Right-Hand Exercises

I made a sheet of right-hand exercises to use during warm-ups. If you want to print one, you can use this pdf:

http://www.minnesotamandolinorchestra.org/rhexc.pdf

This may be obvious (re Mandonico)

The problem with playing the extremely high section of the Mandonico piece is that I have to play it without looking at my hands. I can play it great, if I look at the mandolin. But then I have lost my place in the music!

So this is the technical challenge: shifting positions while keeping one's eyes fixed on the printed page of music.

Any other discussion of this tricky area?

No MMO rehearsal November 22

There will be no mandolin orchestra rehearsal on Monday, November 22. This is because our usual rehearsal space is not available, and because several people were going to be absent anyway. We'll be back at the Baha'i Center on November 29.

Evelyn O'Leary memorial

We have received a check for $75 in memory of Evelyn O'Leary. Does anybody have a suggestion about a fitting use for the money? My first thought is to buy some music with it.

Moonlight Sonata on classical guitar

Very impressive! He had to improvise on some of the bass notes, but not a bad arrangement, except the last 2 notes! Pretty close! I wonder how long it took him to figure this out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS8eVFq1ZdU&feature=related

"Ball Game" practice file

I created an mp3 practice file for "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." The synthesized instruments sound cheesy, but listening or playing along will help you get the syncopations and jazz harmonies into your consciousness.

You can find a link on "current tunes" page, or you can get it here:

http://www.minnesotamandolinorchestra.org/tmottbg.mp3

Possible web site interruptions

I'm changing the minnesotamandolinorchestra.org domain registration from one registrar to another. There could be some interruptions in service during the process. If you find the web site unavailable some time in the next week or so, don't panic. It will come back.

A new electric mandola

From the "Eastwood Guitars" mfr. website - a nice design.

Off to Minnesota parts available

Parts for John Goodin's composition "Off to Minnesota" are available here:

http://www.minnesotamandolinorchestra.org/Off to Minnesota Bass.pdf
http://www.minnesotamandolinorchestra.org/Off to Minnesota Mandocello.pdf
http://www.minnesotamandolinorchestra.org/Off to Minnesota Guitar.pdf
http://www.minnesotamandolinorchestra.org/Off to Minnesota G clef Mandola.pdf
http://www.minnesotamandolinorchestra.org/Off to Minnesota Mandolin 2.pdf
http://www.minnesotamandolinorchestra.org/Off to Minnesota Mandolin 1.pdf

Sept 27 at Baha'i Center

Contrary to previous announcements, our rehearsal on September 27 will be at the usual place, 3644 Chicago Avenue South in Minneapolis.

Puzzle

Thinking about the composers of two of the tunes, I was inspired to create the following. Dave

(Answers are composers, number of letters is given. I'll post the first letters, if you wish.)

1. Shoe width (5)
2. Very large (6)
3. Not forward (4)
4. Not in plain sight (5)
5. Place to roast red root vegetables (9)
6. Muppet cobbler (7)
7. CB moniker (6)
8. These sweep clean (6)
9. What you may be doin' in the kitchen (5)
10 (for guitarists) How you feel after biking a long distance (3)
11. What you use to open your tea-like beverage chest (11)
12. What you put over your sock, dude. (8)
13. What this was inspired by (5)
14. Offspring of a botanist (11)
15. Clipper (5)
16. Tangle or untangle (5)
17. Long, Spanish fish (5)
18. Ravager (6)
19. In favor of a morning beverage, Evelyn (9)
20. Vend a pocketbook (7)

September 20 rehearsal tunes

Here is the list of tunes for our September 20 rehearsal:

Nail That Catfish and Shove the Pig's Foot
Corale (Calace)
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Pavane (Faure)
Preludio e Fuga
Gallantry

Nail That Catfish and Preludio e Fuga should be in your notebooks already. We last played Gallantry in 2005. We last played Pavane in 2003. (Please note that it's Faure's pavane, not Ravel's.) We last played Corale so long ago that I don't have a record of the date.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a new arrangement. You can find a pdf with all the parts at http://minnesotamandolinorchestra.org/ballgame.pdf

CMSA convention info

The annual CMSA convention starts October 13 in Seattle. Here's a link to a letter of invitation and information from the CMSA (in Microsoft Word format):

www.minnesotamandolinorchestra.org/cmsa2010.doc

Bargain mando strings

Anybody who is looking for cheap strings, this brand is working well for me.

http://webstrings.com/mandolin_strings.html

$3.24 per set (plus shipping), not bad.

