Any banjo players out there?

motormike
@motormike
2 months ago
16 posts

Grabbed this off FB...Golden Highway

golden highway.jpg
golden highway.jpg  •  329KB

motormike
@motormike
2 months ago
16 posts

Ha !...absurd talent indeed. Jalan Crossland
Thank you for the share Nate.
Love the song too.
See reply in chat box.

NateBuildsToys
NateBuildsToys
@nate
2 months ago
238 posts

Jalan Crossland is an absurd talent 

NateBuildsToys
NateBuildsToys
@nate
2 months ago
238 posts

Melvoid:

Hi, My main instrument is the 5-string banjo. I recent did a book for Hal Leonard called Do-It-Yourself Banjo. Written during Covid, it's sort-of intended as a self teaching guide, complete with audio and video files to demonstrate what's being presented in the book. Been teaching since the mid-1970s, so feel free to hit me up with any questions. Naturally, I recommend the book, but I have been getting good feedback about it.

 
Thank you for your offer I appreciate that. So far so good but if I have any questions I'll definitely take the opportunity to ask.
steve104c:

Nate. You have a cool Uncle. That is a nice looking banjo. Last year bought a Deering Goodtime 2 banjo and later bought the Deering Goodtime Banjo/Ukulele. Love it. Easy to play and sounds a lot like a banjo.Steve B.

 
Those banjo-leles seem like a lot of fun. I just got everything I need to make myself a banjo drumhead, and a banjolele is going to be the first thing I try making.
motormike:

If you're reading this, and you're a banjo fanatic,
there's a player you should seek out named Kyle Tuttle.
He and I shared a few motorcycle rides, and lived only a couple blocks apart.
A simple google search of his name will bring up a nice overview of his work.

 
That is very cool! I did not know his name, but I'm a big fan of Molly Tuttle with Golden Highway, which he is the banjo player for. Definitely an extremely talented and entertaining banjo player. There seem to be a lot of very talented banjo players coming out of the modern "folk punk" bluegrass scene. A few that come to mind are Billy Failing, Jalan Crossland, Matt Heckler and now, Kyle Tuttle

Nate


updated by @nate: 02/02/24 06:24:17PM
motormike
@motormike
2 months ago
16 posts

If you're reading this, and you're a banjo fanatic,
there's a player you should seek out named Kyle Tuttle.
He and I shared a few motorcycle rides, and lived only a couple blocks apart.
A simple google search of his name will bring up a nice overview of his work.

steve104c
@steve104c
2 months ago
11 posts

Nate. You have a cool Uncle. That is a nice looking banjo. Last year bought a Deering Goodtime 2 banjo and later bought the Deering Goodtime Banjo/Ukulele. Love it. Easy to play and sounds a lot like a banjo.Steve B.

IMG_4327.jpeg
IMG_4327.jpeg  •  201KB

Melvoid
Melvoid
@melvoid
4 months ago
18 posts

Hi, My main instrument is the 5-string banjo. I recent did a book for Hal Leonard called Do-It-Yourself Banjo. Written during Covid, it's sort-of intended as a self teaching guide, complete with audio and video files to demonstrate what's being presented in the book. Been teaching since the mid-1970s, so feel free to hit me up with any questions. Naturally, I recommend the book, but I have been getting good feedback about it.

NateBuildsToys
NateBuildsToys
@nate
4 months ago
238 posts

My uncle just gave me one of his banjos! It's something I've always wanted to learn.

shanonmilan
@shanonmilan
5 months ago
60 posts

Paul Rappell: Paul Certo said:



I play banjo, also. I started with guitar in '66, banjo in '68. But after starting to learn dulcimer in '90,I really got more interested in banjo again after hearing clawhammer players playing with dulcimer players. The combination just feels right to me.
Paul


It's never too late to start over!Different combinations of instruments have appealed to me, too, Paul. Back in the seventies I thought that Appalachian dulcimer and synthesizer would make a great combination. Go figure.Kate and Anna McGarrigle used a variety of instrumental mixes, even dual clawhammer on "Excursion a Venise" in concert (you can find it on YouTube), with Kate and sister Jane. The Transatlantic Sessions (lots of it on YouTube) feature a variety of North American and British Isles instrumental combinations. Banjo and dulcimer sounds like a great mix. A friend once gave me "The Best of Just Friends", a dulcimer CD by George Haggerty from Vermont, and it's filled with combinations: dulcimer with guitar, tin whistle, concertina, fiddle, bodhran, banjo, mandolin. The Fuzzy Mountain String Band had dulcimer in among all those fiddles and banjos.Hmmm ... How about banjo, dulcimer, and Northumbrian smallpipes?Messing with the banjo could be the musical equivalent of working on your bicycle. The Orpheum has been "tweaked" lately with head tightening and replacing the bridge with the one that came with the banjo when first purchased. If the sound needs to be "plunkified", stuffing something between the head and dowel stick works well. The old metal mute also completely changes the tone.

