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iBluegrass Article
I hitched a ride for the last few miles from a semi-retired Chippendale dancer turned Pentecostal preacher who saw the banjo slung over my shoulder. He offered me a ride to the pub in hopes of getting a banjo lesson. I got there early and spent most of the evening holding my banjo, drinking the free Pepsi that the bartender kept filing my glass with, and waiting for my cue. Looking back now after all these years it seemed an appropriate first gig for a teenage banjo player. The bar was packed, the band was great, and the music- well the music was beyond words. The accordion player keeled over and hit the floor without any warning. That was my cue. I climbed over the Guiness-stricken musician, grabbed a microphone and did my best to keep up with the band. When Whiskey in The Jar came up I was hooked.
That first night with a band from Belfast was a big turning point for me. Until then I never really knew just how much you could do with a simple melody.
This being the March issue of iBluegrass, and with St. Patrick's' Day right around the corner it just seemed right to use an old Irish tune for our first frailing workshop. Whiskey In The Jar was a turning point in my playing. That night, in the midst of all that chaos, was the first time I ever just let go and let the music carry me along. So much is said about technique these days that sometimes it's hard to just relax and enjoy the experience of making music.
Frailing is a difficult style to master. all of your picking is done on the down stroke with your middle fingernail while your thumb hits the fifth string. Doing this motion at a fairly high rate of speed is almost impossible if you are all tensed up. So when you sit down to practice, relax. Keep in mind that everything comes down to balance. Yeah, you'll spend a lot of time in the woodshed perfecting a run or a lick but be sure to spend an equal amount of time in jam sessions or at your local open stage. Never get so focused on the technical side of your instrument that you lose sight of the simple joy of making music. Even if you only know two or three songs, get out and start playing with everybody you can. You'll find down the road that some of the best lessons in music, and in life, come when you are just doing what you enjoy most.
If you are new to frailing style banjo there is an almost limitless supply of basic information out there in print, on the web, or even video. There isn't enough room to give you an entire frailing banjo lesson here but I'll post a few links to some sites that will get you picking.
To tell the truth, we don't want to make the information presented here too instrument specific. Frailing banjo is a highly personalized style and usually the best lessons come from going out playing and singing with as many people as you can.
The song Dear old Dad and I are going to run through this time is an old irish import (kind of like a DeLorean). It's hard to say exactly when this one came across the pond, but like any great folk song it's universal theme (thief comes home, his girlfriend keeps the money and calls the cops- America's Most Wanted with a brogue) has drawn musicians from just about every style of music into putting their own brand on it. Just a few years ago Whiskey In The Jar became a surprise hit when the hard rock supergroup Metalica recorded it on their 'Garage, Inc.' album. This is a song even your kids will be able to get into. A quick search on Amazon.com came up with over a hundred recordings featuring the song!
We've tabbed out the basic melody, but we'd rather that you work out the chorus on your own. Keep in mind that the tab is just to give you a rough guide--- this is a folk song, and as such there really isn't any right or wrong way to play it. Have fun with the song, and feel free to make changes to suit the way you play. Also keep in mind that like any folk song, there are many versions of the lyrics. Find one you like, or put a bunch of different versions together.
We've included chord diagrams for banjo and guitar so you can take this tune to your local jam session and get everybody picking. Heck, we even had our buddy John here at the Funkyseagull.com office write the melody out in standard notation so you can get your local fiddler in on the act!
Well, I guess that's all for this go round. Please, let us know what you'd like to see covered here, we'll be happy to help out with any technique that's giving you trouble. Don't be afraid to send us a audio file when you get this song down, we love hearing how folks change a tune to suit themselves! You can reach us at kafiristan@bwave.com
So until next time, do something nice for somebody, put an instrument into the hands of a kid, make a donation to Boys Town in the name of somebody you don't like, be the change you want to see in the world, and never step in anything soft.
