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The Three P’s

Friday, March 12th, 2010
Murphy Henry

Murphy Henry

I suppose you’ve all heard of the three T’s for banjo: Tone, Taste, Timing. When I was driving home the other day after working out I was thinking about banjo playing and banjo teaching and this thought occurred to me:

Most of the questions that students ask can be answered with one of the Three P’s. And these all start with the word PLAY:

PM: Play More

PS: Play Slower

PWOP: (pronounced “pee-wop”): Play With Other People

Think about it. More on this subject (perhaps) later!

(I thought I’d use this when I didn’t have time to do a long blog!)

Posted in By Murphy, General | 5 Comments »

Winter Wonderland

Thursday, February 11th, 2010
Murphy Henry

Murphy Henry

I thought you might like to see a few pictures of what it’s like up here in what Red calls the “cold and snowy frozen north.”

We’ve basically been house-bound since last Friday, February 5. We did get out for a few hours yesterday, but today the brutal wind and drifting snow has once again kept us indoors.

Snow on the back deck.

Snow on the back deck.

But we’ve been lucky so far—KNOCK ON WOOD BIG TIME—in that we’ve not lost power. We did get a flicker about an hour ago, so I filled up the bathtub with water and laid out candles and matches, just in case.

All my lessons for today canceled so I’m not in a very musical mood. However, I did talk to a fellow on the phone the other day who gave me a great big grin. He was talking about how he didn’t like a lot of the new bluegrass, that he much preferred the old. And while I do like a “right smart” of the new stuff (Old Crowe Medicine Show, Robin and Linda Williams, the Dixie Bee-Liners, Laurie Lewis) I understood where he was coming from. Especially when he said, of the new music, “It don’t make no lump come in your throat.”

Snow sculpture?

Snow sculpture?

And that’s pretty much all I want from music. Which is why I also like George Jones and Conway Twitty.

Hope you’re staying warm!

Crazy snow art.

Crazy snow art.

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Posted in By Murphy, General | 2 Comments »

Flying and Picking (6)

Friday, February 5th, 2010
Into the Wild Blue Yonder

Into the Wild Blue Yonder

Folks, a few days ago I mentioned that my flight instructor and I had gone on a cross-country flight to another airport here in the Shenandoah Valley. Well, yesterday we went on another longer cross-country, and a parallel really struck me between flying and playing music.

The first time, we flew to an airport near Harrisonburg, Va. I had my hands full trying to identify my checkpoints, keep my log of the time at each one, and dial in my radio navaids to confirm my navigation. We got there right on time and course, but I had my hands full just taking care of those “mechanical” things.

Then yesterday, we flew down to Charlottesville. I was able to do all those things, plus keep checking on the chart to make sure that we were in exactly the right place every minute, and looking ahead to what came next. This time the forecast winds were not as perfect as last time, so we might get a little off course, but this time I could detect it soon and correct for it. I was able to make everything go more smoothly. I think I kept us within a half-mile of our planned course the whole way, and when we were about 15 miles from the Charlottesville airport I spotted our destination runway straight ahead (and we were, almost eerily, nearly lined up with it again). Not only had we arrived on target and on time, but I’d been able to look ahead and think of the flight as a whole, instead of as a series of individual steps.

How does this connect with playing music? Well, you start out learning the notes to a tune, and you play them as well as you can. You eventually get to where you can play all the way through the tune without (hopefully) losing your place, or, at least, if you miss a lick you can recover and keep playing in time. This means that you have the “mechanical” part of the tune under control. But as you keep listening to the DVD over and over (for example, Cripple Creek on our Beginning Banjo Vol.1 or Earl Scruggs playing his original version on the Foggy Mountain Banjo CD), the more you hear. You may automatically pick up the subtle way Murphy and other players syncopate the notes to make the tune more listenable. You start hearing notes that are more accentuated than the others, which define (or at least imply) the melody. You start hearing the overall tune, which is more than just the notes.

You come back to the DVD lesson or Earl’s CD a few weeks or months later, and you can hear more than you did the first time. You start hearing more than the notes. In other words, you start hearing the tune as a piece of music. So keep listening to Murphy, keep listening to Earl, and keep picking!

Red

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Posted in By Red, General, Learning By Ear | 1 Comment »

Out and About on the Internet

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
Casey Henry

Casey Henry

We try to keep an eye on what’s going on internet-wise regarding the Murphy Method. At the moment there’s a lively thread over on the Banjo Hangout titled “Why are People so Hyped About The Murphy Method.” I know that some of you readers like to talk about your TMM experiences, so if you haven’t already, that’s a good place to do it.

