Topcliffe Jam-boree

This looks like a real lads den (dart board etc), which it might well turn out to be. It happens to be the Old Toll Booth in Topcliffe (full story on the GNS), North Yorkshire and it was the latest venue for a string band get together. It was also the first time that Virtual networks turned into Actual ones, as we were joined by Steve who has been on NBB before. He's quite an accomplished player on the quiet, and although we only had a couple of hours, it appears a good time was had by all. Thanks lads.
Also the pub is within spitting distance, so we just had to afterwards!

Spanish Lady... as it should sound

The Trials and Tribulations of the Spanish Lady...

Or, Thanks, Ken Perlman!!!

Ken Perlman & Craig Duncan

Couldn't find any film of Ken Playing Spanish Lady so here he is playing Leather Britches.

Cedric Down Under... I'm trying fella!

This week I have mostly been playing... Spanish Lady

Celtic Fiddle Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo by Ken Perlman
This week I've been slaving over 'Spanish Lady' from Ken Perlman's book on fiddle tunes for the banjo.
It's a slightly different approach to frailing as there are far fewer strums in the playing pattern, and it requires a lot of accuracy to get the picking patterns right. Which is why I've not posted any audio - cos I'm still terrible at it.

It's a great book, probably not for beginners - in fact definitely not for beginners - but it's got loads of tunes which have thier roots in European folk traditions. The CD that comes with it has bare bones clear, and relatively slow versions of each song so you can at least pick up the melody, before you drive yourself insane with the dreaded 'triplets'... ahhhh.

It was playing sandy River Belle that got me started on this clawhammer vibe, so blame her.

Back in the Shack

Bye Bye.

Hey you crazy kids.

Thanks for putting up with me for the last however many days! If you`ve liked what you`ve had visit me at http://thegreatnorthstrum.blogspot.com/

If you haven`t, keep on with Andy, He`s a genuinely brilliant fella.

Thanks to Andy,

Mark!

Oh I`ve not gone yet. I`ll be supporting these girls on the 7th May at the Crown in Boro, if you can get there!





Mark.

Live banjo!

I recently played a gig at a pretty rough pub in Boro, but the drum on a stick went down pretty well.



Cheers,

Mark.

Dan and Dan

"These" chaps are fantastic.








Mark.

Postcard from the edge, or strum stick lust!

Having happy hols thought I'd send you a postcard.

Just been in Hobgoblin Music and have got the lust for a strum stick dulcimer.

Also had a bash at a £1,000.00 vega but not that impressed, not a grand better sound!

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Cripple Blues Rundown.

Hope this makes sense



Mark.

Mean Mary and Sufjan Stevens

Here`s some stuff I`ve been viewing lately.

Greeting from GNS!

Evening all,

Mark here from The Great North Strum. NBB has asked me to be guest editor this week, whilst he is off sunning himself in sweeter climes than North Yorkshire. any stuff you`d like posting, just send to me via markdavies23@hotmail.co.uk. In the meantime here`s a couple of vids I hope you may like,






Cheers,

Mark.

Two more John Henrys

I love this tune and there's loads of versions of it. Here's two more versions to see me off on my Easter hols.

Mississippi John Hurt


Springsteen

Woody, Brownie & Sonny - 'John Henry'

Mark Davies - Guest Editor

I'm away next week, so Mark from the Great North Strum has kindly offered to take over as editor for the week.
Look forward to some more of his left leaning guitar stylee...

Down Thumbing?!?!?

I've tried finger picking, strumming, down picking, frailing, up picking, drop thumbing, how about down thumbing? I'm not sure what else to call it. I was messing around trying out different ways of plucking this drum on a stick, and I came up with picking with the thumb, and combining it with a strum-thumb that I picked up from the uke and guitar. Its got a fuller, softer sound to the more strident down picking with the back of the finger nail. What d'you think?

Old Time Fiddle Tunes

Old Time Fiddle Tunes
There's some great stuff out there this site has sheet music, midis and recordings of Old time, bluegrass, celtic tunes. They'e all been transcribed by John Lamancusa.

I found it while looking for the chords or tab for Margaret's Waltz played in the Dobro Dojo video from you tube I posted recently.

OK Day by Pee Bee

O. K. Day by P. B. "Peebee" Guttenburg  
Download now or listen on posterous

O.K.Day.mp3 (3480 KB)

 Hi N.B.B.

Here is another one of my musings in song form.
A chance comment from a friend of mine (the Stephen mentioned in the song) after the funeral of Alex F (see previous post) started me off and here is the result
-for all absent friends and lovers.

PeeBee

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