Ed Britt and I have been picking together for well over a decade now, gradually working out our own unique way of playing five string banjo duets. Ed plays in the traditional Appalachian drop-thumb clawhammer style, with a smattering of the more modern melodic clawhammer technique thrown in for good measure. Besides offering a firm melodic foundation, Ed's picking also lays down the basic bum-ditty rhythmic footing for each tune. I play my old-timey influenced three-finger style, layering my syncopated three-finger rolls and occasional melodic phrases over his duple time foundation. The result is a surprisingly full sound, with both a melodic and rhythmic intricacy that is both deeply rooted in traditional and fresh and original. This summer, Ed and I began busking in Harvard Square; you can watch and listen to a number of YouTube videos from our outings on the Busking with Ed Britt page elsewhere on this site. In response to the many requests we received from passers-by, I made up a CD of tunes which Ed and I have recorded on various digital machines in our weekly jam sessions in my living room over the years. You can sample some of the recordings, highlighted in the tune list to the left. If you would like your own copy of the CD with all the tunes listed, and help support this site, send a check or postal money order for $12.00 USD ($10 plus $2 for shipping and taxes), to:

Don Borchelt
P.O. Box 80367
Stoneham, MA 02180

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