Yes, John...but it seems silly to start a new thread just to upload a file. This is the only (real picky) thing I dislike about these 'ning' sites. No big deal though.
Hi John, Thanks for the welcome. I'm on the North side and mostly play clawhammer. I do love the sound of the low tuned banjo, however, and have tried to learn a couple of the old Minstrel tunes.
Hi John,
I actually got a modern banjo before I built my minstrel banjo.I didn't know much at the time(about 3 years ago)about minstrel banjo or the stroke style of playing.I assumed that the"bluegrass"or"Earl Scruggs"style was the way its always been played so I started to learn all the rolls thats taught with the Earll Scruggs way of playing.Now I really enjoy playing the stroke style and really have no intrest in learning the Earl Scruggs way at this point.I just love this music! I tell some people that my banjo will only play 19th centry music!!
Thanks for your response and for your attention to the "issue". I really hope you don't have to deal with too much of that sort of thing. It would be a shame to see you have to do that much more work because of that foolishness.
Thanks for having me :) I just played Grapevine Twist on the fiddle tonight, after seeing the music and hearing it on Banjo on your site. What a fun song! Thanks for posting.
Hi John, Thank you for hosting such a great site. I have a question. do you know the length between nut and bridge on the Boucher doubleogee banjo. And is there anyone selling plans or has accurate information to help me build one.? JT Watts
John
Thanks for the welcome. I hope to learn alot from this site about early banjo music. I completed a fretless banjo and have begun to work on some basic tunes
Thanks
David Vickers
Thanks, John! This is all pretty new to me -- I'm just beginning to find my way around a few tunes on a basic Prust tackhead and figured this would be the place to absorb some good stuff.
Thanks. I am glad to see our little hobby is growing. I've been playing minstrel banjo since 1998 and have a circa 1855 banjo and I just picked up a circa 1875 home made fretless neck which I am going to rebuild into a playable instrument.
Thanks. I've only been playing clawhammer for a little under two years and thought I'd try the minstrel style as well. This should be a challenge learning how to tune and play it. (And how NOT to tune it.) Look forward to learning from this forum.
Hi All
when I started playing banjo almost 40 years ago I didn't even know there were styles so I started with clawhammer via seeger and Rosenbaum and have never quite given it up. In a circle of bluegrass banjo players going thru Cripple Creek, frailing it when it was my turn always got smiles and nods. Several months ago I began to get serious about it again and have gotten about half way thru Ken Perlman's "Clawhammer Banjo' book. I also play a few dozen fiddle tunes melodic style and it's interesting to to compare the two. I also like going outside the box, I play some 3 finger rags, classical, and a couple of klezmer tunes. Jack of all trades master of none. When looking to see if there was a cd to go along with the old instructor reprints I found this site via the Banjo Hangout.
I've been lurking around the Minstrel Banjo site for a couple of months now and finally couldn't resist signing on. First of all, I've played oldtime banjo (as well as guitar and mandolin) since the 60s, and am thrilled to see that folks are finally focusing on the earliest history of the banjo. Second, I've been doing research on the 19th century popular theatre for a number of years, focusing especially on groups of Japanese popular entertainers (acrobats, musicians, magicians, etc.) who traveled around the US and Europe beginning in 1866-67. The first group was represented by S.F. theatre impresario Tom Maguire and one "Professor Risley," both of whom had direct ties to the minstrel stage. As my research has broadened, I've found it impossible not to look more closely at the history of minstrelsy--a happy turn of events given my love for the banjo, especially in its earliest incarnations. I have a fairly large collection of early broadsides, photos, sheet music, and the like, some of which I may scan and post before long. Anyway, I'm happy to be part of this group. Hope I can contribute something. Bob
Hi John thanks for the clarification on the Classifieds. i do make a living making just gourdies and love to share what I have. I usually sell on e Bay and always have several there. As you suggest, I will limit what I have and jsut share.
