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I play on a resonator banjo that I removed the resonator from. The action's a little low, which I actually prefer because it makes fretting a bit easier. There are times I wish I had a scooped neck, and I've given thoughts to scooping out my own neck from time to time, but ultimately I naturally frail pretty close to the bridge anyway. I will say that I do have some troubles accidentally banging the low string when I drop thumb, but I'm not sure if my action has anything to do with that. Do clawhammer-specific banjos have wider necks? Cause I'd like to try a banjo with a wider neck to make really fast drop thumbing a little easier.
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Nov 14, 2015 09:17
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Do you guys have much experience recording banjo? I'm wondering about mic placement. I have a Sontronics STC-01 (admittedly a pretty cheap condensor mic) and everything I've googled tells me a good placement for a cardoid mic is a good foot away, pointed towards the neck slightly off-kilter from the picking hand. I tried that and I liked the dynamic range, but there was just a little too much tinniness and not enough oomph, despite my best EQing efforts. Since then I've been trying to see if there's a good sweet spot for a single mic placement, where I get good boominess and clarity but I can still pick out the high trebly frequencies. I dicked around with putting it about an inch away from where the neck and head meet, and I good better basses but the drone was way too loud and distracting. I actually just experimented with putting the mic straight up under the back, resting on my belly (I have an open-back) and that actually sounded the best out of all, but I'm wondering if there's something better. Where do you usually place the mic?
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Nov 19, 2015 08:15
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quadrophrenic posted:I play on a resonator banjo that I removed the resonator from. The action's a little low, which I actually prefer because it makes fretting a bit easier. There are times I wish I had a scooped neck, and I've given thoughts to scooping out my own neck from time to time, but ultimately I naturally frail pretty close to the bridge anyway. I recently picked up a Pisgah with a scooped neck. I think it's ~2mm wider (at the 5th fret) than my Deering or ODE with resonators. I only play clawhammer anymore, and honestly I don't think the extra width makes it any easier to drop-thumb. It's a little harder for me to do 4th string hammers with it. Being able to frail higher up the neck changes the sound slightly, but not as much as I would have thought. I am very happy with it, but it doesn't open any new doors to sound or playing style. Also, going from high action on the Pisgah to very low action on the ODE (arch-top) doesn't make much difference as I'm used to both. I don't think there's any good reason to adhere to the resonator for three-finger or open-back for clawhammer "rule". Play the hell out of what you've got.
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Nov 22, 2015 05:10
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This seems like a longshot but are there any fiddlers in this thread? I'm interested in fiddling but I don't really know where to start.
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Dec 3, 2015 03:41
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quadrophrenic posted:Do you guys have much experience recording banjo? I'm wondering about mic placement. I have a Sontronics STC-01 (admittedly a pretty cheap condensor mic) and everything I've googled tells me a good placement for a cardoid mic is a good foot away, pointed towards the neck slightly off-kilter from the picking hand. I tried that and I liked the dynamic range, but there was just a little too much tinniness and not enough oomph, despite my best EQing efforts. Did you figure this out? I don't record, but may be able to get some quick advice from a few artists I know that record. mariooncrack posted:
I can probably point you in the right direction, but I'm not a fiddler by any means even thought I just bought a cheap one. Start by figuring out what fiddlers you like and listen to them, I suppose. Might want to find an old time jam to go to around your area. Listen to Vassar Clements, Mark O'Connor, Kenny Baker, Chubby Wise, Tex Logan, Tommy Jarrell. If you have more questions I'll try and help, as I know a bunch of fiddlers and have one in my band.
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Dec 3, 2015 16:42
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Can anyone figure out what style of banjo is being played in this video? I thought he was just playing clawhammer wicked fast but in other videos from the same show he looks like he's picking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS5MKTa2VE4
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Dec 4, 2015 15:50
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mariooncrack posted:This seems like a longshot but are there any fiddlers in this thread? I'm interested in fiddling but I don't really know where to start. I play old time fiddle. I'd say figure out what kind of music you want to play (bluegrass, old time, Celtic, etc). I highly recommend taking some lessons, at least in the beginning. Some instruments (guitar, banjo, etc) you can get by without lessons. There are some self taught fiddlers, but it is way harder. Also you don't want to have to unlearn bad habits you pick up teaching yourself. Also, try to have your tuner running while you play to help you nail your intonation/finger position. Also, make sure you loosen your bow hair when you aren't playing or you might warp your bow. And don't overdo it with the rosin. If you have specific questions, feel free to ask.
