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James Smith with his sister, daughters, and granddaughter at the May 2015 coffeehouse (photo Jerry LeCroy)
-Sunday – April 17th
Bailey Cove Library Mtg Room starting 2:00 PM
................................................
Coffeehouse
The coffeehouse is still on vacation
Inside this Issue:
1: A Message from President Jerry LeCroy 2: Area Events/ & HTMA Board 3. Book Review- Clawhammer Banjo/Bluegrass Jamming on Banjo by WayneErbsen4: Member Classified Ads
Putting on a show?
Shortly after I became engaged with HTMA, several members came up with the
idea that the association could do a great service by putting on concerts. I
agreed with this position, but a little analysis convinced me that we were far
from ready to go for the big time. We had enthusiasm, but no equipment or
experience, and limited funds. Having decided that the best way to solve a big
problem was to break it down into smaller ones, I first went after the
equipment shortage.
Up to this time, sound reinforcement at all HTMA performances was provided
by a friend of then-president Herman (Levi) Garrett. I think Herman paid his
friend for the service, but the funding level had to have been small. I initiated
a fund-raising campaign to collect enough money for a basic sound system.
After several angels stepped forward to help with financing, I searched around
and bought a used system with a Sun amp, a Teac mixer, and EV speakers. I
splurged on a set of three new microphones with stands and cables from a
distributor who mainly supplied churches. Now we had the basics. We began
planning concerts.
I think our first concert featured singer-songwriter Lisa Busler. Lisa had been
injured several years previously by a drop of on-stage hardware (speaker??),
and had not been able to perform for an audience since her accident. We were
able to give Lisa a pretty comfortable setting for the show, renting the Roberts
Recital hall at the UAH music school. The acoustics were excellent and the
audience enthusiastic. This was a first experience for all HTMA participants with
producing a concert, and we were learning as we went along. We had to learn
about booking the hall, publicity, contracts, sound setup, just everything.
Along the way I got my first exposure to the difference between the “ordinary”
musicians I enjoyed at HTMA meetings and family gatherings, and the really
remarkable presence that pros like Lisa bring to the stage. That was a real eye
opener, and I have been amazed over and over at the quality of the performers
we have put on stage in Huntsville.
1 Danika Holmes and Jeb Hart in a 2015 HTMA coffeehouse concert (photo Jerry LeCroy)
HTMA Monthly Meeting & Jam
Volume 6 – Issue 2 www.huntsvillefolk.org April 2016
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---NEW HOPE SATURDAY NIGHT JAMSSATURDAY EVENINGS - Every Saturday starting 6:00 PMNew Hope Senior Center, New Hope, AL
---BREWGRASS JAMS -
held on 1st WED Monthly -6:00
PM STRAIGHT TO ALE BREWERY3200 Leeman Ferry Rd SW, Huntsville ALhttp://www.straighttoale.com
---MILLTOWNE -
Every 2nd Friday Evening-Monthly
Plays at Bandito Southside Restaurant11220 S Memorial Pky, Huntsville AL
SATURDAY April 2nd
---ELMCROFT ASSISTED LIVING -Starting 3:00 PM - 8020 Benaroya Ln., Huntsville AL
SATURDAY April 9th
HARBORCHASE RETIREMENT HOMEStarting 10:30 AM - 4801 Whitesport Cr., Huntsville AL
SATURDAY April 16th
REGENCY RETIREMENT VILLAGEStarting 3:15 PM 2004 Max Luther Drive, Huntsville, AL
*Please check with Jim England for firm dates and times
HTMA Executive Board
President -
JERRY LECROY
256-880-6234 [email protected]
Vice President & Public Service
Chairman
JIM ENGLAND
256-852-5740 [email protected]
Secretary/Treasurer
PAT LONG
256-539-7211 [email protected]
Publicity Chairman
BOB HICKS
256-683-9807 [email protected]
Performance Chairman
Position Open Please Volunteer!
Operations Chairman
GEORGE WILLIAMS
Webmaster
JERI ANN [email protected]
Newsletter Editor
JERRY LECROY
The leadership of HTMA invites YOU to be an active part of our great organization, whether you play an instrument, or want to share in any other way, we welcome you and thank you for your support!
Those early shows always generated plenty of nervous energy for me and
the other HTMA production volunteers. We usually had to guarantee
payment to the artists and the venue, in amounts that exceeded the
balance in the treasury. With no promotion experience, we never really
knew what size audience we might draw. Shelley Heard often created a
concert program, and went out selling ads to help cover the concert cost.
I worked with both venues and artists’ agents to negotiate deals that
keep HTMA’s financial exposure minimized, but we worried all the same.
Production issues on the day of concert were always a concern. Although
HTMA’s PA equipment proved to be reasonably reliable, it was all single-
string (i.e. no backup for anything). The only outright failure I recall now
was when one of our EV1202 speakers suddenly failed, for no apparent
reason. We had some other hardware problems, once at the Chan
Auditorium, when the house wiring had ground faults in the cables we
were using to send signals to the front-of-house amplifier to power the
house sound. In that case it took us until just minutes before show time
to correctly diagnose the problem and find a work-a-round. But that’s a
story I will tell in another newsletter.
