Wish I was young agin I would win your heart and you’d surely think that you sir had done your part to make my heart become your own, but I’m an old lady now many years alone and you bring back a sweet memory to me, yes and many a bitter rueful bit of sorry. So sing on Sir Clifton like the Williams used to do, as I sit here and shuffle an old leather shoe, an worry not a bit about tomorry.
Hell yeah, I'm famous! Thanks for the insight. Just upgraded from a Goodtime -- I'm only four-ish months into my banjo life -- but surprisingly I'd like my next one to be a gourd banjo with gut strings. In the spirit of passing it along, I gave my Goodtime to an eight year old in the Carolina mountains who is wanting to start up. He's young enough I should be able to keep him away from bluegrass, ha. All the best man.
So glad you addressed the nail topic! I see so many banjoists talk about breaking their nail and not being able to play. I have found myself scratching my head every time I hear it. Great Q and A!
Hello Clifton, I've been a viewer of your channel for some time and i also play a bit of classical guitar so i could comment a bit about fingernails. Most classical guitarist i know usually has long fingernails, but not too long cause ideally you want both the flesh of the finger and the nail to hit the string when you pluck to get an ideal tone. Lute players generally don't use their nails cause of their different plucking style than guitars and some historical classical guitarist like Fernando Sor for example, also don't use nails. The only modern classical guitarist that i can think of that doesn't use their nails at all is Rob Mackillop, and he explained it on his youtube channel the reason why he doesn't use nails and his method of plucking without nails.
Frank Converse's banjo manual dated 1865 suggests keeping one's fingernails very short, and never allowing the nails to pluck the strings. I had been doing that for about ten years already before reading him, but was happy to learn that we agreed!
@@CliftonHicksbanjo I think i agree with Frank's sentiment with the banjo. From my observation, the thumb lead picking and the stroke style you used probably don't necessitate nails to be played adequately. And i agree on your point about the inconvenience of keeping nails for some people that do hard work with the hands (although i've seen some guitarist use acrylic nails when they are performing on stage)
Great talk Clifton .. I use a thinner skin with the Nylgut and heavier skin when using medium steel ..I think one sound making trick is to just make the strings pot and head match each other to make a good sound producttion .. thin pot + thin Skin + thin strings makes one sound .. Thicker steel + thicker Goat and a 3 or 4 ply pot (and maybe a tone ring) make a great sound as well ..Different tools for different jobs .. My hands are in the clay all day so I know what you mean about using the fingers you got at the end of a working day .. Working hands make good music at any rate .. LOng live home made music ..Yours Guy
I agree on the fingernails. I have actually found nails to get in the way especially fingerpicking. To me nails are a variable, and taking them out of the equation makes for more consistency.
If I could snap my fingers and have any banjo I want it would be a historically Accurate Boucher Minstrel banjo. to be specific the Boucher's with the nails for tension hooks.
Hi - I have no idea what your Weymann must look like. It this it? I like a growl thought. For me, the instrument must be able to follow my voice and any good banjo should be able to do that, to some degree. I’m going to ask this Q by email. Thanks for being so accessible. The few bucks I pay each month is a fraction of a tip to a musician here who plays Banana Republic. It is money for just trying. Fingernails? I just cant wear those steel fingernails people use. Pete Ross? I didn’t know him from Adam until I attended Midwest Banjo Camp in Olivet MI last summer. He and Greg Adams co-taught the classes on old time banjo. What a find! I see and hear their names everywhere in books I read. And so gracious . Two better gentlemen never walked the earth. My theory on clawhammer is that the men and women who played that way were so broken by hard work that all they can do is make a fist. Wack away and let the fiddle and bones/harmonica get to do some rambling..
Clifton, i have a question. The bracket bar on your weyman, that ties the neck to the pot. Do you feel it stabilizes the neck from the “out of tune” sounds from neck movements? My husband is a metal worker, i was thinking about designing one for my bart reiter.
Yes, I did see that. I recall it feeling especially surreal and dark while still having an authentic bite to it. The gun fight (toward the end I guess) where the one boy is hiding in a bedroom and he hears his assailant slowly tramping up the stairs before he bursts through the door... the two clumsily exchange gunfire with each other at point-blank, mostly missing each other, until one of them is hit... that scene was perhaps TOO real for me!
If you're interested in the banjo and its history please consider supporting this project here: patreon.com/cliftonhicks
Wish I was young agin I would win your heart and you’d surely think that you sir had done your part to make my heart become your own, but I’m an old lady now many years alone and you bring back a sweet memory to me, yes and many a bitter rueful bit of sorry. So sing on Sir Clifton like the Williams used to do, as I sit here and shuffle an old leather shoe, an worry not a bit about tomorry.
