Paul Roberts Clawhammer Cello Banjo "The Ancients"

[m34nb34n]

Cool!

[bailliekins]

I love all your videos Paul!

[bailliekins]

Wonderful Paul! Love that deep throaty sound, like the growling of a particularly musical bulldog!

[strumstering]

@bailliekins Thank you. Although I've never really been that fond of bulldogs, I do like to growl.

Regards, PauL

[strumstering]

I'm not sure this is actually a Persian tune. I remember a guy teaching this one to a group of us who were playing at a Renaissance faire, many years ago. It was a tune we played when we were marching around, as part of the pageantry. Maybe it isn't even a Persian tune. Maybe it's actually an old Oklahoman cowboy love song, or something. Anyway, it's fun to play.

Happy pluckings,

PauL at banjo crazy dot com

[Burritez]

@strumstering Fun to listen to as well. I think whether it's purely one thing or the other is beside the point. It's good music!

[strumstering]

@Burritez Thank you. I'm of the same sentiment.

PauL

[benchmadebob]

ACID



[bhasmanath]

You have presence and charisma. Very inspiring.

[strumstering]

@bhasmanath Very kind of you.

PauL at banjo crazy dot com

[Nick0500936]

what tuning?

[strumstering]

@Nick0500936

GCGCD

[glorplaxy]

this is not an authentic song because it is being played on a banjo that is only able to play on a chromatic scale. persians use a scale that incorporates microtones, which are not achievable on a regular fretted banjo.

but it still sounds cool

[strumstering]

@glorplaxy

Yeah, a cello banjo doesn't quite get there. This is more like a cross-cultural experiment. The Azerbaijani music you just uploaded is a good illustration of the point you're making about microtonal music. I suppose the closest we in the West come to using microtones would be in our blues music. Thanks for your comment.

[friedie1jeff]

@strumstering It isa fabulous cross-cultural experiment, and it works. Music is the international language. It sounds terrific .

[strumstering]

@friedie1jeff Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed it and thought it works as a cross-cultural experiment. For me the banjo itself is a kind of cross-cultural experiment and there are a lot of places you can go on it. I appreciate your encouragement.

PauL

banjo crazy dot com

[glorplaxy]

@friedie1jeff Music is not an international language. Look at the West, where we only use a chormatic scale, and look at a country like Iran, where microtones are commonly employed.

[DannyCarmeli]

@glorplaxy It's an international language if you actually think about it as a language. One can feel the same things from listen to an Iranian song as they can by listening to a song from American, Ireland, Japan, Brazil, Ukraine, Turkey, or wherever. Sure, they might sound different, but you can understand the message of the song regardless of its country of origin.

I enjoy Gypsy music, but I'm not Romani. Does that mean I couldn't possibly understand it's message? I don't think so.

[glorplaxy]

@DannyCarmeli Enjoying a type of music outside of your culture is not an issue at all, the issue is trying to replicate music from other cultures on western instruments, such as in this case, where the banjo is incapable of making the correct phrases for true Persian music.

I don't think music is an international language, because I've met many people in America who simply cannot understand music from other places like Iran.

[PataponRose]

@glorplaxy Music is certainly an international language. There are just many people in America who don't understand anything.

[turnerpoop]

@glorplaxy you can play every tone with bends and pre-bends, just not every phrase. as stumstering hinted at with blues playing which incorporates alot of bends. great playing.

[glorplaxy]

@turnerpoop

If you knew anything about Persian music, you would know that microtones are important. What if you need to start a song with a microtone? You cannot do it with a banjo unless you start at a chromatic tone and bend upwards, which would be inaccurate and a Western adaptation, not a true, authentic sound.

For Persian songs, this guy would be better off playing the Persian Tar, which is the Persian version of the banjo...and is much nicer.

[andybassman67]

Bostin our kid!

[HalfwayNeedles]

aww man you must get so many broads, this is real good, makes me want to go play banjo

[strumstering]

The head-tapping is a natural element on the cello banjo, when you play clawhammer style, because of the way the instrument is set up. It's hard to avoid tapping the head. I decided not to fight it and take advantage of it as a drum accompaniment (after all, the banjo is a drum - with strings).

[shabadaows]

Bravo, this is AWESOME !!!

[willwkrueger]

i love mongolia and i shall return, the steppe is one of gods most precious landcapes

[willwkrueger]

this is exactly the kind of fusion of cultures and styles i was hoping to find and work with! ancient but relevant, what u do constitutes one of globalizations' few redeeming qualities.

[willwkrueger]

its great, sounds authentic but if your not going to annunciate the drop thumb then why not just go play an actual oud instead?

[strumstering]

@willwkrueger

Thanks very much for your remark about how music can express a fusion of cultures. I think different forms of music offer an amazing palette of emotional expression.

Thanks for your question about drop-thumb technique: using thumb on the inside strings): If you listen closely to what my thumb is doing on the 5th string - to drive the rhythm - you'll hear what distinguished the banjo from the oud. I have a nice Turkish oud, but I can't move energy on it like I can with a banjo.

[brummeister1]

Excellente!!

[coteton111]

beautiful!

[aradboz]

Lovely I like your playing.

Man From Persia

[strumstering]

@aradboz Thank you very much. I appreciate your comment.

PauL

[JayChouLady]

Waw you are so great lol ... krass

[LBman123456]

Wow great! I enjoyed it very much thank you!

[strumstering]

Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

PauL

[TERIPOTTER]

Love the style, the minor key, the rhythm you manifest. Great backgrounds too!

[artistfood]

Thats amazing. I love your style and I love your cello banjo.

[heroicwaffles]

Great playing. It seems this tune lends itself to endless possibilities to improvise. It really gets the mind going, great job!

[strumstering]

@heroicwaffles Thank you for pointing that out. Yes, I agree; I think there are endless possibilities for taking off on this tune. My version is pretty basic. A lot more can be done. I would be fun to farm this one out to musicians from different cultures and hear the variations they come up with! I think I just gave myself the idea for a cool creative project!