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Banjo Winter
From Zischkale on 1/20/2015 7:58:25 AM
I know for you three regulars, the winter's gotta be pretty considerable right now, and I bet for about 70% of the other Practice Groupers it's the same. But in Texas...
we're talking 65 degrees, y'all. January, at least this week in it, is pretty much our spring.
Cyndy -- I like the Bonaparte's Retreat, especially the idea of just playing through and adding/taking away little bits here and there. That's pretty much what I'm trying to do as I try to learn new tunes by ear.
Jill -- what are you working on this week?
G -- how has the recommended listening been going? I'm trying to be a real active listener with the High Atmosphere record, and have been relistening to the County Clawhammer Banjo compilations, to try and get inspiration on how to arrange tunes.
The Dallas old-time jam starts up in February, and I want to be practiced up. Been using the Old-Time Jam Machine to start learning tunes by ear and coming up with interesting arrangements...slow going for me, but I'm making progress.
Hope everybody else in the group is practicing well too--I'm bummed to see rgoad's account locked! Checked out the music banjo50 linked -- it's Tom Berghan picking Whiskey Before Breakfast, hadn't heard it before. That dude can play every style of banjo and lute...guy is unstoppable.
5 Comments |
 | VioletMoon says:
1/20/2015 6:51:46 PM
Ah! You listened! The recording quality is pretty bad, but I like how the tune is coming along. I listened to almost all of the versions in the jukebox the other day and mine seems different which might mean that it really is mine. : )
Last year Chicago never seemed to get out from under the snow. This year it's been unseasonably warm. We've even banjo-on-the-porch weather. It just has to stay this way a couple more months ...
Dallas jam seems like nice motivation. I often find myself thinking of the next festival as I practice. Not sure yet what that will be this year but even looking forward in a general sort of way is fun. Anyone going to Clifftop?
Cyndy
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 | laertes22 says:
1/26/2015 7:05:42 AM
Well, I am late to the game on this one. I was away on a business trip last week, so I got behind on BHO. I have been listening to a lot of Doc Watson (and Clarence Ashley) lately. I wish I had gotten into Doc sooner. I feel ashamed as both an Old Time musician and a North Carolinian that I never really got into his stuff before. I had been unsuccessfully trying to learn Darling Corey and Reuben. However, listening to Doc's cover of Little Sadie made me really want to learn that song. So, that's what I've been working on. I started with Wayne Irbsen's version in Clawhammer Ignoramus book. It is an excellent arrangement, but it didn't really feel like how I'd like to play the song. It is mainly "Bum Ditty" , using C minor tuning. I'm not a huge fan of Bum Ditty, so I got rid of the strums and redid the whole thing with drop thumbs, also adding some HO/POs. Although playing is in Cminor tuning sounds good...again, something did not feel right to me. So, I at first tried Double C, but then I thought "This song is to minor/modal/bluesy to not be in Sawmill, so I switched to Sawmill). I changed a bunch of fingerings, played some of the notes on differents strings, added some partial chords, etc. Before I knew it, I had this new version of the song which sounds vastly different than what I started with and different from most of the versions of little Sadie that I know, and I love it. I tuned up to A modal and tried to play along with Doc, and it works, so I'm sticking with it. When I get some time, I'll try to post a vid of it one of these days.
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 | Zischkale says:
1/26/2015 7:29:34 AM
It's all good, G, I've been busy here, too! Yeah, I'm woefully behind on Doc, but his Little Sadie is so good, excellent tone on every single note he picks. Ken Perlman's got an arrangement in his book, but I bet you've got the melody down on this one. Try and get a good take on video, I'd like to hear it.
Don't think I'll make it out to Clifftop this year, Cyndy--which is just as well, I'll practice up so I can really make the most of it when I do go. Trying to play without a road map like you are--I'm showing some results with Forkey Deer and others, but it's a real challenge for me to come up with convincing arrangements on the fly. All part of the learning though.
In the opposite direction--I think you were learning the Wade Ward lick in Old Joe Clark, Cyndy? I've been working on that myself this week, staring directly at the roadmap in the Bob Carlin book. It's gonna be a challenge to get down clean.
If y'all want to see what scribbly tab looks like, I got around to writing down a clawhammer arrangement for The Hanging Tree from the last Hunger Games movie, and updated my video. Hopefully I can raise a little old-time music awareness on Youtube and convert some bluegrassers : )
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 | skiptomylou says:
1/27/2015 12:31:18 PM
yes, very cold here just now brr..just want to hide under a blanket when i come home from work and not come out. however, have been mainly sticking to daily practice over last three weeks (think i've missed two days). i've been working on tunes in Art Rosenbaum's The Art of The Mountain Banjo book - a Christmas present from my partner Mark - he also got me a recording of the songs in the book- on vinyl!! i've been really enjoying working on the tunes - great fun.
that's a shame about rgoad's account - he will be missed as was always very very encouraging and supportive. it seems he locked his own account. any idea what's behind it?
Gen and Cyndi - i so admire how both of you work on songs to get an arrangement to suit yourselves - that's cool.
just been catching up on your videos Aaran - brilliant - i think your playing has really come on since i last watched your vids - please don't take that the wrong way - it was good before - but your timing and playing just seem even stronger and more assured now.
i had a look at your tab for The Hanging Tree - i'd love to have a go at that some time - it's a really cool tune.
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| Zischkale says:
1/28/2015 5:49:53 AM
Thanks for the good words, Jill! I'm definitely more comfortable playing to the camera than I was when I started, and more confident on where that thumb is gonna land. It was a good surprise to hear a song in The Hunger Games reminiscent of Appalachian vocal music. Simple and very fitting.
That Art Rosenbaum book's pretty good? I imagine he's got arrangements in a number of different playing styles, too? I just finished watching his recent DVDs for the first time through. He knows his stuff.
Not sure what's up with rgoad--I think he's physically ok--just has his reasons for taking a break from the site. They discussed it a bit on the off-topic forums. He's an encouraging dude, he commented on almost every one of my videos.
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