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Category Archives: Music
T.V.O.T.F.C
It stands for the Tennessee Valley Old-Time Fiddlers Convention – the grandaddy of mid-south fiddle contests, as they have advertised it for forty-something years. I went to the second ever TVOTFC years ago, with my grandmother and mother one cool … Continue reading
Posted in Venues
Tagged Alabama, Athens, Bobby Osborne, Buddy Spicher, Convention, Fiddlers, Old-time, Tennessee, Valley
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When can you say that you're a banjo player?
That question surely pops up in every beginning banjo player’s mind. It’s very natural to want to see progress happening as we practice and improve. I think I started thinking of myself as a banjo player on two different levels. … Continue reading
Posted in Beginning Banjo
Tagged Banjo, Beginning, Cripple Creek, Freed-Hardeman College, Improve, Mandolin, progress, Tim Alexander
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Thinking Like a Banjo
You can lean the basics of your style of banjo playing, be it Scruggs, clawhammer, tenor, etc. and know how to play it, but your knowledge is still at a rather superficial level until you learn that intangible quality of … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophical Ramblings
Tagged Banjo, characteristics, emulation, imitation, Practice, Style, Thinking
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The Practice Banjo & Bluegrass Jam Session at The Coffee Tree Books & Brew
As usual, this is on the third Saturday of each month; Septembers jam will be on the 19th. It’s from 4:00 – 5:00 pm at The Coffee Tree Books & Brew across Bailey Cove Road from Grissom High School in Huntsville, … Continue reading
Posted in Beginning Banjo, Venues
Tagged Banjo, Coffee Tree, Huntsville, Jam Session, Mandolin, Practice
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Name – Skill Correlation
I’ve often wondered; is there any relationship between people that have names easily identified with a certain skill and their propensity to take up that skill, or at least to have a greater than usual interest in that skill? You see … Continue reading
Posted in Music in General, Philosophical Ramblings
Tagged Alicia Keys, Association, Correlation, Gibson, Name, skill
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What I'm Listening to – September, 2009
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
People are Important
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
Posted in Banjos and Society, Music in General
Tagged Chromania, Dr. Carrol Ellis, Humanity, Importance, Music, People, technical, Tony Trischka
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Going to NashCamp!
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
Posted in Banjoists and Others, Venues
Tagged Alan Munde, Banjo Camp, Bill Emerson, Bill Evans, NashCamp, Sonny Osborne
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Phill Gibson 