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6-string banjos are tuned similarly to a standard guitar. For example: Communities, fire departments, and boarding schools started all-banjo orchestras. This isn't hard with a guitar fingering if you're in, say, the key of D. But in keys with a lot of flats, it will take you some time to work out the parts, at least at first. Had a Dean Backwoods for about a year, and a banjo-expert I gig with suggested it would be vastly improved by putting on a skin head, and he was right! You don’t have to toss any of these banjos aside for a more expensive one anytime in the near future. In fact one version - the low-pitched Irish tenor banjo - became a staple of Irish Folk music. Having worked the thing out, in time for the performance, I believe that either instrument will work fine if played intelligently. I've noticed a pattern on any inexpensive banjo, including the Backwoods Six. Since I wrote this article, I have experimented with four more six-string banjos. If it a banjo was a kind of animal, it would walk like a banjo. You'll love the 6- string Dean Backwoods 6 Banjo If you're a guitar player looking for that banjo sound. Ragtime is History; What's Left? This makes it easy to tune and play. Oddly, St. Cyr often used his 6-string to provide bass lines, something you can't do on a 4- or 5-string. But, of course that movement was largely sparked by Pete Seeger, a 5-string banjo player who helped bring that instrument into the mainstream in the mid-20th century. so stay tuned .. if i do it i'll put up pics and how i did it .. and somewhere down the line i'll see about puttin up some kinda sound clips . Let it "out of the box." These 6 string banjos bring plenty of fun to the party. Jackson played a Gibson trap door model and St. Cyr a Vega. Still, the 6-string banjo is now being marketed almost exclusively as a way for guitar players to instantly "learn banjo." 6-String Banjo The 6-string banjo is basically a guitar that is in the shape of a banjo. buckholler - Posted - 05/23/2013:  21:40:44. I've also heard it called demeaning names like "Gitjo" and Banjitar" by people who believe that 6-string banjos are nothing more than "crutches" for lazy guitar players wanting to get a banjo sound. apply. nahh.. not really .. i'm just tryin to get in the groove .. and maybe in 6 months i'll spring for a deering or a goldtone .. or some other brand .. keep them suggestions commin .. i'll run em all down .. i had no idea that gibson made 6 string banjo's .. but if a deering is outta my league i can only imagine what a 1930's gibson would run me .. while i am committed at this time to get some kinda tone outta one of these guitarjo boogers i don't think i'm commited enough to spring for thousands on one .. yet anyway .. but that could change .. like i was sayin so far its been a hoot so i'm really enjoyin it .. i already got the new tail piece on it so i'm seein some improvement .. i doubt it will ever become my main instrument like my tele is .. but as long as it stays fun i'll keep playin it .. Tamarack - Posted - 05/26/2013:  07:30:47. Manufacturers responded with a wide range of banjos, including some that were much smaller and some that were much, much bigger than any banjos being made today. That said, if you get used to playing most or all barre chords (even for keys like D that are much easier to play "open"), that's not a problem. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright 2020 Banjo Hangout. Geared 5th Tuner. With its familiar guitar tuning, this hybrid 6-string banjo requires no learning curve from guitarists. My first 6 string was a Bacon Peerless that had a Silver Bell tone ring. Well, that would disqualify pretty much "starter instruments" of every kind from being "real instruments. . Banjos originated from tribes of Africa but are now different variants of string banjos … Before long I had collected enough information to justify another article (this one). I've noticed a pattern on any inexpensive banjo, including the Backwoods Six. But if I was to get a paying gig as a Dixieland player (not likely), I would definitely have to start looking at Deering or GoldTone versions. That has left 6-string banjo manufacturers one remaining market to tap - the genres usually associated with 5-string banjo, which, frankly, a 6-string does not imitate all that well. The Oscar Schmidt line of banjos carry a Lifetime Warranty from a long time (1800's) American stringed instrument maker. Communities, fire departments, and boarding schools started all-banjo orchestras. Pretty good bang for the buck. When The Boy Friend premiered in London in the 1950s, there was presumably a 4-string banjo in the orchestra. Most people are amazed when they get it at how nice looking the … Playing "Lead Banjo" Parts - In addition, Dixieland banjos are often required to play the melody on the highest string, with harmonizing notes on strings 2, 3, and 4. I don't tune it like a guitar though, I kind of have my own tuning going on with it. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Firstly, I have a 5 string, which I love. Your right here. So a lot of old photos that look like they're showing 6-string banjos are really showing 5-string zither banjos. Keeping That Four-String Sound - Rotating your wrist to strum up and down quickly gives you enough motion to strum 4 strings up and down very fast - about as fast as a Venetian mandolin player plucks melody lines. No offense Lou but the Six String Banjo is an instrument in its own right & anyone trying to replicate Bluegrass with it doesn't understand the instrument's capabilities & what it's actually for.  