Lately I have been playing more my 13" rim banjo. I have noticed that I have a problem of finding a good playing posture. No problem when playing smaller pot banjo but 13" gets my right hand biceps and shoulder area very tight and gives me sometimes a bit of pain. Also I get tennis elbow kind of problems.
I warm up, stretch afterwards and try to be as relaxed as possible when playing but this problem still gives me hard time.
Anyone had similar problems? What did you do to solve the problem?
Just thought this might interest some of you. Went to an old-time jam session at a local pub. I learned a lot while I was there... Mostly that I can't play. Anyhow, after the jam started dying down a little people stood around talking a bit. A lady who had been playing the fiddle all night told me that she was going to help set up an old-time music program at WVU. I was eager to hear her play the banjo. I asked if she would play something on mine. I handed it to her and told her, without thinking, that it was in C-tuning, which to me is gCGBD. She started to frail a piece, and then looked up, baffled. I told her it was in standard C, thinking it would clear things up. Nope. She frailed a piece on it anyhow, though. She said she'd never heard of that tuning before.
Right after that a Swedish guy who had been playing the banjo as well as I'd ever heard it all night long (if you're reading this, hi Ludwig!) came up and asked to see the banjo. He played "Roustabout," handed it back and said, "Yeah, that's one weird tuning."
I had been mostly been playing flat-chord Charlie Poole style stuff all night - most of the songs were knew to me. I need to jam more.
I've found myself buried in spam getting back to people who email me at my old address. The address is still getting massive amounts of spam and it is getting harder and harder to find the actual messages. Today I got smart and tried working in reverse - looking at the oldest messages first. So some of you might find a sudden reply to an ancient (3, or 4 months old) inquiry waiting at your email box.
I know the old address is still on my website and hope to get it updated soon.
So if you are looking for Clawhammer advice please write me at
twwoodchuck@gmail.com
I don't know how one makes a live email link yet - sorry
I'm hoping to get the complete RSB text onto my blog on this site in the near future but I'm not sure what it would take to get the 40 tune tabs from the book here. I could post them in a "dead" format, but the beauty of Tabledit tabs is that your computer can play them for you and at any speed you like, so you can even play along.
If you want any of the newer chapters check my blog here:
http://www.banjohangout.org/myhangout/blog.asp?id=7417
I hope to add the chapters I've been emailing in a few days. With luck they will appear here pretty soon. Check my blog next week.
One question I can answer for several people right now.
Tonight I suddenly recalled that I read about the occasional up-stroke in clawhammer in Pete Seegers book. But that might well be a false memory. I don't actually know any other users of the technique except on the internet (and possible people who've read my posts on the subject over the last several years).
Heres one of my favorite tunes. It's been done by a lot of people. A brief history of the tune follows below, copied from mattesonart.com
Train on the Island
Train on the Island is an old-time/bluegrass banjo and fiddle tune originally found in North Carolina, Virginia and Tenessee. The first recording was a field recording made in a make-shift studio in Bristol, Tenessee by Ralph Peer for Victor records during the famous 1927 Bristol Sessions (Victor 21070) on August 1, 1927 of J.P. Nestor (J. Preston Nestor, banjo) and Norman Edmonds, fiddle.
Nester and Edmonds:
John Preston Nester (J.P. Nestor) was born Nov. 26 1876 Hillsville in Carroll County Virginia (died in 1967). Norman Edmonds was born Feb. 9, 1899 in Wythe County, Virginia (died in 1976). Both men played together many year before the recording session.
With the release of the now famed Folkways Anthology of American Folk Music featuring "Train on the Island" many scholars and collectors became aware of a valuable cross-section of great folkmusic masterpieces recorded during the 1920s and 1930s by commercial record companies. However, as happens with any art form, some pieces among this collection (six LPs’ worth) of great pieces stood out above others. Among these standouts was a tune played and sung with fiddle and banjo. This tune, “Train On The Island,” has been considered a classic in every sense of the word by collectors. The singer played great mountain-style banjo and sang with much fervour. His name was J.P. Nestor, and this is the only name to be found on the original 78, and consequently, on the LP reissue. Little has been learned about him other than that he died a few years ago, and his middle name was Preston. He apparently went by the nickname of “Pres.” After recording four numbers on August 1, 1927, in Bristol, Tennessee, for the Victor company, Nestor and the accompanying fiddle-player were offered paid transportation to New York City to make more records [another account says they were offered a chance to record again when Peer came back to Bristol]. Unfortunately, Nestor flatly refused to leave the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Hillsville, Virginia, area, and was never recorded again, Thankfully, two of the songs recorded at the 1927 session were released. These were “Train On The Island” and “Black Eyed Susie,” released on Victor 21070. There has been some speculation that the remaining two songs recored at this session, “Georgia” and “John, My Lover,” were damaged – the masters – in shipment from Bristol to Camden, New Jersey.
