People interested in old music of the Midwest might like The Play-Party in Indiana, which describes many of the songs and party dances enjoyed in rural Indiana at the turn of the 20th century and earlier. You can read the book online or download it from Google Books.

You’ll recognize several song names (Polly Put the Kettle On, Golden Slippers, …). The melodies aren’t always what we associate with the names, and it’s clear that thrifty Hoosiers got a lot of use out of the melody that we know now as “Buffalo Gals.”

Here’s a song that’s now played as “Hawks and Eagles” at old-time sessions:

I like the lyrics in the next one. Unfortunately, the dance notes don’t describe what happens when the dancers are supposed to “all chaw hay on the corner”:

When this book was published (1916), I think folklore researchers let their conclusions be influenced by some fancies. However, I like to believe that the basic descriptions of the parties and songs is accurate, especially since many were still being sung and danced when the book was being researched.

Page 11 vividly describes the hills, creeks, and clay soil where I live, though Ripley County is east of me. And the book shows the wide variety of keys and meters that we used to use for dances.

I’m happy to report that I’ll be visiting Australia from mid-November to mid-December on a business speaking tour, and so far it looks like I’ll have time for a banjo workshop or jam at these points:

Nov. 15 or 16: Adelaide or Tasmania
Nov. 22: Perth or Darwin
Nov. 28-29: Brisbane or Sydney
Dec. 6: Melbourne

I don’t want to book all these dates (even if it were possible) but if the date for your area looks good and you’d like to organize something, please let me know at the email address listed under the “About” tab.

Workshop topics could include syncopation/beyond bum-ditty, learning by ear, making a tune your own, or similar ideas. Or we could just jam–whatever works for you.

I’m also hoping to go to a bush dance or two and otherwise check out the music & dance scene, so if you know of anything I shouldn’t miss, please pass it along.

Thanks to all the brave banjoists who attended my “progressive rhythms” workshop at the Banjoree last week! Your dedication was inspiring, and you picked up bizarre rhythms with impressive speed.

In case any of those rhythms are sneaking out of your memory, here are some MP3s that will help you remember them.

If you weren’t at the workshop, these files could still be useful in helping you stretch your rhythmic skills. We learned Betsy Likens, a simple A modal tune, and put it in increasingly odd rhythms. Along the way, we looked at how alternate-string pulloffs and M-skips can help us fill out or syncopate rhythmic patterns, and we saw that we could create any rhythm by combining 2s and 3s.

Handouts

The handouts are all in one PDF file here.

All MP3s in one zip file

Get your 19.6 MB zip file here.

4/4

Slow:

Faster:

Alternate-string pulloffs:

Basic M-skips:

Advanced M-skips:

3/4

With M-skips:

6/8: 3-3

Slow:

Faster:

Alternate-string pulloffs:

The “flutter”:

7/8: 3-2-2

The “flutter”:

7/8: 2-2-3

11/8: 2-2-3-2-2

Basic rhythm:

The tune:

When I first put nylon strings on my Stewart, I kept using my usual Grover bridge with the ebony inset. I liked the strings but they seemed quiet.

Then the banjo’s neck needed a repair, which lowered the action, so I wanted a taller bridge. Luckily I found this page, where Joel Hooks describes the type of bridges that work best with nylon strings.

I ended up getting a tall maple “minstrel style” bridge by Bill Morris. It has no ebony inset.

Now the Nyguts have a surprising amount of volume and “pop”—more than the steel strings ever had. After hearing the minstrel bridge, a banjo buddy made a similar light bridge for his Nylgutted banjo and also got the boost in volume.

So if you try nylon strings, you might try a lighter bridge, too!

Here’s a video visit to the small Italian workshop where the Aquila folks (of Nylgut fame) show you how they make gut strings. At the end you’ll see a garage full of Nylgut.

The video is part of the Ukulele Safari, in which uke players Bosko and Honey film ukulele players around the world. I want to be Bosko & Honey.

Several people have asked me to make some videos for beginners, so I guess I will. I’ll start with the very basics, like how I hold the banjo and how I tune it. I’ll also cover how I approach the basic clawhammer stroke.

A bit of a caveat: I’ll assume that beginners plan to play all sorts of music, so I won’t focus exclusively on what’s considered correct in the old-time community. I’ll just show what has worked for me.

Are any beginners reading this? If so, what do you want to see that isn’t already covered by other YouTube videos? Please leave a comment.

Here’s another installment in my ongoing quest to explore the lands beyond bum-ditty. I play an old-time tune on top of a sort of funky Arabic pattern to show how playing over a different rhythm can warp you. My playing is messy but you’ll get the idea.

This video is also the debut of my overhauled Stewart. It now has a sturdily re-glued neck, Elite amber head, tall minstrel style bridge by Bill Morris, and Nylgut strings. I’m getting a lot more pop out of the banjo than I did with the thick Fiberskyn head and heavier bridge, and the Nylguts invite me to mess around with rhythm more than the steel strings did.

And here’s a happy “Thank you!” to Joel Lensch of the Fatted Calf String Band for helping me reglue the neck and to Bill Banker of Bloomington’s Monday Night Music for giving me my first set of Nylgut strings and telling me about the Elite amber head. I love my new-old banjo.

Want to break out of the “bum-ditty” box? I’ll teach “Progressive clawhammer banjo rhythms” on May 2 at the Banjoree near Hagen Germany. We’ll play several non-”bum-ditty” rhythms, including Balkan ones like 7/8, that you can use to expand your clawhammering creativity.

The rhythm workshop is just one of several at the weekend. You can build your expertise in many styles, including:

• Scruggs technique: Juergen Biller
• Classic and minstrel: Clarke Buehling
• 3-finger single string: Andreas David
• Progressive clawhammer banjo: Udo Weihrauch

There are also workshops in three-finger bluegrass guitar (Wayne Henderson) and bluegrass mandolin (Ulli Sieker).

Of course, we’ll also have jams. If you’re usually focused on melody but want to connect more with rhythm, then find me and we’ll organize a “trance jam” that will help you dig down into the groove.

I may also visit the UK, the Netherlands, and France near the time of the workshop. My plans aren’t firm yet. If you know of any festivals in the region, or if you’d just like to jam, let me know!

Only marginally banjo-related, but hey, there’s a banjo playing.

Minneapolis Eagle’s Club #34; caller is Ann Carter. Unfortunately, I don’t know who the band is.

Those Canadian winters are long and dark, which might explain why Vancouver-based trio DYAD explores the shadows in old-time music with such dedication and creativity. They’ve just posted some new tunes, with my favorite being “Cripple.” Check out their MySpace page for more from their new formation and a couple of their classic tunes.

From their band site:

DYAD came together to play traditional American Old Time music after delving into everything from indie-rock and punk to classical and traditional music of various cultures. The Vancouver-based trio of Kori Miyanishi (vocals, banjo, fiddle), Leah Abramson (vocals, guitar) and Mark Beaty (cello, vocals), digs deep into song and instrumental traditions of the Appalachian mountain region of the USA, while incorporating these varied influences and expanding traditional themes into modern arrangements of original, traditional and contemporary song.