Also, our dobro instructor Mark Panfil maintains a little blog over on his MySpace page with dobro-istic news and happenings, so check that out if you want to see what he’s up to.

You can never tell what will turn up on the internet. A couple days ago my Google Alert alerted me to a “Beginning Mandolin Video” for sale on Amazon. Two different sellers have it available, used. Also there are a “Texas Style Fiddle Backup for Guitar”, and the “Beginning Fiddle Video”. When people ask if we still have our old cassette series available we usually direct them to Ebay. But now I may send them to look on Amazon, too. (The videos, of course, you can still get new from us if you’re a VHS holdout.)

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Posted in By Casey, General | No Comments »

Picking and Flying (4)

Friday, January 22nd, 2010
Red Henry

Red Henry

Well, folks, Murphy contributed a ‘picking and flying’ column yesterday because it was about Earl Scruggs’s great tune “Groundspeed”, so I figured I’d continue the trend. Thinking about Earl flying around the country in his nice twin-engined airplane reminded me of an anecdote I’ve heard about Earl and Doc Watson.

Now, if you are flying an airplane in the clouds, or any time you can’t see, you’re flying on instruments. This is because nobody’s sense of balance is good enough to tell, if they can’t see outside, whether the airplane is upside-down, or right-side-up, or in a dive, or a climb– your sense of balance will fool you, every time. Without the instruments, after a minute or so your body begins sending you false signals, and the airplane gets out of control. But I heard of once when someone was able to fly straight and level without seeing anything, and it wasn’t a pilot who did it.

This story may not be true, but it ought to be. The story is that Earl took Doc Watson up in his plane one day. Of course Doc cannot see, but he has a mighty good sense of physical touch and coordination. Well, Earl flew the airplane up high, leveled off, and then turned the controls over to Doc for a while. It turned out that Doc, without being able to see either the world outside or the airplane’s instruments, was able to keep flying straight and level.

Now folks, that’s phenomenal. I never heard of anybody else being able to do it. But if it was anybody, it would have been someone like Doc, who’d never touched an airplane’s controls before but is the best guitar player in the world.

And like I said, if the story’s not true, it ought to be!

Red

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Posted in By Red, General, banjo | No Comments »

Flying and Picking (3)

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Red Henry

Red Henry

Okay, folks, here we are with another installment of our “Flying and Picking” series, where we relate my journey in learning one advanced skill (flying) to all our journeys in learning another (music). Today’s comment will be on PROCEDURES.

When you’re flying and landing a plane, there are things you have to do all in the right order and without getting rushed. This is true in any kind of flying, from my old jet-flying days in the Air Force, to landing a Cessna at the local airport.

For example, in landing a plane, you don’t do things just any way you feel like doing them. When you’re in the traffic pattern you reduce power, put down partial flaps and lower the landing gear, make your turns onto final approach, put down full flaps, and manage the controls and throttle so as to put yourself at just the right glideslope and airspeed. If you do those things right, you’ll find yourself set up just right over the runway for landing. Getting behind or out of rhythm is a sure way to make potentially hazardous mistakes. And as you’re going through these steps you’re also making radio calls, so that other pilots will know what you’re doing and everybody can take turns to take off and land safely. And you have to know all these procedures well enough to carry them out in a rhythm without thinking about them first, and without running out of time, so that you can get everything done and your mind can be on the moment-to-moment flying adjustments and making a good landing.

So what does all this stuff have to do with playing music and making it sound right? A lot. When you’re playing music, especially in a group, you have to have all the licks to the tune already in your head. You have to have practiced a tune over and over with the correct licks, fingering, and timing, so that you don’t have to think about every note, but can concentrate on playing smoothly and at an even tempo and sounding good. That way, when you play with others, you’ll be picking a recognizable tune at an even speed, and everybody else can keep up with you. You need to be listening to the group’s rhythm and not rushing or stumbling over any of your notes, or if you miss a few, coming back in at the right place, so that you (and the other players) don’t lose track of where you are. And when you pass the tune off to the next player, you let everyone else know what’s happening. You give a little glance or nod to the next player so they know it’s their turn, or else signal the end of the tune so that everyone knows it’s time to stop. That’s PROCEDURE. Everybody plays together and knows what’s going on, and the tune won’t crash, or at least, make a rough landing.

Flying and Picking– I love it.

Red

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Posted in By Red, General, Practice, jamming | 2 Comments »

Watching DVDs in Georgia

Monday, January 18th, 2010
Murphy Henry

Murphy Henry

(I thought this wasn’t going to have any bluegrass content, but it turned out to be a critique of how Ralph Stanley looks on TV! Be forewarned!)

