Adventurous Muse: Musical Instruments and Whimsical Things

5-String Cello Banjo

You seemed to like the 4-string Cello Banjo (tuned in 5ths, like a fiddle or mandolin, but 2 octaves lower) videos we found. Now, here are a few videos of straight-up Old-Time on the 5-string Cello Banjo (tuned an octave lower than a regular Old-Time or Bluegrass banjo (there are lots of tunings used for each and they all work on the Cello Banjo as well).

Some Solo Clawhamer (tune is Moth Hunter) Played by Fred Pribac, who lives in Tazmania (that is Australia, for those who slept during geography)...damn, those Aussies can play!!! [and they actually buy things at fiddlers' conventions from vendors...Jerry (Dr. Jerry Everard, Australian Irish/Scottish fiddler of great renoun and friend of ours), are you reading my praise of your country/continent?]

Tony Trischka & Bob Carlin playing Corn Liquor

We plan to carry the Gold Tone 5-String Cello Banjos as well as the 4-String Cello Banjos at the Adventurous Muse Store as soon as we are Gold Tone dealers (soon).

Cello Banjos in Traditional Irish Music

Cello Banjos

The Cello Banjo, tuned in 5ths an octave lower than an Irish Tenor Banjo (GDAE) and often cross-tuned to eeither GDGD or AEAE, was an instrument that had all but died out along with banjo orchestras in the early 20th Century, but revived by Gold Tone (and others maybe) and made popular by the brilliant playing and evangelism Marcy Marxer, as a soloist and in her collabortions with Cathy Fink. (see our recent post Cello Banjos: Low and Loud--What More Could You Want?

Cello Banjos in Traditional Irish Music

We had a post last week on the profound differences between Tenor Banjo and Irish Tenor Banjo (see Tenor Banjo and Irish Tenor Banjo: Is There a Difference?), as well as the more recent Irish Traditional Music is a LIVING Tradition.

See our online store if you are intersted in muciscal instuments (in additon to fiddles, of course) for traditional Irish music.

Since then we have found some fantastic videos of Tuttle's Reel , one on Irish Tenor Banjo another video, Tuttle's Reel on Cello Banjo. We are not sure what his name of the players are. If anyone knows, please contact us, so that we can give credit to these musicians. Enjoy...

Tuttle's Reel on Irish Tenor Banjo

 

Tuttle's Reel on Cello Banjo

Irish Traditional Music is a LIVING Tradition!

Traditional Irish Music is almost a misnomer, as it is such a wonderful LIVING tradition, adopting new instruments all the time. We talk about traditional Irish Bouzoukis and Octave Mandolins. Fact is, it was Andy Cohen, I believe in the Irish band Planxty at the time, who starting playing a bouzouki he obtained in Greece, retuned and set up for traditonal Irish tunes...about 35 years ago.

The Irish "Cittern", later more properly called the Octave Mandolin quickly followed, as Irish luthiers quickly noticed the trend of players using a mandolin-like instrument tuned an octave lower...and re-purposed bouzoukis were REALLY unweidy, with the longest neck length to body ratio you have ever seen...and the bowl back of the bouzouki makes it a real pain to hold.

My brother, Bobby Rickert, artist/maker, noted Irish tenor banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, tenor guitar and Irish cittern player and luthier, modified a number of Greek bouzoukis for use in Irish music, shortening their necks by as much as 8 inches. Bobby was known for sawing parts off of instruments' necks the minute he got to his shop with a new acquisition (we won't talk about the fact that some of these instruments were rented!).

The surprises of evolution are such that we now have Irish Bouzoukis, Irish Octave Mandolins as distinct instruments. Some would say that the Irish Cittern is distinct, but it is usually used as another name for the Irish octave mandolin: See the images below of some of the finest examples of an octave mandolin by Gold Tone and an Irish bouzouki by Trinity College. See the images below. You can click on them for full-size.

 

See our online store if you are intersted in muciscal instuments (in additon to fiddles, of course) for traditional Irish music.

You should also read our next post about Cello Banjos in traditional Irish music.

Cello Banjos: Low and Loud--What More Could You Want?

The 4 string cello banjo, originally used in banjo orchestras of the early 20th Century, has been redefined in this decade by the playing style of Marcy Marxer and others. The revived cello banjo was pretty much invented by Gold Tone. Tuned in 5ths (like a mandolin, fiddle, cello, etc.) it allows accompaniment and lead arrangements for not only old time but most all genres of music. It is also being used in Irish music as well. That will be a separate post.

We are going to be selling these really cool instruments very soon. We hope to have one to show at the Hoppin' John Old-Time and Bluegrass Fiddlers' Convention (http://www.hoppinjohn.org/) next week.

Oh, by the way, these instruments are  LOUD!

Check out the videos of Marcy Marxer and Cathy Fink playing some classic Old-Time tunes below.

Kithchen Girl ("Down-East" i.e. New England Old-Time)

Johnny Don't Get Drunk (Southern Mountain Old-Time)