Looks like the group has been quiet so I'll pose a question. I've played 5-string for years and have just started playing blues on my old Stewart. I remain confused though by what style to use for picking. Struming, up-pick, plucking, 3-fingers, some combo?
There are only a couple books on banjos & blues (2 by Sokolow) but none that I've seen discuss finger action. I'm interested in duplicating Robert Johnson's picking (so to speak!)...
All opinions appreciated! Thanks.
18 Comments |
 | coalandice says:
2/15/2015 6:36:55 PM
I'll be interested to read what others say
My gut instinct in your case would be to
learn what/how Johnson played on guitar
and then transpose to banjo
That said
youtube.com/watch?v=rbJcMACrxjA
youtube.com/watch?v=p5dcGL_VSVw
youtube.com/watch?v=8wYkbn5LeQ8
youtube.com/watch?v=lGl8un4XK9o
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pgarner says:
2/15/2015 6:58:18 PM
Thanks. I'll poke around on the videos tomorrow!
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 | Lew H says:
2/15/2015 9:06:46 PM
I've tried only to emulate a couple of riffs in Muddy Waters songs using basic clawhammer and string bends. It works for me.
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pgarner says:
2/16/2015 5:31:43 AM
Thanks. I'll poke around on the videos tomorrow!
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pgarner says:
2/16/2015 5:33:12 AM
Here's one for the group: I just came across a book called, "Robert Johnson for Banjo: 15 Blues Classics." I'm sure it's owned by folks here. Any opinions?!
amazon.com/Robert-Johnson-Banj...t+johnson
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 | wvyidbilly says:
2/19/2015 1:08:46 PM
I have been working through Fred Sokolow's new book and just the first couple of pages have given my improvisations new directions.
On my right hand, I find myself modifying the bump-ditty with more drop thumbs, two-string pinches and up-strumming with the fleshy part of my index finger. With my left hand, I tend to use more unpicked hammer-ons--really slapping down with the middle finger--and forcefully plucked pull-offs. Super fun...and for me what naturally comes out.
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pgarner says:
2/19/2015 1:26:34 PM
I'm working through both the Sokolow book and the new Robert Johnson book. They compliment each other quite nicely--similar licks and riffs. I'd hazard to say they're a must-have for anyone interested in blues and banjos.
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| coalandice says:
3/20/2015 1:30:08 PM
Well what d'ya know?
Found another one
youtube.com/watch?v=aCe4S6uePpM
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pgarner says:
3/20/2015 2:06:32 PM
And he's doing it clawhammer. I'd rather see far more finger picking and slide work, but it's effective.
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pgarner says:
3/20/2015 2:16:19 PM
And he's doing it clawhammer. I'd rather see far more finger picking and slide work, but it's effective.
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pgarner says:
3/20/2015 4:17:56 PM
And he's doing it clawhammer. I'd rather see far more finger picking and slide work, but it's effective.
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 | writerrad says:
4/16/2015 12:17:23 PM
Thanks sorry I took so long to find you. Google my friend above Lew he has some nice clips of him playing blues on the banjo and he is really nice. I have been thinking about blues and the banjo since the night about 1999 I took my first good time home! there is a lot of free territory because the blues is of an infinite nature and the banjo too. Tjhere is very little recorded blues on the banjo by traditional blues players, largely because the banjo was seen unsuited to the musical needs of the genre by the time blues emerged in the first 20-30 years of the century, the five string that is. You can find lots of recroding of blues using tenor, mandolin, plectrum, and guitar banjos.
The one extant collection of blues recordings on the five string banjo are Gus Cannon's 34 recordings for 3 different labels from 1927 to 1930. Cannon used a version of the three finger banjo style known today as classic banjo but better called guitar banjo. Cannon actually used four fingers and sometimes used all five to make a tremelo. The kicker was Cannon's style really didnt work for him without at least a guitar to provide bass support. He made one side solo and then the record company called in Blind Blake to back him on guitar. Back in Memphis he always worked with a band to do blues material, His choice of accompaniest were guitarists or guitar banjoists who could provide bass support, either with chord rhythm or with bass runs.
