Attention "Drift"

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 1 Dec 2006 11:28 am

Joe M.,

The last time that I heard "The Willow Creek Band", they were playing a benefit gig in Adams, MA. I was there playing pedal steel in the "Easy Livin' Band". About 5 bands participated in the event. I'll ask Doug B. if there were two "Willow Creek Bands". Who would think?[This message was edited by Bill Hankey on 01 December 2006 at 12:11 PM.]

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 1 Dec 2006 3:12 pm

Just wondering Doug,Are Mark Erlich Jim Armanti still playing around the area? I can't believe it's been 16 years since those monday nights at the RH.And your still ticking like a new TIMEX with an energizer battery. I guess you started real young Heh?

Willow Creek band. wow.When I was up the first part of this month I found out Al Cote had been hospitalized. I did get to sit in with JR at the AMVETS.Sure felt good. Ve gedt too soon Oltd und too late Smardt.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 1 Dec 2006 10:16 pm

Joe, actually it's been 20 years since those Monday & Tuesday nights at the Ranch House (early and mid-80s). I was also playing Wed-Sunday at Billy T's back then... 7 nights a week for about 4 years. Thank goodness those days are over!

Jim Armenti is still playing in the area with a couple of bands. He teaches guitar with me at Downtown Sounds. Mark E. "retired" from music at a young age, and got into sales. He never played again. I was surprised at that.

Bill, was I playing at that gig in Adams? I don't remember it... the memory's the first thing to go. You don't wanna know what's next!

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Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 2 Dec 2006 1:46 am

Doug,

I've been trying to piece together the memory of the Adams, MA event. I remember that the late Aldo Recchia was there. He had suffered a stroke while performing at the Home Club, and wasn't able to communicate by speaking. He did manage however, to write small notes to ask for help, and to make requests. Assisted by a cane, he made his way to edge of the stage several times to request "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain". For some reason I associate your presence on that day with the large gathering. The memory fade can be dealt with more accurately, if I check with the "front" person in my former band. His memory surprises me. By ascertaining the exact date of the benefit, it can be narrowed down to more specific categories of thought.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 3 Dec 2006 11:02 am

I think that show was at the Adams Armory, and I was playing with Leigh Howell & the Mavericks. There were several bands that day, possibly Willow Creek was there, but I had left WC by that time. The year would have been '83 or '84. My mind "drifts" on this one.

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Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 3 Dec 2006 4:07 pm

Doug, the culprit memory is a silent robber that stores much of our daily activities in the recesses of our minds. As we pull up pertinent data that is stored, much escapes recall. "I can't remember" has been uttered millions of times with good reason. At times incidental happenings will trigger a long forgotten participation in a particular activity. Trusting in memory has proven by no uncertain terms, to be a foolhardy practice. Errors can and do hastily mount, which can be costly, and deprive us of assurances that safeguard our personal interests. Our music is interrelated by memory stores that are at times faulted by a poor recall to exact details. Attention drift is worth considering to counter the hindrance of memory failure.

Darryl Hattenhauer · Post by **Darryl Hattenhauer** » 3 Dec 2006 4:40 pm

Bill,
If I know something well, I practice with a lot of noise and distractions in an effort to train myself to tolerate just one per cent of what pros have to tolerate. I do that with mando, 6-string, and _anjo. Not good enough on steel yet.

Doug,
What's that painting?

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"The less I was of who I was, the better I felt." -- Leonard Cohen

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 3 Dec 2006 8:34 pm

Darryl,

The picture is on this site

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Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 4 Dec 2006 3:09 am

Darryl H.,

I've been curious about your level of playing the steel guitar. Would you satisfy my curiosity by making reference to specific knee lever changes on your steel? I'd be very interested to learn which songs you prefer to play as a practice routine. Not to downgrade the banjo, mandolin, or fiddle, but to hone in on the specifics of playing steel guitar. There would undoubtedly be endless discussions relating to technique and approaches, should you and others open up, by expressing concepts in detail. I don't think anyone can accuse me of not banging on a few doors here on the forum. I hope to find ways to liberate the thoughts of others who share a similar interest in our favorite musical instrument. [This message was edited by Bill Hankey on 04 December 2006 at 03:12 AM.]

Darryl Hattenhauer · Post by **Darryl Hattenhauer** » 4 Dec 2006 7:23 pm

Doug,

Same fabulous stuff there. Do you know what some of less expensive prints go for?

Bill,

Unfortunately, I'm only a beginner on steel. I started in the 50s on banjo, mando, and guitar. I transferred a lot of techniques from one instrument to the other, so my playing is kind of gimmicky--Scruggs mando, frailed guitar, etc. Since I was never any good, I don't really play instruments to make music. Instead, I play them to appreciate them for the miracles that they are.

