swirlypillow - Posted - 11/12/2009:  08:49:03

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I know this is a silly question but I thought I'd ask.

How do you hold the banjo while sitting down? The only method that seems to work for me is this: Put on the strap (over my head), sit on the edge of a chair or a stool, and basically let the thing hang over my junk in between my legs. Not only does this look awkward, but is not even possible to do if I sit on the floor or my bed. Is there another way I should be holding this thing?

I was watching John Hartford play on Glen Campbell's Goodtime Hour ( here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNHqG9lPcaE ) and he's sitting down, but it looks like he's got the banjo resting on his right leg as he plays, kind of like a guitar or bass. This looks way cooler and potentially more comfortable, only I'm not sure how he's doing this. When I try to do this, the banjo neck starts to slide down toward the ground and I end up holding the banjo up a bit with my left hand, which makes fretting notes difficult. I can't get the thing to balance because the neck is heavier than the pot, and because the pot is round and not grooved like a guitar body, it doesn't have a "groove" to use while resting on my leg.

How's he doing this?

gradelyduck - Posted - 11/12/2009:  09:07:01

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Sit up straight, I prefer to have my back firm against the back of a chair. Open your thighs a bit and the banjo pot will nestle in your groin. Until you're comfortable with the weight resting so, you will probably need to keep the strap on. Make sure the strap is there just to keep the banjo from toppling forward when your fretting hand is not holding the neck. Don't have the strap too tight. This is what works for me.

Time is an illusion; lunchtime doubly so. D Adams Hitchhiker's Guide

klgera - Posted - 11/12/2009:  09:12:10

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Hartford is wearing the strap over his shoulder, which should make holding the banjo easier. Also, what kind of banjo are you playing? A heavier one is, I think, easier to sit and play because is balances better.

Ken Gerard

zeemo - Posted - 11/12/2009:  09:15:05

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I wear my strap while sitting and try to keep the banjo hanging in the same position it would be in if I were playing standing up. The pot winds up lightly resting on top of my thighs, but most of the weight is on the strap.

youdye - Posted - 11/12/2009:  09:19:37

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Here is an example of where the strap should be to hold the neck up:



I have mine set so that the banjo is in the same position whether I am sitting or standing. The banjo just barely touches my lap when I am sitting.

Hope this helps!

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Edited by - youdye on 11/12/2009 16:36:39

swirlypillow - Posted - 11/12/2009:  09:23:48

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I'm playing a Dean Backwoods 5 until I get something better.

I do keep the strap on when I'm sitting, but I don't do the 'over the shoulder' thing the way Hartford does; I do the 'over the head' thing like most people would. Is it because he's doing the 'over the shoulder' thing that he's able to rest the pot on his right leg like that? I've got the strap as tight as I can make it, but when I stand up the banjo hangs at roughly my navel or belt buckle. Does this matter?

These are all great responses, but everyone is essentially saying they hold it in their lap on top of, or in front of, their junk. :) So it sounds like I'm pretty much doing it right. No one here rests the pot on their right leg?

Axeman79 - Posted - 11/12/2009:  09:44:24

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It is likely that Hartford's banjo is such that the pot is heavier than the neck. I play sitting with or without a strap and can cradle the banjo on my lap without it moving at all. I find it more comfortable with a strap while sitting because I can adjust my sitting without worrying about the banjo sliding.

I think your issue is the distribution of weight. to compensate, you will need a strap to hold the banjo in place. I think you should think about a strap that is adjustable so you can change the configuration based on the situation you are in.

Axeman

If the minimum wasn't good enough...it wouldn't be the minimum.

big bird - Posted - 11/12/2009:  09:45:22

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Hey Chip, I'd rather play standing up, but when I am sitting down, the banjo is in my lap and kept very vertical and against my stomach with my strap hanging down and not around my shoulder. ---------------But I think it is important to hold the banjo in a position that is comfortable for you, either standing or sitting.

Big Bird

george craciun - Posted - 11/12/2009:  10:17:30

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I use a short shoulder strap over my right shoulder to help stabilize the instrument. And I play in a sitting position nearly always, with the banjo resting on my right uppermost thigh. That is my most natural position, and it works well for me.

Back Porch Picker

Helix - Posted - 11/12/2009:  10:18:43

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Hi, welcome to the hangout,

It's also ok to play with the banjo on your right side. I still use my strap, cradle.



http://www.helixbanjos.com
(_)===='===::}

John Allison - Posted - 11/12/2009:  10:19:32

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Depends on whether I am sitting practicing or sitting and noodleing. For practice, upright with strap in place and banjo just barely resting on my thigh. Thus, when I stand, the banjo stays in the same position relative to my body. If I am noodleing, no strap, semi reclined. There is a danger here and that is falling asleep. Luckily, if I drop the banjo, it stays in my lap.

