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catsittingstillI've practiced the three pieces for the Carson Newman Christmas Dinner three times today. (Three practices of twenty minutes to half an hour each.) My fingers are sore. I can only play the Greensleeves tune out about half the time. Though I did make a recording of me singing and strumming it, and 1) my harmony works with the melody and the chords, including the A minors, which I needed to check because I leave the 3rd out of the A chord because that's the easiest way to play one on the mandolin and that means I need to make sure I'm not singing a major third by mistake anywhere and it turns out I'm not. And 2) I can play the melody with myself and I don't freeze up when I make a mistake but come right back in in a note or two or at worst at the start of the next line. What is not happening right now is to sing the harmony and play the melody. Don't have enough processor cycles for that yet.
Playing the melody is confusing because it's in A minor capoed three. So I capo three to match, but then all the little white dots that tell you what fret is what are off by one, so I have to NOT look at the fretboard or I start playing a half step low, which is a pain because sometimes I play g natural and sometimes I play a g sharp (A minor normally calls for E minor but this one flirts with E major to get the leading tone) and it would be helpful to look because that six-fret stretch with the ring finger just doesn't come naturally to me.
Otherwise I'm pretty sure I'd have this closer to ready than it is.
Peace Like A River is working fine and not only can I walk the highest pitched f sharp in the D chord up to G, I can walk it up to A and still reach the A on the lowest string, which makes for a nice little riff if I do say so myself.
For A-Soalin' I'm still struggling to sing the melody correctly while I play the bass run, which clashes with the melody in some places. I need to listen to PP&M again; maybe they aren't using the bass run all the time?
I think I will be able to do this when the others are singing and playing too, but it's going to be borderline.
I checked out "To Drive The Cold Winter Away" on Youtube and I think I like it so I'm suggesting it to the others for next week's Solstice Ball gig. Along with The Keeper and The Boar's Head Carol. Youtube turns out to be a great resource for learning tunes. Who knew?
Playing the melody is confusing because it's in A minor capoed three. So I capo three to match, but then all the little white dots that tell you what fret is what are off by one, so I have to NOT look at the fretboard or I start playing a half step low, which is a pain because sometimes I play g natural and sometimes I play a g sharp (A minor normally calls for E minor but this one flirts with E major to get the leading tone) and it would be helpful to look because that six-fret stretch with the ring finger just doesn't come naturally to me.
Otherwise I'm pretty sure I'd have this closer to ready than it is.
Peace Like A River is working fine and not only can I walk the highest pitched f sharp in the D chord up to G, I can walk it up to A and still reach the A on the lowest string, which makes for a nice little riff if I do say so myself.
For A-Soalin' I'm still struggling to sing the melody correctly while I play the bass run, which clashes with the melody in some places. I need to listen to PP&M again; maybe they aren't using the bass run all the time?
I think I will be able to do this when the others are singing and playing too, but it's going to be borderline.
I checked out "To Drive The Cold Winter Away" on Youtube and I think I like it so I'm suggesting it to the others for next week's Solstice Ball gig. Along with The Keeper and The Boar's Head Carol. Youtube turns out to be a great resource for learning tunes. Who knew?