Hi John, Thanks for the kind comments. I'm really delighted at the way the Minstrel Banjo website, which I try to follow ever day, is progressing. For many years I just assumed that the minstrel banjo era would remain inaccessible to researchers. It's amazing, therefore, to see the proliferation of new information (and early banjos!!!) that seems to be coming out of the woodwork on a nearly daily basis. (It's also very gratifying to see makers like yourself recreating the old instruments.) I mainly collect early materials on Japanese entertainers in America and Europe in the 1860s and 1870s. But I also have a pretty good collection now of minstrel broadsides, penny ballads, illustrated song sheets (by the Ethiopian Serenaders, the Virginia Minstrels, the Christy's, et.al.), and 19th century newspaper engravings of banjo players. I'll try to post some of this stuff on the Minstrel Banjo website when I can find the time. Meanwhile, though, I'm just enjoying everyone else's comments. All Best, Bob
I look forward to meeting you, too. I am new to early banjo. But I am intrigued. I am playing a fretless tackhead open back and loving it. I'm still not entirely sure how to register. But I will be there. See you.
I'm far away from all my books this week but I believe "Trapeze" is from the mid-1860s. I think it may be in either the Rice book or the Buckley book (the one with G Swain on the cover).
I wrote to Tim Twiss about this and he, in turn, suggested I write to you.
It might be what prompted him to inquire as to the technological capabilities of this website.
I explained to him that I had began to tire at searching through the four early banjo tutorials for song/tune titles, especially those whose listings are not in alphabetical order. I decided to enter the titles into an Excell spreadsheet to simplify future searches. I also cross-referenced some tunes such as those beginning with "The" or "De", for example, so that they would be found as they were listed as well as by the common method of alphabetizing by the next word.
As I explained to Tim, I would be surprised if someone on the list has not already done this and perhaps has offered it to list members. If not, however, I would be willing to do so.........but do not know the best way to offer it.
I think it would be best to offer it as an Excell file (not one that is "read only") since they might want to format it differently or add other sources to it.
Any suggestions? I could send it to you if I had your regular email address.
Thank you for the welcome. I am not an ordained minister, however, I am a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ ... so a dual purpose ... ministry & reenacting ... well, also music."
One additional thing is that I don't play CW period Accordeon (not Banjo) however, there is an interest because of the pairing of the both, and documentation, etc.
Thanks for the welcome. And the time you spent talking to me at the Reclaiming Our Heritage Weekend. Meeting you was the highlight for me. I'm real excited to search this site and make my move into minstrel banjo. Hope to see you again real soon.
Hi, John. I wondered if you might want to add my master's thesis to your list of scholarly resources on blackface minstrelsy:
Nelson, Dorothea J. No Country For End Men: A Re-Evaluation of Small Ensemble Blackface Minstrelsy, 1843 to 1883. Master's thesis, University of North Dakota, 2011.
Thanks, John. I sent an email to you on your youtube site. You can ignore it. LOL. Thanks so much!! I look forward to being a part of this community. I hope you're able to stop those spammers!
John, it seems our paths might cross at Gettysburg (Blue Gray Alliance) event this year (2013). On FB I have sent your wife a few messages. She said that you are also interested in Accordeons, and have a Concertina that you play. If you are interested you can also check out our web page www.VictorianAccordeon.com We most likely know several persons in common. Andy
thanks for the warm welcomes. I have been playing clawhammer banjo for about two years. I just bought a minstrel banjo kit in the mail. I will have to sand and stain it and put it together. Here is the question for you minstrel banjo players. Do you play the minstrel banjo the same as the clawhammer banjo?
Hi John, Ezra told me about this site. Looking forward to reading up. Hope to get a chance to meet you at Minooka. Were going to be playing in our camp Saturday night, come on by. Ben was raving about your actual bone bones....can you recommend a source for those? Take care.
JeremyS
Mar 30, 2009
Trapdoor2
Apr 13, 2009
Will Higgins
Apr 19, 2009
J. Adam Latham
Thanks for the welcome ...
Apr 21, 2009
Tom Ward
I actually got a modern banjo before I built my minstrel banjo.I didn't know much at the time(about 3 years ago)about minstrel banjo or the stroke style of playing.I assumed that the"bluegrass"or"Earl Scruggs"style was the way its always been played so I started to learn all the rolls thats taught with the Earll Scruggs way of playing.Now I really enjoy playing the stroke style and really have no intrest in learning the Earl Scruggs way at this point.I just love this music! I tell some people that my banjo will only play 19th centry music!!