Hell yeah, I'm famous! Thanks for the insight. Just upgraded from a Goodtime -- I'm only four-ish months into my banjo life -- but surprisingly I'd like my next one to be a gourd banjo with gut strings. In the spirit of passing it along, I gave my Goodtime to an eight year old in the Carolina mountains who is wanting to start up. He's young enough I should be able to keep him away from bluegrass, ha. All the best man.
So glad you addressed the nail topic! I see so many banjoists talk about breaking their nail and not being able to play. I have found myself scratching my head every time I hear it. Great Q and A!
This was a truly great performance! Great work.
Hello Clifton, I've been a viewer of your channel for some time and i also play a bit of classical guitar so i could comment a bit about fingernails. Most classical guitarist i know usually has long fingernails, but not too long cause ideally you want both the flesh of the finger and the nail to hit the string when you pluck to get an ideal tone. Lute players generally don't use their nails cause of their different plucking style than guitars and some historical classical guitarist like Fernando Sor for example, also don't use nails. The only modern classical guitarist that i can think of that doesn't use their nails at all is Rob Mackillop, and he explained it on his youtube channel the reason why he doesn't use nails and his method of plucking without nails.
Frank Converse's banjo manual dated 1865 suggests keeping one's fingernails very short, and never allowing the nails to pluck the strings. I had been doing that for about ten years already before reading him, but was happy to learn that we agreed!
@@CliftonHicksbanjo I think i agree with Frank's sentiment with the banjo. From my observation, the thumb lead picking and the stroke style you used probably don't necessitate nails to be played adequately. And i agree on your point about the inconvenience of keeping nails for some people that do hard work with the hands (although i've seen some guitarist use acrylic nails when they are performing on stage)
I never wanted anything getting between me and my banjo strings; neither pick nor nail.
Great talk Clifton .. I use a thinner skin with the Nylgut and heavier skin when using medium steel ..I think one sound making trick is to just make the strings pot and head match each other to make a good sound producttion .. thin pot + thin Skin + thin strings makes one sound .. Thicker steel + thicker Goat and a 3 or 4 ply pot (and maybe a tone ring) make a great sound as well ..Different tools for different jobs .. My hands are in the clay all day so I know what you mean about using the fingers you got at the end of a working day .. Working hands make good music at any rate .. LOng live home made music ..Yours Guy
I agree on the fingernails. I have actually found nails to get in the way especially fingerpicking. To me nails are a variable, and taking them out of the equation makes for more consistency.
the nails thing, yikes! i love that you had crazy long nail college days, clifton. thanks for the videos, long time viewer here!
I enjoy these videos very much. Thank you! Have a great day.
Best Q&A yet...I actually have been meaning to ask those last 2 questions...thanks for answering them!
ever consider tabbing your version of jesse james? Pretty different from how ive heard it done elsewhere
If I could snap my fingers and have any banjo I want it would be a historically Accurate Boucher Minstrel banjo. to be specific the Boucher's with the nails for tension hooks.
Love that tune, and I really enjoyed the discussion. ❤️
Love your opinions...fingernails ! 😊
Hi - I have no idea what your Weymann must look like. It this it? I like a growl thought. For me, the instrument must be able to follow my voice and any good banjo should be able to do that, to some degree. I’m going to ask this Q by email.
Thanks for being so accessible. The few bucks I pay each month is a fraction of a tip to a musician here who plays Banana Republic. It is money for just trying. Fingernails? I just cant wear those steel fingernails people use.
Pete Ross? I didn’t know him from Adam until I attended Midwest Banjo Camp in Olivet MI last summer. He and Greg Adams co-taught the classes on old time banjo. What a find! I see and hear their names everywhere in books I read. And so gracious . Two better gentlemen never walked the earth.
My theory on clawhammer is that the men and women who played that way were so broken by hard work that all they can do is make a fist. Wack away and let the fiddle and bones/harmonica get to do some rambling..
Yes, this is the Weymann I mentioned. It plays great and sounds great. 5-string Weymanns are uncommon; this one was built around 1900-1910.
Nice rendition of Jesse James, hope you don't mind me stealing it since my banjo is still in Matt Kinman tuning!
Clifton, i have a question. The bracket bar on your weyman, that ties the neck to the pot. Do you feel it stabilizes the neck from the “out of tune” sounds from neck movements? My husband is a metal worker, i was thinking about designing one for my bart reiter.
Clifton Hicks thank you. You gave me huge insight to the mechanics. Now i have knowledge to work from...
Have you ever seen the movie "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"? If you haven't, I strongly recommend it
Yes, I did see that. I recall it feeling especially surreal and dark while still having an authentic bite to it. The gun fight (toward the end I guess) where the one boy is hiding in a bedroom and he hears his assailant slowly tramping up the stairs before he bursts through the door... the two clumsily exchange gunfire with each other at point-blank, mostly missing each other, until one of them is hit... that scene was perhaps TOO real for me!