Another Earl tune but this time it’s in D minor tuning (the saddest of all keys according to Nigel). Same deal as the last one; Two videos of varying speed.
If you’re unfamiliar with the tuning it is, from string five to one, a-D-F-A-D.

Click image to play
QuickTime 7 required.
Fast

Slow

For download info & playback options refer to […]

Here is the theme song from the Beverly Hillbillies “The Ballad of Jed Clampett”.
This song tends to have a love-hate relationship with most banjo players but that doesn’t diminish its genius. Classic Earl, deceptively simple yet brilliant.
The tune is played out of the G position with the capo at the second fret (key of A). […]

Note: If you are using Internet Explorer 6 or 7 you may need to right-click the file and select “Save Target As…”
Note: You must first download the videos from this site and then open them in Quicktime in order to slow them down.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with Quicktime one of […]

Here is a slow sample of Foggy Mountain Breakdown. There are two down-neck breaks and two up-neck breaks. After filming these I am convinced it’s often more difficult to play slow than to play fast.

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QuickTime 7 required.

For download info & playback options refer to this article

Here is an example of how I play Bill Monroe’s tune Kentucky Mandolin. I play it different than most, wrong by some accounts, but for the most part it’s pretty close to the original recording. The main difference is that instead of the unison “D” note in the A part I play a “C” and […]

When I'm not playing guitar or banjo I can usually be found on my Ludwigs trying like hell to keep time. Click image to play QuickTime 7 required.