He has 3 tunes he plays on a Masters of the Banjo cd and I'm wondering if that is John Doyle playing with him on guitar? It sounds an awful lot like him but the guitar sounds funky , like its in another tuning which could be but wasn't sure. Can anybody help me out on this? Thanks.
At Lark camp, the first day I played a set of jigs that I thought sounded good together. The last day of camp I played the same set. Seamus: "you play like a monkey, always the same."
I played a set of tunes off of a rather unknown CD. Seamus: "Can't you think of anything orignal to play?"
Now, I wasn't special at all in his special sort of love. He reserved his most potent weapons for the other banjo players. Seamus: "You play that thing like you've got your grandfather's d**k up you a**."
Got to love Seamus Egan... (west coast). Really, the world would be a much less fun place without the likes of a wit and mind like his. And this hommage is without a mention of the raw force of his extraordinary talent.
I was speaking of the non-Solas Seamus Egan, the banjo phenom who lives (or lived, I don't know) and plays on the west coast. East coast Seamus plays guitar and flute and hangs out with a band named Solas (I'm sure east coast S.E. plays banjo too, but that doesn't seem like an intrument he is particularly known for),
Floss is right - that's east coast Seamus on the Masters of the Banjo album. I believe he plays in CGDA, whereas west coast Seamus plays in GDAE. Of course Doyle was in Solas, as well.
Sorry for any mix-up I might've caused. I most certainly was talking about the Solas Seamus Egan. I had no idea there was another Seamus Egan. So Solas Egan plays in CGDA? That wouldn't be any harder to pick up than GDAE would it? I'm pretty familiar with GDAE from the violin , so picking up melody is easier in that tuning.
Does anyone know what style of tenor he plays with , ie long neck , short neck exctera? Thanks folks. Also , what brands of tenor are good to look at if one were to look into buying one?
It would be cool to find out that tuning John's using on those tunes he's playing with Seamus on. It sure didn't sound quite like dropped D and I'm pretty familiar with John Doyle's playing.
(1) It is the east coast (Solas) Seamus on the Masters of the Banjo album.
(2) It is indeed Johnny D backing him up in drop-D tuning, however, bare in mind that this was recorded some dozen years ago or more and John was still developing his style and chord voicings, plus at that time he was playing a crappy, cheap Takamine guitar, so he sounds quite different.
(3) East coast Seamus uses GDAE tuning on a standard 19 fret tenor. Indeed, both his nylon string and electric guitars also have the top 4 strings tuned to GDAE which is how he gets such a flow when he flatpicks them. He is well-known for his banjo playing having at least one All-Ireland on banjo if not more. Killer mando player as well.
Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
He has 3 tunes he plays on a Masters of the Banjo cd and I'm wondering if that is John Doyle playing with him on guitar? It sounds an awful lot like him but the guitar sounds funky , like its in another tuning which could be but wasn't sure. Can anybody help me out on this? Thanks.
# Posted on July 18th 2008 by JD-DHguitar
Re: Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
According to allmusic.com, John Doyle gets a guitar credit on the album. So it seems plausible that it's him.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ajfexqrgldfe~T2
John plays often, but not exclusively, in dropped-D.
# Posted on July 19th 2008 by MTGuru
Re: Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
Seamus Egan ... west coast version no doubt.
What a character.
What an understatement.
At Lark camp, the first day I played a set of jigs that I thought sounded good together. The last day of camp I played the same set. Seamus: "you play like a monkey, always the same."
I played a set of tunes off of a rather unknown CD. Seamus: "Can't you think of anything orignal to play?"
Now, I wasn't special at all in his special sort of love. He reserved his most potent weapons for the other banjo players. Seamus: "You play that thing like you've got your grandfather's d**k up you a**."
Got to love Seamus Egan... (west coast). Really, the world would be a much less fun place without the likes of a wit and mind like his. And this hommage is without a mention of the raw force of his extraordinary talent.
# Posted on July 19th 2008 by Eliot
Re: Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
To quote Winifred Horan from the Solas Reunion DVD concerning Seamus Egan:
"He's a force to be reckoned with."
# Posted on July 19th 2008 by pbassnote
Re: Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
So confusing--which Seamus E are we, is this...will the real Seamus E please stand up?
Sounds like the West Coast Seamus E would rip me a new one as well.
# Posted on July 19th 2008 by InSearchofCraic
Re: Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
I was speaking of the non-Solas Seamus Egan, the banjo phenom who lives (or lived, I don't know) and plays on the west coast. East coast Seamus plays guitar and flute and hangs out with a band named Solas (I'm sure east coast S.E. plays banjo too, but that doesn't seem like an intrument he is particularly known for),
# Posted on July 19th 2008 by Eliot
Re: Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
Dearie me, Eliot, East coast Seamus was noted as a tenor banjo wiz in his teens and it is definitely him on the 'Masters of Banjo' album.
# Posted on July 19th 2008 by Floss the Tethers
Re: Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
Floss is right - that's east coast Seamus on the Masters of the Banjo album. I believe he plays in CGDA, whereas west coast Seamus plays in GDAE. Of course Doyle was in Solas, as well.
# Posted on July 20th 2008 by mando1946
Re: Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
Ah then, apologies for the mix up. West Coast SE still has the personality described, nonetheless. And East Coast SE is mind blowing.
# Posted on July 20th 2008 by Eliot
Re: Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
Sorry for any mix-up I might've caused. I most certainly was talking about the Solas Seamus Egan. I had no idea there was another Seamus Egan. So Solas Egan plays in CGDA? That wouldn't be any harder to pick up than GDAE would it? I'm pretty familiar with GDAE from the violin , so picking up melody is easier in that tuning.
Does anyone know what style of tenor he plays with , ie long neck , short neck exctera? Thanks folks. Also , what brands of tenor are good to look at if one were to look into buying one?
# Posted on July 21st 2008 by JD-DHguitar
Re: Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
It would be cool to find out that tuning John's using on those tunes he's playing with Seamus on. It sure didn't sound quite like dropped D and I'm pretty familiar with John Doyle's playing.
# Posted on July 21st 2008 by JD-DHguitar
Re: Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
On the Solas Reunion DVD, Seamus is playing a short-necked banjo.
# Posted on July 22nd 2008 by pbassnote
Re: Seamus Egan tenor banjo playing.....
To clear this up:
(1) It is the east coast (Solas) Seamus on the Masters of the Banjo album.
(2) It is indeed Johnny D backing him up in drop-D tuning, however, bare in mind that this was recorded some dozen years ago or more and John was still developing his style and chord voicings, plus at that time he was playing a crappy, cheap Takamine guitar, so he sounds quite different.
(3) East coast Seamus uses GDAE tuning on a standard 19 fret tenor. Indeed, both his nylon string and electric guitars also have the top 4 strings tuned to GDAE which is how he gets such a flow when he flatpicks them. He is well-known for his banjo playing having at least one All-Ireland on banjo if not more. Killer mando player as well.
All the best,
Zac
# Posted on August 3rd 2008 by Flute_boy