"I wish you well Ian. I'm sorry to hear of your ill health but hope that each day in hand is manageable and that you can still find some laughs throughout the day. This site is a treasure in the banjo world and it's such a shame that it is…"
Classic-Banjo
A Site Dedicated to all enthusiasts of Classic Style Banjo
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Rob MacKillop
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- Edinburgh
- United Kingdom
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Rob MacKillop's Discussions
Farewell and thank you
18 Replies
Sorry to hear this place is closing down, and also that Ian is unwell. Best wishes to you, Ian. We’ve crossed swords in the past, but I always had great respect for you, and this site is…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Byron Thomas on Monday.
FOR SALE: Clifford Essex XX Special
2 Replies
Excellent condition, with hard case. Brilliant banjo - best I've had. Could be strung in nylon or light steel, as here. Ask Jody - these banjos sound great with steel strings, and were built to cope…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Rob MacKillop Feb 7, 2024.
Steve Caddick RIP
1 Reply
Although not principally a classic-banjo player, Steve Caddick was known to quite a few of us here, so I feel moved to mention his passing due to cancer. He was a good cyber-pal of mine, and I know…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by carrie horgan Nov 7, 2023.
New strings from Aquila
I follow Mimmo Peruffo of Aquila on FaceBook, and he has just put up an announcement of new bionylon strings for classic banjos. To illustrate, he plays some ragtime on a cheap banjo. So far he has…Continue
Started Apr 17, 2023
Rob MacKillop's Classic Banjo Page
Latest Activity
"Thank you Ian for sharing your passion for classic banjo and making it accessible. It's given me such pleasure discovering the music and learning to play (some of) it (well, the more approachable stuff). Also, the CE Special is…"
"I have my own web server. I could most likely migrate the site over and host it. If you'd like to discuss it - please reach out. I know i'm not a huge poster, but this is definitely the only place in the world wide web for this beautiful…"
"The discussion about this is here, Michael: https://classic-banjo.ning.com/forum/topics/farewell-and-thank-you?xg_source=activity"
"I've contacted Ian directly and thanked him. As I didn't want him to take the time to explain this, I hope somebody else can; what exactly is required, on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, to manage this site? I really do not have…"
"Jody -- I trust Ian's judgment if he thinks the present site is too messy/complex to hand off. And Ning is not exactly a cutting-edge platform. So it would come down to building a new site and populating it with whatever can be saved. At some…"
"First of all, Ian, thank you for the hard work you have put into this site. Sorry to hear that your health is not as it should be and I wish you well. This site was my introduction to the classic style of banjo playing and I am afraid…"
"Ethan, I think you would be a splendid host and custodian. I have been in touch with Ian. On the subject of new ownership he wrote: "I can’t transfer to a new owner as I won’t be able to offer support and explain how the…"
"Is simply transferring over ownership of the site not an option on the table? That's something I would potentially be interested in taking on (somewhat depending on monthly cost, which I don't have a good sense of). As far as saving…"
"Thank you for this site Ian, it has been a fantastic resource! I hope you're keeping well and in good spirits.
Max"
"Thank you, Ian, for all your work. This has been a wonderful resource, invaluable resource. It will be sad to see it go.
Some thoughts... Robert Coldwell, who runs the Digital Guitar Archive, might be willing to host the BMG files, as he does other…"
"Well, it has been a lot of fun! I'm sad that Ian has to shut it down due to illness, I hope the best for him and his family.
Many of us are "aging out". Fact of life, I guess. I hope a younger gen will find a way for Classic Banjo on…"
"As far as maintaining contact, it would be possible to open up a Classic banjo Blog on Google blogger or even create a classic banjo website on google. The basic site is free to set up but extras can be added and files etc. can be saved to the…"
"Ian,
I'm grateful for all you have done. A lot of music and happiness has come out of your work.
Many years ago I worked on Ning itself, creating the software. Later I was able to enjoy the community you made here. All things…"
"Dear Ian,
I am sorry to hear of your health condition. I hope time and rest will help you feel better. This website has been wonderful and has helped me tremendously in my love for Classic Style banjo. I appreciate all of the awesome music and…"
"The BMG library could be moved to the Internet Archive, but I am a little concerned about issues published after 1930 and their orphaned status with copyright. While I beleive the copyright is "abandoned", the Archive might have a…"
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Rob MacKillop's Photos
Rob MacKillop's Videos
Comment Wall (11 comments)
- At 8:05 on December 2, 2011,
thereallyniceman said…
After a wander in the banjo wilderness, it is good to see that you found your way home. Welcome back Rob, from all of us, I am sure!
- At 9:21 on December 2, 2011,
Sylvia said…
Hi Rob, nice to see you back on classic.
- At 9:41 on December 2, 2011,
Mike Moss said…
- Hi Rob! Your videos on YT were one of the things which inspired me to take up Classic Banjo. I'm very glad to see that such an exceptional musician is among us once again.
- At 12:06 on December 2, 2011,
Rob MacKillop said…
Thank you all for the warm welcome. Looking forward to seeing what you are all up to.
- At 14:58 on December 2, 2011,
Trapdoor2 said…
Aye, welcome back Rob. Glad to see you here!!
- At 15:24 on December 5, 2011,
Hi Rob , thank you for the Buckley, the Baur looks good too. But must get some more ink before I start downloading that and your Mel Bay Book.
- At 16:23 on December 5, 2012,
Robert Dooley said…
- Here in Minnesota we have four classic ban joists who would like to develop an ensemble similar to yours. We are searching for arrangements that would include a. piccolo part in addition. any information would be greatly appreciated.. a golfing friend of mine whose wife is an Edinburgh native enjoyed hearing your group and was surprised to hear that Scots were into that sort of thing. Robert
Dooley
- At 21:26 on March 11, 2023,
Jake Glanville said…
I'm glad to see you are still going strong. Do you know Mark Temlett? He is the great great grandson of William Temlett Snr and I would love to get in contact with him about a ukulele-banjo probably made by his famous ancestor. I believe he is still alive and very interested in banjos. In response to your comment about people de-tuning their banjos, I do it on some of mine because I am worried about putting too much stress on an instrument over 120 years old.
I'm glad you're impressed with Carrie Horgan. So am I! I've also been a big fan of yours for a very long time and always insist that anyone interested in classic banjo should first listen to you before doing anything else (if they haven't done so already.
Black Jake of Norwich.
- At 20:27 on March 17, 2023,
Many thanks for your reply, Rob. One of these days I'll find out who 'G W Temlett' was!
All the Best,
Jake.
- At 12:20 on June 7, 2023,
Keith Stephen said…
Hi Rob, getting in touch on here regarding the sheet for Cammeyers Ballad No1. YouTube just auto deletes and email reference. My email address is keith@keithstephen.plus.com.
Thanks Rob
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