Paul Roberts Clawhammer Cello Banjo "The Ancients"

http://www.banjocrazy.com/ is my website where I sell Gold Tone banjos as well as the entire line of Gold Tone instruments.

In this video I'm playing a Gold Tone CEB-5 Cello Banjo

The person who taught it to me many years ago claimed it was an ancient Persian tune, but I'm hedging my bets about the tune's origins by wearing a Mongolian hat: )

One of the great things about Cello Banjos is that they can go so many places, musically, without their sound being overly identified with a particular genre of music. Between the 4 and 5-string models, you can cover a lot of ground, culturally, such as old-timey American tunes, blues, jazz and classical music, to many styles of music from around the world.

I wasn't surprised when Béla Fleck began using a Gold Tone Cello Banjo for his collaboration with African musicians on "The African Project."

Other banjoists who are making good use of the the CEB-5 include Tony Trischka, Cathy Moore and Mike Iverson. Cathy and Mike got their Cello Banjos through http://www.banjocrazy.com/. Check out the other Cello Banjo videos on YouTube by these and other fine players.

After first being introduced in the late 1800's, Cello Banjos had only a very short life span. Their reemergence within the past couple years is due, mainly, to two banjo enthusiasts: Marcy Marxer, a fine multi-instrumentalist who borrowed Mike Seeger's ancient Gibson Cello Banjo and proceeded to show the modern world what this instrument can do; and, Wayne Rogers, president and founder of Gold Tone Banjos, who is responsible for bringing Cello Banjos back into circulation after almost a century since their disappearance.

If you're interested in the history of the reemergence of Cello Banjos in the modern world, check out The Buffalo Girls/ Puncheon Floor - played by Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, the YouTube video that woke up a lot of folks to delightful sounds of the Cello Banjo. In the video Marcy Marxer is playing her very old Gibson 4-string Cello Banjo, similar to the one she first borrowed from Mike Seeger. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOYYCheJV38
I have conducted interviews with Marcy Marxer, Cathy Fink, Bob Carlin, Wayne Rogers, Mary Z. Cox, The Old 78's and Cathy Moore about the Cello Banjo that you can find here:
http://www.banjocrazy.com/articles.shtml

For most of my life, I've been a professional musician who has toured for a living, performing on instruments from around the world. More recently, I've been enjoying staying by the forest in Colorado and exploring some of the many possibilities of Gold Tone banjos and developing an Internet-based business - BanjoCrazy.com - where I market Cello Banjos as well as the many other plucked string instruments manufactured by Gold Tone, an innovative company that makes so many varieties of instruments with original designs available at very reasonable prices.

Please visit my site http://www.banjocrazy.com/ to check out all the Gold Tone instruments and read my interviews with banjo greats such as Adam Hurt, Bob Carlin, Marcy Marxer, Cathy Fink, Cathy Moore, Gordon Johnston and others.

I hope you enjoy this video and the others on my YouTube channel.

Best regards,
PauL

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Clawhammer
• Banjo
• Gold
• Tone
• Cello
• CEB-5
• Paul
• Roberts
• banjocrazy.com
• 5-string
• banjo
• Béla
• Fleck
• Tony
• Trischka
• Cathy
• Moore
• Mike
• Iverson

[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

[bhasmanath]

You have presence and charisma. Very inspiring.

[strumstering]

@bhasmanath Very kind of you.

PauL at banjo crazy dot com

[m34nb34n]

Cool!

[bailliekins]

I love all your videos Paul!

[PataponRose]

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