Noam Pikelny (born 1981) is the banjo player in Punch Brothers, the string band led by Chris Thile. He won the first Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass in 2010. His album Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe won IBMA Album of the Year in 2014, the year he won his first IBMA Banjo Player of the Year. He won that award again in 2017 and shared a Grammy with Punch Brothers in 2019.
Why Pikelny matters
Pikelny plays modern, melodic banjo rooted in tradition. His Kenny Baker album set the fiddle tunes from Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe on the banjo. His video on the three banjo styles is a good lesson for any student.
Life and career
Pikelny was born on February 27, 1981, in Chicago and grew up in Skokie, Illinois. He started banjo at eight, inspired by his older brother’s mandolin, and took lessons at the Old Town School of Folk Music. He began on clawhammer but switched to three-finger style after hearing Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. In high school he studied with Greg Cahill of the Special Consensus.
He played with Leftover Salmon from 2002 to 2004 and the John Cowan Band from 2004 to 2006. His first solo album, In the Maze, came out on Compass in 2004. In 2006 he joined Punch Brothers with Chris Thile and Chris Eldridge. He won the first Steve Martin Prize in 2010. Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail (Compass, 2011) earned a Grammy nomination. Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe (Compass, 2013) won IBMA Album of the Year and earned another Grammy nomination. He gave the IBMA keynote in 2013, won IBMA Banjo Player of the Year in 2014 and 2017, and shared the 2019 Grammy for Best Folk Album with Punch Brothers. He also plays in Mighty Poplar.
Playing style
Pikelny plays all three main styles, Scruggs, melodic, and single-string, and explains them in his own lessons. He uses melodic style to play fiddle tunes on the banjo. He started on clawhammer before switching to three fingers.
Influences and legacy
Pikelny learned from Greg Cahill and from the records of Béla Fleck. His Kenny Baker album honors the fiddling of Kenny Baker and the tunes of Bill Monroe. He plays beside Chris Thile and Chris Eldridge in Punch Brothers.
Signature tunes and songs
Old Banjo Waveland Wheel Hoss Blackberry Blossom.
Essential recordings
In the Maze (Compass, 2004) Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail (Compass, 2011) Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe (Compass, 2013)
Awards and honors
Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass (2010) IBMA Banjo Player of the Year (2014) IBMA Album of the Year, Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe (2014) IBMA Banjo Player of the Year (2017) Grammy, Best Folk Album, Punch Brothers (2019)
Watch and listen
Pikelny explains the three main bluegrass banjo styles.
He leads friends through Monroe’s Wheel Hoss at FreshGrass in 2013.
What to learn from Pikelny
Watch his styles video, then learn Blackberry Blossom in melodic style, which he also teaches. The technique to steal is precision. Pick one hard bar, write down which finger plays each note, and practice it that exact way until it is automatic.
Sources
Noam Pikelny, Wikipedia Pikelny, Noam, BluegrassBios.com
Related players
See the banjo players hub and the bluegrass banjo guide for more pickers. Pikelny studied with Greg Cahill, honored Kenny Baker, and plays with Chris Eldridge.