Archive for the ‘jamming’ Category

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Bass playing– ON the beat, please!

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Red Henry

Yesterday evening I went out to a local weekly jam session. This event started a couple of years ago and has turned into an informal outdoor concert, with a dozen or more pickers and a hundred or so listeners every week. The players are all local folks, and I enjoy playing music with them. But every so often something will happen to make the music hard to play.

When I arrived and joined the session yesterday evening, a person was playing bass and doing well with it. She knew all the songs, and played solidly on the beat. This really helped the jam session hold together.

After about an hour, though, she needed a break, and was replaced by another player. He got through the first number, though a little shakily. Then when a fiddle player kicked off the next tune (Golden Slippers, in G), the bass player started playing his notes on the off-beat, and stayed there.

Now, bass players play their notes on the ON-beat, not the OFF-beat. When a bass player is playing on the off-beat instead (like a mandolin’s rhythm), it makes the music sound pretty weird. This time, it seemed as if half the players stayed with the fiddler’s rhythm, and the others were wandering a bit between the fiddle and the bass. It was a pretty diffuse sound. I stopped playing after the first few beats of the tune, and decided it was time to pack up and go home.

I applaud all the folks who want to come out and play, but it’s better when the bass player just plays on the beat. It’s easier for everybody!

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Playing Helps!

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Red Henry


Now, some folks may think that I’ve just written either a commonplace or a conundrum in that title: Playing Helps. Helps what? Explain yourself, Red.

Well, most of you have already found out that practicing your instrument helps your playing. Practicing may not make your playing perfect (the old saw is not literally true for anybody, in fact) but time spent playing your banjo, mandolin, guitar, bass, or other instrument does usually pay off in your ability to play better music.

But I’m also talking about the instrument itself. Except for banjos, the instruments we play are primarily delicate, precision wooden boxes designed to produce sound. This means that if they’re not played, they stiffen up and don’t sound as good. But if they’re played at least a few times a week, they’ll give their best and sound as good as they can!

This works two ways. If you don’t play very much, your mandolin or guitar may sound pretty dull when you pick it up, and you might not feel like playing it at all. But if you keep the instrument “played in,” it sounds really good when you play the first few notes, and those encourage you to play more. Much more.

It doesn’t take a lot of playing to keep your instrument loose and sounding good. Just as with your own practicing, even 15 minutes a day will be enough to do some good and help the instrument stay in good sound. So don’t spend a lot of time analyzing your playing or your instrument. Just play!

Red

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Take it Easy (Flying and Picking #15)

Friday, July 23rd, 2010


Have you ever taken several days (or weeks) off from your music, and then tried to get back in practice? Every musician I know has done this. And as you have found out, sometimes it isn’t easy!

As many of you Gentle Readers know, I’ve been learning to fly and recently got my license. I’ve been flying regularly for several months, when the weather permitted. Flying takes practice, just like music. But I recently took several days off, and so now I’ll start getting back in practice– I have a short flight scheduled today to practice some landings, and then I’ll make a cross-country flight on Sunday to freshen up my ability to navigate to airports far from home. I didn’t want to take off on that cross-country flight “cold,” as you might call it. I wanted to get a shorter flight to warm up with first.

Music’s the same way. When you’ve taken several days off, don’t expect to dive in for several hours and get it back all at once. That can lead to a lot of frustration. Instead, “gentle” yourself into it by practicing a half-hour or hour each day for a while. You’ll find your playing ability coming back without having to strain. And when you’ve had a few of those short practices, your fingers and brain will be ready for longer sessions when you can really start soaking up music again. Don’t worry– the music will come back. Just take it easy.

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Unfamiliar situations: Flying and Picking #14

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Did you ever try to play music in a place that wasn’t familiar, and found yourself so distracted by the room, or the people, or the lighting, or the phase of the moon, that you had trouble playing? Or did you learn to play music while sitting down all the time, and then try to play while standing up? It might have been uncomfortable at first. You were in an unfamiliar situation.

