Banjo Players?

[Tim Givens]

Anybody here play banjo? Five-string, plectrum, or tenor? I am a beginning tenor player, after many years of mediocre guitar. I'm a member of the Yahoo! group "fourstringbanjo". It's an excellent discussion group for tenor or plectrum banjo players.

[solarjazzband]

Cool! I've never heard a banjo in jazz, it sounds interesting to hear that!

If you're good in it, you can become famous, look at Toots Thielemans, not many guys played the harmonica, and he did it well, so he got famous, understand? :D

Keep playing,

I don't know if someone will reply this thread with I play banjo too, (and maybe that's a good thing :) )

edit: i'm wrong :D

[AfricaBrass]

I'm learning 5-string banjo now. I've been working on it for a year and a half. Does anyone know where I can find some good banjo lessons online or recommend any books.

I'm interested in playing bluegrass. I have a Deering Black Diamond banjo which I love.

I'll check out the banjo forum.

[Tim Givens]

I doubt if the "fourstringbanjo" group would help a five-string player. There are groups on Yahoo! and other places for five string specifically. Banjo Hangout is an especially good site for five strings.
Four string banjos were and are seldom heard outside of 1920's jazz. There are "Dixieland" bands today, that tend to be mostly corny, but some are good. Try www.redhotjazz.com and click "musicians", then try Harry Reser. "Lolly Pops", "Flapperette", and "Frosted Chocolate" are three tunes to really hear the tenor master of the 1920's at work. That's a picture of Harry under my name on my posts. It's a thirties photo and he's playing a Gibson TB-6 tenor banjo. Tenor and Plectrum banjos are played with a flat pick, not fingerpicks like a five string banjo is. Thet're all tuned different, too.
The main modern jazz banjo player is Bela Fleck (and the Flecktones), but he plays five-string.
I see Kenny G. as a picture for AfricaBrass. If you want to hear some really great soprano sax, check out Sidney Bechet.

[AfricaBrass]

Thanks for the info, Tim!

Don't worry, I can't stand Kenny G. I agree with your suggestion of Sidney Bechet. He's one of my favorites on the instrument (Coltrane being another). Beyond those two, I'm not really a fan of the instrument.

I better change my avatar. I just put it in there as a joke. I was hoping that the Hellish background would show that I was having fun. ;)

I am interested in the tenor and plectrum styles also. I'm a big Eddie Condon fan, and I know he played a tenor guitar. I'd love to try one of those sometime. What's the tuning on the tenor and plectrum banjos? I had assumed that they were the same as the 5-string except for the added 5th string.

I've been playing guitar for close to 20 years and have been fingerpicking for about 15 years, so naturally, I love fingerpicking on the banjo.

I'll check redhotjazz.com - I'd really like to hear banjo in a jazz context. Thanks for the tip on the Banjo hangout. I'll look for it.

[Tim Givens]

Originally posted by AfricaBrass
Thanks for the info, Tim!

I am interested in the tenor and plectrum styles also. I'm a big Eddie Condon fan, and I know he played a tenor guitar. I'd love to try one of those sometime. What's the tuning on the tenor and plectrum banjos? I had assumed that they were the same as the 5-string except for the added 5th string.



I am very glad you're NOT a Kenny G fan. And most writings get it wrong, too, that Eddie Condon played tenor guitar. He played Plectrum guitar, CGBD (4th to 1st), 22 frets. A tenor guitar has 19 frets like the tenor banjo, both tuned CGDA. I've got lots of Condon. His bands really cooked ! He started on banjo ukulele, then went to tenor banjo (on his first records) then plectrum banjo and finally plectrum guitar. I've got his first, "Sugar" and "China Boy", framed. It was the first record for everybody on it.
Here's all the main tunings, I hope explained clearly. A tenor banjo has 17 or 19 frets, a plectrum has 22 frets. They are different instruments, with different tunings. Each tuning requires some change in string gauges from the others.

Tenor Banjo Tunings:

'Standard' CGDA Tenor Banjo tuning, same as a cello. (on both 17 and 19 fret models)
C=130.8 Hz.
G=196
D=293.7
A=440

Irish (Celtic) Tenor Banjo tuning, one octave below standard mandolin. (usually on 17 fret models only, as it requires heavier strings than standard tuning)
G=98 Hz.
D=146.8
A=220
E=329.6

Guitar (or "Chicago" tuning, for either tenor model, matches highest four guitar strings)
D=146.8 Hz
G=196
B=246.9
E=329.6

Plectrum Banjo Tuning:

I think same as a five string minus the fifth string. You can use this tuning on tenor banjos, but the other tunings don't work well on this banjo.
C=130.8 Hz
G=196
B=246.9
D=293.7

There are a lot of other variations, but these are the most common.

[AfricaBrass]

Thanks Tim!

I appreciate your help with the tunings. Thanks for the info on Condon, too!

Have you heard the Bela Fleck cd, Perpetual Motion, where he plays classical music. I never thought you could play this stuff on a banjo. I'm surprised how well it works.

[Tim Givens]

Another very accomplished, and very pretty, four string banjo jazz player. I borrowed the following from Jazz Banjo Magazine,
http://www.jazzbanjo.com:

At the age of 13 she had asked for a drum set but her parents gave her a banjo. Cynthia's first job was playing banjo at a Mets baseball game but she was soon hired to play at "Your Father's Moustache." Over the years she has worked with such notables as Dick Hyman, Milt Hinton, Doc Cheatham, Marvin Hamlisch, Odetta, George Segal, Kenny Davern, Bill Cosby, Warren Vache, Buck Pizzarelli, Ken Peplowski and Bob Wilber.
In addition to playing banjo and drums Cynthia is the pianist and vocalist with "Woody Allen's New Orleans Jazz Band." She has also worked with films like "Purple Rose Of Cairo" and "Sophie's Choice." Other soundtracks have included Woody Allen"s "Bullets Over Broadway" and TV's "The Cosby Mysteries."
Discography:
The Jazz Banjo of Cynthia Sayer
NY Jazz J-008
More Jazz Banjor
NY Jazz J-010
Forward Moves
Yerba buena Jazz YBJ401
Jazz At Home
Jazzology JCD-270
String Swing
Jazzology JCD-370

[Chris A.]

For that Baghdad banjo bash...

,,,consider this! (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=61&item=2525610487&rd=1)


:D :D :D

[Tim Givens]

Originally posted by Chris A.
For that Baghdad banjo bash...

,,,consider this! (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=61&item=2525610487&rd=1)


:D :D :D

Already saw that, LOL. I guess he won't be playing "Sheik Of Araby" on it anymore ! :rolleyes: