// September 21st, 2008 // No Comments » // Banjo Articles by Paul Roberts, Banjo Players, Tenor Banjo
Gordon Johnston
Gordon Johnston is a master of the Irish tenor banjo with an unusual style. Instead of a plectrum, Gordon uses finger picks, with a technique that opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities for rhythmic textures and tonal subtleties. His approach has introduced me to a very satisfying tenor banjo style, and I am quite grateful to him for that.
Gordon demonstrates his technique on a YouTube video that has received over 10 thousand hits. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6rK30O3HjQ
My interview with Gordon Johnston was done via email:
There’s an unmistakable authenticity in your Irish tenor banjo playing. Obviously, you’ve got it in your blood. Would you say something about your early musical experiences and what influenced the way you developed your musical expressiveness?
“I was brought up in Northern Ireland and moved to NW England in 1971at the age of 16. As a youngster in Belfast, I became very keen on Irish folk music – the sort of stuff that was being churned out by the likes of the Dubliners and the Clancy Brothers.
From a very early age, I was captivated by the sound of a banjo. The 5-string became my first instrument, the age of 13, and I more or less taught myself bluegrass banjo. Only years later, when I got the Scruggs book, could I iron out all my misconceptions. I still play 5-string in a group with my brother and we perform a mixture of bluegrass and ‘British’ and Irish folk song.
From my early days, I was keen on traditional Irish music and went to sessions in Belfast, then, subsequently, to sessions in England. It wasn’t until 1979 that I got my first tenor banjo. For about 20 years, I played the Irish tenor in the conventional plectrum style. Ironically, I had always played a few reels and jigs on the 5-string fingerstyle!
When it came to learning tunes I would always find it more interesting to listen to good box and pipes players, but was always a bit frustrated that I couldn’t emulate what such players were doing, a reflection on my inadequate plectrum technique.
In about the year 2000 I was in a session at a Scottish folk festival and found myself messing around with fingerpicks on my tenor. I got the notion that maybe I could produce the ornamentation more effectively and consistently if I could develop this technique. This is what I have been doing for the past 8 or so years. So, my ‘musical expressiveness,’ such as it is, is the result of an odd amalgamation of bluegrass banjo technique and a love of the playing of grassroots traditional players. I still think of my technique as work in progress, as I’m constantly thinking of different ways of doing things.
Playing the tenor banjo with fingerpicks results in a different tone (and not to everyone’s liking!). It’s something that works for me, as I’ve found that I can play much more fluidly and the decorations come much easier. I think that, at the end of the day, it’s what you produce that counts and not how you produce it. I’m still experimenting with different pick and string combinations. Recently, I played a couple of vintage ‘pre-war’ tenors and was taken by their response to the fingerpick style. The tenor I play mostly is a typical ‘mastertone’ design, so I intend to explore other types.
Any particular musical experiences from childhood that stand out?
I was a youngster in the 60s and was aware of all the things that were happening then (Beatles, etc). However, I never really liked popular music and when my two older brothers started playing folk music in the 60s, I became hooked on their kind of stuff. I taught myself guitar and 5-string banjo and quickly became a member of the group. I started playing gigs when I was 13, although some venues were out of bounds for me because of my age.
Going to my first Dubliners concert in Belfast, in 1967, was a revelation. I knew then the sort of music I wanted to play. I was very lucky to find myself in places where the real traditional music was being played. For example, there was a pub in Belfast called The Old House were we would be booked to play and, on the same night, we would get to hear the likes of Uilleann piper Sean McAloon and legendary fiddler Sean Maguire. One of the earliest session pubs in the city was Pat’s Bar, down by the Docks, where I would regularly go to listen to other traditional players. I still remember clearly particular events, such as a certain Tommy Peoples from Donegal, turning up at a session in Dundalk and mesmerizing everyone.
Did anybody in your family play traditional Irish music? Parents, relatives, friends, acquaintances?