Comments from Sherry

I got this from Sherry, and she asked me to share it with the group:

Boy, you guys rock!! You really nailed all the tempo changes on "Gypsy Moon"; best reading (in my hearing) yet! And the blues piece was even better this week. I loved the other pieces on the program as well; a nice mix of tunes. Thanks so very much. I won't be able to come out to Centennial Lakes, but I know you'll do great there, too.

My old mando-banjo

Here is an old mando-banjo for which I traded someone a conga drum, back in 1983 or so. It has a homemade case, and it is unplayable - it needs restoration, if I ever get around to having it done. There are a "W" (Washburn?) and a griffin inlaid in the peghead.

See you on 8/23 for the Edina show. - TF

Aug 30 party?

Anybody want to organize a mandolin orchestra party on August 30?

3 Guitars and a Tractor

The tractor plays percussion (only one tempo option). I laughed all the way thru this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG5Z25ker0A

Northern Latitudes Mandolin Quartet Aug 6

The Northern Latitudes Mandolin Quartet will be playing Friday, August 6, at 7:00 p.m. at Papa's Restaurant and Deli in North Minneapolis (42nd & Thomas Avenue North). The program is sponsored by the Camden School of Music. There's more information here:
http://www.camdenmusicschool.com/events.html

Lake Harriet set list

The set list for Lake Harriet is on the "MMO gigs" page. The other lists are coming. All the other summer set lists will be subsets (possibly including the improper subset) of the Harriet list. Here are the tunes, in performance order:

La Festa Splendora
Nail That Catfish and Shove the Pig's Foot
Buona notte Mimi
Day Tripper
Blues of a Summer Night
Nimrod
Chattanooga Choo Choo
Danse Hongroise
On the Mill Dam
Serenade (Drigo)
Clairvoyant Cha-Cha
Last Call at Hawley-Cooke
Gypsy Moon
X-Town Interchange Rag
As Far As I Can See
Don Armando
Romanian Lullabye
Palladio

July 5 mando holiday

Just a reminder: There's no MMO rehearsal on Monday, July 5. I'll see everyone on the 12th.

Don Armando - Dayton Mandolin Orchestra

This one has a bit of background noise - Don Armando by Joh B. Kok

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEZLNDt-Ff0

Daryl

New BOASN parts

Updates parts for Blues of a Summer Night are available here:
http://www.minnesotamandolinorchestra.org/BOASNuparts.pdf

A great time had in Kalamazoo!

Well, there weren't too many out of towners, but they were talented ones! John Goodin, Linda Binder and Bob Maretti (a very talented all around player) joined the Kalamazoo Mandolin Orchestra for the workshops and performances.

Lucky me, because the ringers were talented, we were able to talk Miles into letting us play (air mandolin for some parts) the entire program rather than just the workshop pieces.

Very fun - there were over 100 people in attendance at the concert.

Carlo as always, was very impressive (albeit jet-lagged the first day). I will take on his parking lot exercises to try to address tension in my left hand.

You can hear excerpts of John Goodin's piece and from the premier of Elizabeth Smart's piece here:

http://public.me.com/djcoffey

Go to the Orchestral Recordings folder....

Enjoy!

New tunes

I added these tunes to our current tune list:

As Far as I Can See
Buona notte Mimi
Don Armando
Romanian Lullabye

If you have them, please take them with you to the June 7 rehearsal.

I removed a couple of tunes from the list, too.

Carlo in Kalamazoo

Carlo Aonzo will be doing a two-day mandolin workshop in Kalamazoo Tuesday, June 15 and Wednesday, June 16. Here's a link to the flyer:
http://www.minnesotamandolinorchestra.org/carlo2010.pdf

"Oldie" Tunes for the Summer

We have the best tune list for this season. Best ever. We are in the groove with all from beginning to end. The only thing the audience (or my relatives) will beg for is a Beatle tune - oldie or not.

