When the Elmwood Famous Old Time Music Company closed in 2006, however, there was no longer a venue to host the dinner so Vernon and Kitty had to stop promoting the event.  In 2015, when they happened on the large, private party room available at the China Garden Buffet, they knew they had found a new home for the Chinese Breakdown dinner and reestablished the annual event.

Attendees at the Chinese Breakdown dinner will enjoy the wide selection of menu items offered by the China Garden Buffet.  In addition to the usual favorites of Lo Mein, General Tso’s Chicken, and Stir Fried Rice, the China Garden All You Can Eat Buffet features crab legs, Hibachi Grill, Sushi bar, and a desserts bar.  Refillable soft drink is included in the admission price.  Beer and wine are not included in the price but are available for purchase. 

Diners will be entertained during and after dinner by Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass with several guest spots by Jenny Lee.  The Appalachian Grass is a well-known and well-respected bluegrass band with deep roots in the Cincinnati area.  Their eclectic repertoire is delivered in a traditional, hard-driving bluegrass style featuring smooth harmonies, exciting banjo picking, and soulful fiddling.  Guest artist Jenny Lee is a charismatic bluegrass singer with an energetic stage presence.

Make plans to join us for the 2018 Chinese Breakdown dinner on April 14 at the China Garden Buffet, 1108 W. Kemper Rd., Cincinnati, OH  45240.  Doors open at 6pm and showtime is 7pm.  Tickets are $25 per person and are available by calling or emailing Kitty at either 513-607-1874 or fotmc@iglou.com.  Tickets go fast so don’t delay! 

• 8 notes in the scale (octave… octopus… octagon)
• First and last note always the same name
• The sequence of intervals from the first note is always
  1. Whole step
  2. Whole step
  3. Half step
  4. Whole step
  5. Whole step
  6. Whole step
  7. Half step

Build a C scale
First pick your starting note (also called a ‘root note’).  For our first example, let’s pick ‘C’ as our starting note.

The second note of the scale has to be a whole step higher than the first note (C).  So, the question becomes, ‘what note is a whole step up from C?’  In previous lessons, we learned that ‘D’ is a whole step up from ‘C’.

The third note of the scale has to be a whole step higher than the second note (D).  What note is a whole step up from D?  Referring again to the previous lessons, ‘E’ is a whole step up from ‘D’

The fourth note of the scale is a bit different.  The fourth note must be only a half step higher than the third note (E).  What note is a half step up from E?  Previous lessons show that ‘F’ is a half step up from ‘E’.

The fifth note of the scale has to be a whole step higher than the fourth (F).  What note is a whole step up from F?  If you said ‘G’, you got it!

The sixth note of the scale has to be a whole step higher than the fifth (G).  What note is a whole step up from G? If you said ‘A’, you got it!

The seventh note of the scale has to be a whole step higher than the sixth (A).  What note is a whole step up from A? If you said ‘B’, you got it!

The eighth note of the scale is also a bit different.  The eighth note must be only a half step higher than the seventh note (B).  What note is a half step up from B?  If you said ‘C’, you got it!  We now have a complete scale of 8 notes;  this is referred to as an octave.  Notice the eighth note is the same as the first.  The first and the last notes of a scale will always be the same letter.  If not, you messed up!

Take a look at this completed C scale and you’ll see that it meets the guidelines laid out in the first paragraph:

• 8 notes in the scale
• First and last note are indeed the same name
• The sequence of intervals from the first note is
  1. Whole step
  2. Whole step
  3. Half step
  4. Whole step
  5. Whole step
  6. Whole step
  7. Half step

Make a chant out of this sequence:  starting note, 2 wholes and a half, 3 wholes and a half.  It helps me remember what sequence of whole steps and half steps I need to use.

Build a G scale
Now let’s build another scale.  This time, let’s pick G as our starting point.

The second note of the scale has to be a whole step higher than the first note (G).  So, the question becomes, ‘what note is a whole step up from G?’  In previous lessons, we learned that ‘A’ is a whole step up from ‘G’.

The third note of the scale has to be a whole step higher than the second note (A).  What note is a whole step up from A?  Referring again to the previous lessons, ‘B’ is a whole step up from ‘A’

Again, the fourth note of the scale is a bit different.  The fourth note must be only a half step higher than the third note (B).  What note is a half step up from B?  Previous lessons show that ‘C’ is a half step up from ‘B’.

The fifth note of the scale has to be a whole step higher than the fourth (C).  What note is a whole step up from C?  If you said ‘D’, you got it!

The sixth note of the scale has to be a whole step higher than the fifth (D).  What note is a whole step up from D? If you said ‘E’, you got it!

The seventh note of the scale has to be a whole step higher than the sixth (E).  What note is a whole step up from E? If you said ‘F#’, you got it!

The eighth note of the scale is also a bit different.  The eighth note must be only a half step higher than the seventh note (F#).  What note is a half step up from F#?  If you said ‘G’, you got it! 

Build your own scales exercise

This time, you get to build your own scales.  Build all four of these scales: D, A, E, and B.  Don’t peek until you finish then scroll down and check yourself against my Answer Chart at the very bottom of the page.  If you had trouble with any of them, go back and evaluate your choices using the chant I mentioned above:  starting note, 2 wholes and a half, 3 wholes and a half.