 


The combination of instruments in use guarantees some excellent tunes for dancing.

Melvoid
Melvoid
@melvoid
2 years ago
18 posts

Yes, but strictly Bluegrass on that instrument. In fact, I just wrote a methods book.

Are we allowed to self-promote? If so, https://www.halleonard.com/product/354325/do-it-yourself-banjo

Noah Cline
Noah Cline
@noah-cline
2 years ago
7 posts

Been playing banjo since 2008, the longest out of all my string endeavors lol. Been picking on dulcimers since 2015, learning on the first one I made. Here’s a duet video I made playing the tune “Hunt the Buffalo” on mountain banjo and dulcimer.


updated by @noah-cline: 04/01/22 01:06:51PM
Jim Yates
Jim Yates
@jim-yates
3 years ago
51 posts

Some more photos, before and after:   https://fotmd.com/jim-yates/gallery/rs-williams-banjo/all

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
3 years ago
2,248 posts

Jim, sounds like your friend Teilhard is skilled at restoring an old banjo. I love to see that! A happy new life for a lovely old banjer... and joy for you to play! inlove




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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
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Jim Yates
Jim Yates
@jim-yates
3 years ago
51 posts

Just this weekend my friend Teilhard Frost, a wonderful gourd banjo builder (and player) paid us a visit toreturn my R.S. Williams banjo which had been in terrible, unplayable condition since I bought it for $20 at a yard sale in 2018(?).  I could see that it had promise and when Teilhard saw it, he said that he could bring it back to playable condition.  Well he sure did that.  It was made prior to 1879 (when the company was renamed R.S. Williams & Son) and has been restored with rosewood pegs and nylon strings.  I have been playing it constantly since I got it back.
One photo before Teilhard got hold of it and one after he worked his magic.


updated by @jim-yates: 12/09/21 02:37:38AM
Mary Z. Cox
Mary Z. Cox
@mary-z-cox
3 years ago
62 posts

Jumping ?? Jumping ?? We don't jump--we levitate --why do you think we get paid the big bucks for concerts ?? We spend hours meditating & considerable yoga hours for that :)   We are training to ascend :)

Mary Z. Cox
Mary Z. Cox
@mary-z-cox
3 years ago
62 posts

My bass string was out of tune--so I walked away from the mic to tune.  Then back again to play. Cameron is my favorite fiddler & he knew my string was out--so he just held the tune and the stage. Happy Holidays :)

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
3 years ago
2,248 posts

That jumping was fun, Mary.

I'm curious as to why you left the stage for a while- ?




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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
Mary Z. Cox
Mary Z. Cox
@mary-z-cox
3 years ago
62 posts

Lets try again :)

Mary Z. Cox
Mary Z. Cox
@mary-z-cox
3 years ago
62 posts

Here's a little banjo from Saturday night with Boston fiddler, Cameron Freer.   This is our levitation verson of dance tunes Black Eyed Susie/Forked Deer. :)


updated by @mary-z-cox: 12/08/21 05:34:52PM
robert schuler
robert schuler
@robert-schuler
3 years ago
252 posts

Back in 1971 I had a cheap what some call a bottle cap banjo. A good Vega banjo was around $300. I could not afford one. Then 30 years later they were in the one to three thousand dollar range. I thought I could build a shop and build my own for less. I did!. I've got long necks, short scale, normal scale, fretless, semi fretless, six string. 10" , 11" , 12" pots , block rims, plywood rims, brass tone rings, wood tone rings. I had to restrain myself from building more and focus on dulcimers. All together they cost me about the same as one high quality open back banjo....Robert

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
3 years ago
2,248 posts

Steven Berger:

There's nothing like a fretless gourd or wood-shell banjo, strung with gut or nylon strings, with a natural skin head, to make the world go 'round!


Steven, I pretty much agree with this.  Though I do love some of my oldtime steel string banjers too, they have their own pretty bell-like tone appeal.  banjo




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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
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Don Smith
Don Smith
@don-smith
3 years ago
19 posts

@Strumelia I do know jeff menzie I have placed several orders for skins from him I love his builds on this gourd banjos even though I do not have one of his 

My current banjos which are both open back is a 11 inch Bart Rieter Grand Concert and a Rickard 11 inch maple whyte LAYDIE the Rickard I installed a John Balch pre mounted jeff menzie goat skin head in my experimenting with bridges I ended up with a Doc Huff old time bridge which weighs 7.3 grams 

That is the other thing I learned while experimenting with bridges weight means nothing 

I also am building a gourd banjo for myself that I hand carved the neck out of zebra wood 

The banjo I am having built by a local luthier I supplied the wood to him which the rim is made out of bocote the neck will be laminated paduk with a purple heart center strip and overlayed with a pale moon finger board it will also be a long neck which I elected to have fretless


updated by @don-smith: 07/17/21 03:19:27AM
Steven Berger
Steven Berger
@steven-berger
3 years ago
143 posts

There's nothing like a fretless gourd or wood-shell banjo, strung with gut or nylon strings, with a natural skin head, to make the world go 'round!

