... last night. Only one for miles around but luckily not too far away (just across town). Only went to watch and took my tame bassist friend along for moral support.
It's the first time I've been to anything like this - it was *such* a cool vibe - was about 7 of them there on this occasion, all bar 2 of them had multiple instruments they dabbled with (guitar/fiddle, banjo/harmonica, banjo/fiddle etc) and - a couple were clearly *very* fine players indeed, the others all very good too though, and one old boy who could sing harmony to anything.
I chatted with a couple of them and they seem very welcoming so I may take an instrument along soon and just sit mostly quietly and join in where I can.
some observations:
1. The guitars are the poor cousin - sometimes barely audible if the others didn't back off enough. What is the loudest guitar on the market... ?
:-) 2. Fiddles are fucking loud in comparison.
3. There is no PA and amp lugging in this genre!
They were particularly interested if I could play Mando as they don't have one.
I own a Mando but can't play it properly but this has given me the incentive.
Anyone else do Bluegrass now or in the past? (I know
@Lewy has certainly... )
Red ones are better.
Comments
I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.
Not all dreadnoughts are equal though.
The Tuner app on my phone gives a dB value. I put it across the room, and my Martin was 3 or 4db louder (approximately double perceived volume) than another dread I used to have. Didn't sound louder to me when playing but it must project a lot better.
If you don't want to monstrously heavy strings then you probably want something with the pre-war style ("forward shifted") scalloped bracing as the tops are a lot more responsive.
Faints at price lol
“Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay
I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.
“Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay
ps. @crunchman - which tuner app has a dB meter? Would love to find out the relative loudness of my guitars as they vary a lot from the “driving seat”.
http://atkinguitars.com/guitar/the-white-rice-relic/
D18s are often used because the mahogany construction lets them cut through a bit more than a rosewood D28.
I played dobro in a bluegrass band for 4 or 5 years and have played at hundreds of bluegrass jams. Banjo, fiddle and dobro are all louder than guitar and a mandolin cuts through well because of its higher frequencies. Guitar players can really struggle to be heard. At jams it needs the other instruments to back off when the guitar takes a solo. Unfortunately not all players are that considerate. Bluegrass guitarists also have to learn to dig in hard. I’ve been amazed at the volume really good players get from their guitars.
In a band context it’s not so much a problem because the traditional single-mic method allows players to move closer for their solo then back away.
That said, we're on speculating here that the soundhole size is the factor. I doubt Atkin would get away with it...
I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.