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Winson_Paine
Oct 27, 2000

Wait, something is wrong.
Any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong with hammer ons? I try to tag the string with all force possible but it ends up sounding like a hummingbird fart.

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Planet X
Dec 10, 2003

GOOD MORNING
You hitting it right behind the fret? Make sure you're fretting the notes right behind the fret, not the space in between.

Winson_Paine
Oct 27, 2000

Wait, something is wrong.

Planet X posted:

You hitting it right behind the fret? Make sure you're fretting the notes right behind the fret, not the space in between.

Wierd, I woke up this morning and picked up THE MACHINE and suddenly sucked less. They still don't sound great and I still can't do a pulloff without hitting another string but progress is progress.

a dingus
Mar 22, 2008

Rhetorical questions only
Fun Shoe
Do you build speed/accuracy from simple just playing or should I practice playing songs fast? I haven't played any enough to play it without the tabs, but I can't seem to play anything faster than medium/slow without screwing it all up.

Beaucoup Cuckoo
Apr 10, 2008

Uncle Seymour wants you to eat your beans.
Practice slowly. Slower than you think you should.

Planet X
Dec 10, 2003

GOOD MORNING
Yes, you should practice slow and bring it up to speed.

However, it doesn't hurt to take a song and try to listen to it at full tempo and try to hit the notes when you can. You dont have to hit every note, but trying to hit the changes at tempo is good practice.

With that said, when it doubt, slow it down! I'm trying to learn Ground Speed and I always want to speed it up but end up pooching it when I do :shepface:

If you havent aready get a slowdowner and put your music in there and slow that poo poo down and learn it clean then the speed will come

ImDifferent
Sep 20, 2001
So I've been learning banjo for a little over a month now, and it is officially awesome. Stupid fingers won't move anywhere near as fast as I'd like them to, but hopefully that'll come with time.

My buddy and I recorded a bit of "Banjo in the Hollow". Naturally we're playing it at about a tenth of the intended speed, our timing is awful, lovely mic, etc... etc... but I don't care. We're drinking beers, playing bluegrass and it's fun, dammit.

http://soundcloud.com/strags/bith-nr2

ImDifferent fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Apr 20, 2012

Captain Mediocre
Oct 14, 2005

Saving lives and money!

ImDifferent posted:

So I've been learning banjo for a little over a month now, and it is officially awesome. Stupid fingers won't move anywhere near as fast as I'd like them to, but hopefully that'll come with time.

My buddy and I recorded a bit of "Banjo in the Hollow". Naturally we're playing it at about a tenth of the intended speed, our timing is awful, lovely mic, etc... etc... but I don't care. We're drinking beers, playing bluegrass and it's fun, dammit.

http://k003.kiwi6.com/hotlink/880knqip2y/bith_nr2.mp3

This is crazy good for a month in. Your banjo sounds nice too. Listening to this also prompted me to learn that song, so cheers. There's an unintentionally gushy trio of positivism for you!

ImDifferent
Sep 20, 2001
Thanks man, made my day :)

Tater Tot 13
Nov 14, 2003

Making the best of a goon situation.

ImDifferent posted:

So I've been learning banjo for a little over a month now, and it is officially awesome. Stupid fingers won't move anywhere near as fast as I'd like them to, but hopefully that'll come with time.

My buddy and I recorded a bit of "Banjo in the Hollow". Naturally we're playing it at about a tenth of the intended speed, our timing is awful, lovely mic, etc... etc... but I don't care. We're drinking beers, playing bluegrass and it's fun, dammit.

http://soundcloud.com/strags/bith-nr2

that is really good! Keep it up :)

Planet X
Dec 10, 2003

GOOD MORNING

ImDifferent posted:

I don't care. We're drinking beers, playing bluegrass and it's fun, dammit.

Nicely done

Dukes Mayo Clinic
Aug 31, 2009

ImDifferent posted:

We're drinking beers, playing bluegrass and it's fun, dammit.

Every weekend that I'm not drinking beers and playing bluegrass is a weekend misspent.

devilmouse
Mar 26, 2004

It's just like real life.
Are there any well-regarded youtube (or other sites) for learning Scruggs-style banjo? I have an unexpected chunk of free time on my hands and figure I ought to put it to good use!

