Site last updated 12/09/2004.
This particular page was created 11/28/2003 and last updated 11/28/2004
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| | It's a bit frustrating isn't it? The tenor banjo is the common instrument both for dixeland jazz and for irish traditional music, but the tuning is so different you still can't use the same instrument for both. Or can you?
Actually in neither style is the tuning that important. People use all kinds of banjos for both, so why not a tenor with a different tuning than usual? Here are three alternatives: - Standard tuning
The CGDA tuning is the one commonly used in dixieland, and it's used for irish music as well. At Musica Viva you'll find lots of irish tunes arranged for standard tuned tenor banjo. Some of them are much harder to play that way than on an irish tuned instrument, but it shouldn't be too difficult.
You can also play most tunes directly as if it was an irish tuned instrument btw. Just put a capo on the second fret, and move all the notes one string down - the notes notated on the first string you play on the second, the notes notated on the second you play on the third and the ones on the third string you move to the fourth. And the notes that are on the fourth string to start with? Actually few irish tunes use notes below d. And for those that do, there's always plan A: refinger for standard tuning.
- Irish tuning
You can play dixieland rhythm on an irish tuned tenor banjo. No problem! Oh, you loose a little bit of power, but the tenor usually have plenty of that in any case. You might wnat to play the chords in higher positions than in standard tuning to get some of the brilliance associated with dixieland banjo, but that shouldn't be a big deal.
There are even two advantages to the irish tuning for dixieland: chords higher on the neck means easier stretches, and the lower notes mean you can get some of those lovely bass lines and picking patterns Johnny St. Cyr used to play.
- Chicago tuning
The Chicago tuning is a kind of a compromise in this particular case. It works reasonably well both for dixieland and irish music.
Don't know what Chicago tuning is? It's really a plectrum banjo thing, but it is used on the tenor as well: Tune the strings like the four highest strings of a guitar: DGBE.
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