mralston - Posted - 02/10/2011:  09:32:36

I've noticed in some other threads that, when someone asks for comments on suggested listening, bands that have harmonicas, exemplary clawhammer players, exemplary duos, etc. etc. etc. the responses mostly involve revivalist (modern) bands.

I'm curious what percentage of the music that bluegrass and OT people listen to is from contemporary artists versus (deceased, recorded on 78 RPM, depression-era, pre WWII, etc.) artists ?

I'm currently running about 85% old, 15% new......... any other oldies-lovers here on BHO ?

This is my thread, so I'll hijack it if I want...........I like the descriptors that the old record companies used to put on their labels to let people know what kind of music was on the record............ phrases like "Old-Time Playin'"

Edited by - mralston on 02/10/2011 09:34:51

J-Walk - Posted - 02/10/2011:  12:56:23

I'd say I'm at about 98% new, 2% old. The "old" is usually just as a point of comparison when I'm listening to a "new."

I like to play along with recordings, and it's very difficult to do that with the old recordings. I can appreciate the old players, but most of the recordings are really difficult to listen to.

J-Walk - Posted - 02/10/2011:  15:57:46

A few hours after I posted that last reply, I heard Wade Ward's "Peach Bottom Creek" and decided to learn it. I found several other modern recordings, but they weren't very authentic (and they even use a different tuning). So I've been learning this one from the original poor quality source. Wade plays in F tuning, but transposed it up to G.

This is a great topic, Mark. But I'm afraid it's going to get lost in this forum.

mralston - Posted - 02/11/2011:  04:24:15

Ray Alden had a series of articles in the Old Time Herald about "Trends in Old-Time Banjo". Part 4 of the series (Dec 2009-Jan2010) critiques diversity in playing styles in contemporary players. He quoted from a traditional OT player, George Gibson, who had some interesting comments"

"Old-Timers in East Kentucky learned to play by emulation; that is, they duplicated the sounds they heard by listening, by casual observation, and without formal training.........

......Learning by emulation produced a wonderful diversity of styles...."

... most people today learn by imitation; that is, the playing style they are learning is broken into discrete steps by a teacher, and the student learns to play the style almost exactly as taught......"

I cut my musical teeth on the New Lost City Ramblers, Highwoods, Fuzzy Mt, Hollow Rock, Red Clay, etc...... I didn't really listen that much to the "source" material in the BI era (before Internet). I got away from the music for a long time, then came back to the music and discovered the incredible amount of old, recorded stuff that's available on-line. Speaking for myself, I'm really enjoying finding "new" artists and sounds.........one of my current favorites is Dyke's Magic City Trio. A person can reach new levels of musical appreciation from listening to some of the old stuff, maybe also develop new dimensions in playing.

Having said all that....... thank goodness, we all enjoy music for different reasons..... each to their own taste ! ! ! And, John, thanks for the discussion ! !

78 - Poor Ellen Smith Dyke's Magic City Trio

choolie - Posted - 02/11/2011:  05:15:18

Not necessarily banjo, but i love people like jimmy Driftwood, the Louvin brothers, a few other old timers like that. I'm sure there are many more treasures lurking in the archives.

I hear that Charley louvin died very recently RIP.

ramjo - Posted - 02/11/2011:  05:56:01

I tend to listen to newer musicians because, I find it difficult to hear detail in older recordings. (I don't know if that's the same "difficulty" John refers to in listening to old recordings.) I appreciate the sacred Round Peak players, and I enjoy the diversity and (often) humor in the old string bands 78s. But I don't find it easy to distinguish among players in that old sound. I like what modern recordings offer in tone, and I'm drawn in equally by how the instruments sound as by how they're played. I'm always interested in a musicians' personal stamp, the signature in his or her sound, particularly in an interpretation of an old-time tune. It's what I try to do in my own playing--bring something to the tune. When learning a tune, I usually start out by copying (the imitation Mark refers to), but I don't consider I "have" the tune till I hear something of my own in it. That's what I listen for in recorded music. Of course, all this can be said for the old timers too. Fred's playing is personal and singular, as is Kyle's as is Hobart's, and on and on. There's no end of complexity, clean technique, virtuosity, creativity etc. in the big bang of musicianship in early recordings. But I'm not drawn to repeated listening to the old recordings because it takes too much effort for me to get through the flat, scratchy sound to the music. I guess that means my own repertoire of tunes consists of a few "first generation" interpretations (how I play Roustabout is based directly on Fred Cockerham's recording on the County compliation), and many "second generation" interpretations (how I play "Hail Against the Barn Door," for instance, comes from Chris Coole's interpretation.)

Thanks for this topic, Mark. I'm going to link it to the "Old Music, New Approaches" group.