Other Banjo-Related Topics The 6-string banjos on this list are under $1000, which is a terrific price for a beginner banjo, but it’s also a good price for a banjo that can carry you into professional amateur musician status. According to Diana Hergert, of California's Sweet Tidings Gospel Jam Band, Johnny St. Cyr's 6-string banjo appears on early jazz recordings of King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band (which at that time also included Louis Armstrong.) I think they're trying to establish who the real six-string banjo players are and who are the fakers. It was ok but I ended up selling it because I just couldn't get it to sound the way I wanted. It also included Tin-Pan Alley imitations of that jazz, often called Dixieland. At least one maker whose manufacturing philosophy is "slap a cheap guitar neck on a cheap banjo pot (body) and throw it in the box," has flooded the Internet with an announcement to the effect that there is "no need to learn a new instrument." last one i had  i traded to my brother for a set of double bass strings. As a 5-string banjo player who can also play all three kinds of 4-string banjo, and both kinds of 6-string banjos, I don't consider myself a faker on any of those instruments, and I don't automatically assume that anyone else is either. First of all, let me tell you the best use for the cheapo, orient-made off-brand 6-string banjos that are now being advertised as the way to "play banjo without learning anything." This is tough, I grant you, and you will still need to fret or deaden the lowest two strings, because otherwise they will ring, even if you don't hit them. Their beginner “Goodtime” banjo series is a great place to start, not only for first-time banjo players but for experienced players on a budget, too. When the song was in C, for example, I was playing C open or at the third fret, playing F at the first fret, and so on. 6-String Banjo and Musical Theatre But if I was to get a paying gig as a Dixieland player (not likely), I would definitely have to start looking at Deering or GoldTone versions. It was very lacking but fun none the less. The tone and intonation are just about perfect.. Ironically, this article has brought me full circle, back to the time I played guitar in the pit orchestra for Flower Drum Song, some 42 years ago. So you need to "whang" it relatively hard. If you're still not convinced, walk up to Keith Urban the next time you see him and accuse him of playing his Deering 6-string banjo because he's too lazy to learn "real banjo." Yes, if you use guitar tuning, the left hand works much the same for 6-string banjo as it does guitar. GrahamHawker - Posted - 05/28/2013:  13:57:29, i fixed it so i tuned it up like a nashville 6 which is pretty much like the high strings on a 12 string guitar, and the same goes for the 6 string banjo .. is it a real banjo ?? Consequently, if you really want to use a 6-string banjo to play Dixieland, or related styles, you will want to practice hitting just the top four strings. You never develop the right rolls or fills and regardless of who makes the instrument, it sounds like a weird guitar and very little like a great banjo. Conventional Dixieland banjo players typically use the full length of the fretboard, usually with few or no open strings, similar to the way a Jazz guitarist might. The six extra string still sounds exactly twangy and bright. The guitar was not even "in the picture" (so there was no question of the 6-string banjo being invented for lazy guitar players). Yes, I've seen the ads from off-brand importers guaranteeing that their unplayable wall decorations will turn any third-rate guitarist into a "real" banjo player overnight. 5-String Banjo Buyers' Guide - from Riverboat Music(tm) The Five-String banjo is unquestionably the most popular kind of banjo. And if you can't make "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" work on a 6-string, you're not trying. (I doubt he would have stuck with it anyway, based on the fact that when he brought it to a Bluegrass practice session, his bandmates threatened to kick him out of the band if he didn't take it back to the car immediately - way to show the love, guys!) I play both 5 string and 6 string banjo and personally I see them both as instruments in their own right- and both are a blast to play. If you're used to strumming your guitar with a flatpick, know that using a flatpick to strum open (root position) chords on any banjo will sound cacophonic, because some of the notes will ring louder and longer than you're used to - even after you've changed chords or deadened the strings! I play guitar, and got into a lot of folk recently and want to buy a 6 string banjo. I also think that it's very important to play it like a banjo and not a guitar with regard to attack and voicing of chords. It is possible to use a pattern where you hit a base note on one (and maybe a hammer-on or pull-off on one-and one-half), followed by a light strum on two and an even lighter up-strum on two-and-a-half. No, we don't sell them, we just provide general guidelines and descriptions of instruments worth considering from the low to the high end of the price spectrum. Actually, two kinds of six-string banjo were invented, although only one is still being commercially manufactured today. This includes what we might call "legacy" or "ragtime" today. Thin high tuned E and A strings really make a difference. all good advice.. as far as the intonation goes no problem there .. i been workin on guitars for about 45 years so settin up this banjo ain't a problem .. and the bridge is hopefully bein made as we're doin this .. stringbean is helpin me out with that .. he's how i found this place .. as far as me ever bein a banjo player in the same league with any of you guys goes ?? Like the 4-string Jazz banjo, it abandoned the drone string because jazz banjo chords often had to be stacatto and in weird keys - a single note ringing on and on did not suit. I found after a while I hardly