Brainstorming for oldies

For our summer concerts, I like to include about three numbers that everyone enjoys, and that we haven't played for a while. We had these nominees Monday:

>Jota
>Sweet Corn
>Bona Notte Mimi
>Ritual Dance
>Don Armando
>As Far as I Can See
>Loftus Jones
>La Tipica
>Nuages

Any other nominations?

recording stuff for sale

Pasted from e-mail from Tony A:

This is almost new stuff , Everything a person needs to hook up to a PC and start making CDs or whatever. The price I'm quoting would be for new gear, this is almost new – used about three times.

2 - AKG-C1000S Mic New $279.00 each
MXL 990 MXL 991 Mics New $100.00
TASCAM -144 New $150
RNC1773 Really nice Compressor New $180
AUDIO BUDDY Dual Mic Preamp/Direct Box New $50
ART Tube MP Studio New $38
Short Jack Cables New $34
Mike Cables in the $40 to $60 Range
Mic Stands X4 New $30 each

Total if you had to buy new would be $1310. Take the whole bundle and I’ll give you a real deal. For individual items, 60% of new price.

Jerry Knopik

651-208-5565
E- Mail Knopicks01@aol.com

A few of you were curious...

... about the band in which I play electric guitar, Popluxe. Here is the promo page with video:

http://www.musiciansunlimited.com/popluxe.htm

New music from Sherry

I have Sherry's handwritten score for "Blues of a Summer Night," and I'm entering it into my notation software. It sounds good, and it's not very difficult. The parts should be ready in a week or so.

awesome mandolin orchestra video

Some of you have seen this. It's a bit different, and it seems like some musicians, at times, aren't playing the notes you hear. Judge for yourself. I'm VERY interested in getting this sheet music for the MMO. Anyone else? I couldn't paste the YouTube link, so I'm attaching the video:

May 17 rehearsal

On May 17, we will be rehearsing at 401 North Second Street in Minneapolis. I'll post details on the schedule page soon. Thank you, Dotty!

Two troublesome spots

Would everyone please write a note on your music to tell you to look up at these spots:
(1) La Festa measure 7, and
(2) Drigo's Serenade measure 91?

The last two Monday nights, we have not had an agreement on the tempo in those spots. I may not hit the exact tempo we used in rehearsals, but if everyone looks up at the stick, we'll be together and it will sound better. Of course, it's OK to look up at other times, too.

HET Consort plays Palladio

This is a very nice recording. I think what I like about isn't so much the tempo but the range of dynamics and how all parts are involved in that range.

Of course, Alex Timmerman friended me on Facebook, and now I'm flooded with HET Consort and other information. That man has a lot of time on his hands, er, I mean, enthusiasm for his music!

It is very inspiring!

Better than CMA!

After playing at Crystal Care Center, we can add "We are better than the Country Music Awards" to our list of accolades!

MMO on Linked In

Some of you are on Linked In which is like a professional Facebook. I created a group called "Mandolin Players and Enjoyers," and there are some interesting discussions posted. It just dawned on me that I should post our YouTube "Palladio" performance video there, so I did. I can't copy the link (won't paste); you might have to be "Linked In" to view it.

Pick mania

Maybe a few of you are enjoying your new Fender Extra Heavies. I like to mix it up, myself - different picks make different sounds. As they say, does Picasso only use one brush? Does Arnold Palmer only use one club?

I forgot to bring any picks to a wedding reception job a few months ago - potential disaster for the rock/pop/R&B dance-band electric guitarist. I broke a compact disc into pieces and found a few bits that I could use as picks - they worked well enough to get through the night.

I used to know somebody who would use a dime as a guitar pick.

I have a stone pick made out of polished agate.

Any other pick stories?

MN Mandolin Clubs at the turn of the century

I ran across a very interesting article online about mandolin clubs in Minnesota.

I'm sure many of you have encountered it in your surfing....but in case you haven't, here it is!

