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 musicianship by all. In addition, to me it’s an excellent lesson in how to play counterpoint; a jazz technique I want to introduce into a bluegrass context.

Ed Teague & Friends.
Ed Teague is from the country. No, keep going. I mean way back there in the country – keep going. Waaaay back there! All the way back to somewhere in Georgia where they know the value of old-time music and old-time ways; where the two blend together as they always have and always should. To listen to Ed Teague play the banjo two-finger style is to catch a glimpse into our own past roots and realize that we can indeed recapture the significance of where we came from, no matter where that may be. His music is really inspiring to me because of its honesty to roots and sincerity to form. I especially like ‘Dreams of Kentucky’; it seems to exemplify all that I find good in Ed’s playing.

Deputy Dawg Theme and Other Tunes – Phil Scheib
Can someone find good music in a 60s TV show theme song? “It’s possibullll!” to quote Musky Muskrat. I used to love watching this when I was little. Now my little ones watch it with me! It’s easy to find onYouTube nowadays. If you’ll listen closely, you’ll find that there are actually about 6 or 7 different musical tracks within these old cartoons. I’d like to learn them all and make a CD of them one day.

St John’s Fire – Tony Furtado
Tony Furtado is from the same ‘new acoustic’ banjo camp as Tony Trischka and Alison Brown. And I like that, in case you’re wondering where I stand. It’s progressive, in a way, but it’s also respectful of tradition in that it’s not trying to remake bluegrass. I see new acoustic music as a natural extension of existing music, just as traditional bluegrass grew out of existing musical styles within blues, ragtime and country with some new twists thrown in. So also new acoustic music builds upon bluegrass and jazz foundations to produce some great ‘modern roots’ music.

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Are We Having Fun (Still)?

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Phill Gibson

From the least to the greatest, beginner to expert; if you are a banjo player, you’ll know what I mean when I say that we are all drawn to the mystique of the banjo. It’s that ‘Half-Barbaric Twang’ as Karen Linn calls it in her book by the same name.

That’s what first intrigued me as a pre-school boy. That banjo in my oldest brothers’ bedroom; bought with S&H greenstamps back in the 60s. I still remember it leaning against the wardrobe, in C tuning. What a curious and compelling sound!

If you’ve been playing for a long time, remember how much fun it was when you first got started? Like any endeavor that requires lots of time over the long run though, it is easy to get into a rut with how you interact with your music and your practice. How can you prevent that from happening?

Here’s one process that works for me. Our minds love it when we can relate something we see back to something that we perceive from the past. Whether that thing in the past actually happened doesn’t matter; as long as we have an image of it in our minds, then it works. I see that I relate the banjo,the mandolin and a lot of other things / concepts back to a romanticized picture of what life was like and should once again be. A more genteel, elegant existence, coupled with the legacy of the Old South (once again, whether true or not). To think in these terms is to get out of that rut; it replaces the usual with the unusual, to our long-term benefit.

I also like to envision what’s ahead; what possibilities can addressed, even though they may take a good deal of practice, time and effort. To keep those goals in sight is to also replace the usual with the unusual, once again to our long-term benefit.

Last and most importantly, for those of us who are banjo players, the banjo itself is the lowest common denominator; having fun with it should be also.

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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 can play it cleanly again. Then, you start putting it back in the full-length break, only to have it consistently show up again! You isolate it again – does fine and disappears like it’s supposed to. Put it back in – it pops up again! Where’s my hammer – grrr!

I’ve had this curious effect pop up many times in my practice. The only thing I’ve seen that gets rid of it is to slow it down more as you isolate it, and to expect to deal with it for at least a month as you consistently develop / redevelop that particular technique.

In programming, we have a term for that redevelopment process; it’s called refactoring, and it involves the idea of adjusting not only the specific code to be modified, but also whatever other code or systems that may need it in the process. Hopefully, everything is loosely coupled anyway, so not much else needs tweaking. But oftentimes, that is not the reality of legacy code.

So – banjos, mandolins, or computer code; this anomaly can be a difficult one to get rid of. Time and patience will get it, though. Keep after it!

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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 smoothly, plus it’s rather interesting to see it being played, as your left hand fingers are really flying; more like a typical mandolin break than a banjo break.

I remember playing it once with my brother Curtis while at a friends house. I noticed, to my half-surprize, that a certain guest obviously didn’t like that tune. I wouldn’t have admitted it to myself then, but I knew exactly why; such tunes can easily be seen as being cold and lifeless technical exercises, void of feeling, warm and a basic touch of humanity. They are more for the player than for the audience,according to this perspective.

Musical preferences are strong in just about anyone; we all have our likes and dislikes. But I see that our friends reaction still has a grain of truth in it. Musical scales and human interest just aren’t the same in song sometimes.

Do all songs, then, have to have a certain amount of humanity in them? Of course not; yet all songs, even the highly technical type are there for someone’s enjoyment. To this end, we should not forget that people are important; they are the central focus of any musical genre. And especially bluegrass music, I believe, is really more about people than processes.

