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Momma Don't 'LowTM is a newsletter to support home-made and roots-based music in general, as well as the readers of our music articles on various web pages, including SchoolOfTheRockTM, Creek Don't RiseTM, and Classic Train SongsTM.
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In this Issue - December, 2014
I understand that you probably have a lot of time constraints this December, but we wanted to wish you the very best holiday, and keep you up on what we're working on here. We have several articles and features that are almost ready for prime time but won't make this cut, so stay tuned. Why don't we make a plan and stick to it? Because sometimes a reader question or suggestion sends us off in a direction we hadn't anticipated. For example, a UK reader mentioned a zither-banjo, which is almost unheard of in the US. So I had to go figure out what it was/is, and was quite surprised by the results. Plus there's stuff we do that we wind up wanting to share, like dressing up in Victorian-inspired costumes and caroling for a Salvation Army kettle. So some of the other features will wait until next month.
This issue's articles are:
What is a Zither Banjo?
Apparently, while the 5-string banjo was ringing out in the saloons and ministrel shows of North America in the late 1800s - early 1900s, a quieter relative was charming concert halls in Britain. Though they look different, the construction differences were mostly incidental, due to construction methods that the British manufacturers had previously developed for guitar building. They also had basically the same tunings, including a fifth "drone" string. But they were strung with softer strings and plucked lightly rather than strummed or even picked. The tone reminded New Englanders and Brits alike of the then-popular German concert zither - hence the name.
If you want to learn more about our 5-string banjo's British cousins, click on the following link.
Our friends at Kitchen Musician are responsible for keeping many great old songs in circulation, as their free music and songbook pages attest. For the Holidays, they've added a special feature on their home page - links to several traditional tunes with seasonal titles or themes.
Click on the following link to see the Kitchen Musician page
Kitchen Musician also offers a book of 20 Christmas Carols in easy arrangments for Hammer Dulcimer. It uses standard music notation, but these folks actually play this instrument so they know what they're doing. It includes guitar chords. I have a similar book from them and can attest to the quality. To see the Christmas carol book, please click on the following link.
Saxophone in Church Update
An alert reader sent the following addendum to our Saxophones in Church article:
First I want to thank you for your excellent article on Saxophones in church. I struggled through this on my own and then with a little information I could scrounge up from SaxOnTheWeb while back. I would like to mention a couple resources for your article that really helped me.
- 500 Hymns for Instruments by Lillenas. A hymnal with full parts produced for most instruments. The harmonies are traditional for alto, and the tenor/soprano part is countermelody. For traditional parts for tenor I use the trumpet book.
- Word music produces instrumental books for each of their worship song books in the Songs for Praise and Worship series. This includes both the melody and a very modest accompaniment.
- Any church which has a CCLI account can transpose the music to any key depending on which services they have purchased.
- Band in a Box - I know this one sounds a little off, but BIAB has a harmonies feature and a styles feature which can take a midi file and produce some pretty good parts for a Sax or other instrument.
Most worship leaders do not know what to do with a someone who plays the sax well but is a not a semi-pro and improvising or developing their own parts. These provide some great workarounds. The one workaround that you mentioned which I used initially and works well for alto is reading off the bass clef and adding threesharps.
Thank you again for taking the time to address this issue. I know met many sax players online who struggle with this and get discouraged because they are expected to create their own place in the worship band and have no clue what to do.
Christian Jazz saxophonist Greg Vail has also provided an article that would be useful for church saxophone players who are capable of playing extemporaneously, but may not have played much in groups. To jump to that article, click the following link:
To see the article we added these notes to, please click the following link:
 Give in a Way That Only You Can
We just had another experience with busking for a Salvation Army Kettle. We feel good about this because such a high percentage of what comes in goes directly to families who need tangible help. Based on our experiences so far, having one or more listenable musicians at the kettle not only turns harried shoppers into "cheerful givers," it substantially increases the amount of money going into the kettles during the time we're playing or singing. Yes, we could probably do the equivalent amount of giving just by dropping a $20 bill into every kettle we walk by this Christmas season (if we didn't run out of money first). But there's a lot to be said for making a unique contribution.
