I Never Want to Hear Banjo Try to Talk Again
There are many myths and misconceptions virtually the banjo. In this slice, we would like to indicate out some of the most common ones and lay out the facts.
1. The banjo is hard to play
This has got to exist the most common 1. The five string banjo is actually the easiest stringed instrument to get started playing. I routinely become to music festivals and am able to teach groups of people who have never played whatsoever musical musical instrument how to play the banjo in less than five minutes. Now we aren't ready for the G Ole Opry later those 5 minutes, but we are playing and singing songs together.
The reason the 5 string banjo is so like shooting fish in a barrel to beginning playing is that its standard tuning is an open up G tuning. This means that when you strum the strings without pushing anything down, you volition play a Chiliad chord. You then tin make a bar with your index or heart finger and push down all of the strings at the 5th fret to make a C chord. Lastly, yous tin slide that C chord position up the neck two frets to the 7th fret to make a D chord. With these 3 chords, and your right mitt (if you are right handed) just strumming the strings, you can start playing thousands and thousands of tunes.
ii. A Banjo Must Be Heavy To Sound Good
The weight of a banjo does not let you know if it is a good or bad banjo. The weight of a banjo comes from the large metal parts on a banjo (the tone ring and flange). Non all banjos take either of these parts. Well-nigh people are associating the weight to the banjo having a tone ring when they say it should exist heavy. There are very good banjos that do not accept a tone ring. In that location are too tone rings that are lighter in weight such as the Deering Hartford Grenadillo tone ring. Also, there a number of cheap tone rings that are made of inferior materials and design that sound very poor (these are usually on imported banjos from Asia).
Banjos that have resonators usually have a flange in social club to hold the resonator on. The but banjo I tin recollect of that has a resonator and does non accept a flange is the Deering John Hartford with a Popular On Resonator.
3. All Banjo Music Is Fast
Some of my favorite banjo music is not fast at all. Peachy banjoists such equally Bela Fleck, Jens Kruger, and Abigail Washburn all have plenty of music that is not fast, but is very adept and intricate.
4. Older Banjos Are Better
Yes, there are some bully vintage instruments out in that location. Nearly of them that play well have been restored by a very good luthier. The majority of vintage banjos that I run into have a lot of issues going on. Also, many people talk virtually pre war this and that regarding banjos and audio-visual guitars.
In that location was a great age of instrument building at this time, and post WWII and into the 90s, banjo and guitar manufacturing slid backwards. But today we live in what I believe is the aureate historic period of instrument edifice. There are bully banjos and guitars being produced by builders such as Deering, Ome, Romero, Huber, Pisgah, Collings, Bourgeois, Santa Cruz, and more! The best thing about these instruments as well is they are new and don't have the issues associated with older instruments.
v. If It Says Gibson, It Has Got To Exist Good
Like the point in a higher place, Gibson made some incredible banjos before WWII. They continued to make good instruments through the 50s and into the 60s, but by the time the 70s rolled around, they really started to make some horrible instruments. One of the worst banjos that ever came into our store was a mid 70s Gibson Mastertone. This banjo was made and then poorly, the flange wouldn't stay on when the head was brought upwards to tension. Today, Gibson doesn't fifty-fifty make banjos.
6. The Weight Of A Banjo Comes From The Resonator
We covered most of this in Point #2, but again, the resonator is made of very lightweight wood. What adds the weight is the metal flange that holds the resonator on.
7. You Have To Fingerpick A Banjo
There is no rule that says you tin strum a banjo with just your fingers. Oasis't you heard the phrase "strummin the ole banjo"?
viii. More than Inlays Means It Is A Ameliorate Banjo
Many banjo-like objects (cheap imported banjos) put a lot of inlays and other eye processed to concenter buyers to buy with their eye and not their ears. Don't fall for that trap.
9. Existent Banjos Take 5 Strings
I hear this all of the time when people are talking about vi string banjos and even some times when they are talking most 4 string tenor or plectrum banjos. 6 string banjos are real banjos - flow. They have been effectually for over 100 years and have been used in some of the greatest recordings in American music history. New Orleans banjoist Johnny St. Cyr played a 6 string banjo and played on Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings.
10. You Have To Play Bluegrass On A Banjo
Y'all can play whatsoever style of music, on whatever blazon of banjo. The great banjoist Bela Fleck has been nominated for more than unlike Grammy categories than any other artist in history. He has written a symphony for the banjo. He plays jazz with greats such every bit Chick Corea. And yeah… he can play bluegrass besides.
Yous can play whatever mode you desire. I personally make a living playing jazz on the tenor banjo - just often we get requests for songs that are not non jazz, then I terminate up playing r&b, blues, Irish, new orleans brass band, state, pop, and more on the banjo!
Decision:
As we pointed out, at that place are a number of stereotypes and generalizations almost the banjo. Search out the facts - don't e'er believe what you lot hear 1 blowhard in an online forum is proverb is true. When it comes to playing, you can practise it. Just make sure you lot have fun and try to sound similar yourself. The globe does not need some other person trying to audio like Earl.
Allow us know about any other myths you lot commonly hear well-nigh the banjo in the comments section below.
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Source: https://blog.banjostudio.com/blog/10-myths-about-banjo