The timbre of the modern banjo developed to best excute a higher pitched tremble than the normal range of the human voice, especially for blues singing, really made having the stead lower ranged and better sustained support of a guitar or bass, or jug (Cannon played jug, but as I discovred in my forthcoming research on Cannon's recordings, he had others play the jug on songs he wa ssinging).
That requirement meant you needed a band to play blues with a banjo lead, and the business of blues singing--and blues was much less of a folk art and much ore of a business or paid or for money juke joints, tavernsm country suppers etc operated, the business was a solo person's business in most venues not a band. A lone guitarist could keep people dancing in a juke and get the work a banjo based band could not
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| writerrad says:
4/16/2015 12:25:12 PM
You can use almost any form of banjo finger work to play blues depending on what kind of blues you want to play. Some banjo blues involves using a blues harmony and verse structure to the beat and music styles used for the banjo either in bluegrass or varieties of old time music. Some needs are trying to adapt what we hear from blues guitarists to play blues on the banjo.
Whatever sounds the way you want it is what you should use. I played blues guitar for about 30 years before I bought a banjo. I found that I could immediately transfer what I did playing in open G on the guitar to the banjo of course. I find myself combining brushing with finger style, or straight finger style. It depends on what you want.
You can get nice raggy classic blues stylings using the classic banjo approach ala Gus Cannon and do Jimmie Rodgers tunes that way, but you really need a bass or a guitar to accompany you, You can also get good stuff this way using a flat pick. Much of the design of modern banjo comes from the influence of plectrum playing that was pretty popular in the late 19th and early 20th century The basic design of bluegrass banjos is designs made for 1920s tenor banjos.
On the otheer hand I find more "delta" sounding blues hits pretty well using a combination of both brushing and finger style a little bit like my blues playing on acoustic guitar. If you have the discipline you can create a lot of good effects using clawhammer down stroking, although to me blues sounds better that way if you have more of a drop thumb single string approach
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| writerrad says:
4/16/2015 12:28:28 PM
One avenue well worth exploring for blues on the banjo is the confluence of Dock Boggs and Skip James. James did many of his guitar recordings in an open D tuning pretty similar to the open D tuning Boggs and a few other appalachian banjoists use, with f#DGAD, although Boggs usually tuned his banjo to have the low D string tuned down to C to have a good hammer on.
Skip James learned a very similar tuning from a guy in his area who hgad learned that tuning on the guitar from a Bahamian soldier in the British Army in World War I (small world).
You can get a lot of blues tunes, not just james tunes well with this tuning.
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| writerrad says:
4/16/2015 12:30:19 PM
I should say I came here because I am trying to get together a major program about this. One the one side getting some of my research work on the blues and the five string banjo in African American music in the 20th century carried forward. On the other hand trying to put together a program where I can present or help others present decent programs on blues playing and the banjo. So I am deeply interested in what others think and are doing about this
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pgarner says:
4/16/2015 12:57:18 PM
I agree that clawhammer is not effective for early Delta blues style. You write, "to me blues sounds better that way if you have more of a drop thumb single string approach." I personally use a 3-finger style, closer to classic, but using blues notes etc. As you well know, "blues" is a wide field, w/ many definitions, & covers many many decades. My personal interest is between 1920s-1940s...
All good comments. Glad to see you involved here.
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pgarner says:
4/16/2015 1:13:40 PM
I agree that clawhammer is not effective for early Delta blues style. You write, "to me blues sounds better that way if you have more of a drop thumb single string approach." I personally use a 3-finger style, closer to classic, but using blues notes etc. As you well know, "blues" is a wide field, w/ many definitions, & covers many many decades. My personal interest is between 1920s-1940s...
All good comments. Glad to see you involved here.
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 | annapaws says:
12/23/2015 12:23:55 AM
hiya, thanks folks, just found this group. love the blues, but only beginner on the banjo - gonna have a go at crossroads n see how i get on, cheers
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