classic banjo preferred at recording session

[Jody Stecher]

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 engineer nor the producer had any interest in me even taking the Gibson out of the case. Neither had ever heard the classic sound before but they (said they) were enthralled. The style they wanted was pretty generic, just some riffs and arpeggios to a click trick along with a guitarist and harmonica player as accompaniment to a singer who had not yet arrived and that's pretty much what I played but it was still a very pleasant morning.

[Adam]

For a children's book, huh? Well, as Hank Penny said (in an entirely different - and creepier - sense) "Catch 'em Young."

Who knows, maybe this'll inspire a new generation to learn the classic banjo! Better start buying period banjos now so I can retire on the proceeds after I sell 'em to these youngsters in twenty years ... :)

Thanks for sharing your story, Jody.

All the best,
Adam