5 STRING BANJO Master BILL KNOPF 1985

[asbarg01]

He looks like Bill Murray in disguise! Great picking.

[thenerdyherd]

I used to be up and bound of appalations and i played the old banjo all the tim

[alanmeires]

we have never realy had banjo music in England but i love the sound it makes ...nice

[LincolnEvil]

very nice!



[LadyBigTruck]

Sweet! Love it! Thank you for sharing such talent. I'm impressed.

[396023900]

Красиво

[maxmrmaster]

good job, russell crowe!

[billtex07]

Knopf... or Knoph ?? I'm so confused.

[GUITARARTS]

@billtex07

Knopf

[50SticksofDynamite]

@billtex07 Knopf A great banjo player and my teacher :)

[donrich67]

Wow!! Now this is what I call a power trio!! Just amazing!

[masteromox]

He looks like Russell Crowe

[Thebanjofellah]

If you're playing the three finger style pickin', Earl Scruggs will always be the king of the banjo. Eventhough this mr is good on the banjo, earl is the king!

[Banjerman07]

Good pickin, but that banjo sounds dead and muddy...those fyberskin heads arent no good.

[SoldatSolutrea]

Ahh, the days when people wanted to listen to and play good music. -and when the media was willing to advertise true musicians.

[Muzikman127]

@SoldatSolutrea the 80s? reality check

[LeandroMuntendam]

Yiiihaaaaaa hail Dixie baby whooooo

[xXxCrossoveRxXx]

what song is at 1:26?

[jgtr]

Maple Leaf Rag

[roastedmermaid]

This guy is my teacher now. Best banjo teacher I have ever had. He's amazing!

[cowboy10234]

foggy moutain breakdown

[duch182]

badass

[pentacleofvenus]

wow, i loved the excerpt from caravan, thanks for naming it GUITARARTS - i was about to ask. The little jam starting at 2:54 was also really great...anyone know the name of that one?

[GUITARARTS]

At 2:54 there's a portion of Bill's version of an Earl Scruggs tune called "GROUNDSPEED"

[ventrue1]

The title "master" is well deserved : excellent ! Amazing skills

[shortattentionspan1]

... ya get the "master" title from me too ... just beautiful...

[intarcouch]

this guy shreds.

[Lorbera]

Ah this awakes my inner Redneck.

[HuxxNL]

HAHA M 2!

[JonEricMusic]

That was AMAZING!

Banjoistically yours,

Jon Eric

[goldrb6]

Hey Bill...just came across this...nice 1985 hair! Love you all the way up in Oregon!

Dennis

[bemjamin]

sounds like that motorhead coverthat dixie hayseed plays haha

[GUITARARTS]

It's a excerpt from Bill's version of CARAVAN

(Duke Ellington)

[Lewey8705]

What is the name of the song that begins around 45 seconds?

[GUITARARTSNEWS]

It's a excerpt from Bill's version of Foggy Mountain Breakdown (Earl Scruggs)

[ramairgod]

what's the first song he plays . its a classic tune

[banjoleland]

Next to the weekend my banjo lesson on Wednesday night is my favorite day. Bill is an excellent player and instructor. Lucky is the person who gets to experience him in concert with either Kathy, or the Tom Corbett band or all together.

[flippingfo0l]

can someone please explain to me why the the 5 string is on the 4th frett

[skywav]

Because that is what makes it a 5 string banjo. It is a drone string.

[flippingfo0l]

ohh i see. thanx

[TheZenBanjoist]

Some say that back in the day when strings were gut the note was so high (The 5th string on the 5-string banjo is the high note.) that it would break. So, to ease up on the tension the string was shortened.

[brian5string]

a very versatile player, think the playing is great, got his bk regading 'Rag' it's good info.

[dannonater]

His ring finger is not anchored to the head. He must be the Devil.

[wra7h]

wat?

[TheZenBanjoist]

Yeah, and he doesn't fret with his thumb!

[BanjoBoy33]

I don't fret with my thumb...

[Banjoslug]

Yeah he does. Watch at around :38.

