Will the One “Right” Way to Play the 5-String Banjo Please Stand Up?

Originally posted September 18, 2015 So, I learned 5-string banjo in the 1960s, following the example of a variety of folk artists, especially Pete Seeger, who – despite being basically a frailer – had mastered several other techniques, and didn’t feel bad about adjusting his playing style to the song.…

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Memories . . .

Originally posted September 13, 2015 So, we’re cleaning up the basement after some 28 years of living in the same old house – a house we moved into in a hurry and where we have been randomly throwing stuff into the basement ever since. In the meantime, I’ve upgraded most…

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More about 12-strings

Originally Posted August 31, 2015 Twelve-string guitars have the low strings doubled an octave higher. This concept had long been used by members of the mandolin family, but wasn’t apparently carried over into the guitar family until the late 19th century. The extra high strings help the guitar sound louder…

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Who Owns Folk Songs?

Originally posted August 23, 2015 Folks working with traditional music often run into fake copyright notices on the sheet music they buy. One particular publisher often gets credit and even publishing royalties for recordings of songs that were written long before that company existed, only because they affixed a copyright…

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Added my first YouTube Video

Originally Posted August 12, 2015 Added my first YouTube. Mostly, I’m experimenting to see if I can get all the bits and pieces of my “web presence” talking to each other. It’s showing a 5-string beginners version of “Boil That Cabbage Down,” to accompany chapter 4 of my free banjo…

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