George Gibson and Lee Sexton broke me out of the mould. I still pick bluegrass but I lean hard toward Sonny, but Lee and George changed my whole world and revived my true passion for the banjo.
@CliftonHicksbanjo
Ай бұрын
They did that for a lot of us.
@winkcrittenden6011
5 жыл бұрын
There's only ONE right way to play a banjo, and that's the way that gets it to make the sounds you hear in your head. Fuck what anyone else says.
@colinw4935
2 жыл бұрын
I am 63, disabled, and live in the UK. I am about to purchase my first Banjo. You spoke a lot of sense young man, and listening to your song, accompanying your Banjo made me realise that duelling banjos, although brilliant, is same old, same old. You are a credit to your instrument and I will try my hardest to follow your good advise. Thank you, Colin
@seancoxe3577
4 жыл бұрын
You're not imagining things, Clifton. My favorite anecdote: I was at Fiddlers Grove one year, and someone asked me who my favorite old-time fiddler was. When I told her, "Ralph Blizard," who learned fiddle in the hills of Kentucky in the 20's, played on the radio in the 30's, and gave up fiddle for religious reasons until he resumed his career in the 70's, without batting an eye, she replied, "But he's not really old-time, is he." Granted, his fiddling was influenced by the Texas swing he heard on the radio, but he was as genuinely old-time as it gets. And the pressure to conform to a formula was also underscored by Nick Hornbuckle, who by necessity is an outstanding TWO FINGER bluegrass player. In an interview, he tells how, even after he was only playing two-finger, he would still wear the extra finger pick so as not to draw attention. Love your channel and I love your style. Keep up the good work!
@ScotchIrishTarheel
2 жыл бұрын
I’m from western NC and grew up with all this music. The only thing Clifton says that I take issue with is about dancing. I find it just as easy to flatfoot to bluegrass as I do to old time/traditional music.
@ScotchIrishTarheel
2 жыл бұрын
Actually, in the interest of full transparency and humility, what I should have said is that I find it just as easy to dance poorly to bluegrass as I do to dance poorly to old time/traditional music.
@SIMUL4CR4
8 ай бұрын
I play the blues harp and am a singer songwriter. Hearing your style of banjo was the first time that I felt it spoke to me and I understood its beauty as an instrument. I never understood why, but this explanation helped a lot. Your style always seemed more complex, subtle and free-flowing than any other I'd heard before. You're doing the Lord's work keeping this music alive, thank you sir.
@zacharygrey500
4 жыл бұрын
I’m disappointed that I’ve only recently discovered your channel! Your content in this particular video resonates deeply with me. I stopped plying banjo because I got sick of the rolls. Ended up selling my banjo and haven’t had one since. I’ve listened to traditional banjo and folk music my whole life and loved every minute of it. Weirdly enough, my family originates in the mountains of West Virginia so one might say it’s in my blood. You’ve inspired me to fall back in love with playing. Now on to convincing my wife to let me buy a nice open back! I hope to meet you someday and pick with you!
@erinworley1601
6 жыл бұрын
Pardon the pun, but this video resonates with me, big time. I started playing banjo on my own without lessons in order to back up a singer songwriter. I used a banjo with a resonator and finger picks. People automatically assumed I played Scruggs style bluegrass even though I have yet to play a single song in that style (although I love bluegrass). I eventually started learning claw hammer style and added drop thumbing and such and bought me an open back banjo at the local pawn shop. I absolutely love it!!. I also learned many traditional old time tunes in my own style and when I go to jams, I enjoy them, but definitely feel intimidated and out of place by the unspoken "rules" of old time jams and the styles associated with it. I'm legit scared to show up to Clifftop! I literally don't fit into any banjo crowd because of the supposed 2 categories that you just HAVE to fit into in order to be considered legit. I love playing my own style and being able to play with or with or without picks, resonator, or frets for that matter. There is such a freedom in it and I can play along to most anything because I have more than one tool to work with. I love learning from other famous players, but if all we do is mimic their styles, we are limiting ourselves so much!! My favorite thing is to play in a way that backs up my singing (in the key of C, and slowed down a bit, so you can actually pick out the melody - shhhh, don't tell anyone!) I just wish I could find more folks to jam with that aren't so pickersnickity about it all or feel that you have to pick a side and consider the other side less legit when there is a way larger world of banjo than bluegrass and old time. Thanks for the video and keep doing what you do!!! The way you play and sing has been very inspiring to me as I continue to learn - but no worries, I won't copy your style and create a third category of banjo playing ;O).