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
3 years ago
2,248 posts

Ken, many factors contribute to a unique sound from every banjo. Pot material does actually make quite a difference, as do different types of wood. I have a friend who made an entire banjo out of ebony. It was a thing of beauty and extremely heavy. But sadly, it sounded way too quiet and not resonant at all, because of the denseness of the ebony, which would not transmit sound vibrations at all.




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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
Lois Sprengnether Keel
Lois Sprengnether Keel
@lois-sprengnether-keel
3 years ago
197 posts

My husband has 5 old (mainly '20s + a 19th c.) banjos.  That keeps him from complaining about my "Folk Instrument Petting Zoo" including several dulcimers.  He definitely agrees about the pots, pointing to cigar box & a ham can as proof.  Skins certainly make the difference.  His oldest has a goat skin head & gut strings.  He says that combination makes a big difference.

He's not been at all tempted by gourds (thank heavens!), but we know a fellow, Tim Twiss, who loves fretless gourd banjos for reenacting & just plain enjoyment.

Mary Z. Cox
Mary Z. Cox
@mary-z-cox
3 years ago
62 posts

Hi.  Once when I was playing a small banjo concert in the mountains--I also played a couple tunes on my mountain dulcimer. I demonstrated several different banjos too--I think the cello banjo, my fancy mermaild Deering, the John Bowland 1865 Fretless & the John Hartford with the grenadilla tone ring.  A lady rushed up at the end and gushed--I love all your banjos--but I love that all wood banjo the best.  (mountain dulcimer)  maryzcox.com

Ken Hulme
Ken Hulme
@ken-hulme
3 years ago
2,111 posts

I love Jeff Menzies instruments!  If I were going to play banjo it would be one of his... 

I believe, but could be wrong, that the material a banjo pot is made of makes little measurable difference in the sound produced. 

Granted, a Leggo(tm) rim or PVC pot will probably sound different than a wooden or gourd pot.  But I doubt you'd get any measurable difference between say Walnut, Birch, laminated exotic woods, or bamboo.  After all, the primary sound producer is the vibrating head.  I can understand big differences in sound between a skin head of various origins and a "plastic" skin.

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
3 years ago
2,248 posts

@don-smith , i too think banjos can be made successfully out of most hard woods. If you have a chance look up stuff about banjo maker Jeff Menzies - he moved to Jamaica years ago and while living there he used all kinds exotic woods to make gourd banjos... whatever wood was available from trees that fell or discarded local wood. His banjos sound wonderful. I loooove gourd banjos, but I only have one, made by Jeff.




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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
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Don Smith
Don Smith
@don-smith
3 years ago
19 posts

I know this is an older post but figured I would add myself to the Banjo player

Banjo's are my addiction I have three and having a fourth built by a local Luthier I am also in the process of building several Gourd Banjo's for my kids and grand children the first banjo I ever purchased was a resonator banjo and it did not take me long to figure out I had no desire to lug around a 14-17 pound banjo and I had no desire to learn to play bluegrass style i have never been able to get accustomed to having picks on my thumb and fingers,  even though I do love bluegrass music, I play claw hammer style, i am also infatuated with different bridges and how different bridges can have a huge impact on the way a banjo sounds it is an experiment i feel anyone that plays a banjo should perform at some point just to see how different bridges and different woods can affect the tone,volume, how clear and clean notes sound up and down the neck with different bridges and different woods in bridges 

I think more out of the box when it comes to different woods for banjo builds than most and believe there is more than just maple,black walnut, cherry,mahogany, and oak that a banjo can be built with and the way i look at it is if someone can take a danged old gourd and make a banjo and an actual really great sounding banjo from them in a lot of cases it tells me that any good hard wood will work and there are a lot of exotic woods that i believe could be used to make a great playing and sounding banjo

Jim Yates
Jim Yates
@jim-yates
3 years ago
51 posts

I also enjoy Mary's banjo and dulcimer playing.
I'd like to share a banjo duet that AlKirby and I recorded alittle over a decade ago.  Al is playing Scruggs style and I'm playing clawhammer style.  Our friend the late Zeke Mazurek added some fiddleto the mix.  This was on our Sittin' In The Kitchen CD.
https://www.banjohangout.org/myhangout/media-player/audio_player2.asp?playlist=1201&musicid=


Tom Walker
Tom Walker
@tom-walker
3 years ago
1 posts

Yes! Play clawhammer banjo; enjoy Mary Z. Cox’s tasteful banjo playing.

