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.

Talent versus Persistence

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Phill Gibson

We should value persistence, even more so than talent, in students. Continue reading →

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A Great Time at the Banjo Jam

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Phill Gibson

We had a great time at our Banjo Jam Session at The Coffee Tree on July 18th! We usually start these practice sessions off by working through a chord sheet with several standard songs we’re familiar with (more or less) … Continue reading →

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Technique Control, Part III – Left Hand Techniques

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Phill Gibson

Last time, we looked at several aspects of control with respect to right hand techniques (or the picking hand, to make it independent of whether you’re left or right-handed). Today, let’s look at how we need to control what happens … Continue reading →

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Technique Control, Part II – Right Hand Techniques

Posted on July 18, 2009 by Phill Gibson

Last time, we looked at an overview of techniques and why we need to keep control of both hands on the banjo. Today, we’ll look at what to control with respect to the right hand; next time, we’ll look at … Continue reading →

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Technique Control, Part I – Introduction

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Phill Gibson

I’m not a control freak when it comes to people, but I do see the very important role that control plays when it comes to a musical instrument. Hours upon hours of practice drill into our heads the fact that … Continue reading →

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Complexity in Songs

Posted on July 16, 2009 by Phill Gibson

The more full-featured something is (car, computer application, banjo, song, etc.), the more complex it is and so the more difficult to construct. (Also more expensive to fix and less apt to be fixable by yourself!) This seems intuitive as … Continue reading →

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4 Hazards of Playing Slow

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Phill Gibson

We usually have an optimal ‘window’ within which we play our songs. Too fast, and obviously we are out of our comfort zone. But play it slower than usual and you hit some different problems.   The main problems with … Continue reading →

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Some Freeware All Banjo Players Need

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Phill Gibson

Here’s a couple of software applications that I have found to be pretty essential; one is useful for anyone working with sound on a computer, and the other is great for anyone working with tablature (not just banjos) Audacity Audacity … Continue reading →

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7 Things a Musician Should Never Do

Posted on July 5, 2009 by Phill Gibson

I’ve heard that kids should never ride a dog backwards, downstairs. I’ve never tried this, so I have no first hand experience. But as one of my college professors was fond of saying “You don’t have to stick your head … Continue reading →

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The Most Unusual Place I've Ever Played Banjo

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Phill Gibson

I’ve not played that much for large gatherings; mostly less than 20 or so folks. On occasion, I’ve played for one or two hundred folks. But the most unusual place I’ve ever played took place years ago heading into downtown … Continue reading →

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