I was reminded of this two nights ago, when I flew my very first night solo (well, my first since 1971). I’d flown several times at night recently with my instructor, but hadn’t tried it alone. So I took off about sunset and just practiced landings over and over, and kept at it as it got really dark.

Now, I’ve made about 400 daytime landings or so in the last 7 months. So I’m pretty familiar with them now. But now I was flying at night, and the situation was different. I really had to concentrate to find some of the same visual clues I’m used to in the daytime, and I had to adopt some new ones. But it worked. The results? 11 pretty good landings, including the last 3 in the pitch dark. But it did take concentration and practice in the new, dark situation (making those landings over and over). It was a gradual thing, but finally I was pretty comfortable with it. I really had to concentrate, but it just took some practice.

You can make the same kind of adjustment when you’re playing music in an unfamiliar situation. If you’re put off your stride (or even freaked out) by standing up to play, or playing in a new place, or playing in front of people, or playing in a group you’re not used to, then don’t concentrate on the unfamiliar stuff. Simplify what you’re doing and concentrate on yourself and the notes you’re playing. Keep your eyes on your instrument and play tunes you can play in your sleep, or your favorite basic backup licks, or just vamp until you have your hands and mind under control again. Let your brain assimilate the new variables a little at a time, and eventually you’ll get used to the new situation. Play your same familiar tunes and licks over and over standing up, for example, and you’ll get to where you can stand up in a group and handle not only your oldest material but new things as well. Practice at different places in your house, or your yard. Play when one or two family or friends are around– not suddenly for a crowd, but gradually. Even if you’re freaked out at first, it just takes some practice!

Red

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

A Meeting of Mandolins

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Red Henry

Red Henry


Folks, I just ran across a photo and wanted to share it with you. A few years ago, a member of the “Co-Mando” mandolin email list held a gathering at his house in Maryland, a couple of hours’ drive from here. Our friend David McLaughlin rode over to the gathering with me, and we joined nine or ten other mandolin players for an afternoon of visiting and picking.

At one point, we lined up our mandolins on a soft couch so that everyone there could try all of them out (it’s called a “mandolin tasting”, and someone took a photo. Here it is:
Mandos104

Seen here at the party are 11 mandolins, my mandola, and my home-made mandocello conversion. Among the mandolins are the two I brought (Randy Wood #1 and #3), as well as the one David brought (a 1923 F-5). Others seen in the photo include two Rigel mandolins, one late-1950s Gibson, and a few other makes. The other pickers were especially excited to have the chance to play that 1923 F-5, after David generously put it on the couch for “tasting.” They were also amused to play Randy Wood #3, the one formerly owned by Bill Monroe, and get themselves a few molecules of Bill as they played. (My four instruments in the picture are distinguished by their light-colored maple bridges.) See if you can pick out David’s Loar in the photo!

As you can guess, a good time was had by all. And we’ve got the pictures to prove it!

Red

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Posted in By Red, Improvising, Instruments, Mandolin Bridges, jamming, pictures | 3 Comments »

Earned the License! (Flying and Picking #12)

Friday, June 25th, 2010

Red Henry

Red Henry

Folks, I’m going to break away from those excellent postings from Kaufman Kamp to tell you about something else good that happened this week. As many of you know I’ve been learning to fly, and on Wednesday I got my license! It’s been a huge 7-month-long project, studying and flying all I could, but it finally happened. I took the flying examination (called a “check ride”), and passed with– yes, I’ll say it– flying colors.

This flight exam was in the same old rusty Cessna 172 you see in that photo above, registration number N51056. I’ve flown about 121 hours so far, mostly in that same airplane, and the plane and I have come to know each other pretty well. Now I’ll start flying a couple of times a week just for fun, in this airplane and others, and enjoy the flights even more, because now there’s no pressure about making the grade. Although I expect to keep learning forever, now I’m an independent pilot.

