Odd folkin' behaviour

Subject: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Les B
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 02:25 AM

As I mentioned in another thread, I just went to my favorite fiddler's picnic of the summer, three days & nights of jamming with old time fiddlers, bluegrass pickers, country singers, etc.

One of the things I started to observe was just how odd (from my viewpoint) some people's body language/behaviour is when they're jamming.

For instance, one singer/mandolinist kind of leans forward, his butt poked and his face jutting forward as he strains to sing and play. Perhaps more alarming, is the way he intermittently sticks his face up next to yours as you're singing, trying to blast a harmony into your ears at exactly the wrong moment.

A banjo player I know sort of stands with one leg twisted around the other as he plays his breaks. A couple of guitar players hunch over their instrument, looking like, as the old saying goes "a money buggering a football" !

I realized that I probably have some quirks too. Just not aware of them yet. What are some of the oddities you are aware of, or have seen at jams or on stage ?

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Les B
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 02:31 AM

Sorry, should be "monkey buggering a football"

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Sorcha
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 02:35 AM

If I am concentrating, I stick my tounge out just a little between my teeth. If "the fiddle" screws up, I look at the fingerboard with a weird look/frown (if it is bad enough, I will take the fiddle off my shoulder and inspect the fingerboard). If it is somebody elses' screw up I look at them with a ?? look.......photos of me sticking my tounge out are common around here......

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Les B
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 02:41 AM

Sorcha - I know a fiddler who literally drools while he's concentrating on a hard passage. Recently he got a beer coaster for "Moose Drool" beer and stuck it under his chin rest to absorb the flow !

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 03:04 AM

Though I'm enjoying it when I play fiddle, I've been told that I look like a stern schoolmaster when I play. I saw several snapshots of myself playing, and was shocked to see such a frown. Hate to see what I look like when I'm not having fun playing a crummy gig.

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Sorcha
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 03:56 AM

Oh dear, you mean this is common (both often US and low born UK) behavior? This is bad, we fiddlers could lose our tongues by way of teeth if we concentrate enough...I wish I could post a video of my band/group playing, we all do SO much aerobic stuff while playing. Esp. the fiddlers. Banjo players seem to be stone faces.......

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Susan from California
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 03:49 PM

My husband is fairly tall (6'4" or 1.93 meters for those of you more comfortable with the metric system) and when he is singing and playing guitar (In public, with a mic stand) he hunches over and looks quite uncomfortable, although he claims to be "just fine"

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Little Hawk
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 11:24 PM

I didn't realize it was possible to bugger a football...quite a mental image, that one.

I did notice on Dylan's movie "Hard To Handle" (an Australian tour in the 80's with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers backing him) that he had a really strange, crouching posture while strenuously playing the guitar...fantastic performance of "It's All Right Ma" on acoustic guitar.

Then too, at the Dylan/Joni Mitchell concert a couple of years back in Toronto he spent a lot of time standing with his feet well apart but his knees almost touching...weird...I've tried doing that as an experiment and it's damned uncomfortable.

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: ol'troll
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 11:35 PM

My son NEVER smiles when he's playing the fiddle.I'm told that I get a mouth-open slack-jawed expression when playing the guitar.A good friend of mine claims that he can't play fiddle well if he has shoes on.

troll

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Les B
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 11:50 PM

A fiddle playing friend likes to tap his foot when playing the fiddle, but taps wildly out of time (even though he's playing the fiddle in time)

It got so that other nearby players would reach over and stand on his foot to stop the distracting beats. This happened so much that the last time I played with him he reached over and stood on his own foot to stop the erratic stomping !!

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: GUEST,Indigo
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 11:54 PM

Sorcha,-- thanks for a great laugh! I say 'blame it on the guitar, fiddle, whatever, -- never, never admit it was your mistake. As for me, my tongue gets in front of my eye teeth and I can't see what I'm singing sometimes. I'm pretty good at la-di-daing it though. regards

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Sorcha
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 12:41 AM

Sometimes my guitar player does this windmill thing with his right arm--just swings it in a big circle, and catches the strum on the down beat. He SAYS it's to loosen up his shoulder, but we wonder. Our mandolin player prefers to play lying flat on her back with eyes closed. We are thankful that she only does this in rehearsal. We can be pretty wacky to watch sometimes.