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Dec 5, 2015 05:45
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Planet X posted:Did you figure this out? I don't record, but may be able to get some quick advice from a few artists I know that record. djinndarc posted:I play old time fiddle. I'd say figure out what kind of music you want to play (bluegrass, old time, Celtic, etc). I highly recommend taking some lessons, at least in the beginning. Some instruments (guitar, banjo, etc) you can get by without lessons. There are some self taught fiddlers, but it is way harder. Also you don't want to have to unlearn bad habits you pick up teaching yourself. Also, try to have your tuner running while you play to help you nail your intonation/finger position. Also, make sure you loosen your bow hair when you aren't playing or you might warp your bow. And don't overdo it with the rosin. If you have specific questions, feel free to ask. Thanks for your responses. Thanks Planet X for the list of fiddlers, I'll have to check more of them out. I've really only listened to Mark O'Connor. I probably should have mentioned that I'm a classically trained musician that's looking into fiddling. I've played Viola for 15 years and Violin for the last four years. My first big question is does fiddling use a different setup than classical music? I know starting out it won't matter. I have a late 1800's/early 1900's German trade instrument. I'm getting another Violin made for me next year. I'm trying to figure out what to do with my current Violin and considered a fiddle setup, supposing I really get into this.
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Dec 9, 2015 06:40
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mariooncrack posted:Thanks for your responses. Thanks Planet X for the list of fiddlers, I'll have to check more of them out. I've really only listened to Mark O'Connor. I probably should have mentioned that I'm a classically trained musician that's looking into fiddling. I've played Viola for 15 years and Violin for the last four years. Some fiddle traditions use different turnings than classical (eadg), such as cross tuning. String material might also be different. Some fiddlers vs classical violinists prefer a flatter or rounder bridge, because violinists typically play single strings, while some fiddle traditions play multiple strings (ex. Double stops). But honestly, you are probably fine at least for now. You might change your mind after playing a while, but I wouldn't sweat it. There are fiddlers in my jam circle that play old time fiddle, while being classically trained violinists, and they use the same instrument for both.
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Dec 9, 2015 21:46
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I just found out that my company is going to be bringing in a professional musician to teach music lessons. There's a session for bluegrass jams so I'm going to check it out.
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Dec 16, 2015 06:12
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I've got a tenor banjo I've picked up from my dad and I'm a big jazz nerd so I've decided to order the Dixieland Real Book for myself. Anyone know of any good resources for tenor banjo chording/dixieland style?
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Jan 5, 2016 02:19
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Does anyone have any tips for alternate string pull offs for clawhammer? I feel like that's the last technique which I truly need to master, and then I'll know how to do all of the classic clawhammer techniques. Do you, like, "pre-fret" the string and then pull it off, or do you just essentially pluck the open string with whatever finger your left hand can spare?
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Jan 26, 2016 17:05
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If it's adjacent to and above the string I'm striking with my finger I'll usually "cheat" and hit both stings in one motion. It can mess up your timing a bit, or leave you in a bad place for the next beat, but it's easier (Ken Pearlman even admitted to doing it that way when possible). When I actually do an alternate pull-off I usually don't pre-fret, but rather just pluck with the left hand. I also have a very hard time controlling the volume of the pluck, so it sounds like crap. I guess the answer rhymes with "do it however until it sounds right".
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Jan 31, 2016 15:05
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I'm making my way though Mike Iverson's tabs and I have a question about this tab: http://www.bluesageband.com/Tab%20pdf%20files/maidensprayer.pdf What is the notation in the fourth bar that's an 'm' over the last beat, tabbed as a 5--0? He does a little flourish in the song file that I can't figure out the technique of, and there's nothing in his instructions as to what that notation means.
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Feb 4, 2016 04:51
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Zesty Mordant posted:I'm making my way though Mike Iverson's tabs and I have a question about this tab: http://www.bluesageband.com/Tab%20pdf%20files/maidensprayer.pdf My only guess is that he's suggesting you use the middle finger of your fretting hand when you transition from the barre to a single string pull-off. I play that tune a lot (from his version) and hadn't even noticed it before. I just listened to his slow version and it bums me out. Whenever I think I'm getting pretty ok with the banjo his playing puts me back in my place. I have poor control over my volume.
