As some of you know, I’ve been a working Classic Rock drummer since the mid sixties. Back in those days it wasn’t called Classic Rock. It was just the current popular music trend, Rock & Roll. I’ve also played Country, Western, Orchestral, Country & Western, Southern Rock, Contemporary and Blues Rock. One might ask, “What does this have to do with Bluegrass?” Well, nothing! But these have been the building blocks for me to have a good understanding of the instruments used in Bluegrass. The snare drum is the mandolin chop, opposite the bass drum beats of the upright bass. Ride cymbals provide the rhythm of the guitar. Then the banjo and fiddle moving melodically in and out of each tune as the tom toms would provide intimate rolls. It has given me a keen since of tempo. Furthermore, any good musician can appreciate the tempo staying steady whilst playing a tune. It’s just like standing on the podium with the little white stick. “Tap, Tap ,Tap.” Except you’re sitting in the back, behind everybody else, with your tool belt strapped on.
My Bluegrass Journey or How I got Hooked on Bluegrass
Once I turned Fifty years old. I decided to regenerate my brain cells and learn something that I had never done before. Get a fresh start in life, as it were. So one day I was listening to an Alan Jackson recording. I heard this instrument in the background. As ignorant as I am, I thought it sounded like a ukulele. So what did I do? I went out and bought a ukulele. Come to find out, after reading the liner notes, I’d made a huge mistake. The sound I heard was a Mandolin. At the same time, I noticed an advertisement for a Gospel Bluegrass Program at a local Church that Bob Thomas had placed in the Penny-Saver. I asked my wife if she would be interested in attending this program as we had never been to anything like this ever. We sat in the front row and were completely amazed by the musicianship of these guys playing all acoustic instruments. I could not take my eyes off of the mandolin player. I told my wife right then and there, the mandolin was what I wanted to learn how to play. So I sold the ukulele and bought a mandolin. So began, My Bluegrass Journey. The band that night was Lost Highway, featuring the late Ken Orrick with Eric Ulgum on mandolin. I was Hooked on Bluegrass!
For the next year, I spent every waking moment listening to Bluegrass as I watched all of my rock and roll memories fade away. By this time I had already sold off two of my three drum sets. So this must have been a serious transition I was going through. I noticed that Bluegrass music was very similar to Rock. There are Bluegrass Bands that have such a hard drive to the music. It just makes one want to get up and dance! That is exactly the type of music I enjoy playing on drums. Dance music! I also attended Bluegrass Shows to experience amazing musicianship, Live. I attended the famous Thursday night slow jam in the Sacramento area. Dropped into the 5th String occasionally for the Thursday night jam. This was on the advice of the instructors that were trying to teach me the mandolin at the 5th String. I even managed a Thursday at the Father’s Day Festival.
Now, mind you, instructors are a very good experience even for the most talented musicians. But when you have never played a stringed instrument. Having always played a very primeval instrument. On top of being “bull-headed.” I never had a good relationship with any instructor. One appeared very exhausted after each session. I actually remember asking a different mandolin instructor a very important question. Since the mandolin and the violin are the same tuning, “Would it be in my best interest to learn to play the violin?” My instructors response: “Only if you desire to increase the frustration in your life.” I took heed and went right out and bought a violin. Then my violin instructor informed me that everything I had learned on the mandolin would also apply to the violin. In theory this may be very true, provided one already knows how to play the mandolin well. At that time, I didn’t. So the instructor was right about being “frustrated!” I knew I should have paid more attention in school.
So now all of a sudden, Homespun Tapes ended up being my new best friend. If you are like me, then these self teaching tools saved my life. Mostly because there were all of the standard parking lot jam tunes all tabbed out and easy to learn. Even the very difficult songs were made easy to play. Not to mention that if I didn’t get it, I’d press rewind and experience it again without any negative feedback.
Folks, it looks like I have spent my dime for this month. I will continue my travels next month. I hope you all will look forward to my next installment. This journey has just begun. I will do my best to make it as interesting as one’s life can ever expect to be.
Thank You for Listening
