Is there a metal alternate for Nylguts?
Newbie banjo player here - I've just installed nylguts on my vintage open-back, and I'm not sure that I like them, but will give them a few more days to settle in. Wondered if there is an acceptable...
View ArticleWhy do they do this to us?
I just put my second set of John Hartford "D tuning" strings on. I love the strings, but I'll never use strings with loop ends again, given a reasonable alternative. Installing the strings is an...
View ArticleLearning Clawhammer at Home
Here are the links to download the Clawhammer Banjo Beginner 1 & 2 modules by Cathy Fink. Intermediate soming soon. DATA DVD's play in your computer. Truefire is a fabulous company. So many people...
View ArticleHobart Smith's Cumberland Gap
Can anyone provide any insight into this version? I can't find a tab anywhere, it's by far my favorite version.
View ArticleHugh Strawn on Jamming
In the June, 2012 "jamming" issue of Banjo Newsletter, Hugh Strawn writes: "I've had some experience with jams over the past 20 years and in those years I've experience behaviors that should be...
View ArticleBart Reiter question
Hey all! Anyone know if Bart Reiter ever produced a model called the "Gold Tone"? Reason I'm asking is there is an odd banjo on ebay which is listed as a "Gold Tone" but the description and picture...
View Articleanyone put nylon strings on the new "old style" OME banjos
like the Tupelo or the Minstrel(no metal tonering, they use the tapered wood pot). if so, i assume you either widened the string slots at the bridge and nut, did you keep and use that neat tailpiece...
View ArticleResting the Heel of the Hand on the Head
Hey everybody. As long as I've been frailing, I've rested the heel of my hand on the banjo head while I play. Lately I've been wondering if this might inhibit my drive and speed, and mess with my...
View ArticleVideos of superbe technique.
I don't know how to embed these videos but I think it is worth a good long discussion http://youtube.com/watch?v=TDjspOnIQvc http://youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=R5Q27WJSYPY...
View ArticleWhat's The Relationship Between Black Face...
...and OT? I have read there was a lot of Tin Pan Alley stuff written when Black Face was popular. But I am wondering if any of that stuff enter the 'tradition' plus to what degree was Black Face...
View ArticleArkansas Traveler Major AND Minor!
Found this by accident and like it a lot... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbMVHmBvj6w
View ArticleRoanoke melodic style
Hello all. I am looking for a sound clip of Joe Ahr song, Roanoke, in melodic style. Does any one knows where I could find it? Thank you for your help as always. Best regards. jean P
View ArticleDoes this make sense?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9tkU4bceY4&list=UUFnSvrlN0NO3NL3rPhlr0PQ&index=1&feature=plcp Does my pickin' the video above make sense, musically? I used a frailing tab and tried to pick...
View Articledoes a certain tonering fit a playing style better than another?
i am getting ready to order a brooks banjo in the next few months and i want to get the best possible tonering for my playing style. i mostly play round-peak, but i also play some OT 2-and-3 finger...
View ArticleHunter Robertson
I was just watching one of Hunter's videos on Youtube and noticed that he was playing what looked like a Harmony Reso-tone (where half the frets have been removed)....he makes a $125 banjo sound...
View Articlewrecked my fingernails this week
What do you think of the pick you've been using for clawhammer? I destroyed my fingernails at work this week. So, now I'm wondering if it makes sense to have a finger pick for when this occasion...
View ArticleI still seem to be trying to find a way
Heck, maybe I'm just evolving. First I took to combining clawhammer and sort of Seeger style playing in single tunes. That sounded pretty good to me and it has other ( therapeutic? ) values as well....
View ArticleBHO poll banjo posture: Resting on right leg under the arm or in the lap?
Just curious as this popped into my head today: "How many folks play with the banjo supported under their arm and on their right leg, as opposed to others who play with the banjo in their lap...kinda...
View ArticleTOTW 6/8/12: Little Birdie
Every once in a while, a Tune of the Week pops up that makes me think, "Wow! How has no one done this yet?" That was my goal this week--to make you say, "Wow!" According to the Fiddler's Companion,...
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