awesome 10 yr. old banjo player from Tipperary...

  1. Jill McAuley
    Jill McAuley
    Ok, this wee fella ROCKS!! Can you imagine how good he's going to be when he's older? This clip was filmed inside Tom Cussen's banjo shop in Clarinbridge, Co. Galway. There's a bunch of other clips of really great tenor banjo playing from an assortment of people in the shop - just check out any clips on youtube posted by "ShaskeenReel".

  2. Barbara Shultz
    Barbara Shultz
    Not only does he rock on the TB, he's got a cool camera persona working there already, too!
  3. Jill McAuley
    Jill McAuley
    I know, I love seeing a young lad obviously having so much fun playing his banjo, not self conscious etc.
  4. Bernie Daniel
    Bernie Daniel
    Pretty awesome -- his triplets are effortless.

    Can someone assist my very poor repetiore of Celtic tunes and name them in order please?

    Thanks for finding this -- it is inspirational. Also I am struck by how much he is doing with minimal moving around on the fretboard. Very efficient already -- must have a really great teacher?
  5. Jill McAuley
    Jill McAuley
    First tune is a jig -"My Darling Asleep"
    Second tune is a reel - "The Star of Munster"

    The beauty of learning the banjo in Ireland is that depending on what area you live in you may be able to take lessons from the likes of Angelina Carberry, Enda Scahill, Kieran Hanrahan, or Brian McGrath. I knew one young lad from Tullamore (in Co. Offaly) who's ma drove him to weekly lessons with Angelina Carberry when she was living in Galway City at the time!
  6. Bernie Daniel
    Bernie Daniel
    Thanks! I see you do a great job the latter --"Star" is next on my list of Celtics -- I'll have Cooley's Reel after a bit more work.
  7. Bernie Daniel
    Bernie Daniel
    These guys ring my bell also. Pretty hot I'd say!




    The jigs are named as: Sean Ryan's, Cailleach an Airgaid, and Leslie's Jig
  8. Barbara Shultz
    Barbara Shultz
    Makes you want to go to Ireland to that shop, doesn't it!
  9. Jill McAuley
    Jill McAuley
    That is Tom Cussen's banjo shop - Clareen Banjos, only about a 40 minute drive from my house and one of my absolute favourite music shops on earth. Tom is a gent, he has two lovely dogs who wander in for a visit and a shop full of lovely instruments - what more could you want!

    I agree - great playing from those two lads, they'll be names to contend with in the future I reckon!
  10. Bernie Daniel
    Bernie Daniel
    Jill -- That is Tom Cussen's banjo shop - Clareen Banjos, only about a 40 minute drive from my house and one of my absolute favourite music shops on earth. Tom is a gent, he has two lovely dogs who wander in for a visit and a shop full of lovely instruments - what more could you want!

    I don't see how you could argue with that!!

    Barbara -- Makes you want to go to Ireland to that shop, doesn't it!

    Exactomando (and banjo).

    One of the thing so great about an Irish shop is they are still into new quality tenors -- in this country you have to go with vintage if you want something like a Gibson -- its most 5-stringers here.

    There is an empty set of pegs on my wall right between my Gibson TG-00 and my H-1 mandola -- this is reserved for my 1929 - 1935 TB-3 Mastertone -- I've been shopping them for about a year now and nearly pulled the trigger twice.

    To see all those great looking new tenors in one place is amazing.
  11. Bernie Daniel
    Bernie Daniel
    Can I nominate this guy as triplet-ter of the month (at least the month)?

    Wow! Also I am struck by the different styles of attack on these videos from the ShaskeenReel channel. Here it is:
  12. Jill McAuley
    Jill McAuley
    Enda Scahill is indeed a great player and a master of all things tenor banjo, including the 'oul triplets. Check out the Shaskeenreel clip for Brian McGrath as well. He's recently put out a CD called "Pure Banjo" and he has such a great, effortless sounding style, goes for feel rather than speed.

