"Regarding Partee and stroke style. The definitive work covering stroke style is Converse’s Analytical Banjo Method. This is it. The exercises, combinations, hammer and overhand movements he spells out will cover any movement…"
Classic-Banjo
A Site Dedicated to all enthusiasts of Classic Style Banjo
Byron Thomas's Discussions
Practical Hints On Modern Banjo Playing
3 Replies
I was reading through this book on the archive and found it quite interesting! I was curious if modern techniques for the banjo in 1897 were still useful today. My conclusion: yes, they are. There is…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Joel Hooks yesterday.
Orpheum Cello Banjo
6 Replies
I was perusing the archive and ran across this photo. Has anyone ever seen this banjo in person? I'm just curious as to how the Orpheum cello banjo would hold up against its counterparts (Stewart…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Joel Hooks Nov 26, 2025.
Classic style composing and arranging
88 Replies
I listened to the Gordon Dando's Classic Banjo documentary a while back on Chris Sand's youtube…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Austin Nov 5, 2025.
W.M. Huntley Songs in 12 Keys
3 Replies
In the quest to have well rounded banjo audio pallet, I've been looking for these songs by Huntley so that I can hear the banjo all around the circle. Does anyone have a copy of these songs that are…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Byron Thomas Apr 7, 2025.
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"Do not use Putz or any polish on your banjo, it will cut right through the nickel plating. It is abrasive and will take nickel off."
"The other pictures"
Practical Hints On Modern Banjo Playing
I was reading through this book on the archive and found it quite interesting! I was curious if modern techniques for the banjo in 1897 were still useful today. My conclusion: yes, they are. There is some great information in here but something that caught my attention was the chapter on stroke and thimble playing. Partee states that in thimble playing "all of…See More
"It's tough to read these at first sight but I love being able to see the process of arranging. I love that you can see the thought process behind the choices with the many scribbles and footnotes on pages like this one:
Banjo Oddity : Frank C.…"
"This is a least a fine audio example of what you are trying to achieve. This person also has another cd of just fingerstyle classic banjo.
Classic Banjo and Mandolin…"
"All of my internet scouring is producing that the Jig (American) and Breakdown were both dances, though I can't find anything written from the time period to suggest that Breakdown also means to play quickly. The book Dance and Its Music in…"
"The best thing that I can find is this definition that came from thesession.org. The link from which they pulled the info seems to be defunct.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/reed/hrabout.htmlBreakdown: instrumental tunes in duple meter (2/4…"
"IMHO, I feel that "Breakdown" is the page context. It seems like a category label that sets the mood of the piece similar to adding "Waltz", "Valse", "Mazurka" etc... to the end of or underneath the title of a…"
"From my understanding, whenever I have heard a breakdown, it was characterized by being played at breakneck speeds. A great example would be Foggy Mountain Breakdown. (I know that this isn't a classic banjo song but it's the first that…"
"The Goldtone so called "cello banjo" is a weird thing.
This is, more or less, based on a Gibson tenor cello banjo-- a tenor banjo pitched one octave lower than the tenor banjo.
This means that the 5 string version is like putting a…"
"To my ear Gold Tone cello-banjos sound like furniture with strings.
Vintage guitar-banjos, mandolin-banjos, etc when set up Just So can sound fabulous. Almost any set of nylon guitar strings, a natural vellum and a suitable bridge will tame…"
"I would opine that the advertisement instruments are what they say they are. In our present, we may have different opinions as to their nature. Back then, they were what they were.
I got to play a Gibson CB way back in 1992. It was owned by George…"
"It is to say that they are different instruments.
In the advertisement, one is a guitar and one is a Cello Mandolin. Both have "banjo" bodies and sounding boards to take advantage of the novelty of volume and tone, but they are…"
"My apologies for not posting the archive link. Is this to say that the wire strung cello-banjos were not for counterpoint or just that they have a tonal difference or both?"
"A little context goes a long way. This ad was published in Fred Bacon's "The Banjoist" in 1912.
https://archive.org/details/the-banjoist-vol-1-fred-bacon/
Likely both were wire strung, both were for plectrum playing, and neither…"
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Lonesome Mama Blues - Fred van eps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SJvohQlpTk
This is just one of my favorites of Fred Van Eps. Something about this song just speaks to me. Is there a score of his playing from this recording?
Posted on December 21, 2020 at 18:00 — 6 Comments
7 String banjo sheet music
I've been playing around with a 7 string banjo for about 6 months now and I'm am now looking for some 7 string sheet music. I'm currently working through what is available for the scan of Ellis' Thorough School for the 6 or 7 String Banjo which is missing pages but is still a pretty solid Tutor. I already found posting with The Devil Still Pursues Her and Horace Weston's Grand March which are both great pieces if anyone ever wants to tackle them on the 7. Grand March is looking to be a…
ContinuePosted on December 14, 2020 at 16:08 — 22 Comments
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