The Titanic String Band (performance)

[carrie horgan]

Hello - I don't know if anyone has posted this previously but thought I would share this link to an interesting video.  It features a performance by The Titanic String Band (new to me) - the banjo player, Peter LaBau, talks about the history of the banjo and performs some great classic banjo tunes.  I particularly like 'Horace Weston's Celebrated Minor Jig' (10 mins in) which I hadn't heard before.  

 

 

Enjoy.

[German David Patarroyo]

It was new for me too. Nice video, I really enjoyed it

[thereallyniceman]

This is very good indeed and thank you for finding it Carrie.

(I embedded the video to make it easier to view)

Peter, I am pleased to see that someone else gets suitably dressed to play Classic Style Banjo ;-)

..snazzy bow-tie !!

[Mike Moss]

Wow, that's great. Thanks Carrie!

(Wow, I'm really letting the side down with my cheap suit. I promise I will up the ante, eventually.)

[thereallyniceman]

I have spoken to Peter and thanked him for the great video. He has agreed that we may add the video to our LEARN TO PLAY pages as an introduction to Classic Banjo... thanks for that Peter. I will get it linked soon.

Peter also says that they are working on another recording too and also breaking down the longer version of the video to individual tunes. I hope that he will link these here.

[thereallyniceman]

If anyone would like to have a go at Horace Weston's Old Time Jig as played by Peter and Mitch on the video, Steve Harrison has kindly sent me a transcribed version in C tuning, from the original A notation, that is suitable for Classic Style.

This is now available in the MUSIC LIBRARY... just search for:  Horace

[Joel Hooks]

Or you could put a thimble on and play it properly...

[thereallyniceman]

Hi Joel,

Indeed you can:

 

The choice is yours!

[carrie horgan]

Thanks for adding the music score, Ian.  

The video came up when I did a search for classic string-bands on YouTube (I was interested to see more ensemble playing and what instruments would be involved etc).  Anyway, it is a gem of a video and I am looking forward to hearing more from The Titanic String Band.  What a great name!

[thereallyniceman]

Before anyone else says it:

 The Titanic String Band always go down well...   Ta Da !!

[Tony Thomas MFA Black Banjoist]

This guy is completely ignorant of banjo history and seems to have been living under a rock isolated from anyone who does  These stupidities were what passed for banjo history among the uninformed 30 years ago, but they really need to be updated or replaced.  Someone has posted this stuff on Facebook as representing the classic banjo world and it gives it a black eye

 

[Joel Hooks]

So I watched the video and it turns out that it is "Weston's Minor Jig" that they play (see attached).  A bit of a challenge but possible with a thimble.

Their arrangement is very fancy, and does not even touch the first hand descriptions of Weston's style.

Still it is very nice.

P.S.  After all these years I've not gotten much better than above.

[Joel Hooks]

Forgot the file...

BTW, Weston claimed that he did not compose this, it was played for him during a visit from Satan.  He just  tried to play it as best as he could.