The older I get, the more I like sparsely done music


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhdeG-5_lUw

Another beautiful song performed by Sarah Jaroz, sparsely done.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qww0j-An5M

Yes, she is extremely talented.

The second video had me looking up octave mandolins! I didn't even know such and instrument existed. I also didn't know about the mandocello. I learn something new every day.

Yes, that was wonderful. And now for something completely different. Here is what I am listening to today. You are going to hate this Bob.

Mario,

Octave mandolins are appearing in more Americana and bluegrass music than ever before.

A close friend of mine who is a luthier just built an octave mandolin. It's not for sale. The mandolin he built about 30 or so years ago is the best mandolin I've ever played.

I'd love to have an archtop octave mandolin. It gives you full bodied sound of a guitar while being easier to play than a mandolin since it isn't as small.

Mandolins cramp my hands if I play more than 2 or 3 songs on one. Same thing with a fiddle.

Dan, he is really talented. I really like his playing techniques.

Mario,

Here is Tim and Mollie O'Brien doing a great song.

Tim is obviously playing an octave mandolin.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jBmgED_4rw

Me too, but they are around $5K! That is over my budget by $4.9K!

I have a couple of over 100 year old mandolins here. I will take a few pictures of them if you are interested in seeing them. One is a banjo mandolin and the other a round back mandolin. I also have a 100 year old banjolele.

Dan,

I didn't hate it, at least not too much. LOL. He's obviously extremely talented but it's a bit too "busy" for me.

Still a good clip.

Please send pics Mario.

Here's Sarah Jarosz singing a Frank Sinatra tune, "The Way You Look Tonight" +++ The Way You Look Tonight" +++.

She is a smooth singer and a talented musician. By the way, just look at all the STUFF lining the walls.

Jim,

Great clip. I hadn't seen that one.

Sarah is not only a multi instrumentalist that plays a slew of instruments but she does a wide variety of styles.

Like you, I'm always checking out what's hanging on the walls in these youtube clips.

She is very talented. I'd kill to have a voice like that. Just not my bag. I like funk and groove as my personal preference. Thus the fascination with Victor Wooten. Love bass players that can thumb and slap and pop. When I was young my "perfect" band that I always said I wanted to be in was Average White Band, so there's where my music head is. Like bands that make my head bob and my feet tap.

Mario,

Octave mandolins come in a variety of body styles. Arch top guitar style, flat top style, really big mandolin body style and a few others.

Here is Sierra Hull playing a really big mandolin style body on a Bill Monroe original;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpB3yBiJ1Jg&list=PL3r_j6sKne0ciVzrEB03zv48FverwvAIM&index=7&t=0s

I love those styles too. I guess you could say I'm a musical b*stard when it comes to what I think sounds good.

I've frequently been told I was a b*stard and maybe that's why.

I have too, and there's no "maybe" involved. I know EXACTLY why!!!

Daryl Hall, for years, played an instrument he called a Mandar, which was a 4 stringed instrument with octave doubler strings, and similar in concept to what you are discussing. His was lie a ukulele on steroids. With GE Smith playing every guitar solo and John Oates playing rhythm, he didn't have to really do much more than strum. And sing with THAT VOICE! Man what a voice he has. He's like 74 now and still out there singing. This last divorce apparently cost him big time and he has been touring A LOT to make money.

I want to take a 12 string guitar and take off the doubling strings on the top 3 strings. Leave 4-5-6 because t hose are truly octaving strings, but those top 3 that are just doubling the same note can go. I bet that would sound great through a good quality chorusing pedal.

Another sensational delivery. Flawless performance from Sarah. And yes, that voice

Here is another short clip of Sarah Jarosz that I hadn't heard until this morning. 3 short originals played solo with a brief interview.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5agVKhPQIE

Yes, I did look at all kinds of octave mandolins, all out of my price range!

That is the most interesting trio I have ever seen. But it does work.

Thanx for sharing.

PS - I try to get some pictures today.

My favorite Sarah Jarosz sparsely played song "Build Me Up from Bones". First time I fell in love with the Archtop Octave Mandolin. If I ever win the lottery. Ha!!

https://youtu.be/X09s37tJ09s

Here you go:

Mario,

Those are both really cool. I especially like the roundback. The wood on the back is beautiful.

We used to call those "tater bug" mandolins. I've only seen a handful of them.

On the banjo style is that a wood inlay or carving on the back?

I would definitely hang on to those.

To the best of my knowledge it is wood inlay. It is so old and was played a lot by my uncle it is hard to detect any edges.

The skill and knowledge of the young musicians in these videos lead me to believe music is in good hands.

Mario those are some outstanding looking instruments you've been blessed to care for.

Tenor guitars are nice as well, Usually tuned like a mandolin, can also be tuned like a 2nd(b) string to 5th(a) guitar.. I dropped the tuning down a tone for my partner so it the same as a ukulele just a octave down, she started playing late in life,the narrow neck and only having to learn one instrument is great...
Basically she used her skills on the UKE to sound like a guitar...

Oh well, ... why not another one with Sierra Hull on tenor guitar and Rob Ickes on dobro?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bBMFSrl97Q&list=PL3r_j6sKne0ciVzrEB03zv48FverwvAIM&index=7

Y'all just tell me if you want me to stop.

Oh well, ... why not a Prince cover done with just 2 instruments?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfwB_afpWRE&list=PL3r_j6sKne0eUAYgbaakqB9KVUVfp_30Y&index=3&t=0s

Okay, ... this one isn't sparsely done. It's a call for people to wake up and realize the horrific damage that's being done to our democracy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIdfulZ1c5c&list=PL3r_j6sKne0ciVzrEB03zv48FverwvAIM&index=8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcEWk6TW0ks

Here's my dime on the "sparse" discussion. One guitar 2 singers. Doesn't get more sparse than this.

https://youtu.be/owQswtRcQ6k

Late to the party - the original post, she is definitely talented though not personally in my taste. And Eddie - thanks for sharing, I enjoyed that a lot.

Talking sparsity in music I can't help but immediately think of Brian Eno's ambient material - in particular, Music For Airports. Again, while personally not my taste, its insane the amount of praise this album gets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNwYtllyt3Q

Deryk,

I was primarily thinking of music played by humans, ... not layered loops. LOL

Here's another human doing a song "sparsely done".

Sarah Jarosz - Mockingbird (Ruston Kelly cover)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkK4bVeNmqI

This is another that's a bit outside the square, in as much as it has few (sparse) instruments, but packs a musical punch:

Dueling Banjos

eTown Finale with Sierra Hull & Keller Williams Trio - People Get Ready / No Woman, No Cry (Live)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwcyYfsinMM&list=PL3r_j6sKne0ciVzrEB03zv48FverwvAIM&index=10

Lake Street Dive in the Studio: Rachael Price Sings "What I'm Doing Here" In One Complete Take


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcUeothSPyc

My favorite acoustic duo, Ike & Martin, are amazing musicians who perform in The South Lake Tahoe area.
Catch them live on Facebook each Thursday at 6:00.

https://youtu.be/S_UvnfuoNvk

https://youtu.be/oQbaa8qcmdo

Dueling Banjos like you have never heard it before:

Dueling Tubas

This is my take on sparse. I wrote most of the lyrics and stole a few words from my old buddy Joe.

https://soundcloud.com/planobilly/winter-blues


Cheers,

Billy

EDIT....Perhaps not 100% politically correct...listener beware