Jim Yates
Jim Yates
@jim-yates
4 years ago
51 posts

I have a few instruments in the banjo family.
I play clawhammer and a few other folk styles on my 5-strings. 
I have a tenor that is strung with nylon strings that I often play in the Maple Leaf Champions Jug Band.
I also have a few banjoleles that I use Somebody Stole My Gal, Sweet Sue and Walkin' My Baby Back Home.

I used to play bluegrass banjo,but the arthritis in my thumbs has slowed that down a lot.

Lois Sprengnether Keel
Lois Sprengnether Keel
@lois-sprengnether-keel
4 years ago
197 posts

Ken Hulme:


I got my banjo playing buddy a new tuner for Christmas --  Acme Wirecutters!!~!



I had to read your comment to my "loud & raucous" banjo playing husband.  He's my Roadie & I can only get him to play for my Civil War era programs, when I do WWI or Prohibition he swears it's not his style.  Good thing I love him & vice versa 'cause I pick on him mercilessly about that banjo.winky

Steven Berger
Steven Berger
@steven-berger
4 years ago
143 posts

I have 3 banjos, none of which I play well. None have resonators, and, all have skin heads. I have a modern tonering banjo, a fretless mountain banjo, and a fretless tackhead minstrel-style banjo. Tried for years, but can't get the clawhammer or any down -picking style down, so I play a 3-finger style. Love the sound of instrument!

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
4 years ago
2,248 posts

Yeah, any instrument that makes you feel happy when playing it is just plain GOOD.  :)

(Cynthia I would love to hear more of you on your kantele- I loved what you posted a while back... so full of feeling and so ...from a Different time and place.)

There are many more gourd banjo makers now than there were ten years ago.  You can actually get a decent playable one for $300 or less.  Gourd banjers are less expensive than regular banjos in general. 




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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
Cynthia Wigington
Cynthia Wigington
@cynthia-wigington
4 years ago
74 posts

Clawhammer banjo is the one that grabs me, and I used to play it. If I had a gourd with nylon strings I'd be playing it right now! About happiness and instruments...gotta add ukulele...yep, just gotta. Beautiful Lisa. I really love the Sacred Harp tunes on clawhammer banjo. Listen to the Banjo Apes do those. Wish I hadn't sold that banjo.

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
4 years ago
2,248 posts

Bess, for that tune (from an old WV Hammons family recording) I was playing in clawhammer style. Other times I play in minstrel style and tuning.  Even though the two styles have a lot in common and can look like the same thing to an observer, I do find the actual physical playing styles of clawhammer and minstrel banjo to be different in significant ways other than simply because they use different tunings.  It took me a few years to actually notice that there were these differences.  To this day it takes me a minute or so to mentally/physically adjust when I switch back and forth between those two styles of playing.  There are always some moments of "Uh, what the heck are my fingers supposed to be doing, again?"... lolol.

I do suggest that a beginner decide which of the two styles to concentrate on for a while, rather than jumping back and forth between clawhammer style/tunings, and minstrel style/tunings.  Mixing the two up could be problematic unless you've had at least a year or two of playing one style before exploring the other style.  It's possible to learn both styles at the same time as a beginner of course, but the result would very likely be a hybrid style, so you have to decide on what your personal goal is.

If you mostly just play alone at home or with family you can play however you like without worrying about styles at all.  But if you plan to play with other folks that seriously play one of those styles and not the other, it might not be the best idea to jump into their established jamming group and start playing their customary repertoire in a hybrid style.   ;)   Playing in groups means we try to blend harmoniously and enhance what the group likes to do, rather than sticking out and possibly disrupting what they like to do.  nod




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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990

updated by @strumelia: 02/21/20 12:01:08PM
Black Dog Bess
Black Dog Bess
@black-dog-bess
4 years ago
18 posts

Wow! Thanks for the wonderful gourd banjo playing , Stumelia. I was fortunate enough to find a travel sized minstrel banjo who is patiently waiting for me learn how to play. Were you using minstrel style of play or clawhammer? I can manage an imitation of clawhammer and find myself using it on ukes as well as banjos and banjoleles. The non-steel strings definitely give the banjo another character. One of my favorite instruments is a baritone banjolele. I like it because it adds more of a percussive element and doesn't steal the show like a real banjo.

Barb

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
4 years ago
2,248 posts

Some banjos are loud and beautiful, others can sound mellow and beautiful.  I have quite a few banjos.  My most mellow sounding banjo is my lovely gourd banjo with nylon strings:




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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990

updated by @strumelia: 02/20/20 06:08:47PM
Susie
Susie
@susie
4 years ago
500 posts

I play 5-string resonator banjo, Earl Scruggs style. I had a wonderful teacher who first taught me fingerpicking guitar (46 years ago), then I moved on to fingerpicking (aka Earl Scruggs style) banjo. Don't play as much as I should, but it is still fun to pull out now and again.