May 13, 2009
Philip Lingard
I'm looking forward to expanding my Minstrel banjo knowledge, and, hopefully, introducing a few more people to it over in the UK.
May 14, 2009
Jim Dalton
I have been scarce around here for several months due to an extremely busy semester and performance schedule.
I hate to come back with a complaint -- actually, it isn't a complaint because I know it isn't your fault -- just a "heads-up "for you.
I got a spam message here today :(quoted)
---Emiline Chen said…
Wanna chat with me on cam?, come see me here You'll enjoy it. I promise!!!! realamateurwebcams.----
Just thought you should know about it.
I really appreciate what you are doing here and hope to find more time to participate.
Thanks,
Jim Dalton
May 20, 2009
Jim Dalton
Thanks for your response and for your attention to the "issue". I really hope you don't have to deal with too much of that sort of thing. It would be a shame to see you have to do that much more work because of that foolishness.
Have a great holiday weekend.
Jim
May 22, 2009
Roger Abrahamson
Jun 2, 2009
Chuck Krepley
Jun 9, 2009
Eric Kistler
Jun 12, 2009
huston west
Jun 15, 2009
Steve Ingram
Steve
Jun 20, 2009
fiddling raff
RAFF
Jun 27, 2009
Adam Cripps
Thanks for the welcome!
Cheers,
Adam
Jul 20, 2009
Lisa Muecke
Very Kindly,
Lisa M.
Aug 19, 2009
fiddling raff
Aug 27, 2009
Paul Neher
Aug 31, 2009
Bruno G. Tavares
Sep 5, 2009
James Watts
Sep 6, 2009
David Vickers
Thanks for the welcome. I hope to learn alot from this site about early banjo music. I completed a fretless banjo and have begun to work on some basic tunes
Thanks
David Vickers
Sep 7, 2009
Lee Callicutt
Oct 7, 2009
Chris Propes
Oct 23, 2009
Fred Marshe
Nov 4, 2009
Vince Abadie
Vince
Feb 8, 2010
Rick Taglieri
when I started playing banjo almost 40 years ago I didn't even know there were styles so I started with clawhammer via seeger and Rosenbaum and have never quite given it up. In a circle of bluegrass banjo players going thru Cripple Creek, frailing it when it was my turn always got smiles and nods. Several months ago I began to get serious about it again and have gotten about half way thru Ken Perlman's "Clawhammer Banjo' book. I also play a few dozen fiddle tunes melodic style and it's interesting to to compare the two. I also like going outside the box, I play some 3 finger rags, classical, and a couple of klezmer tunes. Jack of all trades master of none. When looking to see if there was a cd to go along with the old instructor reprints I found this site via the Banjo Hangout.
Feb 10, 2010
Ronald Ray Walker
Feb 13, 2010
Bo
Thank you for the welcome. I really look forward to hearing ideas and knowledge from the group.
Bo
Feb 16, 2010
Jeff Trace
Jeff
Mar 24, 2010
Bob Sayers
I've been lurking around the Minstrel Banjo site for a couple of months now and finally couldn't resist signing on. First of all, I've played oldtime banjo (as well as guitar and mandolin) since the 60s, and am thrilled to see that folks are finally focusing on the earliest history of the banjo. Second, I've been doing research on the 19th century popular theatre for a number of years, focusing especially on groups of Japanese popular entertainers (acrobats, musicians, magicians, etc.) who traveled around the US and Europe beginning in 1866-67. The first group was represented by S.F. theatre impresario Tom Maguire and one "Professor Risley," both of whom had direct ties to the minstrel stage. As my research has broadened, I've found it impossible not to look more closely at the history of minstrelsy--a happy turn of events given my love for the banjo, especially in its earliest incarnations. I have a fairly large collection of early broadsides, photos, sheet music, and the like, some of which I may scan and post before long. Anyway, I'm happy to be part of this group. Hope I can contribute something. Bob
Mar 28, 2010
Shlomo Pestcoe
All the best,
Shlomo
Apr 16, 2010
Barry Sholder
Jan 11, 2011
Bob Sayers
Jan 11, 2011
Bob Flesher
Thanks John,
Give me a little while to find my way around. I'm just now taking a break from building banjos so I need to go back to work. What is a "gift"?
