how do i play in different keys if i cant capo it also I need to be able to improvise over rock songs like blue on black and like guns and roses and I would like to avoid "composing" as i go any suggestions?
I regularly use about a dozen tunings, all of which I learned from older traditional banjoists. I demonstrate how to navigate between these tunings in my online course at BanjoHeritage.com
Completely agree about figuring out your own right-hand technique. I bought a banjo thinking I would play bluegrass - I'm from the Midlands, so I had no idea - I bought the fingerpicks and the Scruggs book. After a month of trying with picks I watched some overhand vids and gave that a go - I was hooked! I eventually started trying out 2finger style then started using 3fingers without picks and I've ended up merging it all so I claw downwards towards the ground and up-pick when moving up from the high to low strings. My point is, the only way to play any instrument is YOUR way so learn the basics, have fun and experiment! Thanks for the vids, Clifton. They're very informative and entertaining!
I wish I had read the above message about 20 years ago. When I started playing "at" the banjo I was told, more than once I had to use picks, there was no style but the Scruggs style and no banjo player played on nylon strings. So, my first attempt at banjo playing was short. Shame, shame, shame!
During your discussion, I couldn't help but think of Uncle Dave Macon who played in different styles often switching during a song. He also was well known for and can be heard stomping his foot during a song and whooping and hollering between verses not to mention other tricks he was well known for.
Such great advice! I feel frustrated at jams because, of course, I often don’t know the tunes they are playing. What I want to do is to learn how to improvise in using claw hammer technique. Then all I need to know are the chords of the tune, and I can use those techniques to make do even when I don’t know the tune.
John hartford did a great tap and shuffle while playing on the river boat .. God rest his soul I seen him ongtge Glen cambel hour lol that sets me in my 64. I'm learning to play at 64 playing the mandolin for 2years kinda nice to change my right hand is doing great after just 2days
That's actually my original arrangement of an unaccompanied work song performed by Henry Grady Terrell in Athens, GA (recorded by Art Rosenbaum). Terrell called it "Old John Henry Died on the Mountain." What interests me is it has elements of the "Icy Mountain"/"Across the Blue Ridge Mountain" family of songs, which I believe to have originated in antebellum Appalachia. I'll have to try and work it up again and see how it goes.
One criticism I’ve heard over the years is that all the banjo songs sound alike. To me they sound different because I hear the subtle differences. When you focus on a tuning, style, and limited melody of course they will all sound the same in a general sense. Blues guitar sounds this way to me. Learn the 12-bar blues and a pentatonic scale and you can play every Blues ever written!!! But to the aficionado the various songs are different because they hear and appreciate the subtle differences. I think If you want to impress a generic audience you have to play different songs with very different and strong melodies, use different styles, keys, tunings, and time signatures. Make the subtle differences stand out. Singing (which I sadly don’t do) would help tremendously extend those differences.
Several instruments! Sure. Thanks. I will be restringing with two different versions of Aquila Nylgut. One will be heavier, the new Extra Super Nylgut. The other lighter already is the more traditional Nylgut, which Eric Prust provided with my new tackhead. According to Prust’s instructions, the heavier strings are not recommended for open G or other higher (more modern) tuning.
I started learning the banjo a couple of weeks ago, but have been playing guitar for over 50 years, and fingerpicking guitar for a good 40 years. I think there was an aspect of the guitar player’s question that was interesting to me, i.e. what to do when the 5th string is going to be really dissonant with the chord you’re playing at that moment. This isn’t a problem if you stick to the usual tunes that stay in the I-IV-V chords, or even if you add a few other chords. But there will be some chords that the drone string could sound strange and unpleasantly dissonant with, particularly if it’s ringing out in a bum-ditty, twice in every measure. Maybe the answer is NOT to play the 5th string when it’s really going to sound sour... When you’re first learning frailing (as I am now), you’re pretty much taught the bum-ditty or double-thumbing, so the 5th string is always sounding. This is probably a really important technique to learn, but it shouldn’t make you a slave to it. I guess there’s really no rule that says you HAVE to constantly sound the 5th string over every chord. I think you could free that right thumb, and use one of the strings in the chord itself as your “drone” in that chord, sort of like drop thumb, while keeping the rhythm going. Does this make sense? Or am I just falling into a bad habit?
