What are you working on right now?

Subject: What are you working on right now?
From: M.Ted
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 02:34 PM

Musically, I mean--I am finishing up a guitar arrangement of one of the melodies called "When the King Enjoys His Own Again", and just pulled out a guitar rag that I wrote a couple years back and wrote a nice intro (inspired by that"Can I Play Like Doc Watson" thread)--I also have a very nice little song I wrote about the Vietnam Memorial Wall(inspired by a rather touching post made to the forum last summer) that I am trying to think of something to do with--Oh, yes, and there is a chord/melody arrangement of "Six Lessons from Madame Lazonga"--

these efforts seem much more coherent when I write about them than they do otherwise--god knows if they'll ever amount to anything--("Madam Lazonga" particularly, after a promising start, is threatening to go "bottom-up)--

Anybody else?

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 02:40 PM

Hi Ted. Working on my shaky fiddle playing. I've programmed the chords and rhythm to The Duke's "Don't Mean a Thing..." into my keyboard, and while it plays over and over again, I try to come up with listenable improvisations.

Madame Lazonga?! Hank Snow's Madame Lazonga from "Rhumba Boogie"?

Rick

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: mousethief
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 02:47 PM

I'm looking for a "traditional" song to memorize for to add to my repertoire. I thought I wanted to do "Two Magicians" but didn't want to have to go through the rigamarole of explaining why it's not racist ("you coal-black smith") to the audience.

I'll gladly take any suggestions.

Alex
O..O
=o=

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: khandu
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 02:52 PM

A quite different version of Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl". Dropped D tuning, fingerpicked. It is satisfying to me to do covers in an altogether different style of the original.

I am also working on one of my originals, "The Entrance"; no lyrics, just a tune with a slight Elizabethan aroma.

The "Doc Watson" thread also inspired me to work on "Black Mountain Rag".

Doc makes me sound like kindergarten.

khandu

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 02:55 PM

Having just invested some serious money in setting up my home recording studio, I am exploring and refining my knowledge of the recording process. I'm not completely unfamiliar with recording, but always in the past it's been someone else's studio, working either on someone else's music or on a collaborative effort (and always with one eye on the clock and the other on my wallet). This one is MINE -- sorry if that sounds selfish, but it's been a long time coming. I'm having a great time, figuring out how to operate in this new digital world (everything I've done before was analog), trying out different mic positions and combinations, overdubbing complementary guitar, mandolin and vocal parts on songs and instrumental pieces that I had always played solo before, adding subtle effects to enhance presence, mixing down -- basically acting like a kid in a candy shop.

I'll be taking next week off from work to dive into this in earnest, and get started on recording my first solo CD. I have no illusions about getting famous, quitting my job, etc. -- this is all about personal satisfaction, and sharing it with any other people who might care to listen. After a lifetime of wishing I had something like this to work with, it's great to have finally gotten to this point.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Susan from California
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 03:06 PM

Whistle Stop--

Sounds like a whole lot of fun, and I'm sure I'm not alone in having "studio envy". Experiment and play, and keep us posted!

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 03:09 PM

I am trying to pick out the note to The Flowers of Edinburgh.
I am working on the words to Guantanamera with the help of Andres (Escamillo)
Working on my frailing speed so I can play Reuben's Train properly.
Practicing some fancy licks so when it dawns on me, I can easily slip them in at the appropriate times.
Keeping my thumb rested on the fifth string when not in use and making sure my right hand position is correct.
And most importantly, I am working on absorbing everything my teacher Rick Fielding has ever taught me.

Bonnie

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 03:10 PM

Thanks Susan, I'll do that. I've spent most of my 42 years green with envy, and I'm amazed that I've finally got tools like this to work with (and very aware of my good fortune). I'll let you know how it goes.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: GUEST,Phil Cooper
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 03:18 PM

Great thread. I'm working on a guitar duet project with Ken Brown and need to be practicing my bit on the tune "Far From Home" for the next round of sessions.

Also working on Christmas stuff for the Bittersweet Christmas Band (me, Margaret Nelson, Kate Early, and Susan Urban). Seems like if you don't have a special seasonal show, you don't work in December.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Ebbie
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 03:25 PM

My focus right now is the mandolin. I'd never required myself to learn chords on it before or to do the proper upstroke. So on Mondays at noon, I meet with a teacher for 45 minutes and on Sunday afternoons I meet with a beginning mando player who's just learning to pick tunes. Great fun.

