Spoons

Subject: Spoons
From: Tony Burns
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 09:51 AM

In the instruments thread Hank admitted to being a spoons player and encouraged us all to give them a try. I'm sure there are a lot of questions and stories about spoons so I started this thread. Let me kick it off with a couple of questions.

1) Unlike most other instruments it is difficult to play spoons quietly. (As a matter of fact I have never seen spoons amplified. No matter how loud the band the spoons cut through.) For those of us who are shy we tend to want to stay in the background until we gain some experience. Are there any suggestions to help those in this situation?

2) The spoon player in a local jugband has a pair of spoons marked "Supreme". The store he bought them at no longer carries them and can provide no information about the supplier. The pair he has are green and have a wonderful "soft" sound to them. Do any Mudders know where I might find some? Lark In The Morning doesn't have them and my attempts to search for them on the internet have all come up empty.

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Peter T.
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 09:58 AM

I'll gum down on this one. How do you play spoons? Are there bass (soup) spoons, treble spoons? How do you keep them apart, but together? Do you keep the spoons separate from each other by adroit use of a finger or tennis grip? Do you flip them back and forth on your leg, or do you strike down on them? Is there any well known record that features spoons? ("San Francisco Bay Blues" seems to have every percussion instrument known to man in that one weird instrument)
Have you found them effective attractors for spooning?
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Mike Billo
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 10:13 AM

My wife, Marian, and I, maintain a "How To Play The Spoons and Bones" website at http://homestead.com/oldmusic/MusicalSpoons.html which includes a link to Claude Fergusons online Spoons instruction course.Please visit our site. I'm unfamiliar with the "Supreme" brand. Basically, how you play them, is hold one spoon face up betweeen the index and middle finger of your dominant hand, and the other spoon face down between your middle and ring finger. Tap down onto your knee, then back up into the palm of your other hand. Those are the basics.Of course, you can expand on that a heck of a lot once you get the hang of it. As to playing at a lower,less obtrusive volume, use cheap wooden spoons available at almost any discount store. What I like about these wooden spoons, is that you can also use the Bones playing grip on them for low volume bones playing. There are manufactured spoons that come with the base attached, and cost quite a bit. We prefer using what we have laying around the kitchen .

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Roger the zimmer
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 10:15 AM

...some spoon players bend the handle of one spoon almost at right angles. Does it matter if they are sterling silver, epns or best Korean stainless steel? Which hallmarks indicate key.... ("Nurse, the screens, quickly")

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Margo
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 12:10 PM

This is great! I just bought some spoons from Lark in the Morning. They are wooden and have a nice sound, but aren't too loud.

I bought them because I saw a girl playing spoons and I was impressed by how many different sounds she made with them. Tap tap here, tap tap there, and brush along the open fingers to make a sort of glissando, if you will. The spoons added a nice touch to the song, and that's when I decided to use them. I can't wait to check out your site, Mike.

Margarita

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: reggie miles
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 04:41 PM

My friend Artis the spoonman has a kit that can be purchased by contacting him at

spoonkit

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: GUy Wolff
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 07:24 PM

The Guy who taught me to play the spoons was in his 60"s plus and it was on the boat from Fishgard to Rosslair in mid winter. The Irish sea was not friendly that day and most of the peaple were up on deck doing what peaple do in a storm on the Irish sea in winter.There was this wanderfull jam going on in the Pub{Mostly steel workers comming home for Christmas and me} This old man was playing spoons and tap dancing sitting down....Anyway he taught me to hold them alittle differently then mentioned. I hold the lower spoon between my middle and index fingers with its "hiney" up and the second spoon is on the top of my index finger held in place by the tumb{ Hiney down}.Most importantly for tone the spoons must be held securly to the palm by the presure of the forfinger and index finger against the palm. THe farther out gives more volume.Hitting against bone or flesh changes the tone as well.To make a roll hold open the fingers of the opossing hand{stiffly} and let the spoons roll off the fingers onto your thye.A roll can also be made by making a dubble or treble action with the rist of the hand holding the spoons and holding the other hand over the up and down action of the spoons> THe spoons can be as quiet as you want once you've learned how to hold them ,.Really...Good Luck to all interested. Yours Guy>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Margo
Date: 15 Jun 99 - 10:44 AM

Guy, I am astounded. After experimenting, I settled into holding the spoons just as you described, down to the ends being anchored into the palm. The anchor is important, because it gives you control. (I suppose the captain of the ship would agree...........)

