AlternativeBanjo http://alternativebanjo.com So not mainstream... Alternative. Sun, 11 Jul 2010 20:02:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 How to play like Bela Fleck http://alternativebanjo.com/2010/03/29/how-to-play-like-bela-fleck/ http://alternativebanjo.com/2010/03/29/how-to-play-like-bela-fleck/#comments Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:54:14 +0000 mike http://alternativebanjo.com/?p=312 Have you ever wished you could play like Bela Fleck? I know I have wished that in the middle of the night the banjo fairy would come and put some banjo skills under my pillow. That hasn’t happened yet, so I figured learning some of his songs would be the next best thing.

Bela is an incredible player (duh). His licks are as fast as they are complicated. He also is incredibly good at playing with other people. He is able to make the banjo work with marimbas, saxophones, tablas and the list goes on. So all of this makes transcribing Bela very difficult. You’ll notice that in the altbanjo archives there are only two Bela songs and 10+ Sufjan songs. In order to play some of his songs you’ve got to be an incredibly adept transcriber or you could buy his banjo books.

I, being a cheap (and lazy) college student, have gone and found third way to learn his songs: flecktonesrock. He is an incredibly talented musician and he takes the time to walk you through many Bela Fleck songs. He has some very helpful instructional videos, on songs like Big Country, See Rock City and more!

So if you have ever had any inclination to learn Bela Fleck on the cheap or just would like to listen to a great banjo picker, go check out flecktonesrock. You won’t be disappointed.

]]> http://alternativebanjo.com/2010/03/29/how-to-play-like-bela-fleck/feed/ 1 Banjo Heroes http://alternativebanjo.com/2010/03/18/banjo-heroes/ http://alternativebanjo.com/2010/03/18/banjo-heroes/#comments Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:24:39 +0000 mike http://alternativebanjo.com/?p=309 Whilst perusing the altbanjo twitter stream, I came across a post by @petewiss about his Banjo Heroes. This series of posts is about “people who inspire me to become a good banjo player.”

Each edition of this series highlights an influential and progressive banjo player. The musicians featured range from Steve Martin to Scott Avett. It is an excellent exposition of what makes these musicians special.

I would highly recommend check his blog out here: http://midwestmedievalist.blogspot.com/

Banjo Heroes

]]> http://alternativebanjo.com/2010/03/18/banjo-heroes/feed/ 0 Mumford and Sons can see right through you http://alternativebanjo.com/2010/02/09/mumford-and-sons/ http://alternativebanjo.com/2010/02/09/mumford-and-sons/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:26:10 +0000 thekathleen http://alternativebanjo.com/?p=293 So when I was thinking as hard as I possibly could about the best albums of 2009 (which I finally decided upon), there was one that stuck in my frontal lobe without me even having to retrieve it from the recesses of my year long memory. This album, Sigh No More by the London band Mumford and Sons, drop kicked my heart right into my throat from the first break neck paced, screaming tempo change on the first track to the very last .

And the cool part? One of the backbones of this recklessly good band is banjo. The racing strings are held together by the persistent, old timey tone of the banjo rolling on into oblivion. This is no gentle banjo strum by some indie band trying for some Americana cred. This is banjo played with flying fingers, and solid understanding of how much this instrument can add. It’s not a cute little gimmick; it’s a blood churning, foot stomping, instrument of power.

The rawness in the vocals of Mumford and Sons ties together the rooted nature of their 2009 album. The emotion tempered by wisdom tells of the accepted clarity and regret that comes with hindsight, and the incredible leaps people have to take to find themselves in new territory. It’s a concept album on the road ahead, and how maybe the best thing to do is barrel forward with some hot licks on your heels and melodies whistling in your ears.

Highly. Highly. Recommended.

Roll Away Your Stone- Mumford and Sons

]]> http://alternativebanjo.com/2010/02/09/mumford-and-sons/feed/ 4 We’re back http://alternativebanjo.com/2010/02/08/we-are-back/ http://alternativebanjo.com/2010/02/08/we-are-back/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:58:31 +0000 mike http://alternativebanjo.com/?p=277 Hello everyone! After a break from altbanjo for some soul searching, we are back! I say we because I have a brought a friend to talk about what is going on in the alternative banjo universe. Her name is Kathleen and she has a blog called My Best Friend’s Arm (which is awesome and I would highly recommend reading it). She will be popping in and out of here while also updating her own blog.

Over the past several months of inactivity, I have received various tab requests. Sadly, I do not have the same amount of time to transcribe songs. So I’ll post these songs on the website and hopefully there will be some kind hearted soul that will transcribe them. :)

Look for some more changes to be coming to altbanjo. For more news, you should follow us on Twitter here.