Robin Thompson
Robin Thompson
@robin-thompson
4 years ago
1,415 posts

I have a little 3-string banjo built by Michael Fox, called a Dulcijo.  The dulci portion of the name refers to the tunings used-- typical mountain dulcimer tunings-- but it is definitely a little banjo.  Nice & cool little instrument!

Ken Hulme
Ken Hulme
@ken-hulme
4 years ago
2,111 posts

I got my banjo playing buddy a new tuner for Christmas --  Acme Wirecutters!!~!

chas5131
@chas5131
4 years ago
1 posts

I play a bit of banjo.  It is a lot of fun. 

It is also loud and raucous.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. 

Salt Springs
Salt Springs
@salt-springs
8 years ago
207 posts

Some of you might like to check out this site:

 

http://www.thebluegrasssituation.com/search?term=banjo

Foggers
Foggers
@foggers
12 years ago
62 posts

Sue - I was really pleased when I got the hang of clawhammer, it is a really versatile technique.

Lisa - I totally agree that it is impossible to play banjo or MD and not notice an immediate lifting of the spirits!

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
12 years ago
2,248 posts

I think banjos and mountain dulcimers make more people happy than any other instruments!




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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
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Sue Simms
Sue Simms
@sue-simms
12 years ago
29 posts

learning this old technique of Clawhammer and love it !Grin.gif

Foggers
Foggers
@foggers
12 years ago
62 posts

well it has been a year since any banjo related news was shared.

I got me a very be-au-ti-ful new banjo a couple of months ago; a Wildwood Troubadour. It was just sitting there on Ebay with no one paying any attention, so I got it for about half what I would have paid for a new one, and got to see and try it too before sealing the deal. I have wanted one with a tubaphone tone ring so I was really pleased. It needed a little attention as the head was really loose, and I found the action a little low so I swapped the bridge for a 5/8th. And now I can hardly bear to put it down! Hve not got any recordings yet but will be working on that during the summer.

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
13 years ago
2,248 posts

Sam thank you for the nice comments.

Foggers, I look forward to hearing more on your banjo journey!

I got to play some banjo this weekend at a little oldtime festival in MA.




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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
Foggers
Foggers
@foggers
13 years ago
62 posts
Hi allHad a wonderful weekend at the N Wales Bluegrass festival, which also has old time artists. The two great old time acts were Sara Grey who tours a lot on both sides of the Pond, and also Dana and Susan Robinson. Sara did a wonderful talk on appalachian songs and I was delighted that she allowed recording. So now I am home from our holiday (of which the festival was a part) I shall work on a couple of the songs and post something on here.
Sam
Sam
@sam
13 years ago
169 posts

I'm glad that you and Brian can find time to play your music together. The music and chemistry make this one of my all time favorite vids to watch. I'd almost bet I've watched it more than the two of you!Grin.gif

Strumelia said:

I asked my husband Brian this evening if he wanted to play some music together after dinner- something we just don't make the time to do often enough! To my surprise out of the blue he asked if I would give him a banjo lesson. So I did!

He did very well. We had to get creative due to his lacking the use of his left index finger and thumb (he has learned to get around this quite well while fiddling). We started with a non-chord style approach in G modal tuning to take advantage of the open drone strings as much as possible. I was very flattered that he would actually ask me for abanjo lesson, considering what a wonderful fiddler he is! I'm very lucky to live with a good natural musician.

So it was an interesting and rewarding musical evening for us both. Smile.gif




--
The Dulcimer. If you want to preserve it, jam it!
Paul Rappell
Paul Rappell
@paul-rappell
13 years ago
31 posts

Well, that's great! I came upon your post shortly after putting down the banjo.

I had a brief discussion with a musician, talking about fiddle (and banjo)tunes and their names and so on. This was on Friday the 3rd of June, after the rehearsal for our daughter's wedding (which, obviously, was on Saturday the 4th). The musician was the piper. The wedding was in Strathcona park in Ottawa (since no banjos were played, I'll give a write-up in The Drifting Thread). If you ever come across a banjo tab for "The Clumsy Lovers", please forward it.

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
13 years ago
2,248 posts

I asked my husband Brian this evening if he wanted to play some music together after dinner- something we just don't make the time to do often enough! To my surprise out of the blue he asked if I would give him a banjo lesson. So I did!

He did very well. We had to get creative due to his lacking the use of his left index finger and thumb (he has learned to get around this quite well while fiddling). We started with a non-chord style approach in G modal tuning to take advantage of the open drone strings as much as possible. I was very flattered that he would actually ask me for abanjo lesson, considering what a wonderful fiddler he is! I'm very lucky to live with a good natural musician.

