Hoyt Ming, Doc Roberts, be holy god, this do be the group that keeps on giving.
Just checking out the Ming right now... i do believe theres a grin on my face :) I dont consider it a change in topic really, sure its a slight tangent but a rich one for some one like meself who is not so well versed in the area of old fiddle players, besides i think its always helpful to look at these things in a context... and it is interesting for me to hear tunes that are distinctly before the Monroe revolution, the goodness of this stuff is that its recorded in a kind of a grey area, not quite 'amateur', not quite 'professional', especially if you take those terms in today's sense of those words.... how to put it... theres goodness but not slickness? On Jun 21, 7:31 pm, mistertaterbug <taterbugmu...@gmail.com> wrote: > Not veering off, really. I also hear from Uncle Norman Blake that Doc > Roberts was a helluva mandolinist. Outside the few recordings there > are of him playing solo, I'm told that he recorded quite a bit as an > accompanist. > > Taterbug > > On Jun 21, 12:16 pm, Tud Jones <tudjo...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > Ooops.... here is that > > link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77DqfsT_rF8&feature=related > > > On Jun 21, 12:14 pm, Tud Jones <tudjo...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > Don't want to veer to far off topic but I've always dug the mando > > > backup in the Hoyt Ming recordings...http://www.youtube.com/watch? > > > v=77DqfsT_rF8&feature=related > > > > On Jun 21, 12:10 pm, mistertaterbug <taterbugmu...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > I reckon another way of saying that, or a clearer way, is that > > > > Monroe's right hand didn't always play the 'rhythm melody' when the > > > > left hand was, nor did his left hand always play the melody when his > > > > right hand was. Then, there's that abstract thing to consider, and the > > > > implied notes, and...Oh what the hell, it's *just* bluegrass mandolin. > > > > How could it *possibly* be that difficult or advanced? > > > > > Bugs > > > > > On Jun 21, 9:28 am, mistertaterbug <taterbugmu...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > Sounds like to me you guys have got it well in hand. My ramblings > > > > > about Ella and her methods are purely my own way of understanding what > > > > > she's doing, but I think this all bears out pretty well to the test. > > > > > To me, Ella is a step ahead of fiddlesticks players, dancers and > > > > > drummers when they play melody with percussion only(not that drums > > > > > don't have pitch). It sounds like Monroe took the same idea and played > > > > > it with tremolo, not just chord strums, and built melody and rhythmic > > > > > backup too, though I don't think his use of it was always related to > > > > > the melody specifically, but oftentimes to an alternate rhythmic > > > > > pattern built into the melody. > > > > > > All this thinking makes my head hurt. > > > > > TBug > > > > > > On Jun 21, 8:47 am, Mark Halpin <tomas...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > > > > I think one of the advantages of say trios or duets is that it > > > > > > demands > > > > > > that the instruments are shifted from their normal sound space and > > > > > > have to find new voices to support each other. > > > > > > > The genius of Bluegrass, for instance, is that each instrument has > > > > > > its > > > > > > own sound space and as a result they all support each other, but, > > > > > > the > > > > > > danger with that is that the space can become so defined that it can > > > > > > also serve to limit the possibilities for each instrument. > > > > > > > Approaching even bluegrass material as a trio or duo straight away > > > > > > offers you the difficulty of freedom... just how do you fill for the > > > > > > missing instruments on the selection that you have left? > > > > > > > I think it was earlier in that same interview that Mr. Tater > > > > > > mentioned > > > > > > encountering the same trouble when working on the album with David > > > > > > Grier, that the bluegrass chop just wouldnt cut the mustard in that > > > > > > situation, so new backup solutions on the mandolin had to be found. > > > > > > For me that right there is the interest, that someone is kinda > > > > > > kicked > > > > > > from their comfort zone and they have to engage their imagination > > > > > > and > > > > > > ear again (thats not to imply that Mr. Tater was not being > > > > > > imaginative > > > > > > before the Grier album ;-) > > > > > > > Also i think that the more stripped back nature of a two or three > > > > > > players does not leave much for a musician to hide behind, in my > > > > > > opinion, it demands that you listen to and interact more with the > > > > > > other players, and thats where the natural familiarity of family > > > > > > groups like the Haleys, Stanleys, Louvins, Monroes etc plays an > > > > > > advantage lending a second-nature to the interaction... and we all > > > > > > can > > > > > > marvel in the wonder that sort of initmacy can produce in music. > > > > > > > The real wonder for me though is when you have a group of musicians > > > > > > who are unused to each other, or, as i said above, are shunted from > > > > > > their traditional roles and are flying by the seat of their pants, > > > > > > sometimes yes sir, the results can be ragged other times it can > > > > > > produce moments of pure unexpected adrenalin fueled magic . > > > > > > > On Jun 21, 2:44 pm, Dasspunk <dassp...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > > Sign me up for trios too. Myself, my fiddler Paul and Bob Black > > > > > > > sat > > > > > > > down one night and played as a trio for about 4 hours straight. > > > > > > > With > > > > > > > no guitar player to hold us back, them were some lively tunes! > > > > > > > Bob has > > > > > > > great rhythm sensibilities himself and it was a joy to play off > > > > > > > each > > > > > > > other. > > > > > > > > I also find it interesting that--for whatever reason--my love of > > > > > > > the > > > > > > > duet seems to be shared with a number of folks on this list... > > > > > > > it's > > > > > > > nice to know I'm not alone! > > > > > > > > Brian > > > > > > > > On Jun 18, 8:28 am, Mark Halpin <tomas...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Some of my favorite Tater ventures have to be on 'The Speed of > > > > > > > > the Old > > > > > > > > Long Bow' and t'other John Hartford old-time-fiddler-tribute > > > > > > > > albums... > > > > > > > > i dont dance much but i knows they do make for fine jogging > > > > > > > > musics. > > > > > > > > > From one of the old Co-mando interviews Mr. Tate tells that John > > > > > > > > Hartford was looking for something along the lines of what Ela > > > > > > > > Haley > > > > > > > > was doing on mandolin. Hers how its put in the interview > > > > > > > > > 'Haley's wife Ela played taterbug (or roundback for you yanks) > > > > > > > > mandolin on the recordings. She played simple chords with a > > > > > > > > heavy- > > > > > > > > handed rhythm and that's what John said he really wanted me to > > > > > > > > do. I > > > > > > > > thought it was a very primitive way to play mandolin until I > > > > > > > > started > > > > > > > > to notice Ela seemed to be playing the melody line, but with > > > > > > > > chords. > > > > > > > > In other words, her right hand played the melody, her left > > > > > > > > played > > > > > > > > chords. It's sort of the same thing tap dancers do I guess.' > > > > > > > > > Now, given that those Ed Haley recordings seem to be both rare > > > > > > > > and > > > > > > > > pricey i have'nt much of chance to hear what exactly is going > > > > > > > > on with > > > > > > > > the original recordings, i'm actually just going through the > > > > > > > > some mp3 > > > > > > > > samples at the moment and i'm beginning to hear the sound i > > > > > > > > associate > > > > > > > > from the Hartford albums. > > > > > > > > > Now i'm wondering if anyone here, not just Mr Taterbug though > > > > > > > > it'd be > > > > > > > > interesting to hear his views, have paid much attention to Ela > > > > > > > > Haley's > > > > > > > > playing or have tried to adapt it into their own playing? > > > > > > > > > If so, what attracts you to that style of playing, any > > > > > > > > observations > > > > > > > > about it, in particular i'd wonder how do you think it sits > > > > > > > > with the > > > > > > > > Monroe style?- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Taterbugmando" group. 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