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| Big Muddy M-2 factory 2nd mandolin |
The night before, Bede took me to Dusty Strings to buy a solid-wood mandolin for my birthday. I had thought that a mandolin of my own was many months away, as it is much more challenging to find a decently-good mando than a decently-good guitar an affordable price. This "entry-level" Collings MT A style mandolin, for example, retails at $2700 USD. I had on my wishlist a factory-2nd Big Muddy mandolin that had a few surface blemishes on the back of the neck (which lowered the price significantly), but was structurally sound, beautiful to hear, and accessible to play. Edited to add: I got the Big Muddy mandolin on my wishlist.
One of the highlights of that evening was when the man who helped me choose the new love of my life* demonstrated one of his new favorite mandolins. The other mandolins on the wall reverberated in response. I was reminded of what one of my teachers at guitar camp last summer said: the audience is important because every human is a resonator. He said that you might get a recording that's almost as good as a live performance if you have particularly good acoustics, but there is no comparison to the sound you get with a live audience.
I will wait to post a recording until I become decent enough to listen to. (Ukulele is relatively easy with the "decent enough to listen to"learning curve. Mando is harder!) I'm working on a simple version of an Irish reel called The Musical Priest, and plan to learn Eel in the Sink, too, just so I can say, "Hey, let's play Eel in the Sink" as casually as someone might suggest You Ain't Goin' Nowhere. I dream on....
*I love all my instruments. Gentle suggestions to let some of them go are met with puzzled frowns until someone politely changes the subject.
7 comments:
Your guitar camp teacher said a smart thing. I like that.
Happy belated birthday and many happy melodies!
Happy belated birthday... I *knew* there was a reason I wanted to get on FB yesterday. :)
I shall have to remember that lesson from your teacher -- about the resonance of a live audience. My own acoustic sensibilities are not, for probably obvious reasons, refined enough to appreciate those kinds of subtle differences in sound. But it makes good logical sense. And it's also a pretty good metaphor for how the sense of a written piece seems to change with more or fewer readers.
(Laughing at "let's play Eel in the Sink"!)
Thank you, all! I am reminded of years ago, when I went to see Tannhäuser in New York. The way the overture washed over me gave me the good kind of chills. I sought out the CD later, and listened to the overture. I had the memory of how it affected me live, but the sound was not the same. This might be a truth self-evident to some, but it was eye (ear) opening to me.
Okay, enough highbrow talk. Let's play "Eel in the Sink!"
Ever since reading DUNE a thousand years ago, I have wanted a baliset... only to find out the darned things don't actually exist. A mandolin or a balalaika has been the next up on the "someday" list, and how lovely that you now have one. Many happy returns of the (belated) day, and enjoy.
Tanita, a baliset should exist. It just should! I am reminded that Clayzeness Whistleworks started making the "Zelda" ocarina after customers started requesting them. A video-game inspired people to want to play.
P.S. I wrote "I am reminded" twice in comments. Egads. It could be worse, possibly. :)
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