Fretless Tackhead Minstrel Banjo by Clifton Hicks

Banjo Heritage 👉 / cliftonhicks
Fretless tack-head minstrel banjo handmade by Clifton Hicks
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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.

[@landonshanerthebanjokid5906]

Double c tuning? And what song is this at the begining

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

That's gDGCD "East Virginia." This is one of two ways I learned to play the song from George Gibson of Knott County, Kentucky.

[@landonshanerthebanjokid5906]

@@CliftonHicksbanjo Thank you Mr.Hicks for the response

[@toadeepants]

WOW!!!! 👍🏾 I’m not used to seeing such a big banjer! I love the discussion about your craftwork. Thanks again Clifton!!

[@brianpriest3638]

Love it! I wasn’t aware you were building banjos!

[@bobanderson7313]

Great idea training your dogs to collect banjo building materials.

[@michaelharvey5138]

Lovely instrument, perfectly played, as usual .....

[@bryandovbergman5654]

Wow that looks cool and sounds great!

[@chazworm3]

I had a very sub-par, cheap banjo that was bequeathed to me from my great uncle. He thought the sun set and rose on that cheap banjo. I had it defretted and strung with a 2-5, 2. Nylon guitar string set and I LOVE it’s tone now. It’s my favorite banjo and infinitely cheaper than the fine caliber of banjos you make. FRETLESS BANJOS ARE THE BOMB!

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

O yes. Any antique banjo will sound superior with nylons on it. 👍

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

OK, well, _most_ antique banjos will.

[@JohnyG29]

Pretty cool! Keep it up!

[@DylanGladstoneMusic]

That sounds really nice. I love the soulful tone you get out of the fretless banjo. I just started playing banjo a few months ago so I still really need the frets, but at some point I want to try fretless.

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

It's definitely more challenging without the frets. However, I've known several people (mostly from my days as a historical interpreter) who came to music for the first time on fretless "minstrel" banjos. So it _is_ possible! Also, look into "flush fret" banjos.

[@bobmartin770]

NICE!

[@WILDBILLSOUTDOORS]

Awesome job Clifton, I hope you've had some time this season to gather you some deer meat! Our season is at it's prime here in Louisiana, I'm trying to fill all my tags this year!

[@zacherywilliams5393]

He's a vegan, I'm pretty sure man.

[@PermacultureAppalachia]

👍🏽

[@cavolpert]

👍🏼

[@kennkid9912]

I am surprised that more banjos are not painted.The shiny varnish style seems pretty blah, like shiny furniture.It just seems dated to me and too ordinary. By the way my friend who plays viola in a symphony orchestra, and banjo, likes the sound quality of your videos in this room.The ones with the blank white wall behind you had a definite echo.The outside ones were good too. Keep on thumbing and Happy Tday.

[@JS-xs5hq]

👍 Craftsman work Clifton! What size is the pot?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

12"

[@simonmorse1785]

Great instrument! What strings do you use?

[@briarroot]

You don't find that the 5th peg sticking backward like that gets in the way?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Not too bad, no. Whenever I note past the fifth fret position I automatically alter my grip to more of a classical guitar style, with the thumb perched along the middle of the back of the neck, so my hand slides right past it every time. Of course the perpendicular peg orientation works better, and that's why most banjos after about 1880 were built that way.