I’ve been continuing to immerse myself in old time music, listening to about as many clawhammer banjo and fiddle tunes as I can. Here’s a Daily Dose of Little Liza Jane… Let’s start with The Black & Tan String Band and then move on to… Read More
I’ve had some requests to post a video here of me playing the oil can banjo. This is a bit of a problem for me. The first problem is that I’m a duffer. I’ve only been hammering away at this machine for a month. The… Read More
There seems to be various old time tunes called Cold Frosty Morning or Frosty Morning or Frosty Morn or some variation. In Toronto this morning it was so cold my thoughts were freezing as they bubbled out of my brain. It was the kind of… Read More
Continuing our exploration of old time banjo and fiddle music, let’s look at a song called Barlow Knife. A Barlow knife is a style of folding pocket knife, invented in the UK and popularized in North America in the 18th and 19th centuries. Tom Sawyer… Read More
I’ve continued to practice the oil can banjo like a mad thing and at the same time I’ve been listening to all the old time music I can. Tonight’s Daily Dose is Mississippi Sawyer. Here’s Richard Hood, playing it two-finger style on a fretless banjo…… Read More
Since I’ve started to learn to play my oil can banjo, I’ve been immersing myself in old time American folk music. Shady Grove is another old tune that has been recorded a squillion times and that has about as many verses. I’ve known this song… Read More
Old Joe Clark is a tune that just about every banjo picker plays at some time or another. It was known to have been sung by soldiers from Kentucky in WWI. There are written versions of the tune going back to 1918. The Joe Clark… Read More
Here are The Shots performing Hop High Ladies, just because….
I started playing Angeline the Baker today on the oil can banjo, based on the following tab I found on the banjo hangout… The little H’s are hammer-ons and the little P’s are pull-offs and the SL’s indicate slides. This should keep me out of… Read More
I’ve started messing about with my home-made oil can banjo, which here-to-for I will simply refer to as The Can. Although I’m convinced it will be easier when I’ve grown my nails out a bit more, I’m starting (and I mean just starting) to be… Read More
27th Street 