I make vids to champion folk music & the instruments used to play it.
I love the old stuff, and I love sharing what I've gleaned off records from these early innovators. I favor rag-time fingerpicking and 20's-style plectrum playing most, but I get around to all kinds of stuff.
I plan to use this RU-vid Channel to promote facility in my favorite string traditions ranging from fingerstyle guitar, 20's style early jazz playing, as well as folk fiddle, and old-time banjo traditions.
If you like what I do here, check out my Patreon page!
Love this man. Every time critter and Julian get together its just magical. Lots of videos of them playing live together and its non stop call and response with them. They just jive together amazingly. You can see that they love to play together. Really cool to see how Julian's jazz background and critter's bluegrass playing meld together so seamlessly. Love this short lesson format and hope you keep them coming. Much appreciated..
I grew up in Rochester N.Y. just down the road from where Spider John grew up. Both our fathers knew each other working at Eastman Kodak. John was 4 years older than me while his brother Peter was 3 years younger. He had an older sister that I didn’t know. I first heard him playing in a Rochester “Coffeehouse in 1962. I played some folksy guitar but fell in love with Spider John’s playing and style. He originally called himself Johnny Berlin while his brother, Peter, called himself Peter Berlin. Those names didn’t last long (whew). John was happy to give me lessons as long as I brought a six pact of beer along with me to his apartment in downtown Rochester. I borrowed a reel to reel wollensak tape recorder from my girlfriend, who lived directly across the street from the Koerner home and was able to record my visits with John. Eventually, using finger picks tweeked up on the end as his, I was able to play most of his early songs pre his first record. These included Creepy John (a different version than recorded) Good Time Charlie, Ted Mac Rag etc. He taught me how to accompany the guitar with a harmonica, on a rack, and for better or worse started in thumping my foot a la john. John had a day job mixing paint in Rochester called Chaplin Owens where he told me because of the noise he would practice singing. I started college in West Virginia and taking the trusty tape recorder along managed to learn even more Koerner songs while fine tuning the whole thing and driving students living below nuts with my foot banging. Some years later during the “Running jumping standing still” time I was fortunate living in Greenwich Village, to see John and Willie perform and spend time in “The Kettle of Fish” catching up on things. Some years later I met up with John at Toad’s in New Haven and later, after moving to Essex Ct, a visited John who was visiting his mother in Madison Ct who I knew from Rochester when she was head of youth worship in the local Presbyterian church. I became friends with Peter Koerner during the summer of 1964. Peter played guitar also and together we had fun trading songs. Spider John’s influence is immeasurable to me. I still play guitar after over 60 years and would never have persued it for so long without his influence. In the 1970’s I was a member of a six piece, very funky, band that played in the Borscht belt and all over NYC. Living in Ct as I do now, I played for 10 years during “Happy Hour” at the Griswold Inn in Essex where I have lived for the past 40 years. From John’s early influence I was able to teach “Roots Music” along with traditional Communication Studies for 37 years at CT State University. I am retired now but still play guitar (at home) and often listen to Koerner Ray and Glover. John@cestdomage.com
I just recently got the LG-3 from an old lady she said it is 1953 it is a beautiful guitar, it has 5 digit stamp on the headstock. I love the body size it is so comfy - definitely not a parlor guitar....feels just right. I will post a video soon on my channel. Thank you for your post, very useful!
In 1966 my Dad warned me about trying to learn Fiddle Tunes too early in my stringed journey. Nice to see Julian found his razor for this clip. I didn't recognize him at first. When you deep dive into the Julian Lange lore, there is an interview w/Rick Beato where he recounts corrective training for Focal Dystonia due to repetitive stress. A year ago at 53:40 after talking about Fiddle adventures. Yeah it's a real rich and revealing interview. I really like Julian's approach... right up to peril of too much and backs up a tad. Ok... off to getting ready for a gig in August that will prove challenging. thanks again for another wonderful contribution to our life's passion.
Thank you , this truly is going to be a life long journey, I have learned so much in the past couple years more than I have learned in in all the previous years
well, some of what he recorded are 'his' but many are his take on the blues songs floating around at the time... look into it. For example "Love In Vain Blues" was his take on Leroy Carr's "In The Evening" melody and all. That doesn't lessen Robert's take and influence at all. A lot of old blues songs were played in the community and maybe no one knew who wrote it; but you put your spin on it. Great vid Kyle and Todd!!
His music quite literally changed my life, introducing me to a time, a place and a group of friends for life all because I could not resist that stomping foot, the 12-string guitar and that irresistible voice. Thanks for doing this video and for recognizing great talent, which is what John possessed.
Good stuff. It's galling that people, usually in the USA, think the 5-string is the "real" banjo and the 6-string is some kind of cheat. It shows an ignorance of the instrument's history. There are several types and the 5-string with its thumb string is just one. The four-string has several variants. A friend of mine plays a seven-string fretless. The six-string has an honourable history, as mentioned in the video. As it happens, my current six-string isn't very good and I gave up playing it until it crossed my mind that it might be good in Nashville tuning. For once, I was right! I warmly recommend it.
Did Lyon & Healy actually make instruments? I was told by a shopkeeper that L&H imported unfinished instruments (he was talking specifically about violins), then finished them and put their sticker on them.
great video!! just wondering at 5:40 it says on the tab open d with the second hammer on but seems like you leave your finger on the third fret. i like how it sounds on the third fret but just wanted some clarification? thankyou for the video
I'm not nor have I ever been or wanted to be s professional guitar play. I just enjoy sitting around playing my guitar. I own several, Mosrite, Ibanez, Samick and a Harmony Rocket, and a AHarmony H167. Of them all, and I do. The Harmonys arey favorite, and has been since I bought them new in 1968. Years ago I yuned my guitars doen to standard D tuning. That tuning brings out the age in the wood. And its easier on your fingers and the guitar neck. Good Blues Country tuning.good sing key. That old stella is ehat I started out on back in yhe fifties.
Keith Jarret also does a nice solo version of Shenandoah. His version is also strictly diatonic, and triad based -- tossing in sone 7ths and 9ths from time to time as I recall.
Great cover but you lost me when you said “cheesy”. If you don’t respect the source material, an iconic, historical melody, I don’t care about your thoughts on the remake.
I reacted similarly to that characterization but I wonder if, one, he was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek and, two, if he was referencing not so much “source material” but, instead, an outdated, cultural expression of the song.
Thanks dude! It was my first time taking on his stuff. Honestly the thing about his playing that’s so amazing (and true of most of my heroes) is that the stuff he’s doing isn’t all that hard to play. The beauty lies in his touch and how he breathes this stuff out spontaneously! So much respect.
I've always loved how Bill kinda "shows" his work so to speak. I feel like I can see the wheel turning inside him. That takes a certain special kind of courage
It is always amazing to me how a true artist can make great art from so little. (Tony Rice's solo rendition of Shenandoah (late in his career) is a masterpiece on a very large canvas) Thank you for sharing your thoughts and posting this video.
