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Thread: There are more pickers near me than I realised....

  1. #1
    Registered User Paul Cowham's Avatar
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    Default There are more pickers near me than I realised....

    Hi folks,
    I love my hometown of Manchester. There are vibrant music scenes in Irish folk, jazz, classical, klezmer pop etc... That said, my experience is there is something of a dearth of mandolinists, bluegrass or people playing plucked instruments generally.

    Anyhow, I was walking back home with some groceries this eve, and there was a teenage lady who appeared to have a bowlback mandolin on her back next to me at a crossing. I asked her if she had a mando in her case and she confidently told me it was a domra and was on the way to a rehearsal. We chatted for a couple of minutes and she turned off to go to the rehearsal. Continuing my way home with my soon to be 1 year old boy, two other youngsters carrying triangular shaped instrument cases passed me which I presume were balalaikas.

    The original lady that I spoke to said that it was the Kalinka group which is run by her grandfather, didn't take much searching to find their facebook page:
    https://www.facebook.com/kalinkamanchester

    And here is them playing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqWifQehWVM

    I find it hugely heartwarming that there is a young group like this that rehearse less than 5 minutes walk from where I live that I didn't know about. Maybe I'll message them and get involved
    Last edited by Paul Cowham; Sep-20-2021 at 6:41pm.

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  3. #2
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    Default Re: There are more pickers near me than I realised....

    Hi Paul, we’ve not knowingly met but Ivan mentioned you several times.

    Not been to Manchester since before the plague but I once walked into a gig in Buxton (20 miles south of Manchester) with my National RM-1 and somebody asked me what type of banjo was in the case!

  4. #3
    Registered User DJM83's Avatar
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    Default Re: There are more pickers near me than I realised....

    Hi Paul,

    I hope you and the family are well. I saw some Domra players at a session at Hardy's Well several years ago, so maybe they were part of the same group.

    I would love to get a mandolin and plucked string group going in Manchester. Perhaps we could use this thread to gauge interest.

    Duncan

  5. #4
    Registered User Paul Cowham's Avatar
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    Default Re: There are more pickers near me than I realised....

    Hi Ray,
    Thanks for your post and RIP Ivan. What kind of music do you play? I used to go to a klezmer session approx 20 years ago in New Mills and knew the late characterful fiddler Sean Healy who lived in Buxton who you might have met? If you're ever in Manchester feel free to pm me and we could meet up? (as long as you don't bring the resonator )

    Hi Duncan,
    How are you and family? I didn't realise you were on the cafe!

    I'd be very happy to be part of your potential mando group and would be interested to see if any other local mando players chime in (if there are any?)

    That said, I didn't intend this to be a thread for local mando players although it's really nice to hear from some. I was simply amazed that this thing was happening locally. I suspect that along with a great many others, I am suffering a general lack of contact with musicians and was really heartened to see something happening nearby with plucked instruments.

    Like you Duncan, having become a fairly recent dad and having a day job, my activities as an active keen amateur musician would have been somewhat curtailed pandemic or no pandemic. Either way, I'm looking forward to playing more music with people as time goes on.
    Last edited by Paul Cowham; Sep-21-2021 at 5:41pm.

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    Default Re: There are more pickers near me than I realised....

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Cowham View Post
    Hi Ray,
    Thanks for your post and RIP Ivan. What kind of music do you play? I used to go to a klezmer session approx 20 years ago in New Mills and knew the late characterful fiddler Sean Healy who lived in Buxton who you might have met? If you're ever in Manchester feel free to pm me and we could meet up? (as long as you don't bring the resonator )
    Hi Paul, RIP Ivan indeed - we hadn’t actually met for 40 odd years (MSG days) but we corresponded reasonably regularly.

    Difficult to say what kind of music, I suppose you might call me a generalist with leanings towards Americana. Yes, I did meet Sean - assuming he’s the same Sean I’m thinking of. I do have other mandolins and one is at least as loud as the National !

    Cheers
    Ray

  7. #6
    Registered User Matt Hutchinson's Avatar
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    Default Re: There are more pickers near me than I realised....

    Might be worth adding something to the BBMA Facebook group too (if you haven't already). Might be some other UK players near Manchester. I'm no use to you sadly, all the way down in London

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    Default Re: There are more pickers near me than I realised....

    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Hutchinson View Post
    Might be worth adding something to the BBMA Facebook group too (if you haven't already). Might be some other UK players near Manchester. I'm no use to you sadly, all the way down in London
    Is that still in England?

  10. #8
    Registered User Simon DS's Avatar
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    Default Re: There are more pickers near me than I realised....

    Quote Originally Posted by Ray(T) View Post
    Is that still in England?
    Is that still on MandolinCafe?

  11. #9
    Registered User Matt Hutchinson's Avatar
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    Default Re: There are more pickers near me than I realised....

    Ha! Definitely still in both last time I checked…

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