Finally here’s a song for you, the reader, now that we are almost back on our feet again…

]]> http://alternativebanjo.com/2010/02/08/we-are-back/feed/ 2 FAF: Sofia’s Song http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/04/24/faf-sofias-song/ http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/04/24/faf-sofias-song/#comments Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:22:32 +0000 mike http://alternativebanjo.com/?p=264 I really cannot say much today expect that Sufjan has posted a previously unreleased song from his past. From his blog post, he describes singing these songs “in the privacy of my dorm room, behind closed doors, pillows and cushions stuffed in the air vents so no one would hear.” The post describes what he was like as a child and a college student. I would highly recommend checking it out.

The post is also a reminder of what a magnificant writer he his. I dare not try to match its eloquence and brevity. So without further ado, Sofia’s Song.

Sofia’s Song

Also a tab will follow shortly…

[UPDATE] The tab for this has now been posted!

]]> http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/04/24/faf-sofias-song/feed/ 8 FAF: Lord God Bird http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/04/10/faf-lord-god-bird/ http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/04/10/faf-lord-god-bird/#comments Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:29:37 +0000 mike http://alternativebanjo.com/?p=255 Hello again, from this late Freakin Awesome Friday! This week we’ll look at the Lord God Bird. The song was featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered. There is a whole segment describing the story behind the quest for the Lord God Bird and it talks about the song itself.

This FAF there also have a tab to go along with the song. The beginning has two banjo lines with the first one being the melody. The second banjo is playing the accompanying piece in the background. The rest of the song is fairly straight forward. But unfortunately I didn’t finish the ending. The tab ends at around 2:40 into the song. If it gets finished I’ll post the update.

So without further ado here is the excellent song and the tab. Enjoy!

Sufjan Stevens – Lord God Bird

D:-------------|----------------|----6---6-9-----|----------------|
B:-7-7-5-4-----|----------------|------7---------|9---------------|
G:-------------|6---------------|----------------|----------------|
D:-------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

D:-------------|------6-------6-|----------------|------9-------9-|
B:-------------|--5-------5-----|--5-------------|9---9-----9-----|
G:-------------|6---6-6-------6-|----------------|--8---9-------8-|
D:-------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

D:-------------9---|11---------9-------|-----------------|-------------------|
B:-----------9-----|-------------------|9----------------|---------12--------|
G:-----------------|-------------------|--------11-9-----|11-----------------|
D:-----------------|-------------------|-----------------|-------------------|

D:-------9-----9---|-------------------|------------------|------------------|
B:---9-------9-----|---10--------9-----|9------9----------|---------12-------|
G:-------8-8-------|---------9-------9-|---9-9---11-9-----|11----------------|
D:-----------------|11----11---9---9---|10----------------|------------------|

   In the delta sun                  Down in Arkansas
D:------------------|
B:------------------|
G:-11---------------|
D:------------------|

D:------------------|------6---------|----------6-----|------9-------9-|
B:------------------|--5-----------5-|------5---------|--9-------9-----|
G:------------------|6---6-6---6-----|--6-------------|8---8-8---------|
D:------------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

       Its the       great God             bird                    With its alter
D:-------11---9-----|---------------------|----------------|--------------------|
B:---9--------------|--------10-----------|------9---------|--------9-----------|
G:------------------|---9----------9------|--9-------9-----|---9---------9------|
D:------------------|11---11----11---11---|9---9---9---9---|11---11---11---11---|

    call   And the sowing machines      The industrial God
D:------------------|------6-------6-|------6---------|------9-------9-|
B:--12--------------|--5-------5-----|--5-------5-----|--9-------9-----|
G:-(11)-------------|6---6---------6-|------6---------|8---8-8---------|
D:------------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

            On the  great bayou                 where they saw              it
D:-----------------|---------------------|----------9-----|---------------------|
B:---9-------9-----|--------10-----------|------9---------|--------9------------|
G:-------8---------|---9---------11------|--9---------9---|---9----------9------|
D:-----------------|11---11-11---11------|9---9-9-------9-|11---11-11-11---11-9-|

   fall        It's the great      God         Bird    down in  Ar   -     kan
D:---------------------|----------------------|-----------------|---------------------|
B:--------12--------12-|--------10------------|------9----------|--------9----12------|
G:---11--------11------|---9-------11-9-------|--9-------9------|---9-----------------|
D:-9----9----9----9----|11---11----------11-9-|9---9---9---9-11-|11---11---11----11-9-|

-  sa  And the hunter beware              Or the fishers fall
D:-----------------|------------------14-|-----------------|---------------------|
B:-----------------|--------10---12------|------9----------|--------10-----------|
G:-11--------------|---9-----------------|--9-------9----9-|---9-------9--9----9-|
D:-----------------|11---11--------------|9---9---9---14---|11---11---------11---|

