Friday 28 January 2011

Toll the Line (Ooh Aah Song)


This song is pretty primitive and it appears to be played by a group under the Care In the Community Act.

Wednesday 26 January 2011

Electric Boogie 2

Listen!
Having the amp going is opening up lots of new sounds on the banjo - not all good you might say!

Tuesday 25 January 2011

Keith Richards - banjo player


Just been reading the Keef Richards' autobiography 'Life' and theres a great chapter about discovering open G tuning or banjo tuning as Keef calls it.  In fact he even ends up with a custom 5 string guitar. Give the man a banjo, I'd love to see that!
This is footage of him rehearsing with Chuck and its fantastic! There's also some interesting stuff about how Chuck worked with his piano player in writing songs but the guy never claimed a credit!

Sunday 23 January 2011

2011 Memo to Self

Looking back at last January's blog posts and spotted a New Years Resolution post Memo to Self so I thought I should come clean on how many I've managed to keep and think of a couple of new ones for this year!

1 -No new instruments - this I did keep, mainly because I think missus NBB would have been out of the door if I'd turned up with something else - so after the acoustic guitar that's been it. But new year all that - who knows!

2- Bluegrass picking - I was all keen in January 2010 but it didn't happen, at least not in a strict sense. I can't get away with the rolling technicalities of Bluegrass. Maybe it's cos I'm not a good musician, but I find frailing or clawhammer style a bit more forgiving. And although I'm always impressed with the blazing speed of three finger style, it can still be a bit twiddly unless its done really well. I did start experimenting with a two finger pick and strum technique, which surfaced out of my frustrations with three finger style, and that's lead me down a lot of interesting new avenues.
So 50% -  I don't know if that's good or not, possibly average.
Resolutions for 2011 -

1 - I'd like to play with other musicians more. I'd like to do more with the Charmers but its a bit like getting the Stones on the road, except instead of heroin and shagging getting in the way its washing up, babysitters and nightshifts!

2 - Practice with Ben (my son whose just got a uke)

3 - Don't spend all day Sundays playing and blogging!

banjo blues


Listen! Same little riff but slowed down a bit and played in a two finger pick and strum style.

On Top Of Old Smoky

Across the Appalachians with a banjo

There's a great article by Rose Skelton (pictured) in the Observer this weekend about travelling in the Blue Ridge Mountains looking for banjo lessons.

You'll find it at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/jan/23/music-appalachian-mountains-kentucky-america

Wish there were some around here!

bit o country blues

Sunday 16 January 2011

Tim Lee's Artwork

Looking through the list of followers to the site the other day I came across Tim Lee's Artwork site. Tim is a painter, illustrator and musician and his site is full of fantastic surreal paintings, including this one, entitled 'Banjo Boy'!

If you'd like to see more of Tim's art click in the post title or the above link. Inspiring.

Saturday 15 January 2011

Electric Boogie


This little baby is brill. For such a tiny box you can get a real dirty sound and it all run off a 9 volt battery!
Listen!

Friday 14 January 2011

Mike Iverson's Clawhammer Site



The Tab for Chicken Reel in 'C' tuning and loads of other stuff can be found at Mike Iverson's site which has loads of clawhammer related stuff on it including sound greta sound files to accompany his tab!

http://www.bluesageband.com/Tabs.html

Thursday 13 January 2011

Chicken Reel II



This guy gets a lovely sound out of this tune. He nearly loses his cluck half way through but good effort.
Think I need to speed up.

Friday 7 January 2011

Tuesday 4 January 2011

That's My Boy!

My son Ben's been taking uke lessons at school and for christmas we got him his very own ukulele. But Ben's sick of, as he puts it, 'old fat guys on you tube' so here's his answer to folk music on the net.
If only I was young enough to get away with a Flying V!