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www.tomhanway.com
Playing Since: 1985
Experience Level: Expert/Professional
Tom Hanway has made 87 recent additions to Banjo Hangout 
Interests:
[Teaching] [Jamming] [Socializing] [Helping]
Occupation: Musician, Composer, Recording Artist, Author
Gender: Male
Age: 51
My Instruments:
(1) Tom Hanway SwallowTail Deluxe and (2) Standard, co-designed with Geoff Stelling in 1998, and (3) Nechville Meteor (acoustic/electric) with the "Galaxy" inlay pattern. I also have a 1918 Van Eps tenor which I inherited from my grandfather, John Hanway, who got it as a freshman and played it in the Yale Mandolin and Banjo Club. It has recently been restored by Tom Cussen (Clareen Banjos) of Clarinbridge, Co. Galway, Ireland. I fool around and play a bit of "trad" on it (traditional Irish music).
Favorite Bands/Musicians:
In no particular order: Tony Trischka, Earl Scruggs, J.D. Crowe, Don Reno (father and son), Ralph Stanley, Béla Fleck, Jerry Garcia, Vassar Clements, David Bromberg, Tim O'Brien, Herb Pedersen, Sonny Osborne, Bill Emerson, Raymond Fairchild, Eddie Adcock, Bill Keith, Allen Shelton, Butch Robins, Sammy Shelor, Jim Mills, Scott Vestal, The Beatles, The Stones, the Grateful Dead, Jorma Kaukonen, New Grass Revival, Sam Bush, Stringbean (for his humanity), Joni Mitchell, Gram Parsons, Roy Huskey, Jr., The Bothy Band, Altan, Michael Coleman, Cream, Hendrix, Carole King, James Taylor, Johnson Mountain Boys, Andy McGann, Tommy Peoples, Tony DeMarco, Hot Rize, Doc Watson, Rev. Gary Davis, Jesse Fuller, all the great bluesmen, all the early R&B and jazz cats. I love jugbands, skiffle bands, jam bands, and the like.
My dad, "Wild Jack", who showed the whole family what great fun it is to jam with old jazz recordings. I was tapping my foot to traditional jazz and Big Band music at a very impressionable age. I learned a lot of jazz tunes that way, melodies for which I have not title, which is another project. So many tunes, so little time!
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Profile Info:
Visible to: Public
Created 8/31/2004
Last Visit 5/17/2013
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Posted
by Tom Hanway
11 people like this
Play count: 1221
Size: 418kb, uploaded 12/23/2008 7:47:31 AM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish
This is a hard-driving Cornish reel that could pass for an Irish tune, but it's not. It features Gabriel Donohue on acoustic guitar and Robbie Walsh, the 2008 Fleadh Ceoil All-Ireland Champion on bodhran. With gratitude to Mel Bay for letting me upload this here, another sample from my first book/CD, Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo - read more here: http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=95759BCD
3 comments
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Posted
by Tom Hanway
8 people like this
Play count: 806
Size: 751kb, uploaded 10/23/2008 9:24:51 AM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish
This ancient march/jig, is recorded in mountain minor tuning and features Gabriel Donohue on nylon-string guitar and Robbie Walsh on bodhran. Notice how Donohue keeps the chords impressionistic and supportive of the melody, which is the core of Irish traditional music, independent of Western harmony. Rhythm is more important. Robbie is now the 2008 All-Ireland Fleadh Champion. With gratitude to Mel Bay for letting me upload this here, another sample from my first book/CD, Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo - find it here: http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=95759BCD
8 comments
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Posted
by Tom Hanway
17 people like this
Play count: 2162
Size: 507kb, uploaded 2/20/2008 5:56:45 AM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish
The popular march used by the 7th Cavalry Regiment going back to General Custer is also a traditional Limerick jig. At a traditional session, it could lead into another tune, which is why it seems to be hanging in the air at the end. On bodhran is Dubliner Robbie Walsh, now the 2008 All-Ireland Fleadh Champion, and on guitar is Gabriel Donohue from Athenry. With gratitude to Mel Bay for letting me upload this here, another sample from my first book/CD, Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo - find it here: http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=95759BCD
9 comments
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Posted
by Tom Hanway
12 people like this
Play count: 1325