    Cheers,
    Jill
  13. Bernie Daniel
    Bernie Daniel
    Jill, what do you know of this lady? This is some wonderful music!
  14. Jill McAuley
    Jill McAuley
    she's my old banjo teacher from back home and she absolutely ROCKS!! Her playing is so effortless and has such great feel to it - I highly recommend all 3 CD's she has out (one recorded with her dad, one recorded with her husband, and one solo one with various guest musicians). My favourite tune from the CD "Memories of the Holla" is called "The Starry Lane to Monaghan" - her playing is so evocative it makes me think of walking down a country lane, looking up at the stars, whenever I hear that tune. I can't speak highly enough of her and she's an awesome person as well!
  15. Bernie Daniel
    Bernie Daniel
    It interesting to me that she does not have an armrest of any kind on that banjo. Very efficient left hand work.
  16. Barbara Shultz
    Barbara Shultz
    That was an awesome video of Angelina! Isn't it amazing how easy the good players make it look! And, I'm thinking the 'percussion' was just her foot (heel) tapping (almost stomping).... sounded like a drummer, perfect timing and execution of that, as well!
  17. Jill McAuley
    Jill McAuley
    What always amazes me when watching her play is the economy of movement in her left hand. I was practicing afterwards and was watching my left hand very closely to see if I could acheive that kind of efficiency - sometimes I think we make things harder than we need to by lifting a finger when it could've remained in place etc..

    That would've been her foot tapping, I was listening back to old recordings of my lessons with her and you can always hear the foot tapping when she'd be running thru a new tune she was going to teach me.
  18. Bernie Daniel
    Bernie Daniel
    I noticed on some other YouTube videos that her daughter is quite a little fiddle player -- I take it from the comments on some of these videos that the man on the accordian (Martin) is her husband? At least the two of them have a lot of videos of their work.

    I am getting close to being ready to post a tenor banjo video -- but the hardest part, IMO is finding a comfortable position for my right arm and wrist. It seems like resting the back part of my palm lightly on the bridge would be ideal from a comfort point of view? Also the arm rest on the banjo I have seems like it should be higher? That is why I am surprised to see player who use no armrest at all.

    Likewise, I am starting to think that the pick grip that I use for mandolin might not be ideal for the TB? Anway I'm starting to look for some good basic instructional material....
  19. Barbara Shultz
    Barbara Shultz
    Bernie, I think you'd asked me about my hand. I actually did play and try to pay attention to where my right hand is. I was playing my Slingerland May Bell, which has the old style metal armrest. The point of the 'treble' edge of the bridge was lightly poking about midway of the fleshy part of my thumb between the last joint and the wrist... about midway between the side of my hand, and the palm of my hand (if that makes any sense at all!) I wasn't keeping it rested there, but lightly bouncing while picking, but trying to keep that point of the bridge in the general vicinity described, seems to keep my picking spot where it should be (I have a tendency to start creeping up toward the fretboard). As far as pick, and pick grip... I use a very thin pick for the TB, but I pretty much keep my grip the same.

    I don't rest my heel... I rest my forearm on the armrest, and pivot and move my wrist.
  20. Barbara Shultz
    Barbara Shultz
    Bernie, here's a video I just shot of me playing Garry Owen / St. Patricks Day in the Morning Medley, on my TB. I tried to shoot it at angle where you can see my right hand. This video camera is pretty sensitive to TB, so there's some popping noises. If my video editor worked, I would have cut out that false start!

  21. Bernie Daniel
    Bernie Daniel
    Barbara, Thanks! That was very instructive. I notice that you do like a number of the Irish TB player and hold it so that the neck is in a more vertical. I think that helps line up the arm and wrist and seeing the arm and hand postion from that angle was useful too.

    BTW that is a really nice tenor -- I think when I find the one I'm looking for I going to go with the transparent drum -- I really like that look.

    The Gary Owen is a fine song -- and its great for the tenor.
  22. Barbara Shultz
    Barbara Shultz
    Bernie, when I look at photos of me playing, I seem to hold all my instruments at about the same angle. I do love my TB... and think that clear head is really cool! I'm sure you're just about ready to post something!
  23. Jill McAuley
    Jill McAuley
    Bernie,
    Enda Scahill has a banjo tutor (book) out with an accompaning CD and if you don't have it I highly recommend getting it (available from his website www.endascahill.com) He has some great pointers on proper posture, hand/arm position, pick grip and the best angle to hold your banjo at. Great info about correct pick direction for the playing of reels/jigs/when playing triplets etc.

    Clear banjo heads do look great - I have one on my Stromberg, but they do contribute to a brighter, more treble-y sound. In my case that's what I was looking for as my open back didn't quite have the "snap" that resonator banjos have. But depending on your banjo, a clear head might make the sound too bright for your liking.

