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My "Other" Hobby...

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Mickey Richaud

Mickey Richaud

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Well, one of them!

I've been trying to teach myself clawhammer style banjo for a couple years. Have hooked up with a group who meets every Monday night here in Townsend and loving every minute of it. I bought a starter banjo a few years ago and have been using that. A member of the church I served gave me a banjo kit he'd bought years ago and never assembled, just before I retired. I finally made the time to finish staining, finishing and putting it together. WOW! This thing sounds wonderful! Gonna love playing this!

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Looks good, Mickey! That came out really nicely, well done.

Banjo is a bunch of fun. I picked up a tenor banjo a year or so ago so I could cheat a bit (tuned in Irish tuning, an octave down from mandolin tuning). Such a neat sound.

And you can scare people away from your cabin. Nothing like banjo music floating through the pines to make people nervous. :grin:
 
drooartz said:
And you can scare people away from your cabin. Nothing like banjo music floating through the pines to make people nervous. :grin:
Click to expand...

Reminds me of my two favorite banjo jokes:

What's the difference between a banjo and a chainsaw? You can tune a chainsaw.

What's the most common statement make to a banjo-player? Will the defendant please rise. :wink-new:
 
drooartz said:
<snip>

And you can scare people away from your cabin. Nothing like banjo music floating through the pines to make people nervous. :grin:
Click to expand...

You're dating yourself! How many folks remember what that refers to?

(can you squeal like a pig?)
 
This one projects much more than the one I've been playing, even without the resonator. See the big ol' honkin' tone ring between the wood rim and the rim for the head? Doesn't look like much in the picture, but that dude is HEAVY! Nickel plated brass and weighs a ton. But it does sound good!

And to all you naysayers:

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NutmegCT said:
You're dating yourself! How many folks remember what that refers to?

(can you squeal like a pig?)
Click to expand...

James Dickey. How many people actually HAVE that novel?
 
I don't play music, but I love the banjo, also makes for a great street photo... :wink-new:

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Speaking of which... I was at an art market today where a musician was using a violin bow on a banjo, have never seen that before, although apparently David Lindley did it back in the 1960's... Photo...

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Thanks, James - I love the creativity of some musicians. For example:

 
And since Deliverance came up, there's this:

 
Mickey, That looks fantastic! I'm so glad you're progressing so much with the banjo. I need to get myself to sit down and practice more clawhammer. That is the style I really prefer. More old-timey, mountain sounding than the Scruggs style that defines bluegrass from the 50s on.
If a guitar player and a banjo player jump off a building at the same time, who hits the ground first?
The guitar player. The banjo player had to stop and re-tune.
How do you know when a bluegrass stage is level?
When there is drool coming out of both sides of the banjo players mouth.
 
Thanks, Ben. Here's the group I've hooked up with on Monday nights. This was recorded at the Pickin' Porch series just down the road, and was done before I hooked up with them. Lisa, in front wearing jeans and blue shirt plays clawhammer at about 4:20 here:

 
Great hobby and great banjo Mickey!

My brother played for years - frailing, and back when I fancied myself a musician <hah> I owned a longneck folklore banjo - (which is what Pete Seeger played) wish I had never sold it - just because.
 
In case anyone is wondering, I asked here on Facebook about the violin bow/banjo playing... She said it was just an experiment they tried out once and liked the sound, without any knowledge of other musicians doing it...
 
Mickey, you don't need to make me any more jealous:friendly_wink: That looks like a lot of fun. I'll bring my Appalachian Dulcimer and play along with Whiskey Before Breakfast (Their opening song).
 
That's the first song we play every Monday night to get going! Sometimes much faster than they did it there!

The Monday night jams are open to anyone who wants to join in. Great fun.
 
I'm trying to learn clawhammer on my ukes. Struggling I must say. I'm really just a strummer not a finger picker...but I love to play in groups. I have a friend in Florida plays banjo & we get together once in a while to play. I also belong to two groups, one in Florida and one up here in CT. As many as 35 players.
 
Playing in a group is the best way to progress. Especially if the others are accomplished. My problem is that I don't spend enough practice time. Hopefully, now that this banjo is finished, that's gonna change.

Just found this on YouTube - you may have already discovered it, but this guy is pretty helpful - nice easy pace:

 
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