Feel free to post responses wither here or on on the original post - whatever is more comfortable. I'll cross link later.
12 Comments |
 | Niels Andrews says:
11/16/2013 12:05:45 PM
This question is pretty strange. If you are not in love with the sound why else would you play it ? And sorry playing steel guitars so they don't sound like one is pointless to me. I love the things you don't get in other instruments, the gliss, and the drone available with multiple root notes and fifths. Simple to me.
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 | Liz Williams says:
11/16/2013 12:34:23 PM
I might not have framed the question well when I cross-posted it here, Niels. Did you read Bill's original post? If you click the link in my first post, it will take you there.
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 | billmccloskey says:
11/17/2013 12:51:03 PM
Niels, I think the operative term here is "too in love". If you read the original post, I'll think you will get where I'm coming from.
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 | yeti says:
11/18/2013 7:41:28 PM
I'd say "yes, absolutely". I'm just starting out but I'm working to get away from that drone/ new age sound as fast as possible. The problem is that simply strumming and sliding a bit on a Weissenborn does sound like beautiful music.....for about a minute or two:)
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RobA says:
11/19/2013 4:56:06 AM
There's nothing inherently wrong with playing slow songs on the Weissenborn, per se. There's good slow and there's bad slow; good fast and bad fast... The real issue - IMO - is whether a given song - and the player's execution of the song - are compelling to listen to. A well constructed, well played tune shares elements of story telling - with a beginning, middle and an end. It draws you in and makes us want to listen. More importantly, it makes us feel something.
Bill's post - Are Weissenborn player's too in love with the sound of the instrument? Is an interesting rhetorical question. Does the very thing that draws us into wanting to play the instrument become a stumbling block later on? I see two main issues here, namely creativity and technique. Of the two issues I'd say learning to play with great technique is - by far - the major stumbling block for most Weissenborn players. It takes a lot of time and effort to develop enough technique to play the Weissenborn with great tone and to be able to execute phrases and melodies with solid timing, clean transitions and - depending on the tune - a convincing vibrato. As the expression goes, if you've got great technique you can sing the phone book and people will pay good money to listen to you. I view creativity as an outgrowth of technique. As we progress in our efforts to master certain techniques it's only natural that we will stumble across new ideas and new avenues to express those ideas.
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 | CaseyHunter says:
11/19/2013 6:37:33 AM
I think Rob nailed it square on the head.
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| Liz Williams says:
11/19/2013 7:11:56 AM
I love your post, Rod. Technique is the gateway to expressiveness and the vehicle for creativity.
In my ukulele lesson last night, my teacher asked me to pick out some melodies. It was clear to him that I wasn't loving them, only trying to get through them. And it's true: I'm classically trained and not good at picking out melodies. So he had me play them again to find the pleasure in them, then he had me add harmony. I was up 'til midnight reaching for a better way technically to express the pleasure I was finding in the melodies.
I guess we all better get back to woodshedding. :-)
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 | Bob Blair says:
11/19/2013 7:28:07 AM
My impression is that a fair number of weissenborn players (not that there are really all that many) are multi-instrumentalists, who pick up their weiss for particular songs that can benefit from the instrument's voice. In a lot of cases those songs will be slow and soulful, but I certainly think the instruments are capable of lots of other stuff.
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| Niels Andrews says:
12/5/2013 11:01:00 AM
I see on different forums a lot of time spent discussing different instruments and within instruments, tone and such. To sum up what Rob said. "The wand does not determine the magic, the one waving it does." So where can the most improvement be found,? I would say in your hands and between your ears. Is everybody practiced up on their Christmas tunes? Cheers
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| Liz Williams says:
12/5/2013 12:56:31 PM
Funny you should mention Christmas tunes, Nieis. I just started on some this week. A bit late, I know.
I'm finding the iphone ireal to be a helpful practice aid: I just point it at a song, pick a key and a groove and it whips me into shape. Having a rhythm section adds the crucial 3rd ingredient to getting the magic out of the wand: The rhythmic reality check. Painful when I get it wrong, so much fun when I can get in the groove.
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| Niels Andrews says:
12/5/2013 4:01:51 PM
Every year for many I have said Ok, next year I will start in Sept. Then I end up panicking around the first Christmas party.
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| Liz Williams says:
12/5/2013 5:04:47 PM
Me too! Every single year. LOL.
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