Welcome to PhillGibson.com!

Today is

Lessons for America's musical instrument - the banjo.

Lessons on the Banjo

Hi! I'm Phill Gibson, and yes, I come from Huntsville, Alabama with a banjo on my knee.
Phill Gibson, Banjo Instructor in Huntsville, Alabama
I'm proud to say that I've been playing the happiest of America's musical instruments, the banjo, since 1977. I'm now offering banjo lessons for all ages at my place for interested folks in Huntsville, Decatur and the rest of the North Alabama area.

I also give onlne lessons via Zoom / Venmo if you are interested.

For more information on banjo lessons, or banjos in general, contact me!

Did you know...

Banjos are mainly a bluegrass and folk instrument today, but at one time, they were all the rage of high-society ladies of proper upbringing.

Check out That Half-Barbaric Twang: the Banjo in American Popular Culture by Karen Linn for more fascinating historic details.

 

Here are some of my favorites banjo websites.

Why Play the Banjo?

  • It's America's Instrument!

  • Even though we have good evidence of banjos with drone strings being brought over or created by slaves from Africa in the 1700s and 1800s, the 5-string banjo as we know it today is vastly different from it's African ancestor. With it's tone ring, resonator, drum head, metal strings, frets, etc., truly, it is an American invention!

  • You can connect to your roots

    Bluegrass is especially an authentic, back-home way of thinking. It places high value on grass-roots things that are real, honest and clean.

  • It's the Hot-Rod of musical instruments.

    By that I mean that it is the most easily modified of musical instruments. Did you know you can take a banjo apart; take the neck off; replace the drum head and tone ring; adjust the neck to set the string action, and so much more. You can really tweak it to get just the sound you like, from a deep mellow voice, to a bright, clear ringing! That's a lot of the reason why an experienced player can hear a recording and make an excellent guess as to who (among famous players, at least) is playing!

  •  
  • Read More Reasons...
.