Meeting other Musicians

This past Sunday, January 25th, we had the opportunity to attend a house concert by Wil Maring and Robert Bowlin in Gainesville, GA. They did an outstanding job and I recommend you go see them if you get the chance. Until you can see them in person, check them out on YouTube and MySpace. Wil and Robert are outstanding examples of being not only world class musicians, but also great people.

I love performing every chance we get. It is a lot of fun to interact with an audience while doing something you love. The only disadvantage of performing regularly, at least to my thinking, is that you do not often get the chance to hear many other musicians in person. When you are playing a festival or event with musicians other than yourself you may have that opportunity. Many times though, you are warming up, cooling down, or talking with others while they are playing. Still you try to hear as many as you can, and there are some who you will make an extra effort to go and see.

We have had the chance to meet and hear many musicians over the years. Some are famous, some are a little infamous, and some are neither of the above. It is always nice to get to hear good musicians, and a privilege when you to get to talk with them as well. While you often hear of musicians that are demanding and hard to get along with, that has not been my experience overall. I have found the majority to be very friendly and open. They are people who enjoy what they do and are happy to share that experience with others.

My intent here is not to just drop names and make it sound like I am friends with a lot of well known folks, because I really am not. However, I do want to express how many outstanding and even famous musicians are also good, approachable people. While I will list some names, it is by no means complete, and I will likely need to add others over time. If any of this sounds like bragging, it is about them and not about me or us.

A couple of years ago we had the privilege of meeting Jim Hurst at a festival and spending an afternoon visiting with him and listening to him perform. I do not believe you will find a better guitarist than he is. There are many excellent pickers, but I don't think you can find one any better all around. Yet he listened to us and treated us as peers, giving his thoughts and asking about ours. I have had the chance talk to him a couple of times since and am always impressed with what a decent and real person he is. Then I listen to him pick and am just blown away.

Another festival gave us the chance to meet and spend some time with Mike Cross. He is as friendly and fun offstage as he is on. And what a performer, songwriter, and picker he is. Be sure to see him as well. We even managed to get a picture made with him and put on our website.

We have also had a few chances to talk with Norman Blake after his shows and have been impressed with his willingness to visit with fans. This is another legendary guitarist and decent human being. This past summer I had the chance to talk some with Mark Schatz. We have followed him and his music for years, having heard him shortly before he joined the Tony Rice Unit. His bass playing has always been phenomenal and now I know more of his banjo picking and dancing. If you don't know him, or have only heard about him, look him up and have a musical treat for yourself.

Maybe it is that the type music we listen to and enjoy so much is populated with people who are very approachable and personable. Outstanding musicians and people as well. Whatever it is, I recommend you make to effort to say hello to these folks that you have enjoyed listening to. You may be surprised at how welcome you will be made to feel.

Nelson

Practice

Practice is a small word that conjures up certain feelings within almost everyone. The feelings or thoughts associated with it have a lot to do with each persons past experience(s).

One of the first things many people associate with practice is about some type of sport. Every sport has regular practices scheduled before a game or competition. This is necessary for the athletes to learn their sport sufficiently to compete. It is really the same for any endeavor you become involved in, though you may not think of it as practice. Maybe it is your job and you are just thinking of it as working on your job and slowly becoming more proficient and efficient. When in school you think of your work in math, science, and other subjects as homework. Much of it is practice to help you learn and retain the lessons you need to master in order to move on to more complicated levels.

So why am I thinking of practice today? Mainly because we had another good practice session last night. Also because it is a necessary part of playing and performing music. How much you perform often determines how much you need to practice. As you are first learning to play, you have to spend a lot of time practicing, or woodshedding. When you start performing regularly, there is less time to spend in formal practice, though a certain amount is still needed to upgrade your music and add new songs.

Just about everyone has heard the old saying that practice makes perfect. An update to that is that perfect practice makes perfect. Relating this to music I find one of my favorite quotes from Doc Watson, who said, "If you want to play like an angel, you need to practice like the devil".

