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Tom Berghan - Posted - 04/07/2015: 18:27:43
I met John Balch on the Hangout 6 years ago. I was only just learning to play banjo, and John has helped me about 1,000 times since then! Even though I live near Seattle and John lives near Nashville, I was able to visit John at his home a few years back. Just last Monday on 4/6 I had the pleasure of visiting John again, and we had a long jam session. We did manage to turn on the recorder for a couple of tunes and here are they are.
Both John and I really like the recordings of Ed Britt & Don Borchelt, and Jim Reed & Don Couchie who both famously combine clawhammer and pickin' . . . so here we are trying our hand at it. Maybe not as good as Ed & Don or Jim & Don. . . but we sure had fun. We are playing two Bart Reiter open back banjos. John is playing clawhammer and I am picking. John is tuned eCGCE capoed at the second fret and I am tuned aDF#AD. We are in the key of D for both tunes.
Dingoman25 - Posted - 04/07/2015: 18:39:19
Great stuff Tom and John! Thoroughly enjoyed listening to both clips twice over!
writedivine - Posted - 04/07/2015: 18:40:33
Very enjoyable - thanks for posting!
jbalch - Posted - 04/07/2015: 18:41:52
Hey Tom:
I thoroughly enjoyed our visit last evening. I really admire your playing and musicianship. Lets definitely get together whenever you are near Middle Tennessee. I'd love to collaborate on some more tunes (maybe even rehearse before recording next time) ;<).
BTW: the mini banjo that Marvin Walker (banjohangout.org/my/BNJOMAKR) built for you is even more beautiful in person than in the photos. Has a very cool sound too. Kudos to Marvin for a fantastic custom build.
JanetB - Posted - 04/07/2015: 18:50:27
What a treat for us to hear the two of you together. In Home Sweet Home your banjos seem to speak back and forth. I look forward to more of your collaborations.
LWC - Posted - 04/07/2015: 18:58:13
Gentlemen thank you, you sounded great together. Larry
Ho C Ying - Posted - 04/07/2015: 19:38:59
Very nice playing! Thank you for sharing!
mdthib - Posted - 04/07/2015: 21:11:57
Sounds so fun. That's why I play, and why I enjoy myself here on the Hangout. Thanks!
jamesd - Posted - 04/08/2015: 06:04:55
Really fine playing. I especially enjoyed the Hard Times tune. Mighty fine.
Don Borchelt - Posted - 04/09/2015: 07:41:25
Some fine, elegant picking from the duet of Tom and John, banjo brothers of a different mother. It is evident that both of you are carefully listening while you are playing; the thoughtful almost pauses in Hard Times that come here and there in just the right place are one instance of that. The downstroke and the forward roll were made to wed.
Tom Berghan - Posted - 04/09/2015: 07:59:24
Thank you all so much!
And Don, I really appreciate your comment about the pauses. Music is the summation of sound and silence and as banjo pickers we sometimes fill up all the quiet places with rolls and bum-ditties - but the places of quiet can be powerful if we let them - and emotional. John is such a pleasure to play with. He "listens" very well indeed. Better than I do I think. And his syncopated rhythms and dynamics are so fun to play off of - very inspirational. He has a unique rhythm. I suspect it comes from the water in central Tennessee!
rickhayes - Posted - 04/09/2015: 08:08:44
It is high praise to be considered worthy of being reminded of duets like Ed and Don and Jim and Don have given us, but you deserve it. Fine job.
Tom Berghan - Posted - 04/09/2015: 08:20:33
quote:
Originally posted by rickhayes
It is high praise to be considered worthy of being reminded of duets like Ed and Don and Jim and Don have given us, but you deserve it. Fine job.
Thank you VERY much Rick! I feel that John is most definitely in the same league as Ed Britt and Don Couchie. But as for me i know I cannot compare to Don Borchelt or Jim Reed. But I will keep practicing! Thanks! Best Wishes, Tom
kenelk - Posted - 04/09/2015: 11:04:34
Great duet... and did remind me of 'The Don and Ed Show', fer sure. Especially liked the textures and layered counterpoint on "Hard Times...". Very nice collab. indeed!
Don Borchelt - Posted - 04/09/2015: 15:07:58
Well, who here thinks that Tom and John only recorded two numbers after playing such a long jam session (word underlined as per original post)? Now, don't hold out on us Tom, we eagerly await more sparkling creations from this masterful collaboration!
Marc Nerenberg - Posted - 04/09/2015: 15:16:35
Well your inspirations are truly great - but guess what, you two are too!
I second Don's request: more, more, more!
Tom Berghan - Posted - 04/09/2015: 15:31:24
quote:
Originally posted by Don Borchelt
Well, who here thinks that Tom and John only recorded two numbers after playing such a long jam session (word underlined as per original post)? Now, don't hold out on us Tom, we eagerly await more sparkling creations from this masterful collaboration!
LOL! Actually my friend John was a bit shy about turning on the recorder. I think that, just as he wrote above, he likes to rehearse first. But we really were jamming and trying out different instruments in the Balch-Collection. these tunes were only played once or briefly twice before the record button was pushed (you know - "How about this chord?" type of thing). Just as John said these really are impromptu jams. and this all that was recorded. But when it was time to stop (we both had to work the next day) we did agree to to make more tracks together by way of recording each part separately thousands of miles apart. It won't be the same - but it will have to do until we decide to take a few days off and get together just to record. (I am definitely up for it John!) I like the match up a lot. The one song I wished we had recorded was a wild unique bluesy version of Jimmy Martin's Freeborn Man! (I sang). We also had a really pretty (so I thought) version of The Dillard's Old Home Place. All with clawhammer combined with picking. Another cool thing was that the two Reiter banjo seemed perfectly matched.
