Started playing the banjo this week - I never realised how talented banjo players are. I’ve played guitar for a good 20’years and find the banjo to be a whole new beast! Well done 👏🏻 🇬🇧
I was playing guitar for over 30 years before I bought my banjo about 5 years ago. I felt defeated by the complexity of the Banjo until this year during this second lockdown (also 🇬🇧) with more time to spare and it's gradually come together.
Love the way you go from overhand to two finger, I'm trying to learn this way, you're the only player I see doing this regularly. Love your stuff. Got my t-shirt after 2 months. It's cool.
George Gibson was the first banjo player I ever saw switch styles mid-song like that. Everyone else who does it is imitating him, whether they know it or not.
For me, just like with In the Pines, my strongest hearing of this song was from a more modern player, I’m guessing Michel Shocked. And using that experience and similar to what I was saying about how I came up with a sparse take on In the Pines, I stumbled on something similar with this song. I scribbled down what I was doing and I’ll have to come back to it after I finish learning In the Pines. Likewise similar to In the Pines, there is such a rich history of speculation about the myriad potential origins and meanings of this song I never had any idea about. I do like your arrangement here. And I’m a bit inspired by this tuning.
After hearing your version, I heard Cotton Eyed Joe elsewhere in a major key and it was just so **wrong**. Thanks again Clifton!...for a great lesson and a little visit with the doggo!
Yeah, it always struck me as a bit plain. I worked up this tuning as an _attempt_ to bring some dark, bluesy sounds to it. I have heard some great versions done in the standard major key--don't get me wrong! But these are few-and-far-between.
Clifton Hicks Not only musically wrong, but especially so given the lyrics. Minimizing those lyrics and history by glossing it over in a happy tune is dismissing Slavery, for godssake! (to my way of thinking).
Great content as always! On the subject of dock boggs, would you ever do a version/tutorial of Oh Death? Doc Watson's Shady grove would also be great to hear your interpretation of. Thanks!
Between the 3-4 Stewarts you’ve played on your channel, students, thoroughbred, universal favorite, and this one, did they still all pretty much sound the same? You’ve mentioned you preferred the sound of the UF in previous comments. How did this one compare?
They really do all sound similar. I find that most of the difference between Stewart models seems to be in the decoration, rather than varying levels of quality. After all, he mostly employed either journeymen or master craftsmen, and these guys built all of his instruments. It wasn't like with Buckbee, for example, where most banjos were mass-produced by unskilled (probably child) workers, with only special orders being produced by craftsmen.
@@CliftonHicksbanjo 👌 Awesome. You've got a talent for singing and playing. Can I ask whose version of the song did you listen to when learning the song? Or is it just a song that's been around forever in the south and everyone knows it and plays their own style?
Yes. Any banjo made before 1930 should be string with nylons. The best (cheap) nylon strings are La Bella No. 17, but these are Aquila Nylgut. I use the Nylgut because they are considerably heavier, and handle lower tuners a bit better.
@@CliftonHicksbanjo Is it possible to swap steel strings with nylon on a newer banjo? I'm not sure if banjos have the same issue with the neck bowing that some guitars have.
Certainly. La Bella No. 17 strings are pretty thin, so you can often run these nicely on a modern banjo without changing anything but the bridge. For a modern banjo, I recommend ordering one of the taller bridges from www.BanjoThimble.com
We used to sit on the porch and Dad would pick guitar at dusk. Always a dog underfoot. Happy times. Love your channel.
Started playing the banjo this week - I never realised how talented banjo players are. I’ve played guitar for a good 20’years and find the banjo to be a whole new beast! Well done 👏🏻 🇬🇧
I was playing guitar for over 30 years before I bought my banjo about 5 years ago. I felt defeated by the complexity of the Banjo until this year during this second lockdown (also 🇬🇧) with more time to spare and it's gradually come together.
I wish that hound dog would just chill out! - Great stuff Clif.
Love the way you go from overhand to two finger, I'm trying to learn this way, you're the only player I see doing this regularly. Love your stuff. Got my t-shirt after 2 months. It's cool.
George Gibson was the first banjo player I ever saw switch styles mid-song like that. Everyone else who does it is imitating him, whether they know it or not.
Brilliant ! I have never heard this played in the Dock Boggs style before. Great arrangement 👍
For me, just like with In the Pines, my strongest hearing of this song was from a more modern player, I’m guessing Michel Shocked. And using that experience and similar to what I was saying about how I came up with a sparse take on In the Pines, I stumbled on something similar with this song. I scribbled down what I was doing and I’ll have to come back to it after I finish learning In the Pines.
