TRAD: Arkansas Traveller on 5-string banjo (frailing)

[rpeek]

That's danged good... 

[TenaciousFlea]

great stuff.

[denrizza]

Are you using a pick on your index finger? Everybody else seems to be teaching without one. Was it more comfortable to use one?

[danielearwicker]

@denrizza - my dad tells me to wear one, because he once played all day with his fingernail and scuff right through it to the skin underneath.

[denrizza]

@danielearwicker Hmmm...........I've been playing on and off all day for a week (I'm a new banjo player, and haven't had that happen yet. The only thing I notice is the skin on my thumb kind of sore and because my fingernails are shorter than they should be there is sometimes a little plink when hitting the strings. Using the pick, however, does make it sound louder.

[7johnnyreb]

@denrizza i like the plink sound

[1MartinD28]

@danielearwicker thats pretty amazing, good job

[ben31187]

does anyone know a good clawhammer tab for this layed out in open G, all the ones i can find on the net are in double C tuning... any help would be greatly appreciated.

[MrSlowpicker]

Ken Perlmans book Clawhammer Style Banjo has it in G.

[xXpreflexXx]

check mike iversons website

[Timothydlol]

is frailing different to clawhammer?

[killerbanjo]

no.

[AEngleSaex]

Never heard this type of banjo playing before today. Only heard hetic bluegrasstyle. This frailing sounds exellent! You definately make it sing!

What uning do you use?

[killerbanjo]

If you mean tuning, i belive he is in open G (stanard tuning)

[BOOM71]

I love your playing man . ;O)

[BOOM71]

Way cool.  Jesus was way cool.

[danielearwicker]

What, even that stuff about doing unto others what you would like to have done to you? What if you like having something disgusting done to you?

[7johnnyreb]

@BOOM71 amen bro

[artistfood]

Great playing. Is that the MC 150 Gold tone?

[batum44]

nicely played! you got a tab for it? Be kind and say yes!!!!!

[10J10J10J]

nice!! pls look at my version on guitar and tell me what u think

[amerikanerMarinen]

As far as I can remember, you put "Bluegrass is the work of Satan." Well..I'm gonna say it straight out. That's the dumbest, most idiotic, ignorant thing I've ever heard in my life.

Look up some damn Bluegrass songs and you'll see almost half have reference to God or have something to do with Him.

Amen brother.

[danielearwicker]

For these false apostles are deceitful workers, and fashion themselves like unto the apostles of Christ - 2 Corinthians, 11:13

[amerikanerMarinen]

Yeah, I also know that in Revelation it says that adding on and taking off, twisting around the words of the Bible shall be punished in hell.

I was just stating an opinion..which was saying it was the most ignorant thing I've ever heard of.

But I do have to compliment you and your banjo ability. It's pretty good.

[GreensongOakheart]

derp

[dtowno351]

fuck man did you seriously quote the bible back there ..? redneck fucken children of the corn , yeeeeeeehaaaaaaa

[danielearwicker]

No, I didn't *seriously* quote the bible.

[hairbearbunch]

LMAO!! You tube folk take everything sooo seriously...Nice playing there old chap.

[KenMiddletonUkulele]

Great sound.

[mrsquashbox]

Great - loved this sound!

[Pete869]

This is great!

[Spongebob11223344]

I would absolutley love to say that your good but, I'm a brueglass player and you offended me. I suggest you remove that comment, tell kids to play both styles of banjo so they become the next Bela Scruggs or Earl Fleck.

[cornygrogan]

Hey um Spongebob would you kindly tell us who the hell earl fleck and bela scruggs are please?

[Spongebob11223344]

I use those names because it is varying the styles of banjo playing and mixing the up.

The real names were obviously Bela Fleck and Earl Scruggs

[bluedanbob]

Thing is, we don't need another Earl scruggs or Bela Fleck, we've already had them. We need young musicians who find their own voice and blaze their own trails. Imitating accomplished musicians tends to stunt that.

[thebetterhalf37]

neither bela or earl play frailing banjo...

[bluedanbob]

I'm aware. That comment was refferring to Spongebob insisting that folks learn both styles (they are actually techniques, not styles) of banjo because we may get another bela fleck or earl scruggs. I was stating in defense of sticking with one technique that we don't need another scruggs or bela, since we've already had them. We need young musicians to find their own voice.

[thebetterhalf37]

True that.

[robalid]

this guy is signed to a label and has a band, i here you, but not in this blokes case.

[donfillet]

I'm a young banjo player and i think theres life yet in bluegrass, theres plenty left to be accomplished

[inspirationxx]

Mmm....William Elliott Whitmore my friend. The new Voice of this generation. Not Technically the best but in his own as we speak.

[ChrisEdwards2004]

It is a great rendition and nice banjo. Thanks for uploading.

I did my own tablature of this tune:

h t t p : / / homepage . ntlworld . com / drcce2001 / Page1 . html

[bluegrassbrown]

Very good~. I'm new at this and trying to learn this song on 5string. What are the chords? Is the Key 'G'?

Tanx,

BGB

[davevanfunk]

Don't they use tenor banjos as a rhythm instrument for jazz?

[BassGeekJack]

ya know what i just realized? you can't ever play sad music on a banjo. it's impossible lol

nice job

[AtomicFrog81]

Here's one more. Lot's of people agree w/ you, Jack!

"I want another banjo. Sure, I own two banjos already, but the world is a sad place these days and I think extra precautions are needed."

- John Kavanagh

[eggsbrenny]

Not so!  Look up Dock Boggs - NOT a happy fellow.

[heptagram]

@BassGeekJack I can play sad banjo.

[AussieSteveBoyle]

I just keep coming back to listen to this one. Beautifully played, the little "mistakes", if you could call them that, actually sound harmonic and earthy and real. I'm a week into learning Banjo myself and can now play this one because of this vid, but I still love it.

WELL DONE!

[grunt665]

You can get a better play of the tune using Double C tuning and some (scary) drop-thumb.

[davevanfunk]

That's how I do it. Right now I'm playing back-up for a harmonica player, but I used to do this with a dialogue. "Hey farmer, do you know where this road goes to?" "T'ain't moved since I bin here." (learned this from Pete Seeger)

[zimmy81]

thanks fella, a reet nice little tune

[danielearwicker]

This a tale of banjo woe, and no mistake.

[STP19]

Well played. What tuning are you in? Many thanks.STP

[danielearwicker]

Normal open G, Although it may be out of tune.

[DrKrentist]

Oh, damn! Four string is a Tenor Banjo, they can't frail. I'm sure four-string banjos are ok, but five-string is more conventional and more dynamic.

[DrKrentist]

Wasn't this song adapted into a song about peanut butter and jelly? Yeah, I think Raffi made it.

[gbullmaster]

Good job - I have trouble by hitting too many strings. How do you get control to where you only hit the one string you want?

[BanjoNaps]

doing it a lot

[dropthumb2]

Arkansas Traveler...Just FYI.