You can use your thumb string as often or as little as you like. Many great traditional players in the past plucked their thumb strings heavily (way more than the standard modern "boom-chicka" lick) while many barely plucked it. I myself spent years hardly hitting it at all and have only in recent years returned to a more steady thumb string use. My mentor George Gibson's father, Mal Gibson, plucked the thumb string at least two times for every one that most modern pickers do. It is ALL up to you.
I like a lot of Johnny Cash, but he used a lot of E chords, as he sang a bunch of his songs in both E and A keys. Playing out of standard Open G turns the thumb string into a #9 and that clashes a lot with that E major chord. Since I have no spikes on my banjo, I actually tune to eBGBD so I can include that E chord. Tunings make the banjo an incredibly unique instrument, but can also make it stubborn with many different keys.
Thanks Clifton! Back at you with 2 good ole goodies. While there's a lot of Uncle Dave's music out there, it's a damn shame there isn't more videos of him performing. He was one hell of a showman! ua-cam.com/video/p86i9qA3Jlc/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/jXqk2mPtPo0/v-deo.html
Mr. Hicks references a CD called "Black Banjo Songsters of North Carolina and Virginia" which features Dink Roberts significantly (9 recordings of songs he performs) in one of his videos. It's a great CD throughout it's 32 tracks.
how do i play in different keys if i cant capo it also I need to be able to improvise over rock songs like blue on black and like guns and roses and I would like to avoid "composing" as i go any suggestions?
I regularly use about a dozen tunings, all of which I learned from older traditional banjoists. I demonstrate how to navigate between these tunings in my online course at BanjoHeritage.com
Completely agree about figuring out your own right-hand technique.
I bought a banjo thinking I would play bluegrass - I'm from the Midlands, so I had no idea - I bought the fingerpicks and the Scruggs book.
After a month of trying with picks I watched some overhand vids and gave that a go - I was hooked!
I eventually started trying out 2finger style then started using 3fingers without picks and I've ended up merging it all so I claw downwards towards the ground and up-pick when moving up from the high to low strings.
My point is, the only way to play any instrument is YOUR way so learn the basics, have fun and experiment!
Thanks for the vids, Clifton. They're very informative and entertaining!
I wish I had read the above message about 20 years ago. When I started playing "at" the banjo I was told, more than once I had to use picks, there was no style but the Scruggs style and no banjo player played on nylon strings. So, my first attempt at banjo playing was short. Shame, shame, shame!
During your discussion, I couldn't help but think of Uncle Dave Macon who played in different styles often switching during a song. He also was well known for and can be heard stomping his foot during a song and whooping and hollering between verses not to mention other tricks he was well known for.
Such great advice! I feel frustrated at jams because, of course, I often don’t know the tunes they are playing. What I want to do is to learn how to improvise in using claw hammer technique. Then all I need to know are the chords of the tune, and I can use those techniques to make do even when I don’t know the tune.
John hartford did a great tap and shuffle while playing on the river boat .. God rest his soul I seen him ongtge Glen cambel hour lol that sets me in my 64. I'm learning to play at 64 playing the mandolin for 2years kinda nice to change my right hand is doing great after just 2days
Do a tutorial for the song you play at the begining of this vid! So dang good
That's actually my original arrangement of an unaccompanied work song performed by Henry Grady Terrell in Athens, GA (recorded by Art Rosenbaum). Terrell called it "Old John Henry Died on the Mountain." What interests me is it has elements of the "Icy Mountain"/"Across the Blue Ridge Mountain" family of songs, which I believe to have originated in antebellum Appalachia.
I'll have to try and work it up again and see how it goes.
@@CliftonHicksbanjo Great to hear that history man thanks, love the sound of this song 👍
Thanks CLIFFTTON dad's BANJO
From a dance tune to a lament and back again.....I've done that a bazillion times. Great advice, bud.....
Excellent suggestion to vary up the sound. Different tunings is another great way. I like that intro song a lot!
