Wharf Picking Weekend

Silent Blog

Well, it been quite a while since my last post and its about time I made contact with all you "Grassheads" (Bluegrass enthusiasts) again. I stopped activity on this blog for a while to write a short story called "Peter the Pigeon". It sounds like its a children's book but the story is designed to have appeal to people of all ages. This link will lead you to the story. Nothing to do with Bluegrass but you might enjoy this little yarn. After Peter the Pigeon was published my wife Frankie and I went to Plymouth, where I was born, to celebrate my 70th Birthday.

Memories of Plymouth - circa 1963

Plymouth 2015 - me and Frankie

On the drive to Plymouth the words of a classic Bluegrass song came into my mind:

"I knew one day that I'd come back, I knew it from the start, Eight more miles to Louisville the hometown of my heart"

Plymouth is obviously not Louisville but the sentiment expressed in the song is the same as I feel for my hometown. The tune was written by Grandpa Jones and first recorded by him in 1946.  Here is a great rendition by Sam Bush and Carl Jackson.

We met our eldest daughter and her partner in Plymouth and then drove to The Lizard, Cornwall where we had rented a holiday home. Our other daughter, her husband and our grandchildren then joined us and the immediate family was complete for a weeks holiday in this beautiful part of the world.

Cadgewith Cove, The Lizard, Cornwall

The Festival Season

There are numerous Bluegrass Festivals in the United Kingdom spanning a season from May until September. It all starts with the Orwell Festival in Suffolk and culminates with the Moniaive Bluegrass Festival in Dumfries, Scotland.

Cartoon "borrowed" from Paul Brewer

To find an event to suit your calender I recommend looking at the British Bluegrass Music Association timetable. My first event of this year was the Wharf Picking Weekend. This year it was held at the Lenchford Inn on the banks of the river Seven in Worcestershire.

Setting up camp by the river

The event starts on a Friday and finishes on the Sunday. Once caravans are parked and tents erected small groups form and the picking starts. A great time to meet old friends, acquaintances and new faces.

Dave Norton, the Master of Ceremonies and  also a useful musician

The Amigos practising for the evening show

Tom, always willing to help banjo beginners

Martyn Peters and Chris Moreton playing Beaumont Rag

The format of these weekends is picking in small groups, workshops, a slow jam, and mixing and socialising.  In the evenings there are concerts. You can perform on stage yourself if you feel your ready for that experience or just sit back with a pint or three and enjoy listening to the "professionals" perform.  All the artists at the Wharf did a great job but I must single out a couple of groups: The Amigos and Western Edge. Both did outstanding sets in my opinion. Last but certainly not least, we were treated to a master class in flat picking guitar wizardry from Chris Moreton. Follow the link to hear him play the Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, a number he performed at the Wharf in concert.

All in  all a wonderful weekend which will live on in the memory. Thanks to Francis and his crew for the organisation and Dave Norton for fist class comparing.

Band Members

The Amigos

 Barry Scott         Guitar and Vocals
 Lenny                 Guitar and supporting vocals

Western Edge

John Campbell    Guitar and Vocals
Kevin Lewis        Banjo
Roy Nichols        Fiddle
Linda Harris         Bass

5 Top Tips for Bluegrass Beginners

1. Listen to Bluegrass Music

Buy or borrow albums of your favourite Bluegrass singers and musicians and play as often as you can. Listen to the solo part for your instrument and also how the musicians back one another up.

"...having the sounds in your ears, brain and heart, you'll know in advance what you are looking for"

"The Complete 5-String Banjo Player" By Tony Trischka

Photograph courtesy of Pinterest

Make full use of YouTube - it's a fantastic free resource for you to exploit. I can't start playing a new tune unless I have heard it first, and so YouTube is always my starting point.

Play your music as often as you dare without making your spouse or children leave home! It's a mystery to me why the whole world does not love Bluegrass but the naked truth is that most people don't get it!

2. Find a Teacher

You may be able to teach yourself if you are a talented musician or have a number of Bluegrass friends, but most people need assistance or progress will be very slow and there is always the added danger of giving up. I was lucky as I had a teacher on my doorstep but you may not be so fortunate. Here the British Bluegrass Association (BBMA) can help you as they keep a directory of UK teachers on their website.