Likewise similar to In the Pines, there is such a rich history of speculation about the myriad potential origins and meanings of this song I never had any idea about. I do like your arrangement here. And I’m a bit inspired by this tuning.
Awesome arrangement Clifton! I play pretty polly out of this tuning a step down It’s great to have another song in this tuning
That's really cool. I always play Pretty Polly in gDGCD on banjo, but on guitar I always play it in DADGAD. Have never tried it in f#DGAD.
After hearing your version, I heard Cotton Eyed Joe elsewhere in a major key and it was just so **wrong**. Thanks again Clifton!...for a great lesson and a little visit with the doggo!
Yeah, it always struck me as a bit plain. I worked up this tuning as an _attempt_ to bring some dark, bluesy sounds to it. I have heard some great versions done in the standard major key--don't get me wrong! But these are few-and-far-between.
Clifton Hicks Not only musically wrong, but especially so given the lyrics. Minimizing those lyrics and history by glossing it over in a happy tune is dismissing Slavery, for godssake! (to my way of thinking).
Who knows. It was originally a black folk song, and they may well have sung those words to a "happy" melody.
Clifton Hicks ohhhhh, I see! Thanks Clifton, I really hadn’t thought of that.
Awesome Cliffton! I played a little banjo when I was a kid but Idk if I could remember anything today. Love to hear it though thank you for sharing!
Can you do handesome molly? I've been dying to see a good version like doc watson played it
Will do. That's a good one.
Clifton Hicks Seconding this request. I’ve wanted to learn Boggs’ Cole Younger for a while now, which is basically the same tune
I ironically did a video on Handsome Molly a few weeks ago
Great content as always! On the subject of dock boggs, would you ever do a version/tutorial of Oh Death? Doc Watson's Shady grove would also be great to hear your interpretation of. Thanks!
Shady Grove is one that I do play once in a while. O Death is one that is frequently requested, but which I haven't learned, yet.
Excellent
CLIFFTTON I know your music in the dark so easy to listen too . Thanks still breaking strings lol
You did it well, great tuning 🤙🏼. Not a musician, just an audiophile. Looking into string instrument and Oh Death really got wanting to play.
The only thing I hate about the tuning is I haven’t got a clue how I tune to that key (F# D G A D)
Between the 3-4 Stewarts you’ve played on your channel, students, thoroughbred, universal favorite, and this one, did they still all pretty much sound the same? You’ve mentioned you preferred the sound of the UF in previous comments. How did this one compare?
They really do all sound similar. I find that most of the difference between Stewart models seems to be in the decoration, rather than varying levels of quality. After all, he mostly employed either journeymen or master craftsmen, and these guys built all of his instruments. It wasn't like with Buckbee, for example, where most banjos were mass-produced by unskilled (probably child) workers, with only special orders being produced by craftsmen.
Somehow to get the tuning the same as yours its eCFGC.
Can someone link me to the original versions? Not the fast tempo bluegrass, the original bluesy versions. (Nicely played btw)
👉 ua-cam.com/video/DNwfBmi46G4/v-deo.html
@@CliftonHicksbanjo 👌 Awesome. You've got a talent for singing and playing. Can I ask whose version of the song did you listen to when learning the song? Or is it just a song that's been around forever in the south and everyone knows it and plays their own style?
How many hats do you own?
More than I'd care to count.
I'm kinda confused whether or not I'm tuning my strings up or down to get to that tuning
From gDGBD, drop the 5th string to F# and the second string to A to get f# DGAD.
are those nylon strings?
Yes. Any banjo made before 1930 should be string with nylons. The best (cheap) nylon strings are La Bella No. 17, but these are Aquila Nylgut. I use the Nylgut because they are considerably heavier, and handle lower tuners a bit better.
@@CliftonHicksbanjo Is it possible to swap steel strings with nylon on a newer banjo? I'm not sure if banjos have the same issue with the neck bowing that some guitars have.
Certainly. La Bella No. 17 strings are pretty thin, so you can often run these nicely on a modern banjo without changing anything but the bridge. For a modern banjo, I recommend ordering one of the taller bridges from www.BanjoThimble.com
@@CliftonHicksbanjo Thanks for the info brother! God bless
LOL 😂 that dog ant got no front lip. Poor thing. I had a Chihuahua that was ugly as sin and no front lip. Only an owner could love.
You should've seen the _rest_ of the litter! 😂🤣😭
Clifton Hicks 🤩😂 I’m dead 💀🤣😂