The Science of Bluegrass Harmony Singing

One of the first things that drew me to bluegrass was the harmony singing. There’s something about close harmonies, tight stacks with a high lonesome tenor, or a full-on four-part gospel harmony that can send chills. Our responses to harmony may seem...

Gettin’ Your Mind Right

Life presents us with a number of events for which we must be prepared. Of course, mostly life deals us events for which we have no preparation, but sometimes, we have something important coming up and we want to be ready. How do you get ready?Muscle memory is...

Paraprosdokian Sentences, Bluegrass Style

Paraprosdokian sentences are based on a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader (or listener) to reinterpret or re-frame the first part. Paraprosdokian is from the Greek meaning...

No Funny Hat Gigs

Made it, I’m done until next year! Only had to play those dang christmas songs four or five times this year. I had 4 gigs in December before Christmas, all with different players. These aren’t bands just groups of musicians playing “casuals”, as my...

Foibles, Bon Mots and Thoughts

“It was a bright cold day in April and the clock was striking thirteen.”  George Orwell 1984   “With the coming of spring I am calm again.”  Gustav Mahler “April is a promise that May is bound to keep.”. Hal Borland It’s April...