Dix Bruce is a very talented multi-instrumentalist. He has written many instructional methods and tune collections for Mel Bay and others. He teaches at numerous music camps throughout the year and performs regularly both as a solo and in a duo with Jim Nunnally.
Mandolin Sessions: Who or what events inspired you to play the mandolin? Was music a part of your household when growing up?
Dix Bruce: My grandfather and brother played the guitar so I heard it around the house a lot growing up. At about age 12 in the early 1960s, I started playing guitar - rock and folk songs I heard on the radio. In college at the University of Wisconsin I played in several different bands but mostly in a jug band and a bluegrass band.
Of course, I got a healthy dose of mandolin in both. In 1974, after college, I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and started hearing David Grisman and hanging out with members of his bands. Frank Wakefield lived in the area and I began playing with him. David had a magazine called Mandolin World News and I began writing for it. Eventually David asked me to edit the magazine and suddenly I was in the thick of it, but good! Every day brought a new inspiration and a new kind of music that I heard through David and my work with the magazine. It was then, in about in 1976 or 77 that I finally got a mandolin and began swatting at it.
MS: Do you feel that your starting age is a critical factor in playing your style?
DB: I don't know about MY age being a factor so much, but where the world was at any given time certainly steered me this way and that at critical times. I grew up listening to 60 rock and pop folk music. As the Beatles, Stones, Byrds, Loving Spoonful explored various aspects of American country and blues. I discovered it through their music, a little bit at a time. If the Beatles loved Buck Owens, he must be cool. If the Stones dug Robert Johnson and Fred McDowell, I better check them out too. If the Loving Spoonful recorded their version of jug band music, maybe I should listen to the players they were listening to. Because these musicians were my heroes and I was at a receptive time in my life, I was open to their input and was able to enjoy a whole lot of different styles of music.
MS: Describe your music training.
DB: Nothing really formal or organized. I learned chords first, then I began picking out simples melodies then more advanced leads. The same pattern for guitar and mandolin. In junior high I had one year of cornet and in high school various "music appreciation" classes. In college I took a jazz course and a wonderful class called "Music in Performance." Gunner Johanson was an artist in residence at the University of Wisconsin and at each class he'd introduce a classical piece, Bach, Beethoven, etc., and play it live for the assembled students. I took it as many times as I was allowed. I also remember a wonderful class called, I think, "American Pop Song," which presented pop composers like Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Vincent Youmens, the Gershwins, Irving Caesar, and that whole generation. It exposed me to standards for the first time. I took as many music classes as I was allowed to take. I wasn't a music major. There wasn't a major available to the likes of me! If I'd been a classically trained guitarist, I could have pursued that program but I was playing jug band and bluegrass music at the time and there was no place in the music program for someone with those interests.
After college I took several courses in singing, jazz, music fundamentals, at a local junior college in northern California. There I met the best teacher I've ever known, Elvo D'Amante. He's a wonderful guy but he made you work and wouldn't let you off the hook if you did get it quite right. I took his Music Fundamentals, Sight Singing, and Ear Training. Ear Training turned my head around. He prepared a series of cassette drill tapes with exercises for learning to sing, hear, recognize, and identify scales, modes, intervals, and chords. It was the most effective training I'd ever had. Since those classes, over the years, I have often called him and asked for an explanation of this or that aspect of music theory and he's always been great. We've stayed in touch and actually collaborated on his publication a year or so ago of the ear training class. I recorded all the exercises for his massive 3 volume, 11-CD course. Check it out on my website: musixnow.com
MS: What styles interested you when you first began to play? How do those preferences influence your current music?
DB: I started playing rock and folk, things I heard on the radio in the mid-1960s. I think playing pop music gave me a more rounded view of music than if I'd only played bluegrass or rock.
MS: Did you seek out any particular teachers, artists, or method books? Do you play any other instruments besides the mandolin? Any particular advantage or disadvantage to being a multi instrumentalist?