Photograph courtesy of telegraph.co.uk

You will find a number of free online lessons but if you are serious about online tuition get the appropriate software on your computer (eg Skype) and sign up to a proper school. There are many to choose from. I have no actual experience of online tuition but Artist Works Academy of Bluegrass looks like a good organisation.


3. Tablature or No Tablature?


I have met a few people who are completely opposed to the use of tablature (tab) and advocate learning by ear. Most Bluegrass beginners, however, including myself find tab an invaluable tool to assist in the learning process.

Photograph courtesy of educatorstechnology.com 

Once you have mastered the tune with tab the next step is to commit it to memory and play it without the tab. One advantage of tab is that you can return to a tune you could play a few years back but have now forgotten. With the help of tab you should quickly remember how to play it.

Tab exists for most of the instruments used in Bluegrass music and is widely available free of charge on the internet. I use the tab achieve of banjohangout.com. Similar tab libraries are available for other instruments.

4. Practice

A 90 year old cello player was recently asked,
"Why do you practice every day?"
He replied,
"Because I think that I am getting better"

I recommend practicing everyday. Yes easy for me to say but hard for all of us to achieve in reality. We all lead busy lives and have to juggle work, family commitments and other hobbies. And then some days we get plain lazy or find good excuses not to play.

Well it looks like a banjo
Photograph courtesy of rajasthantour4u.com

I aim to practice everyday but it doesn't always work out that way. Some days I manage half an hour and on a good day it will be an hour. Many would say this is not long enough but at my age I am not trying to set the world on fire but just play a few tunes I love together with others.  Many professional musicians practice 5 or 6 hours a day and that is the sort of commitment you will need to mix it with the best people.

5. Play with Other Musicians

My teacher will laugh at this recommendation because I am a sinner. I am what is known as a "bedroom banjoist". I can play well at home but once I try to join in with other musicians it often goes wrong. I am always surprised at the speed the more experienced musicians play. The session I attend allows me to start the tune off at my speed (slow) and then the others take over and rack up the speed. Playing on my own I tend only to play melody and consequently my knowledge of chords is not as good as I would like.  Also if you only play on your own you will have no experience of backing up other instruments while they are playing their solo part.

Bluegrass sessions are a good place to meet like minded people and learn the craft of playing with others - hopefully in harmony. In Herefordshire we have a monthly session led by Martin Blake. It is held on the first Wednesday of every month at the Victory Inn, Hereford.

Hereford Sessions, Martin and Gillie

Hereford Sessions, Denis and Ed

Hereford Sessions, Frank, Nye and Jeremy

During the summer months there are festivals and events most weekends. Here there will be ample opportunity to play with musicians at your level of experience during the daytime and then sit back and enjoy the evening concerts.  The British Bluegrass Association website has a list of festivals and events so you can check out what is happening in your area.

Sore Fingers Summer School (SFSS)

After I had been playing for a year or so my teacher, Martin Blake, suggested I might benefit by attending SFSS. And when I discovered he was the tutor for the beginners Bluegrass class I signed up immediately.

SFSS is a 5 day residential course held at Kingham Hill School in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire. The Cotswolds is one of the most beautiful regions of England with its stone built houses and fields bordered by dry stone walls. I drove to Kingham from Herefordshire on a glorious sunny day. The scenery was beautiful, I was excited but a little nervous.

The Cotswolds courtesy of candypop.uk.com

Tuition is provided for all the instruments used in Bluegrass and Old-Time music. After formal lessons in the day the evenings are filled with jam sessions in the bars. I found that meeting like-minded people who play different instruments and are at the same level (or a little better) than me to be both beneficial and enjoyable.

The Refectory and Social Centre at Kingham Hill School

A jam session with Tall Paul taking centre stage on the banjo

Left to right, Martin Blake, Chris Aggs, Simon Winner and Gillie Guest

The cost of the summer school is composed of three parts: tuition, accommodation and food. I decided to go for the complete package in order to soak up the full experience. The accommodation is mostly dormitory style and pretty basic. I had a bunk bed and since my bad back precluded me from climbing the ladder I had to move the mattress to the floor. The toilet was a fair walk away and the food could only be described as school dinners - I guess we were in a school.

