How did Alfred Farland tremolo?

[Mike Moss]

So I've been struggling with Farland's variations on My Old Kentucky Home for the better part of  a year now, and I've reached the point where I can sort of play through it, including the Brillante variation (thanks to Jody's advice). However, whenever I play the tremolo parts, they sound feeble and the tone is a bit uneven, particularly in the "adagio doloroso"  movement on the 3rd and 4th strings, in which the sounds of both strings clash rather than blend into a smooth tremolo. I'm used to tremolo now and I can twiddle my index finger with a fast an even movement, but somehow those parts almost sound better plucked with the fingers!

So how did Farland play tremolo? Did he play it perfectly smooth, or was it more of a semi-fast strumming motion as in the Ernest Jones recordings? Somehow I feel the usual tremolo technique doesn't work all that great on some passages.

[Shawn McSweeny]

Mike,  Fred Bacon was an accomplished index-wiggling tremolo player, as can be heard on a couple of his recordings. He took lessons from Farland, so one assumes that was also Farland's method. As to the  challenges you are experiencing, keep in mind that Farland was considered a phenomenal player in his day - perhaps the best in the USA at performing gems from the classical music repertoire adapted to banjo. He was reputed to have great technique, which was likely perfected through endless practise.  He was, however, criticised for being unable to project with sufficient volume to be easily heard in performance halls.

[Mike Moss]

Hi Shawn, thanks for the advice. I guess that would explain the feeble tone I was complaining about... it's inherent to the technique. I also tried using a pick, which gave me plenty of volume, but a very unpleasant tone which wasn't suited to the piece at all. The third (rolling)variation  is a blast... almost sounds like bluegrass banjo avant l'heure! ;-)