It's Time to Rethink the Banjo (feat. Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn)

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The banjo was, at one time, the most popular instrument in America, with tens of thousands manufactured and sold between 1910 and 1930. Nahre talks to Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn to discover the origins of the banjo as an African and Middle Eastern instrument.
Nahre travels to Nashville to learn how to play the banjo from some of the greatest banjo players in the world. Béla and Abigail show us what makes their banjo playing unique, and they also let Nahre play one of the world's largest banjos.
Songwriter Harlan Howard has said that country music is “three chords and the truth.” Get to know the amazing music and artists behind this uniquely American sound in Ken Burns’ new 8-part documentary Country Music. Tune in or stream the series starting on Sunday, September 15th. For more, check out www.pbs.org/kenburns/country-...
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Пікірлер: 745

  • @SoundFieldPBS
    @SoundFieldPBS4 жыл бұрын

    We keep forgetting to ask people to subscribe. Is it tacky to ask y'all to subscribe in this here comment? I hope you liked this banjo episode. I promise we're going to have more episodes like this one coming out. So if you like it... just hit that there subscribe button

  • @pingosimon

    @pingosimon

    4 жыл бұрын

    The lack of that whole tagline was refreshing, honestly. We ARE subscribed, thanks for another great video!

  • @Dimitri-Jordania

    @Dimitri-Jordania

    4 жыл бұрын

    Sound Field you forgot the turkish chumbush! (Cümbüş)

  • @andrewkingsman4148

    @andrewkingsman4148

    4 жыл бұрын

    Your videos are too awesome, people will subscribe by instinct

  • @shawncurtis1000

    @shawncurtis1000

    4 жыл бұрын

    You've got it. Subscribing now.

  • @crawfordbanjos3532

    @crawfordbanjos3532

    4 жыл бұрын

    Not at all! banjo does need more recognition!

  • @mgmartin51
    @mgmartin514 жыл бұрын

    Courtin' a girl by learning her banjo style. I never thought of that.

  • @peter_smyth

    @peter_smyth

    4 жыл бұрын

    That must be where I've been going wrong all these years!

  • @mr.rogers9849
    @mr.rogers98494 жыл бұрын

    "Great, now go practice that for two hours." That killed me.

  • @SoundFieldPBS

    @SoundFieldPBS

    4 жыл бұрын

    😂 yess - it's even funnier because it's hard core truth

  • @amfla3787

    @amfla3787

    4 жыл бұрын

    Or just sit on KZread and watch other people who have done the work 😕 (my problem)

  • @hikrose

    @hikrose

    2 жыл бұрын

    Each of them said that. Cute.

  • @chuthu1hu93
    @chuthu1hu934 жыл бұрын

    I have a problem with remembering people's faces or discerning them when I see someone. I've watched Abigail with Bela in many videos, but when I met them both, I didn't realize Abigail was the person that greeted me. I'm a mailman, and when I delivered their packages/letters and recognized Bela's name on his electric bill, I was really excited and too scared I might scare them with my "fan excitement" so I just delivered their stuff like normally. When I had another chance to deliver their stuff. I was overcame with joy when Abigail (at the time I didn't realize it was her) came out and accepted the items they ordered and talked with me. I asked if "THE Bela Fleck" lived here and she replied, "YES!" We gave each other a high five and she asked if I wanted to meet him. Abigail is such a wholesome person and I'm so glad that I had the chance to meet her (and her husband) in such a regular and non fandom situation, it means so much more to me even months after meeting her and Bela at their home. YOU ARE AMAZING ABIGAIL AND BELA! MUCH LOVE from the postal service :)

  • @nedisahonkey

    @nedisahonkey

    4 жыл бұрын

    This is so incredibly sweet. Wish all famous people could stay that grounded.

  • @jolienSHABOOYA
    @jolienSHABOOYA4 жыл бұрын

    This video made me buy a banjo, it was an entire add for banjos. I ain't mad.

  • @andrewkingsman4148
    @andrewkingsman41484 жыл бұрын

    I am from west Africa, and when she said the instrument originated from some African regions it clicked...Banjo in my language roughly translates to "dance with me," "dance for me" or something similar. Coincidence??? Maybe, but I'm suprised I never Made the connection.

  • @urzathehappy72

    @urzathehappy72

    4 жыл бұрын

    Woa what language? So cool to see word origins

  • @CliftonHicksbanjo

    @CliftonHicksbanjo

    4 жыл бұрын

    Please tell us the name of that language.

  • @programmernextdoor8303

    @programmernextdoor8303

    4 жыл бұрын

    It is believed the word 'banjo' is derived from the Yoruba word 'Bami jo' which means 'dance for me'.

