Re: [Harp-L] Bluegrass: thoughts and observations

[Cara Cooke <cyberharp@xxxxxxxxx>]

A good, useful, tool for learning how to play a few common bluegrass tunes
and how to become a little more comfortable interacting in a "jam" situation
is the DVD "Bluegrass Jam Session" by Texas Music and Video (available from
Texas Music Supply --
http://www.texasmusicsupply.com/bluegrass-jam-session.html).  (It may be
available elsewhere, too.)  You can play the DVD and the jam plays the tune
for you (each player taking turns on the solo while the others -- and you
-- play rhythm) then the jammers on the screen play rhythm for you to play
the solo.  (One of the difficult things to learn to do is to switch between
playing a solo and background fluidly.)  The tempos are normal, so you can
even use the video to practice learning a tune on the fly (simple melody,
then adding a little flourish while maintaining the melodic path).  It isn't
a panacea, but it is a great tool for those who would like to get started in
bluegrass.

The DVD was initially created (analog on VHS) in the 1990's by Alan Munde
and Joe Carr (from Country Gazette).  They were/are associate professors of
music at South Plains College in the Country and Bluegrass Music Degree
Program.  They developed this DVD, and others, to be study tools for their
students.  They are also involved in Camp Bluegrass (also at South Plains
College -- www.campbluegrass.com) and the HIll Country Acoustic Music Camps
(www.hcamp.org).

It doesn't matter what instrument you wish to play in bluegrass, the DVD
will still be a useful woodshedding tool.  It is not instrument specific.

Cara

On Tue, Jan 25, 2011 at 9:58 AM, David Payne <
dmatthew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> As Tony said, you can wreck a bluegrass session very easily. A novice can,
> however, contribute with any level of skill and I am a firm believer that
> the
> best way to improve yourself as a musician is to continually surround
> yourself
> with musicians better than yourself.
> You don't need to work in the woodshed for months to get ready to wow
> everybody.
> Just play a chord rhythm. If you can slap a chord chop beat on the 2 and 4
> beats
> with the mandolin, you will get by. Just do not, under any circumstances,
> noodle
> around when you should be playing a straight rhythm. Just help establish
> the
> beat, that's all you have to do http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afNOTSmKplc
> You don't even have to know the songs to play a chord rhythm or even be
> good at
> anticipating chord changes. Just watch the guitar player and play rhythm in
> second position. Most bluegrass guitar players play in G 90 percent of the
> time
> and switch keys with a capo. If you can recognize what the guitar players'
> fingers look like on the follow chords, G, C, D and Em, you are off to a
> good
> start. If you can also recognize what A, E, B7 and Am look like, you're in
> even
> better shape.
> You don't really need to even move the harmonica to do this. On the G, you
> are
> drawing on 234.  When you see the guitar player switch from a G to C, you
> simply
> start blowing on your harmonica. Back to G, start drawing again. When you
> go to
> D, do a 1-4 draw octave.
> You don't even have to know what the next chord is to make it happen. If
> you're
> chopping with the mandolin on the two and four beats, as you should be, you
> have
> a time delay. The guitar will switch chords on the 1 beat, BUT, you're not
> up to
> play that chord until the second beat... so you always have a one-beat
> delay for
> reaction time.
> You can play along regardless of how fast the song is. If you can't keep
> up,
> don't play all the beats. On a solo, you can play half notes instead of
> quarter.
> Suddenly, the song speed for you is cut in half. Same with chording. If you
> can't keep up, only play one of the beats instead of two.
>  If you can't manage the breath, take a breath beat or two - just keep it
> consistent. Instead of playing "rest - TWO - rest - FOUR," play "rest -TWO
> -
> rest - Four - rest Two -rest- rest - rest" or something like that. You'll
> know
> that you are just doing it to get a breath, but to the listener, it comes
> out as
> a syncopated rhythm. I almost always do that when playing rhythm on a
> diatonic,
> except I play soft chops on the 1 and 3.. as in "one TWO three FOUR one TWO
> rest
> rest" or something like that broken up over two or three measures.
> So, you're watching the guitar for the chord changes. Also watch the song
> leader. It's usually the singer, or it might be whoever called out the
> song.
> When it's your time to lead, he'll give you a nod. Bluegrass solos are
> typically
> done as one verse. As the verse nears its end, keep your eye on the leader.
> You
> might get a nod to keep going. If you don't, go back to playing rhythm.
> Don't
> worry about a bad solo or what the other musicians think of it too much.
> Nobody
> else is.
> The best situations for learning are the open jams. Around here, we have
> bluegrass concerts in community buildings. Basically a bunch of musicians
> show
> up and form these little groups and start playing. The organizers ask a
> group to
> go on stage and play for whatever crowd showed up, then when they're done
> playing, they get another group. The musicians change, but the groups
> always
> wind up like this:
> Bluegrass gospel groups.
> Groups that play old stuff like Red Wing all the time.
> Fiddle Tune groups
> Regular bluegrass groups .
> Regular bluegrass groups who play hard and fast.
>
> Me, I usually wind up with the latter, I get bored when the music is too
> soft
> and slow, but I do spend a little time with each, you make friends and meet
> a
> lot of good musicians that you'll play with for years. I met Greg Vincent
> and
> Roy Clark Jr. that way, they're both great musicians that I still enjoy
> playing
> with today.
> Bluegrass festivals are a similar environment. there's groups on stage,
> sure,
> but I spent little time listening to them. The best music goes on in the
> campsites around the clock.
>