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Recently I got involved in a Dixieland-based musical project that required a banjo player. They couldn't find any legitimate Dixieland banjo players to get involved, so I volunteered to retrain myself as necessary and play the part (though I haven't played Dixieland banjo for something like forty years). I already owned a 5-string banjo (a legacy of my Folk background), but it's not played the same as the 4-string banjo that the music was written for. I could have taken the fifth string off of mine and retuned it, but I didn't want to sacrifice having a 5-string for the duration of the project. So I wound up buying a second banjo, which gave me an excuse to shop for a new toy. That was a plus.
But, as a minus, I also found myself explaining the different kinds of banjos again and again, to the director of the musical, to the director of the orchestra, and even to a 20-something 5-string player who kept feeding the others misinformation.
This experience reminds me that many things that were "common knowledge" among musicians when I was a kid no longer are. So here's a breakdown of why different kind of banjos exist, and why two or three instruments that are nearly identical require such different techniques and produce such different sounds. If you don't play banjo or guitar already, parts may be a bit difficult to follow, but there's a summary at the end you should find useful.
Depending on how you interpret the history, the banjo either came from Africa or evolved among enslaved African peoples in North America. By 1860 or so, the old photos and songs indicate that the banjo was popular with white musicians, too. By 1885, most banjos had 5 strings, which included a "drone" string located next to the lowest string on the banjo. The "Fifth string" was seldom fretted - sometimes it wasn't even over the fretboard, so it always played the same note.
By 1900 or so, the banjo had worked its way into nearly all North American folk traditions, and developed standard scale lengths and tunings. There were two major ways to play the banjo:
We'll pick up our discription from about a century ago, when the banjo was establishing itself as a critical element of early Jazz styles.
Strumming was usually done with a "plectrum" - the ancestor of our "flatpicks." All four strings were strummed at once, often very quickly. Eventually 4-string banjos and rapid strumming techniques became intrinsic to Dixieland playing, and to the Tin Pan Alley songs that imitated Dixieland. Songs like "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?" and "Alexander's Ragtime Band" are two examples of Tin Pan Alley songs that typically use a strummed banjo. By the time such songs were popular, 4-string banjos had found their way into many homes as well.
When other kinds of banjos and banjo playing emerged, this kind of banjo became known as a "Plectrum" banjo, to distinguish it from banjos that were intended to be played without plectrums. At first, "Plectrum banjos" kept the long necks of their 5-string brethren. Scale lengths were 26"-28", and there were typically 22 frets between the nut and the head.
By about 1920, two features that increased volume and sustain were often added.
These features help modern plectrum banjos compete in volume with larger bands; however, some plectrum players remove the resonator when they want a more authentic early sound.
If the right hand has it comparatively easy, the left hand has it much harder. Because of the complex chord structures of Dixieland and Tin Pan Alley songs, plectrum banjo players need to know as many Jazz chords as the average Jazz guitarist - much more than most banjo or guitar players.
To add a little more challenge, many Dixieland banjo solos are played by choosing chords that have the melody note at the top of the chord. Consequently, you will use one Eb chord for when the melody goes down to an Eb, another one for when the melody goes to G, another one for when the melody goes to Bb, and another for when the melody goes to high Eb, and so on. Advanced players almost never use "open chords," so 95% of the chords they play are made by sliding the same twelve or so chord shapes up and down the neck. But the short version is that Dixieland banjo is NOT as simple as it looks or (sometimes) sounds.
A few folks (including former guitar players) tune their tenors like the highest four strings of a guitar (sometimes called Chicago tuning - EBGD). I did that once in 1970 for a Broadway musical pit orchestra and felt like I was "cheating," but apparently I'm not the only one.
Appalacian players seldom had to compete with brass instruments, so they could retain early fingerpicking patterns and develop new ones. Adding metal fingerpicks to resonators and tone rings allowed 5-string players to hold their own even in barn dances and music halls.
Folk banjo players like Pete and Peggy Seeger adapted fingerpicking styles to a wide range of folk traditions.
In the meantime, back in the hills, banjo players like Earl Scruggs added "blue notes" (flatted thirds, fifths, and sevenths) to help create what we now consider the traditional Bluegrass banjo sound.
Both Folk and Bluegrass banjo picking patterns are radically different from the flatpicked strums of traditional 4-string players.
Most 5-string banjos include resonators, which improve volume and sustain. Many include tone rings, which also improve volume and sustain.
Like Plectrum banjos, 5-string banjos with resonators and tone rings tend to have more "ring" than "plunk." In addition, the fifth string tends to keep sounding at times when the rest of the strings are being dampened because of chord changes - this adds to the "ringing" effect as well.