  • @RasMajnouni

    @RasMajnouni

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@programmernextdoor8303 You are probably right, but also it was tribes of North African Arabs who played it, maybe earlier. Banjo could be Arabic OR a North African Arab dialect such as Tunisian or Moroccan.

  • @thetitanian5544

    @thetitanian5544

    4 жыл бұрын

    @Nobby Heads Slaves brought the banjo to America

  • @stereoroid
    @stereoroid4 жыл бұрын

    Getting a banjo lesson from Béla Fleck is like getting a piano lesson from Evgeny Kissin. A rare honour indeed!

  • @alexcarter8807

    @alexcarter8807

    4 жыл бұрын

    I used to know a guy who learned from one of the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia I'm pretty sure.

  • @josephanderson7237

    @josephanderson7237

    4 жыл бұрын

    alex carter I know s guy who gave Jerry Garcia lessons, Bill Bradford Keith. haha

  • @josephanderson7237

    @josephanderson7237

    4 жыл бұрын

    Brian T Bela has tapes from Home spun tapes.

  • @wylnd

    @wylnd

    4 жыл бұрын

    It's very nice that you mentioned Kissin out of all the pianists

  • @UncleKennysPlace

    @UncleKennysPlace

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@josephanderson7237 I own a banjo that Bill Keith once played (have a picture of him with it.)

  • @12tone
    @12tone4 жыл бұрын

    I didn't realize just, like, getting Bela Fleck to be in a video was an option. Fantastic as always!

  • @Kaotiqua

    @Kaotiqua

    4 жыл бұрын

    Abigail and Bela have done quite a few videos themselves. They strike me as incredibly friendly, easy-going folks. Well.... I mean... they're banjo players, after all. :D

  • @SepiaSepiaKR

    @SepiaSepiaKR

    3 жыл бұрын

    ​@@Kaotiqua I get that it's a riff(pun intended) on banjo players being overall friendly, but... These really legendary musicians tend to be absurdly friendly. Surely there are some bad apples, but from the few times I came in contact with big name musicians, they were generally very friendly. That's especially true about niche musicians. I couldn't tell you why, but my guess is that when you aim for mastery rather than simply fame, you can't help but be humbled by it all.

  • @cardguy2000

    @cardguy2000

    3 жыл бұрын

    and an sian american pronouncing a hungarian american name just the way we do in Budapest was an extra jaw drop moment to spice it up :)

  • @nedisahonkey
    @nedisahonkey4 жыл бұрын

    The guy saying "There's not much to it" and then playing baby shark cracked me up. Thanks for this video guys, I'm in love with Banjos and Mandolin. Interesting that the Banjo as seen as a "hillbilly" instrument when it's origin is West African.

  • @PaulTheSkeptic

    @PaulTheSkeptic

    4 жыл бұрын

    In an instructional video, Pete Seeger said something like "It ain't no harder than walkin. Of course it took you a few years to learn how do that too."

  • @CamerenCollierMusic

    @CamerenCollierMusic

    4 жыл бұрын

    Wonder how that happened. 🤔

  • @PaulTheSkeptic

    @PaulTheSkeptic

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@CamerenCollierMusic When we trace the history back, it comes from slaves. The first white people to play it all say they got it from slaves. And there's an instrument in west Africa called the akonting or African lute. It's basically a guitar on a drum like other instruments around the world but it has a short drone string for the thumb. A characteristic exclusive to the banjo (and the akonting) and that's what allows the banjo to play it's unique syncopated feel. They think that the akonting came over from Africa in the minds of slaves and was remade using American supplies tools etc and that's how the banjo came to be. The rest of the story is a bit uncomfortable since it has to do with minstrel shows but all the same, the story of the banjo is the story of America. The good and the bad. Plus it's just a fascinating story. I suggest you look into further. I mean if you want. No pressure. And since this has come out, we've began to see a whole new generation of black banjo players. Rhiannon Giddens, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Cedric Watson, Dom Flemons. They're really great. It's a kind of old timey revival.

  • @richardgredwulf-cronley3858

    @richardgredwulf-cronley3858

    4 жыл бұрын

    The banjo today could not be further from the instrument played by slaves. That is like comparing a modern compound bow to the bow used by native tribes in the amazon. The american banjo is its own instrument, trying to give africans credit for it is ridiculous.

  • @nedisahonkey

    @nedisahonkey

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@richardgredwulf-cronley3858 What ridiculous logic, if you think it bears no resemblance you have no knowledge about insturments. Banjo experts who have experience with the West African predecessors will tell you how much they share in common, INCLUDING THE ONES IN THE VIDEO FFS. By that logic the electric guitar isn't related to the Spanish classical guitar, modern computers have no connection to their vaccum tube forebears and Cannons have no connection to modern artillery. Human technology develops with time and denying a technologies direct ancedentents is willful ignorance. By your logic only the person or society who deserves any credit is the one who has most recently tweaked some technology. I'm assuming you think Elon musk invented the electric car.

