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Book Now Folks
18th Annual Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festival Omagh Co Tyrone
04 September 2009 until 06 September 2009
This famous festival is jam-packed with performances from some of the biggest names in bluegrass music.
Stroll through the museum for the afternoon sessions with six stages of great music to enjoy or book tickets to experience the electric atmosphere of a night time concert.
International artists performing this year include The Claire Lynch Band, Dirk Powell Band, Kenny & Amanda Smith and the Malpass Family all from the USA. The Foggy Hogtown Boys from Canada will also perform alongside Acousticure, Four Wheel Drive and Turquoise from Europe as well as plenty of home-grown talent.
Booking information:
Weekend passes or evening concert tickets can be reserved from 028 8224 3292.
Dangem Next Get together Saturday 19th Sept
Everyone welcome
Dangem Next Get together Saturday 19th Sept (see details below)
Dust of the Banjo
Everyone welcome
So break out the Banjo, Fiddle or violin, Guitar,Mandolin,
For some good old Bluegrass jammin
Go on you know you will love it.
We have arranged a get together to do some more picking . William has booked the Civic Centre in Lisburn,
(see address and post code below) on Saturday 30th May from 9.30am– 12.00pm. A small fee for the hire of the room will be charged, about £3.00 each.
Lagan Valley Island
Centre Management
Island Civic Centre
LISBURN
BT27 4RL
How to get to the civic centre
If you are coming from the South direction take the turn off for Lisburn (from the M1) after Sprucefield, sign posted for Lisburn Ballynahinch.
At the roundabout take the 1st turn off for Lisburn, keep in the right hand lane.
Go through 2 sets of traffic lights (if you look to your right as you pass through the 2nd set of lights you will see the Civic Centre beside the river.)
You must stay in the right lane and take the third exit from the roundabout to get to the Civic Centre.
Coming from the North side
Coming from Belfast on the M1 take the 1st slip road marked Lisburn, Ballynahich, Saintfield.
Take the 3rd exit marked Lisburn
Keep in the right hand lane, go through 2 sets of traffic lights (if you look to your right as you pass through the 2nd set of lights you will see the civic centre beside the river.)
You must stay in the right lane and take the third exit from the roundabout to get to the Civic Centre.
www.dangem.co.uk
Tel (+44) 07521 464125
From day one, way back in 1995, there has been a controversy over the non- traditional peg head the Goodtime sported on it’s debut. Affectionately called the “Gumby” peg head the Goodtime not only broke tradition in looks but in volume of sales that made it tough to keep up with demand. Over the years artists like John McEuen, Steve Martin, David Holt, and more recently Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops have sung praises over the Original Goodtime as the tone and playability proved out that “Looks aren’t everything.”
There are many wonderful outdoor festivals coming up and you and your family will want to get your traveling shoes on to share in the fun and music!
If you already play, consider getting a Goodtime banjo to take to the festival jam sessions and workshops. It's light in weight (as little as 4 lbs.) and easy to carry that way many big star of banjo carry a Goodtime as the working Banjo.
John Dowling’s New Album just released.
The Underground Sessions' was recorded entirely in a 200 year old tin mine near St. Ives.
Anyone who has witnessed John play live will know what a master of the Banjo he is.
This Album is Heartistic (Played from the heart )and the Acoustics created by the old tin mine is something beyond description.
What a master of the Banjo.
One of the most under estimated artist alive today.
And a nice guy to boot.
The album is available in the Dangem Shop or any outlet worth its salt
Deering Lick ending of the month
Give it a shot!
Anytime banjos are in the media whether it be a movie like Deliverance or on a sit-com like the other night on "The Office", interest in the banjo increases to a greater degree. This increased interest equates to more banjos sales.
Next week, writer, actor, producer, comedian and yes banjoist, Steve Martin is releasing his new CD "The Crow". It had a pre-release on Amazon .com and will be released next week on Rounder Records. It's a very fun CD produced by John McEuen with banjo greats like Earl Scruggs and Tony Trishca and others as well. Steve shows of course his comical side as well as traditional and not so traditional banjo styles.
