Topic: Mike Seeger - Early Southern Guitar Styles - DVD lesson

[outfidel]

Early Southern Guitar Styles

 

"Included are banjo-like styles, rags, blues, parlor guitar-based pieces, slide guitar tunes, and many song accompaniment styles, most of which Mike has picked up directly from traditional players or their recordings - Maybelle Carter, John Hurt, Leadbelly, Sam McGee, Roscoe Holcomb, John Jackson and Elizabeth Cotten, among others."

 

[outfidel]

btw, this is what Mike Seeger says about "Buckdancer's Choice" in the liner notes to this Early Southern Guitar Styles CD

As I was recording Sam McGee for the third time in 1969 and 1970, he played all six parts of this instrumental at various times, though not as one long piece. He remarked that they were all parts of the ?Buckdancer?s Choice? that he would play for dancers on- and offstage. On the 1970s Arhoolie recording I got him to play most of them together at one point, but on his high-spirited 1926 recordings, for instance, he played five of these parts in three different performances. Here I play them all together. His classic 1926 recordings of most parts of this tune are re-released on Old-time Mountain Guitar (County CD 3512). His 1970 banjo guitar versions of all of the parts is on his Arhoolie CD 9009. Whether in parts or all together, they are classic, hot, country ragtime guitar performances. McGee was a pioneer of this style, a great and influential player.

Here's hoping that Mike teaches all 6 parts to "Buckdancer's Choice" on this DVD!   

[dave stott]

maybe come Christmas, I'll be ready for it.... Right now, I am workin on the Browni Mcghee DVD from Homespun....

Dave

[Blue in VT]

Yeah this seeger DVD looks very intersting...particularly if it has all the parts for Buck dancers!

Dave...how are you liking the Brownie DVD?

Cheers,

Blue

[outfidel]

Okay I've had Seeger's DVD for two days now, and thus far I'm mesmorized by "Buckdancer's Choice" (yes, he teaches all 6 parts) & "Smoketown Strut" (this one has 7 parts). I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time learning these beautiful classics.

btw here's someone on YouTube (perhaps a Weenie?) doing a sweet version of "Smoketown Strut":

[uncle bud]

That's banjochris, a fine-playing weenie indeed.

[outfidel]

Very nice indeed!

On the Seeger DVD, he plays "Smoketown" on a 6-string banjo. But I prefer the sweeter, woody sound of banjochris's. The New Lost City Ramblers also recorded this one -- I assume it was Mike Seeger playing it, but could've been John Cohen -- on an acoustic guitar.