So it was an interesting and rewarding musical evening for us both.




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Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
Paul Rappell
Paul Rappell
@paul-rappell
13 years ago
31 posts

I'm spending soooo much time on the banjo lately. Really, I should be sounding soooooooooooooooooooo much better, but I'm not.

On the 6th I celebrated my birthday by going to Toronto by myself and wandering around. Bought the great strawberry Danish at Bread & Roses, visited my old school and surprised a bunch of teaching colleagues, went downtown, and visited the Twelfth Fret. Unfortunately, they didn't have a head that would fit my old Orpheum. They did, however, have a fair selection of banjos which I took the time to try out. I started out on an 1890's Cole, and then tried the newer ones: Vegas, Gold Tone, Wildwood, and a terrific Nechville Atlas with a twelve-inch pot. I found the newer banjos easier to play, with slightly wider string spacing.

I took the Orpheum back in for its third repair of the year, some work on the peghead. It will be a couple of weeks waiting its turn in the shop. I'm thinking of relegating it to two-finger picking, but I have to save up for a new open-back. Maybe I'll try one of the "kits" that Bill Rickard puts together. The bonus is that he's just north of Toronto.

This Friday was our second jam of the new year. I raced up to Sunbury only to realize I'd left my music and instrument stands at home. I dumped the guitar, banjo, and mandolin and flew back home. I made it back with time to spare, which surprised some people. Marge signed me in second, my usual spot, and I did "Keep on the Sunny Side" and "Down the Road", both for the first time. Another singer said, when it was her turn, that I'd taken her song, so she had to choose another. Second time around I did "Pancho and Lefty", and I got a third turn and closed the evening's activities with "Goodnight Irene". A couple got up from the audience and joined in at my mic, while other musicians took the rest of the mics.

When Lorne, our steel player, had his first turn, he took so long trying to figure out his second song that I said, "Hurry up, or we'll get the hook!" And when Les thanked the audience for not running out on him during his numbers, I said, "It's cold out!" He replied, "I'll get you for that!"

Our fiddler surprised my with a banjo CD he'd burned just for me.

Well, gotta start gettin' ready for Friday's jam. So far I've narrowed it down to "Pack up Your Sorrows" (guitar), "Hard Times Come Again No More" (banjo), "Chased Old Satan" (banjo), and "So Long - It's Been Good to Know You" (maybe guitar, maybe banjo, maybe ...). But I've been working on "If I Needed You" by Townes Van Zandt, and I played a Ry Cooder CD (Into the Purple Valley) in the car when we went to breakfast this morning (and on the way back, with a newly purchasedantique table), so the list could change drastically by Friday evening.

Oh (said he, already having given waaay too much information for one post), bicycles and banjos (and other instruments) do mix. I've reserved the Portsmouth tavern for a Thursday evening in February for a Kingston Velo Club jam session. Exact date not set yet, but all cyclists (and non-cyclists) would be welcome.

Flint Hill
Flint Hill
@flint-hill
13 years ago
62 posts
Hey all!

Went down to Georgia for awhile, came back, got sidetracked on a couple of computer projects that are more complicated than I've done in recent years, then got bronchitis, so have been scarce here at FMD. Bronc's about bottomed out, so expect I'll be feeling better in a couple of days.

I got a head on that old banjo and strung it, but it needs a real neck reset, and I mean steam it out and re-shim it kind of reset.

I'm playing the banjo daily, practicing finger-picking on Doc Boggs' Calvary and Robin Thompson's version of Roustabout which is about the best version of Roustabout I've ever heard.

Just now, my two stock dogs got out and ran off. They'll come back in an hour or two, covered in brambles. :) There's no sense chasing them.

Been doing a lot of this (keeping water thawed for the animals).

Winter Water
Foggers
Foggers
@foggers
13 years ago
62 posts
Hi Randy and Lisa. Thanks for asking.All instrument playing is on a go- slow for me cos I have had wrist problems for3 months now. However, I am still working on clawhammer and 3 finger picking. In theband we are adding some further OT numbers, Little Maggie, Johnson Boys n Weavily Wheat.Having started with dwight Diller DVD I am now mainly working on Ken Perlman's melodic CH, asthat seems to build the skills for the sounds I wanna make. When we have achieved a recordable standardI shall post it somewhere for all to see!I gain a lot from seeing and hearing your own banjo playing, so thanks for all you post on here guys!
Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
13 years ago
2,248 posts

I gave a 90 minute banjo lesson to a friend the other day, and boyhowdy but that toughened up my wimpy callouses in a hurry! lol! I taught him Sandy Boys, and he loved it.




--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
Randy Adams
Randy Adams
@randy-adams
13 years ago
113 posts

Thought I'd bump this'n up....hoping to get a progress report from Ken & Foggers?....you got that banjo put together huh Ken?

