Turkey in the Straw- banjo & bones Clif Ervin & Chris Coole

This is a video of me and Clif Ervin at the Midwest Banjo Camp in 08. A good time was had by all.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• turkey
• in
• the
• straw
• banjo
• clawhammer
• chris
• coole
• cliff
• ervin
• bones
• playing
• old-time
• bluegrass

[writerrad]

This is a vivid depiction of WHY BLACK BANJO PLAYERS DO NOT PLAY LIKE THE GUY PLAYING BANJO ALONG WITH THE LATE CLIF IRVIN. tHE PLAYER HAS A different notion of the music than clif and other African american music where his job as a banjoist is to fill up all the space with a pretty straight unsyncopated melody with lots of brushing but Black banjoists, listen to Dink Roberts or Rufus A Kasey dont play like this

[chriscoole]

@writerrad

...uhmm...I'm sorry?

Maybe the reason I don't sound like a black banjo player from North Carolina is that I'm a white, city dwelling, Canadian. I just met Clif at camp we were both teaching at and asked him to join me on stage...his son really likes the clip.

but, to all the black banjo players of the world (that you apparently speak for)...I apologize for my playing and I'm sorry that they don't like me...I'll try harder in the future

Chris

[chriscoole]

@writerrad

...uhmm...I'm sorry?

Maybe the reason I don't sound like a black banjo player from North Carolina is that I'm a white, city dwelling, Canadian. I just met Clif at camp we were both teaching at and asked him to join me on stage...his son really likes the clip.

but, to all the black banjo players of the world (that you apparently speak for)...I apologize for my playing and I'm sorry that they don't like me...I'll try harder in the future

Chris

[lorinitzel]

hey chris ~

would you mind sharing the tuning you're in here?

thanks! :)

[chriscoole]

@lorinitze

just regular old double C (GCGCD) but maybe tuned a bit below standard pitch

[LostintheHoller]

Man you sound great.  What kind of banjo is that?

[chriscoole]

@LostintheHoller

Thanks...It's a disco era vega tubaphone...

[harare40]

This is cool! This is Chris Coole! Clif can shake really those bones! This good, me like.

[sazji]

@writerrad I've heard both white and black banjo players play in lots of different ways. If you're playing solo it can also be different than when you're accompanying a fiddle player; in that case you'd tend to play a lot more syncopated, strong beats and off beats while the fiddle played more "on" the beat, which isn't to say that a fiddle player can't syncopate too. Even if he's white. ;) (Though I don't see anyone here claiming to be representing a black banjo tradition here.)

[sazji]

@rodemay Actually the good news is that there are still plenty of people playing bones! Check out rhythmbones (dotcom) and you can find lots of into.

[muddybanjo]

Love it!! Those bones and that banjo sounds awesome together!!

[rodemay]

I gather, from the comments, that Mr. Ervin is playing something called Bones. They are awesome. That must be a dying art. I hope he taught someone else how to play those before he passed. What an honor it must have been to play with him. Toward the end of the song, the 2 musicians just look at each other, they know what they mean, and know what's coming next. Love that.

[comradeshow]

@chriscoole awesome reply ROFL

[PipeIncognito]

You got to play with Clif, you lucky bastard

[Mandotwang]

You both sound great and have such great rhythm/meter.

[charliedelta1000]

@chriscoole You forgot to shout "BOOM!!" at the end of that fine rebuttal ;)