@dannytriplett8625
4 жыл бұрын
You're soo right about the jam/convention scene. THE BANJO is just a tool of expressing what you're feeling inside. It HAS NO limitations. Thank you for your videos sir
@subbuteo71
6 жыл бұрын
I saw you play and sing at Swannanoa a couple of weeks ago. You blew away the audience, and I don't mean sent them running! There is an appreciation for what you do. The rules come from people who intellectualise and formalise something that has evolved and continues to evolve. The talk and performance by George Gibson was excellent too, of course, and your performance highlighted what he had to say.
@CliftonHicksbanjo
6 жыл бұрын
Thank you. George Gibson is both an exceptionally fine musician _and_ a cutting edge banjo researcher--to say that I was honored to share the stage with him would be an understatement. Both of us were fairly impressed by the staff and organization at the Swannanoa Gathering and hope to be invited back in the future. Thanks again for your kind words and insight.
@shanea60
5 жыл бұрын
Great insight subbuteo71, we too have those who prefer to intellectualise and formalise traditional music collected in Australia. Occasionally at a gathering someone in frustration will say, "just play the F$%!ng thing mate" Lol.
@brin57
4 жыл бұрын
Wish I could give this video more likes!! The whole competitive nature and rules reminds me of what happened to guitar in the late '80's. (in the hair-band metal era). It all became about being more of a technician than a musician. Musicality lost out to technical virtuosity. Eventually it all imploded, with the backlash called grunge. Everybody was sick of the Twiddly-Widdly how many notes can you fit in mentality, and people started writing real songs again. And the audiences responded positively. There's always going to be musicians who are obsessed with technical playing, as it is a big personal challenge to achieve. I feel that it is also a path some choose, in place of possessing an innate musicality. So I've come from being a metal guitarist, to playing and loving the sheer heart and musicality of these more traditional banjo influences. Thanks heaps Clifton.
@nymsmacgregor7232
4 жыл бұрын
Brian, I'm with you.... I was the lead guitarist in hard rock bands, some metal, mostly electric blues. After years and years of people coming up and saying 'Play something fast...' They didn't even want to hear a song. Like it or not, rock and roll, which was 'here to stay', has left. People in famous bands are playing the same stuff they played 30 years ago. Now I'm restoring my 1880 Buckbee....I just need something with a melody... Sometimes, the only thing left is to sit under a tree and play 'Lorena'...
@jasonw4053
6 жыл бұрын
This is so spot on man. I’ve been to Mt Airy, been invited to Clifftop, spent many hours “jamming” with old time guys...you and I have had parallel experiences. There is some truly wonderful music happening, for sure, but that driving rhythm you and I love is shunned with a glare, you feel so unwelcome. I play in a string band that does everything from old-time to Whitney Houston and we don’t fit at bluegrass festivals or old time things, we just are what we are. I play a bottleneck slide primarily in the band, try taking THAT to an Old Timey thing! Thanks for being a beacon in the traditional banjo world, I think that your lessons and videos really resonate with a lot of players who don’t fit in to the current two party banjo system.
@Bayrum78
3 жыл бұрын
Perfect.
@user-mh1jz4yp7e
Жыл бұрын
I often find myself coming back to where my true spark for the banjo came from, that little intro song that you played. Thank you.
@kittenandthetonics2573
6 жыл бұрын
Crocs and swim trunks. Ha!
@sarafwolf
5 жыл бұрын
"And the judges just sit there waiting for the next -clickity-clickity- typewriter guy" LOL!
@myidahohomestead.7123
Жыл бұрын
I agree a lot with you. I'm new to playing, but the more i learn the more i see the picking as just a way to show off who can play the fastest.
@Stephenbernerart
6 жыл бұрын
You're becoming the best banjo 2-finger, tuning, history and lessons dude on the internet. Hero!
@thelaneman
Жыл бұрын
This dude is the Jedi Knight of banjo picking
@anthonybenjamin6343
Жыл бұрын
Real
@janasherrill8880
4 жыл бұрын
THANK YOU. I’ve been following along with you for a few years now and my brother and I both play traditional banjo. He went to Belmont and I went to App. Go ‘Neers! It grinds my gears when people are disappointed that I can’t play bluegrass, but I have no interest in doing so. Keep on doing what you’re doing!
@jdoe5835
4 жыл бұрын
I loved your song at the beginning so much! I could listen to that for hours! Thank you for the history lesson and thoughts
@shanefranks5816
3 жыл бұрын
As a bluegrass player, I have always gravitated more towards guys like Don Reno, John Hartford and Eddie Adcock because they basically take the no rules attitude and it makes their styles so much more fun! To me the banjo is the ultimate source of musical experimentation and if you find something that works for you, run with it! (P.S. I love the term 'the typewriter guy'😂)
@jacobalexander7192
Жыл бұрын
Exactly. The guys you mentioned have a lot more in common with traditional "guitar style" banjo pickers pre-scruggs
@rickyallan3825
Жыл бұрын
Very well said. This is why, for the most part, I’d rather sit alone and explore my banjos possibilities than sit in a jam or play in a band.
