According to the US Census information, the number of people who enjoy
bluegrass has grown faster (both in numbers and percent) in the last decade
than any other genre surveyed. More than 55 million people in the US enjoy
bluegrass!
You don’t get this every day.... An old man recently advertised the
following for sale on the Internet mandolin list: A 1923 Signed Loar Gibson
F-5 mandolin; 1933 Original Gibson Flathead RB-3 Wreath pattern (very rare);
two 1937 Martin D-28 Herringbones; a 1942 - Martin D-18 and a 1944 - Martin
D-18.
Steve Kaufman has been in the UK collecting data for an upcoming Mel Bay
Book now 2/3s finished called Kaufman’s Encyclopaedia of Celtic Tunes
for Guitar and also Kaufman’s Encyclopaedia of Celtic Tunes for Mandolin.
These two books should be around 300 tunes each. Due out sometime this summer.
Frets are now stocking Transkriber, which slows down those tricky licks without
changing the pitch (see John Lawless’ comments). You can use your Windows
or Mackintosh PC to slow pre-recorded music down as much as 1/26th the original
speed.
Also from Frets, Steve Huber’s new Vintage Flathead Tone Ring is the
buzz of the banjo world! Jim Mills has fitted one to a 1930’s Gibson
pot - the one he plays with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder.
Ralph Stanley has a new, approximately 2hr, video of Ralph and The Clinch
Mountain Boys 28th Annual Memorial Bluegrass Festival, with special guests
Larry Sparks, The Isaac Family, Jim Lauderdale, The Goins Brothers and Doyle
Lawson.
Dave Evans has a new CD- High Waters - Neon NR 0998 - with some fine stuff
on it.
The Osborne Brothers have a new CD out Hyden (Sonny Pinecastle PRC 1085).
First in a four-part series documenting the career of the Osborne Brothers
from Hyden (their birthplace in Kentucky) to The Ryman.
Snuffy Jenkins: Pioneer of the Bluegrass Banjo is now out on CD. Great
banjo playing done in the three finger style. ARH-9027.
J. D.Crowe & The New South. ‘Bluegrass Evolution’ Re-issue
of first LP with Tony Rice and Larry Rice, now on CD. SCD-489.
Tony Ellis has a new CD, out in March, of more traditional bluegrass.
Also he will have his tab book out soon.
A new program called NoteWorthy Composer allows one to upload regular music
notation, load the melody, or whatever, then play it back at any speed. The
key stays the same, regardless of speed, but it can be transposed to any
audible key wish and the notation changes with it. It does not work with
tablature. One can also play with timing and phrasing as one wishes, with
the computer, until it is right, then print out a clean hard-copy. Get a
demo copy from http://www.ntworthy.com
Write to: support@ntworthy.com
Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder’s new CD, Ancient Tones, is being
described as ‘Bluegrass for the 21st Century’, making everything
old seem new again, from hard-core traditional songs to more contemporary
arrangements. See the review in this issue!
Bela Fleck is reported to be working on a new Bluegrass album with the gang
from the Drive Project. That includes Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Tony Rice,
Mark Schatz, Stuart Duncan and a few surprise guests!
The International Lyrics Server (http://www.lyrics.ch), a popular Web site
containing the words to more than 100,000 songs, was closed recently when
police officers seized their computers after music publishers accused the
site’s Swiss operators of copyright violations.
In January we reported that the famous, atmospheric Mill Valley, CA, club
Sweetwater was to close, but an 11th hour agreement with a buyer suitable
to the owners of the Sweetwater property led to a last-minute reprieve. The
new owner said he plans few changes beyond “getting the windows washed,
maybe a new awning.”
If you are one of those people having a problem learning a tune from tab
because you don’t know what the tune sounds like, and you have a PC
and Internet access (or know someone who has), help is at hand. You can download
the demo version of a program called Desktop Banjo, which gives you a
‘fingerboard’ on the screen. You input the tab and press
‘play’ - and there’s your tune. You have to buy the full version
(about $40) to save the tunes. Check:
http://softseek.com/Home_Family_and_Leisure/Music/
Learning_Playing_Creating_and_Printing_Music/Review_17864_index.html (or
HTML???)
(All one line! Crazy! And mixed case... That must be
a lesson in how not to name a file!)
Another option is to buy the Tabrite software, but that is more expensive
(about $85).
Jack Hatfield’s new Mel Bay book Old Time Gospel Banjo Solos has 31
great gospel songs. Many, such as Crying Holy / Farther Along / The Great
Speckled Bird / Will The Circle... / In the Sweet By and By / Keep on the
Sunny Side / Life’s Railway... / Gospel Ship / Old-Time Religion / Shall
We Gather at the River / are common in BG circles. But included are many
traditional hymns that are very well known but not played in Bluegrass much...
Hymns like Holy, Holy, Holy / In The Garden / He Leadeth Me / Rock of Ages
/ Amazing grace / Precious Memories / Abide With Me / What A Friend We Have
In Jesus / Are You Washed in the Blood? / and more.
Most songs are arranged in a down-the-neck beginner / intermediate solo,
then a more advanced upper neck solo. he CD has rhythm on one channel, banjo
on the other. The Tab has bold face melody notes and the Lyrics are
provided.
Hatfield Music. 1-800-426-8744.
http://www.hatfieldmusic.com
If the finish on the back of the neck gets a little sticky from sweaty hands
or hot weather use fiddler Jimmy “Vip” Vipperman’s tip:- Put
a little corn starch or talcum powder in the palm of you noting hand (not
the finger tips).
Updated 1st March 1999
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