Let's Talk About Singing With Your Banjo!

Banjo Heritage 👉 / cliftonhicks
Clifton Hicks discusses some of the basics around accompanying song with the 5-string banjo.
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Oldtime banjo close ups and demonstrations of overhand, clawhammer, two finger, thumb lead, 2 finger, frailing and stroke styles plus traditional southern Appalachian mountain hoedown and early minstrel show techniques. History, anthropology, folklore, research and musicology including breakdowns, blues, waltz pieces, tin pan alley, some Afro-Caribbean and West African history, occasional Cajun and zydeco references, also Métis, Creole, Melungeon and indigenous North American music traditions. Mountain music, southern culture. George Gibson, Ernie Williams, Cousin Emmy, Dock Boggs, Rufus Crisp, Virgil Anderson, Lily May Ledford, Roscoe Holcomb, Tab Ward, Frank Proffitt, Tommy Jarrell, Kyle Creed, Lee Sexton, Morgan Sexton, Lead Belly, Pete Steele, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, JD Crowe, Clarence Ashley, Fred Cockerham, Dwight Diller, Gaither Carlton, John Snipes, Dink Roberts, Clifford Essex, Joe Sweeney, Archibald Ferguson, Dan Emmett, John Hartford, Picayune Butler, Gus Cannon, Art Rosenbaum, Grandpa Jones, Snuffy Jenkins, Buell Kazee, Bascam Lamar Lunsford, Uncle Dave Macon, Tommy Makem, Luke Kelly, Charlie Poole, Ola Belle Reed, BF Shelton, Hobart Smith, Samantha Bumgarner, Peggy Seeger, Mike Seeger, Jean Ritchie, Ralph Stanley, Odell Thompson, Wade Ward, Hedy West, Fred McDowell, Uncle Homer Walker, Mississippi John Hurt old time, folk, trad roots pickers songsters. #banjo #oldtimemusic #history Riley Baugus, Dirk Powell, Gillian Welch, Maybelle Carter Family. Morgan Sexton, Black Banjo Songsters, Lee Sexton, Clyde Troxell, Blanche Coldiron, Banjo Bill Cornett.

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Interested in banjos & banjo history? Consider supporting this project at patreon.com/cliftonhicks

[@pfatalbert]

Mississippi John Hurt is amazing. Beautiful. A great influence indeed

[@morbanjo2503]

Thanks for that Clifton. When I was about 13 my voice changed and I had to re-learn how to sing and and figure out what keys worked for me. Now I'm 68 and a similar thing is happening! Notes I once could easily reach just ain't there anymore and what used to feel natural I now need to work at. I still love to sing but now I have to do warm ups and sing scales to coax my voice into co-operating. I too believe anyone can find their voice and sing but it's like any other instrument - you gotta work at it.

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

A splash of red wine (or your booze choice) will also help loosen up the vocal chords at least a _little_ bit.

[@morbanjo2503]

Keeping it to just a splash is sometimes a problem for me, lol

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Really? You must be a banjo player!

[@morbanjo2503]

Ahyup!

[@cynthiahughes271]

Yes, Clifton, it's our first instrument and we can take it anywhere we go! Sing on!

[@DanDDirges]

I tune down a whole step and 1/2 to open E. Surprisingly the banjo still stays in tune that far down. But still a lot of songs are too high for me to sing even in E. Capo on 7th fret and sing an octave lower is great except the banjo starts to sound like a banjo ukulele like you mention in another video. Maybe a Cello Banjo is the way to go. I think they are naturally tuned to a much lower key. Really enjoying your videos!

[@AGuyThatMakesStuff]

I have a really hard time singing, my family has a history of the men having very deep voices. I’m only 14 and I can only sing most songs at C tuning. I even get kicked out of online games because they think I’m a grown man.

[@nvdawahyaify]

I can sing with my banjo capoed at the 1st fret, but I'm an octave lower. When I tried tuning my banjo to my voice it didn't play at all. I thought that was funny and figured I'd share. I love your videos.

[@billystewart7251]

Thanks a lot you're one of my main Banjo teachers. I went from busking to be in in two bands that play out. I also want to say I'm a trans gender man. So my voice has gone from this high Lonesome sound. Before hormones. To a gravelly voice now. I work with it. Just work with what you have. I also like my voice much better now. But that's a whole other story on being transgender. So thank you you've help me on my journey.

[@kittenclawsguitarvideos6147]

i wonder if the voice gets stronger like a muscle, my voice is too soft but i am hoping that with practice, the notes will get clearer and stronger

[@DylanKDowd]

I have a problem with having a monotone manner when I sing and just when I talk in life. At work I talk loud over machines n shit but when it comes to playing the banjo , when I record it I can’t hardly hear the words my wife says it sounds much better in person. There’s a couple songs I like to belt out like goin up north, darlin Cora, train on the island. But even then I feel like I cannot sing LOUD enough without yelling

[@chrisf247]

We've almost gotten to the point culturally where if you can't sing like someone on a voice competition show, you're discouraged from singing at all. It's obviously silly, that would be like people only playing sports if they could do it at a pro level, but it's something I've noticed and try to push back against.

[@alexhage8092]

#banjoheritage

[@InventorZahran]

It's not sexist to say that most women have a higher-pitched voice; That's just how nature made them!

[@JacobvsRex]

That’s funny, I found ledbelly when I was about 16 and was hooked, tried to get my friends to listen and they weren’t having it….just not cultured enough I reckon