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.

Pick Your Battles

Posted on May 8, 2009 by Phill Gibson

Sometimes, our musical efforts can be a lot like raising kids – you have to pick your battles. Just as with young ones, you have to know when to pursue discipline (lest the effect of discipline becomes worse than the … Continue reading →

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Ben Freed's List of 100 Songs to Learn

Posted on May 6, 2009 by Phill Gibson

A while back (July, 2006 to be specific), Banjo Newsletter featured a list compiled by Ben Freed detailing his take on the 100 songs a banjo player should have in his/her repertoire. This article is actually a follow-up to another … Continue reading →

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Kinder-Scruggs Style

Posted on May 3, 2009 by Phill Gibson

What is Kinder-Scruggs? It’s what I call a simplified style of playing that is ideal for young children. I came up with this when one of my youngest students was going to play in her school Christmas play (although being a … Continue reading →

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What I’m Currently Practicing

Posted on May 1, 2009 by Phill Gibson

Since I just blogged on pursuing the more difficult techniques when practicing, I’ll list out some of the things I’m currently practicing. Leaving Cottondale. One of my all-time favorite bluegrass songs, by Alison Brown. Tricky to learn, and it teaches … Continue reading →

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Pursue the Difficult, the Easy Will Follow

Posted on April 28, 2009 by Phill Gibson

One of my myriad hobbies is birdwatching, or ‘birding’ to the dyed-in-the-wool birder. One of the main areas of interest to a birder is adding to his or her life list. A life list is the list of bird species … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophical Ramblings, Tips & Techniques | 2 Comments

My Daughter is Learning to Fiddle!

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Phill Gibson

Michiko has been taking violin lessons for several years now. Lately, she has switched over to learning fiddle tunes – bluegrass, as well as Irish and Celtic tunes!  We played Cripple Creek together for the first time a few weeks … Continue reading →

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Hazards of Teaching Banjo

Posted on April 20, 2009 by Phill Gibson

Admittedly there aren’t many hazards here. No need for sunscreen, padding, helmets, or protective eyewear. But I have found one of the hazards of teaching banjo is that if you don’t watch it, you can easily get out of practice … Continue reading →

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A Tried and True Technique for Easy Backup

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Phill Gibson

Here’s an easy technique for the very common situation in which you are playing a song you don’t know the chords to. Assuming it is a fairly simple song with only I, IV and V chords, this works very well. … Continue reading →

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Do What You Love

Posted on April 14, 2009 by Phill Gibson

Do what you love. Positive thinking. Winning friends and influencing people…  If you’re like me, I know you’ve heard this all a hundred times before elsewhere, starting with Dale Carnegie, then Norman Vincent Peale, then perhaps Napoleon Hill, Zig Ziglar, … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophical Ramblings | 1 Comment

A Little-known Technique to Improve Your Playing Quality

Posted on April 11, 2009 by Phill Gibson

I am not ashamed to admit that I love easy things. So if I find something that is not easy, the first thing I do is try to see if I can make it easier (but not if making it … Continue reading →

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