DB: I play guitar, bass, banjo, a little bit of harmonica. I think each instrument helps you understand the whole system of music better. A bass supplies a different part of the ensemble than the mandolin. Each instrument also helps you understand each other instrument.
MS: Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with in a recording or tour?
DB: Oh man! Everybody! Where to start? Paul McCartney, J.D. Crowe, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Gimble, David Grisman, Joyce Cooling, John Nichols, Jim Nichols. Where to end?
MS: What musical avenues do you wish to explore in the future?
DB: Just more of the same. I'd like my music and writing to reach more people. If I win the lottery, I'd like to go back to school and study music: keyboard, composition, history, jazz, classical, everything. There's so much I want to explore!
MS: What keeps you interested in the music business?
DB: I just love to play and perform. Every show is an unknown: Can I accomplish what I'm trying to do? Will the audience be moved by it? You, as a performer are different every night as is the audience. So, it can go any of a thousand directions at any point. I also get a huge charge out of performing something new, something that I've created that the audience has never heard before, and have it connect with them. It's humbling and awesome at the same time.
MS: Have you ever had to weather a creative dry spell in your playing or composition? How did you overcome it?
DB: I go through cyclical periods where I'm sick of the way I sound and think I stink. It can happen when I'm performing a lot or performing very little. And, everybody I know seems to go through the same thing. (Did I say that right? Not that they're thinking MY playing stinks, they're thinking that their OWN playing stinks!) I'm busy enough with gigs, writing, teaching, that I don't usually have the time or energy to dwell on it. As soon as I start to fixate on it, BANG, I'm onto the next thing. But when it does get me down, practicing on my own has always made me feel better and improved my playing. As far as a dry period of not composing, again, I just kind of let it be and it usually comes sneaking back to me. If I fixate on it, forget it, it's gone and won't be back until I lighten up on myself.
MS: Which of your albums would you recommend?
DB: Which one of my kids do I like the best? Each CD details a different part of my music or my life. "My Folk Heart" is me playing some of my favorite old songs with friends like Jim Nunally, John Reischman, and Tom Rozum. I even do a couple of originals including a mandolin waltz I wrote for my wife Kathi. "Tuxedo Blues" is swing and jazz music, original and standards, with a great string band including Bob Alekno on mandolin (you gotta hear Bob!); Dave Balakrishnan on violin; Mike Wollenberg on bass. I've done four CDs with Jim Nunally of traditional and original material in a kind of brother duet style. Our latest is called "Brothers at
Heart." I've also recorded several CDs with the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra. The RSJO is a 20s and 30s big band and great fun.
MS: Care to mention a career high/low?
DB: Nothing really comes to mind. I think the longer you play music, the greater the variety of experiences you have. They all kind of fit together in the puzzle as opposed to being a career defining moment. I can't imagine something happening that would make me quit. I AM a musician. I'll be playing music until I die.
Sometimes you do hit the wall on stage the first set, but then you come back and it's not so bad. Nobody cared but you. The high points are the continual nice, funny, or fun things that just keep rolling over you. Playing "Pretty Woman" on the bass and getting it almost right in a loud bar with a good singer. Playing what I meant to play! Working on the soundtracks to "The Sims" computer games.
MS: How did you assemble the body of technique you possess now? Do you teach or act as a musical mentor?
DB: Just years of playing. I don't think I'm a very "hot" player but I do sound like myself. And, in the long run, That's what it's really about. At the end of the day,
nobody gets fame or recognition for sounding like Bill Monroe. I teach a few students on a weekly basis and many others through my writing, books and videos.
MS: Have you produced any instructional materials - books, videos? Planning to write or produce any?
DB: Only forty or so titles. See my website: musixnow.com
MS: What sort of practice routine would you recommend for the beginning, intermediate or advanced player? Describe your own practice routine.
