Foreword to Tutor Volume I by Mick Moloney
Professor of Irish Studies and Music, New York University
Enda Scahill is a gifted banjo player blessed with extraordinary technique. Yet he never allows himself to get carried away by his technical abilities. His playing is always supremely tasteful and never unduly flamboyant. He operates out of the epicenter of the Irish musical tradition combining seemingly effortless virtuosity with an unerring sense of taste.
He also has the gift of being an exceptional teacher and this is evident in this ground breaking tutor on the Irish tenor banjo, a relatively new instrument in the tradition.
The story of the banjo in Irish music is a fascinating tale linking three continents over three centuries. It is now well known that the precursors of the banjo as we know it today were various West African instruments plucked and strummed in different styles. The idea of the instrument was carried by African slaves to the plantations of the Caribbean and the Southern States of America where it emerged in a new form known by such names as the banjar and banze. It was eventually appropriated and technologically transformed by White Americans, a large number of them Irish Americans. In the 1840's it became the dominant instrument in minstrelsy, America’s first form of popular music.
Various types and sizes of banjos with different numbers of strings proliferated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Construction techniques improved, frets were added and the art of banjo playing progressively improved. Virtuoso five string banjo players such as Vess Ossman and Fred Van Epps graced the early years of the recording industry adding lustre and increasing status to the instrument.
The tenor banjo was invented perhaps as early as 1910 coinciding with the arrival of the tango in the United States. Along with the plectrum banjo this new addition to the banjo family became an instrument popular in many American musical forms in the 1920's and ‘30's. In the tenor banjo tuned in fifths, Irish traditional musicians now had a plectral instrument which was suitable for playing the dance music with its distinctive rhythmic pulse and complicated ornamentation and embellishments. American dance hall players such as John Wheeler, Michael Gaffney, Neil Nolan, Mike McDade and the peerless Mike Flanagan set the stage for the entry of this novel instrument into an already venerable tradition.
These great players seemed however to have little impact on the tradition of banjo playing in Ireland where a parallel banjo culture evolved. The instrument had been around in various forms since its formal introduction on the Irish stage by the Virginia Minstrels in 1843. This was the fretless banjo of the minstrel stage and though jigs and reels could be plucked out in rudimentary fashion on this version of the instrument it was perhaps better suited for use as an accompanying instrument to fiddle, uilleann pipes and voice. Traveling musician such as the Dunne Family were associated with the banjo from the end of the century and the instrument appears to have played an important role in the music of travelers in late 19th and early 20th century Ireland. The banjo mandolin and zither banjo continued to enjoy a measure of popularity alongside the tenor banjo and the five string banjo continued to be used by well known figures such as the colorful and charismatic Margaret Barry. In fact tenor banjo players were few in the 1960's when I started to play myself and it was not until the 1980's that the instrument really took off in Irish music.
Tutors in the art of playing the banjo are not new. The nineteenth century abounded with manuals on how to play the banjo in various styles. The Converse Banjo Book published in 1865 is perhaps the best known of these early manuals but there were many more. However tutors in playing the Irish tenor banjo are a relatively recent phenomenon. The Irish banjo is a classic hybrid and the GDAE tuning pioneered by Barney McKenna is unique in the world of banjos.
Enda’s tutor is masterfully conceived, the product of years of playing and thoughtful reflection. He takes nothing for granted. The most fundamental issues are addressed painstakingly including how the banjo should be held and the body aligned. He maintains that the pick should be held in a certain way and positioned in a certain way. Style in the Irish banjo is mostly about plucking (or picking as it would be known in the US) and this is where this tutor excels. Enda bases most of his interpretation of the rules of Irish banjo playing on the principles and mechanics of reel playing and logically sets out the principles of plucking with very clear delineation of when up and down pick strokes should be used. He selects lovely and for the most part simple tunes and clearly indicates pick direction with the utmost clarity. The techniques of ornamentation are clearly delineated and the instruction narrative moves from simple to complex in the most logical of ways. Good banjo playing involves tasteful and appropriate use of chords and the possibilities for this are outlined in considerable detail with careful micro-transcription of chordal additions to melody playing with the purpose of adding tone color and variation.
