banjo

Those who are visually impaired have access to many great books via the braille system of reading. When it comes to music instruction though, they are pretty well delegated to learning by ear. While learning by ear has many advantages,

I had a chance last week to hear some rough mixes from a new project Butch Robins is recording. The music and the arrangements are interesting and exceptionally well-played, and as per usual, Butch is breaking new ground. A great many

The folks at Blue Chip Picks, whose line of composite flatpicks have hit the mark with some of the top guitarists and mandolinists in bluegrass music, have now released a line of thumbpicks for banjo players. The pick material is riveted

Some of the most closely followed topics in the banjo world are discussions about the metals and alloys used in banjo construction. The most common materials used in high end banjos tend to vary very little, though you do read from

I'm sure there are at least a few fans of The Office among us. So you may have already caught the episode in which Ed Helms, in character as Andy Bernard, plays the banjo. It turns out Helms is a real

Banjo fanatics have long been recognized as one part tinkerer and one part alchemist. They obsess over minor variations in the exact mix of metals in banjo components, and fret about differences of a few thousandths of an inch in

We just learned of the passing of Phil Mann, a great friend to the banjo community and an early pioneer of online bluegrass resources. He died on January 23, 2009 after being ill for some time. Phil's web site, www.bluegrassbanjo.org, was

Béla Fleck has been credited with reviving the five string banjo and bringing it to new audiences over the past 20 years, much as Earl Scruggs had done as the seminal banjo pioneer 40 years earlier. Fleck might shrink from such

 Sometimes you hear about a CD and excitement starts to build as you anticipate hearing this new music from musicians you enjoy. When you finally get a chance to hear the CD, you've built up an expectation that no recording

The Country Music Association has announced its nominees for induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009. Roy Clark has been named as one of those inductees. Clark will be inducted into the category of Career Achieved National Prominence