Mousethief, that doesn't sound racist to me- have you ever noticed furnace men and mechanics? I would hate to see their sheets!

Ebbie

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: okthen
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 03:28 PM

mousethief

how about "coalled blacksmith" ?

cheers

bill

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: mousethief
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 03:33 PM

Okay I'll do Two Magicians. It's really a delightful song. The version I'm used to is the Steeleye Span one, so that's the one I'll do.

If I were female I'd do "Me Husband 'As No Courage In 'Im"

Alex
O..O
=o=

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: John Hardly
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 04:01 PM

I'm working on nailing down fiddle tunes in multiple keys. Also learning mando chords--trying to learn to think in mando instead of having to first mentally translate from guitar.

John millring Hardly

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: bbelle
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 04:13 PM

Waltz-time arrangement of "Blue Moon of Kentucky," "Prayer in Open D" using Open D tuning, "On the Old Kentucky Shore," "One Kind Favor" with some new fingerpickings.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Wavestar
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 05:05 PM

Umm.. It's not musical, but I'm translating chunks of Beowulf...

Otherwise, I'm looking for an appropriate traditional / sounds traditional "courting song" to teach to a friend with a lovely tenor voice who owes a young lady (not me) a song of that nature...

Suggestions?

-J

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 05:22 PM

Mousethief, why not do "Me Husband's Got No Courage In Him"? Doesn't that start with the traditional opening?

As I went out one May morning
To view the fields and leaves a-springing
I saw two maidens standing by
And one of them her hands was wringing

It's obvious that it's a man singing that song.

I am currently working on learning Mabel, and The Greiesley Bride (unaccompanied),and Crazy Man Michael, Christmas In The Trenches, and Shall The Turtle Be Unbroken (accompanied with guitar).

I am also memorizing the poem Trouble Brewing by Charles Morris, and relearning Ships That Pass by C. Fox Smythe.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: M.Ted
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 05:32 PM

"Six Lessons from Madame La Zonga" was a hit for both Jimmy Dorsey (Helen O'Connell on vocals) and for Charlie Barnet(vocal:Mary Ann McCall)in 1940, and, I think, a record that was much played by the college crowd during the great Rhumba craze--you will note that Hank also mentions "Cuban Pete" (He's the king of the Rhumba beat)--

Whistlestop--spill it! What kind of toys do you have in your studio?

Also, sad little puppy that I am, I been sitting here trying to hack my way through every tune that you all have mentioned, and I even cranked up the Band-in-a-Box to try to do Rick's thing with "Don't Mean a Thing..."(Thanks for doing it on an instrument that you can't play, it gives the rest of us at least a small chance). I may flip it over to a Rhumba though...

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 05:43 PM

Wavestar, there is one I really like on a Sally Roger's CD. It's called "Lovely Agnes;" the guy proposes in it, so it ought to fit the bill. If it's not in the DT or in SuperSearch holler and I'll get it to you. It's a simple quick and pretty one to learn.

I have not picked up my fiddle in ages nor have I started on the baritone uke my sister bought me. I am doing good right now at getting back up to speed with my voice.

Thanks to Joe Offer, I am now learning a couple of really pretty ones: "One I Love" and "Kitty Alone."

WhistleStop, I second that! There are lots of us, I am sure, who'd love to buy your CD AND, know what kind of equipment you settled on.

Bonnie, sounds as though you are doing really well! Rick told me you'd be doing this, a year ago! Does he know his students or what?!

kat

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: okthen
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 05:44 PM

mousethief

have you heard the martin carthy version of twa magicians? i'm not drawing comparisons, or saying one is "better" than other,it's just the first recorded version i heard, and closer to the bert lloyd version IMO.

cheers

bill

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: mousethief
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 05:50 PM

Haven't heard it. Is it on a Martin Carthy album if so which one if not where?

thanks,
Alex
O..O
=o=

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Mbo
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 06:02 PM

I don't work on anything anymore besides schoolwork. There is no time for much else.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: bflat
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 06:54 PM

A few classical pieces for agony and for ecstasy a collection of Kate Wolf songs. Been doing this for a few weeks straight and I stink. Looks like it will be a few more weeks.

bflat

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 09:28 PM

Wesley, I want you to know that I respect you as a person and feel you have the right to own any fancy recording equipment you want to own. We live in a free society.

HOWEVER, IF YOU START TALKING TECHIE WITH THESE PEOPLE I AM RIGHT OUTA THIS THREAD!