There is now an increasing number of aspiring musicians in Ireland and elsewhere in the world who want to learn the Irish tenor banjo but for a variety of reasons are not in a position where they can regularly be around live music and learn in the old style from players by osmosis or imitation. This tutor will be of immense assistance for them and also for good players who want to improve their technique and understanding of the instrument. It is a most impressive and timely contribution to the rich and varied world of Irish music.
Mick Moloney combines the careers of folklorist, musicologist, arts presenter and advocate, record producer and professional musician and college professor. He is the author of "Far From the Shamrock Shore: The Story of Irish American History Through Song" published by Random House in February 2002 with an accompanying CD on Shanachie Records. He holds a Ph.D. in folklore and folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. He has taught ethnomusicology, folklore and Irish studies courses at the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, and Villanova University and currently teaches in the Irish Studies Program at New York University. He has recorded and produced over forty albums of traditional music and helped produce and direct scores of festivals and concerts all over America. Mick also served as the artistic director for several major arts tours including The Green Fields of America, an ensemble of Irish musicians, singers and dancers which toured across the United States on several occasions. He has hosted three nationally syndicated series of folk music on American Public Television; was a consultant, performer and interviewee on the Irish Television special "Bringing It All Back Home"; a participant, consultant and music arranger of the PBS documentary film "Out of Ireland"; and a performer on the 1998 PBS special "The Irish in America: Long Journey Home." In September 1999 he was awarded the National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts - the highest official honor a traditional artist can receive in the United States.
He also has the gift of being an exceptional teacher and this is evident in this ground breaking tutor on the Irish tenor banjo, a relatively new instrument in the tradition.
The story of the banjo in Irish music is a fascinating tale linking three continents over three centuries. It is now well known that the precursors of the banjo as we know it today were various West African instruments plucked and strummed in different styles. The idea of the instrument was carried by African slaves to the plantations of the Caribbean and the Southern States of America where it emerged in a new form known by such names as the banjar and banze. It was eventually appropriated and technologically transformed by White Americans, a large number of them Irish Americans. In the 1840's it became the dominant instrument in minstrelsy, America’s first form of popular music.
Various types and sizes of banjos with different numbers of strings proliferated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Construction techniques improved, frets were added and the art of banjo playing progressively improved. Virtuoso five string banjo players such as Vess Ossman and Fred Van Epps graced the early years of the recording industry adding lustre and increasing status to the instrument.
The tenor banjo was invented perhaps as early as 1910 coinciding with the arrival of the tango in the United States. Along with the plectrum banjo this new addition to the banjo family became an instrument popular in many American musical forms in the 1920's and ‘30's. In the tenor banjo tuned in fifths, Irish traditional musicians now had a plectral instrument which was suitable for playing the dance music with its distinctive rhythmic pulse and complicated ornamentation and embellishments. American dance hall players such as John Wheeler, Michael Gaffney, Neil Nolan, Mike McDade and the peerless Mike Flanagan set the stage for the entry of this novel instrument into an already venerable tradition.
These great players seemed however to have little impact on the tradition of banjo playing in Ireland where a parallel banjo culture evolved. The instrument had been around in various forms since its formal introduction on the Irish stage by the Virginia Minstrels in 1843. This was the fretless banjo of the minstrel stage and though jigs and reels could be plucked out in rudimentary fashion on this version of the instrument it was perhaps better suited for use as an accompanying instrument to fiddle, uilleann pipes and voice. Traveling musician such as the Dunne Family were associated with the banjo from the end of the century and the instrument appears to have played an important role in the music of travelers in late 19th and early 20th century Ireland. The banjo mandolin and zither banjo continued to enjoy a measure of popularity alongside the tenor banjo and the five string banjo continued to be used by well known figures such as the colorful and charismatic Margaret Barry. In fact tenor banjo players were few in the 1960's when I started to play myself and it was not until the 1980's that the instrument really took off in Irish music.