Planet X
Dec 10, 2003

GOOD MORNING
Rob Bourassa, look him up on Banjo Hangout or Youtube.

devilmouse
Mar 26, 2004

It's just like real life.

Planet X posted:

Rob Bourassa, look him up on Banjo Hangout or Youtube.

What a warm and friendly-looking fellow! Thanks!

invision
Mar 2, 2009

I DIDN'T GET ENOUGH RAPE LAST TIME, MAY I HAVE SOME MORE?
Borrowed my friends banjo to do an OCMS cover and managed to learn 4 chords today. This whole fingerpicking thing is kind of outrageous though, and apparently Wagon Wheel is easy mode.

invision
Mar 2, 2009

I DIDN'T GET ENOUGH RAPE LAST TIME, MAY I HAVE SOME MORE?
So I made this thing

http://tindeck.com/listen/dvpf

because some guy in GiP made a song about rrail getting banned then called me out. It's the first time I've ever touched a banjo. Tell me how bad I am.

Dukes Mayo Clinic
Aug 31, 2009
While this isn't a banjo, this still seems like the best thread for this sort of thing. I took a day and made this crazy abomination:

http://i.imgur.com/lBJnS.jpg

which is a washtub upright bass with a bass guitar neck / bridge.

More pictures here: http://imgur.com/a/Kep9m

It's a little on the quiet side but sounds remarkably like a real upright bass. Looking forward to jamming with it. I'll post audio as soon as I get it back home to my recording gear.

Peas and Rice
Jul 14, 2004

Honor and profit.
Just learning banjo playing - I'm 33 and have always wanted to play. It turns out it's never too late to learn a musical instrument.

My teacher referred me to Chordie.com for chords to various songs - it's great but it seems like I need to be translating things up or down some steps to get the right key for my banjo (standard 5-string g-tuned banjo.) Chordie defaults to guitar - to get songs to sound right (I think it's just the key that's off) do I need to transpose up or down in addition to selecting 5-string banjo tuning? The couple of songs I've looked up just sound really.. out of key when I use chordie's chords without transposing, but I don't know what the default standard is.

Captain Mediocre
Oct 14, 2005

Saving lives and money!

Peas and Rice posted:

Just learning banjo playing - I'm 33 and have always wanted to play. It turns out it's never too late to learn a musical instrument.

My teacher referred me to Chordie.com for chords to various songs - it's great but it seems like I need to be translating things up or down some steps to get the right key for my banjo (standard 5-string g-tuned banjo.) Chordie defaults to guitar - to get songs to sound right (I think it's just the key that's off) do I need to transpose up or down in addition to selecting 5-string banjo tuning? The couple of songs I've looked up just sound really.. out of key when I use chordie's chords without transposing, but I don't know what the default standard is.

The easiest solution here is to buy a capo, which allows you to play the same chord shapes further up the neck to play the same progressions but in a different key, as you need. To do this you will also need to raise the pitch of your 5th (little) string in one of a couple ways. Either your banjo will have nails or a slider attached already to do this for you, or you can jimmy it with a pen lid.

Alternatively, you can transpose the chords yourself into a different key and play them like that instead. I don't know how much musical theory you know, but even if its none transposing is pretty easy. For example, this website lets you copy&paste your chords into it, you tell it how many keys higher/lower you want it and it'll give you a new set of chords to play which will sound like the recorded version of whatever you're learning. One problem with this method is that you may find yourself being asked to play some weird chords which aren't suited for the banjo in standard tuning. This means retuning your banjo, which can get confusing if you aren't too familiar with music theory. For that reason I suggest you invest in a capo!

Pantomime Horse posted:

While this isn't a banjo, this still seems like the best thread for this sort of thing. I took a day and made this crazy abomination:

http://i.imgur.com/lBJnS.jpg

which is a washtub upright bass with a bass guitar neck / bridge.

More pictures here: http://imgur.com/a/Kep9m

It's a little on the quiet side but sounds remarkably like a real upright bass. Looking forward to jamming with it. I'll post audio as soon as I get it back home to my recording gear.