You may have seen it or heard about it but what you may not have thought about is the number of talk shows, record promotions in record stores and promotion in all types of media that the release of this CD will generate. High Profile Celebrity + Banjo is good for the banjo business.
If I were you I would order a copy today to show customers the CD label is actually a Deering Boston banjo head and flange which Steve owns and plays. There is also a Deering Texas banjo on the inside cover. If it's good enough for a guy that could have any banjo he wants, maybe you should consider a Boston or other Deering banjo for yourself
Dangem Now Stocking Blueridge Guitars
Authentic vintage style Bluegrass guitars that leave the competition standing
Blueridge have taken America by storm with their authentic vintage style dreadnought and auditorium guitars. No corners have been cut to keep the price down, and the guitars speak for themselves in quality and playability.
Lovin the Banjo Lilly
Lilly Allen's Video " Not Fair"
Youtube Dangem Banjo Camp 2009 Video of Concert
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Learning to play Banjo
The Wonder of Being a Beginner No matter how long you play, you will always enjoy a never ending supply of wonder and discovery.
During our busy working lives, it is often difficult to combine hard work with remembering to “stop and smell the roses”. We all have friends who one day “wake up” and lament, ‘wow, my kids are teenagers and I don’t even remember them growing up’. As beginning banjo players, we all tend to be very impatient with our progress. We want to be able to play like the professionals we hear, but be able to do it NOW! While this desire is natural, and is part of the natural drive we all have to work hard so we can “move ahead”, there is an aspect of being a beginner that we don’t want to lose.
Discovery…one of the great enjoyments in life is discovering new and exciting things. It can be discovering new restaurants, new books, new songs or new mathematical equations. But for the banjo playing beginner, almost every moment of banjo practice brings new discoveries. Every lesson can show us a relationship between chords, or picking patterns, or how the banjo responds to a certain kind of strum. Just like watching a child grow, your skill and awareness grows every time you pick up your banjo. At times, it can feel like watching your fingernails grow; you know they’re growing, but you can’t see any movement! At other times, you experience dramatic sweeping awareness that catapults you into a frenzy of discovery both thrilling and sometimes overwhelming.
However, when we work slowly and steadily at developing our ability, we make discoveries constantly. These are precious moments that will actually “spur us on” and keeps our enthusiasm flowing. I think the very best way to put ourselves into a “method” that helps keep us on the “discovery path” of enthusiasm, is this old adage:
“When you practice slowly, you learn fast. When you practice fast, you learn bad habits.”
By practicing slowly and not “pushing” to play “up to speed” or “faster than we are able”, we allow our muscles, nerves, tendons and ligaments, to catch up with our desires. We know what we want to be able to do. Sometimes, we might even know how to do it. But knowing and doing are two very different things. Slow, relaxed practice, gives the body time to catch up. But along the way to “catching up”, the discoveries we make keep happening. It might be a tiny, subtle awareness of how your thumb-pick feels on the third string and the fourth string. It might be how the banjo sounds different when you fret with your middle finger or pinkie. Whatever the discovery, and no matter how seemly small, these are the great joys of learning to play the banjo. We should treat ourselves to these gems every day. Why not? Once you have your banjo, it’s about the least expensive hobby you can have and your discovery path is life long. As long as you play the banjo you will be discovering and exploring.
Children learn new things every day of their growing lives. One of the great joys of youth is in self-discovery and learning about the world. Too often, adults feel they’ve seen it all, or done it all; well not in banjo playing. No one living has ever played every combination of notes, at every speed, every melody, every chord or every song. Maybe this is not possible, but it illustrates that in the world of banjos, there are no musical limits, there are no limits to the discoveries that are available. During a recording session, a famous artist was asked, “Is this practice?” The artist answered, “They’re all practice!”
So, enjoy the wonder of discovery when you are getting started. Know that every minute of slow practice on your banjo takes you to a new level of skill with new ideas making their appearance at every turn. It’s true for the beginner and it’s true for the master. No matter how long you play, you will always enjoy a never ending supply of wonder and discovery. How could anything be better?
