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Playing Since: 2001
Experience Level: Purty Good
Interests:
[Jamming] [Socializing] [Helping]
Gender: Male
Age: 35
My Instruments:
Ozark resonator 5-string (cheapish model);
Ozark kit-built open-back 5-string - now fretless;
Deering Goodtime open-back 5-string;
Swift tenor banjo
Favorite Bands/Musicians:
Bela Fleck; Uncle Dave Macon; Be Good Tanyas; Abigail Washburn; ...
Classified Rating: 0
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Profile Info:
Visible to: Public
Created 11/20/2007
Last Visit 11/10/2010
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Saturday, May 17, 2008 @8:03:19 AM
I've just recently added the latest banjo to my stable, and this time I've gone for a tenor.
Before ever I took up the 5-string banjo I was playing Irish traditional music on the fiddle and a variety of other instruments, and (along with Welsh trad.) it's still the main type of folk music I play outside the confines of my own home. From time to time I like to bash out a few Irish tunes on my 5-string, but I've wanted a tenor for a long time. It's a whole different approach to playing Irish music - not necessarily better, although certainly more common and somewhat closer to Irish fiddle playing.
Of course, I'm not planning to play exlusively Irish stuff on my tenor banjo any more than I restrict any of my instruments to a single type of music. However, I have decided to put it into "Irish tuning", with nice heavy strings getting me down to GDAE without going too floppy. Compared to the other common tenor banjo tuning (CGDA at the same pitch as a viola) I rather like the mellower sound of the lower tuning. It also means I can play my fiddle repertoire in the usual keys without having to think too hard. As a bonus, if I want the higher sound of CGDA tuning, or anything in between the two, I can always just stick a capo on.
My banjo is a fairly cheap one I picked up on eBay, made by a London-based company called Swift (I seem to have a thing for cheap banjos - one day I may save up and buy a nicer one). It came with a resonator, but I decided to take that off as I prefer the slightly less ringy tone of the open back - it's also a bit quieter which is handy when I'm practicing in my flat.
I have some previous experience of playing with a plectrum, as I play a bit of mandolin and occasionally some flatpicking guitar (although I'm much more a fingerpicker really) but I think the right hand technique is definitely going to be the bit of tenor banjo playing I'll have to work on most. I must resist the temptation to play all my fastest fiddle tunes up to their usual speed straightaway and instead concentrate on getting a good solid tone.
I don't think the tenor banjo is ever going to supplant the fiddle or the 5-string in my affections, but it's definitely fun to have another instrument to be able to knock around on.
Recent Forum Posts
Beginning Banjo Theory 101 (1462 days ago)
FAQ (1464 days ago)
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