So, you’ve jumped into the
banjo, learned your basic Scruggs rolls at a clean and moderate speed, have an
understanding of chord patterns up and down the neck, and are now ready to take
your picking to the next level. You can now play basic rolls without your brain
‘telling’ each individual finger what to do. You want to play with others, to
‘strut your stuff.‘ Welcome to intermediate banjo class.
I am a Scruggs-based bluegrass
banjo picker, but have dabbled in melodic banjo and a little single-string
picking. I will tell you now that I am most comfortable playing in the
Scruggs/Crowe mode and can teach more successfully with that focus. I see banjo
in a bluegrass band like I see an electric guitar in a rock band. We will focus
on beefing up tone, constructing musically interesting melody-based solos, and
playing back-up behind singers and other instruments. It is so tempting to just
blast away on the banjo, but we will talk about using your banjo to help frame a
bluegrass song. We will focus on pulling tone from our banjos, learning how to
play as ‘fat’ as possible on an instrument known for its quick note decay. The
right hand is so important in the quest for tone, and we will explore just how
to find the banjo’s sweet spot. I would ask you to listen to people like Earl
Scruggs, J.D. Crowe, and Jim Mills between now and class time to know what I
mean by tone with a capital T.
I spent my early banjo years
like a ‘hunt and peck’ typist, searching for the melody up and down the neck. I
have since learned to focus on playing in a box, employing economy of motion. So
much can be accomplished on the banjo by playing out of chord shapes, and we
will delve into this process.
I believe music should be fun,
or it’s not worth doing. I encourage any interested student to contact me with
questions by e-mail, snail mail, or telephone given above. I would suggest
bringing along a tape recorder or video recorder as well as a notebook. I will
bring some tablature, but listening will be a huge part of the learning process
in intermediate banjo class. I am excited about this class and look forward to
meeting you all.
Sincerely,
Eric Gibson
2351 County Route 24
Brainardsville, NY 12915
518-425-0161
corinagibson@earthlink.net