Early American Gourd Banjo by Clifton Hicks
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- Banjo Heritage 👉 / cliftonhicks
Early 4-string gourd banjo handmade by myself. Intro tune is "Johnson Boys" learned from Matt Kinman and Josh Hayes in Watauga County, North Carolina. Second tune played is "Hook and Line" from George Gibson of Knott County, Kentucky.
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every video I watch, i feel im becoming more likely to build my own gourd banjo
DO IT.
That tune in a field with the crickets, and then a history/cultural/master crafts lesson.
Thanks Clifton!
That is, without a doubt, the prettiest banjo I've ever seen.
The sound of gourd fretless banjo blatantly reminds us of its source!
Very interesting instrument. Probably as close as we can get to something in the period.
Wow! This is a GOURDeous distinctive sound. THANK you so much for this. Sounds very similar to a traditional African akonting
🍻 "GOURDeous" is a good one.
That's where the banjo originated
@@Skylarks218 yes, also very similar Chinese and Japanese banjo like instruments that are ancient too
Thanks so much for continuing to help fill in the gaps of people’s idea of the history of the banjo. Such an important story
sweet sound
Thank you for the history
It’s a beautiful banjo!
Wow sounds and looks really kool buddy😊
Does a gourd cease to be a vegetable when it's added to a banjo?
Very cool looking and sounding homemade banjo! Really like the opening tune and pickin!
Thats really Cool and loved the sound and your amazing playing thanks for showing this and explaining it im not familiar with these but was lucky to find a sort of tribal one with a carved figure head to got me looking them up 👍
The image on the neck looks like a simple palm tree and two coconuts
Damn, that banjo sounds wonderful - and the cut of your beard accentuates the whole effect!
Artists made sketches and then made paintings based on the sketches. If Sir Hans Sloane had never seen an instrument with a side peg, it is possible that he might not have noticed that it was there.
Another possibility is that one of the three strings functioned as the drone string, and the other two were the ones that would have been fingered.
That sounds sweet.
I was curious about how it sounded and it is magnificent! Is that Johnson Boys in standard G tuning? (I tend to play it in double C and I can't see you doing the 2-5 bounce on the first string).
It looks awesome, I like the fifth peg being fitted like the other, rather than through the side. The head is awesome too! Thank you for sharing this Mr. Hicks.
Yes, Johnson Boys in what would be gCGCD if it had 5 strings.
Love it
Super cool man! :D
Very interesting hehe, Keep sharing!
It sounds similar to a Japanese shamisen but much deeper.
Both the gourd banjo, shamisen, and various African lutes use skin over a resonator to give off the certain, plunky, somewhat barkey acoustic quality we associate with these instruments. The modern day banjo works off of the same principle, although the “skin” is usually made out of paper or some sort of synthetic membrane.
I would think the “missing thumb holes” you were talking about might be neck markers. Especially if there were two holes. Maybe the four and the five of a scale.
I'm impressed with both your construction and playing of the instrument. Fantastic job! As soon as I saw the symbol on the reverse of the neck, I immediately thought it was a frog. Given the ancient and widespread cultural symbolism of frogs throughout the world, do you think that's a possibility? I know the frog has a rich symbolic significance in both caribbean and african history. Either way, I really enjoyed the video. Thanks!
Craig, I never considered that it may be a frog. I lifted that symbol from the carved lines found on the c. 1840 Haitian gourd "banza" that's in a museum, I think, in the Netherlands. No one knows what the symbol represents, although some have speculated it could be associated with the Haitian culture's "three leaves." I think it looks like the five fingers of a cannabis leaf, re-arranged. It also, to me resembles, a bird perched on a limb.
@@CliftonHicksbanjo So, you've piqued my interest. Now that I've researched the three leaves subject, I think that's very likely accurate. This is reinforced as the ancient tradition of three leaves is thought to have originated in the Kongo, where many of the people brought to Haiti were taken. Interestingly enough, I came across a cultural song that I think applies to what you are doing. Twa fey, twa rasin (three leaves, three roots). This song is about how sometimes precious things are neglected by people who do not understand them, but are cherished by others who understand their value. The significance implied is that, because of the abundance of leaves, many discard them as worthless. However, for those that value and treasure the importance of the tradition, the leaves are precious and ought to be safeguarded. Through making these beautiful instruments and sharing these stories, you are in a sense preserving that tradition. Using the symbol as something of a "maker's mark" is appropriate. You see the precious thing that may otherwise be lost. For that, I am grateful.
Hey Clifton always love your work man! I got me an Eric Prust Tackhead for cheap and it is a 28 scale!
Whats the second tune? That banjo sounds great brother.
05:10 is Hook & Line (Shout Lulu, Minnow on a Hook) gCGCD.
Thank you for the reply!
Will you learn some gnawa music Mr. Hicks?
I don’t know anything about a banjo. Does that drone string keep it in one key?
is that a canteen gourd maestro?
Clifton,
Been jamming to your music for awhile now. Can you please cover "little sadie" love the clarence ashley version. Please respond!!
Hey bud! Excellent video! Whats that tune you play in the beginning
Johnson Boys gCGCD on reg banjo.
@@CliftonHicksbanjo That's it! I wondered why it was so familiar
What is the name of the first tune? It's captivating for sure
Sounds like Johnson Boys
Can I please buy it
How am.i tuning this right??
do you know any thing about the 4 string banjo style that frank warner played?
I've only seen Warner on this episode of Rainbow Quest: th-cam.com/video/Pc7r6ZTR9E0/w-d-xo.html It looks like he just has kind of a ukulele right hand strum.
@@CliftonHicksbanjo do you have any idea what kind of tuning its in? it seems like a really unique playstyle that you dont really see anywhere else.
Just from an uneducated perspective, that symbol looks like maybe a Palm tree against a horizon.
Cool. To me, it always resembles a bird on a branch.
Clifton l would like to support your cause but I have no way like what you do I have a friend who is a master claw hammer his name is John Haywood from prestonburg KY
I once played a music festival in Kentucky and met and hung out with John. Can vouch, he’s a fantastic player and super kind man.
I once played a music festival in Kentucky and met and hung out with John. Can vouch, he’s a fantastic player and super kind man.
I once played a music festival in Kentucky and met and hung out with John. Can vouch, he’s a fantastic player and super kind man.
I once played a music festival in Kentucky and met and hung out with John. Can vouch, he’s a fantastic player and super kind man.
I once played a music festival in Kentucky and met and hung out with John. Can vouch, he’s a fantastic player and super kind man.