Searching for Little Sadie
When I began my bluegrass banjo journey as an innocent pre-teen, I remember coming across a little ditty called "Little Sadie". I had recently bought a Doc Watson record (yes, we all listened to vinyl back in those days), and I remember listening to him sing this rueful tale of a man who, while out for a evening stroll, runs into a certain Little Sadie and blows her away with his 44. Pretty...
DEMYSTIFYING THE ALTERNATE-STRING PLUCK
In my years teaching clawhammer banjo, I’ve found that once students have mastered some of the more basic mechanics (i.e. bum-ditty, pull-offs, slides, hammer-ons, simple chords, drop-thumb, rhythm fundamentals), things generally go smoothly up to a point – that is, until another subtle yet slightly more complex left-hand maneuver is introduced: the alternate-string/left-hand pluck. True, this...
THE OPEN-BACK BANJO VS. RESONATOR DEBATE
In the decades I’ve spent teaching 5-string banjo, a fairly common (and thoroughly reasonable) question usually crops among banjo newcomers just before the first lesson. This question takes many different forms, but usually goes something like this…“What kind of banjo should I buy, an open-back banjo or a resonator banjo?” or, “What’s the difference between an open-back banjo and a resonator...
MASTERING THE BAR CHORD
Since I began teaching banjo some three plus decades ago, I’ve had the pleasure of helping hundreds of banjo students attain a level of facility on the instrument. Along the way, I’ve noticed a common issue that most students wrestle with at one time or another along their banjo journey. This particular issue seems to rear its ugly head somewhere around the second month of lessons. The...
BATTLE OF THE FINGERPICKS: METAL VERSUS PLASTIC
If you’ve recently embarked on your bluegrass banjo journey and have begun looking at fingerpicks (or perhaps have already bought a set), you’ve probably noticed that both fingerpicks and thumbpicks come in two basic varieties: metal and plastic. So which do you choose? Banjo instruction books aren’t much help in this department - the vast majority of them never even touch upon this question....
THE CLAWHAMMER CONUNDRUM: INDEX VERSUS MIDDLE FINGER
Poring over online clawhammer forums this morning, I was struck by the amount of confusion there is over which finger to use – index or middle - in the clawhammer strum. Before I take a crack at this question, let me first provide some background. When I started learning clawhammer back in the mid-2000s, I began by watching videos of a few teachers demonstrating the basic strum, or “bum-ditty”....
REFRAMING THE DROP-THUMB
Thinking back to the days when I was beginning my clawhammer journey, I remember picking up a copy of Ken Perlman’s “Everything You Wanted to Know About Clawhammer Banjo” at my local library. That night, I began working through the book starting from page one. Things seemed to be going smoothly for the next three weeks - that is, until I got to the section on drop-thumb. Suddenly I hit a wall....
FINGER PICKS: SCRAPING THE SURFACE
As a banjo teacher with years of experience helping beginning banjo students find their sea legs as bluegrass players, one issue that always seems to crop up is the age-old problem of getting your picks to stop scraping against the drum head while playing. And, as with pretty much every other issue a banjo student might encounter, there’s more than one solution. Let’s start with the thumbpick....
FRETLESS BANJO – NO NEED TO…(ahem)…FRET OVER IT
(Above photo courtesy of Rhiannon Giddens) If you’re somewhat new to banjo, one thing you may have noticed is how many different types of banjos are actually out there. Banjos with resonators, open-back banjos, 4-string banjos, banjos with ridiculously long necks (known as plectrum banjos). You may have also noticed another type of banjo - one with a particularly odd feature that sets it apart...
Video: How To Use Banjo Mountain
Welcome to Banjo Mountain! This video breaks down how the site works and will help get you up and running quickly. You'll learn how to start a course, mark a lesson complete, track your progress as well as navigate the site.
Get The Most Out of Banjo Mountain
Welcome! We couldn't be more pleased to have you at the Mountain and we want to make sure that your path to learning banjo starts off smoothly! Here are some tips to help you make the most out of Banjo Mountain. 1. Decide Which Style You Will Learn: Bluegrass or Clawhammer? Which style of banjo you choose to play is an important decision for a beginner. Most new players don't know the...
