I’ve been playing some of those dark “modal” tunes lately. Here’s one, called The Clinch Mountain Backstep. I believe this one comes to us from the late great Ralph Stanley, who played it with bluegrass picks rather than clawhammer (although he was a mighty clawhammer… Read More
My brother and I were exchanging emails about tunes in modal or “sawmill” tuning. I like a lot of the modal tunes but I don’t play them that often on clawhammer. One I particularly like is Bonaparte’s March. Here are the Indian Creek Delta Boys.… Read More
Sometimes I like playing those strange old “mountain modal” Old Time tunes on the banjo. They typically have a simple structure and a hypnotic quality that seems like it comes from someplace very distant in place and time. Here’s me playing one called Boatin’ up… Read More
27th Street 