Two-finger Old-time banjo lesson Five Miles from town (5 miles to town) Joseph Decosimo
Here's an Old-time two finger banjo lesson for Five Miles from Town / Five miles out of Town / Five Miles to town. I played a clawhammer and fiddle version in the last videos, based on Clyde Davenport's setting of the tune. Here it is in a two finger index lead Old-time banjo style. It's super effective for backing up songs and tunes. It can mimic classic clawhammer ryhthms but allows for some interesting 2 finger index lead explorations and rad textures. Please subscribe and follow my bandcamp page if this is kind of stuff is interesting.
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While my fiddle and clawhammer banjo versions of this piece attempted to translate Clyde Davenport's setting of the tune, this one is my imagining the way that Virgil Anderson might play Clyde's setting. (Of course, he did play John Sharp's version-he was in a band with him... I'm hoping to post a video of Sharp's incredible fiddle version of 5 miles soon.)
I'm applying an old-time index lead two finger style that was pretty common on the Tennessee and Kentucky line of the Cumberland Plateau and in plenty of other places around the South. While many contemporary folks tend to treat clawhammer as the primary Old-time banjo style, I think that up-picking fingerpicking styles like this were historically just as common (if not much more common than downstroke frailing styles. Or at least they were one tool that banjo players used among a handful of other tools). It's safe to say that the contemporary prevalence of clawhammer or downstroke styles is a fairly inaccurate representation of richer historical banjo styles ecosystem, documented on early commercial recordings and field recordings.
Holler at me if you'd like to learn more about the flip, Old-time two finger banjo, clawhammer, or Old-time fiddle.
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That smile, when you moved your picking up toward the edge of the pot...made me smile, too. Sweet spot.
@JosephDecosimo
3 жыл бұрын
truth. It gets kind of sweet up there,
Honestly its playing like this that got me into banjo!
Hey would love to hear more two finger stuff, quickly falling in love with the sound ❤️
Hi Joe good to see and hear you. Hope your dissertation is going well. Love all your music Pete
Glad I found your channel. You have a wonderful tone from all of you banjos. You prove that great tone is from technique and set up. Even inexpensive banjos sound great in the hands of an artist. People forget that the old timers used cheap mail order instruments to get their iconic sound.
Wow, more two finger please. Fab!
Sounds great, thanks for this 🎶
Sweet. Don't know why index lead seems to be ignored. And the occasional strum really adds to the flow and great sound. Hard to do I think with thumb lead. Enjoyed it.
sounds awesome !
Beautiful
Love OT fingerstyle - thank you
@JosephDecosimo
3 жыл бұрын
me too! It's a rich world of sounds and textures.
Fascinating to compare the two styles you played this in. I've been learning banjo for about 3 months and it sometimes seems like every song is in a different tuning, with a different picking style - a bit daunting for a beginner, but I'm inspired by the freedom of this kind of music.
@ericglover4195
2 жыл бұрын
right there with you, and trying to convert my guitar conditioning. Songs like this push me on to learn & explore them all
I am learning the banjo right now and I’m so excited to be able to sound as good as you! Support from Canada 🇨🇦
@JosephDecosimo
3 жыл бұрын
Enjoy your banjo trip! This technique is one that is pretty easy to get going even at the beginning, so you might have fun messing with it.
great.👍
About to delve into the two finger styles, this is great if you still teach Via zoom or something similar I’d be keen to take lessons
Hey Joseph! Would you possibly do a quick lesson on clear fork, two finger style?
D ØØØ P E T T Y DOOOOOPPPPEEEE !!!!!!
@JosephDecosimo
3 жыл бұрын
LOOOOOL
do you do a tab for this and also what is a bounce I have been learning for this months now I can play a few songs but there is no bounce in it
do you have a tab for this
@JosephDecosimo
3 жыл бұрын
unfortunately, I don't.
No such thing as too many banjo and fiddle videos!
Interesting--the index finger picks both up and down, just as in the playing technique of West African lutes like the ngoni or xalam.
@JosephDecosimo
3 жыл бұрын
cool! I haven't looked into these techniques. Virgil Anderson's index was incredibly fluid in it's up-down movement, easily alternating between picking and bruses.
@dbadagna
3 жыл бұрын
@@JosephDecosimo Here you go--this is one of the West African classical instruments par excellence, traditionally performed only for nobility and their descendants. kzread.info/dash/bejne/o4upyK1robWxorQ.html
@SteveGoldfield
3 жыл бұрын
Rufus Crisp also played up and down with the index finger. I'm not positive, but I think Matokie Slaughter did also. Pete Seeger brushed with his third finger.
@SteveGoldfield
3 жыл бұрын
and Odell Thompson would brush up occasionally while playing clawhammer.
@JosephDecosimo
3 жыл бұрын
@@dbadagna That performance is astounding. Thanks for sharing. It was a treat to watch his right hand.
why don't my banjo sound that good.
@JosephDecosimo
3 жыл бұрын
u need a harmony banjo
No good for a teacher on banjo , I will teach you golf
Calling that a lesoon is it far cry. You can't follow what he plays too fast and not instruction. Just a dude playing and putting a lesson in the title. Also the audio is too low.
@JosephDecosimo
10 ай бұрын
haha ok
@Curdog49
Ай бұрын
You can pick up alot from this video! I have been playing banjo for 50 years, listen to his overall sound, the timing, what single notes he strings togeather, what notes he emphasizes in a roll. It isnt about the notes but the timing and overall feel. Make a song your own. Learn th basic tune and play it how it makes sense to you.