So, here I am watching Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree and what do I see but Gunnar playing in the fiddle contest backed up with my favorite fiddle instructor Justin Branum! Small world…
What are y'all up to?
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This past week 
- Been working on some rolling backup drills - trying to commit to memory as a precursor to improvisation
- Some Thumb and Pinch Backup exercises for slow songs using thirds & sixes, incorporating G7 and D7 and some bar chords to add colour to the progressions.
- Playing solo in the Key of F - which I have never done before - this is presenting lot’s of interesting new challenges.
- Working on Mason’s Apron in the Key of A a Scots/Irish/Celtic reel. Melodic - Single String Style
- Revisiting/practicing tunes I have already learned trying to keep them fresh in my memory.
- Today I started working on @BanjoBen - Jim Britton new Lesson in Drop C tuning There is a Fountain and just about nailed the low break.
After a long period in the doldrums I feel as though I am beginning to get my mojo back
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Here I am wtching Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree and what do I see but Gunnar playing in the fiddle contest backed up with my favorite fiddle instructor Justin Branum! Small world…
I wanted to be there bad, but I am on call for my job, and that takes me a little too far out to be able to maintain required response times.
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Found Gunnar @ 1 hr 19 min
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Let’s all pitch in and buy Gunnar some shoes!
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yes. This is getting embarassing. I think we need a fiddle contest here on the forum with the prize being a pair of mens sneakers.
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Great job, 74!
haha… and we pull in a bit more and he could buy long pants! 
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Hey! Look mom, I’m on TV!
I did actually place in two events on Friday night, but not on Saturday.
Me and Ben Isaacs
Me and the Skaggs family
Hillary and I
I also chatted with Russs some, met Mo Pitney, Johnny Meyer, Bethany and Rachel Burie, Billy Contreras, saw Ben at church, and several other folks.
Now I’m sitting at a Family Sowell concert at Dollywood.
It’s been a good couple of weeks
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Gunnar, so glad for you, and you’re a celebrity now! Enjoy this time and weather! 
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The Family Sowell is going to be a a festival near me the end of of 9/29-10/2. I’m looking forward to seeing them!
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Hey where did you get the 81Crowe hat? Does Russ have those for sale somewhere?
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I had asked him that, apparently he had had them made, but never ended up offering them for sale. He gave me this one at camp
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Hey folks!
Went to a jam last nite. Actually took some breaks, some were successful, some were meh, also had a couple decent crash & burns 
but laughed them off 
.
When it came round to my turns, my songs were: Listen to the Mockingbird in D (my latest by ear song)
Devil’s Dream in A
& Ashokans Farewell in D
Was pretty happy that I got thru them & their backup clean. Since I usually pick alone, I can remember tune melodies well, but not so much in the backup dept. so this was a nice progress nite for me.
There were 6 guitars, 2 mandos, 1 banjo, 1 dobro, 1 bass, and a handful of folks without instruments that would sing when their turns came around.
Songs at this jam were very widely varied, Bluegrass, old country, gospel, BG gospel, fiddle tunes, several mis starts & do overs, including stuff I’ve no clue what it even was! Here’s the big surprise of the nite: the mando guy sitting next to me absolutely burned down “Yackety Sax” & the banjo guy & dobro guy burned it back up again. (I passed & nodded out on that one 
!) (Yackety Sax - think Benny Hill show theme) I need to learn that one because they had a lot of fun with it…
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Well today I am celebrating my 74th birthday, my daughters are taking me out for a meal at a fancy Italian restaurant 
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@Archie
74 years young! Happy Birthday 
! Hope you have an excellent day, delicious dinner, and a fantastic year ahead 
!
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Thank you Emilie
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