by Christine | Jan 20, 2021 | Welcome Column
There was a really fascinating article in the January 18th issue of New Yorker about a book called “Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning”. In this book (which I guess I’ll have to read), the author touts the benefits of beginning to learn...
by Christine | Jan 21, 2021 | Welcome Column
Back in the 1980s there was a running joke in the magazine of the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association (MBOTMA). Musicians would be asked “What do you keep in your instrument case, as well as your instrument?” I may be an unduly suspicious...
by Christine | Jan 22, 2021 | Welcome Column
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...
by Christine | Jan 23, 2021 | Welcome Column
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...
by Christine | Jan 24, 2021 | Welcome Column
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...
by Christine | Jan 26, 2021 | Welcome Column
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...
by Christine | Apr 2, 2021 | Welcome Column
“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...
by Christine | Apr 1, 2021 | Welcome Column
As my year in pandemic captivity ends, I’ve been listening to a lot of music lately. Being the eclectic kind of guy I am, I have to confess it hasn’t been all bluegrass. I believe that listening to music is almost as important as working your chops in the ‘shed....
by Christine | Mar 31, 2021 | Welcome Column
We all know how important it is to play in tune, especially when we play with others. We also know that we have to listen very carefully whenever we tune our instruments. Music sounds so much better played in tune! Hopefully everybody in your next jam tunes carefully...
by Christine | Mar 17, 2021 | Welcome Column
(Editor’s Note: Here’s one of Bruce’s efforts from a while back) I have heard of ancient artisans who were so skilled in their craft, that when they completed one of their exquisite works, they deliberately added some tiny flaw, so as not to offend the gods. I have...