Tutors in the art of playing the banjo are not new. The nineteenth century abounded with manuals on how to play the banjo in various styles. The Converse Banjo Book published in 1865 is perhaps the best known of these early manuals but there were many more. However tutors in playing the Irish tenor banjo are a relatively recent phenomenon. The Irish banjo is a classic hybrid and the GDAE tuning pioneered by Barney McKenna is unique in the world of banjos.
Enda’s tutor is masterfully conceived, the product of years of playing and thoughtful reflection. He takes nothing for granted. The most fundamental issues are addressed painstakingly including how the banjo should be held and the body aligned. He maintains that the pick should be held in a certain way and positioned in a certain way. Style in the Irish banjo is mostly about plucking (or picking as it would be known in the US) and this is where this tutor excels. Enda bases most of his interpretation of the rules of Irish banjo playing on the principles and mechanics of reel playing and logically sets out the principles of plucking with very clear delineation of when up and down pick strokes should be used. He selects lovely and for the most part simple tunes and clearly indicates pick direction with the utmost clarity. The techniques of ornamentation are clearly delineated and the instruction narrative moves from simple to complex in the most logical of ways. Good banjo playing involves tasteful and appropriate use of chords and the possibilities for this are outlined in considerable detail with careful micro-transcription of chordal additions to melody playing with the purpose of adding tone color and variation.
There is now an increasing number of aspiring musicians in Ireland and elsewhere in the world who want to learn the Irish tenor banjo but for a variety of reasons are not in a position where they can regularly be around live music and learn in the old style from players by osmosis or imitation. This tutor will be of immense assistance for them and also for good players who want to improve their technique and understanding of the instrument. It is a most impressive and timely contribution to the rich and varied world of Irish music.
Mick Moloney combines the careers of folklorist, musicologist, arts presenter and advocate, record producer and professional musician and college professor. He is the author of "Far From the Shamrock Shore: The Story of Irish American History Through Song" published by Random House in February 2002 with an accompanying CD on Shanachie Records. He holds a Ph.D. in folklore and folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. He has taught ethnomusicology, folklore and Irish studies courses at the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, and Villanova University and currently teaches in the Irish Studies Program at New York University. He has recorded and produced over forty albums of traditional music and helped produce and direct scores of festivals and concerts all over America. Mick also served as the artistic director for several major arts tours including The Green Fields of America, an ensemble of Irish musicians, singers and dancers which toured across the United States on several occasions. He has hosted three nationally syndicated series of folk music on American Public Television; was a consultant, performer and interviewee on the Irish Television special "Bringing It All Back Home"; a participant, consultant and music arranger of the PBS documentary film "Out of Ireland"; and a performer on the 1998 PBS special "The Irish in America: Long Journey Home." In September 1999 he was awarded the National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts - the highest official honor a traditional artist can receive in the United States.
Review by Tom Hanway, Author of The Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo Book/CD Set for MelBay Books
This past Sunday my wife and I were heading back from the Burren Slow Food Festival in Lisdoonvarna, passing through Claregalway and took the fork in the road over to Tom Cussen's - to see if he might be around and if he had some new goodies, e.g., I needed a banjo head (another story). Well, he was on the way out but was kind enough to open his shop, and lo and behold, gleaming on the counter, was Enda Scahill's Irish Banjo Tutor. SOLD. I opened it up (covetously) and noticed immediately how well organised it is, especially how the tunes (in standard notation) correspond to track numbers on the CD. I think it will be especially useful to non-readers and beginners - those not used to reading - to see the letter names for the notes underneath the dots.