I remember when I had a Bible class in college by Dr. Carrol Ellis. He was covering the start of the book of Matthew where there are many verses on who begat who. Seemingly a bit dry as verses go, but I recall his one main commentary of this long passage was that people are important. And that’s true in any context, whether biblical genealogy or music. Always try to keep that perspective, whether it’s Danny’s Song, you’re playing, or Foggy Mountain Breakdown. It works for both.

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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 nothing much besides banjo picking goes on with some of the best. Sonny Osborne, Bill Evans, Bill Emerson, Alan Munde and several more well-known banjoists are the teachers. I’ve heard the food is top notch as well. Sleep, apparently, can wait while you’re there.

I might mention – in all my 32 years of banjo playing and teaching, I’ve never had a lesson from anyone, so this should be uh… interesting!

I do plan to blog on the experience; possibly while I’m there. I don’t know if that’s technically feasible there or not, though. if not I’ll post details afterwards.

I’m excited!

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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 of my youth, but some things are still the same. The 1970s vintage wood paneling on the walls, still hiding the large, gaudy last minute wall drawings we kids did before the panels went up. The greasy fingerprints on the ceiling, left there by yours truly as a growing boy who could now jump and touch the top of the room. The small sign up above a door that still reads “Garbage Dump Closes At 6 pm”. These things bring back so many memories.

Often, I’ll bring a mandolin, dulcimer, banjo or such and pick a bit while I’m there. Today, I didn’t bring anything. I just wanted to enjoy the silence of thinking way back in time to early memories. What was it like back then, I would reflect, remembering as many details as I could of specific events from that old room.

Then I wondered; what if I could go back, armed with wisdom and experience that years have brought. What would I change?

I would start by being 10 years old again!

Knowing our need for God, I would go ask my parents to start taking me to church. I would read and study His Word and pray with purpose, understanding and faith.

Knowing how important education is for our future, I would figure out how to develop better character and persistence. I would work to develop good study skills.

Knowing that the banjo would occupy such a large place in my life, I would either ask my parents for one or start working and saving for one, and start playing it with all diligence. As time went on, I would also bring in all the other instruments that surround me these days.

Knowing how important being well-rounded is, I would take various kinds of music and voice lessons.

Knowing how essential communication is to everything we do, I would remain aware of the social aspects of everything that is going on, be it people-related or technical.

Knowing how our bodies decline with age, I would soon start martial arts and keep with it. I would eat healthier and keep optimism always close by.

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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 to play Scruggs style banjo. Later, (weeks and months later, that is) as I kept after it, they subsided. I think there are two things going on here that cause your arms and / or hands to show this fatigue, and they are both normal conditions.

First is just the fact that you are asking your arms and hands to do something that is in many respects totally new. It’s also quite demanding in terms of the precision required. If you’ve not done any sort of similar muscular tasks,your muscles will need some time to build up. Just like when you start lifting weights, you can expect some new stress and strain on your muscular system; this is the same but on a smaller scale.

Secondly, quite apart from new muscle stresses, your are also getting your hands and arms accustomed to being in new and odd positions. Until your hands (and your brain) get used to this, it will be only too easy to let undue tension creep in. This results in the same symptoms as in the first case above.

The good news in all of this: unless it’s something way out of the ordinary due to something other than what we’ve talked about here, practice takes care of it all. Practice will build up your endurance and your strength, allowing you to play longer, make those at-first unwieldy contortions, and make those bars chords that require both strength and finesse. As you go along, you’ll see less of these symptoms.

Here’s a suggestion or two that will help you along the way.

As you’re practicing any of the more demanding techniques that may cause these stresses, remember to stop every few minutes for about a full minute. Start this minute by dropping your hands to your waist, tensing and then relaxing your shoulders and then shaking your arms and hands for a few seconds. Take a few deep breaths. This is really the same relaxation techniques people use elsewhere; nothing different here in that regard.

Remember this also is important when building up speed and when playing full length songs that are either fast or otherwise have demanding techniques in them.

Lastly, make sure that you aren’t doing something that is unnecessarily awkward. Getting used to something that’s not needed in the first place would be not only counterproductive, but a tragedy as well. If you have a banjo instructor or know an experienced player, get their opinion on your technique. I’ve also got a series of blogs here that go into pretty minute detail on many of the various considerations for both right and left hand techniques. Check them out as well.

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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 box,to name just a few opposites.

I was quick to point out however, that just because someone is talented does not make them my idea student. I don’t guess I have a favorite kind of student. Each person, as well as each type of category you can lump people into, has their own merit and value.

