Q&A | Playing in Bands vs Solo
Added 2018-06-20 17:56:41 +0000 UTC"I'm obsessed with playing traditional style banjo and learning about it's history. Most of my music friends are less than enamored with this style of banjo. They wanna know when I'm going to learn to play 'Dueling Banjos' and start cranking out bluegrass rolls. My jam group is hooked on playing the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Eagles ... you get my drift. I'm having a bit of a quandary finding people to play music with here. I've noticed many of my favorite non-bluegrass/traditional/contemporary folk banjo players play and sing alone, or play and sing with one other person. What are your thoughts on playing this style with other people? Thoughts on playing and singing alone? I've been playing a year and 9 months."--Banjo Jane
https://patreon.com/cliftonhicks
http://cliftonhicks.bandcamp.com
Comments
I think the reason that many banjo players traditionally used so many different tunings was (partly) to avoid using chord shapes. For example, "Old Reuben" via f#DF#AD requires mashing fewer fingers down on the fingerboard than in some other tuning.
Clifton Hicks
2019-07-05 22:28:09 +0000 UTCNot sure if this is where I would ask my question. I'm a beginner and recent member. Trying to make my way thru all the perspectives on learning and playing banjo. What leads me to you is your sound. How do I learn to play in various keys without learning tons of chord shapes(I know you prefer retuning). Is there somewhere to go to get the tuning and chords for each key?
Rick
2019-07-04 18:33:58 +0000 UTCThanks very much for the insight on this. I have also ran into this. "So when you learning Scruggs"? Question - sorry, don't plan on it!
Alan
2018-06-23 04:14:00 +0000 UTCI won't be a European for long but I like old time because it's genuine, it's everyday people coming to terms with the absurdity of life with all it's blessings and tragedy. Same reason I like blues and hip-hop and basically any music that comes from the soul.
Bobby Banks
2018-06-22 19:13:41 +0000 UTCClifton and Mike, Some of my genealogy runs from Ireland right thru Virginia, North Carolina to the Cumberland Gap to Tennessee to Georgia and on to Texas and on from there. But I was raised in Chicago with no exposure to this music. But here I am with a banjo on my knee :). Go figure! I do feel there could be some kind of cosmic link to my ancestors... But what about all of the folks from Europe, Scandinavia, Australia who I see in this wonderful virtual banjo community? Mike, you are probably right about it partially being a response to "the BS the world offers"! Anyway, I look forward to more discussion.
Trish Collins
2018-06-22 17:19:55 +0000 UTCTrish, I just came back from the woods where I tried my best to elaborate on this subject. I have been to California and met a bunch of people there. One family in particular, up in the San Bernardinos, were surprisingly traditional Scots-Irish types. I would guess that these folks' ancestors came out of the same part of Britain that my own, and probably your, ancestors came out of as well. With a last name like Collins is it really any wonder that this music speaks to you so strongly? There's "something" to it, I think. Look out for my video in response to your inquiry soon.
Clifton Hicks
2018-06-22 16:58:12 +0000 UTCOops. accidentally pushed enter. I have never posted before. Sorry! My question is really, What is authentic to this music? Especially as it is a mixture of African, Scots-Irish and other music in the first place? The superficial trappings , or the universal truths that, I believe, are what draw so many of us who are not living in Appalachia to old time music. As a Californian, I do not know why I am so obsessed with this music except that it speaks to my soul as an expression of universal struggle. Pain, joy, loss, grief, hardship, love, and death. I suspect this may be the case with many others too. What do you think?
Trish Collins
2018-06-22 16:07:33 +0000 UTCHi Clifton. Thank you so much for sharing your music and your insights into old time banjo. I'm enjoying your Patreon page much and look forward to your posts. Something you said in this post has got me thinking, though. You said (certain things conspire against us playing with other people) ... "especially if we are trying to live the music authentically that we are playing and try to actually drink, and dance and party..and you're also working in the fields...."
Trish Collins
2018-06-22 15:55:00 +0000 UTCPatrick, from what I saw from the video you posted awhile back, no need to lack any confidence. I would consider myself fortunate to play and learn some from you. But as I mentioned somewhere else on this site, I seem to live on the wrong side of the country for great banjo happenings!
Mike Rebitzke
2018-06-21 20:40:01 +0000 UTCIf any of you are from south eastern ky and needing someone to play with, I’ve got a room full of banjos flattops and fiddles, along with a front porch and a case of beer.I as well never play with anyone(beginners lack of confidence I guess) but I wouldn’t turn anyone away who would want to play. Who knows I might learn something
Patrick Campbell
2018-06-21 20:06:06 +0000 UTCI also think playing in a jam, even with dedicated experienced old time players, is totally different from playing properly in an old time band, especially if the jam is more than 4 or 5 people. there are things I do on banjo and guitar that have gone over really big in jams at festivals and banjo camps, that someone would rightly hit me if I used them in any string band.
Tony Thomas
2018-06-21 16:30:54 +0000 UTCWhen I first learned I did get invited by old time banjoists a couple times to get togethers whose purpose was to show me and another beginner what frailing and two finger were really about, but that was years ago and the guys most responsible for that have either moved away or passed away! But I am wondering if I should go on Facebook or banjo hangout and set up a banjo get together around here.
Tony Thomas
2018-06-21 16:25:45 +0000 UTCWith old time banjo I often end up just getting together with the individual banjoists I know and a few real hard core oldtime music devotees. Playing two banjos together is part of the tradition, but takes skill not to be duplicating what the other player does. Most areas there are few real old time banjo enthusiasts so I have learned to travel an extra mile to get together with someone. I do find it rewarding to exchange tunes on Skype or teach tunes on Skype. I also respect other genre as people should respect mine. My main jam is a bluegrass jam. I usually take a guitar, though a couple of the bluegrass banjoists who come like old time banjo but dont play it and I will sometimes ask if I have a tune to show them, or borrow an RB if I want to show them an old time version of a tune they play bluegrass style.
Tony Thomas
2018-06-21 16:24:03 +0000 UTCI do find taking any opportunity to play with other people helps. I mastered playing two-finger banjo to fiddle tunes by going to a local jam where the music really isnt to my taste (violinists) and people stop playing if you request some old time, really African American based tunes. One violionist actually said Sally Goodin really isn't a song!!! But I learned two finger picking as accompaniment by playing along with these people. I think playing along with recordings can be great too. You can get various "slow downer" programs that work with MP3s.
Tony Thomas
2018-06-21 16:17:23 +0000 UTC