@michaelharvey5138
5 жыл бұрын
This was a brilliant video...I got to say I've really been waiting for some one to say this, and tell it like it really is .....
@nathanielbrow2977
Жыл бұрын
This has opened my eyes. I love so many traditional banjo musicians and after taking lessons and playing the three-finger bluegrass style, I still found myself unable to play the songs I loved most. And when I found out that they were playing a completely different style, I realized I had been pursuing something completely separate from what I wanted. My instructor insists that this is the only way that matters and that it’s the best way to play. It’s a shame to see such a strange conflict in the entire community. I’ll continue learning the “Scruggs” style because I’ve advanced so far but now will be taking lessons from two instructors. 😊
@CliftonHicksbanjo
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for writing, Nathaniel. You might find my Banjo Heritage course useful: BanjoHeritage.com
@gamemasterz4026
9 ай бұрын
Such a great video, I've been watching a lot of your videos lately. It really hit home about you talking about the freedom that comes with Traditional Banjo playing.
@jeffcrowder1892
3 жыл бұрын
Love your craft and Identify with your take on the Banjo. Myself, am on my own. I was shown the basic Pee Seeger bump ditty in 1976 and have been plugging along ever since. I recently adopted the Clawhammer strum and basically do what my instincts come up with. Drunks love what I do. They say I'm better than Earl Scruggs. That is a ridiculous compliment to be sure. Folks ask, how long you been playing? I don't know about playing, but I can say how long I've owned one. Your a genuine instinctive player/singer, making songs with your own twist. Great! You are a wealth of info that I have received great advice from. True original and entertaining. You have renewed my banjo interest also. I have done beer joints, fish fries, and small parties on a whim and ended up making a contribution to old fashioned fun. I have played around with songs like Bad Moon rising, Going up the Country, and some others with the old time style of Banjo and having fun with it. Praise God for the small audiences of drunks and also Old folks that remember the music from the past. When people get up and dance, and you see foot tapping, and there are beers stacked on the table/bar where I sit, it gives instant joy to see happy faces. Keep up your work for you bring Joy to the world!
@jerrywolfe8232
5 жыл бұрын
Well said, I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way!
@MsTubbytube
6 жыл бұрын
"there's no reason to get offended...we're just talking about banjos right?" love it
@calebwright.
Жыл бұрын
Hit the nail on the head here I started with my banjo a year and a half ago almost gave it up because it seemed everyone wanted to emulate Scruggs and I hated the finger picks, but Mr. Clifton your style inspired me to keep at it now I’ve got a good 3-4 solid songs under my belt!
@jethrobodine4638
Жыл бұрын
great video Clifton! i am new to clawhammer banjo and have fallen in love with it. I enjoy the old time sound. i think people should play whatever style makes them happy but i totally get your point on the limitations that may be there for each style. i will say i have watched a lot of banjo players on youtube and you are one of the few (along with Patrick Costello) that has shown me that playing is more than just picking notes and memorizing tabs. the music becomes part of you. i love history and Appalachian to be exact so i respect where the music roots come from and my main goal is to sit on my porch in the woods and enjoy playing my banjo!! i do it for me and the ones that came before me. Movies like the Mountain Minor, Songcatcher, Cold Mountain, Old Brother Where Art Thou, that music is what I truly enjoy. keep up the great work.
@beercrawlerrc
6 ай бұрын
I have been watching your vids for 4 yrs and today was the first time I watched this vid. When I first stumbled on your page I was trying to play with metal finger picks etc …. I watched your “how to play German War” vid and that vid changed my whole mind on how I wanted to play. 🍻🍻🍻😎
@kehhab
3 жыл бұрын
I've been on the banjo for bit now. After spending a few years writing my own music. I'm now just starting to educate myself about the history of the instrument, and styles of playing. I definitely find your channel interesting and enlightening Clifton. Folks come up sometimes after our gigs and ask my what style I play. I don't know. Suppose it's a clawhammer variant of some kind. Most gigs it'll get all clickity clackity in my head after a while, and I get bored. Then I just try to figure out another way to play that can serve the song. I've also had banjo players come up and tell me "I'm doing it all wrong". My general response is "Well buddy, I just got done playing music we wrote with four of my best friends". I too have been shunned a couple times from our local bluegrass get togethers. And to think I used to feel that the rock music scene was full of ego and male bravado. Shiet.
@CliftonHicksbanjo
3 жыл бұрын
Sheeit. Those "you're doing it all wrong" people are just ignorant house slaves. Ignore 'em.
@williamgillette4086
11 ай бұрын
I agree i much prefer oldtime to Bluegrass banjo.