  • @stevious7278
    @stevious72784 жыл бұрын

    It doesn't matter how low, depressed or however I feel; the moment I hear Banjo, I immediately feel good. Greetings from Australia

  • @evracer
    @evracer4 жыл бұрын

    Bela can take a lot of credit for its comeback honestly. As a musician I kinda liked bluegrass and only really accepted it in that genre. Then I heard the Flecktones and was completely BLOWN away as I liked jazz as well. I've been a Flecktones fan ever since and Victor Wooten's playing has been an inspiration to me for quite some time. I still remember hearing Bela Fleck and the Flecktones for the first time on the Tonight Show. They are still amazing!

  • @gunnarcolleen2400
    @gunnarcolleen24004 жыл бұрын

    As a long term banjo player, I love this! When I went to Morocco a few years ago I saw groups playing in the public squares using both the traditional gourd instruments from west africa and banjos at the same time. Two branches of the same instrument.So cool to see how music and instruments spread across the world and influence one another.

  • @SoundFieldPBS

    @SoundFieldPBS

    4 жыл бұрын

    That must've been amazing to see. So cool

  • @LambentLark
    @LambentLark4 жыл бұрын

    My mom and dad got tickets to see Roy Clark when I was 3 or 4. The sitter never showed up that night. Dad wasn't about to miss Roy Clark so, they stuffed some cotton in my ears and, I got to go with them. It didn't take long for me to give my pop the slip. I always went my own way my aunt said I was so bad, my mom would hook a leash to my belt at times so she could grocery shop. They didn't bring it that night though and first chance, I snuck right up front. It was magical. The rest of the people melted away and it felt like he was playing just for me. The music made me laugh and dance. His smile was impossible not to return. I think he may have been a little charmed by me too. When he finished, I wasn't having any of that! My little face all hopeful, big brown eyes begging like a starving dog. Half a bubble off a tear; "Please mister, play me more?" He played 5 more songs and I was delighted. Seeing Roy Clark playing banjo and guitar is not only a good memory, it's my first. Looking back, I feel a little bad for the freak out my parents must have been going through. But seeing my next real memory I have is my brother pushing me out of a tree and breaking my arm, I can live with their trauma.

  • @TRUETOILETTENPAPIER

    @TRUETOILETTENPAPIER

    4 жыл бұрын

    LambentLark for some reason this comment moved me to tears. thank you for sharing!

  • @wbbenzing7560

    @wbbenzing7560

    4 жыл бұрын

    Very nicely stated. My son was similarly enthralled when he first saw a banjo being played and now in his mid-twenties is an awesome player and is doing things I don't hear anyone else doing in it. Seeing Earl Scruggs and then a few Reno style players really pulled him in and he focused on doing Reno style for a long time.

  • @LostArkitekt
    @LostArkitekt2 жыл бұрын

    Just stumbled across this and haven't read through the comments, but was disappointed to not have anything brought up about the use of the banjo in Irish folk music.

  • @alexcarter8807
    @alexcarter88074 жыл бұрын

    I think Bach would have loved the banjo. It's got a clear, precise sound.

  • @yonomellamojavier3002

    @yonomellamojavier3002

    4 жыл бұрын

    Sure! kzread.info/dash/bejne/ipuTqaNtoMjYaMo.html

  • @michaelsommers2356

    @michaelsommers2356

    3 жыл бұрын

    The sound is not entirely unlike the harpsichord.

  • @quincy9908
    @quincy99082 жыл бұрын

    Come from a family of black musicians and Im proud to be a part of their legacy.

  • @GDIEternal
    @GDIEternal4 жыл бұрын

    You guys should do an episode on "talking drums" in West Africa (Bata, dundun, tama, etc.). People say music is a language as a metaphor, but in some situations, that's literally true.

  • @nedisahonkey

    @nedisahonkey

    4 жыл бұрын

    That'd be incredibly interesting. Not sure if their budget or scope could accommodate it. Then again they never fail to impress me.

  • @GDIEternal

    @GDIEternal

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@nedisahonkey True. There are definitely some people here in the US who play those instruments. Here's a guy in Atlanta: kzread.info/dash/bejne/dGijs6yTYrerhqw.html

  • @mickioo

    @mickioo

    4 жыл бұрын

    The Black Pather soundtrack made use of them as a motif for the main character, really made the sound of the movie

  • @alexcarter8807

    @alexcarter8807

    4 жыл бұрын

    Yep tonal language + drums that can be played melodically. This is what makes the blues so wonderful, BTW.

  • @pelotasdad

    @pelotasdad

    4 жыл бұрын

    great idea.... plus their “call back” singing... i could listen to their drums and call back for hours

  • @kpizzlemynizzle922
    @kpizzlemynizzle9228 ай бұрын

    62 yr old kraka horse here. Road HARD and picked up wet. AMAZING mini docu!!! Young LADY you have as much a gift as them, with added peripherals. GOD BLESS Y'ALL!!!

