This morning I went searching for obscure instruments on Youtube. I started with the sackbut, but that didn't take me anywhere I wanted to go. Then I looked for nickelharpa songs, and found a few interesting pieces (nothing worth sharing). Next up, the jew's harp, which brought me here:
That in turn (and in tandem with some googling) took me to the song's predecessor, "Old Zip Coon":
Then, as fate would have it, I started reading about Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music. Once upon a time I came across this collection in the library of a public radio station where I worked as a music host. I played a couple songs on the air, but the moment (for me) wasn't right. Now I feel like I've hit the jackpot. I'm downloading the anthology even as I type. Here's a sample:
An instrument i had never heard of until recently is the banjo ukulele. A guy on the you-tubes named Matthew J Richards has a handful of videos of him playing old songs.
ReplyDeleteRegular ukuleles seem to have a large you-tube constituency as well. Jake Shimabukuro is one standout.
The main reason for this comment though is to thank you. I've been interested in old folk/americana music for a few months now, but combing through such a massive genre is a bit daunting. That anthology seems like a wonderful jumping off point.
Hell yes, Axton--a great jumping off point indeed. Thanks for taking the leap with me. Let's compare notes.
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