Thinking About Switching from Plectrum Tuning to Chicago Tuning—Talk Me Out
For the past 10 years, I’ve been playing my plectrum banjo in traditional plectrum tuning (CGBD). I always felt like I should stick with that tuning for the sake of tradition—it’s the "right" way to...
View ArticleChoosing a 9 th chord
For rhythm chords is there any trick to selecting a 9th chord? Some are missing different notes on my tenor And they sound different. Also is there any trick on when you can substitute a 7th chord for...
View ArticleTake the A train
Today I feel like playing this tune... with my tenor on a on line backing trackhope you enjoy
View ArticleThe Crybabies (New Orleans)
This just came up in my youtube feed and thought I would share it - fun performance and a great blues tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g67hLKtTCiw
View ArticleName this tune?
This 30-second audio snip (see attached "Fox Movietone" MP3 file) is from a surviving 35mm fragment of a lost film, "Fox Movietone Follies of 1929." It's a snappy chorus number, but the song isn't...
View ArticleOld tune
A nice tune from 1933 (and 1958): it's a hit barely played by banjoists.youtube.com/watch?v=d-CMcd0VvB...A-SJGOe9VThank you for watching !
View ArticleFormby banjo size
I've been thinking about buying a banjo uke. They are very hard to find in shops around here. What size of banjo uke did George Formby use [concert/tenor/etc.] I don't want to buy the wrong one. He...
View ArticleA tune from 1949
This tune by Anton Karas has been rarely played by tenor banjoists. I improvised a rather "free" version, just to remove the mold from my centenary Paramount "Style C". I would like to hear it played...
View ArticleClawhammer tenor banjo
I know there is a whole thread on clawhammer, but I think a 4-string forum is more appropriate. I tuned my tenor (23" scale) dGBe. like a baritone ukulele with re-entrant tuning with synthetic strings....
View ArticleThe No Knot Tailpiece
I have a no knot tailpiece on my 17-fret open back Ome banjo, and I love the sound that I get with this tailpiece. It’s not what some would call a traditional banjo tone. I would describe the tone as...
View ArticlePlaying Ukulele like Plectrum banjo
I'm curious if anybody has any good resources for playing like this.
View Article“Pure Imagination”
Most of the videos I post here are first or second takes. ‘Not this one. I struggled through a bunch of takes, and I still never got it right. Anyway, I really enjoyed the challenge of trying to play...
View ArticlePlease don't talk about me when I'm gone.
Hi banjo friends!I play this song with my first "Paramount", which is a "Style B" that is over a hundred years old. I have always been fascinated by the Paramounts, especially when they get a...
View ArticleSwing 61
I'm back to bother you with more 5-string jazz (although I very rarely play the fifth string on this stuff).Here is one I wrote - except for the interpolation of minor swing (in case you weren't sure...
View Article“Oh! Didn’t He Ramble”
Five minutes ago, I was watching TV, going back & forth between Casablanca and an MLB baseball game (Rangers vs. Yankees) when I decided to hit the mute button and do a video. (The look of...
View ArticleSean Moyses
Sean is one of my FB friends but I don’t think he comes on here. Are you familiar with him? I don’t know a lot about plectrum playing but it seems like he should be famous. Sean Moyses
View ArticleGood Versus good
The recent Sean Moyses topic got me thinking about what it means to be a Good banjo player. Sean Moyses has incredible arranging skills, left & right hand technique, rhythm, & time. ‘Skills way...
View ArticleEl Gato Caribe.
About twenty years ago I had a cat that, when drinking from his bowl, produced a rhythmic noise with his tongue that reminded me of Latin music. I decided to record and use it as a rhythmic base to...
View ArticleThis Land is Your Land
https://tizianotononi.bandcamp.com/track/this-land-is-you-land here you can hear me with the band of my friend Italian Drummer Tiziano Tononi... hope you enjoy this old woody Guthrie song...
View ArticleUpdate tenor vs plectrum
After playing plectrum banjos and tenor banjos , I think I decided finaly the biggest difference that matters is the closed harmony sound and open harmony sound. Last time I talked about this I didn’t...
View ArticleAn intonation question
In placing a banjo bridge on the head, I had always been taught to check the intonation at the 12th fret by listening for a perfect octave, and then moving the bridge forward or backward as needed to...
View Articleclawhammer on a 4-string
I've read some of the old posts on this topic but haven't come across discussion of playing clawhammer on a 4 string reentrant tuning in fifths: G3 D3 A3 E4.I've messed around with clawhammer ukulele...
View Articlebach
I know I will never reach the mastery of our Rob playing Bach on banjo but... I tried this prolude from the 1st violin sonata...
View ArticleMandocello
I know it is off topic because it is not banjo but we are in the four string world... with the help of a very fine luthier I converted ed my cheap asian made archtop guitar in a mandocello, it's so...
View ArticleRenaissance pieces for CGDA Tenor Banjo
Songs: Tourdion 00:00; Branle De Champagne 00:56; Cuckolds All A-Row 01:58; arr: Ondrej Sarek
View ArticlePlaying jazz style using Irish tuning (GDAE)
Is there anyone out there that plays jazz style tenor using GDAE tuning with Irish tenor gauged strings (usually 12-16-24-36)? I'm curious as to why CGDA was settled on as the preferred tuning for jazz...
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