Kickoffs

We received this suggestion for a blog topic from Patty in Washington: "I am frequently asked to kick off songs in a jam (whether I know them or not), particularly when I'm the only banjo player. Murphy offered great suggestions, like having the person hum or play some of the tune, or just pausing for…

Jamming: One Easy Time, and one Challenging Situation

Last weekend I went over to Nashville for the International Bluegrass Music Association convention. During the day I helped Casey with our Murphy Method booth, but both nights I went over to my uncle John's house to pick. John Hedgecoth is a banjo player with long-standing credentials including a stint in Bill Monroe's band in…

Listen My Children And You Shall Hear….

The poem "Paul Revere’s Ride" has always been one of my favorites (we had to memorize the whole thing in seventh grade) and after I finished writing this blog, I thought the first line would make a perfect title. I know Red has blogged recently about the four beats of E minor versus the six…

IBMA Pictures and Videos

I'm posting this picture because my mom asked me to, and I always do what my mother asks. (Okay, almost always, but I swear it's like 98% of the time!) I went to the IBMA Awards show this year with friends since no other family members were going. We went out for a stellar meal…

The Murphy Method at IBMA

Again this year, for I-don't-know-how-many-years-in-a-row, we set up a booth for the IBMA Fan Fair. The Nashville Convention Center was a busy place, with plenty of bands, dealers, instrument makers, and fans on hand for the weekend. After Lynn Morris won an IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award (see Casey's post just below) and her husband Marshall…

Lynn Morris Receives Distinguished Achievement Award

Last week at the International Bluegrass Music Association conference our favorite clawhammer banjo instructor Lynn Morris received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the organization in recognition for her illustrious career in the bluegrass music business. From her early days in the City Limits Bluegrass Band through Whetstone Run and her own Lynn Morris Band, Lynn…