A Crisfield Halloween
October 31, 2009
As I write this, Miss Trudy and her friend Tina are still handing out candy to hordes of monsters, heroes and princesses.
I thought it would be fun to share a little bit of our Halloween with all of you, so in addition to the pictures I left my Zoom H2 out on the steps for a little while to catch the sounds of this wonderful holiday. Trick or treat!
Trick or Treat on Potomac Street
Mp3: http://tangiersound.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/trick-or-treat.mp3
Wildwood Flower
October 30, 2009
Werner from Kiel, Northern Germany writes:
Hi Patrick,
I did a video playing Wildwood Flower with the wonderful Somerset S-5 (with S-2 tension hoop). I’m a beginner, playing banjo since January and never did any instrument before, so it’s not perfect, but it makes me a lot of fun to play it. Thank you so much for teaching me how to play banjo!
New River Train
October 30, 2009
John in Chicago writes:
Hey Patrick,
Hope all is well in Crisfield. I’m so happy to hear that the BAHA is working well for you! I put together a short video of the tune New River Train with a quick tutorial on some licks I’ve been practicing. I think some of your daily frailers might enjoy learning a couple licks in double C. As you watch, keep in mind that little to none of this would be possible without your lessons. Many thanks for your dedication to teaching the banjo!
Rocky Top
October 30, 2009
West Palm Dan playing Rocky Top
Banjo Adventures Down Under
October 30, 2009
Cedric Down Under writes:
Dear Patrick and Dear Old DadToday, I had a friend up from Tasmania for our long weekend. I took him on a Sydney Harbour ferry ride to Manly, a Sydney suburb.
In the main street of Manly, I happened upon a Tongan man playing banjo.
Being such a tiny wee organ, it is easy to put my brain into a whirring spin. However, in this case, it was understandable, and my brain is still whirring.
I heard this man, Tevita (equals David) Luani, playing beautifully in bluegrass, frailing and pseudo-mandolin. He had an enormous repertoire. Displayed in front of him was a hand-written cardboard notice that he was busking to get enough money to buy a guitar.
His playing was simply beautiful. When playing bluegrass, he did so without picks, as he did, naturally, when frailling. When playing what I called pseudo-mandolin, he used a guitar plectrum.
Now, how many times have we heard you two, Patrick and Dear Old Dad, exhorting us to make do with what we’ve got!
When talking to Tevita, I asked him how he learnt. He said that he learnt in Tonga and that God and his ears taught him. I asked him if I could, just for good luck, have a single frail on his resonator banjo. In that one frail, I discovered that all of his strings were very loose. Actually, all of his strings but one, were very loose. His fifth string was absent! I asked him why he didn’t have a fifth string, and he replied that he was hoping to buy one and put it on.
After contributing to his hoped-for new guitar, and buying him afternoon tea, I had to get my friend, David, to lead me back to the ferry, just in case I was actually walking in my sleep.
Cheers
Cedric
Note to any Australians reading this:
Cedric is looking to connect with other Australian banjo players. Don’t be bashful. Cedric is a good guy. Don’t think that you have to be a certain skill level. Jamming and socializing is how we learn our craft. If you wait until you are good enough you never will be. This is a wonderful opportunity to create a folk music community in Australia! Heck, if enough of you get together maybe we could have a Down Under Folk Musicians Retreat!
Wassailing
October 30, 2009
Tim in Korea writes:
Hi Patrick,
I turned the Wassailing daily frail song into an exercise in double thumbing and have attached an mp3 of how I’m playing it. I was struggling with a nearly nonexistent fingernail so my striking volume is lower than usual. It’s a fun song to play.
Tim
MP3: http://tangiersound.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/wassailing-tim.mp3
Country Anarchy
October 30, 2009
P.B.”PeeBee”Guttenburg writes:
Dear Patrick and D.O.D.
Greetings from Carson’s Crag up here in Hawthorne Old Virginny
feeling lonesome tonite as the family are down in town staying with her sister so I thought I’d record a song
“Country Anarchy”-a cover of that old timey band from the U.K. the Sex Pistols-please check it out -if you like it I could send you an MP3
stay pluckin’
PeeBeep.s.-thanks for teaching me all I know on the Banjo-been playing 2 months
MP3: http://tangiersound.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/country-anarchy.mp3
Clawhammer/Frailing Ukulele Lesson 2 . . . with Smurfs
October 30, 2009
James in Ireland with another frailing uke workshop.
See lesson one here: http://dailyfrail.com/2009/10/20/frailing-with-james/
And now The Smurfs.
More Chewy Banner Goodness
October 29, 2009
Benjamin in Utah writes about our YouTube Banner Project:
Patrick & Dear ol’ Dad,
I got it figured out… I thought about the perfect Banner for Dobro33H – I figured how to kill two birds with one stone. Not only will this get more hits to Daily Frail, but it makes a great banner… I was going to say 3 birds, but covering Patrick’s face being the 3rd bird just wouldn’t be nice. Just kidding big guy.
God Bless
(Ben)jamin
See all of the banners we have gotten so far at http://somersetbanjo.com/pimp.html
Thursday Night Session
October 29, 2009
Justin in Ireland in jamming with a friend.
Castleford Ladies Magic Circle
October 29, 2009
Roj & Doug in the UK play Castleford Ladies Magic Circle
Shock Theater: The Terror
October 29, 2009
The Internet Archive describes the plot of The Terror:
“A young officer in Napoleon’s army pursues a mysterious woman to the castle of an elderly Baron where he discovers that she is the pawn of an old witch bent on driving the Baron to suicide.”
The young officer is played by Jack Nicholson and the elderly Baron is played by Boris Karloff.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Terror_%281963_film%29
http://www.archive.org/details.php?identifier=TheTerror
Daily Parade
October 29, 2009
Crisfield High School is right at the end of our street. When school is in session the marching band practices up and down our street. Yesterday I stuck my Zoom H2 out the window and caught some of the music as the kids were marching by.
Just one more reason I love living in Crisfield.
MP3: http://tangiersound.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/chs-band.mp3
Gypsy Ghost
October 29, 2009
Benjamin in Utah writes:
Patrick and DoD,
I was messing around with some tunes and I got to playing them and noticed that the song was suppose to be in 3/4 time, but I was playing it in 4/4 time. I thought it was pretty cool so thought I would try to play a couple more songs in the the other timing. I sent you a sound clip of a couple. I thought that you’d like to hear that. Maybe this is something that I just discovered and everyone has always known…? I also am sending you a link to a video that I did with Wildwood Flower that I put on Youtube.
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I was watching “West Palm Dm” and I tuned the Silvertone to what he had but 3 semitones lower. I was dorking around with that and I came up with what my 5 year daughter creatively called “Gypsy Ghost” so I had to title it just that. I found it kinda fitting for the Halloween time. I found something to be be kind of creepy with the sound that it had and I figured out that it’s my nail on the string as it plucks it, never mind the minor tone…
Also, I have noticed that there isn’t hardly anyone that puts video responses on what you have instructed. It is as though you show us one song, and we never see it played by anyone else. Is that customary? I haven’t put anything that you have taught, thinking that I would be committing some music sin. I kid, but I have noticed that not very many people put follow up vid’s or aud’s. Is that something that you would like, and we just don’t? or just what?
Thanks again!
Benjamin
34&44
MP3: http://tangiersound.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/34-44.mp3
Gypsy Ghost
MP3: http://tangiersound.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/gypsy-ghost.mp3
Pobre Tahur
October 28, 2009
Carlos!