Margarita

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: reggie miles
Date: 15 Jun 99 - 11:32 AM

Darn, according to what I've just found out regarding the blue clicky thing I posted in my previous post the page cannot be reached via that method, not that any of you needs it, but here I thought I was doing so good making those crazy things only to find out it goes noplace. Drat! Maybe it'll work later or something, I'm cornfused about it, or maybe it just doesn't work for me because I made it??? No sense speclatin' or I'll be here all day.

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Mike Billo
Date: 15 Jun 99 - 01:23 PM

You're right Guy. That grip works pretty well. I think we'll add that to our website. Hope it's OK with you.

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 15 Jun 99 - 10:51 PM

With both my and that old steel- workers compliments...Cheers Guy>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: MAG (inactive)
Date: 22 Jun 99 - 08:47 PM

So glad somebody plugged Artis the Spoonman; aside from being a trip of a performer, he can do things with them you just wouldn't believe.

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: reggie miles
Date: 22 Jun 99 - 10:42 PM

Artis the Soonman creates the singular most astounding display of utensil manipulation I've ever witnessed. A not to be missed amazingly seismic percussion spectacle to be sure. (From, "The Chartreuse Seahorse, Seasick Cecil", by Master Gadget Master.)

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Margo
Date: 22 Jun 99 - 11:05 PM

Reggie, what is the Chartreuse Seahorse business?

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: reggie miles
Date: 23 Jun 99 - 02:07 AM

Margarita, it's a little illiterate alliteration by a mate by the name of Master Gadget Master. Who by his own account was, on a Sunday the sixth of September of '78, shanghaied by The Band Of Buzzards to serve aboard The Ship O' Fools. A surlier ensemble of scurvy seafarin' scoundrels and assorted scraggly street scum he hadn't e'er seen the likes of b'fore or since. R!

Let me set the stage by introducin' the crew's compliment. Let's see, at center stage there was the skipper, Scarecrow The Insignificant, scratchin' and sawin' on his instrument of choice as if possessed by some supernatural spirit receivin' intravenious of LSD. By his side was Cosmic Gypsy Sea Dog, a sneering, snarling, savagely astute visionary of surgically precise six string strumin', nothing to sneeze at. Next was Artis the Spoonman, boasting the singular most astounding display of utensil manipulation ever witnessed. A not to be missed amazingly seismic percussion spectacle to be sure. And last but certainly not least, Space Bass, well versed in the classics, a symphonic treasure chest, studied and schooled in the production of lush tones and lustrous tunes. Sure to please the most discriminatin' palates. R! They could seduce Mister Jolly Roger's skull and crossbones clean off its staff, slick as you please, an' set 'im to shimmyin' the skeleton shuffle right b'fore yer eyes. R!

But that ain't the half of it m' dear though I'm not so sure if you're really interested in the whole sordid tale.

Reggie, it was a dark 'n' stormy night, Miles

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 23 Jun 99 - 02:37 AM

What's a "hiney"?

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 23 Jun 99 - 03:16 AM

It's a bum, a la the Brits.

Last Thursday night the Sons of the Buccaneers had a spoon player at Quinn's lighthouse--wooden spoons, nothing spectacular, but a fine rhythmic addition to the banjo, bass, concertina, melodion, and I guess guitar (but I think there were only five of them, until the pennywhistler showed up (there's a musician!). --seed

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 23 Jun 99 - 04:10 PM

I am a brit

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: reggie miles
Date: 24 Jun 99 - 05:31 PM

Okay Margarita, it was late the other night and I didn't have the energy to get the whole story out to precisely answer your question regarding the chartreuse seahorse Seasick Cecil. I hope you don't mind if I finish it here. So to continue in the words of Master Gadget Master...

We set sail for the seven seas after sayin' so long, see ya later, sayonara and asta la vista to several scantly clad, scrumptiously sultry seaport scullery wenches. There was Sally, (AR!) yes, the one what sold seashells by the seashore and then there was sweet Sue. (AR!) There's many a sleepless night I spent stuck up in the crows nest designin' amusing fantasies with, er, uh, oh, excuse me, I digress. Where was I?

I was sittin' neath the mizzenmast, on the poop deck, takin' a ...sabbatical. Scrub 'er down 'n' polish 'er brass straightaway, those were me orders. Instead, I was silently reminicing me serendipity, staring at the horizon and observing the deceptively subtle serenity that surrounded us, whilst scraping the barnacles loose from me skivvies.

