Classic-Banjo

A Site Dedicated to all enthusiasts of Classic Style Banjo

All Blog Posts (248)

Zither-Banjo Christmas

Just to let you know that this years' Christmas Page is up on the z-b website...couple of Camm tunes to download.
www.zither-banjo.org

Added by David Wade on December 4, 2009 at 10:10 — No Comments

classic banjo preferred at recording session

Had an interesting experience this morning. I got a last minute call to do a two hour recording session at a small local studio to play banjo for an iPhone ap (whatever that is) connected with a children's book about a freight train. I brought along a steel-strung Gibson mastertone bluegrass banjo and a 1918 AA Farland Concert Grand strung with nylon strings. I took out the Farland first and after hearing a few random bars of St Louis Tickle, Home Sweet Home and A Banjo Revel, neither the… Continue

Added by Jody Stecher on December 4, 2009 at 9:03 — 1 Comment

Original Van Eps 5 string banjo

Here's something you don't see often, an original Van Eps 5 string banjo complete with satellite dish, hole in the vellum, aluminum fingerboard extension, and a 28.5 inch scale. And at a price that reflects its rarity alas. I've seen a few Van Eps tenors for sale but not many five strings. http://bernunzio.com/products/0914098

Added by Jody Stecher on November 17, 2009 at 23:25 — 2 Comments

Piccolo 5 String Banjo Strings

I need some help in getting strings for my Piccolo 5 string banjo. Currently it has steel strings, but I don't want to damage the frets and was hoping someone out there knows the best nonmetal strings for this instrument. The piccolo was built to be tuned an octive above standard 5 string banjo pitch (sometimes to D rather than C). I like the string feel and tightness of the steel strings and would like strings that have a tight feel (not a soft and sloppy ukulele nylon feel) and maybe a bit… Continue

Added by Dana L. Richardson on November 16, 2009 at 0:54 — 4 Comments

Handy Jack

Just in case you thought I'd disappeared...here's TAB for Cammeyer's "Handy Jack". Easy to do the TAB, not so easy to play well!

Handy Jack all.pdf

Here's a link to David Wade's Zither Banjo site...where you can hear good Ol' Olly Oakley running thru "Handy Jack".…

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Added by Trapdoor2 on October 24, 2009 at 5:00 — No Comments

Warning _ they don 't like us since 1887

i had never been a police ' inspector , yet i can say " they " are not the dulcimer or auto_harp players ; so " they " , who is it ?

Added by marc dalmasso on October 21, 2009 at 13:30 — 1 Comment

peaceful Henry

PHENRY03 Patoune.mp3 Peaceful Henry.mp3here ' s a Mp3 of "peaceful henry "

éric stefanelli : 1st banjo

pat stefanelli : 2nd banjo

marc dalmasso : cello Bj

phil perez : banjo guitar

This is a recording i have done_ 13 fev 2006 ; it is all 4 together ;i have put 4 mikes , one for each… Continue

Added by marc dalmasso on October 6, 2009 at 19:08 — 4 Comments

A Joe Morley Pilgrimage

I took advantage of a trip to a client in South London today to pay a visit to Joe Morley's grave.

I've written it up in a post on my blog at Walthamstow Folk Club - http://www.walthamstowfolk.co.uk/blog/?p=206

The accompanying text is probably of limited interest to you specialist expert types here but thought I'd share it anyway!…

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Added by Russ Chandler on September 29, 2009 at 18:07 — 1 Comment

Midland Banjo Fest 17th October Bretby Conference Centre nr Burton on Trent

Howard Shepherd David Price Elias Sibley Ray Bernard
Russ Chandler Bill Summerville & The Banjokers
Saturday Morning Workshops
Stalls, Licensed Bar, Banjoralia, Hot & Cold Food
Bretby Conference Centre
Ashby Road, Bretby, Burton on Trent, DE15 0YZ – Tel. 01283 553440
First class accomodatoin available in-house. Book early.
Admission Price - £5
Sponsored by Clifford Essex Music Co. Ltd
Visit us at www.midlandbanjofest.com

Added by David Wade on September 22, 2009 at 6:12 — 2 Comments

A Mexican Ride, Emile Grimshaw...

Hi Gang,

Ok, I've done my thing on "A Mexican Ride", I hope you like it. Notched the dots off of ebay the other day and thought I'd give 'em a go.