@jackparsons1513
3 жыл бұрын
KEEP RUNNIN OFF THEM JAMS CLIFTON!!!! MAD LOVE SON!!
@kungfusansootsoilihofuthun8895
3 жыл бұрын
I have always just picked. Your EPIC and i agree fully. My momma said she'd sit on the porch up om greasy ridge OH an hear pure bluegrass pickn and fiddle echo through the hollers. THANKS for the inspiration to get my banjo back out.
@rough-sawnskateboards6169
6 жыл бұрын
Right on brother keep doing what your doing. I just let the banjo do what it wants, I follow no rules. It's my favorite instrument and sometimes I'll close my eyes and play. Take care
@terryfreeman1018
Жыл бұрын
Just found this video. Wear it out young man. Awesome.
@Diddy_Wah_Wiggy
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for this discussion. You took a chance, and I'm glad I heard it.
@herojippie1102
Жыл бұрын
I love your way of playing, well I love the banjo sound period. But really like hearing you play and sing
@Chuck-he1jd
2 жыл бұрын
what a great video.. Glad I found your channel
@tomzhang1986
6 жыл бұрын
Quick talk but big lesson!!! Appreciate that!
@the_glove
Жыл бұрын
West Kentucky I can relate. I’d been vibed out by the jams . They never wanted to share when I don’t come from bluegrass … I wanted to learn but they were a little short with me. I like this style you play , all the folks I’ve met that play like that also are nice to me and very forthcoming about sharing songs and Melodies, much like the idiom I came from
@flysolo100
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you for this. Always felt the same
@chromaticswing9199
6 жыл бұрын
Beautiful playing mate! I'm not a banjo player and am from a wildly different musical tradition, but I've been interested in playing the banjo. How would you define traditional banjo playing? Is it just a freer version of clawhammer that may or may not include singing? In any case, you've convinced me on what I want to learn on the banjo, once I get one, that is. Unfortunately for my location and age demographic, most people associate the banjo with rapid fire picking with the same old licks. Funny that when it comes to rock music, anything goes for us. Get a guitar, maybe some drums, and go wild! Thank you for keeping the beauty of music alive.
@banjoist123
2 жыл бұрын
I have been a Scruggs player since the start, but as I age, I am drawn more to old timey. Truth be told, it's really a lot easier on the untrained ear than hotrod bluegrass 3 finger. I love them both, tho. Great video. You cover it all.
@maxwellfan55
Жыл бұрын
I love this. And completely agree, you're talking stuff I wanna hear. I've been playing various banjo styles and techniques for years now and learned to hate the idea of conformity more and more as time passes. Same goes for lots of instruments (think Hendrix), he broke all the rules! The thing about the 5-string banjo is that it's so ripe for creativity and variation, so why limit to roll patterns anyway? My fav is probably 2-finger on gut-string mountain, or big civil war-type fretless banjos. I regularly throw in a few extra fingers where necessary for a particular song, use a metal slide on the third finger for fretless. Makes the banjo sing. I also like watching Sarah Nichols play and sing, the way she brings tunes right down to the pure melody and banjo tone. I always take a steel string long-neck to acoustic sessions in pubs (UK) where I can be heard over the din. For this I use flat pick and 2 finger country guitar-style, so I can roll, mute, vamp, pick single note runs, bend, dig in, solos, anything in any key, except rarely do I use the pick to strum (too harsh). Also easy to switch to guitar mid song. When any bluegrass reso players turn up they're always sittin around waitin their turn whereas I can play accompaniment on just about all as it goes round. The only rule about banjo - there's no rules - 'cept good tuning!
@joshuacummings4920
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the video! A big turning point in my banjo playing was when i discovered your youtube videos! It was nice to see someone doing something different. Haven't been playing in a while though. I'll have to get back into some banjo again.
@48ford8n
5 жыл бұрын
I'm with you 100%. You are spot-on with everything you're talking about. So glad you're keeping the tradition alive. "I've been known to run off an entire jam"....too funny!!!! You wouldn't run me off!!!!
@MarkWYoung-ky4uc
3 жыл бұрын
When you can play and sing like you can Clifton, you don't need a band. Uncle Dave didn't have rules nor did Earl..damn the rule bookers...full strumming, picking, frailing, drop thumbing (or any combination of these) ahead!😊
@joey4809
4 жыл бұрын
Really refreshing I have been stuck on the g tuning playing or trying to the bum diddy etc I am 72 just picked up the banjo as a gift a year ago,i have always broke conformity in my life so to hear this it's great loving the sound I can now hear the banjo for the 1st time, it always sounded flat sat behind it playing so keep on doing what your doing because as a young elder I need young voices so I can learn would appreciate more of what your doing welcome to the UK
@jeffcrowder1892
3 жыл бұрын
Try double C tuning. It is easy to learn and it opens new horizons.