Jerry LeCroy
Book Reviews
Clawhammer Banjo and
Bluegrass Jamming on Banjo
by Wayne Erbsen
A couple months ago I received a nice email from Wayne
Erbsen, asking if we might be willing to publish a review of
his most recent banjo and ukulele instruction books. I told
him I’d give a shot to reviewing the banjo book, and
enlisted my daughter to review his ukulele book. The
package that came in the mail had two banjo books, and no
ukulele volume, so that’s what I’m reviewing.
I learned that Wayne Erbsen is practically a one-man Mel
Bay of old-time music instruction. Both books are well
written for beginners (like me). They start with the first
steps of playing a banjo (tuning), and include advice on how
tunes are supposed to sound, and even some fresh banjo
jokes. The books are worth reading through just for the side
notes and photographs of so many important folk musicians
– like the lovely photo of Bascom Lamar Lundsford in his
prime in the Clawhammer book.
Each book includes a CD with a number of the tunes in MP3
format. The CDs start out with simple tuning clips, so you
can tune your banjo to match the tunes. Then the pieces
are played, first unaccompanied, and nice and slow to make
it easier for the learner to follow along. The tunes on the CD
are not titled – only numbers, but every song chart in the
book has numbers on a gramophone icon to show you
which MP3 goes with that chart. Often there are two MP3
files for a chart. The first one shows the tuning, and the
second lets you hear first the melody, and then a simple
arrangement.
The “Jamming” book offers lots of advice to new players on
how the musical circle of fifths works, and how to get clues
about what chords are coming when playing in a jam. (the
circle of fifths, by the way, does NOT start with Jim Beam,
Old Forrester, and Maker’s Mark). Wayne suggests that the
beginning player would do well to learn how to “read” the
chords by watching a guitar player’s hands, and I think
that’s a good step along the road. Eventually, you get
enough experience that it’s possible to hear the notes and
know what chords are in play, but the advice from the book
on looking at players hands is spot on.
These books look to me like they would be a big help to the
starting out musician who wants to learn those old country
tunes and begin playing with other old-time musicians. I
have heard from some people, notably my kids, that when
they want to learn a tune they just pull it up on their phone
on YouTube. I think that YouTube clips are useful once
you get over the first hurdles of learning tuning, fingering
and chord structure. These books would be a good lead in
to help with the initial learning the beginner needs to get
started at jamming on a banjo. I think that Wayne Erbsen
has other books for more advanced musicians available on
his website. The liner notes for the clawhammer book notes
that “Wayne Erbsen has been teaching people to play a
banjo almost since dinosaurs roamed the earth”. I don’t
think he has actually been at it quite that long, but he’s
obviously spent a lot of time thinking about how to help
new banjo pickers get off the ground on their own.
Check Erbsen’s website at http://nativeground.com/wayne-
erbsen/ There’s more than just music books there – I see
a selection of cookbooks. I’m not buying those, though. I
need to eat less not more, and sampling new recipes is not
in my personal fitness plan.
Review by Jerry LeCroy
Do you have an item for sale? Are you looking for an instrument? Are you wanting to acquire, trade or sell musical gear, recordings, books, get something repaired.... Do you need music lessons? Are you wanting to join or find a new group or band member? This section of our newsletter is for members to place ads for services or instruments or anything related to music. It will be updated for each newsletter. If you have an item or advertisement you would like to be published, please send an EMAIL (preferably before the fifteenth of the month) to [email protected] (Jerry) to have your listing included in the upcoming newsletter. In your email, fully describe what your offering or looking for, and how you want users to contact YOU, via email, phone or both, etc. Once your listing or item is no longer active, please also email [email protected] for removal of your listing.
Please note that HTMA makes this service available to aid our users in finding, trading or selling music items and services only - and we are not responsible for the completion or non-compliance of any transactions between members.
John McCutcheon in 2009 HTMA concert (photo by Jerry LeCroy)
The Jimmie Rodgers Collection Guitar Recorded Versions Tab Book, Hal Leonard by Fred Sokolow Excellent paperback $10
Stephen Foster – America’s Troubadour by John Tasker Howard, 1953, used paperback $7
Susanna, Jeanie, and the Old Folks at Home: The Songs of Stephen C. Foster from His Time to Ours
November, 1975 by William W. Austin
Used hardback $5
Set of 3 Music Together Books (Fiddle, Triangle & Bongos) produced by the Center for Music and Young Children (CMYC) by Kenneth K. Guilmartin and Lili M. Levinowitz Excellent condition, paperback, $5 for set.
contact: [email protected]
Looking for a band member, hosting a jam session, wanting to be part of a group? Place a listing here..
. Brian Bowers in HTMA concert at Burritt Museum, December 2011. (photo by Jerry LeCroy)
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