Bill Keith & Tony Trischka Discuss Melodic Style Banjo

Bill Keith discusses the development of Melodic Style Banjo with Tony Trischka (http://artistworks.com/tony-trischka). Bill plays one of his famous tunes "Devil's Dream" in the video, which was actually the first to incorporate the melodic style which he invented. Tony Trischka on Bill Keith: "As many of us were, I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Bill Keith. The doors of banjo music were unlocked through his influence, allowing us to explore a rich lode of creative territory quite separate from the genius of Scruggs style. His melodic approach enabled the progressive arm of banjodom to fully bloom. "Not everyone chose the melodic pathway, though I recently watched JD Crowe execute a complete and perfectly melodic version of 'Devil's Dream', which he learned from Bill. Bill also gave us Keith pegs and shared his passion for teaching in countless workshop situations and one on one encounters. "He was my hero growing up (and still is). In 1966 I was jamming at the Folklore Center in New York City with a friend of mine prior to seeing Bill Monroe at the Gaslight cafe. Moments later Bill walked in with Peter Rowan. I was 17 and nervously introduced myself. Bill proceeded to sit down with me for an hour, selflessly sharing his knowledge to this high school kid who idolized him. "Thank you Bill for everything you gave to us." - Tony Trischka