Good morning! This will eventually be released under the @magicians umbrella, but in the meantime enjoy Violet Mazurka, composed for 5-string #banjo by James Buckley in 1860. #fediversemusic #mastomusic #musiciansofmastodon
#NGD! I bought this new "Kmise" brand tenor guitar from ebay for an absurdly low price.
at 30" long with a 21.25" scale length it's a little closer to an over-sized baritone ukulele, but it is indeed slightly larger than Kmise's bari uke model, and it's got a pin bridge with steel strings vs the usual ukulele nylon.
I'm pretty sure the body is all mahogany laminate.
It's a really well-made little instrument, absurdly well-made for about $70 shipped with a very nice gig bag. I haven't checked with a tuner but the intonation is spot-on and the action is nice and low all the way up the neck.
It sounds like you would expect a small-bodied laminate guitar to sound; not very loud and not a lot of low-end, but that's fine. I'll record something with a good mic once I've gotten to know it a little better.
I tuned it to #plectrumbanjo CGBD and it will be a lot of fun to noodle around with. Since the scale is something like 5" shorter than a typical plectrum, the strings feel very taut; plus they're steel, which my fingers are not used to. I'll have to research lighter strings.
#fediversemusic #mastomusic #musiciansofmastodon #newgearday #guitar #tenorguitar
As mentioned in a previous post, I've challenging myself to learn one new jazz standard per week for the next 60 weeks.*
This week's tune is "After You've Gone" by Henry Creamer & John T. Layton, written in 1918 and now in the #publicdomain.
In case anyone wants to play along, I'll try to be faithful about posting a new lead sheet every Sunday; I figure Saturday is a pretty good "due date" for many people who have the day off, and Sunday's a good day to start working on a new one for the same reason.
Until/Unless I can think of a snappy challenge name and hashtag, I'm going to call it Jazz Tune of the Week (#jazztotw.) The goal is to learn a tune well enough to record an audio or video clip of yourself playing it... whether that's singing, playing the melody, or vamping chords, or laying down a smooth bass line. You don't have to commit to grinding for 60 weeks if you don't want to, dropping in and out is fine.
Please boost! I'm going to do this myself regardless but the more the merrier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlHUqFSDD9A
*60 weeks because I'm working through an arbitrary "standards every jazz banjo player should know" list that has 60 songs on it
#fediversemusic #music #weeklychallenge #jazz #earlyjazz #mastomusic #leadsheet @musicians
#flashbackfriday to this short but addictive tune I recorded in 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fguKmdAos0M #banjo #fretlessbanjo #19thcentury #music #mastomusic #musiciansofmastodon #video
#tbt, "Briggs' Breakdown" from from Briggs Banjo Instructor (1855) I recorded a few years back. Audio boosted, pretty noisy #banjo #mastomusic #music #19thcentury #musiciansofmastodon
#tbt: "Green Corn Jig," or "Buckley's Jig" from Jas. Buckley's New Banjo Method of 1860, recorded 7 years ago. :jb:
https://peertube.social/videos/watch/695d5cce-7807-4ff6-89ed-4cd4d3a8adf8
#mastomusic #banjo #earlybanjo #fretlessbanjo #video #music #musiciansofmastodon #historicmusic #19thcenturymusic
#onthisday in 2015 I recorded this lovely piece by Frank Converse, from his 1886 'Analytical Banjo Method'. https://peertube.social/videos/watch/57500c84-05f3-4fcb-a5bd-f4d05d51e9b8
#mastomusic #musiciansofmastodon #banjo #fretlessbanjo #acoustic #acousticmusic #video #19thcentury #historicmusic #frankbconverse #classicbanjo
#tbt Another Frank Converse tune from 1865, recorded 7 years ago today. https://peertube.social/videos/watch/116970f4-4350-4243-a570-6f2a6af1b654 #banjo #musician #acoustic #fretlessbanjo #mastomusic #musiciansofmastodon #video
Whelpley's Jig, from Jas. Buckley's 1860 book:
https://peertube.social/videos/watch/1d047bd1-f64b-436b-8086-7a73336d7a87
#mastomusic #banjo #earlybanjo #fretlessbanjo #video #musician #music #19thcentury
It’s #bandcampfriday, and the Capharnaum County Magicians Society just released a new track, a #banjo #funeral #march originally composed in 1865. http://magicians.bandcamp.com/track/funeral-march #magicianssociety #mastomusic
Sneak preview of a track I'll be releasing to Bandcamp tomorrow! It's a #banjo funeral march from #1865, played on a fretted banjo in concert pitch with #mellotron accompaniment. #magicianssociety #mastomusic #music #oddio #earlybanjo #musicians #recording
#wbw to this Frank Converse banger I recorded a year ago today https://peertube.social/videos/watch/1e260b68-2803-473b-9128-2581facc77c9 #onthisday #mastomusic #musiciansofmastodon #musicians #banjo
Is #mastomusicmonday a thing? Here's a clip I recorded #onthisday a long-ass time ago, the beard seemed like a good idea at the time
https://peertube.social/videos/watch/0096e6c2-1983-4956-8151-0320fb000fcb #banjo #earlybanjo #fretlessbanjo #musiciansofmastodon #mastomusic #frankconverse #1886 #acoustic #acousticmusic
#mastomusicmonday: This clip I recorded 3 years ago. https://peertube.social/videos/watch/12d0e89a-b0f7-4019-a46e-13cd504429fc #banjo #earlybanjo #mastomusic #nowplaying #tootradio #19thcentury #1855
I recorded a lot of clips in April 2014, apparently! Here's "Lynchburg Town" from Frank Converse's "Green book" of 1865. #banjo #earlybanjo #mastomusic #video #musiciansofmastodon #peertube https://peertube.social/videos/watch/b9533c68-d695-4812-a620-3326fa18eb5c
Here is another #fretless #banjo #polka from "The Banjo and How To Play It" (1872) by #frankconverse: https://peertube.social/videos/watch/892868b0-5b7f-4464-9854-0ea9b12ddf95 #mastomusic #musiciansofmastodon #fretlessbanjo #19thcentury #oldmusic
#waybackwednesday No. 1: #onthisday in 2014 I recorded 'Jake Bacchus' Reel' from 1860:
https://peertube.social/videos/watch/7ef4356f-a0a2-4d61-803c-9ee98ad8b9fa #mastomusic #musiciansofmastodon #banjo #earlybanjo #fretlessbanjo #fretless
I play (mostly) 19th and early 20th-century banjo music. I'd play 4-string early jazz banjo if I could find any musicians to play with. I reserve the right to post non-banjo content, although I aim to keep this account more or less focused on music.
I am not particularly interested in banjo as a good-old-timey-appalachian-country-folk-bluegrass totem.
You should also follow my "official" music account at @magicians.
He/him.