It's my first 'player of the month' time......

First of all may I wish all you readers and players a happy, healthy and musical new year!

What better way to start 2012 with a few words about one of my favourite Irish tenor banjo (ITB) players. Who, according to famous Irish traditional player Mick Moloney, was solely responsible for the change from the original jazz tuning of CGDA to the 'traditional' GDAE we use today!

He is the one and only, Bernard Noel "Barney" McKenna. Otherwise known as Banjo Barney. The only surviving founding member (since 1962) of the Dubliners. 

Born in Dublin on the 16th December 1939 you can still catch his brilliance today. Playing and singing as well as he always has, on solo performances of the 'High Reel' and songs like 'South Austrailia'. Along with his musicianship he has a great wit and is a pleasure to be within hearing distance of. The Dubliners are on a 50th anniversary tour throughout 2012 and I, for one, hope to catch them at the Grand Theatre, Leeds in March. Cannot wait!

The best advice I can give to any new player is listen to as many of the great players as you can. Both live and recorded and what better person to start you off than 'Banjo Barney'........Enjoy him!

Any suggestions for future 'players of the month' are more than welcome, as are your comments. So it's bye for now, regards Phil.

Tel: 07511 125805, Tweet: @zoster1953 Email: zoster1953@gmail.com