Medleys

[david caron]

Hey all,

I don't play the minstrel banjo as often as I do other styles, but I've been in a "minstrel" kind of mood lately. I find that a lot of the songs on their own can get kind of repetitive, so I began trying to mix things up a little bit by trying to play minstrel medleys. 

What are some of your favorite combinations? 

[Jon Whitney]

I've heard several recordings where a song was followed by a tune such as a dance tune or walk-around.  One of my favorites is Bob Flesher's "Jordan is a Hard Road to Travel/Grape Vine Twist."  He plays the first as an instrumental, but there's no reason it couldn't be sung also.  Another one is The Camptown Shakers' recording of "Keemo Kimo/Briggs Corn-shucking Jig."  This is very effective as both tunes feature similar triplets and so blend well.