@crowncityramblers
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for this & all of the videos. Very informational & I definitely agree with this video!
@edwardmorton6691
3 жыл бұрын
Clifton, I'm from Belfast in N. Ireland and I've loved Bluegrass all my life. Lately I've seen all those rules coming into the style of playing not only banjo , but guitar as well. It's crippling individual style and and killing personal musical growth. I fully agree with a lot of what you say and I'll tell you one thing I'd rather listen to you than most of the crap the the big recording companies churn out simply to line their pockets. Its a crying shame, man, and I thank heavens there's still men like you around with balls big enough to do you're own thing and encourage others to do the same. I laughed when you said about anchoring your picking hand and putting on picks because those two rules alone are becoming almost like the 11 and 12 commandments and I can't believe the people that preach them don't realise how crazy they are. All the nuances of tone and timbre while plucking at different positions on the pot and even on the neck lost, just like that. They're not doing the instruments any justice at all. Anyhow, sir, you keep on plucking wherever the heck you want and continue being yourself and may the powers that be continue to give you the strength to stand your ground well away from those masses of plucking idiots. Just love your style, you're a class act and there's a spirit in you that links you to the uthentic music and musicians from a time that to my mind they want to erase because it probably causes someone somewhere a bit of offence. Sad days my friend.
@cloisterene
3 жыл бұрын
I like your style, traditional style, best.
@MadiTayl
9 ай бұрын
Wow, Ive had such an extremely different experience at these festivals. I play melodic clawhammer. Even a tad more progressively than trad round peak. My banjo doesn’t have a railroad spike and I don’t own a capo. I just tune my strings to the tune being played. And Ive NEVER been put down for it. I’ve had a few of the older players get upset that play too many syncopations and harmonies. But that’s about it. Other than that I’ve found that if I just ignore whatever perceived rules there are, that I get along just fine and almost everyone welcomes me at their jam.
@gauntfa3610
3 жыл бұрын
I grew up with bluegrass my uncle plays mandolin and my father plays guitar and I’ve recently started learning banjo my aunt always dances when we or they would jam. I think it is more preference but I like old time traditional folk banjo you name it. I think we find it more that when we come to a point of euphoria we develop arrogance and I’m not calling you arrogant but it is what it is. I don’t think my 3 picks are gonna hurt nobody.
@jeffcrowder1892
4 жыл бұрын
By the way, you do great creative work! I found you by accident and spend sleepless nights listening to your work!
@Chris_the_Dingo
3 жыл бұрын
I don't play well, but I learned from an older fellow from central NC named Marvin Gaster. He plays his own old-time finger picking style. It probably wouldn't pass muster in Galax or Mt. Airy but he did win the N.C. Heritage Award in 2000, for old-time banjo. Go figure....
@FrankieRevell
5 жыл бұрын
YES!!! I don't jam and I don't go to festivals for the reasons which you mention. Well said. If you don't fit into the box then you aren't accepted.
@johnfreeth1988
2 жыл бұрын
From the UK Thank You.
@toadeepants
6 жыл бұрын
Haaa crocs and swim trunks!!!! ❤️
@aikidragonpiper71
4 жыл бұрын
I agree every musicians should have a freedom of expression and not be forced to play a instrument a certain way. I play bagpipes and it’s the opposite,you are shunned if you don’t play it the traditional way. I like bluegrass but I like the old mountain folk music more, we do have some of that music tradition in Arkansas especially since many of the settlers to the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas was came from Appalachia . Well they of course settled southern Missouri too. A few of my favorite tunes are probably considered American folk , The Wildwood Flower and of course since I’m a Arkie , Arkansas Traveler .
@CliftonHicksbanjo
4 жыл бұрын
In my experience, all of the rural people who inhabit the Southern states from Florida to So-Cal (be they Anglo, Afro, Indigenous, or Hispanic) are _one_ people. We share so many cultural traits that our differences become irrelevant.
@d.w.nickerson4147
3 жыл бұрын
Love your singing and playing!
@daveburklund2295
6 жыл бұрын
Amen, mister. I started a decade ago playing three finger Scruggs style. Realized something soon enough I would never sound like Earl, I would sound like someone who sounds like someone who sounds like Scruggs. Also, and people don't get this, Bluegrass is an ensemble performance tradition. It's not for dancing, it's for sitting and listening. And it's for soloing in a group, but everybody would sound pretty lame if they were doing the exact same thing alone. Not true for so many trad styles of banjo! And it was boring! (Although I do occasionally use picks on one of my favorite open backs--that way I offend more than one class of banjo players!) Once saw Ralph Stanley live in a little bar with a stage and he talked about how everybody he knew when he was a youth played a bunch of different styles--just before he did some clawhammer tunes. So anyway, I hear ya, rules can wring the enjoyment out of the banjo. Just one rule I live by: If it don't sound good, stop it.