I been playing Green Willis here a little lately. I had to put the noter aside a month or so ago and play dulcimer & banjo with my fingers....they were getting soft!... : )....

Foggers
Foggers
@foggers
14 years ago
62 posts
Hey Flint - that banjo is in much better condition than a mandolin banjo we got off UK Ebay some years ago.It was only a few quid so it was not the end of the world when it arrived and we discovered that the neck was sheared through halfway down and had a screw holding the 2 halves together! We got our money back and we have kept this monstrosity in order to remind us of the risks of buying instruments in Ebay!I shall look forward to hearing it when you have brought it back to life.
Flint Hill
Flint Hill
@flint-hill
14 years ago
62 posts
Thanks, Lisa, Randy. I wanted to get one of these old spun-over banjos just to get a feeling for how banjos sounded and played back at the turn of the 20th century. It seemed worth doing given that the non-collectible models are pretty cheap.I took it apart yesterday. With the tension off, the pot got rounder overnight, less than 1/4" out of round today. I'm going to block it round or a little over and leave it for a few days while I clean up the rest of the parts.There's a nice Stewart Student on ebay right now.
Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
14 years ago
2,248 posts
I used to have an SS Stewart student style banjo years ago too. It was nice! But I had to cut back the herd so I sold it to one of my banjo students.Randy, here's my tale of my own 'ugling duckling' banjo.


--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
Randy Adams
Randy Adams
@randy-adams
14 years ago
113 posts
That's about the ugliest banjo I ever saw Ken!... : ).....I think it'll make a heckuva good player for you....it's a good banjo.I have a Stewart banjo with a spun over rim/tone ring like that....used it for my main banjo for about 10 years and enjoyed every hour of it.....gave it to my son Bill a few years aback and it's still goin strong......
Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
14 years ago
2,248 posts
I bet it sounds wonderful. I love the sound of those thin spun-over metal pots. They always sound beautifully resonant but clear, without sounding like they are 'underwater' like so many of the large deep pots these days.


--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
Flint Hill
Flint Hill
@flint-hill
14 years ago
62 posts
Sears and Roebuck Supertone Amateur banjo, model #406, ca. 1925.

It has some issues ....

OK, it has some issues

The neck is straight, needs a reset. The pot is out of round by 3/8", probably OK, since I'm putting a skin head on it. Frets are good. Needs one bracket hook, but I have the original nut, so that's no problem.

Dock Boggs played an $18 Supertone at the 1927 Bristol sessions. This one was five bucks in the 1923 catalog. Reading suggests that it was made by Lange at the old Buckbee plant, though there's a minority view that they were made by Slingerland.


Sears Supertone "Amateo" Banjo
Foggers
Foggers
@foggers
14 years ago
62 posts
Oooo that is good Lisa - and it was very helpful to see your CH technique in action.I am getting on quite well with CH playing now, I just need a little help to nail double drop thumbing.There is an excellent CH player about 20 miles away, who I think I am going to approach for some tuition; I am at a stage where I think having someone watch me play and give me some feedback and further direction will help me to move up a level in my playing.Thanks so much for posting this
Paul Certo
Paul Certo
@paul-certo
14 years ago
242 posts
Excellent!Paul
Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
14 years ago
2,248 posts
i played some banjo this past weekend, and a somewhat crummy recording was made of us playing "Brushy Fork of John's Creek". Brian is playing fiddle...


--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
Mary Z. Cox
Mary Z. Cox
@mary-z-cox
14 years ago
62 posts
As soon as I get my fifth string gear replaced to hold a nylagut string-I will. The current gear will only take metal strings.Smile.gif Best wishes,Mary Z. Cox www.maryzcox.com
Foggers
Foggers
@foggers
14 years ago
62 posts
Oooo please post a recording of it - I am really curious about Nylgut strings and their effects on sound.
Mary Z. Cox
Mary Z. Cox
@mary-z-cox
14 years ago
62 posts
Usually I don't resetup my banjos--preferring to let them sound like the builder intended--but just recentlyI am doing a different set up for my 12 inch Chuck Lee Custom. It has a 12" skin head and a 25.5 scale and some really pretty woods on it and a Tony Pass ancient wood rim--so have begun to put on some classical nylagut strings--and think I am really going to like this sound for this banjo.Smile.gif All my other banjos that have gut or nylagut strings are low tuned on big thick strings--so this is going to sound quite different--but very warm and interesting.Smile.gif