Also loving this, I'm pretty jealous of your abilities to get that done (in a day, no less). Looking forward to hearing how that thing sounds!

Peas and Rice
Jul 14, 2004

Honor and profit.

Captain Mediocre posted:

Alternatively, you can transpose the chords yourself into a different key and play them like that instead. I don't know how much musical theory you know, but even if its none transposing is pretty easy. For example, this website lets you copy&paste your chords into it, you tell it how many keys higher/lower you want it and it'll give you a new set of chords to play which will sound like the recorded version of whatever you're learning.

Yeah, I guess that was my question, I didn't know how many keys higher/lower to go.

So here's a song (Deadman's Gun from Red Dead Redemption. Yes, video game music) in guitar chords (looks like Key o' C):

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/a/ashtar_command/deadmans_gun_crd.htm

Using that tool, I'm not sure how many steps up/down to transpose to get it to sound right on my five-string. Or would it be different for every song?

Unfortunately I never learned any musical theory despite 5 years of piano lessons and 8+ years of high school band.

Captain Mediocre
Oct 14, 2005

Saving lives and money!

Peas and Rice posted:

Yeah, I guess that was my question, I didn't know how many keys higher/lower to go.

So here's a song (Deadman's Gun from Red Dead Redemption. Yes, video game music) in guitar chords (looks like Key o' C):

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/a/ashtar_command/deadmans_gun_crd.htm

Using that tool, I'm not sure how many steps up/down to transpose to get it to sound right on my five-string. Or would it be different for every song?

Unfortunately I never learned any musical theory despite 5 years of piano lessons and 8+ years of high school band.

That is indeed in the key of C. I looked up the song aswell and checked, it is also in C. I'm not too sure what you're asking, the chords you have on that page already match the key of the recording (that I heard anyway). I had a go playing along and it sounded fine, maybe your banjo is out of tune? Alternatively, it might depend on what you're trying to do. If you're strumming the banjo it never tends to sound right matched up against guitar chords. But if you're picking out bits of the right chords or following a melody in the key it ought to sound fine as it is.

If what you want to do is play it in a different key to the recording such that it will be easier to play on the banjo, then I apologise. Banjo is perhaps easiest to play in G, so if you transpose that song down 5 half-steps the chords become G D Em C (ultimate guitar actually has a built in transpose tool at the top of the page you can use to do this for the whole song). You won't be able to play this along with a recording or whathaveyou because the keys won't match, but you could realign them if you liked by playing it in G (the new way) and putting a capo on the 5th fret. This would mean you are playing 'as if' in the key of G, in terms of chord shapes, but you will actually be producing chord sounds in the key of C.

Do either of these answer your question? I am a little confused by what you're asking I confess.

---

Also, I'm hoping to start building my own banjo in the next month or two, presently based loosely on plans from this site recommended by banjo hangout. I've never built an instrument before, and I am doing so more for the joy of it than an expectation that I will produce a particularly good instrument. Has anyone in the thread ever done it, and have any pearls of wisdom they wish they had been told? I suspect I'll shell out the cash for some proper blueprints/a better guide but I'd nevertheless be interested to hear anyone else's story/advice if they've got it.

Captain Mediocre fucked around with this message at 10:31 on May 9, 2012

Peas and Rice
Jul 14, 2004

Honor and profit.

Captain Mediocre posted:

That is indeed in the key of C. I looked up the song aswell and checked, it is also in C. I'm not too sure what you're asking, the chords you have on that page already match the key of the recording (that I heard anyway). I had a go playing along and it sounded fine, maybe your banjo is out of tune? Alternatively, it might depend on what you're trying to do. If you're strumming the banjo it never tends to sound right matched up against guitar chords. But if you're picking out bits of the right chords or following a melody in the key it ought to sound fine as it is.

Yeah, I've just been strumming - I've literally had just a couple of lessons and am just learning some basic rolls, but my teacher thought it would be a good idea for me to hop on Chordie and find some songs I liked to strum out. It seemed like he was saying "guitar chords are always in a certain key so you'll have to do some transposing to get them to sound right on your banjo" but maybe I misunderstood.

I'll try it in the easier key you indicated and at least see if I can practice my chord transitions, since the song's pretty easy all things considered which is why I picked it in the first place.

