Tonyotfan

[Ptarmigan]

WELCOME ;D

Hello Tonyotfan

Welcome to the Old Time Music Forum.

We are all delighted that you are now a member and we look forward to your contributions to the discussions here.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself, your music & your Old Time Instruments.

Then, why not hop over to our Where do you live & play your Old Time Music? poll and click on your own area!

Cheers
'Ptarmigan'

[Ptarmigan]

Hi Tony,

You were talking about chords in your intro.

Have you come across this very handy little book?

NEMOFOTMAD Chord Book

I don't know what other members here think of this little book, but it reminds me that all the best things come in small packages.

Cheers
Dick

[tonyotfan]

Hi - I'm Tony Elmore.

I'm 54 and from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire.

Having been a blues fan (and player) for many years about 10 years ago I felt the lure of old time tugging at me.

My best friend Chris has always been into the banjo though.

I prefer to hear tunes played at a reasonably stately place and with vocals (where they exist) rather than 'session warp speed'.

I also like the really modal ballads - Moonshiner - that sort of thing.

I dissappeared off the UK old time scene about 3 years ago to care for my invalid wife who died in February but went to Towersey folk festival last week and caught up with lots of old faces - I was chuffed that they remembered me.

Also met a couple of musicians and dancers from Aylesbury I didn't know.

Whilst I'm a competent blues guitarist (particularly slide) I'm no 'natural' musician.

I'm reasonably ok learning tunes (I play a bit of banjo and mandolin and a touch of mountain dulcimer) - bringing them up to session speed is a problem though.

Although I will continue playing those instruments I think that my main bent will be towards back up guitar - my hero is Riley Puckett,

Plus of course thats what Chris wants as I can accompany him - he's a superb player (he teaches banjo and mandolin).

My main problem is that I have trouble hearing the chord changes in tunes - however at Towersey we played on the Friday and Sunday for the flatfooting workshop (Jake Jones and Dan Eliot? with Alice Jones -on whistle, Chris on banjo and me on guitar) - it was great training as I started to hear where the changes came quite quickly - mind you we did play the same tune for 2 hours both days....

Also later in the pub garden I joined in by watching another guitarist hands (he played nice simple chord shapes) until after a few goes round I'd got to understand the chord progressions - a great improvement.

I really would like to know a good source for the chord progressions in the most popular tunes. I've got both of the Roots of American Fiddle music mp3 cds from that Turkish guy in the states (Hee-Haw music) and to be able to play along would be good.

I'm a lapsed member of FOAOTMAD but intend to rejoin now.

Off to a cider festival today where Chris is playing in a band called the Hellbellies (the play some old time and a lot more besides) and I'm their sound mixer - I can't set the board up - Jim the band leader does that (well it's his PA) but he really values my knob-twiddling contributions.

I also like Jimmie Rodgers, Carter Family, Hank Williams and close harmony gospel.

Hope that's enough rambling for now.

Best Wishes

Tony

[tonyotfan]

I have quite a collection of instruments.

On the quitar side I have:

Aria parlour size guitar (my main old time backup instrument)
1930's Michigan spider-cone Dobro (which I sometimes use with a nut extender)
1970's Biscuit-cone Dobro
1930's Cromwell by Gibson archtop
Baby Taylor
1960s Anjelica 12-string

I also have:

Cheapo Telecaster copy
Cheapo ES335 copy
Cheapo ES350 copy
Cheapo LP Special copy
Jagard Lap Steel
Harley-Benton GA-5 5 watt valve amp

Other instruments I have are:

Gremlin Round Hole Mandolin (which I use for old time)
1920's Windsor Popular 5-string banjo (also for old time)
Appalachain dulcimer made by Virgil Hughes - author of Mel Bay's "How to build and play your own Appalachian Dulcimer" (I do some old time on this)
Vintage Ukulele
Fiddle

Tony

[nickp]

Welcome back to the OT fold Tony. I never did make the Towersey sessions (I tried, honest) but glad they went OK. Nick