Folks, this work, a scrupulous labour of love, is a no-nonsense tutor and treasure trove of tunes, beautifully presented, and I like having a first edition copy, complete with an insert noting some very minor publishing errors. Just the fact that it has such an insert is indicative of the exacting detail to which Enda has gone to present these materials. Such conscientiousness is to be commended.
Enda’s tutor is a major effort, a great musical outpouring, with clean stock tunes and some interesting (fun) tune choices. This is one every tenor (or 5-string) banjo player needs to have out on the music stand. The two CDs are an added bonus, extremely well recorded, and once again, reveal a thoroughly logical and patient approach to teaching. The tunes are lovely and none of it is too fast, though intermediate and more advance players will probably want to start on the second CD. Take Mike’s advice and go through all the exercises and the timing and separation between the notes. And relax. Remember to breathe. The first CD is almost meditative and will surely calm down and/or discipline an overanxious beginner who would tend to rush into things.
I was delighted to see such a clear explanation of the stuttered trebles and triplets, (where the first two notes are dampened), and hearing them on the CD brought it all to life. I love the high quality glossy paper, the fact that I can read the notation without my reading glasses, and I’ll you what, this book even smells good!
Folks, this work, a scrupulous labour of love, is a no-nonsense tutor and treasure trove of tunes, beautifully presented, and I like having a first edition copy, complete with an insert noting some very minor publishing errors. Just the fact that it has such an insert is indicative of the exacting detail to which Enda has gone to present these materials. Such conscientiousness is to be commended.
Enda’s tutor is a major effort, a great musical outpouring, with clean stock tunes and some interesting (fun) tune choices. This is one every tenor (or 5-string) banjo player needs to have out on the music stand. The two CDs are an added bonus, extremely well recorded, and once again, reveal a thoroughly logical and patient approach to teaching. The tunes are lovely and none of it is too fast, though intermediate and more advance players will probably want to start on the second CD. Take Mike’s advice and go through all the exercises and the timing and separation between the notes. And relax. Remember to breathe. The first CD is almost meditative and will surely calm down and/or discipline an overanxious beginner who would tend to rush into things.
I was delighted to see such a clear explanation of the stuttered trebles and triplets, (where the first two notes are dampened), and hearing them on the CD brought it all to life. I love the high quality glossy paper, the fact that I can read the notation without my reading glasses, and I’ll you what, this book even smells good!
Review of Volume I by Mike Keyes on banjohangout.org
When Mick Moloney told me that Enda Scahill, the prominent Irish tenor banjo player, had a banjo tutor coming out I was excited. Mick stated categorically that this was going to be the best book/CD combination of its type so my expectations were high, to say the least.
I probably have every Irish banjo tutorial including Gerry O'Connor's tapes/CDs/books/CD-ROM and Sully's tapes/books, have read everything that there is on the Net in the way of “how-to” and have taken classes with a number of prominent players after which I have tried to find the essence of the class and write about it at http://www.banjosessions.com. When “Enda Scahill's Irish Banjo Tutor” arrived yesterday, I eagerly dove into it to see if it lived up to the hype.
I received two books, the tutor and an accompanying TAB version of the tunes. While I don't use TAB at all, I knew that this addendum was specifically written for the overseas market so I felt that I could not review it for North American readers unless I looked at that part too. (By the way, the postage was USD13 from Ireland which is included in the price, maybe Enda can work out a distribution deal with Mel Bay.)
The tutor is 76 pages and two CDs of exercises and tunes. A lot of thought went into the design of the book and you can tell that this is a labor of love and teaching experience. The TAB book is in black and white and designed to substitute TAB for notation.
Churchill once observed that the United States and Great Britain were “two countries divided by a common language.” North American users might find some of the usage a little different, but once you change your vocabulary the meaning becomes quite clear. Here are a few translations: pluck = to pick; plectrum = pick; velum = head; quaver = eighth note; crochet = quarter note. Most of the rest is the same.
