TOTW (OT) 11.7.14: Cuffy
Cuffy is a tune I have always enjoyed. I hope you will like it too. Like many tunes, it has a number of interesting threads that when woven together make the tune richer than its melody alone. The...
View Articlebroken string
I've been recently playing in Open C for the first time (with the first string tuned up to E) which I like very much, but today perhaps because there was a change in the weather and the heat came up,...
View ArticleFretless Conversion Action
I recently converted my Epiphone to semi-fretless using a brass plate the same height as frets. I'm beginning to think that the action isn't high enough. I come from an electric guitar background,...
View ArticleFinger picks
I just started playing a secondhand deering goodtime 2. I am attempting claw hammer style. I am using a Fred Kelly finger pick. It has begun to make a distinct clicking sound when I pluck a melody...
View ArticleWhere to go now?
About 4 months ago my girlfriend and I were on a hitchhiking adventure across the great United States. We were passing through Portland and I found and bought a modern yet old and rusted made in china...
View ArticleOettinger style five string
fouhd this http://www.thomann.de/de/abm_4555_banjo_tailpiece.htm
View Articlewhat happens to string tension in airplane
Hi physicists out there: It occurred to me that taking a banjo on a plane either in the overhead bins (where a new law allows them to be -- if you can find the room) or in the baggage compartment...
View ArticleTraditional / typical tone ring / tuning combinations?
Hey everyone!Let me preface this by saying, I know all of this is ultimately subjective, and personal preference. That said, is anyone aware of any particular combinations of tone ring, and/or rim...
View ArticleLooking in cincinnati
Hey everybody, first time poster here. Anyone in Cincinnati willing to help a guy get started? I've essentially no experience and would like to find somebody who could hook up a couple of times just to...
View ArticleNewbie question about chords like F & D
Hello everyone. I'm brand-new to the banjo; I've been playing for about two weeks, and am self-educating with the help of online videos, etc. I have been able to adapt Scruggs=style picking pretty...
View ArticleD tuning 2nd string problem
I have a new Deering Goodtime I am learning on and making good progress. I'm very pleased with the banjo.I decided to try Steve Martin's Clawhammer Medley which is performed in D tuning. The tuning...
View ArticleJams in Boston?
Hey all! I'm going to be in Boston this weekend for a conference and was wondering if there are any OT jams going on which would welcome a visitor? I'm staying near the commons so downtown is easy, but...
View ArticleRight thigh or lap?
Consensus appears to be hold banjo on the right thigh, but occasionally I see one being held in the lap (Pete Seeger's book for example). Is this just another "whatever works for you" issue or are...
View ArticleSinging along with the Banjo
This topic came up on Banjo-L and I thought I repost my reply here as this topic periodically comes up here too. Those who think anyone should be able to sing any song in any key may move on, this is...
View Articlescorecloud
Does any one experience with Score Cloud which claims to transcribe into sheet music from an instrument or voice picked up by a microphone, a cell phone, or imputing a midi player. Here is a UTube add...
View ArticleOld Time Fire On The Mountain
Can anyone enlighten who and where this really nice variant of the tune comes from? It's noticeably different from the Isham Monday or John Salyer versions:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfCTnFC68U0I...
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TOTW (OT) 11/14/14 -- Boyne Water
Attending a workshop and jam with West Virginian fiddler Franklin George was quite a thrill last year and I wanted to learn one of his tunes in honor of the occasion. After listening to lots of his...
View ArticleBanjos Tonight in Boston
Cathy Fink (5 string) and Marcy MArxer (cello banjo) will be in Watertown, MA tonight at 8pm, armed with banjos, and some other choice instruments. Mark Simos joins on fiddle, Lorraine Lee Hammond on...
View ArticleDave Guard: Four Finger Picking Style?
In the course of converting all my CDs to "lossless," I noticed a picture of Dave Guard on The Essential Kingston Trio album. It appears that Mr. Guard is using his pinky finger as a support for...
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