John Reischman's Loar

[Denman John]

I thought I'd share this here with you as this kind of thing doesn't really happen to us. On Sunday, my son (Tai) got to open for John Reischman and the Jaybirds on Vancouver Island. Before the show, John was kind enough to sit down with Tai for about half an hour and pick a few tunes and give him a few pointers. At the end, John graciously asked Tai if he would like to try his Gibson Loar, and video below is what transpired.



The sold out show was excellent and Patrick Sauber looks like he's fitting in nicely on guitar. Be sure to check them out if they come to your area.

On another note, I saw a post resurface recently in regards to John's book "Up in the Woods". We bought it for Tai for Christmas last year and can't recommend it enough. John said that he was really happy with the transcriptions and was very interested in Tai's feedback on it. I know that he had them for sale at the merch table, so they are still available.

We are all still on cloud 9 and feel very grateful for the experience. Not only is John a wonderful mandolin player, he's also a real gentleman. A true inspiration!

[BrianWilliam]

Awesome!

[Al Trujillo]

Now I bet Tai wants one of them for Christmas!!!

From all accounts, John is a stand-up guy. Would like to attend one of his workshops someday.

[Don Grieser]

So cool. I love the look on Tai's face when he's trying to see what John's playing but still remember to play the chords. A couple glances are priceless. And so is that smile towards the end when he looks over at you.

[Manfred Hacker]

John said that he was really happy with the transcriptions and was very interested in Tai's feedback on it.!

The transcriptions were made (mostly) by the late great John McGann. That should suffice as confirmation of their quality.

[Lane Pryce]

Wow. Quite the experience and quite a memory. Not to mention a proud daddy too. Lp

[Don Grieser]

The transcriptions were made (mostly) by the late great John McGann. That should suffice as confirmation of their quality.

David Benedict wrote out most of John Reischman's solos/improvs on the tunes for the book which makes it so great. His efforts should not be minimized.

[mcgroup53]

I think there's a point here to be made about how incredibly important and overlooked the art of playing rhythm is. The kid can play the melody, but loses it completely when trying to play the chords. Playing lead is great, but a real musician is more concerned with making those around him or her sound their best. Learn to play rhythm, and you'll be welcome in any jam and be a valued member of your band. Just my 2 cents ...

[Jstring]

I think there's a point here to be made about how incredibly important and overlooked the art of playing rhythm is. The kid can play the melody, but loses it completely when trying to play the chords. Playing lead is great, but a real musician is more concerned with making those around him or her sound their best. Learn to play rhythm, and you'll be welcome in any jam and be a valued member of your band. Just my 2 cents ...

I agree with your views on rhythm 100%... but I think you’re being a little harsh..

When he knows what the chord is, his rhythm seems rock-solid to me... in the spots where it’s off, he seems to be searching for the right chord. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? At least I know I have....especially at an impromptu jam...

Not to mention, if I was playing in front of J R, I’d be lucky to hold on to the pick.

Both mandolins sound pretty spectacular. Tai’s mandolin holds up very well against the Loar...

[Josh Levine]

I think there's a point here to be made about how incredibly important and overlooked the art of playing rhythm is. The kid can play the melody, but loses it completely when trying to play the chords. Playing lead is great, but a real musician is more concerned with making those around him or her sound their best. Learn to play rhythm, and you'll be welcome in any jam and be a valued member of your band. Just my 2 cents ...

I actually don't think that there is a point here to be made about rhythm playing. It seems pretty clear that he is learning the tune and as OP states getting pointers form JR. This is not a live performance, rather a father sharing a special experience that he got to experience with his son. Seems in poor taste to critique the rhythm playing in the video as the major take away.

[BrianWilliam]

Ah, the internet. Where you can be criticized for anything by people you've never met.

[Jstring]

Ah, the internet. Where you can be criticized for anything by people you've never met.

No doubt... In case my post wasn't totally clear, I was only agreeing with mcgroup53 that rhythm is an important skill.

It's totally egregious to criticize the kid's rhythm when he's playing in an impromptu jam with a borrowed Loar in front of a legend. Not to mention that his rhythm playing was mostly spot on.

His dad must be so proud.... nothing cooler than seeing your kid do something like this.

[William Smith]

What is your son's mandolin? Sounds good to me in John's paws!

[mcgroup53]

Very sorry, meant no disrespect.

[Hewines]

Yeah, i think his rhythm is good, i like it. Well done your son, i could only hope to hold together like that.!

[Denman John]

Thanks everyone for the comments and I'm glad to see that it generated some discussion.

McGroup53: You're right in that he doesn't really know the tune. He was totally playing by the seat of his pants in the video. He only started learning the tune a few days earlier so that he could have something to work on with John. He already plays 4 or 5 of J.R. tunes that he has down solid and that is where they spent most of their time together. The video was taken at the end and I'm glad that Tai was able to step outside his comfort zone and take some risks. Afterwards they talked about the song and John showed him a couple of the tricky parts. It was a great experience. In regards to his rhythm playing ~ be glad it wasn't me in the video as I would totally redefine your meaning of "completely lost it"

Al Trujillo: Actually we all came away happy thinking that Tai's Apitius sounded really good in contrast to John's Loar. With that said, he never liked the look of pick guards until now

As I think most of you picked up on, the post wasn't intended as a showcase into Tai's playing, but rather one of sharing the experience and enjoyment of him getting to play with one of his musical heroes, and trying his highly regarded mandolin.

Both of the mandolins sounded great and easily filled the hall. The acoustics in the room were good and brought out the top end shimmer. Unfortunately when converting to youtube, a lot of the sound quality is lost. With that said, John could really make the treble end sing on Tai's Apitius. It was also a real treat to hear J.R. to play his Loar in such a setting ~ and then again during his show.

[bigskygirl]

Great job! I know I’d be nervous playing with John (who is a super nice guy)...I think Tai did great! Keep up the good work Tai and thanks for sharing. What is the tune BTW?

Oh, I think it’s Nesser...but to me it sounds a bit like Little Liza Jane... in any case a nice tune and enjoyed it.

[CES]

Awesome experience, thanks for sharing!!

[mrneil2]

Enjoyed Tai’s playing very much.

I apologize if I should know this but I’m a newbie. What song were they playing? Is it one of the songs from the book?