Just arrived back at the house after my nine-hour trip back from my weekend in Georgia. Glad to report the ‘rents are about the same. No Scrabble, but we did watch one of the Bill Gaither Gospel DVDs that featured a lot of bluegrass groups. Mama and Daddy stayed awake (mostly) for the whole thing, and did not retreat into “reading” the paper which is what they did when I tried them on an episode of “Dukes of Hazzard.” (Small bluegrass content: my guitar student Cody wants to learn the theme song so he lent me a season’s worth of DVDs so I could learn it.) I will have to say that the Dukes had a few too many car chases and sliding cars to suit me. But you gotta love Boss Hogg!

Anyhow, on the Bill Gaither DVD we got to see Doyle Lawson, Marty Stuart, Rhonda No Last Name Needed, Dailey and Vincent, the Isaacs, Cherryholmes, Marty Stuart, Ralph Stanley, Larry Sparks, the Grascals (before Kristin joined them) and Vince Gill. It was so great to see Ralph because Jack Cooke was still with him. God rest his soul, Cookie was a wonderful musician. Ralph looked absolutely cute — no other word to describe it — wearing a purple shirt while Bill Gaither was interviewing him. And he sounds so sincere when he talks. Just the right amount of modesty coupled with obvious pride at the turn his career has taken. He’s still got a good head of hair and it was beautifully coiffed. (Note: In his new memoir, Ralph says that Keith Whitley used to do his hair!) He is aging simply wonderfully and, frankly, I thought he looked a little bit like my Grandmother Hicks! She was quite regal at age ninety. Like her, he has great-looking skin, or else they had a fabulous makeup artist. Maybe both! I told Mama I thought he looked a little bit like a possum, which totally made her laugh.

On stage, he looked like the Great Patriarch that he is, wearing his glasses now (the modern kind, with square frames) so he can read the words off the paper that sits in a music stand in front of him. He says, in the book, that he’s getting a little forgetful of words now, hence the stand. Hey, he’ll be 83 on February 25, so he can do whatever he likes! Of course, I can’t remember what he sang, since I was busy critiquing how he looked!

I did listen to plenty of other music on my Amazing iPod on the way down and back. (It finally ran out of juice. I need to get one of those car charger things.) What was I loving this time around? [This list is mostly for Marty’s benefit...] Everything by the Beach Boys, “Painted Lady” and “Crocodile Rock” by Elton John, everything (2 songs) by Conway Twitty, “Great Speckled Bird” by Roy Acuff, a bunch of Eric Clapton stuff, “25 or 6 Till 4” by Chicago (I could finally understand the words!), the Randy Travis songs, “Reno Ride” and “Limehouse Blues” are amazing (Don Reno, of course!), and oh so many others that I can’t think of now because I haven’t had my supper yet! [Marty: next time, “Islands in the Stream” fer sure! And can I get “Hello Darling” back? And “Mockingbird”? Thanks!]

It was good to be in Georgia and see the folks, but, like Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home!”

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Posted in By Murphy, DVDs, General | 1 Comment »

Right Hand Position: I Beg To Differ

Monday, January 11th, 2010
Murphy Henry

Murphy Henry

My husband, Red, wrote a wonderful blog on the Eighth of January about the importance of being relaxed when you pick. I couldn’t agree more. I used to drink beer for that very reason. Seriously. I wasn’t quite a tee-totaling Baptist by then, but I wasn’t much of a drinker. So I would be on stage all tense and thinking that everybody could hear every mistake I made and that they cared. A couple of beers cured me of that! Now, of course, I almost never drink before or during a performance. I don’t need to and find that now it actually makes it harder to think. (Ah, the joys of youth!)

So all was good until Marty stepped in with a innocent comment on the response page. He said, “Any suggestions on how to learn to relax before playing will be greatly appreciated.” (I think mine is really good, Marty!) It was then that Red uttered the words “I went back and changed what my right hand was doing. I changed the way I held the pick, the way I held my hand…”

That obviously worked for Red, big time. He is a fabulous mandolin player, one of the best in the world. And I’m sure he had no idea that some of you would read what he wrote and try to change your hand position. But I’m a teacher: I know you will! So I say to you: DON’T DO IT!

I have written several articles for Banjo Newsletter on this very subject because I have seen students totally wreck their playing by trying to change their hand position. If you’ve got my book, And There You Have It, please turn to page 152, paragraph four and read about Wes.