Another way to look at students besides talent is in terms of their timeline:

  1.  The Past. Everyone has past experiences, even if slight. This gives them their perspective. It may include a past that places a high value on roots, as is typical of country, bluegrass and blues music. If they come from a more modern viewpoint, then they may like rock or jazz more.
  2. The Present. Their present ambition centers on a desire to learn the banjo and is seen in the practicing of techniques. Among styles they embrace are Scruggs, melodic, single string, plectrum and frailing. 
  3. The Future. Their future, then, is comprised of goals, or what they want to bring to fruition through their present practice. This might include goals such as playing in a band, learning 100 different songs, making a CD or even as simple as being able to sit on the front porch and pick a few tunes.

In terms of experience, I tend of think of students in four categories:

  1. New Students. New students are the most predictable in terms of what their needs are. Almost always, I start them on Earl Scruggs’ book. Some go fast through it; others slowly. All are on the journey and I try to help them remember that they should be enjoying that journey, not striving to reach the end (none of us reach the end of this musical voyage).
  2. Knows Some Already. As students grow, their own individuality starts to shine in how they approach their music. And it is now their music, not just what someone else says they should practice and play. Lessons need to be tailored to the individual now. Some tend to like traditional bluegrass or old time music, others tend towards progressive stuff and jazz.
  3. Needs ‘Cleanup’. Sometimes students simply need the surgical precision of some extra analysis. Why is their playing sloppy, how to get faster, or how to create a compelling break. These students know what they need, but just need help in getting there.
  4. Needs Coaching. Coachable students may be anywhere from beginners to advanced, but I usually see advanced students here. They need the accountability of a teacher to keep them on the proper path. They may also need the typical guidance found in lessons.

Regardless of how you categorize students, whether beginning or advanced, bluegrass or old time, they represent the future of their musical style. Besides, we get teachers for tomorrow from the students of today. And they are all great to work with!

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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 in order to keep the beat going.

Having never been in a marching band or orchestra while in school, I wasn’t aware of this distinction. But it makes sense for the way we are accustomed to thinking of music. In our current way of thinking, we usually relegate all musical instruments to their respective cubby-holes based on either their physical qualities (such as the banjos’ short sound duration or the gentle quietness of a dulcimer) or on the current social perception (once again, the banjo, with its’ red-necky associations, the fiddle with the devil, or the electric guitar with youth and rock). Interestingly, the sitar in India is associated with being played mostly by women.

So is it a bad thing; to cubby-hole music or musical instruments? Many a musician cringes to see his or her style lumped in with what seems the most logical. So I’ve heard, Charlie Rich, who recorded ‘Behind closed doors’ – a huge hit back in the 70s, wasn’t especially fond of being classified as a country entertainer. He was very much of a cross-over artist between country, R&B, rock and jazz. But record stores didn’t have a ‘R&B-Jazz-Country Crossover’ section, so people had to put it somewhere – Charlie’s songs wound up in the Country aisle. Interestingly, that lumping of Charlie Rich into the Country bin in and of itself was also a definite influence on Country music as well.

Which brings up a good point to cubby-holing music: doing so brings a direct influence of the cubby-holed instrument/musician to bear on the category into which they have been lumped. It’s kind of like when you get your house for sale listed in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) via a realtor. Your exposure is greatly increased. If a musician can bear the though of being lumped into what he or she at first deems an intolerable lot, then they might find it actually a good thing in the long run.

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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 to do a bit of sight-seeing in Nashville. We saw the Parthenon, Opry Mills, a couple of Civil War sites and the Cascades at the Opry Hotel. Going there always brings back memories of my first year of college.

If you read my first blog, you’ll remember I also brought up two old mandolins as well. They weren’t quite as fixable without a good deal more money, so I decided to just hang them on the wall, where they look very nice. Gives the study a bit more of an eclectic look (not that that was lacking in the first place).

We headed over to collect the banjos. For all its fame 16th Avenue is, as Lacy J. Dalton describes it in her hit song, a quiet and discrete little one-way street. In the same fashion, Classic Ax is a small out-of-the-way shop tucked behind some other music-related businesses. We parked in back of the building via the alley that goes behind them, half expecting to meet a garbage truck coming the other way on its rounds.

Greg, the proprietor of Classic Ax, met us there and showed us in. I was concerned about leading 11 and 6 year olds into a small space with valuable instruments hanging nearby, but they were well-mannered as usual, plus Greg seemed okay with it. As a matter of fact, he gave them a cute little plush guitar-playing bear toy, which they really like!

Then to the banjos. The Stelling was first. After playing it for just a few licks, it was obviously sounding much better. Greg had done a complete ‘tune up’, including filing and polishing the frets, tensioning of the drum head, bridge modifications, a slight neck warp correction and new D’Adario Medium gauge strings. It sounds like a Stelling should sound once again!

The old Lark banjo, my very first banjo, needed a bit more work. The part of the neck that houses the truss rod end had been broken internally and so it needed repairing and reinforcing. It’s all finished now as well and just arrived in the mail.

All in all, I’m very glad to have taken the banjos in and gotten back just what I was expecting– no surprises!

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