Hi Paul...
Apologies for not replying sooner.
As chance would have it, my son lives in Manchester at the minute where he's studying and so - in non Covid times (remember them? even vaguely?) - I find myself there two or three times a year. So when travel becomes a possibility again it would be great to share a few tunes either in SE London or in Manchester.
Take care and keep in touch.
Aidan
Hi Aidan,
No need to apologise! I hope your son is enjoying life in Manchester, albeit in these difficult times. A tune in either SE London or Manchester would be great once things start to get back to some kind of normal. I do have many fond memories of fun and craic at sessions pre lockdown... There were loads of sessions in Manchester, something that I took for granted back then. That said, we had our second (and last) baby last September, so having a baby and "toddler" in the house would have tempered my freedom to explore the rich musical life of Manchester anyway, although I'm not complaining.
cheers Paul
PS, on listening to your podcast, I was impressed with your mandolin playing, especially given that you seemed to start comparatively late in life with no teaching, at least compared to the "virtuosi", who all seem to start young (in any genre or on any instrument).
Last edited by Paul Cowham; Feb-13-2021 at 8:49pm.
Hi Paul... He is, indeed, enjoying life in Manchester. Even though he's in lockdown, he at least has the ability there to socialise with the people in his house. so he feels less lonely than he would do if he was back in London. And he's looking forward to the lifting of restrictions so he can get back into all that Manchester has to offer (i.e. a lot!).
Thanks for the kind comments about my playing. I'm reconciled to the fact that I'm never going to be a virtuoso. And indeed in recognition of that I've made a conscious decision to try to keep my playing as simple and unadorned as possible. When I started playing, I used to think that speed and technical flourishes were "the thing". But the pursuit of those false idols* held me back from enjoying the music. I realise now that for me - others may disagree and they're perfectly entitled to! - the enjoyment comes from being able to play the tune at a pace I'm comfortable with and playing "the tune" rather than "the mandolin". Once I recognised that, and started playing to suit myself rather than chasing some pipedream I found that my passion for the tunes and the mandolin rekindled...
Cheers...
Aidan
*I can be a pretentious eejit sometimes!
Well said Aidan. The music is for all of us, not just the weirdly gifted. Relax, enjoy a stride not a gallop.
John
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