Topic: Othar Turner - Bumble Bee

[bayrum78]

Othar's got a really cool  minimalist groove.

[Lastfirstface]

That's a different guitar-banjo than the one in your older videos, is it a Gibson GB? It definitely fits the piece well. I like the pauses and the way the riff drops back in.

[bayrum78]

Thanks! The GB is a 1919 Gibson GB-3 similar to the one played by Papa Charlie Jackson only no trap door and the headstock is flared instead mocassin headed.  Unfortunately I accidentally mispositioned the webcam so you don't see the headstock. It had been hanging on the wall forever suffering from  post ragtime disenfatuation and I decided it was too cool to be neglected or taken to a shelter ;-) so I slapped a  new set of strings on it and knocked back a couple of Sierra Nevada Torpedo's and had at it. The way he drops in and out is cool. I have become obsessed with these minimalist blues songs and at this point don't see any reason to play more than a few notes and focus on varying rhythms and phrasing to supply the spice. 

[Lastfirstface]

Very cool instrument. As I'm in the middle of my ragtime infatuation at the moment I'd love to find one of those things, but they seem pretty rare. Its rich overtones definitely fit this kind of minimalist arrangement too though.

[uncle bud]

I volunteer to shelter the instrument if you become disinfatuated again.

Sounds good, Nate. I like all those extra bars up the neck that create tension before going back to the signature lick. Sounds cool on this beast.

[bayrum78]

Thanks UB! What I really like about this song is how he uses 5 or 6 notes and only two chords. By simply altering his rhythmic patterns, he is able to produce a lot of variation with great economy.