Did you notice that all the scales I have discussed so far use only sharps?  Stay tuned for my next Seat-of-the-Pants Music Theory lesson and I will discuss scales that use flats.

Answer Chart for Build Your Own Scales exercise

This time I have dragged Susan Shook, our resident mandolin player, in with me. Susan and I are actually a very small part of the multitude of activities going on all over Mt. Healthy that day. We will be playing at Brothertons Family Restaurant from 12:30 til 1:30 but just take a look at all the stuff going on!

Paul R. Young Funeral Home 5 – 8pm
68th Annual Nativity Open House
7345 Hamilton Avenue
• Nativity with live animals and lifesize wax figures
An interesting fact that I didn’t know… the wax figures were made by Paul Young Sr., who learned this craft at Madame Tussaud’s Waxworks in London in the 1940s, after he completed military service in WWII
• Horse drawn carriage rides
• Yuletide Brass Quartet
• Historic house tours

Hilltop Glass Creations Holiday Open House 11 – 4pm
1588 Compton Rd.
• Make your own glass ornament (nominal charge for material)
• Shop for glass working supplies
• Check out class offerings
• Music and Refreshments

Covered Bridge Antique Mall 10 – 6pm
7508 Hamilton Avenue
• shop for that special gift

Village Artisans Café 10 – 6pm
7420 Hamilton Avenue.
• Holiday popup featuring locally handcrafted goods.

Three Dogs Kouzina Greek Restaurant open 11 – 8pm
7417 Hamilton Ave.
• Greek holiday special dish and dessert while supplies last

Brotherton’s Family Restaurant open 7am – 9pm
7517 Hamilton Ave.
• Bluegrass Christmas music 12:30 – 1:30pm
with Kitty McIntyre and Susan Shook
• Enjoy a home cooked meal during your visit

Aquatics & Exotics
7513 Hamilton Ave.
• 2 p.m. Shark feeding in the in-house 17,000 gallon shark tank
• Serving hot chocolate to the humans
• Shop here for any and all aquarium needs

Studio 914 Hair Salon
1612 Compton Rd.
• face painting 3 – 6pm
• specializing in all hair types, colors, and textures

3rd Annual Mt. Healthy Renaissance Ornament Swap 4 – 6pm
7601 Hamilton Avenue
• Trade your old holiday trimmings for ‘new-to-you’ ornaments

Fibonacci Brewery Holly Jolly Hour from 8-9pm open noon til midnight
1445 Compton Rd.
• Enjoy a craft beer at a family friendly nano-brewery
• Starting April 4, 2018, Appalachian Grass will be playing at Fibonacci Brewery from 7 – 9pm on the first Wednesday of each month

Hope to see you there!

One of my personal favorite things about the Festival is the Circus Mojo.  These guys (and gals) put on a top notch mini-circus complete with clowns, juggling, and even a trapeze artist.  However, the BEST thing to me is that, at the end of the show, the kids in the audience get to try out some of the acts!  It is a hoot to watch!

DevouGrass Festival is a fundraiser for the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky.  Come enjoy the day with us and support a good cause at the same time!

Vernon McIntyre played banjo with the Appalachian Grass.  He was excellent.  As ignorant as I was about bluegrass, Vernon’s fierce concentration and almost frantic attack on his banjo captivated me.  I was too shy at the time to speak to him or any other band members; in my eyes, they were ‘bigger-than-life stars’.

I moved away from Cincinnati and lost track of Vernon McIntyre and of the Appalachian Grass for several years. During this time, Vernon started playing guitar instead of banjo and became lead singer in the band. He kept picking and singing for nightclubs, festivals, colleges, fairs, and private parties all across the U.S. and Canada. He built a good reputation as a banjoist, guitarist, singer, and all-round entertainer. I still hadn’t met the man and I still couldn’t play the Martha White Theme.

In 1981, I settled back in Cincinnati and Andy finally introduced me to Vernon and the rest of the band. Vernon asked Andy for my phone number, but Andy said, ‘Lord, no, you’re not going out with my sister!’ Andy was then called out of town on business, so I grabbed the opportunity and I gave Vernon the number.

We spent a lot of time together that summer, and finally, I started learning some bluegrass fiddle. Vernon can’t play a fiddle; anyone who has heard him will testify to that. But, he can hear how it should be played. He spent hours singing melodies for me, showing me notes on the guitar and helping me find them on the fiddle. He encouraged me and told me I could get really good someday. I thought he was nuts. But, I had already made up my mind I wanted to be with him and wanted to be part of the band and the travelling. So I kept plugging away learning the play the fiddle.

My first show with the Appalachian Grass was in 1983. I was terrified. My knees were knocking and my fingers started shaking; I could barely play what little stuff I did know. All the guys in the band were very patient and supportive and for that I thank them all.

Vernon’s lifelong love and my new-found love of bluegrass have totally changed the course of my life. Through bluegrass music, I found Vernon who is now my husband; I have been encouraged to try things and think about things I never tried or thought about before; I have met people who have welcomed me into their homes and fed me like one of their own even though I had never met them before. After a childhood in the suburbs, I finally discovered the joy of biscuits and gravy, fried ‘taters, and Martha White cornbread.