techman - Posted - 03/29/2026:  16:39:05

Many have used various adjectives to describe the banjo's sound. "Twangy", "plinky", "staccato", "bright", "plinky", etc. I recently heard it described as having a "flintiness"--and I like that descriptor best of all of them. Especially, considering bluegrass banjo was popularized by that genius from Flint Hill.

chuckv97 - Posted - 03/29/2026:  16:45:11

A dear old lady was walking past me the other day when I was busking - she suddenly straightened up, smiled , and came over to me saying, “you know, a banjo always has such a happy, cheerful tone.” I laughed and said “you can’t play a sad song on a banjo” , and proceeded to pick “Cold Frosty Morning”.

Edited by - chuckv97 on 03/29/2026 16:46:22

Zachary Hoyt - Posted - 03/29/2026:  17:51:15

I don't drink, but if someone said "You can't play a sad song on a banjo" to me I would be tempted to say "Hold my beer".  I'd like to learn how Karen Dalton plays the accompaniment to Same Old Man.  

Edited by - Zachary Hoyt on 03/29/2026 17:52:59

The Old Timer - Posted - 03/29/2026:  18:03:22

There's an old sobering clawhammer number politely titled "Shaving a Dead Man". It's plumb pitiful.

Will Frady - Posted - 03/29/2026:  20:37:48

Clifton Hicks does a really good job on shaving a dead man, and also a cool back story and history of that tune .

banjered - Posted - 03/29/2026:  21:09:30

One of my motivations for picking up the banjo was that I knew too damn many sad songs on the guitar. Lots of happy clawhammer songs later. But with Covid I thought with my extra time I might as well learn two-finger-thumb-lead and double damn! I got all my sad songs back! Ha! banjered

RB3 - Posted - 03/30/2026:  07:38:23

When asked to describe the sound of the banjo, I always like to paraphrase my favorite Supreme Court justice, Potter Stewart. The sound of the banjo is like obscenity, you can't define it, but you know it when you hear it.

localhost - Posted - 03/30/2026:  08:07:56

timbre (noun) -

The combination of qualities of a sound that distinguishes it from other sounds of the same pitch and volume.

Distinctive character.

tonygo - Posted - 03/30/2026:  16:30:50

I just have one thing to say. Dock Boggs.

Edited by - tonygo on 03/30/2026 16:31:42

stanleytone - Posted - 03/31/2026:  02:37:13

Bela Flecks Bigfoot has quite the sad sound to it. Id have tp say key of C minor is the saddest key to me

Edited by - stanleytone on 03/31/2026 02:37:30

Owen - Posted - 03/31/2026:  10:00:13

Onto a tangent, I suppose .....

Sad/happy?? Coincidence or what??   BHO mentions it in a thread and just yesterday on the radio I heard about musical anhedonia for the first time. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_anhedonia

I've periodically wondered about how come I don't experience the range of emotions that music [apparently] elicits in others, i.e. for me it's enjoyable or "meh / gimme a break," but it doesn't come close to moving me to tears or making me quasi-orgasmic.   I haven't investigated beyond reading ^^ link, but now I wonder whether it's like a lot of other things .... a  v-e-r-y  w-i-d-e  gray spectrum between the black/white extremes. 

Edited by - Owen on 03/31/2026 10:10:21

steve davis - Posted - 03/31/2026:  10:10:37

Happy clips right along where sad has long,plaintive passages that are "happy" with minors.

chuckv97 - Posted - 03/31/2026:  10:25:57

Owen It’s ‘cause yer a blues fan… 

Edited by - chuckv97 on 03/31/2026 10:26:21

Tractor1 - Posted - 03/31/2026:  10:35:12

certain celtic marches supposedly played by those in retreat can be desolate for me-but a slow tempo , plenty of sustain and ornamentation--is necessary for me to get the effect--these are more difficult when wearing picks --also the banjo is wimpy on sustain  in comparison to certain other instruments 

my 2 cents--Santa Anna's retreat is a favorite for me--

Edited by - Tractor1 on 03/31/2026 10:38:07

EEB - Posted - 03/31/2026:  11:01:52

It’s possible to play banjo anywhere on the expressive spectrum. Really.



The vast majority of modern banjo playing gravitates to a very few major keys (G, A, C and D). Modal tunings do add a minor feel; a few eclectic banjo tuning add some distinctive flavour, but are seldom used (almost never in sessions). However, in general the musical and harmonic options are reduced.



Historically fingerstyle banjo used a much wider variety of keys. It is quite common to play in F, Bb, Eb and Ab and their relative minor keys. Chords other than basic major triads are frequently used.  Greater choice offers greater potential for sound.

Historic banjo repertoire also incorporates a much wider variety of tune structure: minor jigs, caprices, fantasia, rags, air de ballet, reveries etc. Those tune structures tend towards a more varied expressive range.

By comparison modern 'old time' and bluegrass repertoire, though lively and fun to play, is narrower and quite formulaic.

Edited by - EEB on 03/31/2026 11:18:12

chuckv97 - Posted - 03/31/2026:  11:07:10

Along the lines that Tom mentioned,, here’s (another!) shameless plug with a muted banjo for sustain. (most of the arrangement is by Neil Griffin - I took out his “blue” notes)



youtu.be/suaWiMK7QdM?si=XbbHy3R8-SHSCE-v

Edited by - chuckv97 on 03/31/2026 11:11:17

steve davis - Posted - 04/01/2026:  14:08:17

My favorite jams are those with no boundaries of what's acceptable.
These jams allow for the greatest expression of ideas.

Lew H - Posted - 04/01/2026:  19:51:00

As EEB said, the various tunings can expand the range of emotions that are expressed on banjo. The happiest tuning for me is double C. That happened to be the key that fit my voice when I wanted to work up Sad and Lonesome Day. Double C just wouldn't fit the melody or sad lyrics of the song. I tuned to triple C (gCGCC) to get a power chord (as some folks call them), and it works fine. I likely posted it here a decade or so ago.

C minor tunes are easy to work out in double C, and they can be sad or haunting.