[TheZenBanjoist]

My point is, is that his playing omits the thumb where many others will use it.

I don't fret with my thumb but I will use it in early tunes that I learned like "Turkey in The Straw" because that's the way I learned it and that's the way they are ingrained in my mind. When I play "Rhapsody in Blue" or "Power House" the 5th is fretted many times and I don't do it with my thumb. So I don't fret with my thumb, even thought on a Beginner's tune like "Turkey" or "FMB" it really dosen't count.

[jzprop0188]

I have the pleasure of knowing these folk and not only are they fantastic musicians, but they are real down to earth people

[carteru93]

Aha! Ground Speed, that's it, last song.

[NSchrobilgen]

I love this guy's facial expressions!

[carteru93]

Notice the top tension and Renissaince(?) head.

[banjomartin88]

That would be a fiberskin head

[5picking]

Bill is playing an RB12 here. I wonder if it is an original or a re-issue ??? Sounds great anyway !

[NSchrobilgen]

I think it's an original because I know a guy who has got an original with the clamshell tailpiece, and the reissue model has a presto, just as well the sound is closer to the one my friend has

[oldbanjoman]

I think I remember seeing Bill perform at the Norco bluegrass festivals in California back in the 1970s.  Man, he sure was (and is) a great banjoist.

[GUITARARTS]

The 3rd song on this Video Clip is a portion of Bill's version of Scott Joplin's Ragtime Classic "MAPLE LEAF RAG" (the complete versions of all the songs and interviews are on the SOUNDBOARD TV #31 DVD)

[antmartainexperience]

Thanks!

[antmartainexperience]

Hey sorry to be another "duhh what's that song called?" but this one's killing me. I'm trying to track down the third song, at 1:25 I can't remember the name of it for the life of me.

[mojoncini]

thanks

[GUITARARTS]

The opening song on this Video Clip is a portion of Bill's version of Foggy Mountain Breakdown

[mojoncini]

hi cananyone tell me the name of te firstt song

[GUITARARTS]

The 2nd Song on this preview clip is a portion of Bill's amazing yet tasteful version of Duke Ellingtons "Caravan"

[YNGWIESMOKEDJESUS]

ty yeah its amazing

[YNGWIESMOKEDJESUS]

hi can anyone tell me what the name of the second song they play is?

Thanks in advance.

THIS RULES!!!!!!

[Greatgodman009]

holy**** NICE!!!!

[brian5string]

great playing, would like to hear 'Lola' being played here, as it to is a great tune.

[bcm18]

Perfect, There's nothing in the world i like better than getting home from work and having a nice long play with my banjo string.

[funsnap]

He is great but Bela Fleck is the man

[davevanfunk]

Bill is the definitive banjo virtuoso. (Makes me wish I wanted to play bluegrass instead of clawhammer.) What's more is that he does all and does it well: Joplin rags, Sousa Marches, bluegrass standards. His recording of "Lady Be Good" is second to none.

[game4life12]

This is my banjo teacher hes really talented

[banjosef]

Great pickin' by a very talented musician and excellent & most resourceful teacher. He's transcribed quite a number of complex non banjo tunes for me over the years. A great asset to the banjo community.

[dobroski]

Bill is the MAN!! A truly underappreciated genius of the banjo who was one of the few listed in Masters of the 5-String Banjo and rightly so. I studied banjo with him for years and every lesson was great -- FANTASTIC player and teacher!

[whipsnade13]

Terrific playing by all involved. I think I wore out Bill's first album (yes, ALBUM) from playing it so much. He's always been a clean, innovative, and very musical picker. I love Howard's playing as well. Thanks for posting this!

[2ndgeneration]

This guy is really awesome! I think I had one of his instructional tab books that I learned a few tunes from. Wonder why he isn't more recognised today? Thanks for putting this up!

[iloveyouemily]

Great video--terrific banjo playing, and kickass guitar flatpicking(although way too brief)

Would be nice to hear a complete song.

[GUITARARTS]

Thanks for the nice comments. The full Show (1/2 hour program)is just being released on DVD today. Due to the Artists contract terms we can't YOUTUBE full Songs.