Oh man this is great. Love the slow demo. If i cant learn how to play this song after watching this im giving up the banjo! (Only been trying to learn this song for like 3 years now)
Glad to hear it Mike. I, too, find this piece of music uncommonly challenging. I've spent many years listening to different peoples' versions and trying to piece together my own approach.It's also _really_ hard to try and play this one slow!
Clifton Hicks yeah thats part of the problem is there are so many different versions. My favorite being the clarence ashley version of course but his is so fast! And ive only come across a couple people who do it like him. As far as this slow version, it actually sounds pretty awesome, especially when you start singing! Love it!
hey man, awesome content, you made me buy a banjo xD Quick question, when you do 2 finger picking, do you do only downstrokes with your index, or is it OK to use upstrokes too ? Because what i tend to do is : - play the melodic notes using my index finger, usually downstrokes - then downstroke for the "slow brush" -then play the high string with the thumb -and then i tend to play the first "melodic" note with an upstroke of my index finger. It seems more natural to me, because of how my fingers are placed after the "slow brush", but maybe i am taking up a bad habit ?
@@CliftonHicksbanjo thanks ! I play picking and fingerstyle on the guitar, so I thought maybe it would help me learn banjo. And I think it does, apart from the fact that the highest string is now where the lowest string was, a concept that my brain seems to have trouble assimilating xD Anyway, I really like this raw, authentic sound that you have :)
Hi Clifton would like to thank you for all the latest videos very informative can't wait to learn this thanks again ....would like to ask how many old time tunes do you know or how many are there?
There are thousands (millions?) of different songs, tunes, cante-fables &c. that can and aught to be played on the banjo. If you sat me down with some food, water & stimulants and made me play everything I might be able to conjure up close to a hundred coherent pieces.
Brilliant Clifton thanks I watch everyday and try and fit in the banjo practice hectic life work family ect would love to be able to be as great as yourself on the banjo but I'll keep it up !
@@Liloandstitchfan15 I think one of the most important things is to try and play at least a few minutes every day. Even if you can only pick it up and play one song a day, it's the act of doing it day after day...
Really wondering about something here: hit the first string, pull off the first string strum down, then hit the fifth string??? I watched one of Colin Bazsali's videos on Clarence Ashley's version of this and he filled in with an open 3rd string, pull off on the first string strum down and hit the fifth string. Is this the same technique, but just using the first string instead of the third??? Is this a Round Peak method? I swear, after the first of the year I'm going to buy your banjo course - heh.
What is the time signature on this? I can't quite get it worked out. Sometimes it sounds like 4 and other times you seem to include an extra beat or two
I have no idea. Like you say, it is mostly 4/4, but "Cuckoo" is a very old song indeed--one of the oldest--and archaic versions like this often do not adhere to modern musical standards.
“The Cuckoo Bird”, as played on the 5-string banjo, despite being a British song in origin, has considerable influence from African American musical traditions, which largely culminate from West and Central African musical traditions that survived throughout slavery. Traditionally, African music, when broadly speaking, does not adhere to things such as fixed time signatures, and one subsequent repeat of a “measure” may have multiple beats added or omitted, and many parts may appear to overlap or “stutter” into the next one.
The slow drag and bit after is driving utterly bananas. Can't get it now matter how much I slow this video down 😂😂😂
I do offer tablature for this at Patreon.com/CliftonHicks
Game changer in trying to learn this thing.
Interested in banjos & banjo history? Consider supporting this project at patreon.com/cliftonhicks
Love your videos Mr. Hicks! Even when I don't have the banjo with me for practicing, I like to listen to them at work most days!
Thanks so much. this is perfect!
Oh man this is great. Love the slow demo. If i cant learn how to play this song after watching this im giving up the banjo! (Only been trying to learn this song for like 3 years now)
Glad to hear it Mike. I, too, find this piece of music uncommonly challenging. I've spent many years listening to different peoples' versions and trying to piece together my own approach.It's also _really_ hard to try and play this one slow!
Clifton Hicks yeah thats part of the problem is there are so many different versions. My favorite being the clarence ashley version of course but his is so fast! And ive only come across a couple people who do it like him.
As far as this slow version, it actually sounds pretty awesome, especially when you start singing! Love it!
Speed up to 1.75x for a beautiful tune 😊
This banjo tuning is kinda what dadgad is in a guitar, or maybe not but I find them similar
Yes! I have a guitar that stays in dADGAD (with a skinny 6th string) and I play Cuckoo, Pretty Polly, Wild Bill Jones, German War &c. in that tuning.
@@CliftonHicksbanjo id love to hear that!
hey man, awesome content, you made me buy a banjo xD
Quick question, when you do 2 finger picking, do you do only downstrokes with your index, or is it OK to use upstrokes too ?
Because what i tend to do is :
- play the melodic notes using my index finger, usually downstrokes
- then downstroke for the "slow brush"
-then play the high string with the thumb
-and then i tend to play the first "melodic" note with an upstroke of my index finger.
It seems more natural to me, because of how my fingers are placed after the "slow brush", but maybe i am taking up a bad habit ?
Any way that feels comfortable to you, do that. In traditional banjo you do what feels natural.
@@CliftonHicksbanjo thanks ! I play picking and fingerstyle on the guitar, so I thought maybe it would help me learn banjo.
And I think it does, apart from the fact that the highest string is now where the lowest string was, a concept that my brain seems to have trouble assimilating xD
Anyway, I really like this raw, authentic sound that you have :)
Hi Clifton would like to thank you for all the latest videos very informative can't wait to learn this thanks again ....would like to ask how many old time tunes do you know or how many are there?
There are thousands (millions?) of different songs, tunes, cante-fables &c. that can and aught to be played on the banjo. If you sat me down with some food, water & stimulants and made me play everything I might be able to conjure up close to a hundred coherent pieces.
Brilliant Clifton thanks I watch everyday and try and fit in the banjo practice hectic life work family ect would love to be able to be as great as yourself on the banjo but I'll keep it up !
@@Liloandstitchfan15 I think one of the most important things is to try and play at least a few minutes every day. Even if you can only pick it up and play one song a day, it's the act of doing it day after day...
Really wondering about something here: hit the first string, pull off the first string strum down, then hit the fifth string??? I watched one of Colin Bazsali's videos on Clarence Ashley's version of this and he filled in with an open 3rd string, pull off on the first string strum down and hit the fifth string. Is this the same technique, but just using the first string instead of the third??? Is this a Round Peak method? I swear, after the first of the year I'm going to buy your banjo course - heh.
whats the deal with those strings? they look thicker? what can ya tell me?
Nylon strings from La Bella.
What is the time signature on this? I can't quite get it worked out. Sometimes it sounds like 4 and other times you seem to include an extra beat or two
I have no idea. Like you say, it is mostly 4/4, but "Cuckoo" is a very old song indeed--one of the oldest--and archaic versions like this often do not adhere to modern musical standards.
Yea sounds like he's playing the 'chorus' at 6/4 time?
“The Cuckoo Bird”, as played on the 5-string banjo, despite being a British song in origin, has considerable influence from African American musical traditions, which largely culminate from West and Central African musical traditions that survived throughout slavery. Traditionally, African music, when broadly speaking, does not adhere to things such as fixed time signatures, and one subsequent repeat of a “measure” may have multiple beats added or omitted, and many parts may appear to overlap or “stutter” into the next one.
Clifton what tuning !!!! ??