Drigo background

From Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, vol. 2. Also, lots on Wikipedia, including pictures of one of the harlequins. http://www.answers.com/topic/riccardo-drigo

Drigo, Riccardo, Italian composer and conductor; b. Padua, June 30, 1846; d. there, Oct. 1, 1930. He studied

[p. 937 | Page Image]

music in Padua and Venice, then conducted opera in Venice and Milan. In 1879 he was engaged to conduct the Italian opera in St. Petersburg; in 1886 became permanent ballet conductor of the Imperial Theater there. He conducted first performances of Tchaikovsky's ballets The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. After Tchaikovsky's death, Drigo ed. the score of the ballet Swan Lake and orchestrated a number of Tchaikovsky's piano pieces. Drigo's own ballets, melodious and easy to listen to, also enjoyed excellent success in Russia. Particularly popular was his ballet Les Millions d'Arlequin, which includes the famous Serenade for a soulful cello solo and the ingratiating Valse bluette. Drigo conducted the first performance of this ballet in St. Petersburg on Feb. 10, 1900. From 1914 to 1916 he was in Italy, from 1916 to 1920 again in St. Petersburg, finally returning to Italy.

BIBL.: S. Travaglia, R. D., L'uomo e l'artista (Padua, 1929). —NS/LK/DM

Mandolin Symposium Lite - Mike Marshall, Caterina Lichtenberg

Mike Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg are doing a workshop near Wichita,KS July 8-10.

Caterina is an amazing player and great teacher. She'll blow you away.

Mike is similarly great in a different way.

http://www.cmatb.org/campsfull.php?campid=19

I'm definitely considering this!

email about Jay

I got this today:

> From: Margaret Ingle
> Subject: About former mandolin player Jacob

. . .

> It would be wonderful if you or a couple of people from
> your group could visit with him and give him an opportunity
> to play. Please reply to
> this email or contact me at 952-546-6342 if you think you
> can arrange a time to visit with him. The nursing home
> is in St. Louis Park.
>
> Thank you!
>
> Maggie Ingle

Palladio

OK, I'm a Palladio addict now. It ranks up there with Jota as an audience-pleaser. But I think we can take it up a notch in speed. Maybe just 10%? They say that a difference isn't noticeable until 15%. If you search YouTube for Palladio, you'll notice that most other performers play this quite a bit faster. Can we do it? Probably!

MMO plays Palladio on YouTube

This is the Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra's first appearance on YouTube. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bK3S4Og204

Anne, thanks for getting the video posted.

Palladio

There are several versions of Palladio on YouTube, and this is probably my favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFyEfLmY8NA

Thanks to Dave's daughter for videoing our version of Palladio on Sunday with my camera. I've downloaded it at work, and a co-worker is going to help me put it on YouTube (I don't wanna set up an account). To my knowledge, this will be the first YouTube video of the MMO. Maybe we can have Gypsy Moon or another tune recorded later. If anyone else has a YouTube account, please let me know.

I was also excited to see another mandolin orchestra on YouTube playing Bohemian Rhapsody, but it's not a good arrangement in my opinion.

"On the Mill Dam" March 8

I'd like to play "On the Mill Dam" on March 7. Parts are available here:

http://www.minnesotamandolinorchestra.org/millparts.pdf

It's one pdf that has all the parts, so you can open the file and print the two pages that contain your part. I'll have a few paper copies of the parts on Monday, but I'm hoping most people can print their own from the pdf.

March 1 at 4820

Our March 1 rehearsal will be at 4820 Elliot Avenue South, not at the usual place.

MBOTMA set list

I just posted the set list for our March 7 MBOTMA program. There's a link to it on the "MMO gigs" page. These are the tunes:

1. La Festa Splendora
2. Nail That Catfish and Shove the Pig's Foot
3. Chattanooga Choo Choo
4. Danse Hongroise
5. Clairvoyant Cha-Cha
6. Gypsy Moon
7. X-Town Interchange Rag
8. Last Call at Hawley-Cooke
9. Palladio

Between now and March 7, we'll be focusing mostly on those tunes at rehearsals, but I may occasionally toss in some others from our current tune list.

January 18 at 4820

Just a reminder:

Our January 18 rehearsal will be at 4820 Elliot Avenue South, not at the usual place.