And what (to ask it again), does this have to do with playing music? A lot. The more I fly, the more connection I see with music. You’ll have some goals when you learn to play, such as playing your first tune all the way through without stopping or losing your place; being able to play your tunes while your teacher plays rhythm for you on a guitar; someday being able to play along with the group in a jam session, and maybe even performing at parties, small concerts, at church, or for folks at nursing homes. But along the way, you really hit a landmark when you can play your tunes standing up, at a reasonable speed, in a jam session. That’s what Murphy sometimes calls “becoming an independent banjo player” (or mandolin player, or fiddle, or guitar, or whatever). Although you still have lots you can learn, you might say that that’s when you’ve earned your license. And it’s good.

Red

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Posted in By Red, Learning By Ear, jamming | 8 Comments »

White Springs: a Vignette

Friday, June 18th, 2010

Red Henry

Red Henry

At the Florida Folk Festival, Chris, John, and I were picking at our campsite, warming up to play a set. Since John knows a great many of Bill Monroe’s tunes and plays them on the banjo, we were exploring the Monroe “deep catalog.” We did play ‘Jerusalem Ridge’, but we also played ‘Old Ebeneezer Scrooge’ and ‘Come Hither to Go Yonder’ and ‘The Old Mountaineer’ and ‘Crossing the Cumberlands’ and ‘Right, Right On’ and more.

A person who was new to this kind of music stood by one side and listened. When we finished one tune she asked, “Who wrote that music that you’re playing?” I replied, “Bill Monroe.” She asked, “Is it authentic?”

I pointed to John and said, “That man right there was playing banjo for Bill when he was writing and playing these tunes, and yes, it’s authentic!”

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Pickin’ With The Family

Thursday, June 17th, 2010
Murphy Henry

Murphy Henry

This past weekend, Casey and Red and I attended the high school graduation of my niece Caroline Marshall Pate down near Charlotte, N.C. These teenage rites-of-passage have become a Big Deal in our extended family, so all four of my sisters and their offspring were there, along with all three brothers-in-law. Which, I do believe, was a first. This was also the first high school graduation that my parents have missed, so I was aware of a little sad place in my heart amongst all the celebrating. They are simply unable to travel anymore, so we were on our own. Scary.

Naturally, when this many of us get together, music is always a possibility, but since this was Caroline’s Big Day and my motto was “It’s all about Caroline,” I checked with my sister Nancy to see what she thought about the idea of a small family jam. She wisely said, “Let’s wait and see.”

After the ceremony, when we’d all gathered back at the Pate Place and were wolfing down pizza, shrimp, watermelon, and cake (Caroline’s faves) and catching up on niece Helena’s new boyfriend and niece Mac’s summer job, one of Caroline’s friends asked if we were going to play music. I checked in with Nancy saying, “Vicki asked” and again she wisely said, “After presents and cake.”

Opening presents was a bit poignant as, in the past, Mama has always given the grandkids a graduation quilt which they have all taken on to college. (Even Christopher.) Luckily, Mama had made a lot of quilts (usually from our old clothes!), so Caroline got hers. I enjoyed seeing her and her cousins pointing to bits of fabric and saying, “I’ve got that in my quilt, too!” Mama would have so enjoyed that.

As everyone was finishing off their cake, I started rounding up musicians and instruments because It Was Time. I grabbed a guitar, Red, a mandolin, Casey another guitar (she was working on her calluses for leading the slow jam at Kaufman Kamp!), and bro-in-law Mike Johnson (Argen’s husband and builder of my Gibson neck), a banjo. Friends and family gathered around in attentive audience formation.

We started off briskly with the Stanley Brothers’ “Shouting on the Hills of Glory” in G because I happened to think of it. And I knew Nancy could add the high baritone part above Red’s lead and my tenor. We were off and running! Other songs that surfaced during the course of the evening included:

Uncloudy Day
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
More Handsome Men Than One (Casey)
M and M Blues (me, at a request from Caroline’s dad, Rad)
East Virginia Blues
When You and I Were Young Maggie (Nancy)
Cry From the Cross
Shine, Hallelujah, Shine
Brethren We Have Met To Worship
Do Lord
Mountain Dew
This Little Light of Mine

Nancy and daughters Caroline and Natalie, who harmonize beautifully together, sang “Angel Band” and “Washed in the Blood”. Then later in the proceedings Nancy took over on guitar to sing some of her original songs including “Georgia in the Middle of June” and “Pray For Rain”.