@uncommonsensewithpastormar2913
2 жыл бұрын
I don’t care for most Blue Grass banjo, since it strikes me as all virtuosity and no soul. I feel so lucky finding this KZitem channel right when I purchased my first banjo. I first started using a four finger picking style on the banjo, since that’s how I played the guitar, but I’ve also been doing claw hammer and Hick’s two finger style. I’m going to be all over the map in my playing style, just like Hicks is, although I’ve yet to try the 3 finger, rolling style.
@joshuamercer854
Жыл бұрын
What’s a reasonable amount to pay for a banjo and what brands should I consider or stay away from?
@CliftonHicksbanjo
Жыл бұрын
Gold Tone AC1 is the best beginner banjo today. Stay away from Deering and Pisgah (low quality and overpriced).
@shaunw9270
7 ай бұрын
@@CliftonHicksbanjo Really interesting you don't recommend Deering. I'm only an occasional banjo player in the UK and I'm more than satisfied with my bottom of the range Good Time open back 5 string. Decent tone, easy playability and stays in tune. No complaints.
@JacobvsRex
7 ай бұрын
After a bunch of looking around, a lot of deerings didn’t feel right, sort of cheap and clunky, found a used gold tone, I think an mc150a or something like that. Love it.
@Bikewer
5 ай бұрын
I just bought a Gold Tone AC1…. Excellent no-frills banjo that sounds good and is well made.
@JS-xs5hq
4 ай бұрын
The AC1 is affordable cuz it's built in China, while the Deering Goodtime is US built. The quality differences are subjective.
@jolox.
Жыл бұрын
The banjo is such a great instrument. I don't use the picks, though I do have them. I prefer fingernails.
@AlphaWolf096
4 жыл бұрын
Appalachian State represent! Was inspired to come to this video by my Appalachian Music class. It was incredibly hard for me to hear the difference between Bluegrass and Old-Time music even when my professor showed them to us side by side. Therefore, this video was very informative about some of the difference in style, especially regarding the role of the banjo. Thanks for your insight!
@CliftonHicksbanjo
4 жыл бұрын
Who was your professor?
@AlphaWolf096
4 жыл бұрын
Clifton Hicks Currently taking the class with Professor Zellers. Just started, but he’s done a good job.
@DinzeLord
Жыл бұрын
11:57 I'm a big fan of good old clawhammer fiddle groove, it's pure feeling, I love to play it and that's what make people get up and dance. I also like the ''speedy mechanical scrug picking style'' creating a beautiful percussive background in bluegrass music. I don't understand why you put a ''way to play banjo'' superior than the other since the intention of the instrument in both case are completely different. It's not even the same style of music
@ROCKINGMAN
3 жыл бұрын
I have loved the banjo for years and about to take it up. I seem to like open-backs more than resonator. I agree with, whilst everything seems to be guided by rules, they can be broken to do what you need to do. Very enlightening talk on your open views, I agree totally. I want to learn frailing, strumming, picking and rolls all on an open-back.
@terryfreeman1018
Жыл бұрын
Wide open traditional. I like that.
@Robthebanks
6 жыл бұрын
When I went to a bluegrass/old time festival I didn't realise that the banjo players would be so polarised. Whilst people were very proficient at playing banjo, I didn't find it particularly interesting and I'm not sure I'd bother going back to that festival. I'm not sure why this polarisation has happened but maybe 90% of banjo playing I see on the Internet is either bluegrass or 'clawhammer' and I don't feel I get much out of it. I was watching a couple of episodes of Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest and saw a good variety in how people play banjo. I found watching this more refreshing than a lot of current stuff despite it being old footage. Thanks Clif for playing banjo the way you do, you breathe new life into the instrument and have a unique and interesting sound!
@DanDDirges
6 жыл бұрын
I never did dance since the disco days until I heard old time banjer a few years ago. Had no inclination or desire to, then while having a few and listening to old time Banjer, I started doing it impulsively, it was a strange but fun experience. Had to stop though cause of meniscus tear and arthritis of the knees.
@jharsch3453
5 жыл бұрын
Clifton has a deep seated hate for capos it seems haha. I use one for some odd keys here and there. It helps me get to Ab quickly.
@timothyterman7810
5 жыл бұрын
Really interesting. Thanks for the perspective.
@deltabilly1
Жыл бұрын
I attended a “Banjo Summit” several years ago in Boston. Featured Fleck, Trishka, Noam Pikelny, Eric Weissberg, Bill Keith, Richie Stearns and Abby Washburn. What a nightmare! Talk about typewriters! Stearns was the only one who did anything interesting, not surprisingly, as he comes from a “progressive old-timey” perspective.