Bob
Apr 7, 2011
Dena Lee
Apr 24, 2011
Ian Bell
Hi John,
I'm far away from all my books this week but I believe "Trapeze" is from the mid-1860s. I think it may be in either the Rice book or the Buckley book (the one with G Swain on the cover).
Jul 13, 2011
Tim Twiss
Jul 13, 2011
Al Smitley
John:
I wrote to Tim Twiss about this and he, in turn, suggested I write to you.
It might be what prompted him to inquire as to the technological capabilities of this website.
I explained to him that I had began to tire at searching through the four early banjo tutorials for song/tune titles, especially those whose listings are not in alphabetical order. I decided to enter the titles into an Excell spreadsheet to simplify future searches. I also cross-referenced some tunes such as those beginning with "The" or "De", for example, so that they would be found as they were listed as well as by the common method of alphabetizing by the next word.
As I explained to Tim, I would be surprised if someone on the list has not already done this and perhaps has offered it to list members. If not, however, I would be willing to do so.........but do not know the best way to offer it.
I think it would be best to offer it as an Excell file (not one that is "read only") since they might want to format it differently or add other sources to it.
Any suggestions? I could send it to you if I had your regular email address.
Mine is <alsmitley@gmail.com>
Al Smitley
Nov 26, 2011
Andy Gelfert
May 21, 2012
Don Starr
Hi John:
Thanks for the welcome. And the time you spent talking to me at the Reclaiming Our Heritage Weekend. Meeting you was the highlight for me. I'm real excited to search this site and make my move into minstrel banjo. Hope to see you again real soon.
Don Starr
Jun 4, 2012
Strumelia
I can't figure out where one would find the 'classifieds' forum here. Where is the link to the classifieds?
Jul 2, 2012
Dorothea Nelson
Hi, John. I wondered if you might want to add my master's thesis to your list of scholarly resources on blackface minstrelsy:
Nelson, Dorothea J. No Country For End Men: A Re-Evaluation of Small Ensemble Blackface Minstrelsy, 1843 to 1883. Master's thesis, University of North Dakota, 2011.
Sep 4, 2012
Tim Twiss
Hurrah for the turkey banjo!
Nov 20, 2012
Christine Ouang
Thanks, John. I sent an email to you on your youtube site. You can ignore it. LOL. Thanks so much!! I look forward to being a part of this community. I hope you're able to stop those spammers!
Mar 5, 2013
Andy Gelfert
John, it seems our paths might cross at Gettysburg (Blue Gray Alliance) event this year (2013). On FB I have sent your wife a few messages. She said that you are also interested in Accordeons, and have a Concertina that you play. If you are interested you can also check out our web page www.VictorianAccordeon.com We most likely know several persons in common. Andy
Mar 27, 2013
wen core
thanks for the warm welcomes. I have been playing clawhammer banjo for about two years. I just bought a minstrel banjo kit in the mail. I will have to sand and stain it and put it together. Here is the question for you minstrel banjo players. Do you play the minstrel banjo the same as the clawhammer banjo?
Sep 9, 2013
Cyndy Richardson
Thanks for the welcome!
Apr 14, 2014
Marek Bennett
John ~ Thanks to you, I can't get the "Arkansas Turkey Traveler in the Straw" out of my head. Thanks a lot. Good to meet you... ~ M
Jun 24, 2014
Marek Bennett
Hmmm... Wonder if we ought to work up a concert version of "Oh Lud Buffalo Gals"...?
Jun 25, 2014
Scott Sheets
Hi John, Ezra told me about this site. Looking forward to reading up. Hope to get a chance to meet you at Minooka. Were going to be playing in our camp Saturday night, come on by. Ben was raving about your actual bone bones....can you recommend a source for those? Take care.
Scott
Oct 7, 2014