I’ve spent the last month recording a good bit of music as well as remastering some of my old material. I discovered I even had finished recordings on my hard drive from 8-9 years ago I forgot about and never released! I decided to put…
What I would like to do today is offer some transparency into the world of streaming. Spotify has come under a lot of fire due to how little it pays artists. Especially with it’s new rule, that if you don’t get 1000 streams on your…
In July, I released a track using my first dive into field recording. I entitled this track, “Birds Of Mabry: Beneath The Tree.” One day when out walking, I noticed a plethora of sounds coming from this old tree. It seemed the local birds loved…
I recently finished up a new track entitled “The Pursuer.” The mood of this piece is dark folk, eerie, and perhaps haunting. I envisioned a type of relentless pursuing in my musical mind…a certain element of pacing. Perhaps something aimed for a murder-mystery It’s available…
I wanted to share a story about one of the songs I recorded a few years back. This is to give you some transparency as a professional musician about my own challenges. The song is entitled “Five Knights” and you can hear it on Spotify…
I was a 16- to 17-year-old boy, and I had only been playing banjo for about a year and a half. I had experienced a few jams, but needless to say, my repertoire was seriously limited. Back then the North Georgia landscape was filled to…
One thing you may be called on to do at a jam session is play in a different time signature than your standard 4/4. If all you’ve done is practice your standard 4/4 forward, forward-reverse, or alternating thumb rolls, you may be in for some…
A common left-hand technique used by many clawhammer banjo players is called alternate string pull-offs. I can’t say I’ve seen these used much at all by Scruggs-style or three finger banjoists. Here is a video where I breakdown the technique. A basic breakdown of the…
As I look back on my own musical training, one thing I view with absurdity is the way chord knowledge is taught. Often a beginner will buy a chord chart with 100-200 different chords on it and try to memorize as many as possible. Eventually…
I’ve played solo acoustic guitar at North Georgia weddings for over twenty years. There’s something special and romantic about acoustic guitar that a DJ or even a full band can’t deliver. I’ve played at everything from the most exquisite hotels in downtown Atlanta to simple…
Today I want to share an up the neck banjo lick I use a lot over a G chord. Pay close attention to the left hand fingering above the TAB. You’ll begin by placing your middle finger on the 10th fret of the 2nd string….
One of my favorite extensions or colors to add to major chords is the 6th. This is a chord that isn’t really dissonant, so it even works in folk or bluegrass tunes. Earl Scruggs uses it in “Blueridge Cabin Home” as a thumb chord in…
In today’s blog post, I want to discuss the top things you should watch out for as a beginner banjoist. These are a few of the things I see a lot with new students; the quicker you catch them, the better this journey will go….
The key of A is one of the more common keys in bluegrass and old-time jams. This is because the key sits on the fiddle and mandolin quite well (lots of open strings). If you play banjo or guitar, you’ll likely be reaching for your…