Banjo Lessons
I have been playing Appalachian banjo since the late Reagan years and teach in the following styles: frailing/ clawhammer, upstroke, and 2- and 3-finger picking in the styles of Roscoe Holcomb, Dock Boggs, Morgan and Lee Sexton, and Earl Scruggs. As a player, I favor the many old-time styles I mentioned. My personal approach to the instrument is based on the playing of those Kentucky/ western Virginia players. I have made several trips to Kentucky and Virginia to experience the music and the players and managed to sit with and learn from Lee Sexton at his home on those trips. He was a great man to meet and a great player to learn from.
I teach bluegrass via several of the excellent method books by Tony Trischka and Earl Scruggs. I had the great fortune to take a 5-hour group lesson from Tony Trischka (he was a great teacher).
In an introductory lesson I like to play in several different styles for students to give them a sense of how things look and sound. There is a vast continuum of banjo styles to explore.
That’s just what it looks like- it’s a bass drum with strings on it- this instrument is not so good for super-fast fingerstyle pyrotechnics. The picture was taken up at Bennington College- the instrument was built in the 70’s. In addition to its size, it sounds huge too.
Here’s a short listening list- try the library for some of this.
This is a 2 disc set recorded in Kentucky on porches and in living rooms in the late 50's. Rough stuff for some to listen to. Roscoe Holcomb's first recordings are here. Roscoe is my favorite player if I was forced to say who's my favorite. This is a great set, and what I was advised to start with when I was starting out building my collection. It’s on Smithsonian/ Folkways.
These 2 cds are a holy grail- the quintessential rural appalachian man who was first recorded by ethnographers in the late 50's. These recordings are absolutely essential listening for any banjo player/ student. Roscoe plays in a variety of styles with powerful technique, yet it never ever sounds like a talent show. Brilliant. Both discs are on Smithsonian/ Folkways. Roscoe also plays guitar and harmonica on these discs.
The North Carolina Banjo Collection This a 2 disc set. It’s mostly vintage recordings featuring lots of different players and approaches, all traditional. If you don't like 20 of the songs, there are 22 more to listen to. It’s a good regional banjo encyclopedia, and is on Rounder Records.
Bill Monroe apparently said Hobart was his favorite old-time banjo player. Nuff said, as they say. I have In Sacred Trust (Smithsonian/ Folkways) and Blue Ridge Legacy (Rounder) and like these recordings quite a bit. Hobart plays guitar and fiddle and piano too- his piano playing is great!
Lee was kind enough to teach me for a few afternoons, and I am eternally grateful to him for that. Whoa Mule is his CD, on June Appal Recordings. His first recordings are on Mountain Music of Kentucky.
Ancient Kentucky mountain man, recorded in his last years. His CD, Shady Grove is on June Appal Recordings. He was Lee’s uncle. I have some video of him that is stunning.
Dock developed his own style, a pre-bluegrass 3-finger picking/ brushing thing that fit blues and English ballads equally well. He uses some very interesting tunings as well. The early recordings are stark, harsh, singular, and compiled on one cd- Country Blues. His Folkways Years is a double cd (Smithsonian/ Folkways) that is a bit more listenable to most people. I say both are great.
Look this guy up if you don’t know the name. Too much to say.
Ralph Stanley- I like the early stuff most. Too much to say. Look him up.
This is an untranscribable and awesome collection of mostly 1970’s field recordings on Smithsonian/ Folkways. This was done live. Not for the faint of heart.
That’s me playing my banjo with some very good friends for some folks where they live.
