October Jam

Got together with the boys for a jam and here are the results.

Cripple Creek


Foggy Mountain Breakdown


Cowboy Waltz


Irish Washerwoman


John Henry

Country Anarchy

PB writes:

Hi N.B.B.
feeling lonesome up here on Carson's Crag -the family have gone down to Hawthorne to visit her sister and
trying to play the "Bump Ditty " was driving me up the cabin wall so I thought I'd try a song by that old timey band the Sex Pistols
give it a listen !or check out www.myspace.com/pbguttenburg

Country Anarchy


keep on pluckin'

PeeBee

Sounds brilliant fella. I also liked 'Don't let the bankers get your dough'. I'm sure Woody would approve of the sentiment. Keep in touch NBB.

Cowboy Waltz on ukulele

or... caught playing with myself!

The worst moment - Mrs NBB burst into the room as I'm sat at the computer. 'Are you playing with yourself?' she asks. 'Er, yeah I suppose I am', is the embarrassed reply. But luckily I was only playing along with myself, phew. I was trying to play along with the banjo version of Cowboy Waltz which I posted a couple of days ago, so that I could work it our on the uke.

This sticky situation was brought to you by Bruce in Cornwall, who has been following the Cowboy Waltz pieces recently but needed a bit of help to get it right on the uke. So, here's my first online tutorial - Cowboy Waltz on the uke.


banjo version

Fingerpicking

I had another go at Cowboy Waltz, and I think I've nearly got it. Still a bit out on the melody with the hammer-ons, but almost.



Also, since the fingerpicking seems to be coming on, I've been working on a simple chord progression 1/4/5 in C to get my right hand in. It's got the same structure as the progression in F that I was doing on the uke a while back. C/C/F/F/C/C/G7/C/F/C/G7/C

Cowboy Waltz

Hopefully getting together with the lads this week for another jam, so I thought I'd have a go at getting my head around Carl's song 'Cowboy Waltz'. It's G/C/D in 3/4 time and previously we've played it with frailing and finger picking banjos, but it's never quite worked, so I thought this was good time to work on my fingerpicking on the banjo after making some headway picking the uke.

It's not quite all there but I'm get it!

Rolling Mills

Just found a brilliant version of George Landers 'Rollin Mills' on You Tube by a guy called Jamie Blakeley - crackin!

Country Blues

Thought I'd have ago while the flu has given me a deep grumble - also an American accent which is odd!

Country Blues
Dock Boggs (Traditional)

Come all you good time people,
While I've got money to spend,
Tomorrow might be Monday
And I'll neither have a dollar nor a friend.

When I had plenty of money, good people,
My friends were all standing around,
Just as soon as my pocket book was empty,
Not a friend on earth to be found.

Last time I seen my little woman, good people,
She had a wine glass in her hand;
She was drinking down her troubles
With a low-down sorry man.

Oh, my daddy taught me a-plenty, good people;
My mama, she taught me more.
If I didn't quit my rowdy ways,
Have trouble at my door.

I wrote my woman a letter, good people;
I told her I's in jail.
She wrote me back an answer
Saying "Honey, I'm a-coming to go your bail."

All around this old jailhouse is haunted, good people;
Forty dollars won't pay my fine.
Corn whisky has surrounded my body, poor boy,
Pretty women is a-troubling my mind.

Give me corn bread when I'm hungry, good people;
Corn whiskey when I'm dry;
Pretty women a-standing around me;
Sweet heaven when I die.

If I'd a-listened to my mama, good people,
I wouldn't have been here today;
But a-drinking and a-shooting and a-gambling,
At home I cannot stay.

Go dig a hole in the meadow, good people,
Go did a hole in the ground.
Come around all you good people
And see this poor rounder go down.

When I am dead and buried
My pale face turned to the sun,
You can come around and mourn, little woman,
And think the way you have done.

Chris Helme - In The Dock

Kate writes:

Hot on the heels of the Fleet Foxes' J.Tillman, In The Dock's fastest selling gig, comes Yorkshireman and Seahorse singer, Chris Helme on November 6, supported by The Lost Brothers.

