Newsletter, October 2007 – The Kitchen Musician
Hello Friends,
Welcome to the October 2007 issue of The Kitchen Musician, my occasional newsletter. Contents:
- Upcoming Shows
- Some Recent News
- “I Wish I was a Mole in the Ground”
A traditional song featuring my home made banjo.
Upcoming Shows
Oct.10, 9:00 pm I am the feature performer at the Sit ‘n Bull Pub in Maynard, MA. This is an old fashioned pub — an enjoyable place to hear acoustic music.
Oct. 11, FODfest at Johnny D’s in Somerville, MA.
Oct. 20, 7:30 I am opening at the Union Hall Coffee House, Carlisle, MA for Ken & Julie & The Eclectic Folk Project. This should be fun. Please join us!
Click for all upcoming shows.
Some Recent News
During the week of Sept 17, my video of Talking Post Trauma Blues occupied the #1 spot on Neil Young’s list of 290 Antiwar videos.
I have endorsed Rob Crawford for President of Red Sox Nation. After you view his wonderful song “I’m a Member of Red Sox Nation“, I am sure you will agree. Please consider voting for him before the midnight, October 2 deadline. You can vote as many as ten times per e-mail address. Go Red Sox!
I had a great time in Albany, singing at a concert to celebrate the 25th anniversary of A Gentle Wind, award winning producer of my recording for children, “Chip Off the New Block”. Click to see a poster for the concert.
This Month’s Song: I Wish I was a Mole in the Ground
Traditional, Learned from Bascom Lamar Lunsford
During the great Boston blizzard of 1978, I came down with a case of “cabin fever”. After the fifth day of looking at the world through frosted glass, my wife Margo suggested that I try to do something to keep busy. Fortunately, my little brother Snuffy (that’s right, Snuffy) had given me the Foxfire Books that previous Christmas. In Volume III, there are several designs for fretless banjos. Following the directions “exactly” (except I used an old banjo head rather than “sew groundhog or cat hide around a ring using thread cut from a squirrel hide”), and working with crude tools, a mahogany plank, a #10 bean can from the school cafeteria, and left over pieces from a yard sale banjo sacrificed for the project, I surfaced a week later with a fretless banjo. Mine is similar to the one in the book by Stanley Hicks, from Beech Mountain, North Carolina. (Shown at left in his workshop). In my “audio” version of this song (above), I also sing a little harmony and play backup guitar near the end of the song.
I Wish I was a Mole in the Ground
Click to play Bascom Lamar Lunsford singing
I learned “I Wish I was a Mole in the Ground” from Bascom Lamar Lunsford singing on Harry Smith’s seminal work, the “Anthology of American Folk Song“, published in 1952.
In his article “On the Trail of Bascom Lamar Lunsford“, writing about this anthology Chris King says, “One voice seized me more than the rest. Over a simply picked banjo, the voice sang mournfully about a mole in the ground. … It cracked and warbled, strained and disappeared. Nothing about it sounded trained or polished. Such voices have always affected me. Ringo was my favorite Beatle because I figured anyone who sang as sweetly as those other guys must be insincere. With a voice like Ringo’s, or this banjo man’s, there was no reason to sing unless you had something to say. This was not a voice that made birds fall from their perches, nor girls crowd the stage. But if narrative and emotion drew you to songs, this voice was unforgettable.” Amen, Mr. King
Simon Bunyard
October 4, 2007Tom,
I like the song, and I like your new spiffy web site.
Best to you both, Simon
Mark H.
February 19, 2008Tom,
I love the youtube vid of Mole in the Ground. Super! I am having a hell of a time immitating it, however. I just can’t figure out exactly what you’re doing for some of that melody. I can usually find the notes, but not how to get there from the last one. Your left hand is a mystery. I can see the 4th string slide on “mole,” but not much else. I’m gonna keep at this, though.
Tom
February 19, 2008Hello Mark,
Am pleased you found me here. I think the web reduces these videos to 12 frames per second, which makes it that much more difficult to see detail like that. The banjo is tuned in double-C, and also down a step or more due to the longer-than-normal neck. Hope that helps. Send me a link your finished video when you get it!
Glad to see the banjo prospering over there in Germany.
-Tom
Mark H.
February 19, 2008I won’t be making any banjo videos any time soon. I notice you have been involved in some anti-war stuff. On that front I can offer you a recording:
http://hatlie.de/files/HeLeadethMe2.mp3
Shane Bubb
June 8, 2008Hi Tom, I stumbled on your youtube performance of ‘Mole in the ground’ while searching for info on Stanley Hicks banjos; love the sound. I was interested in your comment on neck length. I have a copy of Foxfire & considered building a banjo from the dimensions provided but they don’t make much sense (especially the head). 26″ seemed OK for scale length & as it wasn’t mentioned elsewhere in the text I took it as gospel. As for the head the ‘F’ & ‘B’ dimension doesn’t equal ‘C’. Head size is quoted as 10 1/4″ yet elsewhere in the text 11″ is quoted; 10 3/4″ suits ‘C’ dimension. Also the ‘I’ & ‘J’ dimension doesn’t seem to work. The soundhole on plan is 5 3/8, yet in the text 4″; if 4″ is substituted & used with “J’ of 3 1/4 gives a head size of 10 1/2”. Am I missing something? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Shane
Shane
June 9, 2008Apologies, I made a blue with scale length; Tedra’s banjo was 26†& Stanley’s banjo was 25 ¾â€
Shane
Tom
June 9, 2008Hello Shane,
I am pleased to read that you are building your own banjo. Very satisfying. I did not stick religiously to the plans in Foxfire. For one thing, the only reasonable thing I had for the rim was a #10 bean can from the cafeteria. So, that became the head diameter. Looks like 6 1/8″. The outside diameter of the wooden rim is 10 3/8″. Regarding the neck length, from nut to tailpiece is 34 1/4 “. The length from nut to bridge is 29 1/2 “. And the length from nut to the outside of the wooden rim is 24”. I think it is the neck length that gives this banjo an interesting deep rich sound. Though the extended string length can be a problem in damp weather as they get a bit floppy.
Good luck. When you are done, send me a photo!
-Tom