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06 Mar 01 - 06:35 PM (#412340) Subject: Arnie Naiman & Chris Coole Banjo News! From: Little Neophyte Excerpts from an article in February Banjo Newsletter about Arnie Naiman & Chris Coole. Written by Dan Levenson "Arnie Naiman and Chris Coole are two clawhammer players from Canada who have been playing together for several years - Arnie lives in Aurora and Chris hales from Toronto. Their first album "5 Strings Attached With No Backing" (1997) It consisted of eighteen banjo tunes with only guitar backup. Arnie says that they were "pleasantly surprised on how well it was received." So these banjo buddies kept playing and were soon being asked when the next album would be available, and fortunately for us, they decided to give it another go. The second release. "5 Strings Attached - Volume 2" is the first I had heard of the duo, and upon hearing it, I was immediately taken by their musicianship and ability to write tunes that sound fresh while staying true to the clawhammer style. I must admit to enjoy their original compositions most of all in both their albums. Volume 2 also shows more growth of their music as a duo than the first CD. The guitar work is stellar on both CD's and a budding guitar player would do well to listen to them both in order to hear how well it is done. Suffice it to say, I've been wearing these CDs out. Some of the techniques you will find in the album include thumb melody notes on the 5th strong, wonderful syncopation and timing that you will not get from the written music. You will even have to do some pull offs on unsounded strings which might be better described as left hand pluck-offs since a pull-off usually indicates playing the previous note to it on the same string with the right hand. There are notes where the sounding of the string they are on is initiated solely by the left hand. And before you even get that, there are the tunings! Both these fellows are still playing in the Toronto, Ontario region together, as well as with other bands in the area. Arnie Naiman and Chris Coole, Merriweather Records; 109 Crawford Rose Drive, Aurora, Ontario, Canada L4G 4S1 Arnie & Chris |