(Just Kidding, of course)

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: dwditty
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 10:32 PM

I'm working on "Just a Little While to Stay Here." a New Orleans funeral march. Geoff Muldaur does it on his CD from a year or so ago. Not the most upbeat piece I ever did, but it sounds purty.

dw

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: sophocleese
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 10:38 PM

Trying to play any simple guitar back up to some songs I like, The Robber, One I Love, Lowlands of Holland. Also trying to figure out a bridge for a song I wrote awhile ago. Gotta learn After The Ball for the weekend.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: WyoWoman
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 10:46 PM

I'm learning to fingerpick "Two-Way Waltz," by Kate Wolf, and sing it AT THE VERY SAME TIME!!!! And to fingerpick "Farewell to the Gold," and to sing it, tambien. And I'm learning one called "Athens Hotel," from a CD by a Denver group called Colcannon -- I don't know the source of that song, but I do love it. And one from the Trio album, "I've been higher than the high sierra ..."

I started learning "Go, Leave" from a Kate and Anna McGarrigle tape I had, but I don't know enough to figure out the chords. Likewise I almost know one of Tracy Nelson's, but there's a chord I can't sort out in it, so I'm stymied on both of those.

Trying to decide whether to learn "Bold Riley" first or "I am Stretched on Your Grave" from the Kate Rusby "Hourglass" cd.

Learning to play songs that don't involve B chords ...

In my other life, I'm taking an online course in web design and am learning HTML so I can put together a website to archive my columns and articles ...

ww

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: richlmo
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 11:14 PM

My son got the part of Tiny Tim in the musical , " Scrooge " for a church dinner theater. Guess that's what we'll be working on for the next while

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Timehiker
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 11:52 PM

I'm working up some campfire songs for a family campout sponsored by the historical park I work for. The audience/participants are "regular folks", not the history buffs I usually play for, so I have to remember some of the more conventional songs that I used to play. I've been concentrating on historic folk songs for the last 15 years or so and I'm pretty rusty on the ones that "everybody knows".

Take care, Timehiker

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Bill D
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 11:55 PM

some Carter Family stuff on the autoharp

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Troll
Date: 03 Oct 00 - 11:59 PM

Just tryin' to stay sane.

troll

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: CarolC
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 12:13 AM

I'm working on organizing a weekend of accordion workshops to be held here in Shepherdstown in May 2001.

If I can pull this thing together, the classes will be taught by none other than our very own, Skipjack K8. (Who is, by the way, a very good accordion player.)

Anyone interested in this idea should be on the lookout for a special thread about it sometime soon.

And I'm trying to learn how to play Kate Martyn's Waltz on my box.

Carol

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: MK
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 12:28 AM

Young Thing - Chet Atkins
Cannonball Rag - Merle Travis as played by Marcel Dadi
When Sunny Gets Blue - my own arrangement being developed for fingerstyle.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: okthen
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 03:42 AM

mousethief

it's on Martin Carthy's first album, released 1965,you can hear 30 seconds on cdnow, but this doesn't give a good chance to evaluate the song.

cheers

bill

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From:
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 05:03 AM

I am learning to play (on guitar) and sing the Carter Family's "Jimmy Brown the Newsboy" and sort-of poking away at "Wabash Cannonball".

Art, in his CD "The Older I Get the Better I was", has a Uncle Dave Macon song about Nashville. He plays it on the banjo and I am trying to make a guitar arrangement that "goes"--so far no luck.

I am trying to learn a few of Leo Brouwer "simple" exercises on the classical guitar.

I had plans to learn to bend notes and play blues harp. I am not really putting a lot of time on it.

richlmo: Does your son get to sing "Tiptoe Through the Tulips"? ;^}

Bill D: I wish you lived in Sydney. Those Carter Family songs on solo guitar sound a bit thin.

Now that I have said all that, what I am trying to do at this very moment is get my callouses back. I spent last month in and out of hospitals and didn't get to play the guitar very much.

Murray

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: JulieF
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 06:50 AM

The Jute Mill somg and the Broom of the Cowdenknowels with the folk chorus (group) I sing with and Culloden's Harvest if I can ever build up enough courage to sing on my own (I've only done it once in recent years - I had to have several pints and send my family out of the room).

Julie

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 08:16 AM

Transcribing Ives' fourth symphony just for something to do...