Chris Helme is described by some as having a voice like he's the love child of Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald. Whether that's true or not, he's certainly an undeniable talent (and a North Yorkshire one at that). John Squire could see it when he handpicked him to head up his post-Stone Roses project, The Seahorses, in the late nineties. After a string of hit singles, 2 world tours and a top ten album the band went their separate ways. Chris returned home to work on his own music and that's when five-piece band 'The Yards' was formed with fellow York musicians and their eponymous first album was released in 2005.

Fast forward three years and you see the solo fruits of this accomplished and experienced musician, whose song writing and singing possesses a honed craft and emotional depth that these days are often hard to find. On stage at The Old Courthouse he'll be performing from his debut solo album, Ashes, which reflects a stripped down sort of sound that echoes the early acoustic work of Neil Young with hints of Tim Buckley-esque vocals. Many of the songs feature only lightly finger picked guitar lines and Helme's emotive vocals: a treat for any acoustic fan.

Supporting the wonderful work of Chris Helme is Irish duo, The Lost Brothers. A pure love of music brought this pair together and their shared passion ensures that the music they make has every bit of them in it. Their smooth voices coast effortlessly over their uplifting, yet subdued, melodies. Though their roots are most certainly in Ireland, you're charmed by the country influences and the Simon & Garfunkel type harmonies. This is the sort of music that sooner or later you'll find your toe involuntarily tapping to as it consumes you in a big bubble of downright loveliness.

Chris Helme and The Lost Brothers will be playing at The Old Courthouse, Thirsk on Friday 6 November, doors 7pm, tickets £10. To buy tickets visit http://www.inthedock.net/, or call 01845 595 980.

Country Blues

Felt a lot better today, and spent a few hours with the Dock Boggs 'Country Blues' tune, and I think I've nearly cracked it. This is a snippet of Dock's version that he recorded for Smithsonian Folkways in the 60s as the 20s version is poor sound quality.

The Treble C tuning, if that's what it's called, has a weired, bluesy, mountain feel to it. Although, to be totally authentic you'd have to match the DB picking and strumming action, which is just too difficult for me to copy.

Mike Seeger made a real good attempt on his 'Southern Banjo Sounds' album, which is a masterpiece in it's own right - that fella's gonna be missed.

Country Blues

Cripple Creek - Sesame St version

This is about the best version of this song going - fantastic!

Country Blues

I haven't tried any alternative tunings on the banjo yet, but Stephen's tab for Dock Boggs' Country Blues, which he posted on Tangier Sound, has inspired me to give it a try. I get a bit fed up of some banjo players who are constantly re-tuning, but Stephens's tab sounds great and as it is related to one of the tunes that got me wanting to play the banjo, I thought I'd give it a try. The tab is set out for gCGCC which must be Treble C (or something weird), or Double C tuning gCGCD.

Been a bit sick the last couple of days, so the audio version will follow soon. Until then here's Stephen and Jim Pankey doing 'Country Blues'.

F in Uke (or uke in F)

Finally got the digital recorder back from the Nephrons and thought I'd get some audio posted. This is a simple I, IV, V chord progression in the key of F on the uke that I've been messing about with. The chord progression is F/Bflat/C7 which is the I,IV,V chords fron the key of F. It'd be G,C,D7 in key of G, but I think in F it has a slightly bittersweet feel to it which is lost in old bouncy happy key of G.

Abby Says...

Andrew,
I just picked up the banjo two weeks ago and started learningclawhammer. I don't have a teacher either and haven't played anythingbefore. I was glad to see your blog -- I know I'm not alone!
Peace,
Abby

Just keep playing and try and enjoy it.
As I've metioned before, Patrick at www.dailyfrail.com has loads of stuff for beginners.
But if you ever feel like sharing what you've learned send me some audio or a bit of video.

J Tillman - In The Dock

A sell out night in Thirsk for a perfomance by Josh Tillman from Fleet Foxes.
I took some video (but it was crap) so here's a clip from You Tube so that you can see what you missed - 'Master's House'.


Coming up:


Chris Helme - November 6th 2009
Yorkshire man Chris Helme headlines this double bill. Chris first came to fame singing with John Squire's Seahorses but has since cut out a successful solo career. The Fly describes him as 'one of the most eloquent and raucously British voices in the last two decades'.

