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 Other Banjo-Related Topics: Clawhammer/Old-Time
 ARCHIVED TOPIC: Did Wade Ward really play that fast? or Are the recordings sped up?!


Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/229576

johlrich - Posted - 02/25/2012:  20:18:55


 



















One Wade Ward tune in particular, which I think is sped up, is his "Old Time Cindy".  While attempting to play along, I think the speed is about as fast as the human right hand can move.  



I suppose it is possible he could be playing at that tempo, but my guess is that he recorded it at slower pace.



Your thoughts?



 


fiddlinandy - Posted - 02/25/2012:  20:39:23


Typically Wade played at a fairly relaxed and oft times slow pace on his solo banjo recordings.  And by slow I only mean when compared to the pace of other Virginia banjoists in his era.  Now when he was paired with a fiddler he played at whatever pep the fiddler dished out, and even backed the fiddler with finger style.  Some of the recordings I have of him start with him at a lightning pace and higher pitch and then gradually come back down to his usual sound. 


johlrich - Posted - 02/26/2012:  07:21:06

Wow thanks! I have recordings of him solo-only. To name a few are Mckinely Waltz, Cripple Creek, Chilly Winds, Walking in the Parlor.

Lately, I have been fascinated with the idea of making Clawhammer banjo sound like a finger style. I seems like Wade Ward had mastered this. Do you know if he was using a finger style or Clawhammer or both on tunes like Chilly Winds or Mckinley Waltz? The latter sure sounds like a finger style; however, I hear some of the same sequences of notes on Chilly Winds (which resembles more the sounds of Clawhammer).

Wade's music is the most mysterious. The beats are often irregular. Somewhere, he is smiling at us as he continually stumps the people trying to figure him out. I don't think I've ever met or heard a modern player who really has, despite many claims...

fiddlinandy - Posted - 02/26/2012:  13:52:00


All of his recordings of "Chilly Winds" are played clawhammer (at least all the ones I've heard).  The "McKinely Waltz" was probably in a fingerstyle, but to be honest I've not listened to it in a while, so I could be wrong.  I'll have to dig it out!


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