. . . actually, two funny things happened yesterday. Only the first is topical for this blog, but I’m going to tell you about both of them anyway. When I sat down Sunday morning to check my email, I thought it was going to be quick: in and out and I’d be on my way… Continue reading A Funny Thing Happened Yesterday
Month: August 2010
New Custom Lessons Available
I wanted to give y'all an update on the new additions to the custom lesson catalog. Just today I've recorded a lesson on the high break to "Fireball Mail." I think this one used to be on the old TMM cassettes; I think that's where I learned it. But it never made it onto video.… Continue reading New Custom Lessons Available
Around the Net
Yesterday the Henrys popped up in a couple of other places around the internet: First, Ted Lehmann, photographer and blogger, posted an illustrated account of his visit to the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival. He talks about the Dixie Bee-Liners about three-quarters of the way down the page and there are a couple pictures of yours truly.… Continue reading Around the Net
Reuben’s Surprise
Last weekend the Dixie Bee-Liners played at the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival in Pennsylvania. It’s only a couple of hours from my parents’ house, so I drove up the day before and spent the night with them. We were minus our fiddler for this gig, because her Army-officer boyfriend was home on leave from Afghanistan for… Continue reading Reuben’s Surprise
Bass playing– ON the beat, please!
Yesterday evening I went out to a local weekly jam session. This event started a couple of years ago and has turned into an informal outdoor concert, with a dozen or more pickers and a hundred or so listeners every week. The players are all local folks, and I enjoy playing music with them. But… Continue reading Bass playing– ON the beat, please!
The Whirlwind England Trip
I made it to England and back in one piece. The big festival we played there was really wonderful, and the little mini-festival was fun in a more low-key sort of way. Here are some pictures to illustrate the experience. We flew out of Dulles Airport, which required a six-hour drive from our meeting place… Continue reading The Whirlwind England Trip
Playing Helps!
Now, some folks may think that I've just written either a commonplace or a conundrum in that title: Playing Helps. Helps what? Explain yourself, Red. Well, most of you have already found out that practicing your instrument helps your playing. Practicing may not make your playing perfect (the old saw is not literally true for… Continue reading Playing Helps!
Record yourself!
That's right. Record yourself. That is one of the best ways to hear exactly what your playing sounds like, and to find out what you need to work on. In years past, recording yourself was very easy and cheap to do, with the inexpensive cassette recorders that a lot of folks had. Modern technology makes… Continue reading Record yourself!
Blimey, I’m going to England!
Today the Dixie Bee-Liners take off for England where we’ll play two days: Friday at a big folk festival in Cropredy put on by the Fairport Convention, Saturday at a mini-festival called Cold Dog Soup, held at the Face Bar in Reading. It’s great to have the opportunity to play in the UK, but a… Continue reading Blimey, I’m going to England!
809 mandolin bridges
809 bridges. That's right, 809 of them. That's how many mandolin bridges (mostly maple) I have made since I started making them in the summer of 2002. About 130 of the bridges were experimental models made while I was developing the idea and the design. Here are some of the bridges I made while I… Continue reading 809 mandolin bridges