Is this prog folk? (1 Viewer)

[mjp]

Eight string tenor guitar? Weird short (mini) scale double bass? Pop-ish song structure with off-kilter twiddly bits? What is this, prog folk?

I don't know, but I like it.

Sarah Jarosz "Over The Edge" from Conan last night.

 

[Purple Stickpin]

Weird short (mini) scale double bass?

You mean a 'cello?

The "guitar" appears (visually and aurally) to consist of four octave courses, so it's like a mandolin that way but constructed like a guitar. Mando-guitar, perhaps? I don't hear too much prog influence (so, you can sleep tonight) other than perhaps the style of the 'cello and violin playing (derived in small part from Ponty's work with Zappa in '73?). There's a bit of a New Grass/Flecktones funky edge to it. I'd call it Aggressive Americana, you know, so you know which section of the record store to go to. It is good; no disagreement there.

 

[mjp]

The "guitar" appears (visually and aurally) to consist of four octave courses, so it's like a mandolin that way but constructed like a guitar. Mando-guitar, perhaps?

I did a little Googling, like all the cool kids, and there are indeed 8 string tenor guitars that look just like what she's playing, but it turns out it's an "octave mandolin," so you were in the ballpark. Here's the page for the builder of the very instrument in the video.

At $5,800 it's not exactly something for amateurs or dabblers. ;)

...and now everyone but you and I are fast asleep...

 

[Purple Stickpin]

Sorry, I nodded off...:rolleyes:

 

[gbsupbowl]

my friend's mama plays one of those octave mandos in a brazilian jazz group, it's a cool instrument.

 

[hoochmonkey9]

All you gear heads always over complicate things. All you need is a three stringed ukelele open tuned to J and a recorder with all the holes plugged up to get the same sound.

Jesus...

 

[mjp]

open tuned to J...

So it sounds good with the Jew's harp?

Hey, I didn't name it.

Incidentally, no one plays in open J anymore. Not since Maria Callas died in the Barney's Beanery fire. It's considered gauche.