The Lost Brothers, are an Irish duo hailing from the mountains of Omagh and a mining town called Navan. Their acoustic Americana styled songs come from the heart, Mark and Oisin's voices carry a feeling of both strength and vulnerability and it captures the very essence of the human spirit.

www.myspace.com/chrishelmesolo
www.myspace.com/thelostbrothersmusic

More Cigar Box Uke

Or... 'Don't say I've got no neck'

I took Gus' advice and started to make my own neck! It's meant being a bit more considered than I usually am, and woodwork was never my best subject at school. But armed with workmate, tenon saw, jigsaw, chisel and rasp, it's coming together. I've bought a bridge off e-bay, as even with my new found carpentry skills, a fret saw was just too much - but it only cost £2, so hang the expense.

The original sound hole is a bit of a problem as you can see the new neck through it, but I'm thinking of perforating the bottom of a tin can to cover the hole, which should still allow resonance. I've noticed that a lot of cigar box ukes made to this design have four small sound holes instead, so maybe I'll give that at try.

Next I need to work on the head so that the tuning pegs will fit.

GUGUG - The Model

Here's Gus and Fin over at GUGUG having fun with a model.

Back to the Drawing Board

Decided to rethink the cigar box uke as the first one was load of rubbish. Although I had managed to create a freakish frankenstein instrument from the dismembered limbs of deceased ukuleles, and get a rudimentary sound from it, I hadn't really 'made' my own. I'd just reconstituted an old one.

Gus from Gugug got in touch and said that he was only happy after he'd made his own neck, and that the instrument was better for it. He suggested I have a look at Cigarbox Nation as they have some plans I could use. Which I did.

So look out for version two. I've cut a length of 2x1" and I'll finish shaping it tomorrow. I've cut holes in the body of the cigar box, as the neck will run right through the body. It'll look a lot more crude(if that's possible) but It'll have 'integrity'.

Watch this space!

back to basics

Paul's been in touch again and has been over to Tangier Sound. He liked the fact that Patrick makes learning to play seem like fun, and it should be, after all if you don't get a kick out of it, why bother?
Learning the basics and practicing can be long hours of frustration if it's not going right but eventually it does -little by little.
I don't know if you got to the frailing lesson one, Paul but if you didn't here it is again, and it's what it's all based on. Work on this and the rest will fall into place, eventually!



Patrick makes it seem easy, but to begin with for many people - me included - the frailing bump-ditty rhythm can sound very mechanical. It's just a matter of practice and time, keep going and it'll eventually become a single unconscious action. The act of down picking with the back of your nail can seem a very awkward method, and to begin with I followed Tim Jumper's suggestion of up-picking with the index finger and strumming with the back of the middle finger, until I'd got a sense of the timing. It does make sense to frail with the back of your finger nail eventually as its easier to really pick up speed in your playing if your hand only has to repeat a single action rather than two. Keep on frailing....

make your own diddley bow

Pete over at Strikes a Chord and Carl are both interested in making a diddley bow and I found a good piece of film of a guy making one.

More Guitar Tunes

Carl writes;

Heres a few more for the blog Andy. The first one is a tune I made up that sounds a bit Scottish. The second one sounds a bit like chiming bells (i think) and the third one is a rip off of Serious Sam Barretts "foggy foggy dew" hope you like them. carl
Scottish Reel


Bells of St Paul


Foggy Foggy Dew

Jesse James for Paul

Paul has written asking for a bit of input with the his banjo playing. Well, I'm no expert but I think that learning is about sharing and having fun, so if I can help.

As always it's worth visiting Patrick Costello at www.dailyfrail.com for the Daily frail which has a lot of searchable content which is what I've found invaluable while learning. Patrick's tab for Jesse James was one of the first things I learned all the way though. It's a simple melody and one you've got the verse chorus/pattern it pretty straight forward. This version is tabbed for frailing which is somewhat different from the bluegrass/scruggs style banjo on The Seeger Sessions version which Paul refered to in his email. I started out trying to play 3-finger picking but soon found that as I hadn't played any instrument before the complexity of learning the right hand picking patterns and the left hand fingering was getting in the way of enjoying playing the tune. I found a pick and strum technique then frailing (downpicking) a more natural method for me. It did take over twelve months practice before the frailing bump-ditty really clicked though.
So just keep playing Paul, and eventually it'll click in. Let me know if there's any other songs we can help with and maybe other people seeing the blog can share their knowledge too! Why not send me a bit of audio.

Just to make you feel better here's an early go at Jesse James.