Just got back from a wonderful week of music workshops in Goderich, Ontario. It's so nice to get a psychological boost to learn more and get better - if for no other reason than to impress your classmates with your progress next year
Anyway, Ken Perlman (clawhammer banjo) conducted an excellent workshop on Appalachian music with Alan Jabbour (fiddle). It was striking to see how much influence Irish and Scottish music has had on American traditional music.
Finally, I get to the point: We listened to Ken play in a session at the Park House with numerous other traditional musicians on various instruments, and it all sounded great, especially the 5-string banjo!
I'm not sure a 5-string played Scruggs-style (using picks) would blend as seamlessly with the other instruments as did the clawhammer style (bare fingers).
'Tain't what you've got, it's what you do with it that counts. Treat the music and the people with respect, don't try to turn the whole thing into an old-timey jam, and you'll probably be OK in most sessions.
Hmmm. I'm not convinced. Even on Sweeney's Dream, the frailing banjo was too strong a spice and made Kevin Burke sound like he was playing old time. Frailing is like electric guitar: not saying it can't work with Irish music, but it changes the character so that it's not Irish trad anymore, but something else. Nothing wrong with that, it could still be brilliant music, but if I want that sound I'll go to an old-time jam. I don't.
Nice work there, croxton. But Keith-style picking is more or less just the melody, which you can do on a 4-string, except 4-string is easier, smoother, faster and you can put in the trebles that give the tune life. You can drive in a nail with the back of a wrench but it's not the best tool for the job.
But i think he does a bad job here .its quite hard to get flow.As you can see the tenor is much more suited to melody.1st time I seen bela being upstaged,ha http://youtu.be/3uxX6uydY20
Couple of things, here. First, there seems to be confusion in the last few posts between frailing the 5-string and Keith style, single string or classical picking. Frailing is a very distinctive sound. I love it in American old-time music.
Bela Fleck is a class player, but in that clip just doesn’t have the lift that O’Connor brings. Frankly, Bela’s playing sounds like a beginner’s with a few years session experience. And his arpeggiated backing behind the Cape Breton lassie’s strathspey doesn’t feel particularly Irish to me at all. If that’s all that one of the world’s best 5-string stylists can bring to a tune, then clearly it’s the wrong instrument for the genre.
The other links don’t seem to lead to anything that sounds to me like Irish-style frailing, either. I have the Buffalo in the Castle Cd, great stuff and they do their Irish tunes wonderfully. But their Americana tunes feel completely different. They’re a different style. The other link to the Bath folk concert leads to a fine band, brilliant musicians. But they’re playing jazzy folk fusion, not really what I think of as Irish.
i know what you mean.But this might be more traditional http://youtu.be/ehSTssRUTRk .at the start he does a lovely flowing playing somehow,hes definetely better than bela fleck at picking tunes out.
5-string banjo in a session?
5-string banjo in a session?
Just got back from a wonderful week of music workshops in Goderich, Ontario. It's so nice to get a psychological boost to learn more and get better - if for no other reason than to impress your classmates with your progress next year
Anyway, Ken Perlman (clawhammer banjo) conducted an excellent workshop on Appalachian music with Alan Jabbour (fiddle). It was striking to see how much influence Irish and Scottish music has had on American traditional music.
Finally, I get to the point: We listened to Ken play in a session at the Park House with numerous other traditional musicians on various instruments, and it all sounded great, especially the 5-string banjo!
I'm not sure a 5-string played Scruggs-style (using picks) would blend as seamlessly with the other instruments as did the clawhammer style (bare fingers).
# Posted on August 9th 2011 by dfost
Re: 5-string banjo in a session?
Clifford Essex Banjo Boudoir Grand, 100 + Yrs old, perfect condition, Liam on info@lmyoung.ie.
# Posted on August 9th 2011 by Liam Young
Re: 5-string banjo in a session?
It's more about Ken than the banjo. In lesser hands, 5 strings can really gum things up.
