Old Time Music and 5 string banjos

**joke1176** · 06-28-2010, 01:00 AM

A friend of mine plays clawhammer on da banjo. We used to get together and play quite often, till he moved to Iowa.

Anyhow, ever listen to any Dwight Diller?

**JimmyHAD** · 06-28-2010, 02:57 AM

Originally Posted by joke1176

A friend of mine plays clawhammer on da banjo. We used to get together and play quite often, till he moved to Iowa.

Anyhow, ever listen to any Dwight Diller?

Not until just now. Many thanks, beautiful playing. That guy is no joke. (pun intended)

YouTube - "Intermediate WV Clawhammer Banjo" Instructional DVD Sample - Kitchen Girl

**Sailor** · 06-28-2010, 07:39 AM

Originally Posted by Croaker

Thanks for the vid; I didn't know that old timey string band music had been popular in Finland. Gorgeous fiddle players like that one are even more rare than clawhammer banjo players! Hey, I have been trying to track down some traditional Kalevala singing to listen to (have read it in translation) and wonder if you had any links? Thank you.

Thanks for comment. About 300 000 Finns moved to USA and Canada between 1881 - 1930. Some of my old family members too; we haven't heard about them ever since.
Most stayed but some came back. They made some great music and recorded it either there or here. Some songs are legends (such as Hiski Salomaa/Lännen lokari or Antti Syrjäniemi/Dayton monkey case. Very different music than this thread). Nowadays emigrant music is not much popular. J.Karjalainen aka Lännen Jukka is the only artist i know who still keeps up the flame.

It is high five for you if you really have made through Kalevala. I read it in school and disliked it because it is very difficult, sort of ancient Finnish with strange words and forms. Few years ago as Peter Jackson made Lord of the Rings trilogy, i read it again as LOTR has so much influences from Kalevala. Still wasn't too easy.
Finding Kalevala singing ('runonlaulanta' in Finnish) links is difficult even here, but if i do, i will PM them.
The band Värttinä still makes traditional, sort of Kalevala music, easy to find from YouTube. Very, very different than music in this thread.

**Croaker** · 06-28-2010, 08:02 PM

Sailor, I went to the You Tube link below, per your recommendation, and saw Lännen-Jukka - Pontikkapoika. Absolutely amazing FRETLESS banjo, which I have never heard anyone play outside of Appalachia. It was not hard to figure out what the song was about, since my grandfather made moonshine in West Virginia back in the 1930's , until his children were old enough to talk. We have "Mountain Dew", and God only knows what the Finnish moonshiners put in those clear glass jugs! Looked like some fearsome liquor to me! Thanks a lot. I found the Kalevala extremely interesting, as a LOTR fan of many years, and did read the whole thing. It is much easier in English, but probably lost a lot in the two translations I have read. Old Louhi was a powerful witch, to be sure, but met her match in Vainamoinen. I want to hear the old versions of songs from the Kalevala!

YouTube - LÃ¤nnen-Jukka - Pontikkapoika

**Ogershok** · 06-28-2010, 08:41 PM

I've been playing bluegrass 5-string since college. Here's Turkey In The Straw and links to a bunch of other pickin that I did. By the way - Never use just the acronym for Turkey In The Straw.

YouTube - ogershok's Channel

**Croaker** · 06-28-2010, 10:03 PM

Originally Posted by Ogershok

I've been playing bluegrass 5-string since college. Here's Turkey In The Straw and links to a bunch of other pickin that I did. By the way - Never use just the acronym for Turkey In The Straw.

YouTube - ogershok's Channel

Outstanding chromatic bluegrass pickin'! Is that a Vega?

**JimmyHAD** · 06-28-2010, 10:19 PM

Thanks Ogershok. You sure can get around that neck.

**nessmuck** · 06-28-2010, 11:48 PM

Jimmy ,funny you brought this up because our Vet. was here at the house today to give some of our animals some shots and we got to talking and i told him that i took up straight razor shaving and call it RAD and he said i must have BAD and i said what is that he said Banjo Acquisition Disorder. He said he had 22 of them.He restores them and also builds them from scratch, i told him to bring some to the office so that i can see them,cant wait!!!!

**Ogershok** · 06-29-2010, 12:37 AM

Originally Posted by Croaker

Outstanding chromatic bluegrass pickin'! Is that a Vega?

Thanks! Nope, that banjo started life as a Gibson RB100 and has had a tone ring installed and so many other parts swapped that the only original parts left are the rim and resonator. Since the video, it's even had a new neck.

**Sailor** · 06-29-2010, 06:27 AM

Originally Posted by Croaker

Sailor, I went to the You Tube link below, per your recommendation, and saw Lännen-Jukka - Pontikkapoika. Absolutely amazing FRETLESS banjo, which I have never heard anyone play outside of Appalachia. It was not hard to figure out what the song was about, since my grandfather made moonshine in West Virginia back in the 1930's , until his children were old enough to talk. We have "Mountain Dew", and God only knows what the Finnish moonshiners put in those clear glass jugs! Looked like some fearsome liquor to me! Thanks a lot. I found the Kalevala extremely interesting, as a LOTR fan of many years, and did read the whole thing. It is much easier in English, but probably lost a lot in the two translations I have read. Old Louhi was a powerful witch, to be sure, but met her match in Vainamoinen. I want to hear the old versions of songs from the Kalevala!

Sorry off topic. The tradition of making moonshine (here known as 'teardrops of the forest spruce' or 'force of oppressed') has been strong and i've heard they still make it up north, outside cities. I've read that Finns had a reputation there of not only being hard workers and their strong need to join unions but also being very hard headed when drunk. I read once that in some U.S state i do not remember which it was illegal to sell alcohol to indians and Finns

. It was just obvious that they made even songs about their beloved poison.
Many years ago in my army days there was a dude from north who brought some moonshine his father had made. We took some and i wouldn't recommend it to anyone - got a deadliest hangover for almost three days. First i was so sick that i was afraid that i'll die and then i got even sicker so i got afraid that i wouldn't die.

I'll try to find Kalevala singing links, if such ever exists. It is very rare tradition that comes from Karelia.

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