In my youth I
had a small reputation as 'that guy who plays Bach on
the banjo'. but I only played Bach's melodies a la Pete
Seeger in his GOOFING OFF SUITE. About a year ago I
heard a young concert violinist, Jennifer Bryan, play
the prelude to the Partita III and I was struck by the
similarity of it's many passages to banjo figures.
Also, it was written in the key of E Major, the natural
key of my long-neck banjo. I couldn't resist and I
started learning it immediately. It took the better
part of a year to learn and notate it. I got Carpel
Tunnel syndrome because of the exertion involved. I was
in a hurry and played it many hours a day, for months,
until I had to back off and take care of my wrist.
I have
performed it a couple of times, but I still need lots of
work to get it right.
The first
printing (on my computer) is a run of five copies.
Kelly Kruyshoop did the final scanner copy from my
awful script. Regular length banjos can play it, but
that would put it in the key of G. I don't think Bach
would mind. The tablature booklet includes a measure by
measure discussion of the music containing suggestions
to help one and all over the rough spots. It ain't
easy, but will definitely improve your banjo playing.
Price:
$30.00.
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ZZYZX |
 Back
in the early seventies I was trying to think of an
appropriate name for this new piece that had just
crystalized into what you hear now. Driving with Cosmo
through the desert in Southern California I passed a road
called ZZYZX Rd. There was my name. It was on that trip
that I walked into Takoma in Santa Monica and came out an
hour later with a contract for BANJO, the album containing
ZZYZX.--
Price: $20.00 |
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SOUTH
AMERICAN TUNE |
 Riding
on a bus down the coast of Chili in l976, I was seated in
the last row on the drivers side. Directly behind my head
was a speaker broadcasting a soccer game at full volume. I
was in extreme distress at the noise, none of which I could
understand. The bus was crowded, I couldn't move, and I had
to endure it. When the game was over the driver turned the
radio off and it was like a deafening silence, even though
it was on a bus packed full of happy people going home for
the Christmas Holidays. My relief at the silence was equal
to the pain caused by the game.
Suddenly the
silence was broken by a Peruvian mountain band; panpipes,
charanga, gitarrone, guitar, and other indigenous
instruments, playing this tune. I only heard it this one
time, but it was burned into my raw ears and soothed me and
I realized I had been amply rewarded for the torture of the
soccer game. I played it on my banjo hundreds of times
before I left South America but could never find anyone who
had ever heard it or knew it's name
Price: $20.00 |
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| LONGHORN
EXPRESS |
Hobart Smith
played a tune called The Little Green Hat on an old Asch
78 rpm in which he patted on the head between banjo
lines. Inspired by this, for years I tried to get some
kind of percussion going, to no avail. Finally I
determined to play nothing at all until I had worked out
a way of bringing percussion into my playing. After
all, it is a drum head, Isn't it? Painfully and
painstakingly I worked the right thumb into playing a
beat on the head above the fifth string in the second
beat of the Seeger bump-ditty strum. It got easier and
easier until, in about fifteen minutes, I had it. Now
it is just as easy as the rest of my playing. The
Longhorn Express is the first piece in which I used
it.
My goal now is
to notate all the pieces from the Takoma BANJO album.
Price:
$30.00
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FIDDLE
TUNE |
 This
piece was recorded on BANJO, the Takoma album I made in
l973. Like the Longhorn Express, I play it too fast on
the record, so take it easy, but take it!
Price: $10.00 |
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DIANE'S
REEL |
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 In
the early fifties I was sitting in Washington Square in
Greenwich Village in New York City with Dick Greenhouse,
another banjo player. He played this tune for me which he
had written. Only the first and second parts. In the next
few days I had made up all the following variations. I
recorded it on TRAVELIN' MAN, my second album.
The lovely drawing of a very determined Diana, Goddess of
the Hunt, is by Diana Rahfoth, an artist from Germany. I
use it on the cover with her gracious permission.
Price: $20.00 |
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THE
FIVE STRING FANFARE |
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 The
Fanfare is an old music form, rarely, as far as I know,
ever written anymore. It was played to announce the
entrance of Kings or other important personages into court
or other important events. Today the only vestiges of this
practice would be the Marine Band playing Hail to the Chief
at the entrance of the President, or at the other end of the
dignity scale, some wag shouting 'TA DAH' to emphasize,
tongue in cheek usually, that something was happening in his
life. There were also exiting fanfares. The only one I can
think of today is the ubiquitous 'Shave and a haircut, two
bits.' Horse races are usually started with bugle calls
that are a kind of fanfare. In any case, the Five String
Fanfare is fun to play, if you have the patience to learn
it. It is recorded on my cassette tape, BANJOS, BIRDSONG,
AND MOTHER EARTH.
Price: $10.00
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PIZZARAGA |
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 Named
after my dog, Pizza. Pizzaraga is recorded on my Takoma
album BANJO.
Price: $20.00
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BRIGHT ANGEL RAG |
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 This
was called FAIER'S RAG on the 1973 Takoma album, recorded
before I ever spent any time in the Grand Canyon. It is the
longest and most diffacult piece I have ever written. Full
of jazzy chords and tricky rythms. I'm still not sure I
notated the triplets right in the tablature. But it is
definitely my favorite of all the things I have written.
Price: $30.00 |
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KEMPS JIG |
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 This
is an easy piece for five string banjo playing lovers of
baroque music. I lifted it from a Julian Bream recording
many years ago. You will fnd it on my cassette tape BANJOS,
BIRDSONG, AND MOTHER EARTH.
Price: $5.00
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Sorry about these prices, but there is an enormous
amount of work that must be done to produce the stuff.
The
difference in prices of these
tablatures is in no way a reflection of their worth, only
their length.
Send check or money order to (his grandson) Chris Wand at:
Christopher H. Wand
P. O. Box 1398
Sausalito, CA 94966
Be sure and say which of the tablatures you want.
The e-mail address is: christopher.h.wand@gmail.com
or call 415-531-7002
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