Banjo Camp to run again in 2010 dates Friday 26th, Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th Feb 2010
E-mail derek@dangem.co.uk to register interest
The Dangem- John Dowling Banjo Camp
Held at Corr’s Conner from 27th Feb to 1st March
Heralded a success
The NEW Goodtime Parlor Banjo
Pick it in the parlor, in the park, or any where you go…Deering’s new Goodtime Parlor banjo is light weight and made with a shorter scale to meet a variety of needs for today’s banjo players! Introduced at the industry’s major show in Anaheim recently, the model was very well received by dealers, artists, and other attendees. Reminiscent of the shorter scale banjos that were popular in the 1890’s, the Goodtime Parlor banjo is a 19 fret, 5-string rock maple banjo that weighs only 4 pounds in the openback version and a mere 5 pounds with a resonator model. Created with a traditional fiddle style peghead bearing a Goodtime logo, this bright, sparkling banjo has good tone and projection despite its smaller size. The banjo comes standard with the new sealed, geared, nickel plated guitar tuners but planetary tuners are available for a modest upgrade charge. The overall length of the banjo ranges from 33 ¼ to 34” depending on whether you have the openback or resonator style. Deering Banjos is offering the Parlor Goodtime banjo at no increase in price from the 22-fret models. Available now through authorized Deering dealers. Tuned to open G like the 22-fret version Goodtime, the tone of the Parlor Goodtime banjo is slightly brighter due to the shorter scale. The same light gauge strings popular on all Deering banjos are used for the Parlor version so there will be no need to search for special strings to fit the banjo. This shorter scale is ideal for younger children whose naturally shorter reach has sometimes been an issue with the standard 22-fret Goodtime banjos.
Buy Yours Now
Exciting News from Deering and Dangem
Terry Baucom, the Duke of Drive, joins the Deering Banjo Company in introducing his dynamic walnut, signature, 5-string banjo available now at authorized dealers throughout the world. Crafted from elegant, plain walnut, trimmed in ivoroid with black and white accent stripes, bearing a regal inlay pattern designed by Greg Deering, and set up to Terry’s personal specifications, Terry says of his signature model, “Every time it goes on stage it seems to get better.”
See web link
The neck shape has been tailored to Terry’s needs for comfort, and the fast and accurate fretting demanded by his hard-driving playing style. Set up includes an 11/16” bridge with slightly wider string spacing and a banjo head tuned to A. Terry says of the banjo’s stage presence, “It’s like its up there and you got a mission. It’s there to help you with the mission and you don’t have to fight it at all.”
The rim is made of red maple, precisely fitted with a newly designed, lighter weight Deering tone ring which is 7 oz. lighter in weight than the standard Deering ’06 tone ring. The balance of the weight of the Terry Baucom tone ring and the red maple rim’s musical response produces a more resonant sound chamber. From bass notes to highs, every note is clear and balanced in volume up the entire neck. Terry commented “It has a tone that if you didn’t see me playing it, you’d think it was an older banjo that had been played for awhile. Just think what it will sound like in 2 years!” Ushering in a new realm filled with opportunities for musical innovation, the Terry Baucom signature model is clearly a banjo to be reckoned with.
Available for pre-order through Deering Master and Premiere dealers. Delivery of the Terry Baucom Signature Model banjo will begin in December of 2008. Price £2986.45
DanGem Bluegrass is inspired by the music itself.
Very few of us no matter what our music tastes maybe can resist the tempo and beat we call Bluegrass
When a Banjo,Fiddle,Mandolin, Bass & Guitar strike up you try and keep those toes from tapping.
History of Bluegrass :-
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music. It has its own roots in Irish, Scottish and English traditional music. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of immigrants from the British Isles (particularly the Scots-Irish immigrants in Appalachia), as well as Jazz and Blues. In Bluegrass, as in Jazz, each instrument takes a turn playing the melody and improvising around it, while the others revert to backing; this is in contrast to old-time music, in which all instruments play the melody together or one instrument carries the lead throughout while the others provide accompaniment. Bluegrass is distinctively acoustic instrumentation not using electrical instruments of any kind except for the electric bass guitar.
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