  • @tafka92
    @tafka924 жыл бұрын

    Nahre, you correctly pronouncing Appalachia blessed me!

  • @dlivingstonmcpherson

    @dlivingstonmcpherson

    4 жыл бұрын

    For other listeners who want to catch that good pronunciation, it's at 9:58

  • @user-ye8zk8ku7s

    @user-ye8zk8ku7s

    4 жыл бұрын

    First I've ever heard it said correctly outside of Appalachia!

  • @ThePoisonBiscuit

    @ThePoisonBiscuit

    4 жыл бұрын

    Phew good thing I read this. I was about to correct her pronunciation

  • @lanius3653

    @lanius3653

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@user-ye8zk8ku7s same

  • @lanius3653

    @lanius3653

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@user-ye8zk8ku7s same

  • @koshersalaami
    @koshersalaami4 жыл бұрын

    Now you’re getting private lessons from Bela Fleck. What a cool gig.

  • @flymypg
    @flymypg4 жыл бұрын

    I remember first seeing Bela Fleck and the Flecktones on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show on Feb. 5th 1992, and just 5 days later he played The Belly Up Tavern, a local San Diego area music scene. I was shocked that a guest on Carson would be in such an intimate venue, when I would normally expect first-time guests to be instantly launched into the firmament. Fleck himself was beyond mind-blowing, but so was his entire band. Most notably, the bassist was the incomparable Victor Wooten. During a break he came out and played a bass rendition of a classical piece (Bach, IIRC) that made the normally raucous bar completely silent, to the point that the bartenders stopped pouring drinks or using the cash register. The silence lingered long after Victor's last note completely faded away. After which we all "exhaled loudly". Bela wasn't the only virtuoso in the house! Victor's brother Roy, the funky pirate-hatted "Future Man" himself, played the drumitar. Something you must see to believe. I literally lack the words. Then there was Howard Levy, who played "everything else" including keyboards, harmonica, guitar, flute, and more. I believe he also acted as the de-facto musical director, keeping the band focused and in the groove, yet on their toes by tossing in improvised phrases to spice things up (as did everyone, but Howard's were special). That Carson show was the first time I realized I absolutely needed a better sound system for my TV (banjo brought out the worst in my speakers). And that Belly Up show was the first time I had been so close to true musical greatness, a huge step up from the awesome bands and terrific musicians that always played there. Bela totally upgraded my musical existence, and I haven't looked back since.

  • @flamencoprof

    @flamencoprof

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the informative comment,

  • @TheEowli
    @TheEowli4 жыл бұрын

    Béla is a legend, i saw him with the flecktones live once, probably one of the greatest groups of musicians ever to exist, also he has the absolute best bassist in the world imo : victor wooten

  • @evracer

    @evracer

    4 жыл бұрын

    That's no lie!

  • @AlSnoopsReid

    @AlSnoopsReid

    2 жыл бұрын

    I'm afraid to say that, in the opinions of many of today's top musicians, Victor Wooten has been overshadowed by a hugely talented young man called Charles Berthoud and I have to say, they may well be right.

  • @finnkenyon1289
    @finnkenyon12894 жыл бұрын

    Bela Fleck! I friggin love bela fleck

  • @Chance-ry1hq

    @Chance-ry1hq

    4 жыл бұрын

    Love Bela can’t stand Abigail.

  • @powbobs

    @powbobs

    4 жыл бұрын

    Chance1957 What’s wrong with you?

  • @wirinheaven
    @wirinheaven2 ай бұрын

    This is a great overview of centuries of history in a few minutes. Hearing more of the big banjo would be more than welcome!

  • @richardbaldwin6919
    @richardbaldwin691911 ай бұрын

    Today is the first day of Summer 2023. My banjo is being restored at Gotham brothers center. I write poems/songs/ stories. Waiting with baited breath for this. I am 75 willing to learn the banjo.

  • @Jynx215
    @Jynx2154 жыл бұрын

    The lady who sang at 1:00, her voice gave me the chills. Absolutely heavenly. :o

  • @Kaotiqua

    @Kaotiqua

    4 жыл бұрын

    Abigail Washburn. She's Bela Fleck's wife, and she's amazing.

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@Kaotiqua , her voice would fit right in with the style of Celtic folksingers such as Maddy Prior, June Tabor and Sandy Denny ,( may she rest in peace,). A lot of music from the British Isles was brought to Appalachia by Scottish and Irish immigrants, and became endemic to the region, pretty much unchanged, for several hundred years.

  • @juanmanuelgonzalez4135

    @juanmanuelgonzalez4135

    4 жыл бұрын

    Anyone know the song she sang?

