Chris Thile - Miss Manhattan

[John Hill]

I love it when Thile "goes there" if for no other reason because it gets a certain % of this forum riled up and/or scratching their heads.

Fatt-Dad mentioned the really important part: is that a Wegen pick?

Also, the amount of finger splaying by Chris is troubling. All my work copying his clean technique and now splaying is ok?!

[Ron McMillan]

See? It's only a matter of time before we get the moans about how he doesn't stand still when he's playing and infuriates us by not playing a good clean chop chord.

[Mike001]

[Ivan Kelsall]

It really does boil down to 'personal musical preferences' - honestly,what else is there ?. IMHO,CT is a mandolin genius,pure & simple. I have too many tunes by CT that again,IMHO,are terrific playing,to make me want to listen to stuff that i think lessens him somehow.
I listen to CT play ''Raining at Sunset'' & it knock my socks off & back on again !!!. Then i listen to a tune like 'Miss Manhattan'',& it almost seems like a waste of a huge talent. It is purely 'my opinion' & 'my taste' that i'm expressing, & of course CT is free to play anything he wishes to.
I love to listen to what i think of as 'alternative' styles in Bluegrass. 'The Infamous Stringdusters' & 'Greensky Bluegrass' are regulars in my listening,so it's not that i don't like ''different'',i simply don't seem to like CT's style of 'different',
Ivan

[Francis J]

For me, the music I like most is the simple stuff. The tracks where people are playing well within their technical limits. This piece is just that. I often quote a musician friend of mine who, after playing a very complex piece for his other half, asked "what did you think of that? The reply............" you're impressing me, but you're not reaching me"

[choctaw61]

I'm a huge CT fan.All I will say to to that is Noooooo! I do love the fact that he's never still and will be himself and do music his way whether U like him or not.He likes to go out on the limb because that's where the fruit is.U gotta love the guy.Even my favorite entertainers play some songs that I just turn the knob down or off till the song is over.

[Delaware]

Edit: upon second close listening: it's brilliant. Love it. I came to mando through Chris and Nickel Creek and PB, so I'm not invested in the Bluegrass culture and traditions. I like the mandolin as a unique sound in progressive "blusion" ( bluegrass fusion).

[JeffD]

Also, the amount of finger splaying by Chris is troubling. All my work copying his clean technique and now splaying is ok?!

Knowing where and when to splay is the key.

But why such a limited goal, copying his technique. The real goal should be to get so good that he is watching your videos for tips and tricks.

[JeffD]

I listen to CT play ''Raining at Sunset'' & it knock my socks off & back on again !!!. Then i listen to a tune like 'Miss Manhattan'',& it almost seems like a waste of a huge talent. It is purely 'my opinion' & 'my taste' that i'm expressing, & of course CT is free to play anything he wishes to.

I think great musicians have great range. So in my mind, the criteria changes. Instead of impressive playing, I look for fit. Does the playing/singing fit the task? Is the musician accomplishing what he/she set out to do? How well?

Its like the movies. I don't like romantic comedies. And when a "serious" actor does a romantic comedy my first reaction is disappointment, a waste of talent. But... is the actor accomplishing what is required in the movie. An extreme talent can just nail a part, what ever the part is - and the movie perhaps does what it does extremely well because of the actor. I would have preferred the serious actor in some other movie, but I cannot deny the actor excelled at the craft of acting and did an amazing job.

[bingoccc]

I try to always refer to "what I like" and "what I don't like" and be clear that I'm being subjective rather than talk about what is "good" or "bad". What Chris or some fellow sitting on his couch plays, is their choice and I appreciate them being willing to share it with me. I like some stuff and dislike other stuff. That kind of goes with being human. I try not to imply that someone else's taste is inferior. Life is too short and I come to the Cafe to relax and enjoy the company.

[T.D.Nydn]

I just think that a highly acclaimed mandolin virtuoso would be turning out one groundbreaking instrumental c.d. after another , or put together some real composition and show us your musicianship instead of some Vaudeville hack.

[Jeff Mando]

I just think that a highly acclaimed mandolin virtuoso would be turning out one groundbreaking instrumental c.d. after another , or put together some real composition and show us your musicianship instead of some Vaudeville hack.

I think it's called, "making a living." Thile's career is hot right now and he's taking advantage of the offers. Who's to say what his demand will be in 10 years? 20 years?

Not a perfect comparison, but Tiny Tim was one of the biggest superstars in the world in 1969, performing on television often, making records and making hundreds of thousands of dollars.........................(in 1969 dollars, would be Millions today)

ten years later he was performing his act at nursing homes!

[mtm]

I just think that a highly acclaimed mandolin virtuoso would be turning out one groundbreaking instrumental c.d. after another , or put together some real composition and show us your musicianship instead of some Vaudeville hack.

ummm, he is playing within the context of a live radio show, and making it resonate with a local theme. It's a "skit" and probably not meant to be "ground breaking", but rather well executed, which it was.

[T.D.Nydn]

I didn't know it was part of a skit, probably should have started with that,,, but that is vaudeville, and if that's what he's doing, he is doing it well....

[JeffD]

I didn't know it was part of a skit, probably should have started with that,,, but that is vaudeville, and if that's what he's doing, he is doing it well....

Zakly.

[T.D.Nydn]

I always thought that, with his tie and antics, Thile had a vaudeville type feel to his performing. I have a feeling he would be a huge hit back in the '20's,, you know, back when his mandolin was brand new....

[JeffD]

He is on his way to becoming a huge hit, I believe. PHC is the step up to a national stage, where he will get much more and wider recognition for the show than he gets now for playing mandolin. After that who knows. At some point he may get better known than his wife.

[PJ Doland]

I've been really impressed with the stuff he's doing for PHC.

I don't particularly care for football, but I thought this was absolutely brilliant.

[BradKlein]

Great stuff!!!

So many great players, like Aoife O'Donovan who will become better known to lots more people thanks to Mr. Thile. I'm so happy for him and for them and for us.

[CarlM]

I just think that a highly acclaimed mandolin virtuoso would be turning out one groundbreaking instrumental c.d. after another , or put together some real composition and show us your musicianship instead of some Vaudeville hack.

Kind of like Jethro Burns did?

[John Hill]

Knowing where and when to splay is the key.

But why such a limited goal, copying his technique. The real goal should be to get so good that he is watching your videos for tips and tricks.

Thank you Jeff, I'm glad somebody thought that was funny.

[fscotte]

Aerosmith singing rock, yes. Aerosmith singing opera, no.

Chris Thile playing bluegrass, yes. Chris Thile singing weirdness, no.

Nuff said.

[Mark Gunter]

Just my opinion here, obviously many disagree, but this: I think Chris Thile's minimalist playing in this number is brilliant. IMO he does not have to dazzle with "too many notes" all the time, or put out nothing but ground-breaking instrumentals. Those who play for a living will understand this: It takes a greater talent to pull off a song with minimally few pick strokes. Actually, I'm quite amazed at the talent and the skill that I sometimes encounter in a guitar or mandolin player who is able to weave a spell with few notes and little or no rhythym chords. There are some few musicians who have the magic to imply the music with the bare minimum, and if anyone here thinks that it's easy or requires less talent, get in front of an audience and try it.

[Mark Christensen]

Hey you can leave a message for Chris on his Facebook page and let him know what you think he's playing is weird. I'm sure that'll make a big difference to his career.

[T.D.Nydn]

So you think it takes more talent to play Happy Birthday than the William Tell Overture?