If I could have heard how I play today when I first began playing an instrument, I would have thought how happy I would be to play that well. Today though, I find that I have a long way to go to be where I really want to be. That is okay though because I am still playing, I am still learning, and I am still enjoying it. And I am still practicing.

A few times over the years I have taught some basic lessons on the guitar and banjo. Part of my advice to everyone is to enjoy the journey. If all you want to do is be on stage playing great music, you are not likely to make it. You need to enjoy all the time you have with an instrument. I once heard that you can tell a real musician because they are happy playing whether they have an audience or not. I think that is true to a point. I have had many great times playing alone or with a few other people. However, there is a special warmth and satisfaction achieved when performing for an appreciative audience. There is a real give and take that benefits both sides of the stage. So, at least for me, I need to have both the private times to play as well as the times to perform.

David and I have been practicing and performing together for most of the past 36 years. He started a little before me, but we got more serious about it around the same time. The first couple of years were spent learning basics in my parents basement. We listened to a lot of good music and were especially motivated by John Denver, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Flatt & Scruggs, and Doc Watson, as well as many singer/songwriters, bluegrass, and traditional bands.

We lived about 200 yards apart (when home from college) when we were first beginning. Later I bought a cabin near Vogel and David lived at Tugaloo State Park and then Unicoi State Park. We got together regularly with others in a band we had formed to practice and perform. Many nights were spent awake and playing in that old cabin. Many wonderful memories were established.

For the past several years, we have lived a little over 60 miles apart and usually alternate going to each others house to practice. We take some times off for family and other things we need to take care of, but then get back to our practice and perform schedule. Most times we want to get together at least once a week for a practice or a performance. Life would be a little (lot) less enjoyable for me without the music involved. There have been times that I thought I should stop playing because it takes up so much time. But that is just not a realistic idea, as it turns out.

Our last two practice sessions have felt extra productive. It may because we are in one of those

breakthrough times, or it may be due to the fact that we did not practice at all over the Christmas holiday season. Whatever the reason, I like it.

Our practice finished last night just a little before midnight (about the time I had told my wife I would be home). As we were packing up, we discussed the idea that we better love playing music. Otherwise it would just be too much work. The truth is that we were both on a little bit of a high from having had a really good practice. It was one of those times that you feel elated on what you have accomplished and what you see as possible for the near future. There are times you feel frustrated, but this was not one of them.

Of course we love playing music. If not, there is no way we could still be doing so after all these years. And certainly not with the enthusiastic outlook for doing even more. I have often said that there are many, many people who can play better than I do. However, I know that there is no one that enjoys it any more.

I hope you love your music, whether you are playing or listening. And I hope you are enjoying your practice - no matter what you are practicing. Have a good one and we will see you soon.

Nelson

Happy 2009

I hope everyone had a happy and safe New Year. Mine was somewhat subdued, but very enjoyable.

My youngest son, wife, and I went to some friends house to share a dinner and fellowship. There were about 5 families represented. It was a nice time to sit quietly and talk with one another. We did have on a football game that became a rout and required little attention. This was a very nice way to close out the year and I am thankful to have been among these friends.

We were back at our house before midnight. Vincent called Caroline and had her on speaker phone. They, along with their mother, did some Wii bowling as the year ended. I went to bed as I had to get up at 6:00 to be at work by 7:00. I managed to hear the New Year arrive as Vincent yelled Happy New Year to me! I think I mumbled it back to him and then went promptly to sleep. I had wished them a Happy New Year before going to bed as well.

I have great hopes for 2009 and I hope you do as well. It is nice to be able to celebrate the beginning of another year, though it is still hard for me to believe that we have already arrived at this point in time. It was just a couple of years ago that I was in college, but that has been more than 30 years ago now. Lots of good memories to recall since then. I am glad that we tend to remember the best things and not dwell on the others.

May you make great memories in 2009. I'll see you there.

Nelson