Clifton Hicks

Pretty Fair Damsel | Lesson

Let's talk through how to play Pretty Fair Damsel. Banjo is tuned fA#FA#C (one step below gDGCD). In this video I show the basics of how to play the song both two-finger "thumb lead" style and overhand. 

Two-Finger Thumb-Lead Techniques

In this video I demonstrate most of the elements that I have developed to embellish, emphasize and vary my traditional two-finger banjo picking.  

1. "Bump-Ditty" or "Chicka-Boom" Lick 

2.Two-Count Rhythm 

3. Three-Count ...

July 18th: George Gibson @ Warren Wilson College!

George R. Gibson (banjo master, collector, researcher and mentor) has been invited to give a presentation at the 2018 Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College near Asheville, North Carolina. George is scheduled to go on at 1:15pm Wednesday, July ...

"Pretty Fair Damsel" Performance

I learned this classic British love song from the recordings of Morgan Sexton out of east Kentucky and Tom Ashley out of east Tennessee.  Thanks to Patrick for requesting this song; it has been years since I've heard or sang it.

gCGCD   2018-06-10 13:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Relative Tuning by Ear | Part 2

In this video I'll show you 6 more traditional banjo tunings and discuss how to tune to each one by ear using the relative tuning method.

gCGBD "Minstrel," gCGAD "Naomi Wise," eCGAD "Little Birdie," gCGCD "Hook & Line," gCGCE "Cackling Hen," gC...

Relative Tuning by Ear | Part 1

In this video I'll show you 6 different traditional banjo tunings and how to achieve them by ear using the "relative tuning" method. There are _many_ more tunings out there!

gDGBD "Standard," gDGAD "Moonshiner," f#DGAD "German War," f#DF#AD "Reubin...

Banjo Roots and Branches

Banjo Roots and Branches is now available for pre-order through 2018-06-04 14:54:47 +0000 UTC View Post

Hills of Mexico | Close-Up

Here's a slowed down, close-up view of Hills of Mexico played using simplified overhand approach. fDGCD, relative.

https://patreon.com/cliftonhicks

2018-06-01 19:37:31 +0000 UTC View Post

Hills of Mexico | Lesson

"Hills of Mexico" from Roscoe Halcomb of Daisy, Kentucky.

• Performance (two-finger): https://youtu.be/zTsDSWlwPro?si=ehM38aaqhe1M9_H...

  2018-06-01 03:09:49 +0000 UTC View Post

Q&A: Magic Wish Banjo, Fingernails & OLD Wood

"If you could snap your fingers and have any banjo, what would you get and why?" - Lindsay

"To my ear, you seem to get quite a deep, bassy tone from your banjo. Banjos aren't really associated with a deep, bassy sound but I wondered whether thin...

Hills of Mexico | Performance

My banjo is tuned: dBEAB (fDGCD, relative, aka "F Tuning")

I learned this song from the famous recording of Roscoe Holcomb from Daisy, Kentucky. In the past I've mostly used up-picking to accompany this song; here I chose to finger pick it in an ef...

Basic Overhand Banjo Picking

This is a very basic introduction to traditional overhand (or "clawhammer) style banjo playing. Even if you're already familiar with this style of banjo playing, you might get some use out of my relatively different approach to teaching it.

Banjo i...

Dan Gellert on "Finding Folklore"

Fine music and wise words from expert banjoist/fiddler Dan Gellert.

(Filmed by Dylan McMurry & Quinn Donoghue.)

Discussion | Going Across the Mountain

https://patreon.com/cliftonhicks

http://cliftonhicks.bandcamp.com

Although made famous by renown...

Frankie & Albert | Lesson

Let's talk our way through how to play "Frankie & Albert" in f#DEAD.

Frankie & Albert | Close-Up

(f#DEAD, relative, aka "Frankie" tuning.) 

Here is a close-up view of both hands playing "Frankie & Albert" a couple of different ways. To slow this video down click on the machine cog symbol in the bottom right of the video player and the...

Q&A | Top 5 Banjo Albums?

Sean wrote in and asked me to list my top 5 banjo albums were I to be, somehow, stranded on a desert island with a functioning CD player. Well yall, I think I picked SIX albums and they're not all "banjo" albums... but here they are! These are all re...

Scott Didlake on Banjo Origins

"This is a very rare video of the late Scott Didlake, 1948-1994, pioneer gourd banjo builder and the lost origin of the banjo researcher. He his talking at a Gourd banjo workshop during  the Tennessee Banjo Institute event 1992 together with Mik...

How to Tack a Banjo Head

A few of yall are running into the same troubles I had when I first tried to make a tackhead banjo. Mounting the head on one of these contraptions is fairly challenging and nuanced--hopefully this short video will spare you the agony of a busted or l...

Camden Pugh | "Go Along Mule" (from Dave Macon)

Young Tennessee banjoist Camden Pugh (who learned much of his music from world famous entertainer Leroy Troy) has come up in more than one of our discussions here. Though I'd say he is mostly known for his finger picking and singing, here Pugh is lay...

Frankie & Albert

f#DEAD, relative (aka "Frankie" tuning)

Here's my attempt at this fairly unusual piece of music that I learned from banjo master, researcher and mentor George Gibson of Knott County, Kentucky. Virgil Anderson, Dee Hicks and Dock Boggs (to name a fe...

Q&A | Clif's Dogs & the Fifth String "Pip?"

Several folks have asked for a formal introduction to my two dogs, Mexico and Copper--so here they are! We also _try_ to answer Patrick's question about the details of my deer bone fifth string "pips."

"Banjo Tales" with Mike Seeger

 A number of you have inquired with me about Mike Seeger's "Banjo Tales" film and field recording project that I participated in during 2008. Due to the sensitive nature of this subject (and the numerous parties involved) I have been reluctant t...