Scuzzlebutt - Montana Session

Inspired by a recent post by Charlie Marks about the power of traditional music, I spent the last day in Montana putting together a little session of traditional clawhammer tunes. While I love using the banjo for my own original art and compositions, I never forget the roots of where this instrument (and my love for it) comes from, and this session is dedicated to the beautiful and enchanting legacy of clawhammer banjo.
"In our lives, we imbue the words we use, the songs we sing, the places we live, the food we eat, and the homes we make with meaning. Art flows wherever we let our soul slip from within us to about us and whatever our soul is able to touch is filled with us.
A symbol, a word, a song that has been passed down has a deep power to it. Not only do these things flow from us, but generation upon generation we imbue them with ourselves. A word, a song, a symbol becomes imbued with the essence of every person that gives themselves to it, whether we understand this or not."
-‪@CharlieMarksMusic‬
Here are three traditional tunes for you all: Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss (I like to call it Cherry Tree), Big Rock Candy Mountain, and Arkansas Traveler
#clawhammer #banjo #americana #folkmusic #traditional

[@D_Halvig]

Enjoyed this man! I really liked your version of big rock candy mountain, I love that song.

[@william1998cc]

beautiful

[@CharlieMarksMusic]

Gorgeous play my friend

[@banjodruid]

I've been so deep in my own stuff the last few months that I've forgotten to pay homage to where I started. Thanks for the reminder, and thanks for the genuine music you play 🌱

[@CharlieMarksMusic]

@@banjodruid oh I totally understand that - this music is a magical thing. Keep it coming!

[@purplevr8727]

Found your stuff a couple days ago on Tiktok I believe, ironically enough, “Going Down That Road Feeling Bad” is an amazing tune ive been listening to a lot lately!

[@CharlieMarksMusic]

@@purplevr8727 ooo hell ya makes me happy to hear - def a fantastic tune. I’ve been listening to doc watsons version quite a bit lately myself

[@banjodruid]

Don Flemons has an incredible rendition here on youtube as well@@purplevr8727

[@purplevr8727]

Beautiful playing, recently picked up a banjo and have been trying to learn it but learning a new instrument is hard, even id you already play one😂

[@banjodruid]

Best advice I can give you for clawhammer is to really nail down the stroke pattern until its muscle memory. This might also be controversial but I’d also recommend learning from ear instead of tabs. Tablature makes clawhammer look so much harder and complex than it is. Learning by ear is also an incredibly important skill to pick up as a traditional musician. Good luck friend 🌱

[@purplevr8727]

@@banjodruid I’ll try but god knows itll take me a while😂thanks for the advice and keep up the work brother!