The sea was stifling, breezeless and sweltering and I was a sweaty scuzzy mess and I stank with a sailor's stench ful of testosterone and lust. (AR!) Ya see, we was stuck on the outskirts of the prevailin' winds in some sort o' slack water. Our progress was at a standstill.

It was just then that I happened to glance at me time piece, it showed seven minutes past seven o'clock. When, suddenly, the skies were sullied by a stratocumulus cloud mass that positioned itself above us. Moments later, we was socked by a mist a dense as spoiled soup, that obscured our sight. Soon, the surf started to seethe with swells that surged and slammed our vessel broadside, tossin' us like a caesar's salad. I scanned the scene with me one good eye seeking some semblance of the sun to steer by but it was scuttled by a surprise souwester that swiftly swept a swirling squall across our stern. Explosions of thunder crashed and flashing shafts of lightning streaked from the heavens striking and shattering our spar to pieces in a shower of sparks. A dozen sea spouts spired and spun about us. Our compass was useless against the tempest. Suspectin' the worst, I swallowed a slug of of some swill that 'ad most certainly sat stagnant for weeks. The sickly taste made me nauseous but somehow seemed to ease my distress so I swigged several more snorts. (BELCH!) It had a desensitizin' bouquet, disturbingly complex, robust yet somewhat sophisticated. Reminicent of soiled hosiery and perspiration of the pedal extremities, hence the name, Chateau Le Stinky Socks. "They should've served this with last night's sushi smorgasbord!", I soliloquized in a whispered voice. A stinging soaking splash spilled over me. We started listing leeward. Awash in the waves I lashed myself to mast. I squirmed and shook in the shadow of that storm seized by a spasm that sent shivers up me timbers! I stood steadfast and stouthearted against the shock and screeching shriek of the fiercely gusting winds secretly scrutinizing our situation and surmised, saints preserve us, oh shoot, we're screwed!

In an instant the sea sagged. A second later it sank. Then, it split assunder! A steady stream of sulfurous stench, scalding steam and sooty smoke sprang up from the chasm, as if the sharp sword of the sea devil Satan himself had sliced it. The scar separated the surface, off the starboard side.

That's when I saw something that would surely strike scaredness into the soul of any swab what gazed upon it. Well sir, ya says, spit it out. What sort of slimmy sea serpent was it, famished sea lion, smelly salmon, snooty expectant stugeon? Twasn't so simple. I saw the saltiest scourge to ever swim the south sound estuaries, that scrawny scaly scallywag, that skinny scheming scrappy scamp, that shrimp of a shark, the chartreuse seahorse, Seasick Cecil! ...This wasn't just any sea horse, he was a monster, six, seven centimeters if he was an inch. He had this single saber tooth, a razor sharp incisor, that he'd slash at you with, (SNAP, SNAP, SNAP!), while he would simultaneously spew sludge like secretions and cast scurrilous aspersions in numerous directions. Besides he had these steely eyes, all glazed over and glossy they was, from starvation. (AR!) Well he wasn't stoppin' by to pay us a social visit. As he sprang from the maelstrom I could see his icy jaws was salivatin' to be masticatin' somebody and ol' Master Gadget Master's skin 'n' bones was his selected savory suppertime snack.

I was certain a scuffle with cursed beast would spell casualties or at least disastrously catastrophic destruction. The crew scattered scurryin' like rats from a sinkig scow. A stupendous struggle ensued. The scrimmage sapped me stmina and me strength was slippin' fast. All seemed lost. Exhausted, I summoned every ounce I could muster to search for a shillelagh or a spear for defense. I spotted some ship's stores, cans of stewed 'n' strained spinach in a sweet syrup sauce. I strew several like stones at the cantankerous creatures cavernous esophagus. "How's that taste, ya stunted stubborn stubby stump?", I stuttered. The sarcastic taunts only succeeded in increasing his ferocity. I snatched me washboard to use as a shield against his maliciousassent. He smashed my cymbal in a symbolic show of force. Then he started scratchin' the washboard usin' his tiny spiny fins as brushes. The stylishly systematic synchronicity of his syncopation was hypnotizin'. Entranced yet incensed I screamed, "Skullduggery, that's the last straw showoff!" I extended me washboard's telescoping support stabbing and thrusting it. Desperate to save us from a shipwreck and seeing Davy Jones' storage shed first hand I sallied, "So ya wants to swashbuckle eh? I shall smite thee to the very gates of Hades if that's what it takes!" That's when I slipped on some seaweed and settled on me posterior. Cecil wasted no time instantly severin' me makeshift cutlass in two with a single stroke of his fearsome incisor. Helpless, I soggily sat starin' face to face with destiny. When, as suddenly as it started, it was finished. Strangely satiated or perhaps just satisfied, I was never sure. He mysteriously smirked a conceited smile then ceased his menacing pursuit and swam away, never to be seen or heard of again. Though it seems to me I percecived a slight swagger inthe way he slowly sauntered off, as if to say, "See ya later sucker!" (AR!)

