Ken Perlman

Ken Perlman stands out as an innovator in melodic clawhammer banjo performance. Through decades of workshops and instructional publications he has guided countless musicians, and many of his fellow players consider his core banjo texts to be definitive references. Those volumes are Basic Clawhammer Banjo Solos, Melodic Clawhammer Banjo, and Clawhammer Style Banjo. He has also produced two companion videos titled Beginning Clawhammer Banjo and Intermediate Clawhammer Banjo, while contributing a regular column to Banjo Newsletter for more than ten years. Beyond his banjo work, Perlman performs on guitar and has issued three instructional books for that instrument: Traditional Dance Music for Acoustic Guitar, Contemporary Fingerstyle Guitar, and Fingerstyle Guitar. He further authors a monthly column for Sing Out! magazine. For more than ten years Perlman researched the folklore and fiddling traditions of Prince Edward Island, resulting in the Mel Bay publication The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island: Celtic and Acadian Tunes in Living Tradition. He subsequently produced three field recordings drawn from that research: Rounder issued The P.E.I. Style of Fiddling, Marimac released The Old Time Fiddlers of P.E.I., and the third project appeared as The Fiddle Music of P.E.I. Companion CD.