Left, Right…Left, Right.. (A Mandolin Method)

        I once knew a golfer who had a standard reply if he’d had a bad day.

        “How’d you play?”

        “Army golf. You know, left right, left right.”

         It had two meanings. One was the obvious: he’d hit one shot left and the next one right. The other was more subtle: On that day he’d been unable to co-ordinate right and left brain activity.

        That doesn’t work in golf or music. Especially in music, if you need one more it might be the right side. I know players who seem predominately right-brained who play great, and left brainers who often have a lot of book learning but have trouble expressing it in their play.

        Now being a doc who came up in books I was afflicted with this malady at times, but I found ways to adapt. One answer for me was my bluegrass young’un, Darin Aldridge. He taught me so much over several decades. I am forever indebted to him. The second influence came along a bit later and that is my bluegrass brother Wayne Benson. I had known Wayne for years and began to take some lessons from him in 2007. As I have said many times if a man can’t learn to play with Darin on his right hand and Wayne on his left he’s hopeless.

       Wayne and I just stated a book project based on Wayne’s teaching method. His lesson plans are the first method I have seen that teaches practical mandolin theory to the student’s left brain and shows them how to transfer that intellectual knowledge to the right side. Instead of Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine” it is “Benson Crossing the Corpus Callosum,” the partition that divides the two cerebral hemispheres of the brain. It won’t make us play like Darin and Wayne but the knowledge will help move us in that direction. If should be fun.

        It’ll be at least a year before the book comes out, so in the meantime go to these guys if you live near them or book some time with an instructor in your area. There’s a bunch to learn, and it sure is easier with an experienced instructor to guide you.

        Left right, left right!!

Dr. B

“The Kid and Dr. B” at Riverside Studio

        Darin Aldridge is my “bluegrass young’un.” I have two biological children who I am very close to. Darin has been such a close friend that he is right next to family. He would often drop by the office at lunch to show me a new tune, and taught me a lot of mandolin over the years. I always wanted to do a mandolin duet CD with him, and we are have almost finished with it now.

        We recorded with Greg Luck at Riverside Studios, and bless his heart he took the time to work with old Doc and make it right. There are some pics on Darin Aldridge’s FB page of the day at the studio. We still have to mix and master and line up art work etc, but we are close. Like books, CDs take a lot more time than what folks know.

        The title of the CD is “The Kid and Dr. B- Mandolin Music Memories and Stories.” As far as I know this will be the only mandolin duet CD which also features story-telling and also a bit of generic medical advice; I always was a little different.

        Carmen Claypool from Missouri picked up on the fact that several cuts will serve as a companion CD to “The Mandolin Case.” There has been some talk of a movie. If that ever happened, I hope y’all will lobby for our version of “The Cherokee Shuffle.” Darin and did the mandolin duet and then Darin overdubbed  a guitar track and Luck filled in the bass line. We left several cuts spare by design and for a certain effect we wanted, but filled in this cut in case there was ever a soundtrack. Also I had any say in it the “Lost Indian” cut by Wayne and Kristin Scott Benson with Wayne’s super-talented N.C. student Jacob Moore would also make fine soundtrack material.

        Of course most of this movie talk is only daydreaming by an old Doc having fun, but the CD is a definite, and we hope to release it in a few months. As far as movies, well, a man has to have his dreams, and I think it is time for another good bluegrass movie, don’t y’all?

Dr. B

Another Way to Rent-A-Doc (or other) Books (Free!)

        When I did my book show at the Neuse Regional Library in Kinston N.C. I noticed how young the staff was. They seemed very tech savvy too. Like everyone else in this new cyber world they have to be to stay viable.

        My agent just wrote me about a new way to read “The Mandolin Case.” If your library has the service you can download it to your Kindle just like you’d check out a book at the library. Very cool! Harvey County Library is old-fashioned and hasn’t changed much. It is still right across from the mill; just a few doors down from Bolt’s Drug Store where they made the best Orange-Aide in town. Harvey Library is all dusty shelves and hardback books with broken spines, and thumb smudged pages with a musty smell I still love, but they aren’t into high-tech yet. However, I called a few counties west to my adopted home of Cleveland County. I was not surprised to find out the home of Earl Scruggs and Don Gibson was hip to new ways. They have the art going on over there. The librarian at the Cleveland County library in Shelby, N.C. said if you have a Kindle and an Amazon account and a library card, and you could check out “The Mandolin Case” (and many other titles) for two weeks. If you have a PIN number you can even do so from home. Great news for the shut-ins on these cold winter days! 

        I’m all for it. I’ve always loved libraries. If it hadn’t been for my wife and books, this country boy would have never survived.

        So, if do a lot of your reading on Kindle, call your local library and see if they are on board with the idea. In the long run it would save money to check it out at the local library instead of buying it. (It’s OK with me if you buy it too!) and it is another tool to help keep libraries afloat in a tough new world for them. Check it out!

