A little of the music and musicians I most like:
What I notice about this is it's mainly dance music but you're not supposed to dance to it. It has just taken the first step up to the concert stage, and has not yet wandered down the sterile blind alley of introspection. I do like Alan Parsons and Scott Joplin, so I may yet learn to like Tchaikovsky. I think that the best music is great whether you understand it or not, it has both naive instant appeal and intellectual depth, and you never get tired of it.
At the moment I play drums mainly, mostly in church but occasionally in small jazz bands.
I play mandolin and do support vocals in the Mad Hatters Bush Band, and also in Sunday school situations.
The mandolin is a sadly neglected instrument. In many instances it's far more useful than guitar, and is easier to play.
It is useful in almost all styles of music. There is a wealth of classical repertoire for it. It gives a bite to rock, bluegrass of course is lost without it, bush music it's a natural, I've even recorded some swing style tracks with it.
Unlike an acoustic guitar, it can carry a melody at the front of a bus of excited children and be heard. Unlike say a flute, it can provide a chord accompaniment. And, again in the bus, there's no danger of smashing teeth in the event of a bump, and it only needs one seat!
I have also been known to be useful on rhythm guitar, especially electric 12-string, or even lead or bass if desprit. I learned piano for a year, after which the music school principal offered the following advice: "You wouldn't like to learn guitar instead, would you?" Pity he didn't think of mandolin! I'm overly fond of a made-in-Australia acoustic 12-string guitar, a 1973 Maton cw80/12 by the name of Anne-Marie, who has been my songwriting partner all those years. Definitely my favourite object - the bright ride cymbal comes second.
My current creative band (about to do our second gig after six months serious practice) is working on a series based on bible characters. Our style is uncompromising rock three piece, and we play at a moderate volume befitting a bass player (me) in his mid forties - loud but not painful (not in quantity at least). We have originals on David, Stephen, Thomas, Peter, and several on Jesus, songs on Mary are readily available, and we may cover "He's Alive" for Paul. If you have suggestions (either yours or commercially available) please email me.
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http://www.zeta.org.au/~andrewa/aja4.htm