Hey there!
Just in case you haven't seen this yet.
Best,
Dem
Hey there!
Just in case you haven't seen this yet.
Best,
Dem
I'm just blown away by Ricky's modest insistence that he never quite mastered the tremolo!
It always sounded just fine to me. But it makes me feel better that I still find it such a challenge.
I particularly liked the part where he said what part of the pick he likes to use. I've also found I like what some call the "shoulder," just off to one side of the tip.
That is one of the sweetest sounding mandolins I've ever heard, just love its tone - I'm sure his playing gets it out of it.
Agreed, Ricky is a genuinely humble guy to dismiss his own ability that way - if you're in doubt go back to his duet album with Tony rice - tremolo is perfect.
One thing though, that florida does like to let its presence be heard - maybe the clicking is a new technique to provide rhythm accompaniment.
I ran across this video last night. It was an interesting interview by Sweetwater (a great music store that I like buying from, but not one that targets "traditional" musicians). The interview was supposedly for guitarists who might want to try the mandolin. The interviewer was holding an Epiphone mando - I think it was an Epiphone, anyway - that wasn't my focus.
The interview started with Ricky demonstrating the simple G, C, and D chords, but I was surprised at Ricky's comments about the 2-0-0-2 D chord. He said that SOME people might play it that way, but he acted like that was a hard way to play it and that he would more likely play the D as a 7-4-5-x. The tremolo comments also surprised me, and Ricky seemed serious that he'd never spent much time trying to get good at the tremolo.
The interview wandered quite a bit, talking about guitars and fiddles and picks, so maybe not too useful for a guitarist interested in mandolin, but I still enjoyed it. Casual talk about music from a great musician will always pique my interest!
Doug Brock
2018 Kimble 2 point (#259), Eastman MD315, Eastman MDA315, some guitars, banjos, and fiddles
I dug it, too. He mentioned the great Buck White, one of my heroes. And I didn't hear much pick click, at all.
Buck is Ricky's father in law.
Len B.
Clearwater, FL
That Blue Chip sounds amazing!
Is that one of his signed Skaggs MM's that he distressed to look like Monroe's? Or a Vessel?
Weber F-5 'Fern'.
Lebeda F-5 "Special".
Stelling Bellflower BANJO
Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.
Interesting that he plays with a guitar-shaped pick. I end up using a CT-55 most of the time because it's just so dang fast, but I do use the TAD-1R as well so I can roll it around to the round corner for that character tone. What intrigued me was that bridge with huge adjusting wheels. As a builder, I've come to associate those with cheap Asian bridges. I wonder if a Cumberland bridge would put more body in the tone of that mandolin?
I just had the pleasure of seeing Ricky and Kentucky Thunder perform Thursday night. What a humble guy and wow-what a band!
Yes I do believe its one of his signed MM's, great open, fat sound to it, not real Loarish IMHO but still a Hoss. I actually think back in September when I seen his band he was just singing as his arm was all in a sling his mando player was playing that mandolin and it sounded splendid! At first I thought it may have been that tribute Monroe 5 that Gary Vessel did years ago for Richie K.
Here is a Mandolin Café discussion about the mandolin.
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...new-quot-mando
Adam
Man, I enjoyed that. I perked up at the mention of Buck, too, I really like Buck White. Loved that story - "Learn to play every song you know in all twelve keys"
Was Ricky playing a sort of rambling version of Salt Creek there at the end?
WWW.THEAMATEURMANDOLINIST.COM
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"Life is short. Play hard." - AlanN
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Today was the first chance I’ve had to look at this, thanks for sharing!
I like the respect he holds Bill Monroe in, it’s clear they were friends and how much Ricky learned from Big Mon.
Not a bad first lesson, really.
Timothy F. Lewis
"If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett
Here’s the interview he did with Sweetwater as well https://youtu.be/0wx9X1sVKaU
Mickey
Skip Kelley-Kentucky F-5
Northfield F5S
Collings MT
OK, so what is the "loarish" sound? Some years ago I went to the "Loar Fest" in Bakersfield, California, there were around 40 Lloyd Loar signed mandolins in a special room with a security guard, and the mandolins all sounded different when you heard different players on the same Loar, or if you picked one up and played it yourself (yes, most owners there let you do that). Especially John Reischman's Loar sounded really different from the other Loars. Is the "Loar sound" some unattainable tone that is in our head, but never heard until a Gibson Loar is played, we hear it, think we know what it is, and never hear that sound again until we hear a Gibson Loar again? I know this topic has been batted around for a long time, but honestly, has anybody really come up with a good definition of a "Loar sound?" Isn't the "Loar sound" really mass hypnosis? Sure, a round, fat, pleasant sound with decent volume is what we're after, but in blind tests of Gibson Loars with other mandolins, many players can't tell if the mandolin being played is a Gibson Lloyd Loar, or a good sounding Gilchrist, Red Diamond, Weins, or other well crafted mandolin with good woods with some age on them. Don't get out the popcorn and make this into a long debate again, but I think it is worth raising the issue again. As is often the case again, "We hear with our eyes."
John A. Karsemeyer
I think there is a classic Loar tone. It has a characteristic mid-range focus that really cuts through in bluegrass, and a slight sparkle at the top end. Many modern mandolins sport more full lows and some bright highs, but they lack that mid-range punch. Heck, even some high end Gibsons lack this sound. Others can certainly chime in and correct me here if they disagree, but this is what I think of the Loar sound.
1994 Gibson F5L - Weber signed
"Mandolin brands are a guide, not gospel! I don't drink koolaid and that Emperor is naked!"
"If you wanna get soul Baby, you gots to get the scroll..."
"I would rather play music anyday for the beggar, the thief, and the fool!"
"Perfection is not attainable; but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence" Vince Lombardi
Playing Style: RockMonRoll Desperado Bluegrass Desperado YT Channel
Nick, it’s not the mandolin, it’s your sparkling attitude that comes through your playing!
Timothy F. Lewis
"If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett
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