An Old-Time Banjo Workshop with Clawhammer Maestro JOEL MABUS

Thursday , March 30, 2006
06:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: Elderly Instruments
workshop ($30.00)

We'll explain the "teaser" quotation after providing the nuts 'n' bolts of Joel's latest Elderly workshop, coming up in March.

First we'll note that this old-time banjo workshop will be a good refresher course for the occasional banjoist and will also benefit seasoned bluegrass banjo players who want to explore this older style of downpicking.

Designed for Advanced-Beginner to Intermediate-level clawhammer banjo players, the 90-minute hands-on workshop will take you beyond the basics of clawhammer style banjo playing (also called "frailing") to the next level. Joel suggests that students should know basic frailing technique and have at least a little experience playing old-time music. Please bring a playable 5-string banjo and (optional) tape recorder.

The class will look closely at the right hand and how it strikes the strings, how to get a good drop-thumb sound, and how to achieve speed and steady rhythm. The class will also examine three old-time tunings (G, Double C, and G modal) and their uses in the old-time repertoire, how to navigate among tunings, strategies for playing in other keys, capos, and more.

Students will work on tunes in tablature and discuss the process of translating the written page into authentic-sounding old-time music.

Joel's accomplishments in the realm of instruction (in addition to his years of success as performing and recording artist) far exceed our ability to articulate here. In that regard, suffice it to say that in addition to having taught at numerous prestigious music camps, Joel was a highly-sought instructor at Elderly (the store's senior instructor) for many years and has offered numerous Elderly workshops on various topics from songwriting to swing guitar and other good stuff. [For further info on Joel's multi-faceted career, visit www.joelmabus.com.]

So: Just how good a clawhammer player is Joel Mabus? We could quote numerous others (and have) on Joel's talents and abilities, but the proof is in the pudding, in this instance in the explanation behind his 15-year-old recording titled Flatpick / Clawhammer. [FYI, this is an enduring recording circa 1991, with 21 tracks, 12 of them traditional clawhammer tunes and songs, all for just $13.95.]

The recording is not only enduring, i.e., still popular after all these years. It's also endearing: in the tunes ("Groundhog," "Soldier's Joy," "Mississippi Sawyer," "Darlin' Corey,"....and a personal favorite of ours, "Henhouse Door") and in Joel's liner notes: "What I had in mind was dropping by your house and playing some favorite old time tunes.... Maybe sing a few, too. What I did instead was drop by the studio, set up a couple of nice mikes....my goal - to make a recording that hits the ears just the way my unamplified instruments do.... I told Gary [Joel's audio engineering pal Gary Reid] that when I put on the headphones, I want this CD to sound to my ears just like it does when I am playing in my living room."

The carefully-engineered project resulted in "tunes that I'd be proud to drop by and play for you sometime." It also resulted in strong praise from Lansing State Journal music critic and Elderly's chief recordings purchaser Chris Rietz, who referred to Joel as "perennial favorite Joel Mabus" while invoking old-time music lovers to "Hear this world-class instrumentalist at his most intimate" with the Flatpick / Clawhammer recording.

Listening to Joel's music is all fine and dandy--in fact, we're doing so as we write--but old-time banjo players can do better than that: Joel's upcoming workshop gives them a chance to learn from and play with a meticulous "world-class instrumentalist." This may be just about as intimate--and worthwhile--a way to share music as there is.

Space in the workshop is limited, so sign up soon. The workshop is Item # JOEL-BANJO.

Check out recordings we carry featuring Joel Mabus