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Feb 7, 2016 00:54
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Naturally, as it makes sense to go to a single finger rather than a barre in order to really execute the pull-off, but there are about 4 notes in between the 5 and the 2 just before the D chord that I can't account for. I'm very much of the 'gist' method of learning tabbed songs, but that little flourish really makes that version and I'd like to know what's going on there. I've tried sliding, rolling off a few frets to the open string, but nothing sounds quite right.
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Feb 7, 2016 22:48
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I think I'm missing a note, but the closest I can get is by cramming the following into a quarter note period on the B string: 5h7p5s3 3p0 I'm only striking the first E(F#) and the second D(E). The rest are embellishments.
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Feb 9, 2016 03:33
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Anybody got any suggestions about fun songs to sing and frail at the same time? I'm a singer and guitarist for the past decade plus, and so it is absolutely befuddling to be frailing away contentedly only to open my mouth and fall apart within a beat or two. So I want to practice. As for level of difficulty, I'm about halfway through the Ken Pearlman book and pretty good at picking up the intermediate tunes on the Mike Iverson site. Thanks in advance!
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Feb 11, 2016 00:07
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I'd say this - Old time tunes are largely instrumental, but you get some stray verses in there that are belted out every now and then. Here's a good example on "Greasy Coat" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqPkBagKWVg Give that a try, maybe. Something like Cornbread and Butterbeans is something you can do because the lyrics follow the melody pretty close, but not necessarily an Old Time song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xOxHyTP91c Something like June Apple or John Brown's Dream are other examples in the Old Time genre. If I think of any others, I'll let you know. Also, for the thread, I went and saw Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen the other day in Westminster, MD. Absolutely amazing, dynamic band. Check them out if you like progressive-ish bluegrass.
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Feb 11, 2016 02:14
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I'm learning clawhammer banjo by myself, with no prior music experience. It's going alright, I learned a couple of songs so far, and have started learning about scales, chord progressions, etc. Mostly using YouTube lessons and playing along on TablEdit. Anyone have any tips or things to avoid when learning by yourself? Also I'm considering going to a local bluegrass jam, would they usually play in G? Meaning all I'd have to know (excluding breaks) is how to strum in G/C/D/F? Or would I use D7? Or is there anything else I should know? Thanks!
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Feb 26, 2016 05:21
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Pie Colony posted:I'm learning clawhammer banjo by myself, with no prior music experience. It's going alright, I learned a couple of songs so far, and have started learning about scales, chord progressions, etc. Mostly using YouTube lessons and playing along on TablEdit. Anyone have any tips or things to avoid when learning by yourself? http://www.oldtimejam.com/wordpress/ Try this. You can pick different instruments to do backing while you strum along. I would never discourage anyone from learning scales, but in clawhammer banjo, you don't really play scales. Chord progressions, certainly. I'd focus on those if I were you. Pie Colony posted:Also I'm considering going to a local bluegrass jam, would they usually play in G? Meaning all I'd have to know (excluding breaks) is how to strum in G/C/D/F? Or would I use D7? Or is there anything else I should know? Thanks! Good, do this. Playing with others is a must, especially in this music. There are some exceptions to this, but: - Clawhammer banjo is the style that they play at old time jams - 3 finger Scruggs banjo is the style that they play at the bluegrass jams There are never any breaks in old time, but there are in bluegrass. As I mentioned, there are certainly exceptions, but the soft, plunky, muted clawhammer style will not cut through the other instruments during a break. That's the reason why the bluegrass banjo has a metal tone ring and a wooden back - to give it that "crack" and lets you project. Don't take that as discouragement, but there is some order and structure to both old time and bluegrass. They definitely share repertoire, but often times the styles are pretty polarized. If you tell us what you like to listen to, we can help steer you towards settling into a style. One difference in between the two jams: Old time jams they start off in one tuning, generally A, play a bunch of tunes, then retune to something like D and play a bunch more. Bluegrass, it's up to who's calling the tune to set the key since there's much, much more singing in bluegrass and you're matching the singer's key or whoever's turn it is to call the tunes preference. TLDR, you're fine playing in G, as at a bluegrass jam its generally G, A, C or D. Learn a few minor chords and sevenths. Even better, learn how to make any chord minored or seventh'd, and then you can go places. Where do you live? Depending where, you may be able to find a bluegrass jam OR an old time jam or both or maybe a big rear end acoustic jam where it matters less. I can guarantee you nobody at any kind of jam will care if you show up and just strum along. Nobody. Hope this makes sense Planet X fucked around with this message at 01:49 on Mar 2, 2016 |
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Mar 2, 2016 01:44
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Thanks for the detailed response! I see what you mean about the differences in types of jams, but I doubt I'd be playing many breaks anyway -- is it worth it to go to learn chord progressions, rhythm, etc. while playing backup? I live in NYC, so not a total hot spot of banjo playing but there a couple of jams around (mostly bluegrass I think). As far as what I listen to, I definitely like the sound of bluegrass but I originally decided to start learning after hearing the banjo in a couple of folk punk songs.
