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Category Archives: Music
Technique, Style and Significance
I get a lot of material for these blogs while driving down the road. Seems nothing frees your mind quite like traveling down a road, even if it is a busy one. Before I know it, I’ve a new idea … Continue reading
Posted in Music in General, Philosophical Ramblings
Tagged Musical, Significance, Style, Technique
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Know When to Drop a Bad Break
As you advance in your banjo-playing skills, you’ll often be coming up with your own breaks (and backups) to various songs. Maybe you’ve tried your hand at songwriting and like it. Maybe you’re simply adding depth to your own coverage … Continue reading
Béla on the Cover of Downbeat
Have you noticed that Béla Fleck is on the cover of the June 2009 issue of Downbeat magazine? He’s also on the cover of Banjo Newsletter for the same month. Amazing – I heard that this is the first time … Continue reading
Posted in Banjoists and Others, Banjos in General
Tagged Banjo Newsletter, Bela Fleck, Cello Banjo, Downbeat
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Saturday Afternoon Banjo Jam at The Coffee Tree
We’re starting a Practice Banjo & Bluegrass Jam Session at The Coffee Tree Books & Brew across from Grissom High School! These will be on the third Saturday of each month and the first jam session will be Saturday, June 20 … Continue reading
Posted in Venues
Tagged Banjo, Bluegrass, Coffee Tree, Experience, Folk, Guitar, Jam, Jazz, Mandolin, Practice
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Google Trends
Have you checked out Google Trends yet? It’s a powerful way to find comparative information from data on Google. For example, let’s say you’d like to know if there is more buzz on the internet about Scruggs style banjo playing … Continue reading
Posted in Banjos & Technology, Music in General
Tagged Banjo, data, Google Trends, Scruggs, Trischka
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Setting Bluegrass Standards
Not everyone can set standards for how we do things in this world. If we all did, then there would by definition no longer be any standards. Both famous and not-so-famous people have contributed in creating most of the standards … Continue reading
Posted in Banjos & Bluegrass, Philosophical Ramblings
Tagged Bill Keith, Bill Monroe, Bluegrass, Bobby Thompson, idea, individuals, influence, refinement, Scruggs, society, Standards, tree diagram
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Some of My Musical Influences – Intro
Among other series of blogs I’ve been thinking of writing has been one about already well-known musicians who have been influential on my own musical development. Some are obvious bluegrass musicians (Bill Monroe, Frank Wakefield, among others), some banjo pickers … Continue reading
Originality in Music
“Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed from one another.” – Voltaire So it goes with music, too. We start out learning ‘Cripple Creek’ on the banjo, for instance, then advance to learning other songs by … Continue reading
When the Going Gets Tough
I’ve often had students come to me and say they’ve hit a wall in terms of their practice. They keep trying, but it just seems like they are not making any progress. First, I always try to eliminate a few … Continue reading
Posted in Tips & Techniques
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A Bit of Banjo History – Part 2
I did a brief article to summarize the history of the Banjo a while back – here is the last in this series. The years between about 1910 and 1945 saw a sea-change in society and culture, begun in the … Continue reading
Posted in History
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Phill Gibson 