Old Country & Western Blues. The Banjo is of West African Origin.

[JackRalphy]

Your fore head blurred my vision

[jaicapone89]

you have some pretty awesome finger skills there my friend. impressive!

[MissBadGirl95]

love it! LOVE IT! GREAT!

[wildjimbo]

Thanks... I think, for reposting my video. Of course, asking first would have been a common courtesy.

[thotsins]

@wildjimbo Your welcome. Thanks for not having a problem with me posting it.You're being marketed. lol

[wakeupfist]

That was a great performance! Doesn't get any more American than that.

[wildjimbo]

@wakeupfist Thanks. :)

[luckyhorsecinema]

what's the song called please ?

[wildjimbo]

@luckyhorsecinema "Country Blues" -- I learned the tune from a Doc Boggs recording, but I play it in a different style.

[luckyhorsecinema]

That was a properly lovely thing - all these people talking about the theoretical science and history of the banjo, fine it's got it's place ; but what about how what this bloke just did made you feel ...

[luckyhorsecinema]

That was properly good ! nice one

[Brynnium]

This style of playing the banjo is derived from " the Senegambia region" but it can easily be played in a different style that would completely eliminate any trace of this style. So, the permanent African influence is in the banjo itself which is of African origin, but there are many styles of banjo with no African origin whatsoever.

[thotsins]

@Brynnium True, it depends on which style any given player chooses to emphasize more. But since the instrument began with West African players who had brought our instrument to the states, the foundation of the music was in west african griot style. We can tell when the european style is being played and when the african style is being played. Because we're familiar with our griot forms of music, it's easy to hear it.

[neonshoji]

That's great!

[Steadno]

i like it

[thotsins]

The original Senegalese griot style is still distinctively noticeable—especially to us—since we know what our music sounds like. But usually only the european influence is the side told, and since people are mostly unfamiliar with African traditional classical forms, they can't tell the Senegalese side is also strongly present as well—but WE CAN hear the two distinctive styles fused between the Senegambia and Europe—even in this song.

[rockandroll1110]

Actually Bluegrass/Country is based mainly off of Folk music from Ireland and Scotland.

[thotsins]

@rockandroll1110

"mainly," nah. Yes, it is fused with folk music from ireland and scotland, but since the instrument originates from the Senegambia region, brought over by the slaves, the original tunes were based off a style of folk and griot music we know and play in the Senegambia (which we still play today, as evident from my other videos) which European americans fused with irish and scottish folk music they were accustomed to in Europe since it has a similar type of sound.

[thotsins]

@rockandroll1110 Even the style in which this guy is plucking and holding the banjo is the same specific style In Senegal etc. when young boys are trained how to hold and pluck the strings on our Banjo's. Only difference is we don't only call it "Banjo" we have a number of traditional names for it. LOL!

But there are specific details in technique to apply when playing Banjo, and we notice those details that were carryovers and made it's way into Bluegrass and Country.

[rockandroll1110]

@thotsins You're correct about the banjo, but everything else in Bluegrass/Country is derived from Folk music.

[thotsins]

Yea, European and African.

But you wouldn't know that because I can tell you don't know anything about the styles of traditional music we have from the Senegambia region, all you know is european music, so that's all you can hear.

It's very unlikely that the instrument would be of AFRICAN origin, brought by AFRICANS who were the first to play it, playing AFRICAN MUSIC—and it wouldn't make any influence into bluegrass/country? That's not logical.

[thotsins]

@rockandroll1110 I have friends from Ireland and Scotland and although the sound of the instrument is similar in irish/scottish folk etc.—the rhythms have a strong african influence from Senegalese griot music, maybe you can't hear it, but we can, obviously. Rhythm style and the sound of the instrument are two different things. Irish and scottish folk does NOT sound exactly like bluegrass according to rhythmic style.

[Hoopermazing]

@rockandroll1110 That's not even true in a purely American context. The Carter Family were influence by Lesley Riddle (especially the guitar playing of Maybelle Carter) Of course, the Carter Family influenced all Country and Bluegrass that followed them. You probably already knew that. Deny, deny, deny is the standard operating procedure of you people. Back in the early 1980s, some stupid white kid even tried to tell me that Jimi Hendrix wasn't black.

[thotsins]

@Hoopermazing Yea, thank you for saying that. For some odd reason, they always want to take/steal our stuff & then KICK US OUT OF THE ORIGINS or TRY TO IMPLY WE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH INFLUENCE. In Africa, we're fair people, we aren't going to lie about something we didn't do; we R always fair in crediting everybody where they deserve it. Give credit where it's due.

[Steadno]

very cool sound

[songpoemguy]

very nice banjo playing 5****** check out jim reeves and joni james singing danny boy its a fake duet i put together

[PeteMauerman]

Amazing, great job! What is your tuning?