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Mar 10, 2016 01:14
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Pie Colony posted:Thanks for the detailed response! I see what you mean about the differences in types of jams, but I doubt I'd be playing many breaks anyway -- is it worth it to go to learn chord progressions, rhythm, etc. while playing backup? Yes, absolutely, undoubtedly worth it to go to a bluegrass jam. I know a guy who goes up there a bunch to jam, so if you want, I can find out where he goes and tell you. Upon quick googling, here's a slow jam http://www.meetup.com/banjo-56/ Considering the amount of musical talent in NYC, you'll find something. I mean after all, Bela Fleck is from NYC. David Grisman is from NJ, Tony Trishka from Syracuse...
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Mar 10, 2016 01:57
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I've got the Mandolin bug for some reason. Mostly how they're so well made for folk and bluegrass and somehow perfect for playing Bach. I also love the tuning since you can play so much violin music on them. How does that kind of instrument balance and evolution even happen. It's awesome. Anyway. What should I know about the Mandolin? I'll be crossing over from stringed instruments so I'm not worried about being comfortable on one I'm just curious about hearing the quirks, tips, and "here's why I like mandolins" stories.
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Mar 17, 2016 04:39
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i used to tune my mandolin so that each course is a third interval, so like the first course the two strings were tuned E and G#, etc etc entirely nonstandard and it made playing chords completely impossible, but it sounded cool af
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Mar 17, 2016 04:43
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Waiting for geared banjo tuners in the mail~
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Mar 17, 2016 06:26
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Kilometers Davis posted:"here's why I like mandolins" stories. If anything, I like my mandolin because it's light and small and I get sick of dragging my banjo and guitar around everywhere. It fits in a backpack with the headstock sticking out. The Niles Hokkanen pocket guide to mandolin chords is a fun and useful book to keep in the case. Someone here used to have it as their avatar.
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Mar 17, 2016 22:44
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I find the mandolin physically difficult to play. It requires much more force exerted in a tighter space to play cleanly. Single notes and simple chords are ok, but barre chords wreck my arm. I've had to temporarily (I hope) give up the mandolin because it was just tearing the poo poo out of my fret arm bicep and forearm.
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Mar 20, 2016 22:52
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I've had a banjo die over a decade and can dick around on it. Never got very good, but now that I'm done with undergrad, grad school, have a steady job and am not moving around I want to get good. Any recommended youtube video series for beginner ish folks?
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Mar 24, 2016 19:47
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personal survey question for frailers: what finger? for the entire time I've been frailing, it's been middle finger all the way, but I've been incorporating a lot of 1-2-1-5 and 1-5-1-2 style drop thumbs in the songs that i've been writing lately and i always end up banging the 3rd string with my thumb when I play fast, i'm wondering if a tighter claw might be the solution I'm looking forMassasoit posted:I've had a banjo die over a decade and can dick around on it. Never got very good, but now that I'm done with undergrad, grad school, have a steady job and am not moving around I want to get good. what kind of playing do you find yourself gravitating towards? three-finger bluegrass scruggs style or more of a clawhammer-ey old time style or a folksy three-finger forkfinger style or new orleans jazz strumming? i have recs for the 2nd and 3rd but not the 1st and 4th
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Mar 28, 2016 07:55
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I am mainly a Scruggs player, but when I frail, I use my index finger. Scruggs Lessons Online: When I first started out, Rob Bourassa has a good Foggy Mountain Breakdown tutorial on youtube that I used to learn that tune quickly. Also, try Banjo Ben. Going to Ben's site, the video on the front page is pretty doofy, and he hams it up a bit overall, but I will say his lessons are quite solid, so don't let that scare you away. He's someone I wouldn't hesitate to support for lessons.
