Danny Barnes' How to Play the Banjo, Part III

http://www.dannybarnes.com
this video produced by Wiant Productions http://www.wiant.com

The banjo stirs a feeling of timelessness with its old time/bluegrass/folk associations. Danny Barnes builds with these base molecules of the instrument's heritage, sculpting a sound with one foot in contemporary technological landscapes, another in deep running traditions, and arms waving free in outer space. Found audio samples merge and crash as the instrument's high picking peaks and valleys of bassy depths loop in a journey through the American heart of darkness and back towards the light. Add the free form jazz of Ornette Coleman to the legacy of Dock Boggs, remix it with DJ Shadow, and view it through a DIY punk aesthetic and you have some idea of Folktronics. Live, on studio or homemade records, and through the countless concert recordings that circulate in the taper scene as word-of-mouth gems, Barnes is a sonic pioneer, hacking through the underbrush with his musical weapons of choice, banjo as compass.
- Sarah Hagerman, jambase.com
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"Music needs to change...grow and evolve...be constantly inspired through the work of the people that create it. Thank God we have a man like Danny Barnes leading the way...a true hero and resounding voice to those who are smart enough to listen."

- Jeff Austin, Yonder Mountain String Band
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Danny Barnes has recorded with and/or played onstage with:
tim o'brien (hot rize)
bill frisell
chuck leavell (rolling stones, allman brothers)
dave matthews band
robert earl keen
bad livers
bela fleck
yonder mountain string band
jello biafra (dead kennedys)
wayne horvitz
butthole surfers
government mule
leftover salmon
chris thile
greg leisz
robin holcomb
al jourgensen (ministry)
jenny scheinmann
lyle lovett
eyvind kang
infamous stringdusters
sam bush
robbie fulks
keller williams
nick forster
darol anger
del mccoury
john popper
dave alvin

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"like all great neo-traditionalists he can string together snippets of traditional tunes and lyrical fragments from dozens of folk and country songs, and come up with something that's instantly recognizable and yet brand new." - Harp

"yet nothing he plays smacks of novelty, gimmick or willful eclecticism; instead, the selection provides the measure of a voracious musical appetite and a large soul." - No Depression

"the label 'true original' gets bandied about too often these days, but danny barnes deserves it." - Paste

"barnes' original numbers sound as wonderfully aged as standards" - Time Out New York

"barnes' countrified tack belies an intellect as wryly cutting as randy newman, fingers as soulfully nimble as ry cooder's and a sense of history whose fervency rivals t bone burnett's- did we forget to mention charles ives and r. crumb? -yet the sum of his sound is distinctively his own." - amazon.com

"an eclecticism that's nothing less than endearing and simultaneously visionary." - all music guide

"highly recommended." - Music Corporation

"this is the way forward for bluegrass." - Mojo

"danny barnes is the coolest songwriter i have heard in ages. i can't stop listening to his records and have played them over and over.... - Chuck Leavell (stones, allman brothers)

"he's an original. he's the real deal." - Bill Frisell

Category:

Music

Tags:

• how
• to
• banjo
• instruction
• music
• howto
• musical

[snoopybiggs]

I love how happy you look playing. I want that happy.

[vireogilvus]

"...this note OBVIATES the preceding note..." Sheesh, banjo players and their fancy vocabulary. Nice one, Danny!

[pokemontrainer487]

Cool what's the C and D chords again?

[TheRecordLounge]

@andrewceg I am a guitarist and have just bought a banjo 2 days ago and playing guitar has definetily helped me to get te banjo going :)



[jmanbgg]

@andrewceg yeah  you will its just plucking a finger movin

[MasterJediMaggie]

I think my banjo is bigger than yours, and I tuned it using your video but it still sounds off. I measured the back of the circular part and the diameter is 13 7/8 inches. Maybe I'm just bad at tuning. Yeah, I probably am. Still, I'm curious to know if yours is bigger or smaller--or the same size. I'm super new to the banjo. It's my mum's and it's been in its case in the corner of her room for six years and it's never been played.

[andrewceg]

exscuse me SIR, im a guitarist ive been playing guitar for 6 years (and i plan to keep playing for the rest of my life) but i have decided to exspand my knolage of music and i want to play the banjo, now may i ask because of my years of playing guitar will i find it easyer to play the banjo? (im not saying will it be easier) but im saying because of my knolage of playing guitar will i find quicker to lern how to play the banjo because i all ready have the know how of guitar? thank you sir

[LyMo08]

the visual images really help me out. now I just gotta practice

[KarlToth]

Sweeeeet, I only need to learn the banjo for my A levels ( i play guitar and i need grade 7 in two instruments) These videos really help for me to start off :)