Notes:

As the first four measures were left to the piano player, I xferred them to the 1st banjoist. Sounds OK on this end but if you want, you can make up your own. I'm sure I'll come up with some kind of messy intro...

In the TAB, m34 contains a quick set of 1/32 notes...this is a grace note ornament that… Continue

Added by Trapdoor2 on August 5, 2009 at 4:30 — 4 Comments

American Banjo Museum Grand Opening-Sept. 10th-13th

Save the date! September 10th-13th-Grand Opening of the American Banjo Museum

Hello list members, I wanted to let you know about the gala grand opening celebration of the American Banjo Museum which will be taking place in the Bricktown arts and entertainment district of downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on September 10th-13th.

As the nearly three year, $3.3 million dollar project approaches completion, the music and heritage of the banjo will soon be on display for the… Continue

Added by douglas back on August 4, 2009 at 22:26 — 4 Comments

Drop Thumb

Hi Rob

For years I could not master the Drop Thumb method of Clawhammer playing. All I could manage was what was known as 'up picking' from Pete Seeger's book. This style was okay for the slower tunes, but arm breaking if you wanted to play dance tunes with the fiddler. Then I picked up a tutor with a tape by a bloke called Larry Peterson. He just had a way of making it easy, with lots of simple tunes to play along with. Larry lived in Omaha Nebraska. I haven't heard from him for years,… Continue

Added by Ray Jones on July 24, 2009 at 21:42 — 1 Comment

4th of July

A Happy 4th of July to all my American mates.
Ray

Added by Ray Jones on July 3, 2009 at 22:33 — 2 Comments

Sweet!

A week or so ago, I bid on a Stewart pot assembly evidently off of an early Banjeurine...and won! Today it showed up on my doorstep and it is indeed a 12-1/2" Banjeurine pot. Serial number is 5169, so it is probably ca. 1890. It has the heavy neck brace and is pretty complete, really lacking only hooks and nuts. Came with the "Common Sense" tailpiece and the complete dowelstick too.

The dowelstick gave me a bit of a turn though. I have a complete Banjeurine from this period (S/N… Continue

Added by Trapdoor2 on July 3, 2009 at 3:12 — No Comments

Ahhhhhh...

Parcel #1 has arrived!

As you may recall, I received #2 first, back on May 21. Parcel #1 finally hit my doorstep June 25...a full month later. That's 6 days delivery for parcel #2 and 45 days to deliver parcel #1 (both shipped the same day). Ain't the mail system a wonderful thing!! :-/

To recap, Parcel #1 contains:

Carl Fischer’s New And Revised Edition of Celebrated Tutors (1890)

Sherwood’s Imperial Diagram Method for the Banjo (1892)

Van Eps Banjo… Continue

Added by Trapdoor2 on June 26, 2009 at 16:01 — 4 Comments

Marmion Schottiche

Attached is a version of Marmion Schottiche from Clarke Buehling's "Choice Music for Banjo and Banjeaurine." I play it in eAEG#B rather than standard C. It's played on my ca. 1880s Morrison with nylgut strings.

It's a rough recording - both in its playing and actual recording. But had I decided to wait for perfection I'd never post anything ... :)

Feel free to advise, criticize, or comment.

Finally, what do you folks use to record your tunes? If anyone has… Continue

Added by Adam on June 22, 2009 at 14:37 — 6 Comments

Florida cracker by J Morley

Florida_Cracker.pdf

Added by marc dalmasso on June 21, 2009 at 13:45 — No Comments

gipsy dance

gipsy_dance.pdf

de Parke HUNTER ( BMG _ feb 1958 )

Added by marc dalmasso on June 17, 2009 at 12:36 — 2 Comments

Printable (?) Oriole

Added by Jody Stecher on June 15, 2009 at 17:30 — No Comments

Joint Effort at Transcription and Arrangement of Ragtime Oriole

Over the last few weeks, Ian Holloway in Blackpool and I in San Francisco have been tossing a ball across cyberspace creating a banjo arrangement of Ragtime Oriole based on the early 1950s recording of Fred Van Eps. Van Eps kept the original piano key of A flat and so have we. Basically we listened and transcribed and refined each other's versions and filled in the gaps left by the other and corrected our mistakes over time. I initially tried to be faithful to whatever I could discern of Van… Continue

Added by Jody Stecher on June 14, 2009 at 22:04 — 18 Comments