# Posted on August 9th 2011 by Steve L
Re: 5-string banjo in a session?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KZTBtC6cfI
I try this on occassion
# Posted on August 9th 2011 by croxton
Re: 5-string banjo in a session?
'Tain't what you've got, it's what you do with it that counts. Treat the music and the people with respect, don't try to turn the whole thing into an old-timey jam, and you'll probably be OK in most sessions.
And whatever you do, don't do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3RTPz6qxug&feature=related
# Posted on August 9th 2011 by skreech
Re: 5-string banjo in a session?
skreech, that guy cannot sing in tune with his banjo
# Posted on August 9th 2011 by Joseph Tailyour
Re: 5-string banjo in a session?
There's an old axiom: "It's the singer, not the song"
... but in this case, both are cr*p ...
# Posted on August 9th 2011 by Mix O'Lydian
Re: 5-string banjo in a session?
Hmmm. I'm not convinced. Even on Sweeney's Dream, the frailing banjo was too strong a spice and made Kevin Burke sound like he was playing old time. Frailing is like electric guitar: not saying it can't work with Irish music, but it changes the character so that it's not Irish trad anymore, but something else. Nothing wrong with that, it could still be brilliant music, but if I want that sound I'll go to an old-time jam. I don't.
Nice work there, croxton. But Keith-style picking is more or less just the melody, which you can do on a 4-string, except 4-string is easier, smoother, faster and you can put in the trebles that give the tune life. You can drive in a nail with the back of a wrench but it's not the best tool for the job.
# Posted on August 10th 2011 by fidkid
Re: 5-string banjo in a session?
Leon hunt does a pretty good job here .Bit of accompaniment and melody. http://youtu.be/aTbtJJz-VIE and
http://youtu.be/Zxf-FcjBJl0
Bela Fleck has a go here.More of an accompaniment here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36tQHm1yf30
But i think he does a bad job here .its quite hard to get flow.As you can see the tenor is much more suited to melody.1st time I seen bela being upstaged,ha
http://youtu.be/3uxX6uydY20
# Posted on August 10th 2011 by banjitar
Re: 5-string banjo in a session?
This band does a great job blending old-time and Irish trad, with clawhammer banjo throughout: http://www.buffalocastle.com/music.html
# Posted on August 10th 2011 by mcswiss
Re: 5-string banjo in a session?
Couple of things, here. First, there seems to be confusion in the last few posts between frailing the 5-string and Keith style, single string or classical picking. Frailing is a very distinctive sound. I love it in American old-time music.
Bela Fleck is a class player, but in that clip just doesn’t have the lift that O’Connor brings. Frankly, Bela’s playing sounds like a beginner’s with a few years session experience. And his arpeggiated backing behind the Cape Breton lassie’s strathspey doesn’t feel particularly Irish to me at all. If that’s all that one of the world’s best 5-string stylists can bring to a tune, then clearly it’s the wrong instrument for the genre.
The other links don’t seem to lead to anything that sounds to me like Irish-style frailing, either. I have the Buffalo in the Castle Cd, great stuff and they do their Irish tunes wonderfully. But their Americana tunes feel completely different. They’re a different style. The other link to the Bath folk concert leads to a fine band, brilliant musicians. But they’re playing jazzy folk fusion, not really what I think of as Irish.
I posted a discussion about this very subject a few years ago.
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/7557/comments
Since then, I’ve heard very little to make me think that there’s a good place for frailing in Irish music.
That said, here’s a link to Wendy Roseville doing a pretty convincing Lark in the Morning. Maybe there’s hope.
http://www.compulink.co.uk/~wendyg/roseville/Wendy_Grossman__The_Lark_in_the_Morning.mp3
# Posted on August 10th 2011 by fidkid
Re: 5-string banjo in a session?
i know what you mean.But this might be more traditional http://youtu.be/ehSTssRUTRk .at the start he does a lovely flowing playing somehow,hes definetely better than bela fleck at picking tunes out.
# Posted on August 11th 2011 by banjitar