hobogal - Posted - 02/19/2009:  09:57:48

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Hi there - anyone know how to play rockabilly licks on the banjo? I'm wondering how some Scotty Moore style licks (Mystery Train etc) would translate to banjo. The closest I've heard is Scruggs on Big Black Train.

Cheers
Hobogal

spoonfed - Posted - 02/19/2009:  10:43:32

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yes I sure do, as I have said elsewhere on this very forum I have been a guitarist for a long long time and I always played a lot of scotty moore, cliff gallup, chet atkins stuff and it has hindered my progress playing bluegrass no end ! Having said that it is kinda different and lots of folks have liked it, including none other than Pete Wernick who said to me at one of his workshops here in the UK "hey Don Reno played some stuff like that" perhaps he was just being encouraging to me but it was a nice thing to say anyway and all the while I was thinking "yeah but I wish I could play Blackberry Blossom" properly! Get into it Hobogal its all good fun !

spoonfed

Ronnie - Posted - 02/19/2009:  11:13:45

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I have dabbled with rockabilly a little bit. My west Tennessee area is sort of the cradle of rockabilly music. A blend of the blues of Memphis to the west of me and the country music of Nashville to the east. The late Carl Perkins was my neighbor. He tolerated my banjo and we jammed together once in a while, recorded a couple of jingles for local TV and I appeared on a few telethons with him. He was definitely an influence on my music.
As far as playing it, I will quote Bobby Thompson and say "Hell, I don't know. I just play it."
If you come to the states, check out www.rockabillyhall.org It is a couple of blocks from my house. I have sat in with several rockabilly groups there.

www.bobbythompsonbanjo.com

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Edited by - Ronnie on 02/19/2009 11:20:36

JoeZ - Posted - 02/19/2009:  17:27:23

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You'll miss those low strings when you try. You have to revamp or redesign and approximate the licks given the lack of lower strings.

"Someday I will play as well as my banjos sound." Joe Z

hobogal - Posted - 02/20/2009:  00:38:21

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Does it help to re-tune the banjo..say to drop C? I've not played guitar so I'd appreciate any tips.

Hobogal.

spoonfed - Posted - 02/20/2009:  05:01:52

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well the lowest note on your banjo is gonna dictate the key you can play in, Mystery Train riff is in E major so you wont get that one in that key without a bit of hassle but there are some good licks in G major you can find, lots of the old rockabilly guys came from country music (probably all of em did ! ) and altered tunings were fairly commonplace including open G tuning! so its all there. good luck.

spoonfed

cthetford - Posted - 02/20/2009:  07:30:39

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You might try some of the Reno licks here.

http://www.banjohollow.ic24.net/renoWShop4.htm

Maybe not quite rock-a-billy, but might give some ideas.

Kevin B - Posted - 02/21/2009:  04:34:47

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You can get a low sounding Rockabilly type lick for a C chord fill-in by fretting the 4th string at the 4th fret and hammering on to the 5th fret while following with the open G 3rd. I think you can hear this lick on The Seldom Scene's "Live at the Cellar Door" on Ben Eldridge's work for Will The Circle Be Unbroken. It makes a deep down a well sound.

Another Rockabilly sounding lick for back up is to hold a simple bar chord at any fret, play two quick strikes with the index finger on the barred 3rd string, follow this with the 4th string fretted two frets below and then the fourth open. You get a bouncy bassier sounding backup. It really is a slight reversal fo the same thing we often do on the 1st and 2nd string backup.

Sorry I couldn't tab this.

BTW cthetford that Reno page link you gave is awesome.



Kevin ( )==''=~

''Possum, It''s what''s for dinner . . ."

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Edited by - Kevin B on 02/21/2009 04:38:15

hobogal - Posted - 02/21/2009:  05:48:18

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Thanks guys - I'm trying out those licks. That last one sounded weird at first but now I'm having fun with it!

Hobogal.

Old git - Posted - 02/21/2009:  07:41:29

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ronnie

I have dabbled with rockabilly a little bit. My west Tennessee area is sort of the cradle of rockabilly music. A blend of the blues of Memphis to the west of me and the country music of Nashville to the east. The late Carl Perkins was my neighbor. He tolerated my banjo and we jammed together once in a while, recorded a couple of jingles for local TV and I appeared on a few telethons with him. He was definitely an influence on my music.
As far as playing it, I will quote Bobby Thompson and say "Hell, I don't know. I just play it."
If you come to the states, check out www.rockabillyhall.org It is a couple of blocks from my house. I have sat in with several rockabilly groups there.

www.bobbythompsonbanjo.com

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Hey Ronnie, when you and I were talking about Carl, I forgot to ask, did you ever swap instruments. We both know that he was a wizard on the guitar, but I wonder now if he was ever interested in the sound of a banjo. After all, Rockalbilly and Bluegrass are first cousins with that driving beat, and to top it off would be a slappin bassman. Oh yes.
I played guitar for a banjo player and we expeimented with different styles and the sound of a Rockabilly song and Bluegrass song are the same. As for Mystery Train, my guitar did the vamping and first lead, then the banjo played a lead break. It fitted perfect. Ive now gone from Mystery Train to Mystery rolls and tab. Its impossible I tell yer. he he

Terry

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Edited by - Old git on 02/21/2009 07:44:10

renofan52 - Posted - 02/23/2009:  21:45:54

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Don Reno is the man to listen to. He had alot of guitar licks that ive heard him play, but never heard him play them on the banjo. The intro to Country boy rock n roll comes to mind. Easy to transcribe though. There are some dvds out there that are great for Reno style banjo. Jason Skinner's dvds are the best out there. Don wayne reno made one too. Its a decent dvd, however; Jason's dvds are a better deal by a good amount. They give you a pretty good deal of understanding reno style, and expand your imagination on the banjo alot. Also Eddie Adcock's and Mike Lilly's playing styles are somewhat similar to Reno's and both have some good licks within them, but i'd say Reno is more rockabilly than both of them.

"This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object."
-Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"

Ronnie - Posted - 02/24/2009:  06:02:52

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Hi Terry! As far as I know Carl didn't play banjo. I am sure he would have been amazing on it. A few of his recordings did have banjo on them. That was usually Bobby Thompson, who was a master of rockabilly banjo. Carl was loyal to the guitar. ( I know he had no love for mandolins!!!) He would show up at the music store, take down a classical guitar and say "Son,get your banjo and sit down over here. I'm gonna do me a little gut-stringin'."

www.bobbythompsonbanjo.com

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Edited by - Ronnie on 02/24/2009 06:04:34

hobogal - Posted - 02/25/2009:  10:26:38

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Yes, I'd like to become more familiar with single-string and guitar-style banjo styles so thanks for the Jason Skinner tip. At the moment I'm learning Move it On Over from a Eddie Collins book of Hank Williams tunes...it's got a boogie-woogie feel to it. It's the first time I've tried single-string style and is fun to play.

The banjo players mentioned: Reno, Eddie Adcock, Bobby Thompson...I know they've recorded alot. Is there any particular tracks that have this style?

At the moment I'm listening to The Bluegrass Elvises (Shawn Camp, Billy Burnette with Dave Talbot on banjo) - amazing banjo work, particular on Mystery Train. Blazing!

Hobogal.