I didn't try steel until about a decade ago, and as soon as I did I broke my back, so I have to admit that I probably won't learn pedals and knees. But I keep a psg in the hope that I can eventually do something. I don't want to sell the psg because I don't want it in the back of my mind that I gave up. But in the meantime, I'm thinking about getting a lap or reso.

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"The less I was of who I was, the better I felt." -- Leonard Cohen

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 4 Dec 2006 9:41 pm

Darryl, I don't know much about that site. I just ran across it the other day.

BTW I saw some of your postings on the Guild Guitar Forum. Do you own an X-350?

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Darryl Hattenhauer · Post by **Darryl Hattenhauer** » 5 Dec 2006 8:52 am

Doug,

The Guild forum is very different because it's so small. We have a lot of fun joking with each other and wandering off topic. There's a nutty New Zealander on there named Coastie who ought to be doing stand-up.

Hans Moust, the guy who wrote The Guild Book, posts whenever there is a factual question about Guilds, and there are several other frequent posters who are technically proficient.

I have an X550 with two P90s, and a Duane Eddy with two D'Armonds.I don't have an X 350 or any other 3-pickup guitars because I'm used to having a lot of space between pickups. I'm not good enough to keep my fingerpicks from hitting the middle pickup. But those old three-pickup Guild and Gibson archtops have the world's highest CGF (cool guy factor).

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"The less I was of who I was, the better I felt." -- Leonard Cohen

Stan Paxton · Post by **Stan Paxton** » 5 Dec 2006 6:47 pm

Bill H.,
I find your posts interesting to say the least; are you relation to or just a student of Professor Corey ?

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 5 Dec 2006 7:45 pm

Darryl, I have a ‘62 sunburst X-350 with three soapbar P-90 style pickups (Franz pickups). Yes, the CGF is very high. I often play that guitar in my classic country band and it commands a lot of attention on stage!

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Darryl Hattenhauer · Post by **Darryl Hattenhauer** » 5 Dec 2006 9:59 pm

Doug,

How are the tweener tones on that? Are they lower volume like on a strat?

Stan,

Sometimes Bill has a lot of fun with his posts, and sometimes he is straightforward (maybe because he doesn't always have a lot of time). But either way, he has a lot of good topics and points. Bill has quite a following. A lot of us nuts look forward to his posts no matter how he writes them.

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"The less I was of who I was, the better I felt." -- Leonard Cohen

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 5 Dec 2006 11:06 pm

Yes, but the guitar has a wide range of tones, bright yet full, lots of low end, very clean. My bandmates say it has a nice old-time sound, like guitars heard on 1950s country records. When I play guitar gigs I take the X-350 and my Telecaster. The Guild is excellent for chording and for swing/jazz, and old time country. It sounds best with medium gauge strings. The Tele is tops for country snap n' pop, string bending, etc. Different tools for different tones.

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[This message was edited by Doug Beaumier on 05 December 2006 at 11:09 PM.]

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 5 Dec 2006 11:26 pm

Back to the topic...

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>A drifting and wandering mind can raise havoc with an avowal to maintain regular practice sessions... Mixing priorities has a slight damnifying effect..

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You can say that again!

Nothing interferes with my practice sessions. That's because I practice in my teaching studio, not at home. When I go there I shut out the world for a few hours and do the woodshedding that needs to be done. No phone calls, no TV, no internet, no one around, no distractions. It's amazing how much one can accomplish without distractions.

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David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 6 Dec 2006 2:16 am

There are two books available FREE on the Gutenberg Project website that have extensive sections dealing with practice habits, memorization, concentration etc. One is "Violin Mastery" by Frederick Martens, a collection of interviews with various teachers and concert studpuppies written in 1919, and "Piano Mastery" written by Harriette Brower, ditto. The classical violin and keyboard traditions have a three or four hundred year head start on these kinds of topics; ignore them if you wish. You can save the "txt" versions to Microsoft Word in a matter of seconds, and keep a window open and skim the books whenever you're waiting for the @#$%& computer to catch up to something else.

Violin Mastery

Piano Mastery[This message was edited by David Mason on 06 December 2006 at 02:17 AM.]

Bob Hickish · Post by **Bob Hickish** » 6 Dec 2006 6:49 pm

A wandering mind can raise havoc with an avowal to maintain regular sessions.!!!
Not only practice !!

Did you ever drift out , wile in the middle of a song on stage ?

We had a guitar player set in one time ! And if you ever heard a rocker go off
on a Hank Williams tune ! --- ( wandering mind ) What the #e!! is he playing !!!---
I had no idea where he was when I got it back ! so
I just took it from the top

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 7 Dec 2006 2:20 am

Bob H., the player who implements rock oriented modifications into a celebrated country song is an irksome "interloper" on shaky ground. No doubt, his musical influences consisted of a voluminous pile of screaming and yelling lyrics, that portrays a disoriented musical freedom. Waylon Jennings once said, when a renowned guitarist, with a mediocre voice suggested that he might sing, "If you see something getting smaller, hoss, It'll be me leaving". His approach to not relishing the idea of an infringement, by threatening to walk, might be the answer to not absorbing incompatible genres, night after night. The distinguishable differences in musical tastes, may prove to be the most reliable means of proper selectivity, in maintaining designated musical preferences.