My dad was a musician of the dance band variety; he played keyboard and drums. In his early life, he was a top-notch accordionist, but not a player of traditional music (which, in fact, he despised). As I’ve mentioned, it was my older brothers who awakened my interest in Irish music. None of my peers were interested in it, nor would they have been aware such a thing existed. At that time, traditional Irish music would have been the preserve of the Nationalist community. In this respect, I was something of an anomaly, as I came from ‘the other side of the fence’. In fact, when the Troubles escalated in the late 60s, it got too dangerous for my brothers and me to go to certain parts of the city to hear the music we loved.
Are there any precedents in Irish banjo for your fingerstyle technique on tenor banjo?
I’m not aware of any. The only other non-plectrum style I know of is the ‘thimble’ style. This is where a small piece of plastic tubing, cut at an angle, is placed over the index finger. I have experimented with this style and enjoy employing it occasionally. Manchester’s Tony Sullivan is an exponent of this style. I think he refers to it as the ‘Traveler’s style.’ I’ve only ever seen about three other players using it. In fact, the famous Longford Banjo Festival in Ireland was established in honor of Johnny Keenan who was a player of this style.
What has been the response among traditional players and banjo enthusiasts to your approach?
Generally, it’s been quite favorable, but not to the extent that anyone wants to learn it. Some observers think I’m just using a thumb pick, whereas I use a thumb pick and two modified plastic fingerpicks.
What are your musical interests and aspirations? Do you play any other instruments?
I am passionate about two types of music – Irish Traditional and Bluegrass. I’m not too keen on ‘cross-fertilization’ and am a bit of a purist when it comes to the music (i.e. I’m not keen on electrification, drum kits, etc, and squirm at the sound of ‘Afro-Celt’ fusions!). The same goes for bluegrass; I love a good traditional band – like Del McCoury’s for example.
Banjo(s) is my first love and I like all sorts of styles, including classical, jazz etc. I play guitar and mandolin in the band as well as banjo. In my early days I played pedal steel, dobro and bass.
As for my aspirations, I simply want to continue to perfect my technique. In the past, when I played conventional plectrum style, I often left a session thinking, ‘I enjoyed that, but it was hard work’. I don’t feel like that anymore, since I adopted the finger style. It’s effortless in comparison.
How do you think the Internet is affecting the awareness and appreciation for Irish tenor banjo?
I think the Internet is a marvelous toy, especially for banjoists and aspiring banjoists. It’s wonderful to just type in your favorite player’s name and, more often than not, there he’ll be playing just for you. As I said, I play bluegrass banjo, too, and in recent times, I’ve been able to see footage of the likes of Don Reno, Doug Dillard, and so on. A lot of the Irish players are on there too (e.g. on YouTube).
The Internet provides a great opportunity for teaching and learning. I know, for example, there are some sites that show you how to build a banjo and I’ve seen at least one that will teach you how to play Irish tenor. It’s a tremendous means of disseminating and sharing knowledge. There is a glut of books and DVDs that will show you how to play an instrument but I think this can be a bit confusing for the beginner. The Internet could be the way forward in terms of banjo instruction!
What is your understanding of how the banjo was introduced into Irish music?
I believe this is fairly well documented, especially by Mick Maloney (there’s a website about it somewhere). Many cite the Flannagan brothers as being some of the earliest musicians to introduce the tenor into Irish Music. My own experience has been the same as probably everbody else’s in Ireland – the advent of the Dubliners and Barney McKenna. I can vividly remember the first time I saw him play at a concert in the Ulster Hall in Belfast in the late 60s. It was hypnotic. I can remember saying to my brother, ‘how can he play so far up the neck!’ Undoubtedly, McKenna spawned a whole generation of would-be banjoists.
Recently I unearthed a very old 10″ LP of the great Sean Maguire (fiddle)
with his Four Star Quartet. Someone is playing the banjolin on this recording. I have heard this instrument on some early, pre-McKenna, ceili band recordings. I have built myself a banjolin, which I enjoy playing (with a plectrum of course!).
Paul Roberts writes about and interviews traditional musicians. He is a performer, composer, music therapist and arts-in-education specialist who draws his musical inspiration from many genres.
Visit his BanjoCrazy.com website
Video of Gordon Johnson on Irish Banjo:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6rK30O3HjQ]
Gordon Johnston – Fingerstyle Irish Tenor Banjo
By Paul Roberts 9/9/08
from BanjoCrazy.com
