Finally got the neck cut out! It has been quite an experience. I started with a block of cherry (3.5"x3.5"x36"), and found out the hard way that a jigsaw isn't the best tool for cutting 90 degree angles! So, sadly, the block of cherry was pretty mangled. After some time I picked up a piece of curly maple (2.5"x2.5"x30"). The smaller size meant that I would have to cut less material, which leaves less room for error (well, I guess you could look at it both ways!). Anyways, I had the idea that I could somehow use a coping saw to do all of the cutting, and quickly found out that it would be possible to do so, but that it would take an enormous amount of time. After some searching, I found a bandsaw to use and it's a damn dream come true. Sheesh. So, with the right tools and a lot of help from my dad (thanks dad!) this thing is starting to look like a banjo. Next is smoothing the neck up a bit and then sealing both the neck and the pot. Not too long now!

Today I started working on the banjo. I cut out the front, back and hoop. Also, I cut the metal ring used to support the calfskin head. I'm keeping the construction pretty simple, toolwise I've only used a drill (for starter holes), a jigsaw, some heavy grit sandpaper and tin snips for the metal ring. Currently the front and hoop are glued and clamped together and drying on my counter. Looks like tomorrow is neck day!

Pecan, Cherry, Calfskin and Sandy Boys

Picked up some wood for the homemade banjo. The front, back and hoop will be made of pecan (thin boards in the photograph). The neck will be made of cherry (long block in photograph). And the head will be calfskin, which I received yesterday (the tube above the largest pecan board). This weekend I'll cut the front, back and hoop out, and maybe start working on the neck, though I have to admit I'm nervous about that! The tune is Sandy Boys, played in a different tuning (which I honestly can't remember at the moment). Normally an upbeat dance tune, changing the tuning seems to totally change the character of the song into something more brooding.

Hail Against the Barn Door

I've heard this one a few times and think it's beautiful. So tonight I sat down and played it over and over. I feel like I'm pretty close to having it down. Also trying to learn Shaking Down the Acorns, will likely post that one soon. In other news, my copy of Foxfire #3 arrived in the mail a few days ago, which means that soon I'll start building my own banjo! I plan to document the undertaking, and post about it on this here blog.

Never Miss Your Mama Till She's Gone

Drove home last night during a great (and rare for these parts) thunderstorm. I've been recording using a shoebox cassette recorder, an upgrade from the handheld microcasette recorder I've been using. The sound is pretty accurate, and also captures a warmth that the digital recordings don't have. I'm hoping at some point to release a limited run of cassettes. Anyways, I set up the recorder on the porch and played the fretless, tuned to gCGCD from just inside my front door. The song is called Never Miss Your Mama Till She's Gone. I first heard it from the Black Twigs, and subsequently have heard it on the Old Originals Volume 1 LP, as played by Dent Wimmer, who as far as I know came up with the tune. But don't quote me as I haven't looked too deeply into it. The twigs play it at a slower, more mournful pace which seems to fit the content of the song well. Dent's playing is a little more raucous, though it still captures the lonesome feeling of the tune. There are words to this one. I haven't quite nailed down the art of singing and playing at the same time, so I just focused on playing. A sample of some of the lyrics are... Never miss your mama till she's gone Never miss your mama till she's gooooooone Miss your mamaaaaa Gonna miss her some sweet day You never miss your mama till she's gone Neighbor will tell you what to do Neighbor will tell you what to doooooo Neighbor will tell yoooouuuu Then he'll turn his back on you O you'll never miss your mama till she's gone Sister will do the best she can Sister will do the best she caaaaan Sister will doooo But she just don't understand Never miss your mama till she's gone When I first heard the song a few years ago, I figured it was about losing your wife or girlfriend, and regretting not appreciating her while she's around (you don't miss your water till your well runs dry, etc.). But the references to sister and father, and the absence of something like 'mother will do the best she can', in the song implies that this is literally mama, mother. If it really is about missing your mother, then I have to congratulate Dent Wimmer on writing a mother-related song that isn't sappy. Either way, the mood of the song fits how I've been feeling the last few days, and it literally just came out without any premeditation, just played it once while the tape rolled and the rain fell and that was it.