    Angelina's daughter is a great fiddle player - not surprising coming from a family of musicians - She'll be a force to be reckoned with coming from that pedigree!
    And yes, Martin Quinn is Angelina's husband.
  24. Bernie Daniel
    Bernie Daniel
    Jill thanks for all the information. I will be ordering the Enda book this evening I was thinking that I do need something to just to cover the basics down to the finer points from A to Z -- might as well stop those bad habits before they start!

    Thanks for the info on the banjo heads -- I'm going to fine a very nice conditon mid-20's to mid-30's Gibson TB-3 Mastertone. I think 1925 was the first year - -they put the "Mastertone" inlay on the headstock that year and then moved it down to between the 18th and 19th fret. I really don't think Gibson TB are necessarily superior insturments -- but I've always want one and everything else I have is Gibson so why not?

    I will be pursuing that goal in August -- right now I am too busy at work.

    As you said their daughter is a fine fiddle player.

  25. Jill McAuley
    Jill McAuley
    Update on the young lad this thread was originally started about - Darragh won 1st place for his age group on the banjo at the All Ireland! He also got 2nd on the mandolin and 2nd in the Rogha Ghleas (miscellaneous) category!! Like I said, this young fella rocks!
  26. mikeyes
    mikeyes
    Bernie,

    Jill is right about the banjo heads, your TB-00 will not sound as good with a clear one. Instead a standard Five Star or a Remo Ren head will do very well. The other important factor in sound is setup - go to my web site for my take on the subject. Gibson banjos of all grades respond well to setup because (assuming yours is an 11" head) they used the same rim which is the heart of the banjo.

    I think that Gibson banjos sound good in the GDAE tuning and most of the ones that I have played were good to excellent depending on the setup.

    You might consider several other options for a Gibson banjo, some of the early 50s tenors are very good and you can even consider building one yourself with a vintage neck and modern pot, ect. The Sullivan archtop tone ring is especially good (I have one on a modern banjo) and FQMS also sells a flathead conversion that will replace the archtop with no surgery.

    If your TB-00 has an 11" rim, it would be a fine start for a banjo building project. The late 20's through 50s rims are some of the very best made. Add a vintage neck and new hardware/tone ring (you can get FQMS or one of several very good banjo luthiers fit everything for you) and you will have a great banjo. I've done it twice now and am very satisfied.

    If you decide to go that route, there are plenty of people on www.banjohangout.org who would be glad to help. Vintage tenor necks are readily available for very decent prices. The trick is to remember that there are both one and two piece flanges so you either have to get the right flange or the right neck.

    A 1929 TB-3 will cost you in the range of $2500-$3000 while a 1934-35 TB-4 (the year Earl's banjo was made) may cost you as much as $15,000. Look at the cost factor and decide how you want to go. Right now the banjo market is soft and you can come up with good buys. Put a "wanted" ad at the BHO and see what you can find.

    Here is Mick Moloney playing my "tribute" TB-7 which is made from a vintage rim and neck.

  27. Bernie Daniel
    Bernie Daniel
    Mike you gotta be a mind reader! Your post is full of all the stuff I been thinking about.

    Actually I just 2 weeks ago fitted a 1929 TB-3 neck that I had hang in my office of several years to a 1964 TB-100 banjo pot that I just bought at the Guitar Center.

    I had to do about 3-4 hours in the shop mating that two piece flange neck to a one piece flange pot and then several more hours on gettng the set up. The first time I put it togather the stings did not touch the bridge and I really paniced!!!

    But then I got the idea and made a small maple spacer for the bottom bolt and volia a few hours of triming and I had good action. So I THINK I have it pretty good -- but probably I should have a pro look at it. I WILL take a good look at your site for more on that.

    As to tone rings -- of course the neck says "Mastertone" and the ring on the TB-100 pot is not that. Right now I am thinking of fitting it with a flathead ring. So the FQMS conversion you mention would be super -- assuming that the TB-100 ring will accept it -- is the simple version that is on the TB-100 called an archtop. The rim on the pot I have is the "thick" rim version.

    Thanks also for the info one the headskins -- I think it has a Five Star on it now -- but I need to check that out in detail. I have an 11' rim as you suggest.

    What gauges do you use when you convert to GDAE?

    Also great tip on the banjo hangout -- I go lots of good encouragement and ideas from those guys -- who says banjo players are good guys!

    "Here is Mick Moloney playing my "tribute" TB-7 which is made from a vintage rim and neck." Very cool he is such a great player.

    Thanks for the feedback -- very useful!!!
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