Recording a Banjo - Recommendations

[Guest]

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Dave Martin wrote:

>>I would recommend that anyone reading here who doesn't already have a
>>banjo just go buy a special one for use with their mics.
>
>
> What's the best banjo to use with an Sm57?
>

One without strings?? 🙂

 

[Paul]

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On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 19:08:38 GMT, walkinay@thegrid.net (hank alrich)
wrote:

>I just posted elsewhere in this thread about my new tenor. When I played
>it for a friend of mine they remarked that it'd make a very good Celtic
>banjo. Be very afraid.

I have a 1924 Gibson trapdoor tenor. It has the shortest neck I'd ever
seen on a tenor. I have used this still of short neck tenor for 20
years playing mostly in a Celtic style even though it is in normal
tuning. That is to say I mostly use it for melody though occasional
clone the dixie style of strumming for the odd tune. The Irish tenor
thing is to tune it like an octave lower mandolin. I recently did that
with this one for a recording and it worked out fine. This renders the
instrument useless for chording.

 

[Guest]

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"hank alrich" <walkinay@thegrid.net> wrote in message
news:1gt015g.ijnf4x1glzkzrN%walkinay@thegrid.net...
So now we have a whole 'nother kind
> of banjo sound around the secret mountain.
>
And if you're playing a tenor banjo up there, it's another reason for the
mountain to remain secret...

But congratuations! It's always fun getting a new instrument. The lastest
one here at Java Jive is a 1970's Johnny Smith that plays FAR better than a
70's era Gibson should.

--
Dave Martin
DMA, Inc
Nashville, TN

 

[Guest]

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play on wrote:

> hank alrich wrote:

> >A few weeks ago I traded a
> >1934 Epiphone Triumph for a 1918 Gibson tenor banjo prototype.

> Someone got a good deal!

All depends what I like. <g>

Turned out the Epi needed dovetail work, and I hadn't been playing it.

Now, a buddy with whom I play just got a 1940 Epi Emperor in lovely
condition with amazing sound, that has had an interesting music career
of its own. Man, what a guitar.

--
ha

 

[Guest]

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paul wrote:

> I have a 1924 Gibson trapdoor tenor. It has the shortest neck I'd ever
> seen on a tenor. I have used this still of short neck tenor for 20
> years playing mostly in a Celtic style even though it is in normal
> tuning.

What's "normal tuning" to you? Like guitar top four strings? E, B, G, D?

> That is to say I mostly use it for melody though occasional
> clone the dixie style of strumming for the odd tune. The Irish tenor
> thing is to tune it like an octave lower mandolin. I recently did that
> with this one for a recording and it worked out fine. This renders the
> instrument useless for chording.

I have this one tuned like a viola. Wallah! And yes, chord are a
stretch.

--
ha

 

[Guest]

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On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 23:00:47 GMT, walkinay@thegrid.net (hank alrich)
wrote:

>play on wrote:
>
>> hank alrich wrote:
>
>> >A few weeks ago I traded a
>> >1934 Epiphone Triumph for a 1918 Gibson tenor banjo prototype.
>
>> Someone got a good deal!
>
>All depends what I like. <g>
>
>Turned out the Epi needed dovetail work, and I hadn't been playing it.
>
>Now, a buddy with whom I play just got a 1940 Epi Emperor in lovely
>condition with amazing sound, that has had an interesting music career
>of its own. Man, what a guitar.

Yeah Epiphones can be great guitars... I don't own one though.

Al

 

[Guest]

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<paul@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:herm21l1a68d4qp3c2g3q1q26js89akilh@4ax.com...

> I have a 1924 Gibson trapdoor tenor. It has the shortest neck I'd ever
> seen on a tenor. I have used this still of short neck tenor for 20
> years playing mostly in a Celtic style even though it is in normal
> tuning. That is to say I mostly use it for melody though occasional
> clone the dixie style of strumming for the odd tune. The Irish tenor
> thing is to tune it like an octave lower mandolin. I recently did that
> with this one for a recording and it worked out fine. This renders the
> instrument useless for chording.

Why? Mandolin players chord.