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Mar 29, 2016 00:17
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I do a little 3 finger bluegrass and try some clawhammer. I'd love to learn clawhammer more, so I'd you can pass along your recommendation that would be awesome.
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Mar 29, 2016 02:59
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On Wednesday I'll be the owner of a Loar LM-400 Mandolin. So excited!
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Apr 2, 2016 21:32
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What are some catchy clawhammer banjo tunes that are fun to play over and over? I started with Snowdrop and Last Chance, and I'm sure my neighbors would appreciate it if I found another tune to learn.
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Apr 3, 2016 01:05
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So my brother has been learning banjo for the last year and is getting pretty good. I'd love to be able to jam on some stuff with him (on acoustic guitar). Problem is I need to get better at guitar, I'm not able to improvise anything or just pick complementary stuff in the background. I've been learning to flatpick and can get through whiskey before breakfast but I had a good tab and video lesson for it which is the way I learn the easiest. Any resources with either video lessons or tabs for tunes that banjo and guitar can play together? He's gotten good at playing Old Mother Flanagan and I'd love to be able to play some kind of simple background chords or picking behind it. I know it's a primary banjo tune, but does anyone have ideas for something to put behind it? Thanks! tldr: I want to sit on the front porch and drink whiskey and jam guitar and banjo with my brother.
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Apr 3, 2016 17:51
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nosleep posted:So my brother has been learning banjo for the last year and is getting pretty good. I'd love to be able to jam on some stuff with him (on acoustic guitar). Problem is I need to get better at guitar, I'm not able to improvise anything or just pick complementary stuff in the background. I've been learning to flatpick and can get through whiskey before breakfast but I had a good tab and video lesson for it which is the way I learn the easiest. It depends on whether you guys can read standard music music notation or not. If so, then the sky's the limit. If not (like me, although I'm learning) then your best bet is to stick to common old time tunes. These are a few sites that have popular bluegrass/oldtime tunes tabbed out for guitar: [url]http://www.bluegrassguitar.com/leadtabs.html[url] [url]http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/songs-tab/songs-tab-F.html[url] [url]http://www.guitarnick.com/index.html[url]
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Apr 6, 2016 00:32
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So I got buck wild on an impulse and decided to learn the banjoes  I've never played music or learned notes before, so I hope I'll be okay. I got a teacher, and borrowed a banjo off him I can buy if I want to. It says "Epiphone" on the neck, but is allegedly Chinese in origin. He assures me it's a good entry-level banjo, and it seems to look and sound great! There's a month to my lessons start. What can I do in the meantime? Please explain as you would a slow child. Tias fucked around with this message at 09:56 on Jul 5, 2016 |
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Jul 5, 2016 08:31
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I'd say: Do a little homework on learning how to read tablature Listen to a bunch of banjo music and figure out if you're going towards a clawhammer or Scruggs style. You can do both, but I'd recommend focusing on one for starters Have ready a few recordings you want to try and learn so you can give them to the teacher Be patient. It's not an impossible instrument to start on, especially because it's in an open tuning, but with no musical background, getting your right and left hands to work together will be a challenge, but not an impossible one Banjo is a lot of fun, so make sure you're having fun. If you get too frustrated, put it down. Do put the work in between lessons so that you can progress.
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Jul 5, 2016 17:39
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Planet X posted:I'd say: This. Listen to as much as you can. Listening is one of the keys to learning banjo. You don't need to be able to read music. But you do need to develop an ear (which will happen over time). The main thing is being able to pick out the melody-the rest is mainly filler and chord/arpeggio notes. If you do claw hammer , the lead (middle or index) finger picks out the melody. For Scruggs/bluegrass the thumb plays melody. I've been playing claw hammer about 5 years and did bluegrass/ Scruggs style for a year or two before that. If you have any questions, I'll monitor the forums and try to help out.
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Jul 8, 2016 06:03
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First lesson today! Teach wants me to use apps to learn, but nearly all of them are on IOS and I don't own any apple products( nor do I have any money, because I spent them all on a banjo)  Is there a good banjo chord app for android, like 123 banjo chords for IOS?
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Sep 1, 2016 13:47
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