Ot Music stuff again

I started the thread a little way down the page about Music on YT Mag.

I'll start here with what I had in mind when I wrote the first thread. I have 5 violins, 3 piano accordions, mandolin, acoustic guitar, resonator guitar, (which some folks call Dobro guitar - Dobro is capitalized because it's sort of a brand name named after the Dopera brothers who I believe invented the resonator), pedal steel guitar, and acoustic electric fretless bass. I live in Southern Minnesota, am a retired electronics engineer and play in a six piece music group which entertains in rest homes, assisted livings and area churches. I'll try to post a picture of our group. I'm on the left and am holding a fiddle, although I can only play a few slow tunes on the fiddle. I usually play acoustic guitar or electric bass.

And I provide a sound system for our group. To keep a tractor in the topic, I do own a John Deere 50.


Merry Christmas to all.

Ron , Thanks for the pic. Bet the folks love your music when you guys play for em. Thanks again. Reguards & wishing you all A MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR. LOU.

Ron, I've played a lot of places, but I get the most reward from the assisted living centers, and of course the churches. They are the most appreciative crowd you'll ever find! You're not just "background" music to them.

Paul

Lookin good, Im also a retired Electrical Engineer BSEE Purdue Class of 69, I bet we can make sparks fly lol

John T

I agree but I recall the day we took our pipe band to play in the rec room of a local retirement/nursing home complex. When the band was done, folks were just all over us, rateful for the time we took to come play for them.
The staff asked if we might parade a little up and down the halls of the two nursing wings. suggested as how, especially with the drums, that might be too noisy in the confines of a hallway, and they took p my idea that we send two pipers and a drummer down each hallway. I led one team, another guy the other. The other guys got called back and were shown into the room of a lady who apparently didn't respond to much of anything on a daily basis. She allowed as how she was so glad they came down her wing. Before that she had only heard the pipes from a distance when the whole band was playing and she'd been sure that she was crossing the great divide. By the guys coming back to her room and talking with her, she was sure that she was in the here and now and everything was okay. The staff said it was more conversation in five minutes than she'd made in a year. It leaves ya with a good feelin' and wantin' to do more of it.

Nice set up there I see you also have a young one started in there great to see that.
Even got a washboard in there too.
I'd sure like to hear it all put together.
do you have any vids?

Scotty - a couple of years ago, around Christmas, a bunch of us went to a nursing home to play for them. One lady caught my eye - she was strapped stiffly into a high backed wheel chair, and was generaly unresponsive. We went through the usual song list with some Christmas songs mixed in, and still no response from her. Our last song was Silent Night, and this lady sang every word of all four verses. I can barely remember the first verse. . .

There's an Altsheimers(sp) unit at one of the local nursing homes, and it's not unusual for them to sing most of the verses on the old Gospel songs.

A lot of musicians turn their noses up at the mention of playing for the elderly.

They don't know what they're missing!

Paul

Young one? Do you mean the shorter lady?
If so, she would be happy to hear your comment as she is actually about 63.

Yes, we have washboard, spoons, etc., and that gentleman plays harmonica too. Don't have any videos, but we have several sound recordings that are just in the rough with our comments, jokes, etc., all in there. That's my sound recorder (Zoom H2) on the tripod out front. It was a small place and we didn't use the sound system that day.

We have done a 3-part tune with 5 violins, 3 on part one, 1 on part two and 1 on part three. Gets interesting!!! The ladies and the gentleman with the guitar also all sing.

I've been in a barbershop quartet for about 30 years, and have gone to many nursing home gigs.

Usually, there's at least one gal with a twinkle in her eye, that you can have a little fun with. Just have to be a little careful that she doesn't take over the show.

Couple of funny incidents- Our first tune had a real strong (LOUD) opening line. An old fella in the front started clutching at his chest, and I thought he was having "the big one". Turned out, he was just trying to get to the control box of his hearing aid, to turn it down.

Another song had the line "look at that train, its number 709, huffin' and puffin' and arrivin' on time"- we all half-turned to the left, and looked and pointed in that direction. Several of the residents did, too- arthritic necks and all.

do you have anything loaded in you media player you can share?

I never thought of What I call non conventional instruments such as wash board , spoons, saws, and let me not forget the old washtub bass.

my ignorance is showing. I don't know how to get something into media player. If I did I could probably get a tune of ours in there. I would need to edit it out of a full hour long CD that I made from the SD card of my recorder as it's all one file.