From: Joe.Bethancourt@f72.n114.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.music.filk
Subject: More sexy banjo stuff
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 13 Dec 92  11:37:00

 -=> Usenet said to All on 12-10-92  18:01 <=-

 Us> Organization: Sophomore, H&SS general, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh,
 Us> PA From: Eli Brian Goldberg <eg1n+@andrew.cmu.edu>

 Us> Does anybody here play the banjo or is anybody on the net familiar
 Us> with them?

  WHAT A BANJO -REALLY- IS:

  The banjo comes to the USA from Africa, and the Africans apparently got
  it from the Arabs ("rebec") who -may- have gotten it from the Chinese,
  ("erhu") who probably got it from the Mongols.
  This means that the banjo is seldom used for sweet, pretty songs (tho it
  can be!) but is more suited to raise hell and have fun with! I guess
  that's the influence of the Mongol bloodlines in it.....or something!
  But take a look at it: it is strings mounted on a drum-head....and this
  should be a pretty good indicator that the banjo is a PERCUSSION
  instrument as well as a STRINGED instrument. The banjo should have a good
  -strong- rhythmic beat, accenting and driving the rhythm of the song's
  tune and lyrics. Pay attention to that!
  By the way, the other types of banjos, the 4-string variety, are late-
  comers....the 5-string is the Original American Banjo.
  5-string banjos actually come in several types. The most common these
  days are the "resonator" models (with a wooden (usually) dish sort of
  thing covering the opening in the back of the hoop, and usually used
  in Bluegrass music) and the "open-back" style, with no resonator. Old
  Timey banjo players (frailers) usually tend towards the open back
  models.
  The standard banjo usually has (N) frets, and is tuned to "G" or "C"
  as given earlier.....but there are other scale lengths, too! The "long
  neck," or "Pete Seeger" style has three extra frets towards the peg -
  head, and is tuned to an open "E" tuning in the same pattern as the
  standard "G" tuning. There is the "Banjaurine," with 5 -less- frets
  at the top-end, tuned to "C" (in the open "G" pattern") and the little
  "Piccolo," with -7- less frets at the top-end, tuned to "D" (also in
  the open "G" pattern). There is also the "A Scale", with only 2 less
  frets at the top end, tuned to "A" in a "G" pattern. These last three,
  and several other exotic types, are usually found in pre-1920's banjos.
  The older fretless banjos were usually tuned to "E" like the long-neck
  model, and the use of classical guitar strings on these works well.

                         *******************

  RECOMMENDED RECORDINGS/ARTISTS

  "Naked Banjos" and "Old Red Cat"; Joe Bethancourt (cassette), Chris
  Masters Productions, c/o PO Box 35190, Phoenix AZ 85069  $11.50 each by
  mail. Good banjo stuff! (blatant commercial plug!)

  Anything by DAVID HOLT, GRANDPA JONES, UNCLE DAVE MACON, MIKE SEEGER (if
  he is using the banjo on the recording), THE NEW LOST CITY RAMBLERS, JIM
  CONNER, COUSIN EMMY, RUFUS CRISP, BASCOM LAMAR LUNSFORD, BUELL KAZEE,
  FRANK PROFFIT, DAVE GUARD (of Kingston Trio fame), HOBART SMITH, PETE
  SEEGER, STEVE MARTIN (yes, -that- Steve Martin...he plays very fine banjo
  indeed!) (all these guys are basically frailers); then for the "other"
  banjo players: EARL SCRUGGS, TONY TRISHKA, DOUG DILLARD, BILL KIETH, BELA
  FLECK (-very- creative stuff!), DON RENO, SNUFFY JENKINS, PETE STEELE
  .... the list goes on and on! Listen to fiddlers, too.

                         *******************


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