How many people actually play this style?

[Austin]

I'm curious. How many people even know about it? It seems rare to find someone who does.

[Jody Stecher]

I would remove yet another zero. As the statement/summary  was about *skilled* players.  Yes sub 500 who play a bit for fun.   But less than 50 skilled players is what it looks like to me.

Richard William Ineson said:

Sub 500, not sub 5000

Austin said:

I hope I'm not a perpetual beginner... Okay so the general consensus seems like impossible to know for sure, but also sub 5,000 skilled players.

[Joel Hooks]

I like it because she needed to change her capo or tuning to change keys, I found that amusing. Yes, the only episode with Paul Cadwell.

[Joel Hooks]

My mistake, I misremembered, she just drops out.  If you listen closely you can hear Pete try to tell her the key while there is a close up Cadwell’s hands.

[Ethan Schwartz]

Really high-level players specializing in classic banjo (and whose names are out there), you could count on your fingers. There are probably a few dozen fairly serious players, and a few hundred dabblers beyond that. As far as people who know about classic banjo on some level, I would guess a few thousand, mostly 1. banjoists playing other styles, 2. people focused on related forms of music from that historical era, and 3. people recalling whatever old-fashioned stuff their granddad (or great granddad) was into. But many wouldn't recognize the term "classic banjo." I've had mixed success explaining that I play ragtime or turn-of-the-century popular music on the banjo. Online activity or membership in the ABF/BMG isn't really indicative of anything, as it may turn out that there are a bunch of players who (as Richard* says) keep to themselves.

*Who is this intriguing Bornean banjoist? I have lived off and on in Java for some years. 

[Jody Stecher]

Special tunings exist to provide specific sonic atmospheres. They are enablers for specific limited purposes, not cripplers for universal purposes.  Would you be amused if Frank Bradbury was in some tuning other than gCGBD and in a participatory situation retuned repertoire that required standard tuning? Let's say he had been in elevated bass tuning and the next piece to be played was the Ragtime Oriole.  The downbeat of the first measure is the open C of standard tuning. He would have to retune. Would you be thinking "ha ha ha, what a limited player. what an amateur"?

Joel Hooks said:

I like it because she needed to change her capo or tuning to change keys, I found that amusing. Yes, the only episode with Paul Cadwell.

[Jody Stecher]

I don't see or hear this happening. Maybe I'm watching the wrong medley. Is this Golden Slippers/ Flop Eared Mule/ Little Brown Jug?  Or a different medley?

Joel Hooks said:

My mistake, I misremembered, she just drops out.  If you listen closely you can hear Pete try to tell her the key while there is a close up Cadwell’s hands.

[Richard William Ineson]

He is originally from Estonia, I would need his permission to give you any further information. I'll contact him and see if he is willing to correspond with you.

Ethan Schwartz said:

Really high-level players specializing in classic banjo (and whose names are out there), you could count on your fingers. There are probably a few dozen fairly serious players, and a few hundred dabblers beyond that. As far as people who know about classic banjo on some level, I would guess a few thousand, mostly 1. banjoists playing other styles, 2. people focused on related forms of music from that historical era, and 3. people recalling whatever old-fashioned stuff their granddad (or great granddad) was into. But many wouldn't recognize the term "classic banjo." I've had mixed success explaining that I play ragtime or turn-of-the-century popular music on the banjo. Online activity or membership in the ABF/BMG isn't really indicative of anything, as it may turn out that there are a bunch of players who (as Richard* says) keep to themselves.

*Who is this intriguing Bornean banjoist? I have lived off and on in Java for some years. 

[Richard William Ineson]

I've just done a quick list of UK classic banjo players (some may be dead as I haven't seen some of them for some time) and it looks as if there are less than 20.

Jody Stecher said:

I would remove yet another zero. As the statement/summary  was about *skilled* players.  Yes sub 500 who play a bit for fun.   But less than 50 skilled players is what it looks like to me.

Richard William Ineson said:

Sub 500, not sub 5000

Austin said:

I hope I'm not a perpetual beginner... Okay so the general consensus seems like impossible to know for sure, but also sub 5,000 skilled players.

[John Cohen]

I'd like to push back a little on this notion that good ear players make good accompanists. Though this is true in a rudimentary sense, many pieces in our repertoire have thoughtfully-composed, intricate second parts that are only accessible to the musically literate. An accompanist who can play these is worth far more than one who merely improvises some basic progression of chords.

[Richard William Ineson]

Very true John, especially when considering pieces such as Cammeyer's 'Danse Bizarre', 'Down Devon Way, or 'Marche en Passant' which are true duets , not just a solo with accompaniment. Then Morley's 'Ad Astra', 'Polka de Concert', 'Zarana' or 'Moonlight Revels' all of which would need someone with exceptional harmonic perception to improvise an accompaniment to them.

John Cohen said:

I'd like to push back a little on this notion that good ear players make good accompanists. Though this is true in a rudimentary sense, many pieces in our repertoire have thoughtfully-composed, intricate second parts that are only accessible to the musically literate. An accompanist who can play these is worth far more than one who merely improvises some basic progression of chords.

[John Cohen]

I'll add Grimshaw to the list. You and a Canoe has a lovely second that is, in my opinion, more difficult than the first.

[Jody Stecher]

Of course there are gorgeous composed second parts. And of course they can be only played by someone who knows how they go, either via the written score or via memorization from hearing (unlikely with the more complex second parts). That is beside the point. I was responding to Joel's comment that ear players are only concerned with showing off the three pieces they have memorized and are incapable of accompanying.  I am certain this is so in the case of a handful of  individuals. I have met a few. I have met far more extremely capable accompanists who are ear players. I have worked with them professionally my entire life. I have recorded with them. Their spontaneous accompaniments are glorious. Why? How? Because they comprehend the chord structure and because they are listening to the soloist.

 Consider the field of jazz. Almost all of it is spontaneous.  Everyone who is not soloing is acting as an accompanist. If a horn player is soloing, the bass player, drummer, pianist, guitarist, vibes player, all the other horns, each and every one is acting as an accompanist when someone else is soloing.   WIth the exception of a large portion of "trad jazz" or "dixieland" where the chord changes are obvious and fairly basic, jazz can be harmonically and melodically quite sophisticated. And yet  jazz musicians spontaneously accompany soloists.  Why? How? Because they are using a bigger portion of their brains than a reader does when playing from the score. 

This is in contrast to those who cannot play by ear. Without a score they are lost. They have not learned to hear chord progressions. They have not learned to connect even the simplest melody with their hand movements. They can't even play Three Blind Mice by ear. There are thousands of such people.

One more thing: My "idea" that good ear players make good accompanists is not an idea, not a concept.  It is a statement of my experience of 65 years as a professional musician during which I have gotten to meet and hear many types of musician in many genres, and have been the teacher of many type of students.  I am speaking from experience,

John, I believe your pushback or challenge to what I said is sincere. But from my point of view it is saying "Are you going to believe me or your lying ears?"