This YouTube video features Clifton Hicks playing "Shortnin' Bread" on a fretless gourd banjo that he handmade. He learned the tune from a recording by Lewis "Big Sweet" Hairston, featured on the Smithsonian Folkways album "Black Banjo Songsters of North Carolina and Virginia." The banjo is tuned to gDGBD. The description also provides links to Clifton Hicks' Patreon, website, Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes, and PayPal.
This YouTube video features a demonstration of the fretless tack head banjo, titled 'Cackling Hen,' handmade by Clifton Hicks. The description includes a personal anecdote from George Gibson about learning the tune from his father and his unique approach to playing banjo by hearing words rather than notes. It highlights various banjo playing styles, including overhand, clawhammer, and two-finger techniques, and delves into the history and cultural influences of traditional Appalachian mountain music, including minstrel show techniques, Afro-Caribbean, West African, and various North American music traditions. The description also lists a wide range of influential old-time banjo players and musicians.
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