DB: Play it until you get it right whether it's the chords to a folksong or the melody to a jazz standard. Start slow and chart your progress with metronome settings. Be self-critical but not to the point of discouragement. Set your goals realistically. Record yourself and use the experience to identify places that need work. More important than anything else is to play all you can.
It helps me to work on something specific, maybe a handful of things at a time, rather than 800 things I need to learn by Saturday. I try to keep track of everything I'm working on in a spiral bound music notebook. For example, I really try to write out solos, scales, songs that I'm working on. It really helps me fix them in my head. It was a struggle at first to just get it down on paper, but after years of doing it, it's much easier now. If I'm trying to work something up to a specific speed, I keep track of my progress in the notebook: "Monday-played OK at metronome setting 95. Goal is 125. Tuesday-tried 100. Sloppy, needs more work," etc.
When I first pick up the guitar to play, I try to play a few scales or an easy tune to warm up. I play it slow and accurately before I speed it up. I'll typically play a few ascending major scales and then try descending versions of the same scales minor.
MS: Tell us your opinion of tab vs. notation.
DB: Notation is so much richer than tab. It gives much more information and it's standard the whole world over. Yes, it takes a little longer to learn than tab, but not that much. And, if you need to read a style of tab that includes rhythmic notation, you're more than 1/2 way to standard notation anyway. So, it's just a little more work than tab and worth every minute you spend on it.
I think standard notation presents a significant intimidation factor that many players never get over. Although I knew a little bit about how to read music, tab helped me find the notes on the guitar and it was immediately satisfying. It's like learning one thing instead of reading notes, reading rhythm, and finding those notes on the guitar. It's a tall order. The main drawback to tab is that it doesn't take you as far as notation. It's a toss up: notation has a steeper learning curve than tab. Tab lets you get into playing much quicker. Notation is universal.
I've included tab in all my books and writing. It's kind of what you have to do to sell to guitarists and mandolin players. But I always include the notation above the tab. I'm a little conflicted about the practice. On the one hand, I do want students to be able to get into whatever I write, thus tab. On the other hand, if the tab is there, the notation will probably be ignored and the student will never bother to learn it. My advice is to put in the time learning standard notation.
MS: What do you do to keep your repertoire fresh-sounding?
DB: Lemon juice in both ears.
MS: Is there a logical sequence to enhancing ones harmonic palette or melodic/rhythmic concept?
DB: Listen to music outside your main genre and try to play it and understand it. Analyze what the chord progression is and how your leads will fit over it. Be curious about fitting other styles to the mandolin or guitar, whether it's Andean flute music or African drumming.
MS: In your role as a teacher, what areas do you emphasize with your students?
DB: I try overall to show them how to have fun with music. Then I try to teach them enough basic skills (chords, strumming, etc.) so they can continue to explore on their own.
MS: Any suggestions on forming a concert repertoire or preparing for a concert?
DB: Decide what you want to play for other people and polish it. Think of what you'd want to hear yourself do and consider the pacing of a set. Don't do too many instrumentals in a row, unless you have an all-instrumental act! Mix up the fast and slow material, major and minor, light and heavy. Try it out on your dog or in front of the mirror. Then try it for friends and at open mikes and jams. Record yourself!
MS: When arranging or composing for the mandolin, do you actually write out the music or tab or do you prefer exploring with mandolin in hand until you come up with something memorable, and then record it?
DB: I always write everything out. If there is more than one voice involved, I record the parts and see how they fit together. Often I'll record an accompaniment and play along with the recording, making changes until it gels.
MB: What sources of inspiration do you draw upon?
DB: Everything incoming, everything I hear, see, feel, smell.
MS: Do different mandolins in your collection inspire different types of tunes?
DB: I suppose every instrument does have a voice that leads you different places. I used to have a nice old A4 and I couldn't play anything but old timey on it. My F model likes to play more different styles.
