Comment by thereallyniceman on September 9, 2012 at 17:14

How on earth did you manage to get that under your fingers in 24 hours???  We were only chatting about it yesterday. Amazing performance. Thank you Mike. The "harmonics" are very clever.. how does that work?

By the way Mike, I thought that video editing "cheats" were compulsory...  they are for me ;-)

Comment by Mike Moss on September 9, 2012 at 17:22

I guess it's the tune's oddly entrancing melody... I just couldn't stop thinking about it!

The artificial harmonics are a little tricky to produce... basically you fret the string and sound the harmonic by touching the centre of the string with the thumb and striking it with the index finger -- it isn't easy to do it neatly. So, for instance, if you fret the 1st string at the second fret "E", you will sound the harmonic at the 14th fret one octave above, since that is the new harmonic node for the shortened string, and so forth. I play the harmonics in positions, the first series from the 1st, the second from the 3rd, then the 6th and 7th.

Comment by Trapdoor2 on September 9, 2012 at 19:09

What craziness! Nicely done, Mike.

I play artifical harmonics exactly opposite of your method (not that I've ever done it much). I extend my index to touch the node and pluck with the thumb. It doesn't work well without a bit of thumbnail...as the harmonics beg a bit of a sharper attack than my too-soft thumb can give. If I had crab-claws like Ian, it wouldn't be an issue. ;-)

I shall have to give your method a try.

Comment by Mike Moss on September 9, 2012 at 19:37

I just tried out your method... it gives a nice neat, clean sound, though i find the position a bit awkward. When trying out my method, keep your hand as in the picking position, with the thumb extended and the fingers in a fist, with your index protruding a little; I find this gives much economy of movement and the transition from picking to harmonics is easy and quick. Also, the side of the tip of your index finger should be hard enough not to require nails to produce clear harmonics, though a bit of hard picking is required on the heavy strings near the 20th fret! Perhaps mediums or lights, which vibrate more freely, would be more responsive.

Comment by Trapdoor2 on September 10, 2012 at 2:41

Yah, I can make it work either way. Though I have been playing "fingertip" for a good while now, I'm still without much in the way of calluses. I suspect it is the softness of the nylgut...but I like 'em too much to switch. I don't have much problem with natural harmonics...they're still cleaner/clearer with the nail...but they have a soft round edge to them with flesh.

I do like the 'economy of movement' part of your method. Given the time you have to set it up in "Bolero" that wouldn't be a factor. In a piece where the transition was quick, I would suspect yours would quickly show its advantages.

Comment by marc dalmasso on September 10, 2012 at 13:21

bravo Mike ; well done ; may be , you should have let done the sequence for the intro or add a click to keep with the piano ; _ if you listen to some of my tracks , i guess i 've let the metronome somewhere because , without , impossible to play ; you just have to program the click ' volume , enough to hear , not too much to be discreet on the video .

For the harmonics , we call these " octavados " in French , and , like marc i play these with the opposite method_ i always use it on the pedal steel guitar but , i ve never done with the CB ; encore bravo

Comment by Mike Moss on September 10, 2012 at 13:41

Yes, I thought about recording it in different parts and then sticking them together, which, from the piano acc't point of view, was probably the easiest thing to do. However, I felt that a full performance would be more satisfying, in spite of the limitations of the midi piano. I overshot the time I gave myself for the cadenza and had an awkward bit of silence there, but overall the effect was decent enough, as long as I timed myself so it looked like I was leading the piano and not the other way round ;-)

Comment by Richard William Ineson on September 12, 2012 at 8:04

Any chance of letting us hear 'the screaming match'? Very well played, took me straight back to the Wigmore Hall, in 1923, when I first heard Cam play this magnificent composition.

Comment by Mike Moss on September 12, 2012 at 8:35

Well, being distorted by the walls, the screaming match sounded like wailings from beyond the grave... I attempted to gather some ectoplasm, but alas, the electric lights had a sudden, shocking effect on it and it darted back into its owner's body. Perhaps it was Cammeyer's spirit essence, listening in disapproval as I butchered his favourite composition?

Comment by Richard William Ineson on September 12, 2012 at 9:36

This would be only the second recorded instance of a banjoist returning from the grave, Parke Hunter, being the only other. I think that you should pursue this further, try playing 'Cooee My Girlee" or 'The Dustman's Picnic' they might tempt the old master to reveal himself.

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