Some of you might not play this video because it has Bach's great music on a tenor banjo. As a guitar and lute player, I have to say I have never enjoyed playing Bach's music so much as in the tuning he wrote the music for. Honestly, it's a revelation! It's as if he had the instrument in hand while composing, so well does everything fit under the fingers. We have learned in the last decade that he probably didn't write his cello suites for the cello, but for a different kind of cello called violoncello da spalla - to be played on the shoulder (la spalla) like an overgrown viola, nowhere near as large as a cello. In fact, very similar to the string length of the tenor banjo. And then there is the sound. The tenor banjo lacks sustain, but so does Bach's favoured keyboard, the clavichord, and so too the harpsichord. This precise pluck seems to go against the nature of a singing line, yet Bach's keyboard works sing beautifully on their original instruments. Now, I'm not saying we guitar and lute players should all sell our instruments and buy tenor banjos instead - not at all - but I urge you to try Bach's 'cello' suites on a 5ths-tuned instrument, whether tenor banjo or ukulele in 5ths (Aquila sell sets for 5ths-tuned ukulele). And as for my banjo friends, I hope you spend some time in the company of the great Bach. His music is incredible to play. Mel Bay has published my "Bach's Cello Suites I to III arranged for Tenor Banjo" which has both treble clef and tab. And Mel Bay recently brought out my "Classical Studies for the Tenor Banjo" to help get you to the level - musical as well as technical - to take on Bach suites. And to anyone who is interested, I also teach online. Pitch Alert: I sometimes tune my banjo down two steps - a whole tone - to BbFCG, to lower the tension and increase sustain for playing classical music. This happens to correspond with 392 pitch, not 440, and in Bach's day this pitch was quite popular. More videos to come. I teach students across the globe via Zoom. Let me know if interested. If you like what I do, why not "buy me a coffee" by making a donation to www.paypal.com... All donations go to help fund my free videos, research and websites - a sadly not-for-profit venture! Rob
21 окт 2024