The tune has a great drive, and has been played by many notable musicians. I discovered it in a performance by Richie Stearns and Rosie Newton, which seems to add a more plaintive note to the original, which I really enjoyed, and have adapted that to my own version of the song, which I hope to post later today.
The Recording by JP Nestor follows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3rII2gxz6E
This can be contrasted with the Richie & Rosie Version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhHryl_5h98
Enjoy!
I started playing clawhammer banjo a week or so ago. There are many instructional videos on youtube, but it's not easy to find an organized, structured series that progresses in a clear manner. Many seem to be the first in a series of a commercial video. I pretty much got the bum-ditty down, though I'm not particulary fast with it. I'm sure speed will come when it comes, so I'm not concerned about that. I'm ready to advance a little. It takes forever to search youtube for the appropriate level. It's not a goood way to go. What would be a good instructional video. I'm thinking Murphy, or David Holt.
Thanks to all.
My daughter has become intersted in learning this tune, but we haven't been able to find any tab for it. I sometime ago downloaded a recording of it by Bob Black, but then forgot about it. From the recording, I can't distinguish the style of playing - it might be thumb lead, fingerpicked, or maybe even a tenor banjo style. But we did find it mentioned in the Banjo Newsletter November 1999 edition. I don't know from the brief listing if that would be the tab or what.
Can anyone help us?
In this, Tunetorial number 9, Dan "Clawdan" Levenson teaches Ebenezer. This one will be a challenge to most of you. It has some fancy up the neck tricks that make it more intricate than your average fiddle tune. I must admit that while not one of my personal favorites, it is a tune that is enjoyed by many and thus an “Old Time Favorite” that is often played when jam sessions get into the key of G. So, enjoy this challenging tune.
In this and all of the Tutorials, Dan plays the tune three times through up to speed then slow starting with a basic version and building to an advanced one. Then Dan plays the basic version and breaks it down phrase by phrase. Same with the advanced.
This is tune number 18 tabbed out in Dan's newest book "Old-Time Favorites for Clawhammer Banjo" (MelBay 30224). Tab and standard notation with 2 cds of banjo and fiddle audio tracks. The fiddle notation and mandolin tab can be found in my companion book “Old Time Favorites for Fiddle and Mandolin” (MelBay 30225)
You can purchase the video lesson (for unlimited streaming and download) here on the Banjo Hangout for $6. Get it here >
Dan and I would love to hear any feedback you have on these videos, so feel free to post or email us. Our goal here is provide a steady, affordable way for people to learn a new clawhammer tune weekly (or as often as they'd like).
If you're working on the tune, record yourself and post it below--we'd love to hear your progress!
I stumbled on some of Leroy's music on youtube and yep, I'm a fan. His humor, style of playing, and overall good-time feelin' is exactly what I'm after. I'm glad to see that there is a following on this site.
This will probably get everyone riled, from here to the North and South Poles.
I started playing playing clawhammer about 3-4 weeks ago. I have been playing 3 finger style since 1980. I wish I had started playing clawhammer long ago b/c I am loving it. I know my way around the fingerboard OK though I'm no professional. I dedicated a week to bum-ditty, then saw a youtube video, someone used the phrase, BOOM cha-ca-la-ca-la-ca, which seemed good. I practiced that and the bum-ditty some more. Before long, I was playing some songs, not fast, nor especially great, a little clumsy I imagine.