Bluegrass banjo players appreciate the fact that resonators and tone rings give the banjo enough volume and sustain to compete with instruments like steel guitars and upgright bass (see our article "What is a Bluegrass Banjo?" for more information). However, traditional old-timey folk banjo players usually prefer "backless banjos," without resonators and usually without tone rings. They feel this makes the tone more "authentic" for century-old musical styles. A few players even go to nylon or, when they can get them, gut strings. (Listen to the banjo on the Cold Mountain sound track for example.)
If you want to play an alternating bass part, you play the fourth (D) string on beat three, then play beat four exactly like you played beat two.
You may have noticed that if you're using the open G tuning, it's possible to play a nice banjo part without even using you left hand until it's time to change to another chord. But that doesn't mean the left hand is lazy. Rather it means that the left hand is freed up to add other fancy stuff.
5-string players often add a note to the second half of the first beat by doing something fancy with the left hand. For example, on a first-beat low note that you'd ordinarily fret, you might leave the string open when you first pick it, then fret it on the second half of the first beat. That way you have SOMETHING playing on every beat. This is called "hammering on," in case you wondered - it's an important component of many Bluegrass banjo strums and solos.
In addition, if you're playing a melody or solo, you might add melody notes by picking the first or second string instead of strumming it.
Most 5-string banjo players use the thumb and first two fingers for everything. Many wear picks on all three fingers to increase their volume.
Note: If you're a Bluegrass fan, you should know that you can learn Bluegrass picking on any 5-string banjo that is in playing condition. However, if you want to perform Bluegrass, you need to consider getting a banjo with accommodations like tone rings and resonators that make the things nice and aloud. Our article "What is a Bluegrass Banjo" breaks these differences down in more detail than we have room for in this article.
To learn more about the various kinds of 5-string banjos, click on any of the banners to the right.
As a person who has dabbled in 4-string banjo and who has played BOTH 5-string banjo and guitar for over 40 years, I believe that a 6-string banjo sounds best if you treat it as a unique instrument.
Substituting for 4-String - If you know Jazz chords on guitar, and you listen to enough Dixieland banjo to get a sense of their sound and strumming patterns, it IS possible to play Dixieland on a 6-string banjo. In fact, at least one professional guitar player (Al Chernet) has gotten solid, well-playing gigs doing just that. After all, there's not THAT much difference between the range of a plectrum banjo and the range of a guitar's highest four strings. (Remember to avoid strumming the lowest two strings - if you're playing with horns and piano, strumming the lower two strings will just muddy the sound.) Our article "Are 6-String Banjos for Real" provides more hints on this application.
Substituting for 5-String - Unfortunately most 5-string banjo picking patterns can not be duplicated on 6-string banjo. Maybe imitated if you really know your way around BOTH guitar and 5-string banjo. That fifth banjo string, ringing out on the second half of every second beat has no parallel on a guitar-tuned instrument. So abandon any hope of playing "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" or such Bluegrass classics. And prepare to be beaten about the face and elbows if you bring one to a Bluegrass jam.
However, if you're in a group with other acoustic players, and you want to add the impression of a Bluegrass banjo playing along, you might gain some traction with a fingerpicking pattern that "thumbpicks" a bass note on the first beat, strums the top two or three strings with the back of your fingernails on the second beat, and fingerpicks ONE of the higher strings on the second half of the second beat. In fact, I had worked out a picking pattern like this on my guitar some years back, and it sounds amazingly good on the 6-string banjo. Which leads me to . . .
Playing the 6-String Banjo as a Unique Instrument -
In spite of the 6-string banjo's potential use as a "plectrum" (Dixieland) banjo - as long as you only strum the highest four strings, the instrument's unique characteristics are most obvious if you fingerpick the thing. I don't use fingerpicks on this or my other banjos or guitars, preferring to let callouses build up on my right hand so I can get a nice crisp pluck without anything in between my fingers and the strings. If you're already used to fingerpicks, by all means, use them.
Because of its extended bass range, a 6-string banjo's low notes have some of the metallic texture of a National or Dobro steel-faced acoustic guitar, so if you've been playing one of those like a guitar (and not as a slide), you'll notice some of the same characteristics. If you haven't, you may notice:
In other words, whether you're a banjo or guitar player, or both, prepare to make some adjustments and to do some experimenting. In fact, some patterns or solos that sound great on my acoustic guitars just sound weak on the 6-string banjo. Others that aren't that impressive on guitar come alive. The short version is that you probably don't want to pick one up in the afternoon and take it to an important gig that night - there is not a direct correlation between what "works" on guitar OR 5-string and what "works" on the 6-string banjo. (Please refer to our article "Are 6-String Banjos for Real" for more information on this topic.)
To see the our recommended Six-String banjos for various uses, please click the button to the right.
