About the Music

On thebanjoman.com, you can hear all kinds of banjo music all the time. For the first months, the music will play randomly, and introduce you to the great variety of banjo styles. You'll hear rare and important recordings. Below are ten categories. Some musicians and bands defy classification, and some music may belong in two or more of these areas.

Here's something about each category:

Minstrel Banjo

Minstrelsy was the popular musical entertainment of the Nineteenth Century, and began during the 1840' s. The tunes and songs you' ll hear are re-creations from sheet music, song books and historical accounts of that time. Minstrel banjos are big, fretless five string banjos played in stroke style. Pre-minstrel and rural music of that time have also been researched and some music you' ll hear will reflect that aspect of banjo music.

Classic Fingerstyle
Fingerstyle banjo is five string banjo played with the thumb plucking down and the index, middle and sometimes the ring fingers picking up. This is banjo music from urban areas, began during the 1860' s and continued up to about World War I in the United States, while enjoying popularity in England for a few more decades. The earliest recorded banjo music is classic fingerstyle. The music includes folk melodies, marches, waltzes. characteristic pieces composed for the banjo, popular music, classical and pop/classical pieces, and by the late 1890' s, ragtime.

Rural Banjo and Old Time Music
Banjo music developed in rural areas, first played by enslaved blacks on the plantations, then spreading throughout the nation. Mountain banjo is played either stroke style or fingerstyle, sometimes only with two fingers (the thumb and forefinger). On the western frontier during the 19th century, cowboys were more likely to carry a banjo or fiddle than a guitar.
The distinction between early rural and commercial recorded country music is sometimes not a sharp one musically. Generally, rural musicians are not professionals. Lots of Scots, Irish, British, African and European music was adapted by rural musicians in the development of America' s folk music. Old Time music by amateurs and field recordings will be featured. Often the banjo is part of an ensemble with fiddle, guitar, bass, mandolin and various other instruments.

Celtic Banjo
Celtic banjo is music mostly from Ireland and Scotland. Played on a tenor banjo with a flat pick or thimble. the Celtic banjo is tuned one octave lower than the violin, and is big in Celtic music today. This rich musical tradition is one vital source of much American music, very popular, and of course, danceable.

Pop Banjo Music of the Jazz Age and Beyond
The music played on the four string tenor and plectrum banjos encompass traditional jazz, popular standards, ragtime, novelty tunes, post traditional jazz, classical music and show tunes. More than any genre, this is the " happy sound" that is associated with the banjo.

Commercial Country Music
The 1920' s saw the emergence of professional banjoists on the Grand Ole' Opry and other radio shows. Though the five string banjo is often featured, many recordings have a tenor banjo. Western Swing and Western Bands also would often include a tenor banjo. Uncle Dave Macon, one of the first stars of the Opry, brought the rural banjo into country music, while many other professional bands and entertainers played and recorded with the banjo. In later years, Dave " Stringbean" Akeman, Grandpa Jones, David Holt and Leroy Troy have carried on the Uncle Dave tradition.
In more recent times, John Hartford and hosts of others have added to the rich country music legacy. Bobby Thompson played on thousands of songs, and the banjo is often used in country songs.

Bluegrass Music
Bluegrass Music is the music of Bill Monroe. He brought the banjo into his music. When he hired Earl Scruggs, the bluegrass banjo sound was defined. Earl' s superb tone, timing, intonation and stylistic developments formed a standard against which subsequent players have set themselves.
Certainly the most prominent and most often heard banjo music, bluegrass banjo music has been recorded prolifically, is played by many thousands and formed a basis for modern excursions of the five string banjo into other musical forms.
You can hear lots of Earl Scruggs and also many inventive stylings by Don Reno, Ralph Stanley, Dave " Stringbean" Akeman, Rudy Lyle, Don Stover, Bobby Thompson, Allen Shelton, Sonny Osborne, Eddie Adcock, Mike Seeger, J.D. Crowe, Tony Ellis, Raymond Fairchild, Doug Dillard, Bill Keith, Eric Weissberg, Herb Pederson, Bob Black, Alan Munde, Pete Wernick, Tony Trischka, John Hartford, Pat Cloud, Ben Eldridge, Jerry Garcia, Wynn Osborne, John McEuen, Béla Fleck, Alison Brown, Bill Evans, Sammy Shelor, Jim Mills, Ron Block, Jens Krüger, Tom Adams and many, many others, all playing bluegrass music.

