Ian Bell's Blog – April 2011 Archive (4)

Yesterday I spent a little time in the "banjo room" at the Twelfth Fret music store in Toronto. I played a few nice banjos including a Menzies tackhead, but mostly steel string.

Listen, If you ever get a chance to play banjo in a small room with a couple of dozen other, mostly pretty high-end banjos hanging, perfectly-tuned on the wall around you....do it!  It was like a playing a giant surround sound instrument with epic sustain. The music of the spheres.  "Peanut Gal" took on…

Continue

As Solomon said in his excellent song, "The voice of the turtle is heard again in the land". It's been a long winter up here, but the last bit of piled snow melted on the weekend, the temperature and humidity shot up, and the bridges of my tackheads are sinking into their skins like fat men on trampolines. I don't mind saying I'm feeling a little conflicted about all this.

A seven string - anyone got two extra fingers they don't know what to do with?

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Rare-1850-J-Willis-Minstrel-Banjo-7-String-Banjo-/160567369321?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25628f9e69#ht_500wt_1156

 

Today Ms. Judy was talking with her Grade 3s at Fairview School about different percussion instruments and thought she'd show them the Youtube video of the gang at last year's AEBG with Elaine playing the jawbone. The kids were highly entertained at the sight (and sound) of all those banjos - not to mention the jawbone!  This was so successful they moved on to the "related video" that popped up of  Carl and Joel playing "Funeral March Of An Old Jawbone" at Frank Converse's graveside in Elmira,… Continue