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Mbo
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 12:58 AM

Reminds me of a video I saw from the 60's about the star-studded performance of Schubert's Trout Quintet, with David Baremboim, Jacqueline Dupres, Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman, and Zubin Mehta. It was a riot! Jackie was hunched over her cello with a scowl on her face and a pork pie hat on her head, while thumping out jazz bass lines. While Itzhak was playing his violin--with only his left hand. Zubin was standing next to him and was doing all the bow work. Crazy! But I agree, I enjoy playing guitar while laying flat on my bed...

--M

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Chicky
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 01:47 AM

The Critter (the lutenist in our band) has one face for playing the lute, another for playing the guitar, and yet another for playing his vihuela. I don't know how he remembers which one to do.

I know I pull funny faces when I play the guitar, so I choose not to play it in public. (Being rather bad at it is another reason not to, though.)

Cheers
- Chicky

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: GUEST,Scroggin
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 02:55 AM

I've been told that men dance "how they have sex", and men have told me that they generally have "naughty thoughts" (might just be a jazz thing) whilst they're playing. I've no idea as to whether either is true, but it sure makes the watching fun!!

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Gervase
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 12:40 PM

Jesus, if I play the box the way I have sex, then my sex-life must be pretty solitary!

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Bill D
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 12:52 PM

The first time I saw Liz Carroll, Irish fiddler extrordinaire, some 20 years ago, I could NOT stand to watch her!..slack-jawed...dull stare...but the SOUND!..I just looked the other way and listened....perhaps the intensity some people put into their music just over-rides any concerns for appearance...and that may be good!

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: GUEST,Les B
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 01:10 PM

Bill D raises another interesting question. When does "getting into" the music with body language work, and when doesn't it ?

There used to be a guy in our group who played mediocre rhythm guitar and sang so-so, but when he jumped & gyrated around he had every eye in the place on him. People would come up afterwards and compliment him on his great music. Showmanship gets you a long ways down the road, sometimes !?!

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Kim C
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 01:12 PM

Bruce Springsteen sticks his chin up in the air when he sings. I love Bruce but it hurts me to watch him.

I sing with my eyes shut to avoid distractions and according to photographs, I don't smile when I fiddle either. Too much to think about! I smile when I'm done, though.

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Metchosin
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 01:15 PM

Both my husband and one of my daughters are droolers.

My brother does a lot of stuff with his eyes closed.....come to think of it, not just sets either.....

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Mbo
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 02:27 PM

Not only The Boss does it Kim! I was looking at this book of Folk music performers, at the library. Seemd like at least one person in every picture had their chin up in the ait like they were singing to someone in a high window. Especially Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie for some reason kept doing it. And a lot of banjo players. Strange...

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Bert
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 02:35 PM

Perhaps it's to stop them drooling;-)

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Kim C
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 03:19 PM

John Cowan sticks his chin out too. Oh, man, it hurts me.

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: GUEST,Rich(stupidbodhranplayerwhodoesn'tknowbetter
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 03:25 PM

I've seen musicians not tap but literally STOMP one foot while playing. Maybe I should have posted this in the AAAARRRGGHHH!!! thread!

Michael Kang who plays electric 5 string mandolin and electric fiddle with String Cheese Incident jumps up and down while playing. OK, I know it's they're folk music but they're definitely something to see.
Cheers,
Rich

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: death by whisky
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 03:26 PM

I know a fiddler who "mouths" the tune while he's playing.I'm going to study everyone tonight.

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 06:36 PM

My melodeon playing SO leans forward and to one side, so that the bellows don't catch his nadgers on the way back. He looks like he kacked himself.... or is launching a particularly virrulent trouser cough....

I have to force myself to keep my hands out of my pocket or clamped together behind my back - especially in church. Stems from a time when someone would try to slip a tambourine into my hands or get me to clap along...... I also tend to stand leaning slightly forward when singing, but that is usually to release the pressure of bra strap on ribcage....