Best wishes,Mary Z. Cox www.maryzcox.com
Ken Hulme
Ken Hulme
@ken-hulme
14 years ago
2,111 posts
Paul R, said "Hmmm ... How about banjo, dulcimer, and Northumbrian smallpipes?"Been there, done that, got the tee shirt. Actually it was a set of Border Pipes, but basically the same kind of quiet Cauld Wind Pipes. When I was on Kwajalein, and the Bass Drummer for the Kwajalein Pipes & Drums, one of our pipers also played Border Pipes; and he and I would get together and play pipe/dulcimer duets.There weren't any banjos on Kwaj though - W eapons of M usic D estruction were not allowed for private ownershipTongue.gif Frown.gif Smile.gif Grin.gif
Foggers
Foggers
@foggers
14 years ago
62 posts
Paul C - LOL it is indeed a fascinating habit that people but a much desired banjo and then change every last iota on it! and having your partner as your jamming chum is indeed a treat. My OH Richard is learning guitar and we are working up to him playing for the trio we sing with. Sitting in the evening playing music together is so much more enriching than being slumped in front of the telly!Paul R - afraid that does sound like some of the symptoms of a moderate does of BAS....
Paul Rappell
Paul Rappell
@paul-rappell
14 years ago
31 posts
Paul Certo said:
BHO members are fiercely loyal to their chosen brand of banjo, if you keep in mind two things.
One,that most have at least a fairly good case of BAS. Banjo Acquisition Syndrome is rampant.
And two, a great number have changed heads, bridges and tone rings, sometimes even resonators,hoops and necks trying to change the sound of the banjo they're so loyal to. In some advanced cases of Banjo tinker-itis, only the case is original. But, there are worse things a person could be doing. I intend to build a gourd banjo, mostly for use at Historical Reenactments. Or maybe Histerical ones. Not until I change all the woodwork in my living room. Mrs. Wanda thinks that should take priority. Since I don't pull sheets with my Reenactment friends, I'm inclined to let the Mrs. prioritize my projects. She sang & played ukulele on a couple songs tonight with me, in front of several people. It was her first time out of the house with her uke. Not exactly a gig, but I was thrilled. Nothing like having a jam partner in the house with me.
Paul
I joined BHO, too (partly from my experience here on FOTMD). It's a good source of advice - and you'll get loads of it!Noreen doesn't play, but in January she played host(ess) for a jam session - she cooked up a feast for the players. In fact, the jam was her idea. Years ago when we used to go to friends' places to make music, she'd fall asleep on the chesterfield, right beside me as I was playing banjo with fingerpicks. I guess that's a form of dedication!If I had the money I suppose I'd have BAS, but it's easy not to have it when you don't, um, have it. I have no allegiance to any particular brand/maker, except my long gone Neufeld, which was eminently playable and sounded clear and clean. That's what may, some day, get me to buy another banjo - first, it has to have string spacing that's wide enough, and it has to have a tone that I like, not what people say I should have.Then again, maybe I do have a form of BAS. I have the bluegrass banjo I got to replace the Neufeld. then I got the Orpheum to replace the fact that the bluegrass banjo didn't really replace the Neufeld (because the Neufeld was a frailer). I bought a basic wooden fretless even before I got the Neufeld, and someone gave me a cheap tenor - these two need repairs to become playable. Two other banjos were given to me but went missing from my school - an old Imperial tenor (with a painting on the head of three black jazz musicians) and an old Slingerland banjo uke. And there was my first, really cheap, banjo, now departed. My list of "the ones that got away" is huge.Tinker with my banjos? Only in the most basic ways - bridge and head. It would be a sacrilege to change the Orpheum, which is a hundred years old - although I did some simple artwork on the replacement head (wonder why we don't see more of that). However, the case is brand new.
Paul Certo
Paul Certo
@paul-certo
14 years ago
242 posts
BHO members are fiercely loyal to their chosen brand of banjo, if you keep in mind two things.One,that most have at least a fairly good case of BAS. Banjo Acquisition Syndrome is rampant.And two, a great number have changed heads, bridges and tone rings, sometimes even resonators,hoops and necks trying to change the sound of the banjo they're so loyal to. In some advanced cases of Banjo tinker-itis, only the case is original. But, there are worse things a person could be doing. I intend to build a gourd banjo, mostly for use at Historical Reenactments. Or maybe Histerical ones. Not until I change all the woodwork in my living room. Mrs. Wanda thinks that should take priority. Since I don't pull sheets with my Reenactment friends, I'm inclined to let the Mrs. prioritize my projects. She sang & played ukulele on a couple songs tonight with me, in front of several people. It was her first time out of the house with her uke. Not exactly a gig, but I was thrilled. Nothing like having a jam partner in the house with me.Paul
Foggers
Foggers
@foggers
14 years ago
62 posts
Strumelia said:
Gold Tones have a good reputation as a real solid good sounding affordable banjo. Good choice!
Yep I think that sums it up Lisa. I use Banjo Hangout sometimes for banjo hints & tips, and Deering is the make everyone seems to worship, but the GoldTone Whyte Ladie gave me most bang for ma buck.(Lawks I seem to picking up the lingo from associating with all you fine American chums in cyberspace....)
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