Many folks know that the ukelele was a popular instrument among young adults in the 1920s. What most folks don't know was that the mandolin was almost as popular as the guitar in North American homes around 1900. When plectrum ("Dixieland) banjo sounds invaded the early airwaves and record stores, musical instrument manufacturers made it "easy" for the hundreds of thousands of folks who already played mandolin or ukelele - they flooded the market with instruments that played like ukeleles or mandolins, but had a drum head, so they sounded something like banjos. New versions are still available today, and many excellent vintage examples are on the used market, often sold as "banjos" with no other description.
The ukulele banjo has four strings, like a plectrum banjo, although they're higher pitched. Strummed "properly," the instrument can do a pretty good imitation of a plectrum banjo playing a little "up the neck." If the instrument has "gut" or nylon strings, the plunky sound is reminiscent of pre-1900 banjo, which may be more authentic for certain kinds of music. Some plectrum banjo players double on uke banjo just to add a bit of variety. In fact, ukulele banjos are still available new, and you may be able to find or order one in your local music store.
The mandolin banjo has eight strings, almost always metal. The result is that it "rings" more than it "plunks," and can play very loud. Again, it's relatively high pitch, but in a pinch, you can imitate a plectrum banjo playing "up the neck." A few "tenor mandolin" examples have been made with long necks and strings so they play closer to the range of a 6-string banjo, but these are rare. If you already play mandolin, either instrument would be worth tracking down. On the other hand, there's no compelling reason that a mandolin player who wants to play strummed or flatpicked banjo couldn't buy a 4-string banjo and retune it an octave down from his or her mandolin.
To learn more about unusual members of the banjo family, click here.
I started the following flowchart as kind of a humorous take on this topic, but some folks have found it useful, so I've toned down the snarkiness and included it here. Click on the picture to go to the full-sized printable PDF (hi-rez) version.
Banjo Shopping HintsNote About Buying Cheap Banjos The fact that banjo isn't taken seriously in some circles has let innumerable manufacturers to treat them as toys. The spiel goes something like this: "Have lots of fun! Get a banjo for only $99!" Like a $40 guitar, a $99 banjo (and many $199 banjos) will do nothing but frustrate you, unless you A: Get one that can be set up and B: Know how to set one up, or have a close friend who does. Some just can't be set up without herculean effort, though. For example:
Other issues that will hinder your playing, but might be fixable if the banjo is otherwise worthwhile include:
Note about Setting Up Banjos - On top of that, remember that - except for anything in the Deering Goodime line - virtually no stringed instrument that lists for less than $1000 is playable out of the box. Pretty much every Chinese-manufactured banjo I've seen "new" needed the head tightened, the neck adjusted, and the bridge moved into proper position before you can even tell if the instrument is worth keeping. After all that, if you decide to keep the instrument, you will need to replace the strings - factory strings are seldom worth playing before they cross the ocean. Needless to say, mail order or high-volume stores aren't going to do all of this prep for you - it takes time and a certain amount of skill and intelligence. Buying used is no guarantee that the instrument has been set up either - the original owner might have got it from a mail-order or volume supplier and might never have had it set up. For more information on what it takes to make an out-of-the-box banjo (or guitar or mandolin) playable, please refer to the appropriate article(s) on:
If you want to check out a used banjo and you know nothing about banjos, take a friend who knows something about them, or at least knows something about guitars - that's better than nothing. Much of the information in our article "Evaluating and Buying Used Guitars" applies to shopping for used banjos as well - the main difference is that there are far fewer used banjos than used guitars in most markets. If you want to take a chance on a cheapie banjo from a volume or mail-order store, go right ahead - just consider that you might need to send one or two back before get one that can be made playable. You'll note that the reviews of cheap banjos usually have 50% people who know how to set them up and are delighted with the value, once they've put an hour or so into getting the thing playable, 20% people who don't know how to set them up and think the instrument was made by Satan himself, 20% people who think it's pretty but haven't figured out yet that it it would be easier to learn on if a technician took a "crack" at it, and 10% people who really did get a bad one and think the store owes them damages for the emotional hardship it has caused. That said, you don't have to spend the value of a good used car to get a great banjo on your first try. Several companies make nice lines of banjos that are solid, well-built, and priced no more than comparable quality guitars. Since I originally wrote this article, Deering has added many models to its Goodtime line, enough to meet the needs of most beginning and intermediate players. But you should shop around, not only for your first banjo, but for someone who you trust to help you maintain it. ConclusionPlease get in touch.if you want to share photos of a unique instrument or ask any related questions.Whatever road you decide to travel, I am certain that it will be made more fun with a properly chosen and set-up banjo or banjo-like instrument. :-) And please stay in touch! All material, illustrations, and content of this web site is copyrighted ? 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006,
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