Thanks for the tip!

Dukes Mayo Clinic
Aug 31, 2009
Here's a youtube of the washtub upright: http://youtu.be/jYe7gjXOm6Q

It's sort of a beast to play; the action past the 7th fret is prohibitive and naturally if your positioning is off you get terrible fret buzz. It's loads of fun for just thumping along in first position though.

ImDifferent
Sep 20, 2001

invision posted:

So I made this thing

I like it! I can't hear the banjo too clearly though.

Thanks for posting this - I'd never heard Wagon Wheel before, and it inspired me to start messing around with a cover in GarageBand. It's definitely a work-in-progress... only have the chorus lyrics recorded so far. I don't sing very often, so this was a bit of an experiment.

http://soundcloud.com/strags/wagon-wheel-work-in-progress

Still really digging the banjo, although the guy I was taking lessons from is off on tour with his band for a month, and I think my progress has definitely slowed. Anyone got some suggestions for some decent-sounding songs that aren't too tricky?

Pantomime Horse posted:

pure awesomeness
'nuff said.

dexter6
Sep 22, 2003
I've played guitar on and off for about 15 years and I've started to get into bluegrass lately. My last guitar was from Rondo Music and I love it. It's a great guitar for the price.

Is the same true for their banjos? Specifically, this one: http://www.rondomusic.com/country5.html

Captain Mediocre
Oct 14, 2005

Saving lives and money!

dexter6 posted:

I've played guitar on and off for about 15 years and I've started to get into bluegrass lately. My last guitar was from Rondo Music and I love it. It's a great guitar for the price.

Is the same true for their banjos? Specifically, this one: http://www.rondomusic.com/country5.html

I've never played one so this is mere conjecture, but that does appear to be a tad on the cheap side. I've personally had bad experiences with cheaply made banjos, I bought one more expensive than that and had countless issues with the thing beyond what I expect from an entry-level instrument.

Maybe someone else can give you a better idea about that instrument specifically, but I believe general thread consensus recommends a Deering Goodtime (if you can afford it).

ImDifferent
Sep 20, 2001
More two-guys-beer-and-garageband: http://soundcloud.com/strags/hot-dog

Tempo was a bit beyond my comfort zone at this point, to be honest. But it was fun.

a dingus
Mar 22, 2008

Rhetorical questions only
Fun Shoe
I don't know how often you're supposed to tune an instrument but I check it with an electronic tuner every few days and the 3rd string on my Deering Goodtime always ends up being very sharp while the rest of the strings hold their tune well. I noticed the knob for that string is looser than the rest, is this something I can fix or should be concerned about? Its a minor annoyance.

Manky
Mar 20, 2007


Fun Shoe
You can probably tighten the tuner with a wrench or like a pair of pliers or something.

PoorPeteBest
Oct 13, 2005

We're not hitchhiking anymore! We're riding!
Yeah, not sure what type of tuners you have but generally there is a screw on the end of the button that can be tightened. Don't go too tight or you'll put a lot of stress on the gears, you want just enough pressure to set the gears when they turn.

As far as tuning goes all I can say is get used to it. Banjo's are the most fickle instruments on the planet and seem to go out of tune if you glance at them the wrong way.

a dingus
Mar 22, 2008

Rhetorical questions only
Fun Shoe
Thanks, there is a screw at the end of the knob. Ill tighten it a bit and see what happens.

PoorPeteBest
Oct 13, 2005

We're not hitchhiking anymore! We're riding!
This may or may not be the right thread but does anybody have any recommendations for microphones?

My band has been doing the common bluegrass single mic setup through an MXL990. Sadly, the mic got knocked over during soundcheck the other day and long story short we need a replacement. I've been looking at the AT2035 or 3035 because I'm scared of getting a 4050 and having the same thing happen. Any suggestions?

Dukes Mayo Clinic
Aug 31, 2009

PoorPeteBest posted:

This may or may not be the right thread but does anybody have any recommendations for microphones?

My band has been doing the common bluegrass single mic setup through an MXL990. Sadly, the mic got knocked over during soundcheck the other day and long story short we need a replacement. I've been looking at the AT2035 or 3035 because I'm scared of getting a 4050 and having the same thing happen. Any suggestions?