     And para    -   dise    might      close   from its safe         flight   flawed
D:-----------9------|------------------|----------------------|--------------9----|
B:-------9----------|--------9-------9-|--------10------------|-------12---12-----|
G:---9------------9-|---9--------9-----|---9----------9----11-|--11-------------9-|
D:-9---9---9---14---|11---11-----------|11---11----11---11----|9----9---------9---|

         It's the  great         God     Bird   though it  all
D:------------------|-------------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B:-------9----------|--------10-------9-|------9----------|12---------------|
G:---9-------9----9-|---9---------9-----|--9-------9------|-----------------|
D:-9---9---9---14---|11---11----9---9---|9---9---9---9-11-|-----------------|

D:-----------------|----------------|------6-------6-|----6---6-9-----|
B:-----------------|----7-7-5-4-----|--5-------5-----|--5---7---------|
G:-----------------|----------------|6---6-----------|----------------|
D:-----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

D:-------9-------9-|--------------9-|11---------9-------|-----------------|
B:-9---9-----9-----|--9---------9---|--------10---------|9------9-9-------|
G:---8-------------|------8---8-----|------9------9---9-|--9--------9-----|
D:-----------------|----------------|---11----------9---|----11-----------|

D:----------9-------|9---------------|------7---9-------|----6---6-9-----|
B:-9----------------|----7-7-5-5-4---|--------------9---|------7---------|
G:---9----9---------|--------------6-|------------------|----------------|
D:-----11-----------|----------------|------------------|----------------|

D:---------9------9----|----------9-----|11--------9-------|-----------------|
B:-10---10-----10---10-|9-------9-----9-|------------------|9--------9-------|
G:----9----------------|--9---9-----9---|---9----9---9---9-|--9----9---9---9-|
D:---------------------|----9-----------|-----11-------9---|----11-------9---|

D:----------------------|-----------9-----|-----------------|-----------------|
B:---------12-12--------|9--------9-------|10-------9-------|9----------------|
G:-11-11-----------11---|--9----9---------|---9---9---9---9-|--9---9-11-9-----|
D:-------9--------------|----11-----------|-----11------9---|----9------------|

               And the watchers beware                lest they see it fall
D:------------------|----------------|------6---------|----------------|
B:------------------|----------------|--5-------------|----------------|
G:-11---------------|----------------|6---6-----------|----------------|
D:------------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

                            And paradise         might       laugh    when at
D:-------9-------9-|----------------|--------------11-------|----------9-----|
B:---9-------9-----|--9-------9-----|--------10----------10-|------9---------|
G:-8---8-----------|------8---------|---9-------------------|--9-----------9-|
D:-----------------|----------------|11---11----11----11----|9---9---9---9---|

   last      it         falls And the sowing machines        the industrial
D:---------------------|-----------------|-------------------|----------------|
B:---------9-----------|12---------------|--------10---9---9-|----------------|
G:----9---------9---11-|-----------------|---9---------------|--9-------------|
D:-11---11---11--------|-----------------|11---11------------|----------------|

   god                         And it's the great      god      bird      with its
D:------------------------|----------------|-------------------|------------------|
B:---------10---9h10---10-|----------------|--------10-------9-|--------9-------9-|
G:----9-------------------|--9-------------|---9---------9-----|---9--------9-----|
D:-11---11----------------|----------------|11---11----9---9---|11---11---9---9---|

   alter            call    it's the   2:40
D:-------9---9-----|----------9-----|
B:---7-----------9-|------9-----9---|
G:-----------------|--9-----------9-|
D:-9---9-------9---|9---9-----------|
]]> http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/04/10/faf-lord-god-bird/feed/ 3 FAF: Sound Opinions http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/04/03/faf-sound-opinions/ http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/04/03/faf-sound-opinions/#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:46:39 +0000 mike http://alternativebanjo.com/?p=240 On this Freakin Awesome Friday we’ll look at a couple of just down right, sick, totally gnarly, nasty jams. It’ll be like a preservative factory in here. Everything featured today will come from Public Radio. You may be saying to yourself, “What?! but public radio is lame.” Well this isn’t your dad’s public radio. This is Chicago Public Radio’s week show called Sound Opinions. They have extremely talented artists come in and perform on their show. They’ve had everybody from DJ Shadow to Radiohead to Fiest to Girl Talk. So today we’ll feature a couple of the Sound Opinion’s amazing shows here.

The first show is the from the Decemberists. This show had the version of Oh, Valencia! that the tab here is based on. It is an all acoustic set with banjo (woot) and, another favorite instrument of mine, the accordion. They revamp some of their songs to accommodate these instruments resulting in a very unique performance.

