Music Sources.

The Music I Play.

    All of the music that I use is public domain (PD).  There are many advantages for this.  The first is that I am not very good at composing.  Another is that I find history fascinating, luckily for me, the music I love is in PD.  Probably the most important reason is everyone can play it (I am referring to the original music scores, not my recordings or tab arrangements; the tabs found on this site are for anybody to use, please don’t copy them and claim that they are your own, at least give me credit).  Any music written before roughly 1923 is PD.  That does not include new arrangements of PD songs.  The artists that create and write these arrangements rightfully deserves credit for the work.  For more information on PD and copyright check out www.copyright.gov

     Quite a bit of the music I play comes from the S. S. Stewart Banjo and Guitar Journal.  Stewart was probably one of the most important builders and promoters of the Banjo in the late 19th century.  His bi-monthly journal is excellent, not just for the Banjo, but for the mood and tone of everyday life during its publication.

   

    The U.S. Library of Congress’ American Memories collection is also a great source for Banjo music and can be found here.. www.loc.gov/

    An incredible wealth on info as well as a priceless collection of music and tutors can be found at... www.classicbanjo.com  So much can be found here that a lifetime of study would just scrape the surface.

    Concerning Stroke Style, a great site is... The Banjo Clubhouse  This is a web page put together by the incredible Banjoist Tim Twiss.  He has made a place available for anybody to post their recordings of early Banjo music.  This is a wonderful source for anybody learning minstrel banjo style as most of the early tutors are represented.