I did return to SFSS the following year but this time I signed up for tuition only. It is possible to camp on the site but I decided to stay in a local hotel, for me this was the best of both worlds. Remember the most important part of this week is the music, the learning experience, meeting good musicians and the friendships forged with fellow students.

One of the benefits of attending SFSS is that you get to meet and chat with top musicians from the Bluegrass world. I was able to socialise with Leon Hunt, Tony Trischka, Richard Bailey (Steeldrivers) and Greg Cahill (Special Consensus). All of these top name players found the time to chat and give advice. The latest album from Special Consensus is called "Country Boy" and is a tribute to the late John Denver. To hear a track from the album follow the link.

Tony Trischka photo courtesy of banjohangout.org

Leon Hunt photo courtesy of www.vebidoo.de

Students are encouraged to meet in the evenings and to set up "scratch bands". The idea is that these newly formed units will perform at the Student Concert on the Wednesday evening. Fortunately playing at this concert is not mandatory and I was able to decline the invitation. I was certainly not good enough at the time and anyway I would have never conquered my nerves!

The culmination of the week is the Tutor's Concert on the Thursday night. The link takes you to Tyler Grant, one of the guitar tutors, performing with a group of other tutors.

The class of 2011, Martin Blake in the centre, me (with no banjo) top left

The next SFSS will be the 20th and held on 6 - 10 April 2015. To book contact Moira Wirtz.

Bluegrass Picking in Worcestershire

Wharf Picking Weekend

I had just bought my Recording King banjo and was ready to get picking. I discovered that there was a Bluegrass weekend camp not too far from were I live, so I decided to attend.  It was held in a pub called The Wharf Inn on the banks of the River Severn in Worcestershire. I paid my camping fees and entered the pub. There were small groups in every corner of the room chatting or playing, and so I gravitated to a circle of musicians who sounded particularly melodic.

"May I listen" I enquired
A guitarist answered "Better if you join in, get your instrument"
I replied "I have a banjo in the car but I cannot play it yet"
The guitarist said "I like the word yet"
The Banjo Player said "It will ruin your life"

No one in that circle knew me and although I could not play a musical instrument I was made to feel welcome. Their kindness was to extend to the whole weekend. The banjo player was called Martin Blake who later become my tutor. The guitarist was Dave Norton who became a friend. Although I did not realise it at the time I had joined a community, a musical family, before I could even play!

A group of Bluegrass musicians from Wales picking at the Wharf

The following year the Wharf Picking Weekend moved from Holt Fleet near Ombersley to the Stoke Prior Social Club near Bromsgrove, where it has been held ever since. It had swapped the River Severn for the Worcestershire and Birmingham Canal - both attractive locations.  The music and the general bon ami, however, remained the same.

Martin Blake leading a Banjo Workshop, me in the white hat, photo courtesy of truenorthmusic.co.uk 

The Worcestershire and Birmingham Canal, the Boat and Railway Inn on the right

The Stoke Prior Social Club is still the location for this picking weekend and this year the dates are 15-17 May. There is plenty of room for camping and as usual there will be workshops and evening concerts.

The full address of the location is:

Stoke Prior Social Club
Weston Hall Road
Stoke Prior
Bromsgrove
B60 AL

For further details email Francis at wharfbluegrass@btinternet.com or phone 7807358504

See you there!

The Autobiographical Bit

In 1977 I took up my new appointment as a lecturer in Information Technology in London. This was a promotion and so for the first time in my life I was able to take out a mortgage to buy a house. London prices were far beyond the means of Frankie and I and so we looked to suburbia. I discovered a new build house on an estate in West Sussex and put down a deposit. When the house was complete we all moved from Mortlake - where we were renting - to the village of Crawley Down. Natasha was 3 years and Laura was a baby.

Natasha and Frankie at our first house in Crawley Down

Natasha and Laura in the garden built by my me and my Father-in-law

Beginning the 5-string Banjo

Me at Bovisands, Plymouth, England

Hi, my name is Roy and I play the 5-string banjo. Those of you who have read my blog before will know that I followed an historical timeline and traced the musical events in my life. I have now decided to change the format and write the blog in two parts. In the first part I will share what is happening now, my current experience as a fairly new banjo player, the music I am learning and the bluegrass music I love. The second part will return to the autobiographical timeline theme.  I hope this will make a more interesting read!