Ed. to correct implement... early morning posts have stalled my ability to avoid careless errors.

[This message was edited by Bill Hankey on 07 December 2006 at 08:10 AM.]

Bob Hickish · Post by **Bob Hickish** » 7 Dec 2006 7:31 am

Bill

" irksome "interloper" !! That part I understand !
The same may be said of my self in other musical
settings ! I'm only the side man , & at least try to play
REAL music .

" in maintaining designated musical preferences. "

In other words !

we really %&*# up in allowing
this to happen !

Meaning No affiance to the mans capability !
Just the wrong place for it .

Topic Wondering mind - I have suffered - Wondering mind -
and played the wrong tune on my ride ! Keeps you humble .

Hick

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 7 Dec 2006 9:54 am

Bob H., I can't cope with those crazy antics, such as smashing guitars on stage, and carrying on like a wild bull in a rodeo. String stretching in place of the use of tremolo bars is another irksome mistreatment of musical instruments. Actually, for those who stretch strings, they've missed their calling. Learn to play the steel guitar and avoid having to replace frets on the guitar. I'm aware of this new country sound that has developed into a string stretching contest of witty tonal changes. I've felt from day one, that the flamenco guiarists are light years ahead of
string stretchers, both in tone and maneuverability. Borrowing from that concept, and by creating sounds that are better suited for traditional country music, may very well satisfy a need for change.

[This message was edited by Bill Hankey on 18 December 2006 at 05:52 AM.]

Susan Alcorn (deceased) · Post by **Susan Alcorn (deceased)** » 7 Dec 2006 12:51 pm

To return (ahem . . ) to the topic of discussion, a sense of focus is really of vital importance when practicing and also when playing. I think whatever you can do to keep your mind on your instrument is a good thing. As someone who practices (or at least sits behind my instrument) for significant periods of time every day, I think about this a lot. It's easy to be practicing something and then thinking about what you need to do later, or who said what, etc. Another, and even worse, problem is thinking, "Oh, here comes that difficult part again. I hope I don't mess it up -- oops, I just . . ." Or when you are playing, "Oh my God, look who just waled in." Once many years ago when I was starting out, Paul Franklin walked into the room when I was playing, and I turned to jelly. I was sweating, My foot kept wobbling up and down on the volume pedal, and I couldn't seem to hit the right string. An awful experience, but why? What good did all that anxiety do?

Itzhak Perlman once said that he practices watching a baseball game. Sometimes I think you need to vary your routine, or work on a new song or technique -- something to keep your mind pre-occupied. Or meditate which is even better. When I toured France and Switzerland with Le Quan Ninh and Sean Meehan, we would split up for a half an hour or so before each performance and find a place to sit quietly. When it was time to perform, I really felt we were focused -- we played and improvised for an hour or more without stopping (in other words without pausing between "songs"). When the performance was over, we never discussed it, nor did we discuss it the next day. I feel that this gave us a really nice added dimension to our music together. To do anything well, you need to be in the right frame of mind. And to navigate those waters, you can only rely on yourself. [This message was edited by Susan Alcorn on 07 December 2006 at 05:47 PM.]

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 7 Dec 2006 2:03 pm

Susan A., thanks for sharing some of your musical experiences. The thought of Paul Franklin entering the building where you were playing stirs the imagination. Any reasonable stretch of the imagination would envision total chaos of emotions. The sensitive components of our electrical signals are apt to short circuit, causing a total failure of memory, and ability to perform in the norm. It's always an honor when any steel guitarist attends a gig or performance, but to experience an entry by Paul would be the most any player could hope for. Territory can at times produce happenstance, whereby a circulating professional will be out on the town with friends who "know" of a particular club featuring a steel guitarist. Much to the delight of the house steel guitarist, excitement mounts to a fever pitch, and time melds into a night to remember. Much has been said about Buddy Emmons' entrance where a steel player such as Ralph Mooney was setting up his steel. In any reference point, there will always be a nervous excitement to overcome, should the eyes of steel guitar greats cast upon your stage presence.

Alan Miller · Post by **Alan Miller** » 17 Dec 2006 4:16 pm

Does anyone think having a good memory in general helps with good practice or is it solely repetition?
I sometimes cant remember what I have just played for the tenth time, forgot which fret to play on, which strings to pick, I knocked the tab book over, put my bar down to pick it up and cant remember where the bar is !