Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Musical Adventures

#64

Jeff, the machine is an old Tascam Pocket Studio dp 008. and yes everything is through the built in mics…I have some very good mics but generally don’t get any better sound plugging in mics or pickups.

There was a minimum of “tweaking” involved here…basically played in front of the recorder with gain set to get decent signal…then maybe a touch of reverb on the vocals on playback.

Strings on the bass are two years old, and the ones on the guitar are just flat dead and probably over 6 mos old. fiddle is due for a set (6 mos) also. .

It’s really just a backup/jam track I can use to practice fiddle to…everything is first take, so I have to live wit stuff like my muffed up guitar intro, etc unless I want to record it all over again…makes it sorta realistic to playing ina jam.

#65

Nice Dave! I love how you play the fiddle… it seems in this song you are about always playing double stops. One of these days I am going to spend some time learning fiddle and that’s a sound I’d like to work towards.

Funny side note: after “Just a memory” finished, uTube suggested a video for “How to remove a stump.” I thought it was an interesting “next video” suggestion.

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#66

Thanks Mike! Yes it is a very challenging style… all DS, lots of sliding in both directions, and a super pinky workout as well.

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#67

Well that’s a common problem bluegrassers face…

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#68

Funny I watched that too. Guy’s stays up half the night trying to burn out a tree stump. Next morning it’s still there and the fire is out so he starts a fresh fire and after a while the second fire goes out due to the weather so he buries the stump with earth. I am wondering who’s the geek here him for posting the naff video on YouTube or me for watching it. I would add I was practicing a tricky lick on my banjo the whole time. Nailed the lick and committed to memory. So my story at least has a happy ending

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#69

Stopped in to a little jam they have in the next town down the road.

All kinds of music, drums, piano, accordion, and about 15 or so musicians all on stage at once.

Sign up when you come if you’d like to be featured and they call the names in order for the “show”. Featured people call out the key and they light up that letter on a “light sight” like they have at bingo games except it just has the letters A – G. They play one song each, then start the rotation of players over. You get the choice of playing without everyone on stage, but no one opted that way…though a few did songs the rest sat out on.

I think there were maybe 4 of us that were under 70…audience was about the same 70-90 age bracket.

I sat & followed along & filled in on fiddle at back of stage but didn’t play at the mics. Maybe next time.

Never played so much in Ab & Gb. There were several in every key though so the variety was there. Genre-wise they were all over the map…rock, pop, country, original, traditional, bluegrass, folk, lots of old gospel & newer Christian hymns…

Even got to meet another fiddler…plays all Celtic and did a very cool little tune when he took his turn…very good player.

It was good to get out of the house, socialise a bit, and got some good practice in on improvising to different things.

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#70

It was sounding like a blast until you said Gb. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

#71

haha Out of 3 hours worth of songs there were maybe two of those and 4 in Ab.

Being on the fiddle, I just looked at it as good practice.

It was OK…nothing I was thrilled about, but it’s close and happens twice a month, so I might start going more often just to get out…I’m usually very hermit-like during the Winter months, and I’m not sure the isolation does me a lot of good.

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#72

Well, here we go again…working on forming another unit to pick some bluegrass.

None of the guys have met before except I’ve played with two.

Haven’t settled on a banjo player yet but have three prospects.

Age range 24-60…wish me luck…

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#73

Good luck! :+1:

#74

Fun! Good luck, and keep us posted

#75

Good luck… And report back!

#76

Camper is set up at the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival for this coming week.

I have to work every morning so will be driving back & forth starting on Wed. Only about an hour & 15 minutes each way.

Looking forward to seeing some old friends, good bands, and doing a bit of picking!

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#77

@Fiddle_wood
That is awesome! Hope u have safe travels to and from, & the best of times while there :slightly_smiling_face:!

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#78

Excellent Dave. Have a great time!

#79

This made me laugh out loud. Literally… By the way, I’m right there with you. I own a couple instruments. I always tell people I don’t really play them, more like I play with them.

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#80

Filled in with the national youth bluegrass band contest winning band for a set on banjo yesterday. That was so much fun, even though I didn’t know several of the songs and had almost no rehearsal

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#81

Congrats Gunnar

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#82

Had a great time at a bluegrass fest this weekend…even though we had several heavy thunderstorms and an evacuation of the park cue to two tornado touchdowns in the area.

The show went back on after the evac (no one left) and things continued. Doyle closed the show. Part way through their set it started raining & blowing again, so they cased up their instruments in the dry and finished the show a Capella…awesome performance!

Played fiddle in a couple jams and bass in one. Had some great conversations with many old friends, and met a few new ones.

Can hardly wait until next year! drove home in the evening twice to sleep, then go to work. The golf course was closed due to weather both mornings…ah well. Decided to just stay the night at the fest on Sat.

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#83

@Fiddle_wood
Ya know, I was gonna ask how the festival went - but you beat me to it with the answer :rofl:!
Two tornadoes touching down nearby, yikes! Are you sure you were in MI and not the South or Southwest🤔?! Hopefully no one was hurt/no damage & the camper didnt leak! (I mention this because ours leaked during big storms while boondocking @ a fest in 2019!)
Was gonna ask what all instruments you played there too, but alas… fiddle & bass… you beat me to it again!
Glad to hear ya had such a great time, thx for the update! Happy that these things are opening back up this year too… We’re planning on attending our local fest this Oct, (was canceled last year) (TN Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Athens, Ala) & guess what? Doyle’s sched to be there as well!
We’d be boondocking the camper again, hopefully this time without the bad weather…:crossed_fingers::grin:

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