  • @ebb1501

    @ebb1501

    4 жыл бұрын

    Bloomin Rose

  • @yousifa7354
    @yousifa73544 жыл бұрын

    Their kid is gonna be a banjo legend

  • @leecalmdown
    @leecalmdown4 жыл бұрын

    Was very amused to learn that the guy who gave me my first-ever banjo lesson actually wrote this episode.

  • @kayciecarryl3366
    @kayciecarryl33664 жыл бұрын

    I got to do monitors for the Flecktones in the '90s in Madison WI. THE BEST SHOW EVER! And I got to listen to them up close. The things I heard on my headphones was AMAZING! Bela was the nicest person. Jazz banjo...yeah!

  • @zoferina
    @zoferina2 жыл бұрын

    I grew up in Asheville NC and often saw béla fleck at bluegrass festivals. I've got bluegrass in my blood now.

  • @davidshi451
    @davidshi4514 жыл бұрын

    Oh man, I first learned about Abigail Washburn from a great TED talk she gave, about her journey in music. Apparently she can speak Mandarin Chinese, because she originally wanted to become a lawyer and improve US-China relations?! Anyway, to paraphrase her TED talk, I think what makes the banjo and folk music so appealing is it often sounds ancient, like it's been here for thousands of years (and some of it has!)

  • @SoundFieldPBS

    @SoundFieldPBS

    4 жыл бұрын

    Abigail is the coolest by far

  • @MeanBeanComedy

    @MeanBeanComedy

    4 жыл бұрын

    Beautiful stuff. I knew there was something about it!

  • @pennydreadful4939
    @pennydreadful49394 жыл бұрын

    A vastly underappreciated instrument. When my son was three, I was showing him some Bela Fleck, and he wanted to know who was playing the "barn guitar" He's had a fascination with it since, and he loved this episode too! Good stuff. Love you guys! 👍✌️❤️🤘

  • @ermagerd101
    @ermagerd1014 жыл бұрын

    Very enjoyable, very well put together. It all comes down to what Dante said: 'I like the sound and it's fun to play'.

  • @davidshi451
    @davidshi4514 жыл бұрын

    I love seeing Nahre go from pianist extraordinaire, to banjo beginner! Did it feel weird going from a keyboard to a stringed instrument?

  • @SoundFieldPBS

    @SoundFieldPBS

    4 жыл бұрын

    Nahre here! Yes it was totally weird!! But I really had fun with it :)

  • @rutvikrs
    @rutvikrs4 жыл бұрын

    Wow! Just wow! Bela Fleck. One of favorite artists. Thanks Sound Field for bringing him on.

  • @MisterAppleEsq
    @MisterAppleEsq4 жыл бұрын

    Man I love Sound Field. My Dad is big on 60s American folk (Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, etc), so the banjo kinda reminds me of him and the music he plays in the car. My favourite use of the banjo, though, has gotta be Journey of the Sorcerer, the theme tune to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Combined with the space-age synths and wooshes, it gives the tune this ethereal yet somehow also earthy vibe. Also, Dante Limon is one of the coolest names I've ever heard.

  • @stevebadachmusic

    @stevebadachmusic

    4 жыл бұрын

    well, look who it is!

  • @sethdurham3694
    @sethdurham36944 жыл бұрын

    The history of the banjo is fascinating. The American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City is a super cool place to check out if your ever in the area.

  • @meredithwilliams4671
    @meredithwilliams46714 жыл бұрын

    It seems like we're due for another American folk Renaissance. I'm here for it.

  • @powbobs

    @powbobs

    4 жыл бұрын

    Meredith Williams We’re in the middle of it.

  • @SchoolofRockNRoll
    @SchoolofRockNRoll4 жыл бұрын

    Since watching this video the algorithm is blessing me with banjo videos almost everyday. Praise be to the algorithm!

  • @Herfinnur
    @Herfinnur4 жыл бұрын

    A fretless banjo? YES! I'm definitely taking up the banjo now!

  • @arnontzori
    @arnontzori4 жыл бұрын

    I love this! The banjo needs all the love it can get. Thanks!

  • @thegangstagentle
    @thegangstagentle4 жыл бұрын

    Wow! Guys, this was amazing video! I am from Bulgaria, a country proud with its traditional music, dances, ways of singing, but bluegrass, country music and southern gothic music are the styles I am starting to work with now. Thank you for this awesome content!!!

  • @TonyfromBham
    @TonyfromBham4 жыл бұрын

    I love the way Ms. Washburn plays. It’s just lovely.

