Southern Banjo Styles #1 Clawhammer Varieties & more
The banjo inspired a great variety of playing styles in the  South during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. On this in-depth  DVD lesson and demonstration, Mike Seeger presents a survey of those  styles, teaching each of them to help you develop a full range of  repertoire and traditional techniques.This is the first of a 3-volume series covering virtually all of the major  banjo styles and techniques, as well as a look at some of the types of  banjos that have been played throughout its history in America. Volume 1  focuses on a family of styles generally considered to be of African origin  and variously known as clawhammer, frailing, rapping, drop-thumb and  down-picking. Each video section features a song or tune with brief  information as to its style and source, a complete performance of the  piece, and detailed split-screen instruction on how to play it. You'll also  see a close-up view of each of the nine banjos used.Mike teaches a wonderful variety of songs that you'll soon be adding to  your repertoire: "Soon in the Morning, Babe" an African American clawhammer  picking style from Mississippi with gourd banjo; Josh Thomas's "Roustabout"  an African American accompaniment technique from Virginia; "Jim Crack Corn"  an irregular-accent clawhammer style; "Battle in the Horseshoe" a basic  clawhammer tune; "Darling Cora" using Kentucky multi-finger brush  technique; "Devil's Dream" in North Carolina up-pick, up-&-down-stroke  style; "Little Birdie" using two-finger Kentucky up-pick, down-stroke  style; Around the World, in a three-finger up-pick down-stroke style; and  "Whoopin' Up Cattle" a clawhammer piece on a double-drone-string banjo.The pieces on this DVD encompass a wide range of difficulty. Some will be  easy enough for a near-beginner to be able to play, and an advanced  intermediate player will quickly be able to master these pieces and greatly  benefit from Mike's program.The material presented here is based on Mike Seeger's Grammy-nominated  Smithsonian CD "Southern Banjo Sounds."