Well mates that's the whole fish story. Now some of you may assume this is simply a silly nonsense story scrawled by a psychotic schlockmeister schlump. Still others may suppose these lines to be a sham, a ruse, insane oceanic scuttlebutt or just the scribbled inspirations of a screwy stowaway slacker. So I swears a solemn promise, should so much as a solitary phrase of this manuscript be false, may I be struck by an extremely localized tsunami. Seriously mates, it is my sincere desire that this little illiterate alliteration has supplied a small measure of whimsy. If so, then this witticism has successfully accomplished its mission. Now I don't mean to abandon ship or desert ya but I've got to shove off, ya know, skedaddle. But don't ya be forgettin' ol' Master Gadget Master and (AR!)member, if you're ever out crusin' the salty seas, ther's a shiny simulated solid silver Mardi Gras shilling t' th' one what spies 'im, (AR!), the chartreuse seahorse, Seasick Cecil. (AR!) Thar she blows!

Reggie, and now you know the rest of the story, Miles

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: reggie miles
Date: 24 Jun 99 - 05:41 PM

Oh, I forgot the title of the story is called, "The One What Bitsed Me Washboard's Leg Off".

Reggie, just in case inquirin' minds want to know, Miles

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Jon W.
Date: 24 Jun 99 - 06:21 PM

Ah well, Reggie, at least it wasn't your starboard leg.

Getting back to spoons, it's too bad this thread didn't surface last week. Monday I was at my cousin's wedding (who coincidentally lost his starboard leg due to some after effects of the late unpleasantness in Vietnam) and my other cousin, i.e. the bridegroom's brother, asked me how spoons were played. Well I'd seen it done once but never seriously tried it myself. Anyway I described it as best as I could and he went to work with the plastic spoons (this was a low-budget wedding) and darned if he didn't get pretty good sounds out of them. And of course, he being him, he tried to teach every attending youngster under the age of twelve the trick. So of course when the neo-Celtic New Age singer songwriter band got up to do their thing, the clacking plastic spoons nearly drownded out their digeridoo, which is what I intially mistook their rainmaker for. Not that the rain needed any help being made.

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: reggie miles
Date: 30 Jun 99 - 01:43 PM

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Shack
Date: 30 Jun 99 - 02:27 PM

How do you tune them? With a fork?

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Margo
Date: 30 Jun 99 - 02:47 PM

I had never heard anyone play the bones before until this week when I visited Musicman in Canada. Oh my goodness, I had no idea what a wonderful rhythm instrument they can be. Musicman plays them well, and I am certainly impressed. (He does have the advantage of my having no one with whom I can compare)

Margarita

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 30 Jun 99 - 05:57 PM

Yeah, Billo, when in the heck are we gonna be blessed by your spoons 'n' bones at Quinn's er the Starry Plough, to say nothing of the Pickin' and Fiddlin' dooz (spelled phonetically)? --seed

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 30 Jun 99 - 06:04 PM

Oh, and Reggie: Certainly a splendiferous sea saga, sport. But six or seven centimeters of scary spiny sea serpent (two and a half inches? truly transmogrifyingly too turrible to con-template [split for sake of the alliteration, of course]!). --seed, having soiled his shorts in simpering solitude.

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Mike Billo
Date: 01 Jul 99 - 09:48 AM

Have returned back home from a visit with the abominable in-laws, and am pleasantly surprised to find this thread still alive and well. Hey Reggie, that's quite a composition, and a terrific contribution to the overlooked genre of Maritime Washboard fiction. Hi BSeed, I'm going to try to get to the Berkely pot luck next weekend, and the Shanty sing this weekend.

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Ferrara
Date: 01 Jul 99 - 10:04 AM

Regarding the bones, there's a wonderful painting in the Naples Art Museum, the head and shoulders of an 18th-century black (yes!) musician, probably Neapolitan, maybe in his early twenties, dressed in the loose, flowing clothes of the times, laughing and playing the bones. I loved it. A beautiful, life-filled portrait.