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: ABIGAIL WASHBURN
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: ABIGAIL WASHBURN photo courtesy of abigailwashburn.com THE SONG THAT CAUGHT OUR EAR:Abigail Washburn Country of Origin: U.S.A. (Illinois) Style: Clawhammer Current Album: Echo In The Valley (2017) FROM ABIGAIL'S WEBSITE: If American old-time music is about taking earlier, simpler ways of life and music-making as one's model, Abigail Washburn has proven herself to be a...
Artist Spotlight: Adam Hurt
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: ADAM HURT photo courtesy of adamhurt.com THE SONG THAT CAUGHT OUR EAR:Adam Hurt Country of Origin: U.S.A. (Minnesota) Style: Clawhammer Current Album: Artifacts OUR THOUGHTS: Adam hurt is arguably one of the most innovative and influential banjo players currently playing in traditional/clawhammer style. Adam has described his playing as, “elegantly innovative clawhammer...
Artist Spotlight: Dan Walsh
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: DAN WALSH photo courtesy of https://www.danwalshbanjo.co.uk THE SONG THAT CAUGHT OUR EAR: Dan Walsh Country of Origin: U.K. Banjo of choice: Deering Banjos + D’addario strings Style: Clawhammer (+magic??!) Current Project: Dan Walsh Trio OUR THOUGHTS: If you haven't heard Dan Walsh you are missing out on a truly original banjoist. The above track "The Vaults" barely...
CLAWHAMMER BANJO VS. BLUEGRASS BANJO: WHICH STYLE SHOULD YOU LEARN?
So, you’ve got your hands on your first 5-string banjo and now (naturally) you want to learn how to play the darn thing. And that’s when you make the discovery: there’s actually two styles of playing - clawhammer and bluegrass - common to the 5-string. So how the heck do you decide which one to learn?? Before this question can be tackled, we’ll need to examine these two distinct styles of...
We Released 12 Songs This Summer!
Well, gang, it’s been one helluva summer. Hope yours was fantastic and that you were able to find some time for the three “R”s - relaxing, reflecting and recharging….Oh, and playing your banjo, of course. Can't forget that one. Over here at the Mountain we’ve been working on overdrive since May arranging, shooting and editing a wide variety of new songs - songs that will further challenge you...
FIVE FUN PLACES TO PLAY YOUR BANJO THIS SUMMER
TAKE IT OUTSIDE: FIVE FUN PLACES TO PLAY YOUR BANJO THIS SUMMER I think we can all agree everyone needs a change of scenery from the monotony of our daily routines every now and then - a place to unwind, recharge and get a fresh perspective on things. I've found this especially true when learning an instrument - particularly an instrument that's portable. And while we rarely ever take this into...
The Importance (and fun) of Bluegrass Festivals
Topanga Banjo & Fiddle Festival 2016 Bluegrass Festival Season Well, gang, it's that time again - bluegrass festival season! And in my neck the woods it's already in full bloom. As a matter of fact, in less than a week one of the most iconic of all Southern California bluegrass festivals gets underway - the Topanga Banjo & Fiddle contest. Topanga Banjo & Fiddle...
The Best Way To Learn Banjo
Start Today So, you say you've always wanted to learn banjo? Perhaps it's a dream you've harbored ever since you were young? Your number one goal in life before you die, you say? In the decades I've been teaching banjo, I can't count the number of times I've heard people express sentiments like this. It is, without exception, one of the most common refrains I hear from people whenever the...
PICKS OR NO PICKS: PICKING YOUR WAY THROUGH THE PICKING PICKLE
In the years I've spent teaching bluegrass banjo, I've often been asked by students if it's imperative to use fingerpicks. Perhaps you, too, have grappled with this question and have sought advice from "experts". If you go online, you'll notice the majority of people weighing in on the picks/no picks issue are fairly inflexible on the subject. Almost without exception, the consensus is a...
