Archive for the ‘Mandolin’ Category
A Lazy Sunday With John Denver
It’s still really hot outside. So hot that Peter and I decided that we had no choice but to lock ourselves in the house and do nothing. It’s been fantastic. During this day of nothingness, we decided to wipe the dust off of our instruments and give ‘em a whirl. It’s been months since we played and we thought we’d honor a fellow pilot by attempting to play one of his greatest songs (Take Me Home Country Road). It’s not the best rendition but it was a ton of fun and our boy, Simba, sure did like it (at least for the first 3 minutes). )–Update: for some reason the video isn’t working so Im going to have to upload it later!)
For those of you that didn’t know, John Denver was a pilot. He died in 1997 when he crashed his Long EZ into the Pacific Ocean. It was a tragic accident and every bit of it could have been prevented.
Apparently, he purchased the plane just one day before he crashed. It’s so sad. He was a very experienced pilot but made some really bad decisions. He was unfamiliar with the plane and had less than an hour experience flying it (they say he only had a 30 minute check-out). What’s most sad is that the entire accident really could have been prevented if he only did a thorough check-out and had a little more experience with the aircraft. While in flight he realized that there was not enough fuel to get him where he needed to go so he needed to switch tanks. Sounds easy, right? Well, it would have been if he knew more about that particular plane! The Long EZ is an experimental aircraft (aka: homebuilt) and it had a few configurations that he wasn’t familiar with, specifically that the fuel selector valve was behind his shoulder. This, compounded with having a sticky O-Ring (?) made it difficult to switch tanks so while he was trying to work it all out, he did a nose dive at 500 feet. For those of us with pilots in our lives, its a horrifying thought. Thank g-d for pre flight check lists, and for all the pilots that use them.
Peter and I are dedicating this one to John Denver. Rest In Peace.
[Insert WORKING video here!] Sorry, folks..
Wildflowers Don’t Care Where They Grow
So true, isn’t it?
This is another one of my favorite songs. Dolly Parton sings this and its absolutely beautiful. I tried to find her singing it and this is all I found. I wish it was just her singing, but apparently its a movie clip. Either way, you can see how beautiful this song is and of course, Dolly is amazing.
Listen closely to the lyrics. Beautiful.
So, Im trying to learn to play this on the mandolin. It might do better on a guitar and/or the instrument she is playing (which Im not yet sure what that is), but for now, Im going to try to learn on the mandolin. Im slightly embarassed to have myself singing so closely after Dolly, but we all have to aspire towards something, right? Minus the plastic surgery, of course. (Dolly, no disrespect. Im one of your biggest fans).
Now here is me. Desperately trying to figure out how to play the mandolin so it doesn’t hurt the ears. The one thing Im struggling with is strumming. If anyone out there reading this knows anything about the mandolin, or has any helpful hints when it comes to strumming, please let me know! Im finding that every song I play ends up sounding like Wagon Wheel. Im also considering taking up the Guitar. Hell, why not?
The James River and Steve Miller Band
Some of my fondest memories are of Summer days spent on the James River with my friend Cathleen. I met Cathy when I was 15 years old. Hard to believe its been 22 years, but it has. Cathy lived right down the road from me and we instantly became best friends. I can’t tell you how many times we went to the James and spent hours sunning ourselves, exploring the river and singing to the fish. Yes, singing to the fish.
For those of you who are not familiar with the James River, the James is a river that runs through Richmond and back in the day, the river was where it was at. We spent all of our time there, hanging out, just doing what teenagers do. Here is a picture I found of the James River Rocks so you get the idea..
Cathy and I used to go to a cluster of rocks we called the Bread Basket down at the 43rd Street entrance. It was kind of hard to get to, so only on a rare occasion would we find that someone else had taken over our rock. We would come equipped with towels, sun tan lotion, river shoes (if you’ve been to the James, you know what I mean) snacks, a battery powered ‘boom box’, diet coke and/or beer if we were lucky, and cigarettes in a ziplock bag. We had so much fun on those rocks.
One of our favorite things to do was to sing to the fish. I know it sounds strange, but Cathy and I often listened to Steve Miller Band and loved to harmonize to the song Dance, Dance, Dance. One day we thought we’d hang on the side of the rock and start singing and sure enough, all these little fish swam up to us and just stayed there while we sang! We did this all the time and ever time we started singing, fish would appear. Mostly guppies, but fish none the less. It was pretty cool.
For those of you that know, I recently started taking Mandolin lessons. During my last lesson I asked my teacher to show me how to play Steve Miller Band’s Dance, Dance, Dance, and here it is. My dedication to all those wonderful days on the James. I told Cathy that the next time I see her we are going to record us harmonizing it together. She doesn’t think Im serious.