I'm not a microphone expert, but this has been on my mind a bunch recently. I've been quietly lusting after a shure KSM32SL after our band rented two for a gig (they work /spectacularly/) but they're also prohibitively expensive for our budget and I would be sad if I knocked one over and killed it.

You also might be interested in looking at some stuff from cascade microphones:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R67zWxH6MAU

http://www.cascademicrophones.com/cascade_FAT_HEADII_Live.html

I think the newest fat heads run around $200-$300. It's a figure-8 instead of a cardioid, but apparently that works for some folks on stage?

And while I'm posting, here's a fun article on the topic of live bluegrass sound: http://www.diybluegrassbiz.com/Live_sound_for_bluegrass.pdf

Hollis Brownsound
Apr 2, 2009

by Lowtax
Don't get the Fat Heads, they are good mics for the money but ribbon mics can break if you look at them funny, not suitable at all for live situations. AT 2020's are great mics for the money and very warm for a cheap condensor. The AKG P220's and $420's are also great for the money. Also check out some of the entry level condensors from SE.

PoorPeteBest
Oct 13, 2005

We're not hitchhiking anymore! We're riding!
That Cascade mic sounds incredible, I wonder how much of that is the room/pre-amplification. It sure would suck to have an accident though.

I keep hearing good things about the AT2020, but would there be any distinct benefit in upgrading to the AT2035? I know it has low-cut and pad buttons but the construction seems otherwise pretty similar to the 2020. Is there anything else in the $150 range that would be worth considering?

dexter6
Sep 22, 2003
So my first banjo will be delivered Friday and I was wondering what other accessories I might have to head to the music shop to buy. The banjo comes with a gig bag, but here's what I'm thinking:

  • Chromatic Tuner (I already have a guitar tuner, but I've been meaning to get one that is more versatile anyway)
  • Strap
  • What kind of picks should I get?
  • Anything else?

Also, is there a recommended beginner's Banjo book? I'm coming from the guitar world, so the idea of chords and fretting aren't a big deal, but I'd like to have something to teach me a couple of songs and basic picking / fingering patterns.

Thank!

Hollis Brownsound
Apr 2, 2009

by Lowtax

PoorPeteBest posted:

That Cascade mic sounds incredible, I wonder how much of that is the room/pre-amplification. It sure would suck to have an accident though.

I keep hearing good things about the AT2020, but would there be any distinct benefit in upgrading to the AT2035? I know it has low-cut and pad buttons but the construction seems otherwise pretty similar to the 2020. Is there anything else in the $150 range that would be worth considering?

Do you need a pair of mics or just one?

Captain Mediocre
Oct 14, 2005

Saving lives and money!

dexter6 posted:

So my first banjo will be delivered Friday and I was wondering what other accessories I might have to head to the music shop to buy. The banjo comes with a gig bag, but here's what I'm thinking:

  • Chromatic Tuner (I already have a guitar tuner, but I've been meaning to get one that is more versatile anyway)
  • Strap
  • What kind of picks should I get?
  • Anything else?

Also, is there a recommended beginner's Banjo book? I'm coming from the guitar world, so the idea of chords and fretting aren't a big deal, but I'd like to have something to teach me a couple of songs and basic picking / fingering patterns.

Thank!

I don't think you need much else. And you should try the picks they have in the shop and see what you like, theres a lot of personal preference involved.

As for the book, I'm a fan of Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo. It has all the usual good introductory stuff, some personal advice from those in the know which makes a good read, and largely some really high quality tablature of Earl Scrugg's stuff (which is what you'll mostly be wanting to learn I'm sure) in a wide range of ease/difficulty. It's pretty comprehensive.

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ImDifferent
Sep 20, 2001
+1 for the AT2020. I got the USB version a while back, and am quite happy with it, although my recording conditions are far from perfect (lots of background noise).

Now about 3 months into the banjo, still loving it. My teacher is still touring though, and I ran out of tunes, so I decided to have a crack at Foggy Mountain Breakdown. A few duff notes, but getting better: http://soundcloud.com/strags/foggy-mountain-breakdown

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