This is my weather tune - April Snow. I couldn't get any words to work so it's just a banjo instrumental!
Monday, 30 April 2012
April Snow
This is my weather tune - April Snow. I couldn't get any words to work so it's just a banjo instrumental!
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Rutherford Banjo No2
When Harry sadly died earlier this year he was working on another banjo. He'd decided that making one instrument could be a fluke, and if you could really do it, you should be able to do it again. He asked me to order all the hardware and then everything went quite while he got on with it.
I think he was a bit put out that the first banjo wasn't perfect first time and that some of the secrets of the luthier's craft ie the set up of the instrument weren't covered that well in the plans and instructions that we'd used. In particular, the subtle two degree angle of the neck to the body, although in the plans wasn't mentioned. We thought this was a fault in the plans, cut the neck so that it was flush with the head and on first playing the banjo had a very high action and fretted increasingly sharp as you moved towards the twelfth fret. It took a couple more goes before we finally got it right and I think Harry decided that he was going to do it all again, but this time he was going to get it right first time.
This is a photo of the results the, Rutherford Banjo No2, and he did get it right first time. When we came to start clearing the house in the bedroom we found a finished instrument just waiting to be strung. I knew he'd got quite a long way as we'd talked about getting together to look at his progress. I'm just glad that he'd had time to finish the instrument before he died.
Harry made a few improvements on No1. First of all he got the neck set up spot on first time, no fiddling about with the perch pole this time! He'd mastered the fretting and the finish on the fingerboard is very good and he'd always been a bit sniffy about the size of the peg head, so the new one is slightly larger.
In fact there were only two things to sort out before it could be played. We'd bought a nylon 5th string peg which proved to be rubbish and as soon as the string was tensioned it started to distort. I'd kept a bit of bone from the previous banjo so I carved a new one. It needed a replacement tuner as one had gotten damaged and wasn't working, and that was it. I strung it, tuned it, and it was sweet - first time...
I'm not sure what he was planning to do with this one. He'd joked about learning to play himself, but I have sneaking suspicion that he was going to give it to my brother, and that's what's going to happen to it.
Here's a comparison of the two.
No2 on the left and No1 on the right
and here's a sample of what it sounds like.
I think he was a bit put out that the first banjo wasn't perfect first time and that some of the secrets of the luthier's craft ie the set up of the instrument weren't covered that well in the plans and instructions that we'd used. In particular, the subtle two degree angle of the neck to the body, although in the plans wasn't mentioned. We thought this was a fault in the plans, cut the neck so that it was flush with the head and on first playing the banjo had a very high action and fretted increasingly sharp as you moved towards the twelfth fret. It took a couple more goes before we finally got it right and I think Harry decided that he was going to do it all again, but this time he was going to get it right first time.
This is a photo of the results the, Rutherford Banjo No2, and he did get it right first time. When we came to start clearing the house in the bedroom we found a finished instrument just waiting to be strung. I knew he'd got quite a long way as we'd talked about getting together to look at his progress. I'm just glad that he'd had time to finish the instrument before he died.
In fact there were only two things to sort out before it could be played. We'd bought a nylon 5th string peg which proved to be rubbish and as soon as the string was tensioned it started to distort. I'd kept a bit of bone from the previous banjo so I carved a new one. It needed a replacement tuner as one had gotten damaged and wasn't working, and that was it. I strung it, tuned it, and it was sweet - first time...I'm not sure what he was planning to do with this one. He'd joked about learning to play himself, but I have sneaking suspicion that he was going to give it to my brother, and that's what's going to happen to it.
No2 on the left and No1 on the right
and here's a sample of what it sounds like.
Monday, 23 April 2012
Keys to the Highway
Pat and Patrick Costello have been keeping a relatively low profile on the web for the last few months, and I have to say I miss the old Daily Frail, but it appears the guys are back. Keys to the Highway is a new internet radio show/podcast by Pat and Patrick which features some great blues, country, old time and bluegrass music - served with a double order of cheese.
Its a subscription run programme so support your local banjo player!
Here's episode 8
Its a subscription run programme so support your local banjo player!
Here's episode 8
Saturday, 21 April 2012
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Oh Joy!
We had a go at Soldier's Joy the other night with and without the young'uns. Carl was playing mandolin and it worked best in D so at first I had the banjo tuned in C and capoed at the first fret, but it sounded a big clunky with guitar as well. So I tried it G tuned and capoed up to the 5th! which sounds very high and strange but seemed to work well with the mando and guitar, so I think that's how we'll try it at the moment.
Here's Soldier's Joy in G capoed at the 5th ie in D.
Here's Soldier's Joy in G capoed at the 5th ie in D.
Monday, 16 April 2012
Young Charmers
We had a bit of help from Tom and Harry at a recent practice . This was the first time they've sat in with us. Harry on guitar and Tommy on snare.
Love those jazz chords Harry you take after your dad!
Monday, 9 April 2012
Friday, 6 April 2012
Soldier's Joy in D
I've been playing Harry's banjo in double C tuning and this is a pretty basic version of Soldier's Joy with a capo on the second fret.
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
The Broken Broadcast
Mark from Great North Strum has a single out with his 'other' band (ie proper) The Broken Broadcast and its bloody good! Get over to GNS and see when they are playing.
I think he's only appears in the video twice, but its a quality two seconds!
Sunday, 1 April 2012
St Anne's Reel
Since I posted Broonkind's version on the blog a couple of weeks ago I've been obsessing about this tune.
I picked up a tab from Mike Iverson's Clahammer site (see side bar) which has a loads of free tabs and audio versions to compare.
as you can hear i'm still struggling to hang on to the tune but it's getting there. The second part of the tune is a touch tricky with triplets and hammer-ons so i've simplified it down for now to get into the tune.
This was played on the Rutherford No1 tuned in double c with a capo on the second fret.
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