burke wrote:So is that a bluegrass band or old timey Appalachian? The reason I ask is my wife plays old timey [fiddle and claw hammer banjo] ... that's why I have a washboard project waiting in the garage. Congas are not a great fit
... I also play bodhran and darbuka [which actually kinda work]. But for purists [aka: snobby bastards] these are not acceptable ...
Cheers
Darrell
That's a nice looking box drum you made !!
Our band is
ostensibly a bluegrass band ... instrument-wise ... and I know full well that there are purists who do not think percussion belongs in bluegrass. Plus, the traditional Monroe-style arrangement has the guitar and mandolin more or less substituting for a drum set, so finding practical and interesting ways to add percussion can be a fun challenge. When they first invited to join, 5 years ago, the idea was that I would do my "hillbilly percussion" thing : spoons, minstrel bones, washboard, jews harp. (Modesty aside, I am very adept at those instruments, having been at it since I was a kid.)
Our original banjo player was more of a jug-band guy than a bluegrass guy. The jug band tunes presented good opportunity for the instruments I mentioned ... as well as siren whistle, slide whistle, taxi horn, vibra slap, cooking pot lids mounted on cymbal stands, etc. LOL.. you get the idea.
But since our new banjo man joined, direction has changed. We dropped the jug band songs. We still do a fair number of BG standards, but now we have many more originals, plus we cover material by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dan Fogelberg, Little Feat, Grateful Dead ... even Pink Floyd !! More in the Americana or 'acoustic rock' vein, than purely bluegrass. For these songs, I found the
novelty percussion to be less appropriate. And that is what triggered me to bring the box drum into the act, as well as some 'drum set' drums & cymbals, played with brushes.
It's been a fun, interesting and challenging trip playing with these guys ... looking forward to a bunch of good jobs we have booked for the spring and summer.