Twain strummed a little guitar in his youth, but not banjo. He also plunked 
a little on the piano most of his life, but not the banjo (his sister Pamela 
gave piano lessons in Hannibal). Playing the banjo is not like playing 
guitar and playing one does not mean you can play the other. My Dad had (and 
still has at age 90) a bluegrass band and was a friend of Earl Scruggs and 
they exchanged 8-track banjo tapes all the time. I tried learning both 
guitar and 5-string banjo, soon gave up, and masteed classical piano 
instead. Scriabin is soooo much easier.

There's a cut & paste photo of Twain playing a banjo somewhere on the net, 
but there are cut & paste pictures of all sort of things out there that 
ain't true. There are also other cut & paste images of Twain online that 
have caused endless confusion, but is at least one genuine image of Twain at 
the piano --not actually playing it-- but posing. There was an old Martin 
guitar being hawked around as Twain's guitar a few years ago, but there was 
no evidence to support that claim --and some powerful reasons to doubt it. 
Some years ago "Mark Twain's favorite juke box" was sold at auction in Waco, 
Texas, said to be the very juke box he always played whenever he visited 
Waco --which was never. But I digress...

Kevin
@
Mac Donnell Rare Books
9307 Glenlake Drive
Austin TX 78730
512-345-4139
Member: ABAA, ILAB
*************************
You may browse our books at
www.macdonnellrarebooks.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert E Stewart" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2013 10:04 AM
Subject: Re: Mark Twain, banjo player?


> In the Feb. 2, 1863 atricle in  which the name Mark Twain first  appears,
> the article concludes with the writer playing the piano. I can't speak  to
> the banjo, but he did claim some musical talent in that writing.
>
> Bob Stewart
>
> In a message dated 2/8/2013 4:36:47 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> I can't  remember ever hearing that [Sam Clemens] played the banjo.   Just
> recently a
> friend lent me his copy of a Mark Twain edition in 1929  which included an
> article by Cyril Clemens talking about visiting the  Gilles family in our
> California foothills.  I'd love to hear that it  is TRUE Mark Twain played
> the banjo.  Can any of you confirm or deny  this story?  It is the bass
> voice and the banjo playing that has me  interested.
>
> Overland Monthly and Out West Magazine  April  1929
> Founded by Bret Harte in 1868; and  Mark Twain Number Vol 87 April 1929 
> No.
> 4
> Article by Cyril Clemens: "A  Visit to Mark Twain's Country"
> .
>
> Arianne  Laidlaw
>
>
>
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