Little Log Cabin Round the Lane - Uncle John Scruggs (1928)

I've been reading 'Escaping the Delta' by Elijah Wald and in one chapter he mentions a piece of film about Uncle John Scruggs from 1928. Two minutes later there it is on Youtube, and its a fantastic clip.

Frog Chorus

Today felt like the first day of spring, sunshine, blue skies, and frogs having sex in the pond and making a lot of noise about it. Lucky buggers!

Big River

We tried out a cover of Johnny Cash's Big River last night and its one of those songs that, once you get going on it, its hard to stop. As you can hear we haven't quite worked out how to stop but bloody good fun, as they say.

Its also a chance for Mark, our drummer, to throw away his brushes and start hitting the kit. He's the shy retiring type, for a drummer, but he's recently started to give it some - when he remembers to bring two sticks that is!

Doc Brown's part Trois

Return of the cigar box guitar/banjo/whatever

After making a banjo with uncle Harry last year and learning from the master, I decided it was time to try a solo effort. I tried my hand at a cigar box uke with ham-fisted and disastrous consequences, but after the banjo made an acceptable sound I was inspired to have another go. And here's the results. It doesn't look too pretty at the moment but that's cos I've been trying to get it to sound ok first, and here's the result.

It's tuned in open G and its got four strings so is it a guitar or a banjo? who knows or cares.
What's important is that it makes a sound - and seeing as how there's been almost no set up - a surprisingly pleasing one.

Alice Charmers at Doc Browns

Here's two vids of out recent set at Doc Brown's in Boro.

Salty Dog Blues

Salty dog blues has become one of those tunes I love to play. It's become a practice tune which lets me work around the finger board. This version combines open chord forms with four finger chords and barre chords and I like to play it till I've had enough - or everyone else has.
The chords are a ragtime progression E7, A, D7, G. It's a Flatt & Scruggs standard but I like the more bluesy and ragtime versions by artists like Mississippi John Hurt.

Folly - Chris Knott

Really like this little guitar tune by Chris Knott over at Strikes a chord on Posterous