Seriously...working on a heavy metal cover of Tori Amos' Pretty Good Year.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: MMario
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 09:29 AM

posting Henry Purcell's catches to the forum; finding "lost" tunes for the DT.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: GUEST,Pete Peterson
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 09:38 AM

a) re-learning how to play the mandolin after many years of not playing it b) learning new tunes and songs again, esp. Voodoo Queen Marie and other Holy Modal Rounders songs that I hadn't known before
wow! Ted, I can't believe that there is somebody else out there who knows When the King enjoys his own again! You can play it straight or you can put a banjo into gCGCD (double-C tuning) and play it clawhammer style. I played it that way once without realizing what I was doing and didn't recognize it till the third time through-- worked it up & used it in banjo contests for years.
courting song-- how about the Shelor Family's "Billy Grimes, the Rover"-- only modern recording I know is New Lost City Ramblers, volume 4.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 10:58 AM

Pete--I play it on guitar, in G, standard tuning. Are you playing "When the King... or "The World Turned Upside Down? The tune that I have for that (which I don't play) seems more suited to banjo--

Guest, is that the Martin Carthy version of Ives, or is it the Bela Fleck cover? My Fourth grade art teacher taught our class to play it in a nose-o-phone orchestra, and they wanted to send us all to the Julliard School, but our moms wouldn't let us go, cause it was a school night.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: WyoWoman
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 11:07 AM

CarolC -- You might want to talk to Chanteyranger re. your weekend of workshops. I understand that he organized a sea song/chantey festival in the Bay Area a few weeks back and everyone who attended kvelled happily about it for days afterward.

ww

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 11:26 AM

I'm trying to find other phrasings for a banjo tune I wrote, "Little Dorrie", so that second and third and fourth times through are all different from the first.

I am putting into song, with guitar, A.E. Housman's wonderful poem, "When I Was One-and-TWenty".

Trying to figure what my guitar treatment will be for singing Robert Burns's "Bonnie Wee Thing".

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: hesperis
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 03:26 PM

Learning Mandolin. Avoiding practising French Horn. Spending too much time on Mudcat. Circle Dancing tonight. Working on a few songs, some of my own, some old friends that I haven't seen for a while and found in the DT. Working on a couple of websites, uploading improvised piano pieces (not folk at all, but still beautiful,) to mp3.com.

Pretty much it, for now...

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Kim C
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 05:22 PM

Oh, I'm just fiddling around...

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: CarolC
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 07:54 PM

Thanks, WyoWoman.

Carol

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Wavestar
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 08:07 PM

Guest - Are you serious about the heavy metal cover of Pretty Good Year? I'd be interested in hearing that.

-J

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Mooh
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 09:22 PM

Set out a week ago to lay a new pine floor in the porch but discovered so much rot I haven't actually got to the floor yet. Maybe tomorrow. New joists and walls are in and if it doesn't rain maybe I'll do some painting.

Oh, you mean music? Sorry.

How come everyone's learning mandolin? Everywhere I go with mine I'm a hit and I don't want any competition. Just kidding of course. The amazing thing to me is how many people are completely unfamiliar with the mandolin. "What kinda guitar is that?" they say, as if everything is a guitar. Even the country crowd doesn't necessarily know.

Sinner Man. This Is My Father's World, fingerpicked in G, after having let it go for a while. Own compositions, including one for Christmas. And generally trying to get my vocals up to par with my guitar work. Oh yeah, and a new band soon to be hatched.

So much music, so little time.

Mooh.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: richlmo
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 10:58 PM

After the thread about songs about Fathers, the VH1 show on Cat Stevens, and the Entertainment Tonight show about Cat Stevens/Yosef Islam or whatever his name is now, all I can hear is "Father and Son" and " Moonshadow ". I keep singing them all day long. I don't mind "Father and Son"-Damn good song!

I'm trying to work out a lead on ," Walk On Boy ". Not quite up to par with Tony Rice.

Murray, don't think the Methodists are ready for THAT Tiny Tim.

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: John Hardly
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 11:11 PM

Mooh,

great idea--"This Is My Father's World"--one I haven't tried--I'm on the case!

John millring Hardly

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: JamesJim
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 11:15 PM

Working on learning the harmonica (playing while I play my guitar). I think I've made amazing progress, then I hear a real pro play and I have to keep going back to the drawing board.

Jim

Subject: RE: What are you working on right now?
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 11:16 PM

Working on taping four original tunes : "Joshua Tree" and "Oh Maria" words/music by me,two words by me music by Woody Hannah,"Marble Halls" and "Desert Line." Also working on my guitar playing.Got the B and the F bar chords down,Wyo,long as I don't have to play 'em together.:>}