I happened to meet up with a buddy and his ukulele at a camp out. I played on my weissie and tried to keep up with him. We just noodled around together, but before long we had group standing around asking for more.
My buddy is a professional musician and more or less carried me with is uke, but I have to say the combination of the uke and weissie sounded really amazing. To point where I was forgetting to play and trying to absorb the music. I have always liked an acoustic guitar and a weissie combo, but the uke/wessie combo really accentuated the qualities from both instruments really well. Needless to say he and I are going to try to get together to see if we can actually work out some songs.
21 Comments |
 | Bob Blair says:
10/23/2012 9:43:18 AM
Kevin Brown's (thekevinbrown.com) latest cd "Home and Dry" shows how well ukelele can work with Weissenborn. It's a great combination. I like to work also with a single acoustic rhythm guitar player. Or solo. To me, the instrument needs lots of space in order for it's unique sound to be appreciated.
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 | Liz Williams says:
10/23/2012 10:02:43 AM
I'm really glad you asked this question. To me there is nothing quite like solo Weissie, so that's my favorite. But, I like both pairings you've mentioned, and love playing with my guitar player pals. As a former bass player, I do wonder what playing with just a bass would be like. Early next month, a didgeridoo player and improvisational singer will be coming over to jam. I usually play middle eastern frame drums and misc. percussion with them, which is a magical, very trance-y combination. This time I'm going to try some Weissenborn tuned in DADGAD or just open 5ths. I'll let you now how it goes.
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| Bob Blair says:
10/23/2012 10:10:20 AM
Just a bass would be neat.
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 | jimbob says:
10/23/2012 10:13:35 AM
Liz wrote........."This time I'm going to try Open 5th's."
A wee dram or a 5th it will have to be, early next month. HaHa!!
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| Liz Williams says:
10/23/2012 10:27:33 AM
Jimbob, you've got me grinning over here. Ooo - I just remembered this CD I really like: Roots Run Deep by the New Roots Duo. It's Weissenborn (or it is now - he was playing an old Oahu on you tube) and a baritone guitar. Wonderful combination.
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 | CaseyHunter says:
10/23/2012 3:35:55 PM
Bob, thanks for the link to Kevin Browns site. I don't think I had heard of him before.
Bob and LIz,
I definitely agree that the Weissenborn really shines as a solo instrument. Most of the solo songs seem to fall into the more somber, reflective style. I know there are a few quick and upbeat songs out there, but the overtones and sustain really lends it self to a slower deliberate hand.
The thing I noticed with the voice of the uke is that it balanced the weissie by providing a quirky upbeat melody and when paired with the weissies guttural growl was really interesting.
The other pairing that I find really great is a harmonica and a weissie. Works really well for the blues style voicing. Take a look at this video:
youtube.com/watch?v=LeXRoWF7v4...e=related
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| Bob Blair says:
10/23/2012 3:47:31 PM
Cool, thanks for the link. There are a few youtubes of Kevin Brown kicking around, including from the TSGA show this past March (I was playing rhythym for him but you can't see me). I hope he makes it over again this coming March. I took a lesson from him last time around and I'd like to get another one. All his cd's are worth getting - "Slidesville" is a favourite of mine.
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| Liz Williams says:
10/23/2012 5:24:28 PM
That blues harmonica does sound great! Thanks! I notice the Weissenborn player isn't damping behind the strings, so his sound is more like blues slide guitar. Interesting world of sounds out there - I hope you'll keep them coming. I'm too tired of sitting in front of this computer to go looking, but I bet there are you tube vids of the mohan vena with tabla and tanpura and perhaps sitar.
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| Bob Blair says:
10/23/2012 6:35:55 PM
Like this Liz?
youtube.com/watch?v=V_lWLPtv8FA
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| Liz Williams says:
10/23/2012 7:51:29 PM
Almost, Bob - if the tabla player had actually touched his drums! Here's the one I was too stubborn to find earlier. It's got veena and tanpura at first, then all the the tabla player gets going along with two other percussion instruments I can't name - that double-sided drum and that castanet-sounding thing. Wild times.
In my next life, I want to be a tabla player.
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 | Matt says:
10/24/2012 6:41:13 AM
Thanks for mentioning the New Roots Duo Liz, what a wonderful sound.
I'm hoping one day I'll hear a Weissenborn paired with one of these Hang instruments: youtu.be/c0xxnFqdBCE
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x says:
10/24/2012 9:41:02 PM
Great thread.
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| CaseyHunter says:
10/25/2012 7:46:29 AM
I was at a recent reso gathering (PA/NJ), and met Slidennis. He had a flute that he built and he was playing it with Jacknj on reso and it sounded great. It got me thinking that the Weissie and flute combo could be very nice, especially for the celtic inspired stuff. I am going to guess that Slidennis has tried this before, hopefully he can chime in.
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| CaseyHunter says:
10/25/2012 8:43:07 AM
I was at a recent reso gathering (PA/NJ), and met Slidennis. He had a flute that he built and he was playing it with Jacknj on reso and it sounded great. It got me thinking that the Weissie and flute combo could be very nice, especially for the celtic inspired stuff. I am going to guess that Slidennis has tried this before, hopefully he can chime in.
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 | Slidennis says:
10/25/2012 6:41:34 PM
Yep, Casey! Sorry to be late to this party. I've been over in the north of Donegal, Ireland for a couple weeks. The simple system flute sounds nice with a Weissie. So do low whistles.
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RobA says:
10/26/2012 7:50:11 PM
I'd have to say its not so much which instrument as whose hands it's in. Two people could play the same instrument and have a completely different style, tone, approach and sense ability. Some of my favorite pairings have been playing my Weissenborn with piano, cello and once with a great tuba player! In all three cases there was this effortless, silent communication that happens when you really gel with another musician.
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RobA says:
10/27/2012 5:49:51 AM
Hey Matt:
Thanks for posting the link to the hang drums. I really enjoyed listening to that!
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| Bob Blair says:
10/27/2012 6:16:08 AM
I agree with Rob - I did a whole bunch of shows with the principal tubaist from the Edmonton Symphony and it was amazing - I was playing pedal steel though. Also had the opportunity to do several gigs with a really great jazz trumpeter, again with me on pedal steel. I'd love a chance to do something on weissenborn with either of those players.
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| Matt says:
10/30/2012 3:09:08 AM
Hey Rob - glad you enjoyed it! It is a very interesting instrument. I was looking into getting one for my kids to play around with but it turns out they are rather hard to find and would cost more than my Weissenborn did!
Back on topic ... I also love the Weissenborn/harmonica/didgeridoo combination that Xavier Rudd uses.
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 | Dan Schwartz says:
11/3/2012 7:49:28 AM
When I got together with my buddy Steve Roehm who plays vibraphone, there was an immediate joy that we found a pairing of textures that was special. We added an upright bass, and fell in love with the sound. Here is a video of our group The Neighborhood Trio. theneighborhoodtrio.com
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| Dan Schwartz says:
11/3/2012 8:09:32 AM
When I got together with my buddy Steve Roehm who plays vibraphone, there was an immediate joy that we found a pairing of textures that was special. We added an upright bass, and fell in love with the sound. Here is a video of our group The Neighborhood Trio. theneighborhoodtrio.com
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