Stroke or guitar styles

[Joel H.]

O.K., I have a question. I have been playing with the "Japanese Grand
March" for a while. The whole time I have been playing it in guitar
style. Last night I was watching the footage if Mr. Adams on youtube
and noticed that he played it (exceptionally well) in stroke. The
same for "Price's Waltz." Aside from the fact that a true chord
cannot be played in stroke, how do you fine folks decide what style a
piece is to be played in? The reason I ask is that the Vocal songs in
Buckley's seems to insinuate guitar style, so it would seem natural to
me that songs with harmonies not indicated as a harp chord or arpeggio
would be played the same. Is stroke the default style in the early
Banjo reenacting community even if another historically correct style
would work better? Would it be more accurate (historically) to play
pieces of that era in stroke even if it could not be played as
written? I am in the shadow of the fine musicians here and this is
absolutely not meant to be critical. It is just to further my
research and impression.

[Carl Anderton]

Good questions, Joel.

It is well that you used the Buckley tutor to frame the Stroke Vs.
Guitar style debate, since it would appear that George Swain Buckley
was just about the first and certaintly the most prominant delineator
of the guitar style. Frank Converse tells us this of his first
hearing of Buckley's Serenaders, around 1852.

>  Is stroke the default style in the early
> Banjo reenacting community even if another historically correct style
> would work better?  Would it be more accurate (historically) to play
> pieces of that era in stroke even if it could not be played as
> written?  I am in the shadow of the fine musicians here and this is
> absolutely not meant to be critical.  It is just to further my
> research and impression.

Yeah, stroke-style is definitely the overwhelmingly most used style of
the early banjo community. Frank Converse relates in his writings
that proficient guitar-style players were quite rare before the war.
The few that attempted it stuck to simple accompaniment licks to vocal
tunes.

But. like you say, some of the material in the Buckley works better
guitar-style.

And I'll add that Frank Converse was fer sure one of the proficent
guitar-style players before the war, and he taught a LOT of students.
So some people were playing guitar-style, even if likely a small
percentage of the whole.

So, after reviewing the primary resources, I'd go with what your heart
and gut and fingers tell you to do. If it's important to you to
accurately represent the average banjo player in the 50's and 60's, go
with mostly stroke-style.

But, bottom line. play what makes you happy. History is so important
to us, but artistic gratification has to get nearly equal billing,
IMHO.

Just my 2 centavos.