Mountain Banjos of West Virginia & Kentucky

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In this video I compare two of my mountain banjo builds: a rare hexagonal type that emerged in Kentucky before World War 1, and a similar West Virginia type dating to the Great Depression.
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[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Join our members-only community 👉🏻 Patreon.com/CliftonHicks Learn to play the banjo 👉🏻 BanjoHeritage.com Banjo Heritage apparel & merch 👉🏻 BanjoHeritage.org

[@sagm5674]

Man it’s quite fascinating how banjos end up somewhere on the gradient between modern bluegrass and the west African roots

[@深圳-q2k]

Just crazy impressive, both craftsmanship and musical talent

[@Tasmanaut]

I'll give you one tip. there is no such thing as 'talent'. It's passion, hard work and practice. People like to say, 'oh you're so talented', it doesn't acknowledge the hundreds (thousands) of hours that go into 'getting good'.

[@Christina_the_Astonishing]

Oh, this makes me immediately less stressed! 🧡

[@milemarker_oscar_mike]

Very cool how the video captured those banjo strings vibrating as you were playing. Visually mesmerizing man.

[@ThomasSchaefer-hs6eq]

Solche Banjos habe ich nochnie gesehen. Klasse

[@rafaelfernandeslopesdeoliv1700]

The hexagonal one is so beautiful.

[@squirrelorama]

Whooooo boy those are BEAUTYS! Clifton I hope your making another release soon. I got you queued up on Spotify listening to you all the time and ready for more!! Like that flippin' sweet Morphine tune you done just plucked!!! 🏆

[@phoebesanders2487]

This is so cool! Love the hexagon!

[@paulstarr6316]

Well it's a cold & very wet evening her in England & Clifton's videos always lift my spirits.I'm a non-playing fan but when I hear Clifton play I do ask the question: should I give it a go.Sadly too much going on at the moment,maybe the time may arise.Thanks Clifton.

[@meadandmilk]

Hi Paul, SW England here, 2 months after your original comment and it’s still raining. I just bought my first banjo the other day and it should be arriving this week, I hope you reconsider, there is no better time for such a meditation than when there is a lot going on!

[@miserywas8285]

Thank you for the banjo heritage videos!

[@craigcarlock5799]

Two beautiful banjo builds! Hello from Florida.

[@barbarajacobs5549]

The ultimate Chill Machine. So beautiful. Love your artistry.

[@jupiterlegrand4817]

Nice work and I really love your playing & singing...and say hi to Old Leather Stockings!

[@MarkWYoung-ky4uc]

Great looking banjos Clifton and they sound even better!

[@seancline8130]

love the deep V neck shape.

[@yodin9232]

Cheers from New Brunswick Canada. Appalachian Brothers.

[@RileyLoneyBanjo]

Ay same.

[@maximan4363]

I was watching a KZbin vid about a guy just travelling around the Appalachia's and interviewing folks & I gotta say that they are my kind of people! I really want to head down there & stay for a few months or years!

[@yolo_xenophone]

Those banjos are so cool ngl!!! i love the grain on necks!

[@adamharper389]

Dude, these are gorgeous... I live in Appalachia and I have been getting back to my roots and learning banjo... I have a lot of wood accessible, I wanna build my own to get that traditional rustic sound and you have inspired me... I have the foxfire books that teach how to do it and I have tons of oak and walnut saved up I'm gonna get busy with... thanks for your channel and videos, I really enjoy learning more about the banjo history and also your "how to" videos that teach different songs n such.

[@RadioMartyT1B]

Thank you for all the great music.

[@turtle_soda]

hey clifton, i was wondering what are ur thoughts on the tenor banjo/the irish banjo? have you ever tried to make or play the banjos ancestor which is the akonting (you probably already know that tho)

[@Allthingsarebroken]

glad i found your channel, and all the songs you recorded, excellent stuff. great voice.

[@DanDDirges]

WoW! Beautiful banjos and they sound so great! Nice work!

[@maximan4363]

OMG, you make me smile! Absolutely beautiful playing! Oh that sound is so deep and sooo good! I'm so impressed with your woodworking skills, I made wood recurve bows for a while in my youth but making a banjo like that, honestly I'd have no idea!!

[@rogermcadams8806]

Somethin's a buzzin'.... Good song title! Run with it Clifton. Nice builds.

[@larryeddings3185]

Beautiful craftsmanship, sir.

[@trustoldpaths1415]

Very impressive you sir, are loving the dream.

[@directorphase]

Wow they both sound amazing. You're so talented for building those works of art.

[@nostalgiakarlk.f.7386]

I wish you took some time to talk about how these traditions are endangered and how to preserve them.

[@chickenindoubleC]

Play!

[@rafalprzewlocki]

Beautifully crafted, love this sound!

[@jameslong4929]

Webster County, WV here brother. Love all the old tunes. I play guitar. Never tried bango. Maybe someday. Sure do love to hear your playing though. Take care.

[@goldenbergconstruction1656]

Nice work.

