Beginning Banjo Camp Part Two: The Concerts

The students also got to do some quality listening. Friday night Casey’s new band, the Gooseneck Rockers (with Marshall Wilborn on bass and Tom Adams on guitar) performed. They were excellent, of course, with tight harmony, unusual song selection (not the SOS), and Casey’s inventive, playful banjo picking. The quirky emceeing of Tom Adams is…

Beginning Banjo Camp: A Rousing Success!

Our second Beginning Banjo Camp, held this past weekend (October 26-28, 2012) was, indeed, a rousing success! Sixteen students gathered together in Winchester to pick and pick and pick. And vamp and vamp and vamp. And ask questions. Our motto, “Less taking, more picking,” was in full force as students played the Big Three—Banjo in…

Dalton’s Banjo Camp Wrap-Up

Hello, everybody! I just wanted to let you know that the Murphy Method Banjo Camp went great, along with the concerts both nights, and now all the happy campers are headed home. But the most important part of the camp, of course, was me, and how Granddaddy Red and I played for three days. We…

Dalton’s Report from Banjo Camp

This year's Murphy Method Beginning Banjo Camp is in full swing, and my grandmother Murphy, my mama Casey, and the 15 campers are all having a fine time. So I get to spend three days playing with my granddaddy Red! So yesterday, we went outside and played in the yard. We swung on the hammock.…

Wildwood Flower: You Can Pick It! (Pun Intended!)

  Well, I’ve just had the pleasure of recording my first custom guitar lesson, courtesy of Casey and her fancy MacIntosh Computer. (Not quite like Earl and his “fancy banjo” but close!) And what did I teach? “Wildwood Flower,” of course! It’s sort of the “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” of guitar picking. Except that “Wildwood Flower”…

Custom Lesson Update

Here's what's new lately on the custom lesson front. Some really interesting tunes I think. These can be ordered from my website, of course. City of New Orleans (I) - Steve Goodman song recorded by many, many people. Watch clip. Daddy's Dream (A) - One of Sammy Shelor's banjo tunes. Watch clip. Double Banjo Blues…

Two Things On My Mind: Fiddling and Banjo Camp

You’ve probably noticed that I don’t blog much anymore. Standard excuses apply (grandson, book, teaching, square dancing, dealing with my dad’s estate, and cataract surgery!) But, truth to tell, now that everybody’s doing it, I don’t feel as compelled. Nevertheless, sometimes things happen that just have to be blogged about. This is one of them!…