Gary Crockett

Play
Clawhammer
Banjo

In a nutshell_

Tailored lessons

Patient and relaxed

Authentic and solid

Years playing_

2014-present

Location_

Sydney, Australia

Banjo teaching_

I’ll get you playing. And if you already play, I’ll help you move forwards. We’ll work together on left and right hand techniques, building good foundations with a cool tune each session and tailored exercises to take away and consolidate in your own time. Along the way we’ll explore banjo history and the cultural traditions that underpin and energise this remarkable instrument.

Banjo playing_

I play clawhammer banjo in a distinctively clean, uncluttered and melodic style. When playing solo or with a fiddle, I prefer to champion the melody with clear notes, working closely with the accompaniment. In a group jam I’m more devil may care, focusing on rhythm and percussion, letting all those discordant notes and brushing strokes colour the overall sound. My own repertoire combines traditional American, English and Irish tunes with rarities from the Australian colonies, plus a growing bunch of original songs. My aim, as teacher, player and performer, is to honour the banjo’s extraordinary history, legacy and ongoing journey across continents, cultures and communities.

Traditional dance tune ‘Hop Light Ladies’ played on a Tackhead Grain Measure Fretless Banjo built by Jeff Menzies.

Quick links_

Making Videos
Performances
Original Songs
Tunes
Resume

How do you want to learn?

I teach clawhammer banjo in-person or online, on a one-to-one basis or in group sessions from time to time. I also conduct clawhammer workshops and bootcamps at festivals for beginners and advanced players. Send me an enquiry form or get in touch by phone or email.

Single session

one hour

$80

One hour session, covering general technique, tailored to your playing ability and aspirations. Work on a tune, overcome hurdles or just bed down some of the basics.

Zoom session

one hour

$60

My high quality Zoom set up ensures the best sound and vision, with one-off or a semester of lessons ($300) meeting your needs and interests.

Semester

six sessions

$420

This six session program will include a bunch of tunes, a variety of tricks and techniques, left and right hand exercises and get you and your banjo jam ready.

Group workshop

three hour

$50

From time to time I’ll run group sessions with a small number of participants. In addition to honing skills and learning new tricks, you’ll get a chance to work on playing with others. Includes a lunch break.

make an enquiry

Lesson times

I give lessons on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, mostly in the daytime. I’m happy to discuss other times. Standard lessons run for one hour.

Lesson times are shown in colour.

Timeslots

Sydney time GMT+11:00

Monday
3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm

Tuesday
9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm

Wednesday
9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 6pm, 7pm

For other times (and time zones) send me a message.

make an enquiry
The jaunty old time tune ‘Fox in a Forest Fire’ played on an Ome Tupelo with guitar backing and fancy editing.

Feedback

Steve, 2025_

Gary, I enjoyed lessons with you. I’ve experienced a number of banjo and guitar teachers over the years. You are a great teacher!

Lisa, 2024_

Our weekly Zoom catch ups were so easy and fun. Thanks for your patience and encouragement Gary.

Tallulah, 2024_

The semester of lessons was just what I needed to push me along. I love all the tunes and can’t stop playing them.

Watch this_

Gary Crockett (banjo) with the Sydney band Good Tom Wallace play the classic tune ‘Say Darling Say’, along with Jane Wallace (microbass and vocals) and Mischa Vickas (guitar and vocals).

About me

Working life_

History curator

Teacher/carer

Writer/film maker

Musician

Comforts_

Sailor

Surfer

Motorcyclist

Traveller

About_

I’m a Sydney-based musician with a background in the arts, heritage and disability sectors. For three decades I worked as a history curator in a large cultural organisation based in Sydney. This involved creating exhibitions, writing and producing digital content, managing historic sites and collections and delving deeply into Sydney’s social and architectural history.

I’m now teaching banjo and nurturing musical projects, while supporting NDIS clients on the HireUp platform. My aim is to concentrate on meaningful activities that bring me joy. This includes playing my banjo and jamming with anyone who’ll join me, riding my motorcycle, sailing my old yacht and surfing up and down the coast when I can manage it.

Archive

Along with my banjo playing and teaching, I dabble in a variety of creative pursuits. These include making videos and performing around Sydney and regional folk and old time festivals.