  • @Quantum_Cowboy
    @Quantum_Cowboy Жыл бұрын

    My favorite thing about the banjo and folk music in general is the range of emotion it can convey. It can be happy go lucky in care free or it can be beautifully sorrowful and melancholy

  • @garykubodera9528
    @garykubodera9528 Жыл бұрын

    Every time I hear the banjo I have the early memory of Roy Clark playing both 4-string and 5-string banjos durring the 60"s and 70's..😃

  • @froggyleggy
    @froggyleggy4 жыл бұрын

    Theres a band here in Pittsburgh that plays old timey jazz tunes, as the old big bands used banjos before guitars went amplified, its 2 banjos and a standup bass and the soloist is CRAZYY

  • @NotACreativeName32
    @NotACreativeName324 жыл бұрын

    An episode on the pedal steel would be incredible

  • @rb.867
    @rb.8674 жыл бұрын

    I’m in love with the curly haired woman who sings like an angel

  • @powbobs

    @powbobs

    4 жыл бұрын

    R B. Bella’s wife Abigaile.

  • @collinbeal
    @collinbeal4 жыл бұрын

    Everyone should listen to Béla Fleck's album Tabula Rasa with virtuosos of eastern music. Brilliant listen

  • @LinYouToo
    @LinYouToo4 жыл бұрын

    Been following Bela since mid 80s

  • @garybeaudette4208
    @garybeaudette42084 жыл бұрын

    I am a guitar player that has played for 50yrs. I played in prog rock and jazz fusion bands as a guitarist in the 70's to 90's, when I heard Bela Fleck and the Fleck Tones in the 90"s I could not believe how good this music and playing was. It does not matter what instrument you are playing, if you are a good and can write good music you will be heard!!!

  • @sbingham1979
    @sbingham1979 Жыл бұрын

    Loved seeing Nahre Sol talking to Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn. This is great.

  • @WarrenPostma
    @WarrenPostma4 жыл бұрын

    Abigail Washburn's voice! OMG!

  • @AnnLippert1
    @AnnLippert12 жыл бұрын

    I bought my banjo in 1983. Before the internet, all i knew about Bela was from photos in Banjo magazines. I always thought he was HOT! (i was in my 20's) he still is looking good!!

  • @smokanmiraz6942
    @smokanmiraz69424 жыл бұрын

    There is a bigger banjo...

  • @brianmcdonald42

    @brianmcdonald42

    4 жыл бұрын

    I really want to hear that banjo being played, now. That's got to be a curious sound. Edit: Yes, it is a curious sound. kzread.info/dash/bejne/aWiWu9Nvd5edYc4.html

  • @retepaskab

    @retepaskab

    4 жыл бұрын

    Does it play infrasounds, or why wasn't that in the video?

  • @smokanmiraz6942

    @smokanmiraz6942

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@brianmcdonald42 'and is ten times the size of any ordinary bandi-o!'

  • @tateisgod

    @tateisgod

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@brianmcdonald42 great find mate! Thanks for sharing :D

  • @iLikeTheUDK

    @iLikeTheUDK

    4 жыл бұрын

    There's always a bigger banjo

  • @jamesmillington4711
    @jamesmillington47114 жыл бұрын

    I would love to see a whole series of these kinds of videos, where you travel around the world with each episode focused on a different somewhat unique, non-mainstream instrument. Exploring the different kinds of playing styles, the histories of it, and how it is making a comeback in modern music.

  • @Auntkekebaby
    @Auntkekebaby2 ай бұрын

    Ba-bay SHARK do do do do do do. Thanks. Now it's in my head forever 🤣🤣

  • @misterroberts4240
    @misterroberts42404 жыл бұрын

    check out Mean Mary, she plays a mean banjo, has a beautiful voice, writes great songs, best new banjo player ive seen in a long time.

  • @DumblyDorr
    @DumblyDorr4 жыл бұрын

    Wow - that rendition of "Bloomin' Rose" in the beginning was amazing. Had never heard it before - what a voice! And the melody's very "Irish" skips and cadences together with the more "American" ending to the phrase in the chorus... wonderful! Thanks for bringing more great music and its history to my attention, Nahre! :)

  • @thegladys2651
    @thegladys26514 жыл бұрын

    Here in Chile Banjo is an instrument related to evangelical Christianity. They use to learn to play banjo to sing in the church. It looks like a simple instrument to play but is not. Thank you Sound Field, the amount and quality of information is amazing as always :D Love Nahre, but where is L.A? They are the dynamic duo LOL :)

  • @SoundFieldPBS

    @SoundFieldPBS

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching Gladys! LA couldn't make it with us to Nashville. Don't worry he'll be in our next episode.

  • @thegladys2651

    @thegladys2651

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@SoundFieldPBS Great 👍🏾👍🏾 thank you

  • @GeneTrujillo
    @GeneTrujillo4 жыл бұрын

    She has such a beautiful voice too.

  • @keithbaucum7156
    @keithbaucum71563 жыл бұрын

    Africa is the home of the Banjo.

