I studied piano for several years - enough to allow me to 'plunk a little' - period pieces for some of my Twain shows. I had to give it up, though. My expectations exceeded those of my audiences. I also played 4-string banjo and 6 string guitar in my youth; and I learned that if you play one poorly, you can play the other just as well. On Feb 8, 2013, at 3:44 PM, Kevin Mac Donnell wrote: > 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 >> >> >> >> ----- >> No virus found in this message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 2013.0.2897 / Virus Database: 2639/6072 - Release Date: 01/31/13 >> Internal Virus Database is out of date. >> > > > > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2013.0.2897 / Virus Database: 2639/6072 - Release Date: 01/31/13 > Internal Virus Database is out of date. Alan Kitty 609-219-9339 [log in to unmask] www.marktwainslaststand.com