It is a little strange at first to find a long section on “Correct Plucking” and not think about chickens, but you get used to it. And as you will see, “correct plucking” is the essence of the book.
The tutor starts out with very basic technique including holding the banjo, good posture and alignment and the admonition to RELAX. Don't skip over this part, relaxation is the key to good technique and later on to both speed and precision. I suspect that this is the least understood aspect of banjo playing yet there is no performance skill in any field that does not require relaxation in order to be quick and efficient. If you are relaxed then only those muscles needed to perform are working. Any use of other muscle groups will only slow you down or change your posture leading to poor performance. Next comes correct alignment, right and left hand placement and how to hold the pick/plectrum.
A lot of this is already familiar to many of you, but don't overlook it. The pick hold was especially important to me since I hold my pick exactly the same way Enda does while Mick Moloney told me he held it “the wrong way” but was too far along to change. The main point of holding the pick is written in all capitals: “DO NOT SQUEEZE!” which is very good advice and goes along with the relaxation meme.
If you go to the web site (http://endascahill.com/Enda_Scahill...ll_Home.html) you will see that one of the main selling points is a “structured set of rules for plucking” that is the heart of his system. Once you are automatically using the system, you can advance fairly quickly to more interesting things. In any performance field basic technique has to be learned and internalized before the more sophisticated techniques can happen. Otherwise you are just going through the motions and will never achieve the consistency and efficiency that hallmarks master level players. In addition you will never achieve any kind of style. It is clear that Enda understands this concept because he is very adamant that you always play this way. (“Always means Always” he says although there is one exception.) From this base he builds the rest of ideas all the way into very advanced playing.
This is what I really like about the tutorial. It is comprehensive and complete built around a logical system of right hand use. He calls the right hand the engine of the music. This is an insight shared by almost every teacher I have come across (Andy Statman, Peter Ostroushko, Gerry O'Connor, Roland White all said exactly the same thing) and it is my experience that right hand technique has to be learned before you can improve. The entire book is mostly about developing right hand technique.
He does touch on left hand techniques, but only to show how he does it. In the back of the book there is a fretboard map and fingering chart which uses mandolin fingering, the most popular method around. But he refers you to the map when he discusses left hand and only when he talks about reaching the high B (and at one point a high C#) does he become more specific.
I play a different system of left hand, the cello method learned from Gerry O'Connor, but the differences regarding the problem of second and third position are so little that I found his ideas helpful. The main point is that left hand technique is not anywhere as important as right hand technique. Andy Statman says that the differential is 90/10 in favor of the right hand.
More advanced players may find the CDs a little boring as Enda plays the majority of tunes slowly and clearly. Don't be fooled by this. If you skip over these tunes you are missing out on the basic technique and later on you may find yourself in trouble if you try some of the more advanced stuff. In addition the advanced material is very good, especially the part on variation.
Those of you who grew up with bluegrass or old time music will appreciate the part about variation. I find that I have no problems at all using variation in American styles of music. It seems to come naturally and most likely is the product of years of listening to the music. Variation in Irish music is more difficult for me because I am not thinking in those terms yet. I can understand them when I hear them but I don't incorporate the “Irish” changes automatically. The section on variation was very valuable to me and is one I will have to go over time and again. When I coupled it with listening to my Enda Scahill CDs, it makes even more sense.
Overall and in particular this book is worth the money and the wait. It is, as Mick Moloney stated, the most comprehensive book on the subject, but more important it is a book with a logical system and clear goals for the student. In addition it teaches a large number of tunes that you will enjoy. Each tune is played on the CDs and each tune has a lesson to teach.
Are there problems with the book? Yes, sort of, mostly very little things. For example when discussing his string choices he puts them in mm sizes that have to be wrong (I think he meant inches instead and then off by a power – his string range is .040 in to .011 in., not .40 mm which would be .015 in.) On the other hand his advice about a wound A string is great.