If you look at Red’s answer closely, you’ll see that it took two or three months for him to get back to the playing level he was at before. And I’m pretty sure that he was practicing many, many hours a day every day of the week. And jamming for hours when he wasn’t practicing. And he was also very, very young.

Changing your hand position is not a simple thing. You’re basically asking yourself to relearn to play. Most of you students also play by yourselves. I would venture to say that changing your hand position cannot be done simply by playing alone.

Everyone has a different hand position. If you’ve got something that works—even if it’s not pretty, even if it’s not like Earl or J.D.—stick with it.

Changing your hand position will not make you play faster, it will not make you play cleaner, it will not make it easier to get any of the licks you are having trouble with. IT IS NOT A CURE ALL for what ails you.

As I’ve said many times the answer to most problems is practice more, play slower. Even the problem of relaxing. And of course, play with other people. Lots.

Alright. Rant over. Heading upstairs to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation!

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Posted in By Murphy, General | 4 Comments »

Flying and Picking (2)

Friday, January 8th, 2010
Red in 1971

Red in 1971

Folks, here’s another installment about learning, whether it’s on a musical instrument or in an airplane. This is something that a great many learners have trouble with, and it’s called RELAXING.

When you’re flying a plane, you have to relax. If you are tensed up you’ll never be able to make the fine physical movements and mental judgments that you need in order to fly and land the plane. If your muscles are tensed up, you’re fighting yourself all the time. You wear yourself out that way, and the delicate things your hands and feet need to do with the controls get lost in the frozen situation of your muscles. You become exhausted, and you don’t get the job done.

So what does this have to do with playing music? Only everything. If you are trying to play your banjo or mandolin or guitar or fiddle and you’re all tensed up, you can’t possibly play the notes with the kind of tone and rhythm that you need to. If you are putting a bunch of muscular effort into things that should need only a few ounces’ pressure, you’re going to come out with some pretty bad-sounding music. Did you ever see J.D. Crowe, Sonny Osborne, Doyle Lawson, Jimmy Gaudreau, or Kenny Baker on stage? Those guys look (and are) RELAXED. The are able to focus all their attention on the notes (and the sound) they want to play, and when they get off stage they’re not worn out– they could get up there and do the same thing again.

Playing tensed-up restricts your tone, your speed, and your ability to really pay attention to the sound you’re making (which, after all, is the point of it). RELAX. You’ll be glad you did.

Red

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Posted in By Red, General | 5 Comments »

Guess Who I Saw

Thursday, January 7th, 2010
Murphy Henry

Murphy Henry

So, for Christmas Casey gave me the DVD boxed set of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the first season. I was a HUGE fan of the original Star Trek and had an enormous crush on Mr. Spock. (I think he reminded me of my father—tall, thin, black hair, silent. Daddy didn’t have the pointed ears, tho.)

I never really got into The Next Generation, tho, so all these episodes are brand spanking new to me.

So the other night I’m sitting there, watching an episode entitled “Where No One Has Gone Before.” (And don’t get me started on how much I like that phrase so much more than the original Star Trek wording “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” [Hi, Cap!])
I can’t possibly describe what the episode is about other than to say that the crew on the Enterprise start seeing things that are not there. (Captain Picard sees his mother serving tea.)

Anyhow, I’m just watching along and all of a sudden there is a string quartet playing, with the seated (male) players all wearing white wigs and 17th or 18th century knee-britches with white stockings. But, wait, there is one who is not dressed like this, who has short, reddish-blonde hair and a very familiar looking face. As the camera moves in closer and his whole I’m-so-happy-to-be fiddling-face fills the screen I realize, it’s Byron Berline! The great bluegrass fiddler! The man who recorded “Gold Rush” and “Sally Goodwin” with Bill Monroe! The guy who played with the original version of the Country Gazette! The fiddler who recorded that great fiddle album with the Dillards. Byron Berline on Star Trek! Byron Berline wearing one of those one-piece clingy Enterprise uniforms. He’s a member of the crew! After the string quartet vanishes, he’s on screen by himself, looking a little sheepish, because of course he imagined it all. (Too bad he couldn’t have conjured up Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys!)

I am freaking out. I call Casey to tell her about it. Of course, I get her voice mail because she is at Hot Yoga. Later, she calls me back and I tell her I saw Byron Berline on Star Trek. She is appropriately enthusiastic. Which makes me happy. I thank her again for the DVDs.

So, just one of life’s little fun things that I thought I’d share! Now, if you’ll excuse me I have to go watch more Star Trek!

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Posted in By Murphy, General | 3 Comments »

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