@feg953
4 жыл бұрын
I love your approach to playing the banjo and I totally agree about styles that are limiting. I am 67 years old and have been playing guitar since I was 10 years old off and on. I also play fiddle and mandolin some, however the banjo has always been intimidating because I grew up in the Earl Scruggs era and thought that metal picks and a myriad of rolls was a requirement. I recently bought myself a banjo and was determined to learn rolls but I didn't really enjoy it and keep reverting to my own style which is some two finger with strumming and melody mixed.
@debrasue2793
3 жыл бұрын
Far as i'm concerned you can take or leave his conclusions on the topic, but without listening to him discuss the matter i would have never known that banjo subculture drilled down deeper and wider than just a "bluegrass" vs tradish dichotomy. learning something new from ever video over here
@SamHatchSings
5 жыл бұрын
"Traditional banjo there's no rules, but with bluegrass picking, it's all rules." That sums it up very well. I started playing clawhammer last September after trying (and giving up) bluegrass banjo. One of my best friends always bugs me about quitting frailing and starting Scruggs again. I just tell him that it's not there for me, I don't wanna get myself stuck in that box! Being from outside Appalachia (Kansas), it definitely makes it easier to comprehend banjo culture when you can put everyone's playing into a stylistic box, but it also takes away from the art of the banjo. When I moved here to Kentucky, I found that there was so much more that the banjo could offer outside of Scruggs picking and I dived into clawhammer headfirst!
@CliftonHicksbanjo
5 жыл бұрын
That parallels my experience of starting with Scruggs picking at the age of 13, having no clue that there was any other way to play. The moment I heard "clawhammer" it was all over for me, I threw away my finger picks and took OFF.
@SamHatchSings
5 жыл бұрын
@@CliftonHicksbanjo I remember what did it too! I couldn't explain why exactly I loved Grandpa's picking so much more than Roy's on Hee-Haw, but eventually I realized they were just playing different and down the road to frailing I flew!!!
@LadyWeasel
5 жыл бұрын
My dad played clawhammer and was learning Scruggs style when he passed away.
@katherinefernald4312
3 жыл бұрын
I've been searching for this. Trying to find a tutorial for the kind of banjo my dad played in the 1970s. We lived in NC and central NY and never heard about all these rules you're describing. He definitely sang while playing, and my (his old) banjo looks like the one in your video here. So... do you have lessons on KZitem? I am a beginner.
@CliftonHicksbanjo
3 жыл бұрын
Clawhammer Banjo for the Complete Beginner: kzitem.info/news/bejne/qa2ltpd9b5aCnXY Two-Finger Banjo for the Complete Beginner: kzitem.info/news/bejne/xYyNvW2hipWmrW0
@davidtalbert5501
3 жыл бұрын
thank you for this
@Fire_And_Iron
3 жыл бұрын
Keep doing what you do!
@l.mcg.985
4 жыл бұрын
Thank you Clifton for risking the wrath of all the note for note super charged immitation obsessed copyists. The only reason for learning the banjo is for self enjoyment, If other people then pick up on your own enjoyment and you can make your own own delight infectious then you're a true music maker, not a pale wannabe of someone else. Greetings from the south of England.
@terryfinley7760
Жыл бұрын
Well said! Personally, I don’t care for jam sessions either….
@setwen2574
Жыл бұрын
I learned something today. Thanks!
@rogerbeaird5742
3 жыл бұрын
And we appreciate the style you play traditional style banjo brother 👍👍👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸👽👽👽
@elizabethrogge7908
Жыл бұрын
This is very interesting! Some of those unspoken rules also apply in Irish music jams
@jdoe5835
3 жыл бұрын
you are my all time favorite banjo player!
@ajeje1996
6 жыл бұрын
Hey Clifton, one question for a future Q&A: I've recently finished building my first banjo (a tack-head, more specifically), partly inspired by you. My question is: how do you deal with changes in humidity when dealing with banjos without a mean of tightening the head? Do you treat the skin in any way, or do you leave it raw? Do you retune or change bridge with a taller one? Or maybe use shims? Anyway, take care
@CliftonHicksbanjo
6 жыл бұрын
OK will do. Basically you need let the head dry over a long period, indoors on a non-rainy day. It helps to know what your area's average humidity is and, if possible, tack the head on an average day. That being said, if you take your tackhead camping as I did for many years it will get damp an even rained on and your head will sag considerably. For that I always keep a spare bridge that is taller. Outside of that there really isn't much you can do with a tackhead--just do the best you can like the old timers did.
