Francesca Alinovi and Emiliano Barbieri with The Brush Pad
A couple of Italians are bringing new life to an American musical tradition. Francesca Alinovi, bassist with Italy’s Lovesick Duo, and Emiliano Barbieri, a Bologna-based guitar luthier, are currently producing and marketing The Brush Pad to bass players via their online store.
For those of you wondering what any of this has to do with bluegrass, here’s a brief history lesson:
In the early days of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, electric instruments and drums were not viewed favorably. George D. Hay, the Opry’s founder and music director, thought they were too modern to align with the show’s string-band roots music. As time went on, styles changed and new sounds slowly found their way to the Opry stage.
On a recent WSM show, musician Chris Scruggs described the situation by saying at one time Opry drummers were even “hidden behind a curtain so they could be heard but not seen.” One exception to the rule was Ernie Newton, and even he wasn’t playing the drums.
Between the late 1940s and mid-1950s, Newton was a staple of Grand Ole Opry shows and one of Nashville’s most sought after bass players. A brief biography of him from the Country Music Hall of Fame describes him as “the first Nashville bass player to use a drumhead mounted on the bass and played with a brush.”
Whether you realize it or not, you’ve likely heard his playing. Here’s a few select songs Newton is known to have recorded:
- Bill Monroe – Blue Moon of Kentucky (1954)
- Stanley Brothers & the Clinch Mountain Boys – Man of Constant Sorrow
- Flatt and Scruggs & the Foggy Mountain Boys – Some Old Day, Blue Ridge Cabin Home, and Randy Lynn Rag
- Hank Williams with his Drifting Cowboys – I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry and Lost Highway
- Kitty Wells – Making Believe
- Hank Snow and his Rainbow Ranch Boys – I’m Moving On
- Johnnie and Jack & their Tennessee Mountain Boys – Poison Love
I highly suggest going back and listening to Hank Snow’s I’m Moving On. Newton’s brush pad playing really shines on the track.
Now, back to the product itself.
A few years ago while visiting the US, Alinovi first saw a brush pad being played by Nashville bass player Jared Manzo. Alinovi’s interest in incorporating a brush pad into her own playing led to the product she and Barbieri are currently marketing. The current design features a lightweight, laminated wooden frame with a drum head glued to its surface. Three screw-in feet allow the user to adjust the height and angle of the brush pad for optimum playing. Hook-and-loop adhesive patches on the bottom of the feet are used to firmly attach it to the top of the bass.
When I first received the brush pad for review, I was quite uneasy about affixing it to the top of my vintage Kay M-1 as it is intended to be installed. I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to develop the right technique, and that when I removed it from the bass there would be bare spots where adhesive pulled the finish off of the instrument.
I’ve included several photos that show the drum mounted to my bass. Instead of using the product as directed, I thought of my own inexpensive solution. First, I cut out and glued pieces of smooth leather to the bottom of the adjustable feet. I found that wrapping the threaded adjusters in Teflon plumbing tape reduces noise and prevents the adjusters from moving on their own. Then, I purchased 1-inch wide double-sided adhesive mounting tape and used it to attach the drum to the side of the fingerboard. Because the fingerboard is unfinished, there should be little to worry about if/when I remove the drum from the bass.
Over the last few weeks I have practiced with the brush-pad several times and am developing more confidence in using it in my own playing. I’ve had a lot of fun learning a new technique and it’s definitely something I plan on using on stage and in the studio going forward. It’s a great product and if you’re on the fence about it, I encourage you to pull the trigger and purchase one for yourself. I’ll likely mount it to my bass in the intended way very soon!
You can see Alinovi and the brush pad in use here:
For more information about The Brush Pad, please visit Alinovi’s online store, or contact her directly by email. She’ll quote a price based on the dimensions of your bass, as each pad is made to order, by hand.
And before you ask, yes, the bass still fits in its case with the brush pad attached.