I'll be honest; there are countless opportunities to do "good things." In my decades as a parent, church member, band parent, soccer dad, choir parent, musical theater parent, community member, etc., I have provided a lot of "generic" support to people and programs over the years (bringing snacks, helping with fundraisers, knocking on doors to get out the vote, cooking hot dogs at festivals, etc.) But I prefer it when I can make a contribution that not everybody else can make. I especially enjoy it when I can exercise my talents (such as they are) to help real people with real needs. It's a win-win-win-win situation. I get to do what I like to do (even if it was a little scary the first time I did it). The harried shoppers appreciate the fact that someone is taking the time to provide a little extra Christmas cheer. The shoppers who give really do give become "cheerful givers." And the money goes directly to folks who need it. What's not to like?
Do you like the idea of your gifts exponentially increasing the amount of money that comes in to help people who really need it (at least during the time you're playing or singing)? Call the Army (Google "Salvation Army" and your city for contact info). It might be too late to get on the schedule this year, but it's never too late to get in touch. Plus they need a lot of volunteers for other stuff, like delivering food baskets, this time of year anyway. Get a taste of what they do and the kind of people they help.
Here's an article about my first attempt to help the local Salvation Army by providing music at a kettle (on saxophone). To read about our most recent experiences, scroll down to the "2014 Update" part.
GretSch Banjo Deal
Okay, I don't usually promote specific instruments in specific stores in the newsletter, but this one is a pleasant surprise, and probably a very short-term opportunity. An open-backed GretSch banjo with a three-ply pot, tone ring, and planetary tuners for a ridiculously low price. No, nobody ever buys this for the quoted "list price" of $1149. But if you're looking for an inexpensive open back banjo with a surprising amount of pro features, you might want to look at this one for $299 (I believe that Musician's Friend has offered it for this price on a "Stupid Deal of the Day," so if you miss this sale, you may see it again later). I already have two open-back 5-strings, but I broke down and ordered one as a potential upgrade to my Samick "beach banjo." They ARE apparently made in China, and, like most banjos not made in this country, are shipped without the head tightened or the bridge installed. Some of them appear to need a little setup. But I have yet to find a new banjo under $1000 that didn't, so to me that's a "wash."
The only really negative review of this thing was by a guy who was mad that the bridge wasn't installed and there weren't any instructions. Well, our article Setting Up Guitars and other Fretted Instruments tells you how to do that, as do about a thousand You-Tube videos. So I'm not sure what his excuse was.
Because of the tone ring, this will be louder and heavier than the basic Deering GoodTime banjo. It also looks slightly less like a toy (sorry, GoodTime lovers, but it's true - I love mine, but I do get some funny looks.) Frailers say it's ideal for frailing or clawhammer. You CAN play Bluegrass style on it, but you might want a resonator banjo if you wanted to play in a "serious" Bluegrass group.
If you want to see this banjo on the Musician's Friend site, click the following link:
More Free Career Coaching
The article "How to Impress Your Audience" by live music producer Tom Jackson sums up a lot of his thinking on building relationships with the folks in the seats. Here's a quote:
"audiences . . . are geniuses when it comes to human behavior. This is something they can understand and connect to. Your confidence will go a long way in impressing your audience."
Of course Tom's talking about impressing them in a good way, which goes beyond being just another really good picker or singer or songwriter. To build lasting relationships with your audience, you need to make certain they have a good impression of you as a person. Click the link below to read more:
Also, I once penned the words "Does the world have a secret it's keeping from me? / 'Cause each way I turn, I hit a wall I can't see/And I can't help but wonder/If somehow the joke is on me." The song ends on a slightly brighter note, but the emotion expressed in those lines rings true with a lot of folks, especially creative people who know they've "got the goods" but never get past a certain point.
In the following article, Tom addresses about the "brick wall" many creative people seem to hit, and how to "change the things you can" (to paraphrase St. Francis). No, this article won't change your life, but hopefully it will steer you into a good direction.
More to Come
If you've spent any time on any of our music sites, you know that we have a lot of topics to share about.
Again, if you did not get this Momma Don't 'LowTM newsletter through your own e-mail, and you would like to get the newsletters in the future, please Click Here to sign up.
In the meantime, if you want to see last month's newsletter, please click the following link:
Keep playing, keep singing, and keep sharing!
Paul D. Race
http://CreekDontRise.com
http://SchoolOfTheRock.com
http://classictrainsongs.com
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Kitchen Musician's Holiday Offerings