I use the thumb and index finger. So last night, I got the idea to see if I could strike the strings properly, with ring finger and little finger planted on the head, and use the middle finger to strike upwards. It's probably against the law or something, but it was not difficult. I practiced an hour or so last night, and again this morning. Of course it's slow going at first, but that's just a matter of developing muscle memory. Going slow, I did not find it difficult to mimick 3 finger rolls used with 3 finger style picking. It was kind of fun. Like it says in Ecclesiastes, there's nothing new under the sun.
I was wondering if anyone else had tried this approach.
I once heard, "if you copy what others have done, all you can hope to be, is the worst of the best, or the best of the worst". I experiment with just about everything I do. Sometimes success, sometimes not, but even failures have positives.
I have been watching quite a few talented players for a while and specifically love watching sololist renditions not only for the sound but watch their skills on YouTube (in the hope I can pick anything up!).
The question is who am I missing out on watching at the YouTube?? Im sure there's a few!
so far I have seen rpeek, guy Wolff, Marc nerenberg, hunter Robinson, Paul Roberts, stephan curl, john Balch, mike iverson, Michael miles, George gibson, tommy jarrel matt kinman,mark Johnson and zepp.
Any additions would be brilliant!
thanks all
I'm having a blast getting back to CH playing and am enjoying a brand new banjo but it was set up originally for bluegrass 3-finger picking and it sounds great that way but for clawhammer, it sounds "tinny". Any suggestions? Is it the strings or something else? Maybe the head? Resonator? I want more of a plunky sound.
I love the lessons by Josh Turknett on Clawhammer banjo. I am wondering how to access lessons 4 to 8 as I can only get lessons 1-3?
I notice that quite a few top-echelon players (Arnie Naiman, Frank Lee) play with a bent thumb, while most others have a slack, fully straight thumb. I was just wondering - does this affect tone in any way, or is it just personal preference? (It sure doesn't work well for me!)
I was wondering how to go about playing up the neck in clawhammer. I can go up and down the neck on a few tunes but I have absolutely no idea how it comes about so I was wondering if anyone could provide some insight. Thanks in advance.
-Josh
John Brown’s Dream has long been one of my favorite tunes.
I first became aware of it through Tommy Jarrell’s fiddling, and later through his banjo playing. The tune is widespread, with many variants, and a host of tunes that seem to be related. Tommy’s father Ben can heard playing it with De Costa Woltz’s Southern Broadcasters (1927). Franklin George says that the source for the tune "Herve (or Harv) Brown, hence Herv Brown's Dream. Tunes that have been identified in the family include “Brownstream,” “Herv Brown’s Dream,” “Jimmy Johnson Pass That Jug Around the Hill,” “Little Rabbit” “Pretty Little Girl,” “Pretty Little Miss,” Devil’s Dream,” “Stillhouse Branch” and “Table Mountain Road” (From http://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:John_Brown%27s_Dream ). I asked Kerry Blech about John Brown’s Dream and he gave the following:
Fiddlin' Powers of SW Virginia and Family recorded "Brown's Dream" for Victor in August 1924, but it was never issued and they never re-recorded it, so we don't know how "developed" it was
The Sweet Brothers from Washington Co., VA recorded it for Gennett as "I Am Gonna Marry That Pretty Little Girl" in July 1928, but it was "rejected". Fortunately a test pressing survived and it has been issued on numerous times since the 1960s on LPs and CDs.
Clark & Luches Kessinger (of St. Albans, WV) recorded it in February 1929 as "Johnny Bring the Jug Around the Hill" for Brunswick.
Guthrie Meade, in his book "Country Music Sources" notes several additional cognates:
"Give the Fiddlers a Dram" in Marion Thede's "The Fiddle Book";
"Old Hen She Cackled" as recorded by Bill Stepp in Salyersville, KY in 1937 as AFS 1572-B3
"Old Hen Cackled" recorded by Luther Strong in Hazard, KY also in 1937 as AFS 1535-B1
"Brownlow's Dream" was what Ed Haley called it. He was originally from Logan Co. WV but lived much of his life in Boyd Co. KY.
Hobart Smith called his version of the tune "Devil's Dream" on his Rounder recording (Rounder CD 0032).
Tommy Jarrell tuned the 4th string of his banjo down from it’s usual “E” to an “A”, an octave lower than the third string for the tuning banjo version was in the tuning aAAC#E.