I'm pretty sure that playing the bones, in America at least, was originally an African-American tradition, so this painting makes me suspect that it originated in Africa. (I'm tempted to claim that the painting proves it originated in Italy, but I don't think I can get away with it.) Anyone know anything?

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Mike Billo
Date: 01 Jul 99 - 11:42 AM

The earliest depiction of bones players are on Grecian urns. Shakespeare also refers to them in "A Midsummer Night's Dream". There is virtually no evidence of African orgins.

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Roger the zimmer
Date: 01 Jul 99 - 11:47 AM

I'll get this one in before Steve Parkes does!
"What's a Grecian Urn?"
"5,000 drachmae a week."
"I don't wish to know that!"

I've emptied bigger [chat?] rooms than this!

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 02 Jul 99 - 02:14 AM

On the 'hiney" issue I guess I could have said "Back side to back side"....I am a terable speller.sorry. Oh about tuning with forks...They sound pritty good but can hurt alot if you get carried away... Also for thoughs that live in Beverly Hills or Grennich Ct please do not use your grandmothers SILVER spoons. They sound good for a bit but flatten out realey fast..Also if you get crazy with wooden spoons the splinters can really be a problem. Good luck getting past these dangers!!!!!The back of the head has an interesting tone when used!!!!!!!!!ouuu quit it ouu quit it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 02 Jul 99 - 04:17 AM

Mike, if you went to Quinn's tonight, sorry I wasn't there. Sonja invited me to see Berthold Brecht's "The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui," performed by the Berliner Ensemble--in German, with supertitles. She had worked with the company and the Berkeley stage crew, translating the stage directions into English, and was given a pair of orchestra tickets. It was great theater--the actor Martin Wuttke was amazing as the Hitler-like Chicago mobster. The company was also excellent and the staging terrific.

But Sonja and I both will be at the Lighthouse next Thursday, and I will definitely be at the P & F potluck the 10th.

--seed

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Banjer
Date: 02 Jul 99 - 04:17 AM

All these years I've been using spoons for the wrong thing!! I use them to eat with!! Imagine that!

Subject: Spoon Playing
From: GUEST,Abby the Spoon Lady
Date: 21 Feb 11 - 07:58 PM

Please watch this
video of my spoon playing. and give me some feedback.

I give lessons, or can answer any questions.
I need some new ideas.

I would love for others to upload their videos, too.... and post the links here.

ABBY THE SPOON LADY

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 21 Feb 11 - 09:23 PM

Hey, Abby, I'm impressed! You're one of the best spoons players I've ever seen -- possibly even THE best! Good luck to you!

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 10:53 AM

thanks, abby. I enjoyed your playing.

I did find the milky effect in the lighting (because of the light from window behind you) rather disturbing. It might help to close the curtain.

You can sure do some amazing stuff!

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Midchuck
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 11:02 AM

Of the classic "Ten Commandments of Bluegrass," # III reads as follows:

III. Rattle not your tableware, nor strike it first against thy leg, then thy rib cage, all the while assuming the countenance of the stooge, for it is unclean and an abomination before me. Such apish behavior is damnable for seven generations.

Peter

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: GUEST,Auldtimer
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 12:23 PM

Impressive stuff. A player for many years myself, I still never managed to master the rolls down my arms or the tatoos. Simple man, simple pleasures.

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Dec 18 - 09:23 PM

Abby the Spoon Lady posted a very nice new video in 2017:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nLmM9kcBKs

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: leeneia
Date: 10 Dec 18 - 12:30 AM

Great work with the spoons! Thanks, Joe.

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Jack Campin
Date: 10 Dec 18 - 03:39 AM

Spoons in Greek folk music. You see the same spoons in Turkish music, with sometimes much more elaborate technique. They are always wood, but they are sometimes deep-fried in olive oil to get a higher pingier sound by driving out all the moisture in the wood. The Turkish word for them is "kasik", dunno the Greek.

Facebook video from Radio Thessaloniki

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: leeneia
Date: 10 Dec 18 - 12:21 PM

Thanks for the link, Jack. That was interesting.

Subject: RE: Spoons
From: Jack Campin
Date: 10 Dec 18 - 12:55 PM

Lots of Turkish spoons, in a primary school dance event in Konya for "Children's Day" (23,April). You get a reasonably close view of how the girls are playing them.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TPLVyAL_NAg

More common way of using them, in a masculine display dance:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cejg3a-XH5Q