Initially I objected to the term “velum” thinking it was a misspelling. However he is correct. “Vellum” is a calf skin, “velum” is any membrane. Of course we know it as a “head.”
My advice is to get this book, read it through many times and listen to the CDs over and over. If you are able to, go to a workshop or tutorial featuring Enda Scahill, he obviously knows what he is doing.
MJ Keyes
13 December 2008
Review of Tutor Volume II by Professor K. Pádraig O'Kane, Miami International University of Art and Design
Enda Scahill is not only a brilliant banjo player; he is also an articulate teacher who has been able to affectively convey his ideas in print. “Enda Scahill’s Banjo Tutor Volume II” is the definitive text for Irish tenor banjo instruction!
For starters, the chapters entitled, “Relaxation and Reducing Tension,” and “How to Practice,” are well worth the price of admission. They are well thought out, thoroughly researched, and articulated in a way anyone can put into practice. In fact, these chapters should be mandatory reading for all instrumentalists!
The section on ornamentation is exhaustively explored, and clearly demonstrated in both standard notation, tablature, and on the CD. The audio examples are demonstrated at slow and faster, (but not impossible to play, speeds). If there was any question as to how to do trebles, slides, bends, chord “tapping,” a large variety of triplets, drones, chromatics etc., there won’t be after studying this section.
There is so much valuable information in this book, including musical arrangements that are both fun and challenging. There is no doubt that this tutor will be one of those books I keep coming back to.
Aside from the content, there is something this tutor achieves that very few do. Enda’s tutor inspires thought, and musical creativity! The tutor opens up these possibilities via different techniques and concepts, explained and demonstrated in an, “anyone can do this” fashion.
Finally, there is an underlying and overall message that the learner will easily absorb; that with consistent and disciplined practice, along with some imagination, “the sky is the limit!”
-Professor K. Pádraig O'Kane
Miami International University of Art and DesignAudio Department
For starters, the chapters entitled, “Relaxation and Reducing Tension,” and “How to Practice,” are well worth the price of admission. They are well thought out, thoroughly researched, and articulated in a way anyone can put into practice. In fact, these chapters should be mandatory reading for all instrumentalists!
The section on ornamentation is exhaustively explored, and clearly demonstrated in both standard notation, tablature, and on the CD. The audio examples are demonstrated at slow and faster, (but not impossible to play, speeds). If there was any question as to how to do trebles, slides, bends, chord “tapping,” a large variety of triplets, drones, chromatics etc., there won’t be after studying this section.
There is so much valuable information in this book, including musical arrangements that are both fun and challenging. There is no doubt that this tutor will be one of those books I keep coming back to.
Aside from the content, there is something this tutor achieves that very few do. Enda’s tutor inspires thought, and musical creativity! The tutor opens up these possibilities via different techniques and concepts, explained and demonstrated in an, “anyone can do this” fashion.
Finally, there is an underlying and overall message that the learner will easily absorb; that with consistent and disciplined practice, along with some imagination, “the sky is the limit!”
-Professor K. Pádraig O'Kane
Miami International University of Art and DesignAudio Department
Folkworld.eu March 2012
Irish banjo ace Enda Scahill has been performing for more than a decade with melodeonist Paul Brock. In his previous banjo tutorial he established the bedrock to build upon, the Irish Banjo Tutor Volume IIcompletes the higher levels. On the first floor, Enda discusses reducing tension and to train to become a relaxed player with body posture, breathing and mind set. These pages are vital for the next steps, introducing ornamentation such as trebles, triplets, slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs, and create the nyah, i.e. Irish music's swing and phrasing. Throughout the tutorial he uses two rather unfamiliar tunes to demonstrate a smorgasbord of tips, techniques, approaches and concepts, the "New Post Office Reel" (which fiddler Martin Hayes recorded) and the "Champion Jig." For starters he demonstrates them straightforward, then adding his suggestions one after another. More tunes are introduced (both stave notes and tab), and Enda indicates variation, alternate tuning (he himself is using ADAE ever since instead of the fiddle tuning GDAE which Barney McKenna introduced in the 1960s), harmony notes and chords - all meant to develop an individual style and make any tune your very own. Eventually, there is a chapter on old-time music and how to play the American 5-string- on the Irish 4-string-banjo. Every banjoist will find something, ambitious novices as well as advanced players. The two accompanying CDs are featuring tunes and techniques played both slowly and at regular pace.
