Ken Perlman

Ken Perlman is a pioneer in the art of the melodic clawhammer banjo. He has devoted countless hours to instructing other musicians, both through workshops and published works. Many of his peers regard his banjo instructional books as classics. Among these publications are Basic Clawhammer Banjo Solos, Melodic Clawhammer Banjo, and Clawhammer Style Banjo. Perlman's instructional materials also include two videos, Intermediate Clawhammer Banjo and Beginning Clawhammer Banjo. In addition, he has written for the Banjo Newsletter for more than ten years. On top of his groundbreaking work on the clawhammer, Perlman also plays the guitar and has authored instructional materials for the guitar player. These publications include Traditional Dance Music for Acoustic Guitar, Contemporary Fingerstyle Guitar, and Fingerstyle Guitar. He also writes a column for the magazine Sing Out! Perlman devoted more than ten years to the study of Prince Edward Island's folklore and fiddlers, from which he compiled The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island: Celtic and Acadian Tunes in Living Tradition. The book was published by Mel Bay. His interest in the region's music led him to work as producer on a trio of recordings that were made in the field. Rounder released The P.E.I. Style of Fiddling, while Marimac issued The Old Time Fiddlers of P.E.I. The third release is titled The Fiddle Music of P.E.I. Companion CD.