@CliftonHicksbanjo
6 жыл бұрын
Using some kind of shim is an interesting idea also but would require considerable effort.
@ajeje1996
6 жыл бұрын
Clifton Hicks Thanks for the answer! I've read some people have used waterproofing coatings. I'm tempted to experiment with that... I've got a spare head, so I might try it, for science, at the very least.
@DanDDirges
6 жыл бұрын
Maybe just staple on a fiberskyn head? Don't know, just thinking out loud.
@ajeje1996
6 жыл бұрын
Dan D. Dirges I thought about that, unfortunately synthetic materials don't bend very well, and would leave a lot of ugly and uncomfortable creases around the edge of the rim...
@timothybladon9958
Жыл бұрын
I too like some bluegrass, but I much prefer the old time style. I think it is the direct ancestor of Celtic music but the banjo came from Africa, so it really is truly diverse
@seancoxe3577
6 жыл бұрын
I played in an old-time string band for a number of years, and I have to agree with your assessment of how limiting (boring?) that can be. Wish you lived closer to Tucson, AZ, Clifton. We could sit around and swap songs.
@jerrywolfe8232
5 жыл бұрын
My grandpa taught me the drop thumb banjo growing up and I can never remember him playing a tune he didn't sing as well
@CliftonHicksbanjo
5 жыл бұрын
Interesting. Where was he from and about when was he born?
@nvdawahyaify
3 жыл бұрын
Personally i use several styles of picking, depending on the song. Some songs sound better in different styles. I think it's a shame that so many people want to sound like earl Scruggs or other people, instead of wanting to sound like themselves. Also i firmly believe that if one needs to use picks to get more volume, their technique needs adjusting. If you can't get the most out of your instrument with your hands than your not playing it correctly. That may be my classical and flamenco guitar background talking but I've applied that mindset to all my instruments and have had nothing but positive responses.
@StewieGriffin505
4 жыл бұрын
Great video. I got a banjo because I wanted to play like Uncle Dave Macon. I do listen to Bluegrass Junction on Sirius, but it just drones in the background. It all sounds the same. The banjo never stands out. I think all of the Greats are dead.
@mainer98
5 жыл бұрын
I am a (gasp) Yankee, having grown up in New England and the upper midwest. My first exposure to 5 string was as a teen in the late 50's, with Dave Guard, Pete Seeger, Billy Faier, and Bob Gibson as my primary inspiration because that's pretty much all there was. The only "instruction" available at the time for us Yankees was Pete's book. As a result, I more or less developed my own style, which took a left turn for a few years and found me playing (gasp again) plectrum style in the mid 60's at a Your Father's Mustache club in Chicago. My "style" continues to evolve, mostly using standard C tuning (plectrum influence), mixing two finger and my own way of drop thumb down-picking. I'm told by folks who aren't hung up of the "correct" way to play clawhammer, drop-thumb, or two fingered, that I'm actually pretty good, but I know enough not to show up at an old tyme or bluegrass jam or to those festivals down south that you were referencing. You can see in my profile photo I'm an old bald guy playing a 20's Tubaphone with a 25 fret neck that I fashioned specifically for my own left hand. I find your comments and approach quite refreshing. I've listened to many southern pickers over the past 60 years but there's something about your playing and singing that stands out and captivates me. I guess I got a little off subject, but am also guessing that most of you got to my mention of Dave Guard and quit reading.
@alphonsotate2982
3 жыл бұрын
BANJO PERIOD ALL GOOD I LOVE ALL BANGO MUSIC ITS ALL BEAUTIFUL MUSIC
@johnjriggsarchery2457
2 жыл бұрын
The one reason that's keeping me from claw hammer or frailing is my stupid finger nails get messed up when they get long enough to make a decent sound.
@beararms6945
3 ай бұрын
Finally someone else who plays , I think I might be the only picker in Pennsylvania ha, what head ya have on your sweetheart?
@CliftonHicksbanjo
3 ай бұрын
That was just a cheap goatskin head. Now I use plain frosted top Remo.
@theguppyshrimpx5777
16 күн бұрын
definitely not the only picker in PA
@elizabethrogge7908
2 жыл бұрын
I love the traditional banjo. It’s like the old country blues played on old steel guitar on the back of a truck or on someone’s back porch
@Jock-jb3sy
Жыл бұрын
I am sticking, with you man I'm sticking with you, blindboy hear Am sticking with you man I'm sticking with you blindboy😊
@nymsmacgregor7232
4 жыл бұрын
Cliff, when you said you 'never even placed'.....you placed with US.... Hugs...Nyms
@SUNARROWSUNARROW
4 жыл бұрын
I is a beginner and I had the chorus to lern scrugs or claw hammer I chose claw hammer I love the sawnds of it and I play in dubal c its esiyer for me lerning
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