Do Some Tunes Better Suit Playing Over The Neck?
I just learned the TOTW, The Gal I Left Behind Me. I have an uncontrollable habit of thumping the head which I will honestly admit I cannot control. I remember reading that some dudes play over the...
View Articlesuggestion for birthday present
Hello, I am looking for suggestions for old-time music CDs. I have seen a thread on this very subject linked in the FAQ section but the CDs mentioned there are listed as "must-haves" for the...
View ArticleHave you named your Banjo?
I finally picked out a name for my banjo yesterday. I named her "Ole Maud", cause this mule has come to plow!! Tell your favorite nickname for your five string.
View ArticleAny slow banjo songs?
Just curious, I'm new to the banjo and therefore quite new to banjo music. It seems that every piece of sheet music or tab that I come across states - play fast or extremely fast. That leads me to the...
View ArticleExplain This Technique Please
Please explain this guy's technique! The video barley shows his right hand. I'm a newbie and can't figure out just what he's doing. Looks to be clawhammer, but it's crazy fast.
View ArticleWeird metallic reverbation in my 3rd
Lately, whenever I hit the 3rd string I get a strange metallic reverberation sound that I don't get in the other strings. Is that normal or does my banjo need a set up?
View ArticleHow to play with ohters in an old-time jam
When I first started to play the banjo, I couldn't find anyone to play with in the old-time style, and so was relegated to bluegrass and folk jams. Nothing (much) wrong with that, but now that I have...
View Articlesounding the 5th string (drone)
Well i'm nearly 3 weeks in to Dans "from scratch" book, and i'm delighted with my progress (double thumbing my 3rd tune!!!). but as i have no teacher here, i was wondering how important it is to sound...
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Buzzard Banjo, a helpful book
BHO member Dan Levenson wrote this book in the 90's. I re-discovered it in my bookshelf yesterday when my husband was looking up the Snake River, mentioned in the Lewis and Clark expedition with the...
View Articlehorrible screach doing slides on 4th string?
True beginner here by about 3 weeks. Been playing some Level one songs. Slides are coming fairly easily for me on all strings until I get to the dreaded 4th string which is wound. While making a 2nd...
View ArticleWhere are all these jams?!
I'm hoping this isn't something for "other topics," but it is the most important facet missing from my practice at the moment: I need some gall-dern folks to jam with! I can't find big old-timey jams...
View Articlepro's and cons of "open g" tuning
My local picking sessions are based around bluegrass music, therefore "g tuning" is pretty much the name of the game! mostly (as far as i can make out) the mandolin players play the likes of "soldiers...
View ArticleBanjo for a Newbie...Eastman, Reiter, Gold Tone??
Hello there......I come from the mandolin and guitar world, mostly mandolin. I've always loved old time banjo playing and have finally decided I'm going to give it a whirl. I can talk about...
View ArticleAre you supposed to add the chord (brush stroke) to clawhammer tab?
I have two clawhammer books- Ken Perlman's "Clawhammer Style Banjo" and Dan Levenson's "Old Time Festival Tunes." In Ken's book, the chord part is is the song, whereas in Dan's book, most of the songs...
View ArticleLamorna for clawhammer
I found myself in a conversation about Cornish folk tunes and, since I did not know any, searched on the net for an example. I came up with “Lamorna” which, according to the site was a song that...
View ArticleStrings for O/T
I put a banjo together with a brass tone ring (Stew-Mac), fyberskin head, reused co-ordinator rods and mahogay neck (I know). Currently stuffed with a diaper against the head, but it doesn't seem to...
View Articleyee haw Zeppified banjo
Just ordered a Zeppefied goodtime banjo. a big deal to me. had to tell somebody
View ArticleHelp with 3-finger problem?
I'm trying to improve my 3-finger playing, but I'm having a problem I can't seem to correct. With my ring finger planted ( lightly ) on the head, it occasionally creeps up toward the first string so...
View ArticleTOTW - Elzic's Farewell 8/31/12
This is a hell of a tune. It is one of my personal favorites and a very common inclusion in pickin circles in these parts and, I suspect, in others areas as well. Elzic’s Farewell is one of those...
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