Review by Steve Minto on ottersholt blog
Ambitious players – start here
If you’re an ambitious tenor banjo player, keen to pick up some of the more advanced techniques that you hear on your favourite CD’s, then Enda Scahill’s Irish Banjo Tutor Volume II is probably just what you’ve been waiting for.
Volume I was a nifty book with two accompanying CD’s that covered all the basics. Now, in Volume II, Enda takes us through just about every form of ornamentation ever dreamed up on the Irish tenor.
The two CD’s follow the kind of instruction you would typically get, either at a banjo class, or from a personal tutor. Enda starts-out with a great reel, The New Post Office, first played slow and straight, then a little faster with some basic ornamentation. This is followed by ‘The Champion’ jig, given the same treatment.
It’s best to learn the tunes by ear otherwise you’re going to struggle to get to grips with the little twists and turns when the melodies are augmented and ornamented as CD 1 progresses. Tabs and dots are provided in the book if you need them, though guitarist will need to work out their own chords for accompanyment – and rightly so!
But first – relax
Before you even pick up the banjo though, Enda runs through some relaxation techniques. It may sound a bit wacky at first, but it really works. Often at a session I’ve found myself hunched, tense and gritting my teeth, trying to keep up with a fast tune. Relaxation and breathing exercises are all part of the package in Enda’s tutor.
Rather than flick quickly past the ‘Scales and Exercises’ section of the new tutor I decided to give the exercises a try. What a revelation! My fingering was absolute rubbish. After about thirty minutes practicing some of Enda’s carefully crafted exercises I found myself playing like a pro – fast and smooth, with amazing economy of movement.
Don’t get too carried away though, this tutor won’t make you a star overnight. If your basic technique is as bad as mine you’ll need to unlearn a lot of your bad, old habits.
Personally I find Volume II much more fun to work through than the first book. The tunes on the two CD’s are challenging and enjoyable to play. They include:
Geoghan’s Reel
Ships are Sailing
The Galway Hornpipe
The Sailor on the Rock
Last Night’s Fun
The Boys of the Town
Kimmel’s Jig
The Monaghon Twig
The Liverpool Hornpipe
Jerry Beaver’s Hat
The Rambler
John McNeil’s Reel
The Bunch of Green Rushes
The Daisy Field
The Soporific Hornpipe
The Cameronian
The Wind that Shakes the Barley
The Home Ruler Hornpipe
Poor Old Liza Jane
Liam Farrell’s
Frank Keane’s
The Ten Penny Piece
The Fog in the Bog
The Drunken Landlady
....along with interesting arrangements of The Connacht Man’s Rambles and Banish Misfortune.
While most of these tunes make regular appearances in sessions across the globe, Enda uses them here to demonstrate the ornamentation and techniques taught on CD 1 of the two CD set.
I just hope that everyone gets the ‘Keep it Simple’ message. This book can take you up to the highest levels of skill on the banjo, but the advanced ornamentation is more suited to a performance situation.
There are too many techniques to list, but here are a few of them anyway:
Trebles
Triplets
Stuttered Trebles/Triplets
Triplets in arpeggio style
Crab walk triplet runs
Double string trebles
Slides
Hammer-ons
Pull-offs
String bends
Droning
Tapping
…and lilting like an old man from Connemara…
Then there’s chords, old time banjo, and strange banjo things that nobody’s put a name to.