As I was going over the far famed Kerry mountains
I met with captain Farrell and his money he was counting
I first produced my pistol, and then produced my rapier
saying 'stand and deliver for you are my bold deceiver'
With your whack fol the diddle-o
Whack fol the diddle-o
hack fol the diddle-o
There's whiskey in the jar
he counted out his money and it made a pretty penny
I put it in my pocket and I gave it to my Jenny
She sighed and she swore that she never would deceive me
But the devil take the women for they never can be easy
I went to my chamber for to take a slumber
I dreamt of gold and jewels and sure it was no wonder
But Jenny took my pistols and filled them up with water
And sent for Captain Farrell to be ready for the slaughter
‘Twas early in the morning before I rose o travel
The guards were all around me and likewise Captain Farrell
I then produced my pistol for she stole away my rapier
But I couldn't soot the water so a prisoner I was taken
If anyone can save me it's my brother in the army
I think that he is stationed in Cork or in Killarney
And if he'd come and join me we'd go roving in Killkenny
I swear he'd treat me fairer, then me darling sporting Jenny
Old Time Banjo On The Web
Kafiristan.com
Basic frailing banjo workshops- and other 'stuff'. The site also has two essays by old time banjo legend Stu Jamieson, including a look at Murphy Gribbles' pre-Scruggs three finger style banjo playing.
http://www.kafiristan.com
Banjo-L
A mailing list dedicated to all styles of banjo playing. The web site has a pretty large collection of links, as well as a tuning index and other neat stuff.
http://www.zeppmusic.com/banjo/
Beginner Banjo
Another great mailing list. Sort of a support group for folks new to the old five string. You'll need to sign up with Yahoo! to take part in this one, but it's worth it.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BgnrBanjo
Banjo Hangout
a search engine for banjo pickers!
http://www.banjohangout.org
Recordings
(there are hundreds of recordings of Whiskey In The Jar out there- these two are my favorites)
Thin Lizzy
Dedication- The Best Of Thin Lizzy
(Mercury 848 530-2)
Ok, this is pretty far from bluegrass, but this groups 1973 recording of Whiskey in The Jar is not only pretty cool (your kids will love it) it's also a neat example of the folk process at work. Just don't hurt your self with all that head banging.
Shady Grove
Jerry Garcia & David Grishman
(Acoustic Disk- 21)
Jerry Garcia wasn't the best player to ever pick up a banjo, but his simple bluegrass arraignment of Whiskey In The Jar is kind of nice. Another album your kids will relate to.
Books
Songbooks
Soodlums Irish Ballad Book
A great book, one of the best we've found for this type of material.
The Folksingers Wordbook
A must have. In addition to Whiskey In The Jar there are over one thousand songs printed here.
On Frailing
A Manual On How To Play The Five String Banjo For The Complete Ignoramus
Wayne Erbsen
Simply the best introduction to frailing banjo in print today.
Frailing The Five String Banjo
By Eric Muller & Barbara Koehler
A great look at frailing that doesn't get too complicated.
Clawhammer Style Banjo
Ken Pearlman
If you want to make the switch from frailing to clawhammer, this one has been the de-facto standard for more years than I can count.
How To Play The Five String Banjo
Pete Seeger
Frailing only gets a quick look here, but this was the first 'modern' banjo manual- and it has a funky beatnik approach to looking at every possible style of playing the five string banjo. This on will teach you a few things, but it's also a blast to read.
About Pat & Patrick
a father and son team from Crisfield, Maryland, Pat and Patrick started making music together on a bet and never found a reason to stop. Over the years the duo have been festival and concert promoters, disk jockeys, marched in the Philadelphia Mummers Parade, and performed as The God Knows We Tried String Band. Three years ago Pat and Patrick created the groundbreaking banjo instruction site 'kafiristan.com'- a project that found them bringing old time banjo across the globe. After the success of kafiristan.com, the team started looking for a way to keep blending technology and tradition. The result was The Down Neck Gazette- a video CD ROM magazine that brings the best in American acoustic music to homes across the world. You can get more information at http://www.funkyseagull.com
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