And if you notice a preponderance of gospel songs on the list, well, that’s because Caroline’s aunts were raised Baptist and grew up on the Broadman Hymnal. (I know you weren’t and didn’t, Marty, and I feel your pain.) So, we did many of these songs as “sing alongs,” which is, technically, not the Bluegrass Way, but which I am coming to love again. Also, my niece Mac, who just finished her second year at Yale, is deep into listening to the Hicks Sisters’ gospel project, With Sweet Accord, and has learned the words to most of the songs on the cassette. She was joining in with great gusto and her enthusiasm made me happy. I strongly suspect she will be taking up the banjo any day now!

But we had The Most Fun with the song “This Little Light of Mine”, which for us, dates back to the Primary Department in Sunday School where we learned it with hand motions. Your index finger is “the light” and you wave it around to “shine.” You also cup your other hand over your finger when you sing the verse “Hide it under a bushel, NO! I’m gonna let it shine.” And when you sing “Won’t let Satan blow it out” instead of saying the word “blow” you actually pucker your lips and expel a breath of air. All very exciting stuff to a six-year-old. And here we were, fifty years later, still getting on our “inner child.”

After those initial verses, sister Claire led us into the third with “Shine all over Waxhaw, I’m gonna let it shine.” (Waxhaw is where Caroline and family live. We usually sing “Clarkesville,” our old hometown.) Then I thought we were done with the song, but NO! Claire started in on “Shine all over Caroline, I’m gonna let it shine” and actually got up and moved over to “shine” her “light” on Caroline, who took it all in with much aplomb. And then I thought we were done. But, NO! Claire was on to, “Won’t let Caroline blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine,” which I thought was hysterical, and totally appropriate for an eighteen-year-old heading off for college in the fall with all the myriad temptations that will be waiting for her there. (I’m sure she’ll do fine, Nance. She’s been Raised Right.)

I see I have failed to mention my nephew Andrew, 14, (Laurie and David’s son) and his friend Tristan (visiting from Clarkesville who is my occasional mandolin student and who was completely in awe of Red’s playing). They were both Good Boys and pretty much stayed out of the way. They will no doubt Go Far. (And if you’re wondering about all these Random Capitalizations, I got the idea from Ferrol Sams’ fabulous book Run With the Horsemen, which is about growing up in rural Georgia in the forties. If you haven’t read this, Marty, it’s A Must. He’s a doctor, too.)

Red and I got up early the next morning to drive the six hours back to Winchester where I had an afternoon square dance to attend in Hagerstown, Maryland. And durned if we didn’t dance to “This Little Light of Mine”! How weird is that! I was dancing with one of the West Virginia callers, Rich Steadman, and we were singing to each other as we promenaded around the square. And then, in talking to Rich’s wife Lou (who was kind enough to let me Dance With Her Man), I found out Rich is from Maryville, Tenn., which is where I will be next week for Kaufman Kamp. Again, what a strange, unforeseen connection. Is the Universe speaking? I hope I’m listening!

And on that note I will close, get out of my pajamas and into my day clothes, and go pick up my car at the Toyota repair place. I wanted it to be in good shape for my drive to Kaufman Kamp and then onto the National Square Dance Convention in Louisville, Kentucky! See you in one place or the other!

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Florida Folk Festival — Day 4 — Sunday, May 30th

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Red Henry

Red Henry


Sunday was another long and musical day at White Springs. The morning dawned high and dry, with no sign of the deluge we’d had the previous evening. After begging some morning coffee (essential for survival), I tuned up my mandolin and guitar and contemplated the day. We had a set to play at the River Gazebo, specified to be primarily of Florida songs. We have quite a few of those in our band repertoire, so I started picking out a few. There were some I rejected. “Abraham Washington”? — maybe too grim for Sunday. “Gospel Snakes”? — Dale had performed that one on Saturday. But we had plenty more up our sleeves.

