The banjo is a remarkable instrument in so many ways. Lots of people I know, who are more into pop music, associate it with one thing only and that’s Scruggs style bluegrass playing but there is a lot more to it than that. It’s old… Read More
I made a little video performing Angeline the Baker for the Tune of the Month on a Facebook group I contribute to, called Clawhammer Rules. Angeline the Baker is an old time tune derived from a Stephen Foster song called Angelina Baker. I learned this… Read More
There’s a fiddle tune called Rachel. In some places and by some players it’s also known as The Texas Quickstep, but everyone I know who plays it just calls it Rachel. I don’t know who Rachel was though. It’s just one of life’s mysteries. I… Read More
The river is the Scioto River in Ohio, but the source for the tune is apparently Burl Hammons from West Virginia. I’ve just learned from a banjo player in Ohio that the river is spelled Scioto and pronounced Sciota, but the tune is pronounced Scioty. … Read More
Here’s Lois Short…
Here are Cathy Barton and Dave Para performing Shirley’s Reel into John Stenson’s #2. I was in the audience for this performance at the 2014 Midwest Banjo Camp. I’m looking forward to more of Cathy’s great workshops at the 2017 MBC at the beginning of… Read More
I recorded a bit of banjo practice today on my iphone. This is a tune called Big Sciota, except when it’s called Big Scioty, or Big Scioto. Whatever you want to call it, the c is silent. This tune is named after a river in… Read More
This is a tune I’ve just learned, from a video by Hilarie Burhans. It’s in C so my banjo is tuned to double C tuning: gCGCD. For those who are interested in banjos, I’m playing a Nechville Atlas banjo.
What a spectacular fall day. Here at 27th Street, the sun warmed things up enough that I could sit on the front porch and frail my banjo for an hour or so. I spent most of that time working on a piece called Lonesome John.… Read More