MS: Inquiring minds want to know your preferred mandolins, strings, recording mic? Any product endorsements? What's special about the instruments you play? Is there anything on your wish list as far as equipment or instruments?
DB: I like D'Addario strings, which I endorse. Re: Instruments. To quote David Grisman: "Hey man, it ain"t the car, it's the driver!" I like to record with Neumann KM 184s on the instruments, TLM 103 on the vocals. I would like a Neumann U-87 for vocals. Donation of same cheerfully accepted!
MS: Do you recommend professional management or self-management?
DB: Professional management is nice if you can get it. I get tired of booking tours. It can take all your energy. Have someone else do it if possible. But, it will cost you. And, if you don't stay on top of it, it'll REALLY cost you. Someone has to do the work somewhere down the line and whether it's you or them, someone has to get paid.
It's very helpful to have the firewall of a booker or manager between you and everything else. Just on a practical level, it's probably easier for a potential client to say "no" to a booker than to you personally.
I've run into that problem a few times. Some venues think you'd rather hear a "maybe" than a firm "no." Not me! I'd rather get the "no" right off the bat than bother calling back ten times. I just want to move on to the next call I have to make. Please take note those of you out there who book entertainment: if you mean "no," say "no." It won"t hurt our feelings! It can also be tough to negotiate money and terms when you are the artist and the manager. The venue may have difficulty denying you as the artist the blue M&Ms; you may have more difficulty than a manager demanding them. Many venues and record companies won't even talk to you if you don't have management. It can be a badge of success on a lot of levels. But, if you don't have management, don't give up, just get on with finding gigs and playing them.
MS: What has your experience with record companies been?
DB: Very little, except that I used to work for Arhoolie Records. I think for all but the most "pop" of artists, the record company model has about expired. They've seldom done much more than publicize most artists.
When I hear Roger McGuinn of the Byrds say that he's never gotten any additional royalty money past the initial recording fees for hits like "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn, Turn, Turn," I think something's wrong with the system. A record company is there to make money off of you without too great a risk on their part. Now, they may do a good job and both parties make some dough, and everybody's happy. How come we never hear those stories? Just about every musician I talk to feels like they've not been treated fairly by their record company. There also seem to be a disproportionate number of broke and destitute musicians compared with rich record companies. Maybe us musicians are a bunch of whiners, but it makes you think.
MS: Upcoming performance dates, tours?
DB: See the website.
MS: Tips on touring, performance etiquette or artist/venue, manager relations?
DB: Always, always be as nice as you can be to bookers, sound people, waiters, everybody. Show your appreciation to people that help you put on your shows. Show your appreciation to the audience. You cannot afford to piss anybody off. They're doing you a favor by having you no matter how the show turns out. I hate to see performers blame the audience for a poor turnout. These are the people that came to see you. I also hate to see performers make disparaging comments about the venue, the sound, or the promoter from the stage. All of these things should have been dealt with before the show. If not, fix it on the break. Don't let the audience see the nuts and bolts if at all possible. If there's screaming feedback on one of the mikes, try to get it fixed as quickly and quietly as possible. Keep in mind that the sound person, no matter how competent or incompetent, is your conduit to the audience. Treat them with the respect you'd give to your surgeon!
MS: What projects do you currently have on the front burner?
DB: Bunch of book/CD sets I'm doing for Mel Bay on blues, jazz, bluegrass, and fiddle tunes.
MS: How has your family affected your music?
DB: My family has made it possible for me to continue. If I didn't have their support, I would have quit long ago. I try
to have my music have as little negative effect on them as possible, especially when I travel. When my daughter, who's starting college this fall, was smaller, it was logistically more difficult to be away from home than it is now. All the family members pitched in and helped me tour and play music.
MS: Apart from music, what are your interests?
DB: That's about it, but I'm interested in so many aspects of music: playing, writing, recording, producing, teaching, and writing instructional material. I love to hike, garden and cook.