Size: 821kb, uploaded 2/20/2008 8:41:20 AM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish
This straight-driving Welsh hornpipe, very march-like, features the inimitable Gabriel Donohue on acoustic guitar and the irrepressible Robbie Walsh on bodhran. With gratitude to Mel Bay for letting me upload this here, another sample from my first book/CD, Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo - find it here: http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=95759BCD
6 comments
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Posted
by Tom Hanway
21 people like this
Play count: 2533
Size: 897kb, uploaded 2/20/2008 7:40:36 AM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish
This flying three-part reel was made famous by Dubliners' tenor banjoist Barney McKenna. On the swinging acoustic is guitar maestro Gabriel Donohue from Athenry, and on steady bodhran is Robbie Walsh from Dublin. Notice all the fancy triplets and ornamentation in this tune. The banjo is way out front in the mix. Believe it or not, we're holding back the tempo, because this is an instructional CD for beginners and intermediate as well as advanced players. This tune goes well with 'Devil's Dream'. With gratitude to Mel Bay for letting me upload this here, another sample from my first book/CD, Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo - find it here: http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=95759BCD
14 comments
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Posted
by Tom Hanway
3 people like this
Play count: 513
Size: 509kb, uploaded 2/22/2008 7:47:47 AM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish
This is a traditional Scottish strathspey from the Celtic diaspora, which requires unusual fretting-hand, single-string and melodic techniques, plus the "Scots snap" - a sixteenth note followed by a dotted eighth note - a stress that reflects the rhythm of Scots-Gaelic as spoken. Gabriel Donohue adds some tasteful piano accompaniment in the Cape Breton tradition. With gratitude to Mel Bay for letting me upload this here, another sample from my first book/CD, Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo - find it here: http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=95759BCD
2 comments
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Posted
by Tom Hanway, written by Turlough Carolan
13 people like this
Play count: 1443
Size: 1,202kb, uploaded 2/20/2008 8:10:35 AM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish
The "clairseach" or Irish harp was tuned diatonically and had metal wire for strings, usually made of brass, silver, gold or a silver-gold alloy! This classic piece by the blind harper Carolan (1670-1738) translates easily to contemporary Celtic 5-string banjo. It's a popular session tune, played with reverence for the last of the Irish harper-composers. Backing on nylon-string guitar is Gabriel Donohue (Athenry) and on bodhran is Robbie Walsh (Dublin - 2008 All-Ireland Fleadh Champion). Notice the crisp metallic tone of the banjo, which was achieved by using a steel violin mute on the bridge, giving the G-tuned banjo a harp-like quality recalling the clairseach. With gratitude to Mel Bay for letting me upload this here, another sample from my first book/CD, Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo - find it here: http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=95759BCD
7 comments
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Written/Posted
by Tom Hanway
19 people like this
Play count: 1275
Size: 6,840kb, uploaded 3/5/2011 1:26:02 PM
Genre: Bluegrass
That's Kenny Kosek on triple fiddles, also using an octave divider, and from Tony Trischka's Skyline: Barry Mitterhoff on mandolin, Danny Weiss on guitar, Larry Cohen on bass, oh, and Kevin Maul from the Provincetown Jug Band on dobro. I wrote this and recorded it on my Bucket of Bees, which is now digitized and available through iTunes.
5 comments
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Posted
by Tom Hanway, written by Robert Johnson
12 people like this
Play count: 936
Size: 6,494kb, uploaded 2/17/2011 6:28:46 PM
Genre: Bluegrass
This was the first song I recorded in a real studio, in NYC, with Tony Trischka producing. I was green as a tree, but I had good people around me, so I eventually got there! David Grier is on guitar, Andrea Zonn on fiddle, Barry Mitterhoff on mandolin, Kevin Maul on Dobro, Don Brooks on Harmonica, and Larry Cohen on bass (also producing). It's hard to record when everyone around you knows what they're doing, and you don't!
