US primaries, oh why? Why are punishing yourself so?
Passing the time... In Quarantine?
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I agree… but as @archie said, it is ENTERTAINMENT.
For me… it is rather anti-ENTERTAINMENT - like watching paint dry.
No wait… I think watching paint dry actually accomplishes more than these primaries!
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(Quoting myself) “(still in the dark) … how slow AND how quiet can I go without losing tone & fluidity… was an interesting experiment till everyone came in, turned on the light”
Yep, I was in the literal dark, at 1st because I was just too lazy to get up, turn on the light 
. Then came the experimenting with my picking & I found: (1)The darkness provided for zero distractions, (2)prevented me from looking at my hands (which I do alot, probably too much) and (3)trying to pick very slow and quiet while keeping a good tone and smoothness was difficult (at 1st), but I think was good practice at trying to play very precisely and with great control. An exercise in playing the exact opposite of fast & loud (& in my case sloppy). A self challenge I guess. Theres nothing wrong with the electricity in the area & I’m not suggesting folks should play in the dark or anything, it was just me messing around with my practice… (& being weird!)
(as the family promptly let me know when they came in & turned on the light lol!!)
I’ll definitely consider @Archie suggested song for my repertoire 
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@BanjoBen used to have a banjo lesson on the site, he did it after I had my cataracts done but pulled it because of copyright. He may have TAB for the mandolin
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That is awesome @Simone!
It was similar idea to the TV Exercises post I recently posted… just develop muscle-memory
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Next song on my to do list. Three chords so … 3 days ( aka the time it takes Gunnar to write 5 original tunes) and I’ll have It. Tim Gearan is a local legend for us Bostonians, and some may recognize as Susan Tedeschi’s first BF and guitar teacher.And if you don’t know who Susan is, well can’t help ya. It’s a love song, written for his daughter, but like all good art it can be whatever you want it to be.
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Sorry , housebound all day. I’ve been to Austin TX, Nashville is on the short list. In meantime, same song up 2 steps and live from my favorite Cambridge club. I’ll be okay until that Nashville trip. I’ll stop posting now.
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Speaking of the corona, we just had church in our living room. Our Pastor had to cancel service but he still did a live stream messege. Where two or three are gathered together! Matthew 18:20
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With all this time on my hands I’ve started working on Cherokee Shuffle, Blackberry Blossom, and the advanced Wayfaring Stranger break on Banjo.
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Hey, haven’t caught up on all the messages, so this might be a repeat:
we’re on lockdown here in California, and I’m spending a LOT of time on Station Inn TV. During the pandemic they’ve not only opened up their awesome library of live performances, for free, but are also streaming NEW LIVE SHOWS, played to an empty house but a huge online audience. Audio and video quality is EXCELLENT. AND, you can donate whatever you want, to the BAND, via a gofundme link on Station Inn’s FB page. How cool is that?
Right now I’m watching a re-stream of Tim O’Brien. I had never heard of him, but man, what a great band.
Stay safe, everybody. Hope to see a lot of you in July!!
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Me too!
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They are now all old shows…live ones have been shut down…
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They’ve received city approval to resume live shows and are opening up for new shows soon.
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In fact David Grier is doing a live show as I type this.
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@WillCoop, I moved my sewing machine to the upstairs dining room table, so I can see out the window. I also practice playing by the same window. Everytime someone walks or jogs by, or a car slows down on the street, I look out and wave or push my nose up to the glass to see more. Now I know what it’s like for dogs…
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Hehe 
I like the idea… And often enjoy just taking in the view outside our windows… but I can see how it feels different when we are in quarantine… and feel like you CAN’T (well, you could but for the betterment of others - don’t) go out.
Our minds are powerful indeed. Now, is when we have to stretch our minds to live in freedom - in our homes!
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Passed the time today in a way I did not anticipate nor want. Noticed water leaking through the ceiling of my basement bathroom. There’s so much plumbing and duct work above the ceiling that I had to pretty much destroy the whole room to find the leak…which I finally did after making a huge mess. Plumber coming tomorrow…
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Oh yeah…I wore an N-95 all day just to keep with the spirit!
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I feel like I should know… but humbly ask… N-95?
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The specially designed mask.
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