        Thanks,

Dr. B

Carolina Lightnin’

        I thought my readers would enjoy this clip. I first met Tommy Edwards way back when he was with “The Bluegrass Experience,” the 1972 Union Grove World Champion band. Here he is joined by some fine musicians and friends old and new. Dr. Peter Temple and Tommy were my first big bluegrass influences. If you are ever in the N.C. Research Triangle area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill etc) look for them at places the Q Shack, The Blue Note Grill, and the Pittsboro General Store. Check ‘em out. Fine picking and singing; the real deal for traditional music.

Dr. B

http://www.youtube.com/user/CarolinaLightnin/feed?feature=context

Doctors Gone Broke

        The headlines were splashed all over the Internet this weekend. Doctors, esp in Family Practice and General Surgery, are going broke. What amazes me is that anyone is surprised. This trend began decades ago and the end result was predicted by most of us in the trenches. No one paid us any heed. In the end the perpetuation of big biz mis-truths only served to enrich insurance executives and empower elected officials. It was a mistake. Try to get help from them if you have a belly-ache.

        I am old enough to remember when “managed care” came to town. At that time some touted a no co-pay plan. I was one of the very last docs  to sign on. “But we can see you for free,’  some patients said.

        “Don’t you understand what they are doing?” I asked. They are like Potter in ‘A Wonderful Life.’ They aren’t selling you anything; they are buying. They are buying you all up in mass. Once they have you they can do anything with you they wish. You’re not going to like having to beg them for your medical care in a decade.”

        I also predicted co-pays would soon exceed our office visit charge at the time. My nurses would witness to this fact. It didn’t take long. Soon co-pays exceeded our old office visit charge from just a few years prior. Where did the money go? As the headlines indicate it wasn’t to country docs. Insurance companies run ads on television that cost more than our entire annual office budget back in the early days. Many of their executives make more in a year than what a country doc could make for decades of sweat equity.

       The trend took hold though, and once I could plot out my demise on a graph I signed on too. It was that or run aground at the hands of rich and powerful people.

       I recall when I started practice. People said I would do well  because I was well-trained, did well on Boards, liked people, and I cared. A good friend of mine who had an MBA said, “In a decade that will not be enough. If you don’t have the right business connections you will not stay afloat.” He was right and I am glad I listened. I did my best to survive in a world that came to be dominated by money and power instead of patient’s needs.

        If you were stranded on a desert island and could have two kinds of  doctors, you should probably choose Family Practice and General Surgery. It wouldn’t be pretty, but they could handle about 80% of what comes in the door. Think about it. What other two would you want? How about Radiology and Dermatology?  You get my point.  I have nothing against any specialist. I can see thanks to modern ophthalmology and I am alive due to the efforts of my oncologist and his staff.

        Primary care and general surgery are not sexy or glamorous specialties in a silly celebrity oriented modern world and have been ignored to the brink of extinction. And the kids going into medicine understand. They face a lifetime of excessive regulation which strangles any hope for efficiency. They will be underpaid and  overworked for the foreseeable future. They are not dumb. When some mid level executive who is ABCDA can make three times a seasoned doctor’s salary it is discouraging.

        Oh well, the money/power people didn’t pay me any attention when I was young and healthy. Now that I’m old and sick I’m certain that won’t change. I have been at work on “Acquisition Syndrome” for a few years now, and it addresses many of these issues in real life practice. It is fiction, but as I’ve always said fiction should show the truth but tell no facts. It should be out this spring.

        I’ll be back soon to report on bluegrass. Maybe it’ll take over the world and make it a better place. Oh well. A man has to have his dreams.

Dr. B

Here’s a link to the article:

www.money.cnn.com/2012/01/05/smallbusiness/doctors_broke/… – Cached

Grandchild Christening

        This weekend was the christening service for the grandchild. My goodness.

        All of the family made it in force. The preacher had plenty of good words of wisdom out of The Book, and the baby didn’t fuss over the sprinkling. My daughter-in-law wanted us to play “Amazing Grace.” Darin was there and I brought a guitar and a mandolin so we were more than happy to comply. We also did “”What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” My brother’s wife asked for “Jesus Loves Me,” so we cooked up a quick rendition of that. I guess twenty years from now when he asks about the ceremony they can say the denomination was Christian, Methodist, and Bluegrass Gospel. The parents were the boss of course, so we let them plan it and did what we could to help make it happen. It seemed like a fine way for a baby to start out to me.

        We went back home to ham, all kinds of sides, Mom’s homemade potato soup, good bluegrass black coffee and pecan pie. Mercy!

        Darin and I picked a few more tunes, mostly out of the old Bomb Shelter repertoire from when my children were growing up, songs like “Catfish John,” ”Don’t This Road Look Rough and Rocky,” and “I Wonder How the Old Folks Are at Home.” Everyone sang along. My son joined in on the stand-up bass, so that brought back memories too. 

        We raised ours in the music and it all worked out fine. My son and his wife want to raise the new baby in it too and I’m gonna help all I can.