Froggie
"Courage is Fear that has said its prayers.

Jim D - Posted - 11/12/2009:  10:19:32

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quote:

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Hartford is wearing the strap over his shoulder, which should make holding the banjo easier.

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Earl Scruggs also wore his strap over the shoulder, but in his case, I'm told, it was because he didn't want to have to take his hat off each time he put down the banjo.

At risk of seeming blasphemous, perhaps John Hartford just didn't want to mess up that carefully styled hair.



Jim
Linwood, N.C.

Klondike Waldo - Posted - 11/12/2009:  10:22:00

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How do I hold the banjo? Tenderly and carefully....

Believe it or not, our banjos are all pretty much the same length but our torsos aren't. I have a fairly short and broad trunk and short legs. When I play sitting down, I rest the banjo on my right thigh most of the time, but sometimes I sit forward on the chair and let it hang as it will. I use a Neotech strap which does not slip about as easily as some leather straps, so maybe that's the difference.

I'll never play like Earl Scruggs or sing like Luciano Pavarotti, but I'll pick better than Luciano and sing tenor better than Earl
deligo ergo renideo,
Bob Cameron

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Edited by - Klondike Waldo on 11/12/2009 10:23:31

dhergert - Posted - 11/12/2009:  10:45:29

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I spend a lot of time in TV and recording studios with banjos on. Most of the better banjos are pretty heavy, and at this time in my life, my back can't take a lot of standing while carrying a weight like that.

I wear banjo straps, and I've adjusted the straps so my playing position and location is just about the same no matter whether sitting or standing. If there is any question about chairs where I'm recording or playing, I bring along an armless chair that I know I can spend a few hours in if needed.

When sitting, I always sit back as deeply as possible into the chair, letting it support my back. The banjo usually rests over the groin area as others have described, but slightly more over my right thigh.

If you're sitting you may in particular need a comfortable armrest on your instrument, otherwise you'll eventually cause nerve damage to the underside of your picking hand's wrist (not to mention corrosion to your banjo's tension hoop).

Would I like to be young again and not have to worry about my back? No, I'm doing more music now than I ever did when I was young and I wouldn't trade this time for anything. Being careful with my back and with my hearing are two things that I should have done when I was young, and am paying for now. But I'm enjoying my music and my life now more than ever.

Best,

-- Don
http://www.youtube.com/user/dh5string
http://home.att.net/~dhergert
http://mysite.verizon.net/don_hergert


"If you must use your banjo as a snow shovel, do so:
only don't wonder if it sounds dull afterwards."
-- S.S. Stewart catalog, 1896.

ronjo843 - Posted - 11/12/2009:  11:23:18

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I have the strap set so the bottom of the resonator is above my belt buckle. I just put the strap on my right shoulder, just like I am standing, and have no problems.I like it high, so if you are using the same mic as the singers, it will pick up all the sound of the banjo too. (also, my 63 Mastertone has no scratches, or knicks, in my resonator)

openG - Posted - 11/12/2009:  12:22:35

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I play with it on my right leg and the back of the Banjo resting againest my stomach. Using my two anchor fingers and forearm to hold the head of the Banjo.

Average is as close to the bottom as the top!

dbaty - Posted - 11/12/2009:  14:51:05

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When standing up and having the strap around my neck, if I let go of the Banjo the neck will drop down, is this normal or should the neck stay up in the fretting position?

Like a Dog, a Banjo just wants to be played with and cared for.

Ol Lefty - Posted - 11/12/2009:  14:54:58

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Until I re-entered the banjo world, I had forgotten how much more necessary-or perhaps, desirable a strap. I bought a Levy with the adjustable real sheepskin wool liner-it is truly sweet. I have been practicing with the banjo in my lap, sans strap. That works too. I got my M. Henry DVD's and she has it positioned at the groin level, nearly centered and she firmly notes the presence of the strap. I sense I am more relaxed with the nice and very comfortable strap-the sliding pad is worth the $$. Took me many "ons/offs" to get it to hang naturally but it was worth the trouble.

"Don't pick it; it'll never heal"--with apologies, that always makes me grin.......... "I'm not crazy, I'm colorful." Struther Martin, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"

dbaty - Posted - 11/12/2009:  15:07:36

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quote:

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Originally posted by dbaty

When standing up and having the strap around my neck, if I let go of the Banjo the neck will drop down, is this normal or should the neck stay up in the fretting position?

Like a Dog, a Banjo just wants to be played with and cared for.

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I feel like a total dummy. I just answered my own question. I had the strap hooked on the top side instead of the Bottom. Problem solved. I guess I've been working too many hours lately.

Like a Dog, a Banjo just wants to be played with and cared for.