LTS

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Sorcha
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 07:32 PM

Here I am again.......we have one banjo player that STOMPS his foot. Remember, this is the group that:
the Mandolin player is on her back on the floor,
the Guitar player is windmilling his right arm,
I stick my tongue out,
the Other Banjo player goes Cross-eyed/StoneFaced,
the WashTub bass player (80+ and large) does the CootchieCootchie,
the Whistle player puts both elbows on his knees and stares at the floor,
and quite often the Other Fiddler and I do aerobics--such as on the Chorus of Golden Slippers--the "Oh, dem"part, she does a deep knee bend on the first "Oh" and I do one on the 2nd "Oh". I told you we are a wacky group.

But, you should all be pleased to know that we made it through the funeral today without doing anything inappropriate at all, even though it was sooooooo HARD not to just break into Pete's favorite 2 step after the Amazing Grace thing........(but we behaved....and laughted later at how Pete would have hated such schmaltz)At least they let us play at the back of the hall instead of having to traipse up the center aisle.

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: death by whisky
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 08:30 PM

One time a tourist came up to me and said:"Can I take a phtograph of him (accordian player) while he's asleep"

He briefly opens his eyes coming up to the change,but boy can he play.

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 01:18 AM

I have an idea. Why don't you just make the involuntary foot stampers play in their socks?

I have a theory about the faces (or lack thereof) that performers make. It says that we are used to being under the control of the higher, speech-oriented, "left-brain" areas of the brain. But when we are concentrating on music, especially fast, memorized music, other parts of the brain get to take over. And they don't care a bit what the face is doing.

This makes others, especially audience members who don't play that way, uncomfortable. They should get over it.

Also, we should always remember that the idea that the verbal, reasoning, speech-making parts of the brain are the "highest" parts originated in those parts of the brain themselves.

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: jeffp
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 02:54 PM

It's fun to watch Mick Moloney at a session. While he's playing he looks, as one friend described it, "like a man who has just killed his wife, his children, his best friend, and the dog, and is waiting for the police to arrive." After the tune is over, he is his old smiling self again.

jeffp

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Jim the Bart
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 06:58 PM

I saw myself in so many pictures with my eyes crossed (apparently focusing on the mic) that I took to wearing a hat. That way my eyes were totally unseen. It became a trade mark, of sorts (Hey! You're the guy in the hat). A hat's a great place to hide when you're on stage. Nobody can tell where you're looking and the lights don't blind you, either!

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Jim the Bart
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 06:59 PM

I saw myself in so many pictures with my eyes crossed (apparently focusing on the mic) that I took to wearing a hat. That way my eyes were totally unseen. It became a trade mark, of sorts (Hey! You're the guy in the hat). A hat's a great place to hide when you're on stage. Nobody can tell where you're looking and the lights don't blind you, either!

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: GUEST,Rich(stupidbodhranplayerwhodoesn'tknowbetter
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 11:50 AM

I've caught myself in a typo. String Cheese Incident. They are definitely NOT folk music, but nonetheless, well worth giving a listen.
Rich

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: guinnesschik
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 11:58 AM

I am ALWAYS shocked to see myself play. Sometimes I do the whole B.B. King thing of mouthing the tune, sometimes slack-jawed, sometimes actually grimacing. I'm usally so relieved when the tune is over, I laugh. Of course, the whole fiddle under the chin thing is not too attractive anyway.

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 01:15 PM

I know it's fairly common for people to close their eyes when they sing (especially amateurs, especially when singing a cappella), but I know someone, who happens to be a folk musician, who frequently closes her eyes when she talks, for Pete's sake. And I'm not talking about on stage. You can be right in the middle of a one-on-one conversation with her, and her eyes are completely closed. I have never had the nerve to mention this to her, but I find it downright weird.

Subject: RE: Odd folkin' behaviour
From: Songster Bob
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 03:47 PM

Martyn Windham-Read, the British singer of Aussie songs, stares at the floor some six to eight feet ahead of him while singing. He tells the audience that he does it, and that it isn't because he doesn't want to look at them, but it's just how he does it.

I often close my eyes, and can't tell you why. I do it whether singing unaccompanied or playing guitar, but don't seem to do it when playing banjo or mandolin, or when I'm performing with Sidekicks, my western-music trio. I've been known to sway when the "groove" gets me, too, but it's not a normal activity. Perhaps I just don't hit the groove often enough, hey?

Bob Clayton