Blurb #2: Festivals, competitions, and getting more mando for your buck!

I'm back!
Back to my house, back to my wifi, back to microwaves, and back on the blog!

I spent this past weekend camping up at the OFOAM (Ogden Friends Of Acoustic Musicians) festival and state instrument competition, which was up in Ogden (as you probably figured). :)
Some friends and I decided to drive up last week to compete and see the amazing Adam Steffey and the legendary Sam Bush!

Sam Bush is well known for his rockin' mandolin and he did not disappoint on Friday, playing well into the night and cold!
I got in a good rest that night though cause Saturday morning brought with it the mandolin competition! (And for those of you who have done one but not the other, performing for an audience and play for judges presents two very different psychological challenges! The latter of which is quite a bit more stressful for me!) ;)

But I had been working towards this for months and so I was ready!...I hoped. ;)
(Fyi, I played my own arrangements of Salt Creek and New Chance Blues. Two great tunes!)

So, how did I do...?!

...yeah, other than the grubby camping garb...

I got the blue ribbon! :)
I was pretty excited to win first! I also got some great prizes like the Loar mandolin and the automatic contest entry to nationals and 5-day festival pass at Winfield!
I was also happy to be with my Mother when I got the award.
My Mom has always been such a great support to me at competitions, performances, and beyond! And so it was such a treat when she surprised me and drove up that morning to see me get my award!
Love you Mom! :)


By the way, if you are looking into buying a not-so-expensive mandolin that has good sound and build, I have to say the Loar LM 220-vs, at under $400, is great! (Most mandos only start sounding good at the $1,000 point, and then can even climb up to $10,000!)
I have to tell you I wasn't sure about it at first, but once I got jamming on it I was pleasantly surprised!
I play a Collings MT myself, which is just beautiful and hard to top, but I will enjoy playing this Loar at jams and festivals cause of its good bluegrass tone coloring, projection (which is important for acoustic jams), and playability.


The music at this festival was great, and it had some new and interesting bands that caught my ear, like: Elephant Revival (you have got to watch their percussionist play! YouTube them!), Run Boy Run (beautiful arrangements and vocals), and the Ugly Valley Boys (just plain bluesy fun).

It was a fun festival with prizes, friends, and jamming, but one of my favorite parts about it was meeting Adam Steffey and the beautiful music his band, The Boxcars, played!
Adam pulls tone out of the mandolin like Rumpelstiltskin spins gold! (...that was weird...Redo!)
Adam pulls tone out of the mandolin like no one else! He also has so much finesse and taste in his playing!
Plus, if you have noticed, he is one of the few non-tenor bluegrass male vocalists. ;)

Such a great and genuinely nice guy! (And 6'4" by the looks of it, which continues to say a lot for tall mandolin pickers.) ;)

So, now I'm back home relaxing (and thankfully showered!) and making plans to go to Winfield this September.

Until next time!
-E :)

The Art of Jamming - for the new or experienced picker

Are you tired of not getting asked to jam? 

Do you want to play in a bluegrass band but aren't getting picked up? 

Even though you may be a good player and even have a knack for picking tunes up, there may be a few things you have overlooked that could solve all your problems!

Sorry, couldn't help it. ;)

Hi there! It's me again! 

Today I felt like bringing up a topic which tends to get overlooked or forgotten by many a musician. 

Back-up is the name of the game! 

And I'm not just talking about mandolin and guitar players. Though back-up can be a bit different on each instrument, they all play it (yes, even the fiddles). ;)  

The name 'back-up' sounds just like what it is. You are not playing the melody but instead are being a support to it. 

Musicians who play back-up at any given moment should act as a compliment to, not a distraction from the song or breaks (solos) within it.  

I could just get into the intricacies of bluegrass band arrangements and how to use a good sense for back-up as a tool of total awesomeness but I think that it is more important to talk about the Jam.

I say 'more important' because the jam is pretty much the sunday school and missionary field of great bluegrass picking and bowing. (I know, weird analogies but go with me on this.) ;)

The Jam. 

It's a place of learning, leading, following, and observing. It's a place to be creative and take risks but most of all it's a great place to listen.

   

If you want to be a good, and especially a great picker you not only need to learn to play but also how to listen, and I don't mean just listening to yourself.

The best bands out there know this and are tuned into the sound of the band as a whole. They understand each instrument's unique voicing and know how to best compliment and play off each other. It's a constant game of balance, juggle, and lock-in throughout a single tune. You could say that it is this ever changing and adapting of the musicians and their instruments that give a song it's breath or life pulse. And you can only do that with good listening ears.

Now, you could say there are these unwritten rules for jamming, and though these may be more heavily suggested at one jam then another it is always safe to go by it. ;)

Note: This can also be a good review for the non-beginner, as well! 

May I present...

The Patterson rules of the jam! 

(Well, they're more like guide lines..) ;)

1. Typically, whomever picks the song is in charge of starting, giving direction when needed, and ending it the song.  

(To signal a tune's end just simply lift a foot for everyone to see...or bust a jig! Your choice.)

2. Typically, a whole melody is played through once by the person kicking it off and then is passed down one person at a time around the circle, clock-wise or counter, what ever you like. If your turn is coming up and you don't want to take a break just signal to the person in line after you. They will either take it or pass as well and it will just keep moving down the line.

3. Everyone will have a chance to choose a song as it moves down the line so don't worry, you'll be up soon. And again if you don't have a tune you want to play just pass. 

4. One should pick a tune to play that most the people in the group know. If you pick a song that may be a little too obscure it may end up being a 'Jam Buster'. (Meaning, you might be the only one who knows the song well enough to play it or for it to be fun. No one wants a jam buster.) ;)

5. Always, when one person is taking a break everyone else playing back-up should adjust their volume to accommodate the instrument taking the break. For example, the banjo and fiddle are typically louder when taking a break than the mandolin or guitar are, therefore the back-up should adjust to this change in volume.

And here lie possibly the two most common and aggravating 'Jam Busters'. The 'I-would-love-to-hear-your-break-but-I-enjoy-the-sound-of-my-own-chords/back-up-far-too-much-to-tune-it-down-a-little' syndrome which can then be followed by the 'No-one-can-really-hear-this-guy's-break-so-I'll-just-play-the-melody-with-him' counter by another. These are two risky moves that may luckily result only in a death glare. ;) 

And us mandolinists are not always completely innocent, mind you. Mandolinist love their 'chop' chords and think it sounds cool to play the melody on top of the fiddle sometimes. ;) 

There you have the basics for making a good jam and being a great band mate. Hope this helps! 

And if the jams you go to tend to sound more like this...

...then it might be a good time to share some of these tips with your friends. :)

Happy Jammin'! 

-E :)