Beginner Banjo
This workshop will focus on giving you tools to be able to jam with other pickers and learn tunes by ear (not relying on tablature). The banjo is essentially a rhythm instrument and we will spend time strengthening your sense of timing. We will also dig into giving you some bluegrass “vocabulary” including forward and backward rolls, thumb lead rolls, hammer ons, pull offs, pinches, and more. To do this, we will put a couple of tunes under the microscope and dissect the playing of some of the greats and develop a practice of detailed scrutiny. Oh and yes we will have a great time and do a whole lot of banjo pickin’!
Max Malone
Max Malone is widely-known as an intuitive and seasoned bass player and singer. From his professional debut in the Toronto and New York music scenes in the 1980s to his current tenure as a member of the Lonesome Ace Stringband. In a career spanning over a dozen countries, 4 decades and over 2,500 live shows, he has gained renown for his powerful voice and deep emotional connection to the music. In addition to his bass playing, his proficiency on both clawhammer and Scruggs style banjo as well as rhythm guitar truly completes and informs his understanding of the unique rhythms of bluegrass, old time and country music. The rich and soulful environment of a traditional music ensemble is a home away from home for him.
Max is a founding member of the Lonesome Ace Stringband (2009-present), and has had tenures with the Foggy Hogtown Boys (2006-present) and Annie Lou (2012-2018) and the Hamstrung Stringband (2015-2019). Max has recorded and toured 9 of his own albums, meeting with critical praise and invitations to perform at major international music events and venues.
A life in music is practically unavoidable when you’re born into a family of musicians. Max was raised on country music in the rural wilds of Ontario, through both the radio and his mother’s work as a background vocalist on the Tommy Hunter Show. By the age of 12 he was performing as a singer and bassist with his family band on a weekly gig in Toronto’s Cabbagetown. He got his first upright bass in high school and played gigs in his dad’s jazz trio throughout his teens. He later moved to NYC with his brother to facilitate songwriting, recording, and gigging with his cousins, Caleb and Josh Heineman. In 1998 he discovered bluegrass and old time on a local college radio show and, drawn to the rich soulful harmonies and the depth of the tradition, he’s been hooked ever since.
