Flatpick banjo 1

Howdy all,

Does anyone else out there flatpick on a banjo?  I flatpick fiddle tunes as well as traditional, old time, and bluegrass music on a plectrum banjo. I use the term “flatpick” to distinguish this style from plectrum styles traditionally used in Dixieland and other jazz styles. I also use the terms traditional, old time and bluegrass loosely because in most traditional, old time, and bluegrass styles, flatpicked plectrum banjo is not traditional and may be viewed as inappropriate by some.  The 5-string banjo has become a defining sound of most old time and bluegrass styles. I must say I am a huge fan of 5-string banjo!  From the time I was a kid, it was (and still is) one of the most exciting musical sounds I had ever heard.

So, why do I flatpick a banjo? For one, I am just not a finger-picker. I started on guitar and I always used a flatpick. A couple of years ago I was flatpicking fiddle tunes at an Irish session. It was always difficult to hear single-note guitar work over the fiddles and tenor banjos. A friend at the bar asked if I wanted a banjo. Sure, why not? I had thought that he was offering a tenor banjo and I had considered getting a tenor for this style of music. It turned out that he had a 1928 Vega plectrum banjo. He had had it for over 20 years and never played it. It had an open back and beautiful carvings on the neck. My friend wouldn’t take a penny or it, so I decided I had to learn to play it and play it well as some sort of compensation. I wanted to play fiddle tunes on it, but tuning it like a tenor wouldn’t work. The traditional tuning it was in (CGBD) was a bit awkward for me. I heard about Chicago tuning (DGBE). This made it easy – no new tuning to learn. I could jump right in. Almost…. There were differences in range, tone, timber, etc. that need adjustments to my guitar style. So I worked at it. I changed the settings of the tunes so I didn’t have to use the missing E and A strings that I had relied on for guitar work. I played with capos and positions. Then I started working out all of the traditional Appalachian fiddle and folk tunes I knew. The banjo lent itself to licks and tricks I had never before used on guitar. This was exciting! It sounded good (though different from 5-string) and people liked it. THAT is the main reason I flatpick banjo. It sounds good, it’s exciting, and people (at least some) like it.

 I don’t try to emulate the sound of a 5-string when flatpicking the banjo.  Nor is my flatpick banjo style exactly the same as my flatpick guitar style. To me, flatpicked banjo is its own style and I am sure anyone who flatpick a banjo will develop their own style. However, since I tune my banjo like a guitar, there are several parallels between my flatpicked banjo and guitar styles. What can be done on guitar often can be transferred to banjo and vice versa.  My approach to working out tunes, rhythms and solos on banjo often finds its way back to guitar, enhancing both my share of licks and the way I approach a tune on guitar.

If anyone else out there plays or is interested in flatpick style banjo, I would love to hear from you.

Bob