Posted by fiddlepogo on Tuesday, July 19, 2011
June is normally the month my allergies started winding down, but we've had a cool rainy spring, unusual for the big river valleys in California. In fact, it's still cool... it sort of feels like we all moved to Santa Cruz!!! So the flowers and trees are blooming longer. And, this year, my right ear's Eustachian tube has gotten hypersensitive, and closes up easily. It was closed up for a few weeks, probably because of the privet blossoms that are late this year. And when the ear finally opened up, everything sounded loud and harsh. Now, my LEFT ear had been infected years ago, and when the infection subsided, it was hypersensitive to loud treble, and that's one of the reasons I went to using an earplug in the left.
Anyway, NOW it seems the right ear is ALSO hypersensitive to treble... which means I really need an earplug in the right ear too. But two foam earplugs is too much- I can't hear my playing well enough to even play solo very well, let alone with others. So I experimented while playing outside the mansion, and I THINK a "Hearo" in the right ear and a foam plug in the left will do the trick.
Saturday because the hearing and earplug problems weren't sorted out yet, I didn't go busking at the Farmer's Market. But there WAS a folk jam at the cafe I had my Old Time jams at... or at least I thought there was... I got there late, since I wasn't the leader and had stuff to get out of the way... and when I got there, I was the first and only musician there. I didn't really feel like doing a concert for free, so I got a bagel and waited to see if anybody else would show up late. And, lo and behold, a lady with a banjo case and her hubby show up... and I didn't recognize them... and no wonder- they are from the Bay Area... and had read about my jam in a local student-oriented paper.... that I forgot to notify that my jam was cancelled. And the lady could PLAY... she's been taking some serious lessons down in the Bay Area, and it shows... she can maintain a groove... and she only considers herself intermediate! We didn't get to play a whole bunch, because the cafe closed and they had other stuff on their agenda, but it was fun to finally get to play with a banjo player with a good concept of "groove".
Hmm... I have this drummer friend... maybe I can convince HIM to take up the banjo!
1 comment on “Problems, Problems, and a GOOD Old Time Jam that wasn't supposed to happen!”
Humbled by this instrument Says:
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 @6:19:30 AM
Glad you got some jamming in, however short the time. And blast all those blasted allergins and pollens! Yet I'll trade you my headaches...hmmmmm...lemme think 'bout it first.
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