I play it here on a 6-string fretless banjo in aAEAC#E. The banjo was built for me by Ken Bloom.
John Brown of course was a famous (or infamous) abolitionist who is best remembered for his failed raid on Harper’s Ferry 1859. Well, the raid succeeded, but failed to rouse slaves and supply them with arms in order overthrow their servitude. Brown was ultimately captured by U. S Marines commanded by Robert E. Lee, after J.E.B Stuart failed to negotiate a surrender.
John Brown had originally asked Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, both of whom he had met in his formative years as an abolitionist in Springfield, Massachusetts, to join him in his raid, but Tubman was prevented by illness, and Douglass declined, as he believed Brown's plan would fail.
Brown was found guilty of treason against the commonwealth of Virginia and was hanged on December 2. The execution was witnessed by the actor John Wilkes Booth.
On the day of his execution, Brown wrote his last prophecy, which said,
“I John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty, land: will never be purged away; but with Blood. I had as I now think: vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed; it might be done.”
(The info and pictures of John Brown come from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown%27s_raid_on_Harpers_Ferry )
This tune has been discussed in the following threads:
http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/182541
http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/171747
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.music.country.old-time/OSkQyDLepkk/tQd_HFv6XMoJ
I read somewhere (I think within these sacred halls) that whenever we clamp a capo on our banjo it causes a slight change in tuning which must be taken into account when playing in a jam. My question is this: If this is in fact the case, and I am sure is it because we have capos on the market that claim to work without changing tuning, why do we not experience the same thing when we fret any individual string. Assuming that it is true, what makes one, but not the other, acceptable? While writing this out I think I may have answered my own question.
Could it be that the slight change in tuning is acceptable once but not twice. In other words, If a capo is added it slightly "sharpens" the tuning (perhaps not noticeable to the average ear): However, when we then fret the strings we sharpen the tuning again to, perhaps , an unacceptable level.
Set me straight if I am wrong.
This has nothing to do with playin' the banjer. I have enjoyed seeing all the home-made and festival videos so much and was wondering what is some good equipment to use? I-pad? separate camera and mic....etc., etc. I think it would help my own playing and share with others of progress made, instruction help.... Just seeking some advice.
Ray in Blanchard, OK
I mostly play a big fretless tuned to open D (dADF#A), which works well for D tunes (obviously) and pretty well for G tunes. But what to do about A tunes?
Instead of tuning up to open E (eBEG#B) I thought, why not tune down to c#AC#EA? That way I only have to change 3 strings instead of 5 (only 2 for the modal version:c#ADEA).
Just wondering if any other fretless players have tried it as well. I find it hard to believe I'm breaking new ground here (it's the same intervals as "high" open D: f#DF#AD).
Here are couple of my (rough) efforts with it:
Key of D – aDADE (double C – gCGCD – capo 2)
In this, Tunetorial number 11, Dan "Clawdan" Levenson teaches Forked Deer. This is one of his favorite tunes. It is also a jam session regular!
In this and all of the Tutorials, Dan plays the tune three times through up to speed then slow starting with a basic version and building to an advanced one. Then Dan plays the basic version and breaks it down phrase by phrase. Same with the advanced.
This is tune number 21 tabbed out in Dan's newest book "Old-Time Favorites for Clawhammer Banjo" (MelBay 30224). Tab and standard notation with 2 cds of banjo and fiddle audio tracks. The fiddle notation and mandolin tab can be found in my companion book “Old Time Favorites for Fiddle and Mandolin” (MelBay 30225)
Dan has included a bonus feature this time. A breakdown and primer on the Double C/D scale and basic chords because this tune, like so many others, is really based upon the chord structure and scale positions. This is a really fun tune if you know your basic scale.
You can purchase the video lesson (for unlimited streaming and download) here on the Banjo Hangout for $6. Get it here >
Dan and I would love to hear any feedback you have on these videos, so feel free to post or email us. Our goal here is provide a steady, affordable way for people to learn a new clawhammer tune weekly (or as often as they'd like).
If you're working on the tune, record yourself and post it below--we'd love to hear your progress!
I cannot get spikes, does anyone know of anything resembling railroad spikes that can be used/modded? Maybe thick staples cut into an L shape?
