January 2014 Blog Posts (8)

Special on this Early Banjo book CD pack. It contains the essential material in tab from the 19th Century instructional books on how to play Stroke Style banjo. Enhance your current skills...or try something brand new. It covers the moves, and does not…

What a great night. It is like..."The Saturday Evening Post"...ha ha

Almost like getting a live concert from around the country.

I love all the new music.....different twists everyone has.

And out of nowhere comes NOAH CLINE with a strong triple.

Go man! Sounds fabulous.

The more I study and play this material, the more I realize....that repertoire expands so far beyond the first books. While they give us insight as to what the source material was, and how things were arranged....we should never be limited to those books. If that genre had lasted longer...there could have been dozens upon dozens of books. It is open to any vocal piece or linear music you can fit onto the instrument.

This resource continues to blow me away, with it's adaptability to the banjo. It's not just playing the notes from these pages, but creating some nice things within. You can make some cool things by thinking out the pulls and open string phrases. It becomes unique then. I'll post an example of a new find. I just sit down for pleasure every day and find another. With about 400 in each book, and 4 volumes.....I will not run dry for a LONG time. Not all keepers, but some are.

What would YOU do??

If you get a piece of fiddle music in F? Which note do you reference as the thumb string?

I revisited this one from the Rice book of 1858. It is so deceptive...try it and see where the beat falls. It seems to turn back around on you, depending upon where you place the beat. One of the coolest and overlooked songs.

I was intrigued by the cover displayed of the above tune. Does anyone have a copy of the score?..many thanks, Steve, Malvern, England.