By “we” I mean Red and Chris Henry and our All-Star Band, which includes John Hedgecoth (banjo), Jenny Leigh (fiddle), and Barbara Johnson (bass), all three of whom are great pickers. In spite of only performing together a few times per year, we have plenty of material worked up and are always learning more– we managed to play two hour-long sets at Gamblefest without repeating anything– and we have a good time playing music together.

First thing on the day’s program was to back up our friend Dale Crider for his set on the Old Marble Stage. We all traipsed over there at the appropriate time, and Dale launched into his set.

Now, Dale’s mind works quickly and creatively. (I have already mentioned his “Mangrove Buccaneer” song posted by Ron Johnson at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18-Kt4UKmII , in which Dale’s cat-like powers of recovery are demonstrated.) But after Dale arrived a few minutes late for his own set on Friday, and was only prevented from singing one of his own songs which we’d already done by the kindness of a vocal audience member, he’d gotten skittish about repeating a song. Before singing one of his songs at the Old Marble Stage, he paused and asked the audience, “Have I already done this one?” — it’s a good thing he asked them instead of us. I leaned into my mike and said, “Dale KNOWS that if he’d already sung it, WE would stand right here and let him sing it AGAIN!” – but correctly reassured by the audience that he hadn’t done it yet, Dale sang “Mangrove Buccaneer” to end the set. Good job, Dale.

After a break back in the campground, it was time for us to go down to the River Gazebo and play. Before our set I chatted for a while with distinguished Florida folks Larry Mangum and Frank Thomas, and also met Nancy Crockford, an accomplished violinist who was interested in learning fiddle. I’ll send you a couple of our Murphy Method fiddle-instruction DVDs, Nancy. Then it was time for us to play.

Since Christopher and I like playing double-harmony mandolins together so much, we started out with a fine Bill Monroe tune called “Tallahassee”. Chris and Jenny contributed Florida songs of their own, and then John sang his “Florida Sunshine” tribute to White Springs in olden days. The crowd really liked all these but at that point we were running short on time, so we did a quick guitar-harmony rendition of Will McLean’s “Osceola’s Last Words” and finished out with an abbreviated double-mandolin version of “Rawhide” — not exactly a Florida song, I suppose, but to get five out of six isn’t bad.

Last on our day’s schedule was a set by Dale at the Gazebo, alternating songs with Jeannie Fitchen. We had a good time playing, and listening to Jeannie, and playing, and listening, until it was time for Frank Thomas to take center stage and lead us all in “Old Folks at Home”. What a good day, and what a great festival!

After the set John needed to get back to Nashville, but the rest of us loaded up our stuff and drove down to Dale’s place at Windsor, on the shores of Lake Newnan. The thunderstorms were threatening as we set out, and let go some gully-washing rains as we drove. On Monday, we’d be recording with Dale!

Next time: Day 5!

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Posted in By Red, DVDs, Video clips, jamming, shows | 2 Comments »

Florida Folk Festival — Day 3

Friday, June 11th, 2010
Red Henry

Red Henry

We last left you after a long (and mostly dry) Friday at the Florida Folk Festival. Saturday morning I awoke after a good night’s sleep of 6 hours, begged some coffee, and got ready for the day. Again on Saturday we were to back up Dale Crider on a set, this time at the Azalea Stage, and then play a set of our own at 3:00 on the historic (and fun) Old Marble Stage. I say “and fun” because it is. The Old Marble Stage tent is typically crowded with festival-goers who are a lot of fun to play music for.