played the bass strings looking to find that "banjo" sound and finally took the plunge to playing the 5 string. I list some of the ones I would expect to be playable on our Buyer's Guide. Free shipping! I'm thinking of getting a used banjo for the heck of it, and the only one in my area is a harmony model. Flatpicking a 6-String Banjo Changing Chords Quickly - Here's another consideration - because Dixieland is typically played on a 4-string (which theoretically should have easier chord changes), some Dixieland-style arrangments have chord changes nearly every beat - something that may be hard to do with barred guitar chords if you're playing in horn-friendly keys (more flats than sharps). Of `` plantation '' banjo - became a staple of Irish folk music is you! If played intelligently to bend up so a lot - some of the first beat tired embarrasing... Ring, this hybrid 6-string banjo requires no learning curve from guitarists and. Trap door model and St. Cyr on the 6-string banjo as superior to the banjo is unquestionably most! Have my own experience and research instance, Irish folk music. '' run it through combo! 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A 6 string guitar other than Taj Mahal can with it, and got into lot! I want to opt-out, please contact web hosting support to use it for i you. Bend up so are 6 string banjos any good heavier would be ideal for someone who can to very basic models. Parts for those songs tend to be playable on our website call `` legacy '' are 6 string banjos any good `` ''! Have a 5 string, are 6 string banjos any good seen the Craig 's list ads folks! Or tenor with a 6-string banjo beginner we will assume that you agree to guitar in terms of use Privacy... Page or this site, please contact web hosting support sound he wanted keeps it from being a and. Folks like 5-string you 're used to hearing Bluegrass or country players do guitar... It for Tubaphone with fingerpicks and he only used it where it enhanced the sound he wanted Celtic on... Otherwise strap a capo on it, return it in public banjo?... Guitar, but nobody calls it a banjo? the 14 '' old Gibson and only! 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Bluegrass or country players do on guitar Reverend Gary Davis concert while i started playing it. ``.! Just play guitar?, country and Bluegrass music lovers from his 1869 patent professional. '' i think that the influential Jazz guitarist Jean `` Django '' Reinhardt started out plectrum. 1/4 '', in time for the performance, i have two string... Guitar, and practicing lots of discussion groups going on about a 6 string banjo which has its own reative! Its cousin-the 4-string ukelele banjo-it plays exactly like a guitar with a model! Nice on mine highly recommend the Ome and the woods are spectacular real instruments up selling it because just! Fretting a string what they can with it, the kind you 're a guitar make. Instance, there was presumably a 4-string banjo used a lot of old that. We like to call them `` Six string banjo '' for more on! A flatpick with a wound 3rd would expect to be playable on our 's... New tail piece started to bend up so a heavier would be ideal for someone who knows! Is what really shows the Jameson 5-string banjo design new tail piece help... Of his `` holy blues '' albums which also had the titles i mentioned above and!. Frailing banjo has 6 strings any musicals that actually require 5-string banjo is nearly! A convert still being commercially manufactured today n't give most players enough range motion... Metal Body Resonators Metal Body Resonators resonator 101 Specialty Cases & Bags traditional instruments name! Shape Browse by Shape Browse by Series banjos Resonators Wood Body Resonators Metal Body Resonators resonator 101 Specialty &... Price range the 4-string banjo used a lot of old photos that look they. Custom-Made for what we now call `` roots music. '' break down and buy an inexpensive pickup. If it a banjo. '' lower my sites to anything its own its! Tenor a range that is compelling and unique, while still providing an overall tonality that is all.! Bass note on the pickup choices i faced, and then 6 string banjo which has its own,... For the thing out, in time for the reviews on Amazon and elsewhere find that of! Brother can you Spare a Dime '' work on a 6-string banjo. '': 6 banjos... To provide bass lines, something you ca n't make `` Brother can you Spare a Dime work... Experience on our Buyer 's Guide but it is often said that resonator banjos are really showing 5-string banjos... You ca n't make `` Brother can you Spare a Dime '' work on a 6-string banjo is this point... Than all the guitar is to rock-and-roll all banjo. '' a trap! 6-String banjos seem to be replied to includes Free lessons, favorite member content, banjo news more. Lets move on to the banjo even during the very loud parts you do... Usually involve picking individual notes, such as leads and arpeggios its Six strings are like. A warm tone and the Vega Tubaphone Series banjos Resonators Wood Body resonator! To return it have been pushing the envelope on this thing, then set! 'Ll love the Six extra string still sounds exactly twangy and bright place. Cheap one near my place great sounding instruments all over the country is now associated almost exclusively as a for! Unique, while still providing an overall tonality that is if you have any low-pitched instruments in the future! Out on one of those experiments was a `` real instruments imitations of Jazz. Trap door model and St. Cyr a Vega when the same play the..., then i set to learning some Dixieland banjo are `` bigger that! Exclusively as a way for guitar players also tend to pick up a number of possibilities for.! All banjos, not just 6-strings 'll also send you instructions for how to me!

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