  • @joechip1232
    @joechip12324 жыл бұрын

    Great video and so cool that you got to interview Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn 🤩🤩

  • @jonathonhunt935
    @jonathonhunt9355 ай бұрын

    Thank you Nahre🙂 It’s always so enlightening to hear you talk about music or here of it’s history

  • @Falafelzebub
    @Falafelzebub4 жыл бұрын

    I think of my Pa (grandfather), who used to play the banjo.

  • @ricsanders69
    @ricsanders694 жыл бұрын

    I can't stand modern country....but I certainly love the banjo...the sounds in this video were awesome...thank you!

  • @siggesaltens2663
    @siggesaltens26632 жыл бұрын

    One should bear in mind, that the banjo origanally is an instrument from west africa There is a place called BANJUL. Which means STRAW, OR RUSH It came to the American continent with the african slaves-

  • @claesmaxime2938
    @claesmaxime29384 жыл бұрын

    I'm a belgian Bluegrass and Old Time music player/listener and this video truly helped me on a work I'm doing for my last school year, thanks !

  • @goodun2974
    @goodun29744 жыл бұрын

    British guitarist Martin Simpson, a world-class fingerpicker IMO, actually started out on banjo, taking lessons from Peggy Seeger (Pete's half sister) who was livng in the UK. Martin said she wrote the word "slowly" on the back of his right hand, to remind him to develop accuracy and control first before trying to speed it up! Anyone not familiar with Martin Simpson should check him out, there are concert videos and instructional masterclasses on You Tube. He still plays banjo, as well as mandolin, Dobro, bottleneck acoustic slide guitar and electric lap steel; and he is a walking talking encyclopedia of music from all around the world. He mostly interprets other people's songs (stellar versions of Hard Love, Blues Runs the Game, and Killing the Blues, to name a few), but the song he wrote about his errant father, "Never Any Good" , both breaks my heart and makes me smile, almost simultaneously.

  • @leejordan6738
    @leejordan67384 жыл бұрын

    I'm a clawhammer banjo player! Thank you for talking about banjo.

  • @Vininn126
    @Vininn1264 жыл бұрын

    This is one of my favorite episodes out of the last few, for sure!

  • @roncoupland1
    @roncoupland14 жыл бұрын

    Wow, as a public school music teacher and a fan of folk and roots music, I have to say this was one great video. Thank you!

  • @SoundFieldPBS

    @SoundFieldPBS

    4 жыл бұрын

    You should show us in class!

  • @cjthibeau4843
    @cjthibeau48434 жыл бұрын

    I love how the description, "A drum head with a neck" perfectly describes the sound of a banjo to me. Awesome episode as always! Would love to see future videos, if you do more on specific cultural instruments, of things like the ocarina, sitar, or even didgeridoo!

  • @jasonsummit1885
    @jasonsummit18854 жыл бұрын

    My great grandfather and my great uncle used to make mountain banjos and dulcimers, so I know a little bit about them and know it would take me a long time to make one like they did.

  • @jopinofcabra
    @jopinofcabra4 жыл бұрын

    I would love to see a "reaction video" of Nahre and LA watching clips from "Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Live at The Quick". Has to be the most eclectic combination of instruments I've ever seen/heard.

  • @joycesanders4898
    @joycesanders48984 жыл бұрын

    Its banjo fever!!!

  • @jonathanwellington9565
    @jonathanwellington95653 жыл бұрын

    I'm so happy I bought a banjo!!!!!! Can't wait to be as good as Bela Fleck ( i have all my life plus several more to learn!)!

  • @brianaustin2135
    @brianaustin21354 жыл бұрын

    Beautiful I love love love banjos

  • @The-Arctic-Circle
    @The-Arctic-Circle22 күн бұрын

    At 2:20 the banjo abigail is playing is called a cello banjo by Gold Tone music group.

  • @bfish89ryuhayabusa
    @bfish89ryuhayabusa4 жыл бұрын

    The Flecktones Live at the Quick album is so phenomenal, and is one of my favorites. Also, I saw Rhiannon Giddens with Dirk Powell last month, and that was a killer show where no song was in same genre as any other song. Dirk picked up an accordion and played a Cajun waltz, and then Rhiannon sang a Gaelic song. Her nephew went up and rapped while band grooved behind him. They played a song in the vein of Carole King, a gospel song, a swamp pop song... And every performance was solid gold. I noticed there was a lot of communication that made me realize this was very off-the-cuff, and in fact learned afterwards that this show was never rehearsed.

  • @kayeljaybanjo3505
    @kayeljaybanjo35054 жыл бұрын

    Just feeling great having watched this episode! In the past day, was binge watching and led through the KZread rabbit hole being inspired by Josh Turner Guitar, to JT etc., to David Bruce Composer, to Nahre Sol and then happened to see a link on a Banjo Hangout forum and it comes circling back to this and Nahre! Fabulous!