Peace,
Paul

 

[Guest]

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On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 23:11:04 GMT, "Paul Stamler"
<pstamlerhell@pobox.com> wrote:

>
><paul@nospam.net> wrote in message
>news:herm21l1a68d4qp3c2g3q1q26js89akilh@4ax.com...
>
>> I have a 1924 Gibson trapdoor tenor. It has the shortest neck I'd ever
>> seen on a tenor. I have used this still of short neck tenor for 20
>> years playing mostly in a Celtic style even though it is in normal
>> tuning. That is to say I mostly use it for melody though occasional
>> clone the dixie style of strumming for the odd tune. The Irish tenor
>> thing is to tune it like an octave lower mandolin. I recently did that
>> with this one for a recording and it worked out fine. This renders the
>> instrument useless for chording.
>
>Why? Mandolin players chord.

Yes but Mandos have a tiny short scale lenght. With bigger
instruments it would become quite a stretch.

Al

 

[Guest]

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"play on" <playonAT@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:rban21h1bl1okd1litd7gofs956ifhcvso@4ax.com...
> >
> >Why? Mandolin players chord.
>
> Yes but Mandos have a tiny short scale lenght. With bigger
> instruments it would become quite a stretch.
>
Well, mandocello, bouzouki and mandola are a pretty good stretch too, but
doable....

--
Dave Martin
DMA, Inc
Nashville, TN

 

[Paul]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 23:00:48 GMT, walkinay@thegrid.net (hank alrich)
wrote:

>What's "normal tuning" to you? Like guitar top four strings? E, B, G, D?
>
No it is as you say below viola tuning. The Irish tenor is a 4th
below.
>
>I have this one tuned like a viola. Wallah! And yes, chord are a
>stretch.

Since I played Mando first and have huge hands it's doable for me, but
as I mentioned I rarely use it for chording.
I've done a load of Kids shows and albums and the banjo is always a
nice happy sound. Hard to sound sad or angry on a banjo.

 

[Guest]

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On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 04:01:57 GMT, paul@nospam.net wrote:

>On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 23:00:48 GMT, walkinay@thegrid.net (hank alrich)
>wrote:
>
>>What's "normal tuning" to you? Like guitar top four strings? E, B, G, D?
>>
>No it is as you say below viola tuning. The Irish tenor is a 4th
>below.
>>
>>I have this one tuned like a viola. Wallah! And yes, chord are a
>>stretch.
>
>Since I played Mando first and have huge hands it's doable for me, but
>as I mentioned I rarely use it for chording.
>I've done a load of Kids shows and albums and the banjo is always a
>nice happy sound. Hard to sound sad or angry on a banjo.

Those modal and minor tunings have a different feeling...

Al

 

[Guest]

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<paul@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:uakn215eih61hsf7tjeeq6egcj3q0t2phh@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 23:00:48 GMT, walkinay@thegrid.net (hank alrich)
> wrote:
>
> >What's "normal tuning" to you? Like guitar top four strings? E, B, G, D?
> >
> No it is as you say below viola tuning. The Irish tenor is a 4th
> below.
> >
> >I have this one tuned like a viola. Wallah! And yes, chord are a
> >stretch.
>
> Since I played Mando first and have huge hands it's doable for me, but
> as I mentioned I rarely use it for chording.
> I've done a load of Kids shows and albums and the banjo is always a
> nice happy sound. Hard to sound sad or angry on a banjo.

Pete Seeger managed to sound mighty angry on, say, "Viva La Quinte Brigada"
(spelling approximate). And Bart Veerman can sure sound sad at times.

Peace,
Paul

 

[Paul]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 06:09:25 GMT, "Paul Stamler"
<pstamlerhell@pobox.com> wrote:

>Pete Seeger managed to sound mighty angry on, say, "Viva La Quinte Brigada"
>(spelling approximate). And Bart Veerman can sure sound sad at times.

True enough. I was being a bit silly, but it is mostly his voice that
is angry and the modal tunings on a 5 string can be less cheery than
the dixie sound of the tenor. I generally use it for goofy sounding
stuff. I love to pair it in a recording with tuba and accordion. If I
had a bagpipe in there you could throw in a grenade and there would be
an end to all the instrument jokes.

 

[Guest]

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On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 04:01:57 GMT, paul@nospam.net wrote:


>Hard to sound sad or angry on a banjo.

You haven't heard me try to play banjo:
me = angry
the performance = sad



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arrgh@greenapple.com
Rushcreek Ranch
====================