My Banjos and my Teacher

As I am approaching the age of 70 and have been playing the banjo for about 5 years, some would say that I started a little late in life. Anyway progress is being made, albeit slowly, and it is bringing me happiness and contentment. What more could I ask for?

My first banjo was an open back Lyons and Healy which I never actually learnt how to play. When I became a little more serious about learning I bought a Recording King. It was a beautiful instrument and sounded really good. Now I play a Japanese Maya 5-string custom made banjo. I do not know how old the latter is, nor have any other information about it. A musician in the town where I live sadly died and his widow offered it to me. It sounded better than the Recording King and so I decided to buy it.

My first banjo, a Lyons and Healy circa 1900

The Recording King

Two photographs  of the Maya Banjo

Many people have asked me how to play this unusual musical instrument. This is a difficult question because different people learn in different ways, there is no easy answer and no magic formula. I can only pass on my experience of what worked for me.

Firstly, I bought two beginners tutorial books (they come with CDs and/or DVDs).

Beginning the Banjo books by Ross Nickerson

Then, I taught myself the following:

(i)  a simple roll (a finger picking sequence which is repeated ad infinitum)
(ii)  the rudiments of banjo tablature
(iii)  a simple tune

Assuming you have come through that process unscathed and still want to be a banjo player then I recommend finding a teacher. I was lucky as I discovered a bluegrass banjo player (Martin Blake) living in Hereford, not far from me. Martin is a master of the finger picking blues guitar and the 3 finger picking bluegrass banjo. If you read banjo or guitar tablature you will find a wealth of excellent bluegrass and blues guitar material all free of charge on his website. Martin plays the banjo in the talented British bluegrass band called the Grass Snakes.

Grass Snakes photograph courtesy of Martin Blake

I am currently learning the following tunes/songs:

Steam Powered Aereoplane
Cherokee Shuffle
Fisher's Hornpipe

The link above will take you to a fantastic version of Steam Powered Aereoplane by the Grass Snakes. Martin has kindly posted the banjo tablature for this song on banjohangout for those who would like to have a go at playing it.

The Autobiographical Bit

In 1973 I graduated and I obtained a job in Darlington, County Durham as a computer programmer. Frankie and I moved to the north from Essex. After a brief period in a bed and breakfast and a short period in a flat we were able to rent a house. In London we had a room, in Braintree a flat and now a house, with a garden! We were moving up in the world and quickly settled into our new life.

Darlington Town Centre photograph courtesy of Alamy

It was not long before we had an addition to our family; a beautiful daughter called Natasha Carey, named after Natasha in Tolstoy's War and Peace (a Russian name was fairly unusual at the time) and Carey from Joni Michell's Blue album.

Baby Natasha

After 3 years Natasha had a beautiful sister called Laura Polly. Laura was named after the character who played Laura in the television western Little House on the Prairie. Polly was the name of Laura's great grandmother.

Little House on the Prairie photo courtesy of spinoff.comicbookresources.com

Natasha and Laura

Our time in Darlington was not long. An opportunity arose for me to lecture in Information Technology in London so we were on the move again.

Essex University and the Weeley Festival

1970 was an exciting and pivotal year in my life. I was accepted by Essex University to study for a degree in Computer Science, Frankie and I moved to Braintree in Essex and last but not least Frankie and I got married.

Braintree photograph courtesy of Essexweddings.com

Having previously dropped out of university I was determined not to make the same mistakes. I considered myself fortunate to have this new chance and resolved to apply myself to my studies. So determined was I that I sold my guitar to remove any distractions. It turned out that I never touched a musical instrument from that day until about 2010. My children had no idea that I once played the guitar.

Essex University photograph courtesy of the Guardian

In August 1971 there was a pop festival on our doorstep at Weeley, a village outside of Clacton-on Sea, Essex. This was supposed to be a small event for 5000 people but when the Isle of Wight festival for that year was cancelled everyone switched to Weeley. The crowd was estimated at between 110,000 and 150,000!

Posters courtesy of ukrockfestivals.com

The line up was impressive and music was performed day and night. The cost of the entire weekend was £1.50 in advance or £2 on the door. I got to see T Rex, Rod Stewart and The Faces, Barclay James Harvest and Lindisfarne. The link is to my favouite Lindisfarne track of the time "Lady Eleanor". I recall little of the other acts. A combination of little sleep, practically no food and too much alcohol must have taken its toll. The facilities on site were primitive, to say the least, but the festival was worthwhile for the wonderful music and camaraderie among the crowd. I was pleased to get home on the Sunday for a long soak in the bath and a proper toilet!