        I’ll post pictures soon. I hope y’all have a Happy New Year. 

Dr. B

I Resolve…

        I don’t make many New Year’s resolutions; I’m a perpetual planner already. I will make this one though. I’m gonna do everything I can to be here this time next year to make some more resolutions. I realize we don’t have much control over it, but we can at least play the odds to live; don’t drink and drive, wear seat belts, be a non-smoker etc. I had too much fun with the grandchild around to not make my best run at another year.

        Here’s to a healthy and prosperous New Year for all my family and friends; y’all are the best.

        Will post more Monday; I’ll have some fun things to report on.

Dr. B

Grandpa’s Mandolin Book, a Coloring Book for Children of all Ages.”

        My Song of the Day on FaceBook was “Beautiful Dreamer” by Stephen Foster, as played by me. This one makes a fine mandolin lullaby for a grandchild. I feel sorry for families who have no music traditions.

        With severe illness you need some motivation to live, and I had plenty, but this new grandchild gives me more resolve than ever. I can just picture me teaching him mandolin out of my children’s book in five years or so.

        ”Grandpa’s Mandolin Coloring Book” is a light-hearted romp through the Creation, ancient Greek history, Bill Monroe, Roy Huskey Jr, the light spectrum of the rainbow, music intervals, and more. I had several test readers on this one and they all offered excellent suggestions. Perhaps my favorite input so far came from a prominent family of professional musicians. In their house the children dug the book so much they got an old mandolin out of the closet and took up the instument. (This was a banjo, guitar, and bass household, but like many of the bluegrass families the adults can play ‘em all.)

         It is very appropriate that children would like my book, perhaps even more than adults, because I never grew up. I’ve often said I’m nothing but an overgrown child who God blessed with a decent grown-up doctor brain and a fine wife, otherwise I think I’d a starved to death.

       The book prototype will go back to the graphic artist for some minor revision right after the first of the year, and I hope to have it out in a couple of months. I am very excited about it because it is dedicated to our grandchild and it revives the tradition in our family; we pass it on. My children play several instruments and love music because of the influence of both me and their Mom. I am very proud we passed it on, and the thought the book might facilitate other families to do the same thrills me. And don’t worry, even if your family has no music background this little book will be an easy, fun, and inexpensive way to start a new family tradition.

       Hope y’all had a blessed Christmas and will have a prosperous New Year. Here’s to traditional music in 2012. Let’s all do what we can to raise awareness for the art form. I believe the world longs for real music and our people play it.

Dr. B

Blessed be The Readers

        Here we are near the end of the year. Bless all of you readers and artists out there. I developed a very bad illness (brain tumor; it’s hard to type that) late last spring and you have helped me so much. Prior to the tumor my day revolved around my patients. It was  a constant human interaction and while it was stressful, I enjoyed it. I miss them. All of you, my electronic human connections, have bridged the gap and allowed me to feel useful while I am confined to bed or chair much more than I have ever been used to.

        Also I must add I would have never made it through the year without my wife who now has a 210 pound baby on her hands. She is the best. My children have been most helpful too. Even though they have busy lives, they call often and visit as much as they can, which is pretty regular. God bless them too.

        I continue to peck away on my projects. This year I have all plans to release the children’s mandolin coloring book, my second novel, “Acquisition Syndrome,” and a mandolin duet CD with Darin Aldridge (www.darinandbrookealdridge.com)  Also Wayne Benson and I will start “Practical Theory for Mandolin,” which may take a year or more to complete. It is based on Wayne’s lesson plans. I believe his method via this book (or personal lessons with him) will help the less gifted musician (like me!) play at a higher level. Check out “My Art Projects” page on the right hand side bar of my blog for more details on these projects.

        Again, if you are an Amazon Prime member “The Mandolin Case,” and also “The Bluegrass Brain Cancer Boogie” are available as a free download as part of Amazon’s promotion of their program. Check in with Amazon and see my post of 12 14 2011 for details.

       I hope all you have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. As a writer, and a man who thrives on social interaction, I thank you. If you are a writer, musician, blogger, FaceBooker, (At first I though it was called “My Face”) a commenter, reader; really any human being who cares about a life of grace and dignity, I thank you. I am confident I would not have fared as well without you.

        I’ll be back soon.

Dr. B

Sleigh Ride

        This is my song of the day. I recently heard a Carol King version I liked a lot.

        We used to play this in the high school band. One day we were practicing it for the Christmas concert. The trombone section got together and decided to jazz up our solo. (I was the lead trouble-maker) When our time came we stood up and blared out the hillbilly jazz, swaying our trombone slides to the music as we went. Lots of fun.

        The band director protested but with a smile. He knew better than to try to snuff out a mischievous love of music. It became to nucleus of a small group called the stage band, and we were the first players he called on.

        I think I was all the way to college before I realized the world had any problems.

Y’all have a Merry Christmas.

Dr. B