Kalamazoo Lively Arts
The Luke Lenhart Band
Clip: Season 4 | 9m 25sVideo has Closed Captions
We spend some time with the Luke Lenhart Band, a family using Kalamazoo’s own Gibson instr
We spend some time with the Luke Lenhart Band, a family using Kalamazoo’s own Gibson instruments who create beautiful bluegrass music together.
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Kalamazoo Lively Arts is a local public television program presented by WGVU
Kalamazoo Lively Arts
The Luke Lenhart Band
Clip: Season 4 | 9m 25sVideo has Closed Captions
We spend some time with the Luke Lenhart Band, a family using Kalamazoo’s own Gibson instruments who create beautiful bluegrass music together.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship♪ Memories that linger in my heart ♪ - Luke Lenhart, tell us about you and yours, and the band.
- Well it's certainly great to be here today, and yeah we are the Luke Lenhart Band.
Over here is my mom and that's Beverly Lenhart, and she plays the bass and sings and also plays other instruments too.
And over here is my moms cousin Bernie, this is Bernie Steffes and he plays the guitar and sings and does both very well.
So, thank you.
And I play the guitar, right now I'm playing a... I'm holding the mandolin but I also play the guitar and the mandolin and the banjo and the fiddle, and the bass and a little on the ukelele.
- You're the overachiever of the family.
(unanimous laughing) - And who's this angel that's kind of responsible for all of this?
- Over there in the background, that's my grandma.
So that's my mom's mom.
- Very nice, and I understand was born in this house and everything, so thank you for, well for allowing us to be here and allowing us to feature you as part of our Kalamazoo Lively Arts because there's a Kalamazoo connection Luke.
- Yeah well we play in Kalamazoo quite often for all kinds of various events and everything.
Also Bernie and I both are holding a Kalamazoo made instrument, so this instrument here is a mandolin and this was built right downtown Kalamazoo.
This was built in 1916, and I've had it for about 20 years now.
Being built in 1916 would... Still be I believe when Orville Gibson, Mr.
Gibson, the guy that started Gibson, I believe he would still have been alive.
- He might have touched it.
- Yeah, he might have, yeah.
(bluegrass music playing) - Luke Lenhart I am ready to play the mandolin.
Where do I even start?
- Okay good, well you get out your checkbook and write me, no I'm just kidding.
- Oh okay.
(unanimous laughing) Do I start with this?
- Yeah so we have a pick here, we're gonna use the pick.
Sometimes you might use your fingers that's common too but the mandolin we mostly use a pick.
We'll sit it upright.
- This is 1917?
- Yes.
- Oh, don't drop it.
- Yeah yours is one newer than mine.
Yours is a 1917 and this is a 1916.
- Okay, and I'm just holding it like this right on my little lap?
- Oh yeah, perfect.
One of the first songs we always work on with a student is "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."
"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" has two names.
- Do you know the other name for "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?"
- No, I just wanna play the mandolin, what is it?
- Well "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and also the ABC's.
- Oh that's it.
- So you're gonna get two for the price of one.
- Okay let's do it.
- That was my point, two for the price of one.
- Professor.
- Okay so we're gonna start right off here with the D string.
Which is this string right here.
- You gotta tell me which one on this one.
- So we have D string right there.
- Okay just pluck it?
- Yeah.
- Nice, nice.
- So we have the D string twice-- - Excellent job.
- So we'll do two D's.
(guitar plucking) Yup, and then the next is gonna be the next string which is-- - Am I doing anything up here?
- Oh we will, we will.
One step at a time.
- Okay sorry.
- I always tell that to my students, one step at a time.
- I wanna play the song now.
(Luke laughing) Okay go ahead.
- We have the A string, which is the next string.
- This one?
- Other way, yep, an A string twice.
(guitar plucking) So let's do that again.
So D... (guitar plucking) - Oh I'm almost there.
- It already sounds like the song.
- Yeah it does.
- And then we're gonna use our first finger right here on the second fret.
- Fret?
- So you got the first fret.
- The silver one?
- Yep, and then you're gonna slide it to the second fret.
- Oh that's a fret.
Okay, alright.
- And then we're gonna play two notes right there.
- On which one?
(guitar plucking) - Right on that same string, yes.
Right, very good.
And then lift your finger back up.
Open.
- Same thing?
- Yes.
- We might have to review that one.
- We'll take that from the top.
- From the beginning, okay ready?
♪ Why do I have to choose ♪ See everybody lose ♪ Walk around and sing the blues ♪ - I wanna bring you into the conversation mom, tell us a little bit about your instrument and what's it like playing with your son and your cousin?
- It's a hoot, It's a joy I tell you.
I did not know how to play, Luke bought a bass, brought it home and said "Hey, you wanna be in the band?"
And it was like well, sure.
So he taught me how to play the bass.
It's a Kay, it's a 1940 and we have in my living room also a Kay 1950.
So the living room is kind of full of instruments and it's a joy to learn from Luke.
He's a good teacher and I tried to teach him how to play piano, that didn't work so well.
(Mom laughing) - I was also four.
- He was also four.
I just keep learning and learning, he keeps teaching and it's so much fun and it's a relaxation and it's a stress reliever.
It's just fun to be performing, it's fun to meet the people that you're playing with and for, and other musicians.
- How is this?
- It works out good, we live close together.
I grew up playing in the sandbox with Beverly as a kid, so we've known each other for many, many years so it works out good.
- Yeah and my uncle and Bernies dad played music together for years so it just was the trickle down effect where you heard it, you grow up with it, and you kinda learn it and now you do it.
- And you all come together for Sunday dinner.
- There you go.
(unanimous laughing) (guitar plucking) - Oh, I'm done!
- "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."
- I'm hired!
- Yes absolutely.
Now I gotta pay you!
- Okay.
(Luke laughing) - It's not that hard is it?
- No, playing music can be very fun, there's always a lot of work that goes into it, but as you see the end result it can be very fun.
How was that?
- I'm gonna play it again.
- That's it.
- That was pretty good.
- Very good.
That's better than a lot of my students on the first lesson.
- Well they're probably four.
(unanimous laughing) (bluegrass music) - [Narrator] Support for Kalamazoo Lively Arts is provided by the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation.
Helping to build and enrich the cultural life of greater Kalamazoo.
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