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
I haven’t posted here in a couple days, but not to worry I haven’t abandoned ship – just recharging my ever so small brain. Meanwhile enjoy some great old time picking. Here are Cathy Barton and Dave Para, two of my fave players, performing Gray… Read More
I learned the tune Walking in the Parlor last week at the banjo workshop I attended, led by Bruce Molskey. I like this deceptively simple, hypnotic tune a lot and I’ve been playing it quite a bit since the workshop, trying to get it right.… Read More
I posted pictures of the new salad bowl banjo the other day. Here’s a demo so you can hear how it sounds.
Here’s Jerron Paxton again… I think of the Jerron Paxton version as being about the song, but Dwight Diller’s version is more about the groove. And one more, this time in a band setting, with a jug band feel. Here is The East River Stringband… Read More
