02/11/08 – Charley’s Slow Jam

I had really been looking forward to making the slow jam at Charley’s this month. I missed it last month, and I really have been itching to jam. I was also curious, and cautiously optimistic, about seeing how much my playing had improved.

I have to say that this jam must have been one of my best in terms of playing. There were at least 6 or 7 songs where I think I sounded pretty good. I was pleased with myself. I think the difference was just playing with confidence and practicing on staying loose. I didn’t really employ any new licks or techniques…I was just loose and raw. It was a lot of fun. It also goes to show that sometimes it is beneficial to take a step back from an instrument or routine for a while.

I have attached three clips that for me were the highlights of the night.

I liked my solo on Tennessee Waltz because I felt like it was very tasteful. The tempo is not killer, but there are a couple of tricky chord changes. This was an example of the benefits of practicing playing by ear and playing the melody.

Tennessee Waltz solo 02/11/08

Listening to the clip, I can say that my solo was not perfect. There were some missed notes, and I didn’t stick that close to the melody. But for me this is a great solo because I was able to verbalize on the mandolin what I was thinking and feeling. It was raw, and that is always good.

The next clip is from my break during Soldiers Joy. I like this clip not because it was raw, but because it shows how far I have come technically on the mandolin. It is a testament to the benefit of playing scales, arpeggio, and my favorite improv exercise.

Soldier’s Joy solo 02/11/08

This was one of the faster songs of the night, and for the most part I stuck with it. I stayed pretty close to the melody, but I was also able to fluidly and freely dance over many notes. I would not have been able to pull out a solo like this 6 months ago.

Finally, I also really liked my solo for “I Am A Pilgrim.” I like this solo because it shows how much it pays off to study the licks of the masters note by note – especially Bill Monroe. I have not studied his solo for this song, but I think that I was able to express a true Bill Monroe style in this break. That knowledge and feel only comes from tabbing out other solos and listening to a song note for note a hundred times.

I Am A Pilgrim solo 02/11/08

So that’s that. I do need to work on my speed. I got lost during Arkansas Traveler because of the speed. I am looking forward to jamming again at the Southwest Bluegrass Club meeting on Sunday. This will be more of test because the jams there are typically much faster. I also want to be ready for the Argyle Bluegrass Festival, where the bluegrass jams are definitely “fast and low to the ground”.

Here is the list of songs we played at Charley’s:

1. Head Over Heels In Love With You
2. Dark Hollow (G)
3. John Henry
4. Wildwood Flower (C)
5. Arkansas Traveler (D)
6. Tennessee Waltz
7. Shady Grove (Dm)
8. Soldier’s Joy (D)
9. Fireball Mail (G)
10. Amazing Grace
11. Nine Pound Hammer (G)
12. Old Joe Clark (A)
13. Red Haired Boy
14. You Are My Sunshine
15. I Am A Pilgrim (G)
16. Worried Man Blues
17. Dear Old Dixie

Filed under: Jam Reflections, Jam Setlist, My Journal , Charley's Jam

11/24/07 – Northport Jam

Saturday afternoon I was able to get out for a jam session at Carl’s house on Northport. For this jam we had Carl on banjo, David on bass, and my good friend Kieth on guitar. About halfway into the jam David switched to fiddle and Kieth picked up the upright bass. To my ears Kieth sounded great on the bass and I think he had fun with it too.

This jam session was just a rocking good time. Everyone was sounding good and having fun. I think that my fast and loose practicing really paid off. I felt that my breaks, while not complicated, were loose, fast and raw. I focused on staying within the chord structure and adding fills around it. I played a lot of blues (7th) notes and double stops. I tried to find the melody within the chord changes.

The following clip is a good example of that. It is “Love Please Come Home” in the key of G. The tricky part of the song is the F chord that gets thrown in. In the past I would have tried to find that note in the melody, and I would have missed. Instead, this time I said “screw it” and just banged on that F chord when its time came. Then I went back to G and hung out on double stops. I brought the whole thing back to the G in the end with a couple of blues notes.

Love Please Come Home_11-24-07_clip

This next clip from “Hold Watcha Got” shows the same idea. I like this clip because I really nailed the Monroe style shuffle about midway through. I tried to fit too much into the very end though…

Hold Watcha Got_11-24-07_audio clip

Again, these solos are not technically magnificent, or even very interesting. But they are driving. “Fast and low to the ground.” Simple, driving and effective.

Listening to the entire jam session and all of my breaks I realize that there is a downside and danger to this method – it gets very predictable. Predictable = boring. I’m not going to sweat it though. As I have stated in the past I think that at this point it is very important to find my voice and style. I need to seek out licks and runs that I like and learn them. Time to fill the ipod up with Monroe recording and keep a notebook by my bed.

Here is the setlist:

• Long Black Veil (A)
• Old Folks At Home (G)
• Old Home Place (G)
• Nine Pound Hammer (G)
• Love Please Come Home (G)
• It Takes a Worried Man (G)
• Hold Whatcha Got (G)
• Dixie Breakdown (G)
• Banks of the Ohio (G)
• Reuben (D)

Filed under: Jam Reflections, Jam Setlist, My Journal