The Glory-Beaming Banjo

Listening to Ken Perlman fly through a set of dance tunes provides a masterclass on the melodic possibilities not often explored on the five-string banjo. Perlman is, of course, a pioneer in melodic clawhammer banjo playing. He has released dozens of albums and two classic instructional books. His latest album, Frails & Frolics , is a collection of fiddle tunes from Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton and elsewhere. The album is Perlman’s first solo album since 2001, and his first devoted solely to the banjo. The 17 tracks present 46 tunes, mostly arranged as medleys or “sets.” The tunes showcase Perlman’s immaculate playing style. It’s truly a marvel how he can manage to sound all notes of a fiddle. His triplets and trills are masterful. The packaging isn’t flashy, but a simple eight-page booklet gives in-depth background about each tune and its source, as well as notes on Perlman’s arrangements. It’s clear from the liner notes that Perlman has done extensive research into the o...

One of the fascinating things about the banjo is the many ways the instrument is played. For every player, there is seemingly a different method. Some styles have distinct names with many practitioners, whereas other styles are distinctly unique to one musician. When I first started, I didn't really know another style existed beyond how Earl Scruggs plays, which is a three-finger picking style that involves syncopated "rolls," alternating the thumb, index and middle fingers. Scruggs elevated this style to point that it now bears his name, Scruggs style. However, Scruggs was not the first to pick the banjo with three fingers, nor was he the first to use metal finger picks, but he was the most popular. Now, his style is emulated by the majority of Bluegrass banjo players.  Aside from Scruggs style, there were many other finger-picking styles. Old-Time banjoists like Dock Boggs , Charlie Poole , and sometimes  Uncle Dave Macon (who played any way he wanted) used ...