Making videos_

I make short, simple and easy-going interview based videos that tell illuminating stories about people, places and things, drawing on my background as a museum curator, writer and content creator.

Performances_

I regularly perform at festivals, old-time get-togethers and local bars, either with the folk band Good Tom Wallace or on my own, playing a combination of traditional tunes and contemporary creations, keeping old songs and histories alive and bridging worlds past and present.

Original songs_

Over the years I’ve written many songs and tunes for my own enjoyment and inspiration, or to resonate with moments of struggle or triumph. Here’s a few that made it to paper.

Tunes_

From time to time I’ll record and post a version of a tune I’m working on with students or friends. Here’s a growing bunch for reference and rekindling memory.

Resume_

I’m currently taking a breather after many years in the arts sector, as a curator, manager and content producer with a leading cultural organisation. In more recent years I’ve found myself working in the disability and care sector. Teaching, playing and engaging with music and musicians, however, remains my top priority.

Q&A

Q What makes the banjo so special?
The banjo is a truth-teller, a time traveller and witness, bearing an immense weight of stories, meaning, history and experiences. Having originated centuries ago on the slave plantations of central and North America and the societies and communities of enslaved and freed people of African descent, it travels forwards in time, almost unchanged in design, through the 19th and 20th centuries to the present day – both talisman and gift.

Q What’s in a name?
From at least the 1680s, across the slave based colonies of South America and the Caribbean, banjo-like instruments with bodies made of calabash shells or gourd seeds caught the attention of travellers. Made by enslaved workers and played in social, religious and ceremonial gatherings, the so-called ‘creole lute’, ‘banzer’, ‘banya’ and ‘strum strump’ captivated and bewildered curious onlookers.

Distinct from its African forebears, this newly observed instrument was an amalgam of technical, musical and cultural influences that could only have met in the unique conditions created by trans Atlantic slavery – the brutal coming together of diverse people from across the seas, blending languages, traditions, beliefs and cultures under the traumatic experience of slavery.

Whilst by the early 19th century, the name ‘banjo’ had stuck, the instrument’s design, method of playing and spirit of joy and communal connection remained unchanged.

Q How long have you been playing the banjo?
I’ve been playing old-time mountain-style banjo, or clawhammer, for several years now. I’ve recently restrung my banjos with gut strings and tuned them lower, to get closer to the sound banjos made in the 19th century, unlocking a whole new dimension in playing and thinking about the music, and the stories and experiences embedded in the tunes.

Alabama share croppers outside cottage originally built for enslaved workers, c1870, Library of Congress

Q What does decolonising the banjo mean to you?
For me, decolonising the banjo means listening closely, pondering its unsettling origins and acknowledging that, in many ways, generational wounds to run deep. It also means recognising that history itself is told by people with voice and agency, rendering others voiceless. The decolonised banjo unlocks those voices.

Q Any tips for newbies? 
For newcomers to the instrument, it’s worth bearing in mind that no two banjo journeys are the same. Each player follows an eccentric path of discovery, marrying idiosyncratic song choices and approaches to playing with the unique sound (and voice) of the instrument that’s fallen into their lap.

Q What are you playing at the moment?
I mostly play tunes from the 19th and 21st century. These hark from Ireland and England, the colonies of America and Australia and my own batch of originals, from my home in Sydney. My banjos include an Ome Tupelo from Boulder, Colorado, a Pisgah Woodchuck from Asheville, North Carolina and lovely old Recording King Madison with a goat hide head. My current go-to banjo is a Jeff Menzies tackhead fretless, with a grain measure pot, based on models built by enslaved people before 1850.

Sydney band Good Tom Wallace play the traditional tune ‘Gospel Plow’, with Gary Crockett (banjo and vocals), Jane Wallace (microbass and vocals) and Mischa Vickas (guitar and vocals).
Sydney band Good Tom Wallace play the Carter Family’s ‘When I’m Gone’, with Gary Crockett (banjo and vocals), Jane Wallace (microbass and vocals) and Mischa Vickas (guitar and vocals).
Sydney band Good Tom Wallace play Martha Scanlon’s ‘Little Bird of Heaven’, with Gary Crockett (banjo and vocals), Jane Wallace (microbass and vocals) and Mischa Vickas (guitar and vocals).