The Folk Era
Pete Seeger is the patriarch of folk banjo. His influence and mentoring brought the five string banjo back into homes across America with the folk group, The Weavers. Folk music groups formed in northeastern cities and on college campuses. In 1958, The Kingston Trio' s hit song Tom Dooley and subsequent commercial hits spread the sound of the banjo not only nationwide but to Europe, Japan and other nations around the world. Other groups formed, most notably The Limeliters, The Chad Mitchell Trio, The Tarriers and the New Christy Minstrels. Because of these groups and others, even those without a banjo, the doors were open to the folk music of the world, and also bluegrass, Old Time, British and Celtic music. Smaller record companies released all kinds of banjo music. As a result, many have learned to play. Pete Seeger' s book How to Play the 5-String Banjo covers a great deal, not only five string banjo techniques, but folk music generally. His function and value in furthering interest in the banjo is immeasurable.

The Cutting Edge
A large, diverse category, "Cutting Edge" five string banjo began with Billy Faier's 1957 album, The Art of the Five String Banjo. Pete Seeger and Frank Hamilton's album Nonesuch and Other Folk Tunes in 1959 featured innovative banjo music from many sources. After that, Pete Seeger' s Goofing Off Suite featured innovative banjo from many sources. Billy Faier also, with the release of his album The Art of the Five String Banjo ventured into unexplored territory with his skilfully played and varied repertoire. His album from 1975, Billy Faier––Banjo reveals his great musicianship and creativity. In later years, Bill Keith' s banjo excursions outside bluegrass, Tony Trischka' s avant garde compositions on his early solo albums, recordings by Larry McNeely and Bobby Thompson provided great listening for all banjo aficionados. By the early 1980' s, Pat Cloud began to study the banjo from a jazz musician' s perspective, exploring all key areas in the G tuning. His album Higher Power was a breakthrough effort, original tunes played in the be-bop genre. Largely inspired by Tony Trischka, Béla Fleck' s extraordinary skills were first revealed to the world on his album Crossing the Tracks. Since that time, commercial success and versatility have afforded him legendary status. Buddy Wachter is the preeminent plectral (four string) banjoist of our time, equally accomplished on the plectrum and tenor banjo, continues innovating, and delights listeners with his phenomenal musicianship.

"Cutting Edge" banjo music covers original compositions for the banjo, jazz of all eras, pop tunes, rock, world music, fusion and more.

Many inventive banjoists have contributed to the multifaceted canon of banjo music, and you can hear them all here.

Classical Music
Genuine classical music, sometimes termed "serious music" (because the classical period of composed music by the great masters represents only one facet of music spanning Medieval times to the present) has been played on the banjo since the 1880' s. A. A. Farland, whose recorded works are extremely rare, was reputed to be the greatest exemplar of classical compositions by Chopin, Haydn, Moskowski, Beethoven, Brahms, Paganini, Delibes, Paderewski and others. His 1917 recording, Carnival of Venice can be heard on thebanjoman.com. It is a pop/classical rendition played with a leather plectrum after an infirmed right hand made fingerstyle playing impractical. Fortunately, sheet music of Farland' s classical arrangements are extant. It gives us some clues about his abilities, and exemplifies his wonderful tone, intonation and skilled control.
The great classic fingerstylists played classical pieces, but few have been recorded. Fred Van Eps recorded some pieces during the 1950' s, as did Frank Bradbury and Alex Magee.

Sandy Bull, Eric Weissberg, Bill Keith, John McEuen, Bob Letterly, Tony Trischka, Fred Boyce, John Bullard, Rogerio Santos and Béla Fleck have all recorded genuine classical music on modern banjos, strung with steel strings and equipped with a resonator. Michael Miles has arranged classical pieces using stroke technique.

Classical Banjo has a promising future. Acceptance in serious music and compositions will be the next phase in the progression of the banjo.

ABOUT THE RECORDINGS

The recordings you hear on thebanjoman.com are from my collection which began in 1962, with the kind assistance of contributors acknowledged below. Sound quality varies from today' s best to very poor. We' re interested in content, not artifacts. It is our hope to restore substandard quality recordings with today' s digital technology at a future date.

Contributors to date are Andy Alexis, Hiro Arita, Ken Barnes, Mike Barrett, Evalyn Beer, Bob Bowden, Clarke Buehling, Nic Caciappo, Jim Carr, Barry Cline, Pat Cloud, Rick Cornish, Julia Costanza, Hal Goodwin, Pete Grant, Dave Guarente, Ed Hale, John Healy, Culley Harrelson, Eli Kaufman, Bill Keith, Andy King, Bob Letterly, Bill Losee, Michael Miles, Bruce Nemerov, Carl Pagter, Pete Peterson, Barry Sander, Peggy Seeger, Rick Shubb, Earl Spielman, Mike Stein, Tony Trischka, Buddy Wachter, Chuck Waldman, and Dick Weissman