One criticism I’ve heard over the years is that all the banjo songs sound alike. To me they sound different because I hear the subtle differences. When you focus on a tuning, style, and limited melody of course they will all sound the same in a general sense. Blues guitar sounds this way to me. Learn the 12-bar blues and a pentatonic scale and you can play every Blues ever written!!! But to the aficionado the various songs are different because they hear and appreciate the subtle differences. I think If you want to impress a generic audience you have to play different songs with very different and strong melodies, use different styles, keys, tunings, and time signatures. Make the subtle differences stand out. Singing (which I sadly don’t do) would help tremendously extend those differences.
"It all sounds the same" indicates that the speaker hasn't listened to much of "it."
Several instruments! Sure. Thanks. I will be restringing with two different versions of Aquila Nylgut.
One will be heavier, the new Extra Super Nylgut. The other lighter already is the more traditional Nylgut, which Eric Prust provided with my new tackhead. According to Prust’s instructions, the heavier strings are not recommended for open G or other higher (more modern) tuning.
What plans have you made for Summer?
That’s kinda personal, isn’t it?
Specifically, any music camps or bars that serve
🎶🎼Rye Whiskey?
Just got home from South Carolina. Not sure where, if anywhere, else I'll go.
I started learning the banjo a couple of weeks ago, but have been playing guitar for over 50 years, and fingerpicking guitar for a good 40 years. I think there was an aspect of the guitar player’s question that was interesting to me, i.e. what to do when the 5th string is going to be really dissonant with the chord you’re playing at that moment. This isn’t a problem if you stick to the usual tunes that stay in the I-IV-V chords, or even if you add a few other chords. But there will be some chords that the drone string could sound strange and unpleasantly dissonant with, particularly if it’s ringing out in a bum-ditty, twice in every measure. Maybe the answer is NOT to play the 5th string when it’s really going to sound sour... When you’re first learning frailing (as I am now), you’re pretty much taught the bum-ditty or double-thumbing, so the 5th string is always sounding. This is probably a really important technique to learn, but it shouldn’t make you a slave to it. I guess there’s really no rule that says you HAVE to constantly sound the 5th string over every chord. I think you could free that right thumb, and use one of the strings in the chord itself as your “drone” in that chord, sort of like drop thumb, while keeping the rhythm going. Does this make sense? Or am I just falling into a bad habit?
You can use your thumb string as often or as little as you like. Many great traditional players in the past plucked their thumb strings heavily (way more than the standard modern "boom-chicka" lick) while many barely plucked it. I myself spent years hardly hitting it at all and have only in recent years returned to a more steady thumb string use. My mentor George Gibson's father, Mal Gibson, plucked the thumb string at least two times for every one that most modern pickers do. It is ALL up to you.
I like a lot of Johnny Cash, but he used a lot of E chords, as he sang a bunch of his songs in both E and A keys. Playing out of standard Open G turns the thumb string into a #9 and that clashes a lot with that E major chord. Since I have no spikes on my banjo, I actually tune to eBGBD so I can include that E chord. Tunings make the banjo an incredibly unique instrument, but can also make it stubborn with many different keys.
What is it called when you change the drone tuning in the middle of the song? Sometimes as a tremolo effect
Thanks Clifton! Back at you with 2 good ole goodies. While there's a lot of Uncle Dave's music out there, it's a damn shame there isn't more videos of him performing. He was one hell of a showman! ua-cam.com/video/p86i9qA3Jlc/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/jXqk2mPtPo0/v-deo.html
is it possible to put bass guitar strings to a 4 string banjo?
@@CliftonHicksbanjo thanks for your help!
@@sonoftheserpent.8704 Try it and let us know how it sounds.
what was his name? Dank Roberts? really wanna hear his music, cant find it on that name tho
Martijn Zelle try Dink Roberts,if I remember right
Yes, Dink Roberts. Also look up John Snipes and John Jackson. They were all recorded for Smithsonian Folkways in the 70s and 80s.
While you're at it check out Virgil Anderson. And Roscoe Holcomb's "Hook and Line" comes to mind...
thanks so much
Mr. Hicks references a CD called "Black Banjo Songsters of North Carolina and Virginia" which features Dink Roberts significantly (9 recordings of songs he performs) in one of his videos. It's a great CD throughout it's 32 tracks.
I’m not comfortable if theirs not 2-3 banjos in the room it’s just weird