Started the guitar yesterday.

A brief update. I love the Taylor GS Mini. Pretty much everything I need in a guitar right now. First thing, I am not in a hurry, so any progress is good. When I say that I'm progressing it means I'm progressing little by little steadily moving forward. I've gotten most of the major chords, sevenths, and minor chords in the keys that I like to sing in pretty much down and my fingers have toughened up considerably, which at first was slowing me down. I'm working on some more obscure chords that don't seem to be as obscure with guitar as with ukulele. I'm also developing some different and clever techniques, so those are fun to play around with. I'm also getting a bit better at going back and forth between guitar and ukulele. I haven't given up playing the ukulele.

Okay, before I end it for today, I started playing guitar thinking I wanted to play bluegrass. At this point, after giving some bluegrass music a shot I've decided that I just don't really like bluegrass. Which is fine. I'm exploring other roads and it is still exciting.

Don’t quit on bluegrass yet! Listen to Sam Bush “Majestic” or Doc Watson “ Sittin on top of the world”. Might make you think again.
 
Don’t quit on bluegrass yet! Listen to Sam Bush “Majestic” or Doc Watson “ Sittin on top of the world”. Might make you think again.
I still like listening to it, just doesn't feel like something I want to do myself. Maybe down the road.
 
Don’t quit on bluegrass yet! Listen to Sam Bush “Majestic” or Doc Watson “ Sittin on top of the world”. Might make you think again.

How do you define “Bluegrass”? Is it a definite kinda music, or is it the kinda music that Bluegrass Bands play? :eek:ld:
 
I would define bluegrass as a style of American roots music, as developed by Bill Monroe. It’s a mix of country, blues, folk and gospel. I’ve heard it described as sad songs played at warp speed. It’s general energetic music, but it also has what’s sometimes described as a “high lonesome sound” too.
Like Celtic, it has a strong tradition. It’s usually played w/ fiddle, guitar, 5-string banjo, and mandolin being core instruments in traditional BG. The roles of the instruments and the music format are pretty well defined. Guitar, for example, usually plays a plucked alternating bass and treble brush strum; Mandolin does a percussive back beat chop. Individual instruments take turns soloing after each chorus.
Playing BG mandolin, has really improved my uke playing. BG more or less expects you to be able to play both rhythm and be able to bust out a solo break. It forced me to learn my fretboards and be able to find the melody by ear and be able to improvise. These skills translate reasonably well to uke and guitar.
 
Sounds good - no pun intended. After touring the Martin factory, I was tempted to buy one of their guitars. Then I considered the cost and the fact that I'm still not at a professional level with the uke, and let go of that thought. :D
 
How do you define “Bluegrass”? Is it a definite kinda music, or is it the kinda music that Bluegrass Bands play? :eek:ld:
This isn't a huge deal actually. My exposure to bluegrass is from festivals that I've gone to. I've liked the music and the vibe at the festivals. So to start with I thought that type of music might be fun to play and learn. Now, there is bluegrass music played by bluegrass groups that I hear at the festivals, then there are bluegrass songs from the ten greatest bluegrass songs of all time music book, which are not bluegrass music. They are just songs. You can play them on anything. By themselves I am not particularly connecting like I thought I would. Maybe some day I will get good enough and have an opportunity to sit in with a group and play, but for the time being I need to play songs that inspire me more. That's all.
 
This isn't a huge deal actually. My exposure to bluegrass is from festivals that I've gone to. I've liked the music and the vibe at the festivals. So to start with I thought that type of music might be fun to play and learn. Now, there is bluegrass music played by bluegrass groups that I hear at the festivals, then there are bluegrass songs from the ten greatest bluegrass songs of all time music book, which are not bluegrass music. They are just songs. You can play them on anything. By themselves I am not particularly connecting like I thought I would. Maybe some day I will get good enough and have an opportunity to sit in with a group and play, but for the time being I need to play songs that inspire me more. That's all.

Yeah, Rollie, I agree. “Bluegrass” is the style that Bluegrass bands play. It’s like the stuff that Dixieland bands or Polka bands or even String Quartet groups play. Bluegrass bands play Country and/or Folk music in their distinctive style. I don't think musicians just sit around playin’ Bluegrass music by themselves. The Bluegrass books that one can buy are just country tunes. Bluegrass stuff seems to be more popular than country or folk music.

My understanding is that everyone in a Bluegrass Band is playin’ somethin’ different, and they all blend together to make the style. I know that the banjo is playing rolls and the mandolin is chunkin’ the rhythm, and they all may play solos. I tried working on those banjo rolls for awhile, but I just couldn’t hear the melody. I understand that others have the same problem. Anyway, I switched to clawhammer and enjoyed it a lot ‘til my fingernails got old. Now I play 2 Finger.

I enjoy old timey music much more than Bluegrass, especially when there’s singin’. :eek:ld:
 
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