With Thanksgiving AND getting a new puppy (longish story – maybe I’ll post about it sometime), I didn’t post (or make) either a practice plan or update videos. I did make it to Taborgrass, so had several new things to work on last week. The thing is, sometimes it ends up this way and practice isn’t that great for a week. We just pick up again this week.
Practice Plan for 27 November 2022
Lesson:
No lesson this week (was rescheduled to next week).
Playing With Others:
I didn’t make it out to play with others last week (we went to Washington to spend Thanksgiving with my parents – my mom has terminal cancer). I want to try to make it out to the old-time jam on Thursday, but we will see. Might be the Vancouver jam on Tuesday.
1) New Material
Chinquapin Hunting
Angeline the Baker
Squirrel Hunters
2) Developing Material
Bluebirds Are Singing for Me (words – always the words)
You Won’t be Satisfied that Way
Bury Me Beneath the Willow (Michael Daves class)
Road to Columbus (learning Bill Monroe break on “Kenny Baker Plays…”)
I know I got super excited about practicing the guitar when I made my practice plan last week, but ultimately that both muddied the entire plan AND was pointless because I am not and do not plan on being a guitarist. I would like to be a little better, but not nearly enough to do the work to become so.
As such, this week is a return to just a mandolin practice plan.
Practice Plan for 06 November 2022
Lesson:
No lesson this week. I moved to every-other-week lessons at the end of October.
Playing With Others:
Last week I went to the Wake Up Rounder jam at Tomorrow’s Verse. It was ok, but not quite my thing. This week is Taborgrass, so if I do go to a jam during the week it will just be supplemental.
1) New Material
Take a Sniff on Me (The Cocaine Song)
Amazing Grace (I just need to learn all tue words)
Cindy
Fare Thee Well, O Honey (Dink’s Song)
Cripple Creek
Bill Cheatham
2) Developing Material
Bluebirds Are Singing for Me
Bury Me Beneath the Willow
Road to Columbus
3) Performance Material
Jenny Jenkins
Clinch Mountain Backstep
Whiskey Before Breakfast
4) Techniques
LH position (Sill struggling with this, but could be cleared up once I have my forever mandolin)
Sometimes, when I a m not writing horrible bluegrass songs, I write poetry (although it has admittedly been a minute). Almost none of these have been seen beyond maybe a close friend or, as is the case with the poem here, the intended recipient. I wrote this poem for a former parter who had a profound impact on my life, and who I still feel deeply for, regardless of the way things turned out.
A Love Poem Is a Tricky Thing December 2018
A love poem Is a tricky thing. For I am not the first to Feel these feelings, Or the first to search The darkness of The depths of the night For Words precious enough Or beautiful enough To describe This. Whatever it is.
But I am the first me To first love you, To find the Words To say. Unless you count the other mes And the other you Across the Universes. For surely this feeling Is bigger than one life. Is bigger than one Universe.
And just now, Writing, I found the Words To describe the thing: I love you, So much that Surely one life And one Universe Is much too small To contain it.
