I will be out enjoying and jamming at the Wheatland Music Festival for the next six days. When I return the big boat comes out of the water and I start on my next project. I am looking at a quick and straightforward instrumental album of mandolin music with basic accompaniment. I have had many requests this summer at the various festivals for an album of mando music but that is probably because I played a LOT of mandolin this summer with various bands and jams. Still…….the idea is one which would amuse me for the moment. Otherwise I will start the next big building project out in the shop. I am still drawing out plans but will share with one and all once they are finalized. Those two things are ‘must dos’ for the winter but I haven’t decided in which order I will do them.
Last night I played the new cello. First I looked up some video at ExpertVillage.com so I could see how to tune, finger, hold the bow, etc. Then I took to the streets (AKA living room) and began playing. The instrument is tuned an octave below a viola (No jokes please!) so the scales and fingerings were immediately familiar to me. The bow is held similarly to the violin rather than the underhand approach chosen by bass players. The finger spacing for proper intonation was new to me and it will take time for me to get comfortable. The bow is also at a completely different angle but the dynamics are the same. (Remain perpendicular to the string, constant bow speed, etc.) I’m certain that practicing in front of a mirror will help in that respect. The instrument is rather nice. The sound is a bit ‘tubby’ but some of that is probably my doing. It also seems very prone to ‘wolf whistling’ when an open string is played. I may end up using my fourth finger (Pinky) more than usual to avoid that phenomenon. All in all, I think I am going to like this addition to the musical family. BTW-It looks like this:
For those of you who may be hot with anticipation…..I won’t be wearing a wig or stockings to match this guy. (Although the coat is kinda kewel.)
The bass is done and being delivered this afternoon. That means, of course, that I am getting my new cello in return for my repair services. A special thanks to Susie and Tim at Good Times Music in Houghton for their patience, business, and service. They are great folks who run a small business the proper way. They actually enjoy their customers! This is a welcome rarity in today’s world of business.
As mentioned in the previous post, I went to Covington yesterday to listen to Cafe Accordion. To my surprise, the Pasi Cats were playing a two hour set also! They played diverse sets of dance music with strong Finnish-American undertones. It was great to watch and even better fun for the dancers in attendance. If you have a chance to get out and lend them your ears then, by all means, do so. You won’t regret the experience.
Cafe Accordion was impressive to say the very least. The level of musicianship was expert and their songs were rehearsed well. Still, there was plenty of room in many of the numbers for improv and the excitement that brings to a tune. They played for three hours and during the break a meal was set out. Grilled pork loin in blueberry sauce and fresh sweet corn off the grill topped the menu. The entire day was amazing. The only difficult pat of the day was trying to decide which two of the seven available CDs to buy. I am listening as I write this. I am smiling hard enough to damage my face.
This afternoon I am going to see these guys down in Covington. Covington is the middle of nowhere. Despite loss of populus, jobs, and a school they have banded together over the years to build and maintain a fine community center. It is used for virtually every function in the area. (Weddings, concerts, benefits, to name a very few.) They specialize in lots of music concerts that are quite often centered around a Finnish theme. People who drive there and see this vibrant community never cease to be amazed. Today I will be a spectator only but still intend to have a great time.
I ended up playing with Andre Brunet (and several others) today. He headed up a fiddle workshop just 10 miles from here and I attended. He lists as one of his credits being the winner of the 2008 Masters Champion of Canadien Fiddling. I can easily see why he won that honor. The guy is amazing when he is playing solo. He taught all of us (by phrases) La Belle Katrine or The Beautiful Catherine. It is a wonderful dance tune (a reel as it were) and great fun to play. A link to Andre is here. And he looks like this when he is holding up the jargundous trophy.
Here is a link to a you tube video which can’t be embedded (sad face) or else I would have used it in the posting.
Andre (With a last name I can neither pronounce or spell) the Quebec fiddler was so good that we never got to South Range to see Hank Thunander. (Sob) The trio featured octave mandolin, button accordion, and fiddle. Naturally they had triggered footboards and used their feet for the percussion sections. The sound was amazing although everything was sung in French. They could just as easily have been telling us all to jump in the lake for all we know. Still, it sounded very good.
I have already picked blackberries again this morning and after breakfast am headed back to the shop to work on the upright bass. Yesterday I finished negotiating a fee with the music store. I will be getting a new cello in return for the repairs made! I have never touched a cello in my life and look forward to working with this one. It is a brand new student model with a hardshell case. Later tonight I will be off to the nether regions of the interweb to find out how to hold the bow, tune the cello, etc.
Miracles may never cease. The bass that I have been working on is out of clamps and strung up to pitch. I will wait for one more day and unless it comes apart like the Scarecrow from Oz (Remember the flying monkeys?) I will take off the old strings. Then I can dress the fingerboard, carve a new bridge, replace the strings, and give her a bit of TLC with polish and grease from the elbow.
Today I am off to play the mandolin for a couple of hours at the Lunch Bag. (Join me for lunch if you care to.) Then tonight we are going out to hear a French Canuckian fiddler AND Hank Thunander in separate venues. The guy from Canuckistan (Otherwise known as Quebec.) is supposed to be quite good. I’ll report back tomorrow on that. Hank, as you should know, is an accordion icon. This is going to be a great day no matter how you look at it.
This weeks winner of the Dorkfest is Edward Wong. OK…….So the music by Lonestar is great and the anime by Edward is great I’ll admit. However, unless Mr.Wong is making buttloads of money from this stuff then he needs to get a real job. This piece of art is about as useless as a laptop out in the rain. I know that not all bodies of work are profit driven. I can fully understand working for a thousand hours or more to build a boat or an airplane or something like that. Neither one of these activites are going to generate an income as a general rule. Still……when you finish at least you HAVE something. (Like a boat or an airplane.)
In my opinion, Mr Wong should use his remakable talents to go out and make some serious money and quit with the Tomfoolery. Those of you who may disagree should feel free to express your opinion in the Comments section or the post. As usual, silence will be considered to be assent. Thanks for playin’.
By tonight I SHOULD be able to try a dry fit with clamps, jigs, and everything on the bass in the repair shop. If all goes well, and it usually doesn’t, then I will glue her up tomorrow. After a day in the clamps there will be another day and a half fitting her out and making her sweet. Then there will be some of this:
