know whether your ancestors came to the New World from Germany? I had always assumed that mine had, but they actually hailed from England, having settled in Breconshire during the first Norman invasion . . . and through the many years they became very British. My New World ancestors arrived before there was a country and fought in the revolutionary war, so despite the German name we're long-time Americans with several Native American wives in the mix. I have a mild interest in family roots, hope I haven't bored anyone with it. Folk with Germanic names always interest me.
Mark: my great grandfather and his three brothers arrived here from what is now Olsberg Germany. Family legend has it that they were avoiding conscription in the franco-prussian war. My grandfather still spoke german (but only to the baby grandkids). anyhow back to Mandolining. and nice job Lex and Sleet.
Nice work, Sleet. Thanks for joining in. Is that a Big Muddy (or Mid Missouri)? It has some great sustain.
Hello Hank, Yes, that's the Big Muddy M11, mahogany. It such an elegantly simple design, and a pleasure to play.
Here's my go at Fisher's Hornpipe. This is a version I learned from Artistworks.
Very nice work, Tom, smooth, proficient, clean and yet another version of the tune! I really like the looks and the sound of that J. Bovier.
Steady rhythm, clean picking. Nice triplets. Good job, Tomm. So far, I like your hornpipe rhythm best - sort of halfway between reel and jig.
Thanks guys, that's the first time I've recorded myself.
Nice job, Tom. Good wrist action there! I find that the recording process is educational in itself.