  1. I’ll Come Running
  2. Oh, Valencia!
  3. Perfect Crime
  4. Summersong

The next band does not have a banjo but they are just as awesome and they are called Frightened Rabbit. They hail from Scotland and have received rave reviews of their album The Midnight Organ Flight. I would recommend listening to the full podcast. They talk in depth about the origin of the album and the writing process. It’s a very cool insight into an artists’ mindset. Here are the songs that they sing on during the show.

  1. Poke
  2. Modern Leper
  3. Twist
  4. Old Fashioned

BONUS: Here are a couple of YouTube videos that are very cool. The first is a cover of Fleet Foxes’ Tiger Mountain Peasant Song. The girls’ voices are absolutely incredible. I had chills the entire time was listening to this.

This next video is of the Wilco and the Fleet Foxes live in concert in Spokane, WA. They sing Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released”. Epic.

]]> http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/04/03/faf-sound-opinions/feed/ 0 FAF: Bela Fleck Live at the Quick http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/03/27/faf-bela-fleck-live-at-the-quick/ http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/03/27/faf-bela-fleck-live-at-the-quick/#comments Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:59:18 +0000 mike http://alternativebanjo.com/?p=232 This week, for Freakin Awesome Friday, we are featuring Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Live at the Quick. There a playlist on YouTube that has 12 songs from this concert. These videos are from the dvd, Live at the Quick. So if you enjoy these videos check out the dvd.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones – Live at the Quick

But if you don’t want to watch the whole thing, here are some of the highlights:

  1. The funkiest bassoon solo you will ever hear at the beginning of Scratch and Sniff
  2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RdFHgjkPK8
  3. Amazing Grace
  4. The call and response between Victor Wooten and Jeff Coffin at around 2:47 in Big Country which leads into the electric banjo solo by Bela Fleck.
  5. Mongolian throat singers
  6. The tabla and the banjo solo at around 5:00 in a Hoedown

Really, it is just the funkiest collection of instruments you’ll ever see. These instruments shouldn’t work together, the banjo, a tabla, a bassoon, yet they are able to bring it together in an amazing performance.

]]> http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/03/27/faf-bela-fleck-live-at-the-quick/feed/ 2 New series: Freakin Awesome Friday http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/03/20/new-series-freakin-awesome-friday/ http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/03/20/new-series-freakin-awesome-friday/#comments Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:03:09 +0000 mike http://alternativebanjo.com/?p=198 After recently discovering some B-sides and live concerts, I have decided to start up a series called Freakin Awesome Friday. It’ll be a weekly post that will feature unreleased, dare I say ‘alternative’, versions of tracks that you may not have heard. This will range from bootlegged concerts to album B-sides from around the internet.

For this first week we’ll start off with a Sufjan Stevens concert from October 13, 2006 at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland. I found this concert at Dance Hall Hips which has an excellently written review of the concert. I would suggest that you go there if you would like to read more about the concert.

So with out further ado here it is:

Sufjan Stevens, Portland 10/13/2006 (the entire concert in a zip file)

– or –

1) Intro
2) Sister
3) The Transfiguration
4) The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders
5) Casimir Pulaski Day
6) Dear Mr. Supercomputer
7) Intro Story
8 ) The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!
9) John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
10) Speaking
11) A Good Man is Hard to Find
12) Majesty Snowbird
13) Speaking
14) Jacksonville
15) Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head!
16) To Be Alone With You
17) The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
18) Speaking
19) Chicago
20) Encore Break
21) They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!!! Ahhhhh!!!

]]> http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/03/20/new-series-freakin-awesome-friday/feed/ 2 New Tabs! http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/03/06/new-tabs/ http://alternativebanjo.com/2009/03/06/new-tabs/#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:17:18 +0000 mike http://alternativebanjo.com/?p=192 Hello Everybody!

There are some new tabs up and they are: Sufjan’s The Transfiguration and Seven Swans, Flogging Molly’s Drunken Lullabies. These tabs were sent in by Tony G. great success.

a quiet moment of reflection…

So now that alternativebanjo has a new website, there have been a lot of changes. The tabs are presented differently. The blog has garnered more attention. We have twitter :) . These changes are great but the big question is: Do you guys (and gals) find this new stuff helpful? Do the blog posts and tweets help you to become a better banjo player? Or what could this site do better? I’d love to hear what you guys think of the changes. As a dabbler in web design/development I always love hearing people’s opinions about websites. So it may be a little self-indulgent but I would really like to hear what you guys have to say.

Yes, so now that we’ve reflected a bit, I’m going to go write in my journal ;) .

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