  • @michaelogden5958
    @michaelogden59584 жыл бұрын

    Bela. What can you say? Just wow.

  • @Steaminlidz
    @Steaminlidz4 жыл бұрын

    Wow. I have to say, I’d probably give up a big toe for a banjo lesson from Bela Fleck.

  • @edskodevries
    @edskodevries4 жыл бұрын

    Love you guys, every video you bring out is amazing! Also, thanks for introducing us to these musicians, Abigail Washburn has an amazing voice!

  • @UniqueBreakfastTaco
    @UniqueBreakfastTaco4 жыл бұрын

    was lucky enough to have he and the flecktones show up at college for a free symposium before lunch hour, we all skipped class of course, futureman teaching 9/16 on his knees while speaking to the crowd at the same time. ive never since seen such musicianship ...if thats even a word, and humility. shook hands, answered questions, played a hell of a show that night at the auditorium. i may be old, but this music is ageless...

  • @wesplybon9510
    @wesplybon95104 жыл бұрын

    Big Country is ma jams!

  • @Bati_
    @Bati_4 жыл бұрын

    I’ve been looking forward to this moment for weeks since you released the teaser excerpt of it! Amazingly informative and constantly exploratory as always! I can’t even believe how much depth every single genre has that I feel regretful that I discovered them late! Thank you so much crew for opening that third ear as always! 😊🙏🎉🙌

  • @SoundFieldPBS

    @SoundFieldPBS

    4 жыл бұрын

    Bati is back!

  • @Krustenkaese92
    @Krustenkaese924 жыл бұрын

    if you wanna get your minds blown, google "Molly Tuttle" admittetly, she plays the guitar, but she is a true bluegrass virtuoso and probably one of those 'younger folks' the banjo maker in this video was talking about. She is incredibly talented.

  • @SoundFieldPBS

    @SoundFieldPBS

    4 жыл бұрын

    Sooo talented

  • @nickiemcnichols5397

    @nickiemcnichols5397

    4 жыл бұрын

    Also check out Mean MAry.

  • @powbobs

    @powbobs

    4 жыл бұрын

    Ssgt Griggs Molly’s an amazing clawhammer banjo player too.

  • @jaysun4069
    @jaysun40694 жыл бұрын

    Love this channel. Love the diversity of music you cover! Theres so much underappreciated music in the world

  • @JohnTurner313
    @JohnTurner3134 жыл бұрын

    Glad I saw this in my feed, it brought back good memories. I was fortunate to see Bela Fleck in concert with Edgar Meyer (or the other way around!) at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, MI. It was one of the best, if not the best, concert I have ever seen and I will not forget it.

  • @JaneEllenMusic
    @JaneEllenMusic4 жыл бұрын

    This is such a brilliantly eclectic series! Thank you!

  • @scotthuff4485
    @scotthuff44854 жыл бұрын

    Judah and the Lion is another amazing band that is incorporating the banjo.

  • @Lycaon1765
    @Lycaon17654 жыл бұрын

    I'm still learning banjo! (Haven't practiced in a while tho, lmao) So happy to see this episode!

  • @Stringman1950
    @Stringman19504 жыл бұрын

    Do you know what you just did? Mother-lode of god people in the banjo world. And you made it interesting. Thank you. Love all Bela music!

  • @SoundFieldPBS

    @SoundFieldPBS

    4 жыл бұрын

    Glad we made it interesting! Thanks to the awesome people that showed us around the banjo.

  • @Stringman1950

    @Stringman1950

    4 жыл бұрын

    I’m a long-time guitarist who, at one time, dabbled with the banjo. No matter what Bela or Abigail May say, the banjo as played today is not an easy instrument to play. It’s raw, elemental and vibrant. Good work, again. Cheers.

  • @nickiemcnichols5397
    @nickiemcnichols53974 жыл бұрын

    Really good to hear Alan Obryant after 40 years!

  • @cactikev9685
    @cactikev96854 жыл бұрын

    When discussing the banjos lack of popularity around 1980 I didn't catch anything about the nasty PR the early 1970's movie "Deliverance" did for the banjo reputation.....This vid is great !

  • @kampfkeks6619
    @kampfkeks66194 жыл бұрын

    The background music is called Big Country and it's my favourite song from the fleckstones as a bassist Victor kill it on that track. Check it out guys

  • @johnrapko3450
    @johnrapko34504 ай бұрын

    My first recollection of Bela Fleck was when he was with New Grass Revival.

  • @nightfrailer
    @nightfrailer4 жыл бұрын

    Awesome little history of our little instrument!

  • @PopleBackyardFarm
    @PopleBackyardFarm4 жыл бұрын

    I love the Banjo