[@boscorner]

Woo ive been waiting for this video! I want to research this topic myself. Trying to find some connections to mountain banjo makers in kentucky, or track down some folks who have made one at one point. I believe you have a video where you mention one of the first mountsin banjos was strung with a wire from a window screen. Can't remember which video it was. More dedicated videos about specific subtypes of banjos and their stories would be so interesting. Edit: first I said wire from a string but I meant wire from a window screen

[@actualsurfer]

Great falsetto on that GA Mtn Banjo!

[@bearshield7138]

I listen to you play and I learn so much from you

[@actualsurfer]

Great joinery on that neck and pot!

[@HiNinqi]

Good morning! 🌟 🪕

[@mikekearl2416]

Both sound great! I want to make one. What strings do you use? Where do you order them from?

[@boscorner]

Aquila nylgut. There's many different kinds but my favorite are the custom sets from banjothimble (Joel hooks)

[@boscorner]

Each of these banjos is strung with a different type of aquila strings though. Note the 4th red string on the round one : D

[@mccypr]

Great stuff! Thanks for the history lesson! 🎻🙂😎

[@toddcorey3190]

I’m so making one!

[@Mamlishways]

Very cool banjos. There’s a guy from wv that I’ve got a few of the round style from.

[@SkeeterMcBeater]

Dude, those are cool.

[@Mopartoolman]

Very nice looking banjos!! You do good work!!

[@garycowger9579]

I have My 5th Grate-Graddy's WV Mountain Banjo, I reskinned it with Groundhog hide and play it a lot I love the old sound it has it's made out of walnut and maple also has some chestnut I do a lot of thumb picking on it.

[@scottwaller8268]

Very nice

[@zackdannykitchen]

hey man, if you've got any other sources (books, internet, whatever) about WV mountain banjos, I'd love to learn more. I just made my first one and my family in WV was super stoked about it.

[@AGuyThatMakesStuff]

Do you have a video on making the West Virginia Mountain Banjo? I saw the one on the West Kentucky one, Is the skin glued and tacked on the same way on the West Virginia as the East Kentucky one?

[@sampeachey2758]

Man alive, do you have a shop oh I'd love to have a gourd banjo made by cliff Hicks?

[@GuyDude-hk8uy]

Sure that you've been asked these before, but I'm curious, hope you don't mind: Did you learn on a fretless or a fretted banjo first? What do you like about each? The ability to do gradual slides on fretless and to get accurate fretted notes on a fretted are kinda obvious, but I'm curious if you have any other things about each you might prefer. Are there any tunes that come to your mind that your much prefer to play on either kind? Thanks for keeping this tradition alive! (FWIW from a limey across the pond who slavishly tried to imitate legends like Jarrell and Fred Cockerham lol)

[@dorindacontreras1094]

Very nice 👍

[@C-BoysWorldofMusic]

Id sell my soul for one of your banjos, sir. Honestly though, may I purchase a banjo?

[@billybudd45]

Foxfire books had a chapter on banjos

[@Grover-x6x]

Awesome video .I loved it

[@logancote717]

What is a way to make the nylon strings louder on a more traditional open back like a Benary?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

A solid maple bridge from BanjoThimble.com will increase nylon/gut volume considerably. The other easy way is to install an adjustable bridge; I like the Kershner bridge. And keep the head nice and tight; white calfskin or Remo frosted top are the loudest.

[@michaelbaker602]

Can’t say I’ve seen the lumber you used for the pot to sandwich the walnut neck on the WV banjo. Is it sycamore or butternut, perhaps? No?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Yellow Poplar!

[@michaelbaker602]

@@CliftonHicksbanjo Used to use a lot of poplar in my carpentry days for trim and cabinet work. Really is a pleasure to work with.

[@estherkmitch]

hey! what is the song you played at the beginning of this video?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

"Boots and Leggings" ~ fCFAC

[@estherkmitch]

@@CliftonHicksbanjo thank you! beautiful banjos btw!

[@DoctorMandible]

No banjos for sale? I'm in the market

[@DustyNonya]

How difficult would it be to make a lefty Kentucky?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

I've never made one, but pretty much the same.

[@fernandobentayga4782]

🎼🪕🎶😌🎶🎙🎼

[@barbarajacobs5549]

What is your gorgeous low tuning?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

I usually tune around fCFAC, but I tune by ear and my ears are pretty shot-out.

[@barbarajacobs5549]

Ok. Doesn’t sound so 😅

[@barbarajacobs5549]

Are you selling these or just enjoying for yourself?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

I sell every one of these. Both have already been sold.

[@TroyYoung-jt2gg]

Nail

[@PhatsGaming]

nice

[@ethan_douglas6989]

Love the video as always, but isn’t this the same video you posted 2 years ago? Lol

[@markh9875]

Really nice looking and sounding! (I have a personal aversion to the square, paddle pegheads. I can't imagine having invested so much time, talent, discipline and resources into such a nice thing and then doing that peghead, but it is just my taste, and the artist gets to make that decision.)