BanjoDiva - Posted - 02/07/2007:  19:22:38

I have been listening to "Beatles on the Banjo" (stop laughing, I like it). I am wondering what the method is to get the sustained sound that is used throughout the cd. I would describe it as a "warble" sort of. For those of you who have played woodwinds, this is the equivalent of a trill. Is this achieved by using a vibrato technique with the left hand, or a strumming technique with the right, or what? I"m not ready to use it at this stage, I was just curious as to how it was done.

Regards,
Reid
BanjoDiva (which refers more to my attidude than my aptitude at this point!)
RK R-80 #67

Topic moved. Thank you.

Edited by - Banjoman on 02/08/2007 15:33:26

sprocter - Posted - 02/07/2007:  19:30:52

Are they maybe using electronics, maybe mic'ing the banjo and running it through vibrato

Shane

Shop Smart, shot S-Mart.

AD3AD3AD3 - Posted - 02/08/2007:  08:24:01

My guess is that it's reverb, added in the recording process.

Ad3

Mr. Disco - Posted - 02/08/2007:  09:20:59

Jack Convery is a 4-string banjo player. The 4-string is played with a flat pick and strummed like Eddie Peabody.
Jack Convery -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBsn9Gyqk9A
Eddie Peabody -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHPM...ated&search=
Bela Fleck imitates some Irish plectrum with 3-finger picking on his DVD.

Shalom.
-- Mr. Disco

Mr. Disco - Posted - 02/08/2007:  15:16:45

Dr. Diva --
I enjoyed listening to Mr. Convery's "Beatles on the Banjo" on CD Baby. CD Baby also has more available Todd Taylor albums to listen to than they have in supply. They sure are awful darn generous in letting you listen to a whole album save for the last 10 seconds of each tune. When I picked up this banjo thing a year ago, it was on a whim and based on years of perking up any time I heard a banjo anywhere.
-- Sounds like you're working on 3-finger picking with an appreciation for 4-string plectrum. I will be interested in how that works out for you. I picked up one of those ProPik combination thumb pick and flat picks and it's nice to use for 3-finger but since I have no guitar background, I've not gotten much mileage out of its strumming capabilities.
I'm wondering if there are any nice-sounding examples of players strumming and picking.

Shalom.
-- Mr. Disco

billmill22 - Posted - 02/08/2007:  17:16:33

I listened to "And I Love Her" and "Yesterday". He's playing a Plectrum banjo and playing single string lead made up of single picking and lots of tremelo. Very nice sound. More info about plectrum banjos can be found on my web site. Electronic echo and reverb will sound like my audio file "House of the rising sun" found here: http://www.banjoseen.com/BillsMusic...sicpage.html scroll down on the right.
Bill

http://www.banjoseen.com
"Where there is a Tu-ba-phone Banjo,
there you will find musical happiness."

banjofanatico - Posted - 02/08/2007:  23:19:41

He's good isn't he? On the "When I'm 64" he's playing chord-melody style : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBsn9Gyqk9A

Since a plectrum banjo is a five-string banjo without the fifth string, you could play that style by tuning your 4th string down from D to C, so that you have CGBD. Then you need to avoid hitting the 5th string. And use a flat-pick rather than finger picks. Try rapidly striking a string back and forth with the pick - this the "tremolo" you're talking about. It takes many hours of practice to get a smooth tremelo. I'm still working on it.

David