When you’ve mastered this lot (it will probably take a lifetime) you’ll be able to walk into a session like gun-toting Lee Van Cleef in a spaghetti western – you know that you’ve got it, but for God’s sake don’t use it unless you have to.
Steve Minto on www.theottersholt.wordpress.com
If you’re an ambitious tenor banjo player, keen to pick up some of the more advanced techniques that you hear on your favourite CD’s, then Enda Scahill’s Irish Banjo Tutor Volume II is probably just what you’ve been waiting for.
Volume I was a nifty book with two accompanying CD’s that covered all the basics. Now, in Volume II, Enda takes us through just about every form of ornamentation ever dreamed up on the Irish tenor.
The two CD’s follow the kind of instruction you would typically get, either at a banjo class, or from a personal tutor. Enda starts-out with a great reel, The New Post Office, first played slow and straight, then a little faster with some basic ornamentation. This is followed by ‘The Champion’ jig, given the same treatment.
It’s best to learn the tunes by ear otherwise you’re going to struggle to get to grips with the little twists and turns when the melodies are augmented and ornamented as CD 1 progresses. Tabs and dots are provided in the book if you need them, though guitarist will need to work out their own chords for accompanyment – and rightly so!
But first – relax
Before you even pick up the banjo though, Enda runs through some relaxation techniques. It may sound a bit wacky at first, but it really works. Often at a session I’ve found myself hunched, tense and gritting my teeth, trying to keep up with a fast tune. Relaxation and breathing exercises are all part of the package in Enda’s tutor.
Rather than flick quickly past the ‘Scales and Exercises’ section of the new tutor I decided to give the exercises a try. What a revelation! My fingering was absolute rubbish. After about thirty minutes practicing some of Enda’s carefully crafted exercises I found myself playing like a pro – fast and smooth, with amazing economy of movement.
Don’t get too carried away though, this tutor won’t make you a star overnight. If your basic technique is as bad as mine you’ll need to unlearn a lot of your bad, old habits.
Personally I find Volume II much more fun to work through than the first book. The tunes on the two CD’s are challenging and enjoyable to play. They include:
Geoghan’s Reel
Ships are Sailing
The Galway Hornpipe
The Sailor on the Rock
Last Night’s Fun
The Boys of the Town
Kimmel’s Jig
The Monaghon Twig
The Liverpool Hornpipe
Jerry Beaver’s Hat
The Rambler
John McNeil’s Reel
The Bunch of Green Rushes
The Daisy Field
The Soporific Hornpipe
The Cameronian
The Wind that Shakes the Barley
The Home Ruler Hornpipe
Poor Old Liza Jane
Liam Farrell’s
Frank Keane’s
The Ten Penny Piece
The Fog in the Bog
The Drunken Landlady
....along with interesting arrangements of The Connacht Man’s Rambles and Banish Misfortune.
While most of these tunes make regular appearances in sessions across the globe, Enda uses them here to demonstrate the ornamentation and techniques taught on CD 1 of the two CD set.
I just hope that everyone gets the ‘Keep it Simple’ message. This book can take you up to the highest levels of skill on the banjo, but the advanced ornamentation is more suited to a performance situation.
There are too many techniques to list, but here are a few of them anyway:
Trebles
Triplets
Stuttered Trebles/Triplets
Triplets in arpeggio style
Crab walk triplet runs
Double string trebles
Slides
Hammer-ons
Pull-offs
String bends
Droning
Tapping
…and lilting like an old man from Connemara…
Then there’s chords, old time banjo, and strange banjo things that nobody’s put a name to.
When you’ve mastered this lot (it will probably take a lifetime) you’ll be able to walk into a session like gun-toting Lee Van Cleef in a spaghetti western – you know that you’ve got it, but for God’s sake don’t use it unless you have to.
Steve Minto on www.theottersholt.wordpress.com