After obtaining a job in a record store Frankie was very happy in her new life. Her record store discount meant new sounds were always turning up at our flat. She was able to obtain import records from America so I put in an order for "Will the Circle be Unbroken" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The day it arrived I could not stop playing it. In 1972 it must have been one of the first copies to reach the UK. 

"Will The Circle Be Unbroken" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is a collaboration with many famous Country players, including Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Merle Travis, Pete "Oswald" Kirby, Norman Blake, Jimmy Martin and others. It also introduced fiddler Vassar Clements. A track which epitomises this album is Nashville Blues, I remember thinking this is the music I love and I'll always love.

Frankie and I both enjoyed the American singer/songwriters of the time such as: Carol King, Janis Joplin, James Taylor, Randy Newman, Joni Michel (OK she's Canadian). We also loved The Byrds with their smooth harmonies. Here is James Taylor in 2009 performing You've Got a Friend. He has lost his hair (like me!) but he has not lost his voice, nor the affection of his fans.

Living in Essex we could get to London and back in a day and we made a few trips to see groups when time and money permitted. Frankie loved Johnny Winter and we saw him perform at the Albert Hall. I loved blues and delta music in the acoustic style so this was a bit of a departure from the norm for me but well worthwhile. Once Johnny started up a rock and roll medley of "Jumpin Jack Flash", "Great Balls of Fire" and "Johnny B Goode" the audience went crazy, and it was dancing in the isles time. So lets sample a little of Jonny's artistry with Jumpin Jack Flash.

In 1973 I graduated from Essex University and we moved again; but more of that in my next post.

Mostly Guitarists

In the mid 60's I was privileged to see Doc Watson perform live. It was his first European tour and I attended his session at the Cecil Sharp Folk House in London. The audience was small - only about thirty or so enthusiasts - as I recall. Doc was led on stage by his guide, I knew Doc was blind but this entrance still came as a surprise. Doc sat down, talked to us between numbers, and treated us to a feast of  bluegrass/old time music with all those melodic, high speed, flat picking guitar licks he was so famous for.

Doc Watson courtesy of mayapedia.me

Well what music to choose from this great guitarist? It was Autumn 1965 when I saw him at Cecil Sharp and I am sure he played "Black Mountain Rag". Follow the link to hear it performed by Doc at the Newport Folk Festival two years earlier.

In 1967 I left the kitchen for the office. As a Commis Chef I worked long hours, six days a week, for £13. As an Office Assistant I worked 9am to 5pm, five days a week, and was paid £25. Today it is probably different but in my day conditions and pay in the catering industry were very poor.

Me making puff pastry

You would think that with all this extra time on my hands I would have improved on my guitar playing but it didn't work out like that. The guitarists I admired and followed all played in the finger picking style. I tried to teach myself the technique but never mastered it. In England we had Davy Graham, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Ralph McTell and The Incredible String Band, to name but a few. It's hard to pick a song to represent this eclectic lot so I have selected everyone's favorite "The Streets of London" recorded By Ralph McTell in 1969.

Incredible String Band's album "Layers of the Onion" (1969)
Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia

There were of course many American guitarists and groups I admired and followed. I was intrigued by the music of the New Lost City Ramblers led by Mike Seeger. Their good musicianship and understanding of popular US songs of the 20's and 30's led to very authentic recreations. The songs were also spiced with good humour and wit.

Others artists I followed were Stefen Grossman, Leo Kotte and other emerging performers, while continuing to be faithful to the established stars like Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and many others. As an example of Stefan's excellent finger picking style I have chosen "Mississippi Blues"

Stefen Grossman courtesy of chordmelodyguitarmusic.com 

My girlfriend, Frankie, did not share my interest in folk music preferring pop, rock and in particular progressive rock. This got me listening to many bands I might have otherwise ignored. We both enjoyed Led Zepplin, Genesis, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Procol Harum (who we got to know personally) and many others. My musical interests were broadening thanks to Frankie but my deep love for Bluegrass and Celtic music never wained.