4 comments
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Posted
by Tom Hanway, written by Kevin Griffin
9 people like this
Play count: 443
Size: 7,240kb, uploaded 2/15/2011 5:38:35 AM
Genre: Bluegrass
This is a boogie tune I put down in guitarist Bob Harris's recording studio. (Bob toured with Vassar Clements for years.) We played through it a few times, then just went for it. We might have used a fade out at the end, which was the plan, but we went with the trainwreck ending for a laugh! It shows that this was a live "take", not a big production. I use some horn-section backing ideas that I got from R&B, otherwise it's basically boogie-blues music. That's me singing with Maura McCabe on harmony.
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Posted
by Tom Hanway
11 people like this
Play count: 1291
Size: 1,515kb, uploaded 3/28/2008 9:15:54 PM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish
These are three of my favourite hornpipes, with triplets flying everywhere. Robbie Walsh plays amazing bodhran - you can hear why he became the 2008 All-Ireland Fleadh Champion. Gabriel Donohue improvises on piano in grand Irish style. This is a very bouncy "hornpipey" medley played at a fast-paced tempo. With gratitude to Mel Bay for letting me upload this here, another sample from my first book/CD, Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo - find it here: http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=95759BCD
9 comments
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Posted
by Tom Hanway
7 people like this
Play count: 768
Size: 908kb, uploaded 2/19/2008 8:01:16 AM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish
This is an auld O'Carolan tune that makes a lovely banjo tune, played harp-legato style, with notes blending into each other. The "clairseach" or Irish harp was tuned diatonically and had metal wire for strings, usually made of brass, silver, gold or a silver-gold alloy! Backing on nylon-string guitar is Gabriel Donohue, from Athenry, Co. Galway, who is a savvy tune accompanist who performed in the original Riverdance and has played with The Chieftains, Joanie Madden, Eileen Ivers as well as the Boston Pops Orchestra. The latter organization likes to transcribe (score) his guitar accompaniments, though he just makes it up as he goes. We recorded this in his studio in Connecticut in 98 degree heat.
Notice the darker muted tone of the banjo, which was achieved with a metal violin mute and a heavy walnut bridge - an 11/16th Sampson, standard spaced, which I use on my SwallowTail for certain recording projects.
Thanks to Mel Bay and Stelling for believing in me and supporting Celtic fingerstyle banjo. TWith gratitude to Mel Bay for letting me upload this here, another sample from my first book/CD, Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo - find it here: http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=95759BCD
7 comments
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Posted
by Tom Hanway
6 people like this
Play count: 264
Size: 1,052kb, uploaded 2/17/2011 3:52:17 AM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish
This is a lovely jig that uses "rolls" found in uilleann piping or Sligo-style fiddling. It's playing 5 notes in the space of 3, adding decorations (grace notes) above and below the main notes. Thanks to Bill Bay and Mel Bay Publications, Inc. for allowing me to put up a few examples from the Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo. With gratitude to Mel Bay for letting me upload this here, another sample from my first book/CD, Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo - find it here: http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=95759BCD
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Posted
by Tom Hanway
9 people like this
Play count: 758
Size: 1,260kb, uploaded 2/21/2008 8:59:48 AM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish
This famous reel medley is associated with Michael Coleman, the legendary stepdancing fiddler from Sligo and New York City, whose impact is still felt worldwide at sessions. I learned these tunes from Coleman's 1934 recording, incorporating Sligo-style "rolls" and slippery triplets, also being influenced by New York's Sligo-style masters - fiddlers Andy McGann, Paddy Reynolds, Tony DeMarco and Brian Conway. Andy and Paddy are gone, but they left behind a wonderful musical legacy. I consider myself very lucky to have been in their company, especially at Andy's laid-back sessions in Manhattan, where the mighty Joe "Banjo" Burke, who had amazing songs, also played regularly. Joe, Andy and Paddy are three of my early mentors and heroes. Driving the tunes on guitar here is string wizard Gabriel Donohue from Athenry, and keeping immaculate rhythm on bodhran is Robbie Walsh from Dublin, now the 2008 All-Ireland Fleadh Champion! With gratitude to Mel Bay for letting me upload this here, another sample from my first book/CD, Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo - find it here: http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=95759BCD
4 comments
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