I got my mandolin and guitar tuned up about the time the rest of the band woke up and showed up at the campground. By “the rest of the band” I mean that we are Red and Chris Henry and Their All-Star Band: Besides Chris and myself we have my uncle John Hedgecoth, who (among other items in his long resume) played banjo for a while with Bill Monroe; Jenny Leigh, a young and talented fiddler who can play many styles well; and Barbara Johnson, who needs no introduction to a Florida audience, on bass. It’s fun to play music with this group.

Chris, Jenny, Red, and John

Chris, Jenny, Red, and John

Along with playing our sets, Jenny was going to enter the Florida State Fiddle Contest, so she, along with Chris to back her up on guitar, went over to the big Dance Tent at the appropriate time. Meanwhile, John, Barbara, and I ambled over to the Azalea Stage to see what trouble we could make for Dale Crider during his show. We all took the stage and Dale was in fine form, preaching the Florida Environment Gospel and singing his songs. Our friend Ron Johnson was there, camera in hand, and immortalized two of Dale’s numbers on YouTube:

“Apalachicola Doin’ Time”

“Mangrove Buccaneer”

(…in the second of which, perspicacious listeners will note, Dale’s amazing cat-like powers of recovery are demonstrated.)

. . . . .

After Dale’s set I went back over to the Dance Tent, where Jenny was just about to play her tunes in the state fiddle contest. She played a couple of unbeatable tunes, and— you can guess it— she won the contest! So now we have a Florida Fiddle Champion in the band.

After some picking with our friends Barbara and Gary back at the campground, the time for our own set was coming up, so we all moseyed over to the Old Marble Stage. Enjoyed visiting briefly with Donna Green-Townsend and our old musical friends the Peyton Brothers, and then it was time for us to play. I figured we’d pull out all the stops, so we kicked off the show with a high-energy homemade instrumental, “Centerville Road.” Then Chris and I launched into an old Bill Monroe number, “Toy Heart.” Then Chris sang one of his excellent original numbers, “Walkin’ West to Memphis,” and the folks liked it a lot.

John was next, and he sang a special song he’d re-written from one of Bill Monroe’s songs, “My Florida Sunshine.” The chorus goes like this:

“Way down in the state of Florida, Florida,
where the old Suwannee River flows,
My Sweetheart is waiting for me, for me…
[dramatic musical pause],
‘way down where the orange tree grows.”

–and John had re-written the verses all about the White Springs festival in the old days! Cousin Thelma Boltin was in there. So were Dale Crider, Gamble Rogers, and Will McLean, and others who had played on that same stage long ago. The song was fun to sing.

Now it was time for a tune from Jenny, and she chose “Paddy on the Turnpike,” a real barn-burner. John, Chris, and I all took a turn with it, and we finished it up by playing it one time through together. Mercy, what a tune! And the audience caught the band’s excitement.

Christoper and I enjoy playing the mandolin together, so now we played a double-mandolin arrangement on “Pelham,” another of his originals. The tune has a lot of spirit, and the folks liked it. And then (at the risk of playing three instrumentals in a row) we ended the set with “Helton Creek,” the title cut from our latest CD. Everybody played great, and the listeners gave us a very nice response for which we’re all grateful.

What a set! Then it was time to rest. Or so we thought… we got back to the campground just in time for the deluge!

This was not just a thunderstorm. This was one Florida cloudburst after another, going on for a couple of hours! Right away there were puddles on the ground a couple of inches deep. We huddled under the awning which Gary had brought, and waited for the storm to stop. But the entertainment was not over yet! Just as the storm was starting John hurried to get something out of his van, and (for the first time in his life, which I believe, knowing what a methodical person he is) locked his keys inside. So as the storm was pouring water down in buckets I was on the cell-phone to AAA, and sure enough, after about an hour a locksmith came out from Lake City, found the campground and our site somehow, and as the rain was letting off he let John back into his car. Mercy.

The rain went on and on, and everybody was too wet to pick. I heard some music over in the direction of the Mayhaws’ big awning, but at that point I was too wiped out to go and cause any trouble. That was it for the night, but it had been a great day! — as usual at White Springs!

Red

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Posted in By Red, jamming, shows | 15 Comments »

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