Variations on the Earl Scruggs G lick

 You can't beat the original Scruggs G lick but sometimes it can be fun to change it up a bit. 

Here are some variations you can try out...

Home Sweet Home

     This is a little picking on Earl Scruggs' "Home Sweet Home".  

     First pass through I keep pretty close to the Scruggs recording and second time through I throw in a bit of a descending single string lick.  

     You can't really improve on what Scruggs did but I enjoy picking around and seeing what I come up with.

Pomp and Circumstance

 

This is an arrangement I made of the Pomp and Circumstance march for the banjo.  Something appealing to me about this piece, I suppose it's the epic nostalgia soaked melody and the complete finality it evokes.  

Poultrygeist - Medley of Chicken Reel, Turkey in the Straw and Turkey Knob Played on the Mandobanjo

     Vicky Van Der Merwe leant me her Vega mandobanjo, a lovely instrument made in around 1946 which had belonged to he father, so I made a little video playing all the chicken and turkey tunes I know.  

    I like the tone of the instrument, something both brittle and warm in it.  The body is the same diameter as most 5 string resonator banjos but the neck is a short mandolin neck with the fretboard reaching up over the drum head (connects at the 12th fret then keeps going to a full 19 frets).

     Anyone interested in tabs let me know.

Mezopotamian Sundance

 This is a little solo banjo piece of wrote about a week and a half ago after my band got back from a trip to Gabriola.  My son Giacomo helped me with filming and editing the video as well as with recording the audio.  

I haven't tabbed it out yet but if anyone is interested let me know and I'll whip something up.

I'm having an issue again with the Blogger video embedding so if the embedded video doesn't show up you can watch it at https://youtu.be/TWt1MuXweuw

Don't Be Cruel

Was the king a fan of the banjo?  A quick sweep of the internet turned up one photo of Elvis holding a banjo which may or may not be fake and, to be honest, I can't recall hearing banjo on any of his recordings (if I'm wrong about this please let me know).

I thought I might bring Elvis a little closer to the banjo with a 5 string arrangement of one of his early hits.  This is 'Don't Be Cruel' written by Otis Blackwell, an R&B singer and pianist who penned such hits as 'Great Balls of Fire' for Jerry Lee Lewis and 'Fever' for Peggy Lee.   

I try to keep the syncopated bass in there as much as possible and leave spaces where things break down to just the bass line for a measure or two.

Having trouble getting the video to actually show up in blogger but the link is https://youtu.be/o0pv1tAEXBs

Wildwood Fire

Thanks to everyone who came by the online concert yesterday.  Here is a little clip from the show, it is of us playing our epomnymous tune 'Wildwood Fire'...

My Band Wildwood Fire is Playing a Free Online Concert this Saturday (June 27, 2020) at 6:00PST

Anyone feel like watching a concert broadcast from my basement this weekend?

If so then just click on this link at 6:00pm PST this Saturday, June 27 (you should also be able to view a recorded version if you get there late).

The band features Chris Russell on guitar, Russell Sholberg on bass and myself on banjo and dobro.

It should be a fun show for anyone interested, we'll be playing a mixture or original tunes, standards and requests.

Yesterday

Arranged the little Beatles on the banjo...

How Deep is Your Love

I arranged this Bee Gees tune for the banjo.  Standard G tuning but with the 5th string spiked to A.

Dear Old Dixie

A little bit of Scruggs.  If anyone wants the tab for the melodic section I can add that.