A Mel Bay Publications, Inc. Webzine
February 2008 · Bimonthly
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In this issue: Choking Strings - Part 2 | Rendering the Melody Bluegrass Style |
Bach Minuet for Melodic Style Banjo | A Lesson With Ken Fleming | Sopping the Gravy Print this Article (PDF) Email Article to a Friend 
A Lesson With Ken FlemingMick Moloney calls him the "most under-rated banjo player in America." In Texas he is known as one of the founders of the North Texas Irish Festival, now one of the largest Irish cultural festivals in the world. I know him as a banjo teacher. Ken is now the director of the O'Flaherty Irish Retreat, a four day school that takes place each October near Dallas. For some reason he decided to teach banjo in addition to his already overtime job of herding cats at the Retreat, and I‘m glad he did because it gave me another chance to take a few lessons from him. Ken teaches a traditional style: he shows us tunes, a phrase at a time, and in the process we learn a lot more than just the tune. This year's class was typical, we were exposed to a number of tunes and expected to learn them well a lot later. We had very little time to practice, mostly because we were having so much fun at the retreat, so recording the lessons was a necessity. I am going to present you with one of the lessons, in toto, so you can hear how they went. The Log CabinThe Log Cabin is a tune that sounds very difficult to play at first because it seems to be constructed of all sorts of diddlys. (By Diddlys I mean the ornaments that you usually hear in Irish music, mostly triplets in the banjo's case.) When Ken first presented this piece, I didn't think I could play it, but as he went over each phrase, it became easier to understand. He pointed out that even the most complex tune can be broken down into smaller bite sized pieces and put back together again once the technical stuff is out of the way. Ken also prefers to teach by ear, a move I hardily agree with, and he likes to show the tune at speed and then slowly at first before breaking it down. Here is the first time he presented the tune to us. 
Ken Plays Log Cabin mp3 I suggest that you listen to the tune several times to catch the rhythm and lilt. Ignore the diddlys for now but they will become very important as you learn the tune because they define how Ken puts drive in the tune. (If you have Angelina Carberry's An Traidisiún Beo you can find another more laid back version of the same tune.) Once you get the tune in your head a bit, go on to the lesson below. Warning, it is 48 minutes long and takes a while to download. Take your time with it, it will be worth it. Ken's Lesson On Log Cabin mp3 (in six parts) Here is an mp3 and a video of the same tune after I listened to this lesson a second time. Mike Plays Log Cabin Here I break down The Log Cabin a little. 
Mike Breaks Down Log Cabin Video Ken's playing is hallmarked by his driving style which has been honed by 30 years of playing banjo. I like his style a lot and learning to play with Ken's flair was one of the reasons I went to the Retreat. The SteampacketOf course, you can't just play one tune. I chose The Steampacket as a second tune in the set because it is a common session tune and it compliments The Log Cabin well, especially if you play one faster than the other and contrast them. Unlike The Log Cabin, The Steampacket has fewer diddlys but more double stop opportunities and a more pulsing rhythm depending on how you play it. Before you try it, listen to the tune played slowly a few times then look at the video. Mike Plays Steampacket 
In the spirit of Ken's teaching, I am presenting the notation last. He gave us notation to all of his tunes, but only after he taught the tunes to us. We were told to not look at the notation while he was in the room because he though we learned the music (not the tune, but how it sounds) better by ear. I have to agree. ResourcesKen Fleming plays banjo, button accordion, concertina, mandolin, and guitar and can be heard on the CD "Live At Trinity Hall" which can be bought at http://www.irishtradmusic.org/cd. You can also get the CD at the O'Flaherty Irish Retreat which occurs every October and never, ever fails to please even the most discerning Irish music fan. Everything about it is a pleasant experience.  
About the Author Mike Keyes, a native of Franklin, Tennessee, has played tenor banjo since 1957 and over the years has learned to play five string banjo, mandolin, and guitar. He earned his way through college and medical school playing in bluegrass and dixieland bands and currently plays in the Irish band "Drowsy Maggie." He is an expert in sports performance and has written a book and over 200 articles on the subject. His interest in Irish music started a number of years ago when effort to learn more about his musical roots led him to the discovery of session playing. Since then he has been to Ireland to learn more about the music and has taken classes and interviewed such banjo greats as John Carty, Angelina Carberry, Charlie Piggot, and Gerry O'Connor. His medical practice is in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. You can email him at mikeyes@charter.net if you wish to discuss some aspect of the Irish tenor banjo or go to his web site at www.mikekeyes.com. [ top ]
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