Dear Derek,
Thanks for the wonderful mag - we’ve read it from cover to cover. And
thanks for the article (to Ian too!)
- it’s really presented well. I didn’t think we’d done so
much and the photos came out really good. Thanks for putting a smile on our
face!
Mavis & Jack Lee, Heywood.
Dear Derek,
Enclosed is a review of the Daily Planet’s latest CD, printed and on
disk. I hope it’s all right and that you had a nice Christmas and a
Happy New Year. Must dash as I have an ugly pile of homework to
do!
Sincerely, Jake Nicholls, Enfield.
Well thanks very much, Jake! Many readers will know that Jake is the
young banjo picker in Arthur Robinson’s band. Ed.
 NWBN
goes international!
Dear Jean and Derek:
I would like to reprint Jean’s March 1998 article about Tony Furtado.
Santa Cruz B’grass Soc. members watched him grow up from a teen playing
in a local bluegrass band called Heartland to joining Laurie Lewis (all the
while a member of our club), then leaving for Nashville (and leaving bluegrass),
then returning to the San Francisco Bay Area (but not to bluegrass!). The
article will run in a future BBB issue and I will send you a copy.
Michael Hall, Palo Alto, CA. USA (hallmw@juno.com)
It’s a pleasure, Mike, and I can tell you that Jean is more than
made up! Ed.
Great web site... Derek,
I perused your web site and had a great time! I like easy-to-navigate
right-to-the-point sites.
I wrote a book over a year ago called, “The Key to Five String Banjo.”
I thought maybe the section on practise might be of interest to your readers
- it would fit nicely in your curriculum. It’s due for release this
year but if they like it maybe your readers will petition Mel Bay for orders
so as to hasten its publication!
Best regards, Pat Cloud, Bishop, California.
White Mountain Publications.
sekul@telis.org
Thanks for the piece, Pat - but no room this time! Ed.
Dear Derek,
It’s Friday 10th April, late at night and I’ve just managed to
log onto your Internet site at last...it’s GREAT! Thanks for the plugs
for tomorrow. Today I met the Nashville BB and J.D.Crowe & the N.S. from
the airport...all here safe and sound, so looking forward to tomorrow, and
hope to meet you then.
All best wishes,
Dan Quinton (London Barbican Bluegrass Event Promoter).
Hi Derek!
Just to let you know that I will send you a report of what’s been going
on up here - how our first year of the NWBN has helped our BG playing (it’s
made a huge difference!).
Hope both well, Mark Currie, Lancaster
(read the report)
Dear Derek.
Just wanted to send a note to all to say “thanks” to all for letting
me sit in and play music with the gang at Mossley while I was visiting my
sister, Charlie.I really enjoyed it. I’m back home in Greenup, IL.,
USA. I had a wonderful time and enjoyed the music and all the sights. It
was my first trip abroad.
Thanks again,
George Tincher, gtincher@rrl.net
And a couple of feedbacks...
 Fingers on the head...Derek,
I enjoyed the article by Pete Wernick -
“How many fingers on the banjo
head?” This applies to pick style guitarists too! When I began playing
in the late 60’s I instinctively placed my ring and little fingers on
the pick-guard, rather like Doc. Watson, though I didn’t know it at
the time. Somehow (I don’t remember how) I got the idea that it might
be better to play with my fingers off the pick-guard - rather like Dan Crary
- though I didn’t know that at the time either! I spent several years
struggling with the latter method, until first my little finger returned
to the pick-guard, then later the ring finger, with considerable improvement
in my playing. I wholeheartedly agree with Pete’s comments - “do
what sounds good and is comfortable.” Everyone’s different - how
lucky we are to have access to so much more advice on playing these days
- I think it’s very important to get information like this across to
people.
Eric Kwiatkowsky, Nottingham.
Nail on the head... Dear Derek,
I think you hit the nail on the head in your article on
Northern Proud in the March issue:- you
said you were convinced the “way to popularise Bluegrass” was to
mix it in with other acoustic music. I started out playing hard-core Bluegrass
in the 70’s, and folks liked what we did, but trying to get bookings
was difficult, i.e., too “folky” for C&W clubs, too
“country” for Folk clubs, and people just would not turn out to
see a Bluegrass band if they didn’t know what the music was
like.
I later joined a well-known country band, which played a good
deal of Western Swing, Cajun and Bluegrass along with the straight Country.
I now play in a band that mixes Irish & Scottish folk, Blues, acoustic
country, Cajun & Bluegrass.
I have lost count of the number of people over the years that
I’ve turned onto “The Music Of The Gods”, just because they
came to a C&W or Folk club, and were struck by the Bluegrass material.
Some of them have become pure rabid hard-core fanatics since then. The same
goes for the Cajun stuff.
My main point is, as long as you keep to the pure sound
of Bluegrass, but mix it in with more mainline material (without watering
it down), you can expose the music to a LOT more people who would otherwise
miss out on it. And I always make a point of educating on the history of
the music during the introduction of the Bluegrass material, to single it
out from the rest of the “normal” stuff!
Regards, Jim Hyndman, Thornton, Fife, Scotland.
Write to Jim
Updated 23rd Jan 1999
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