Author Archives: Phill Gibson

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About Phill Gibson

I’m from Huntsville, Alabama where I work as a Hospice Chaplain and part-time banjo instructor. My former careers were in Research Biology and Software/Systems Engineering. My wife Miiko and I worship at Rivertree Downtown. I’ve been playing various instruments since my teen years. I started mandolin and dulcimer at about age 17 and banjo at 20. I love just about all kinds of music. In terms of banjo styles, I play and teach Scruggs, melodic, clawhammer, and 2-finger styles. I’m also very keen on theology, being a Trail Care Partner with the Land Trust of North Alabama, photography, urban planning, astronomy, ATM (amateur telescope making), birding, and about 30 other distracting hobbies to a (mercifully) lesser extent.

What I'm Listening to – September, 2009

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Phill Gibson

Vo-Do-Do-De-O Blues – Cynthia Sayer I got a couple of Cynthia Sayers’ great CDs a while back and have been listening to them, especially this infectious and quite funny tune. But it’s also a great bit of jazz, with great … Continue reading →

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Are We Having Fun (Still)?

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Phill Gibson

The banjo itself is the lowest comon denominator; having fun with it should be also. Continue reading →

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They Ought to Have a Name For It – Whack-a-Mole

Posted on September 7, 2009 by Phill Gibson

Another practice / performance anomaly. This is the thing that happens when you identify a rough spot in one of your breaks. You start practicing it and isolate the offending habit to clear it up. All goes well, and you … Continue reading →

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People are Important

Posted on September 4, 2009 by Phill Gibson

I used to love playing Tony Trischka’s Chromania (still do, actually). It’s a rather challenging tune to play from one of his early melodic banjo tablature books. It’s a very satisfying feeling to be able to play it cleanly and … Continue reading →

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Going to NashCamp!

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Phill Gibson

I got  the check in the mail, so it’s official – I’m going to NashCamp’s Fall Banjo Retreat this year! This is a big banjo event held each year about 20 miles outside of Nashville at a small park, where … Continue reading →

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What I Would Do Over

Posted on August 29, 2009 by Phill Gibson

I went to visit my folks out in the country this past Sunday afternoon, just as I often do. While there, I took the opportunity to go visit my old bedroom. The furniture has changed in there since the days … Continue reading →

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Building Up Endurance

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Phill Gibson

Very frequently I have students tell me they have some problems with cramps, shaking, or just an uncomfortable tenseness in the arms and hands. Let’s talk about it. I remember getting those sensations as well as I was first learning … Continue reading →

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Different Kinds of Banjo Students

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Phill Gibson

One of my students and I were talking just recently and I was referring to all the different kinds of students that a teacher interacts with: young and old, talented and not-so-talented, progressive and traditional, by the book and outside the … Continue reading →

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Should Music be Cubby-holed?

Posted on August 23, 2009 by Phill Gibson

A friend and I were talking about various qualities of musical instruments and he made the comment that guitars, banjos and such instruments can easily play alone, whereas a brass or woodwind instrument, say, a trombone, really needs other instruments … Continue reading →

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Back to 16th Avenue

Posted on August 21, 2009 by Phill Gibson

I finally got back up to 16th Avenue in Nashville a few weeks ago. I was there to retrieve two of my banjos after getting them repaired at Classic Ax on Music Row. Plus, we brought the kids with us … Continue reading →

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