Custom Lesson Additions

casey_theater_headshot_small — Casey Henry

As I count the days past my due date (just two days overdue at this point…) I’m keeping busy doing the custom lessons that I warned people I may not have time to do if the baby arrived early or on time. Lucky for these people the baby seems like he’s pretty comfortable right where he is, so I might have time to get those last five songs on my list finished…

Beautiful Star of Bethlehem (I) Watch clip. – This is one of my favorite bluegrass Christmas tunes and very possibly the first one of a second volume of Christmas custom lessons.
Fox on The Run (I) Watch clip. – I’m pretty surprised it took so long for someone to ask me to do this popular song. In the lesson I give you what Bill Emerson played on the Country Gentlemen’s recoding of it.
Glendale Train (Backup in D) (A) Watch clip. – People are always wanting more backup stuff. So here’s some backup in the key of D. It’s not easy, but if you’re ready for it, it’s really useful.
Long Skinny Lanky Sarah Jane (I) Watch clip. – This is such a funny song that Ralph Stanley recorded. The break is very straightforward Stanley style.
Lorena (A) Watch clip. – One of John Hartford’s signature songs. He didn’t write it, he just played it a lot. This is what he played on the “Gum Tree Canoe” album.
Love is A Rose (I) Watch clip. – The second Linda Ronstadt song to be added to the list. There’s a banjo on her recording of it and this is what he plays.
Mole in The Gound (I) Watch clip. – This is an old-time tune I was only passingly familiar with until Marty Bacon asked for this lesson. Played in drop-C tuning it has a nice drive to it.
These Thousand Hills (I) Watch clip. – This is from a Christian band called Third Day. Goes quite well on the banjo, even though their recording is all electric guitars and drums and stuff.

All these can be ordered from my website. $30 each.

9 thoughts on “Custom Lesson Additions”

Thanks Casey for Mole in the Ground. In drop C it sounds Old Time with Bluegrass rolls. I don’t think I have had to play a Foggy Mountain Breakdown roll while changing frets before and it sounds so good!

LikeLike

Casey,
In Love is a Rose, the banjo plays almost the whole time (I like that. Isn’t that what banjos are for:)) Is most of that backup or do they keep picking the break over and over?

LikeLike

Hi Marty
I am sure Murphy teaches a tune where you do FMB Licks on the second & third strings. Can’t remember which DVD it’s on though. As I recall it was quite tricky trying to get the timing just right.

LikeLike

Probably just haven’t done it yet. Sounds really great though. What I meant was that in the course of the roll you change which strings you are fretting when you play Mole in the Ground which gives the FMB roll a whole new sound and a good one too.

LikeLike

Marty,

In Love is A Rose the backup that he plays throughout the song is very similar to what he plays at the beginning (which I assume is the “break” you’re talking about). I don’t think it’s exactly the same, but it’s close enough that you can get away with playing the break over and over and it will work.

Casey

LikeLike