Alternate Tenor banjo tuning
Trumpets Etc.
play 5-string mostly and found it easier to play tenor in the same tuning.
Im just curious. Thanks, Cliff
Don L. Hergert
I do, sort of, on a banjo ukulele. Since it is so short, I tune this banjo uke
to an open C chord instead of an open G, and also because I wanted to keep a
5th string drone similar to my big banjo, my 4th string actually is that
drone. In other words I give up the low 4th string instead of the high 5th
string that you give up with your tuning.
My actual tuning for this is c-C-E-G, and I use 009, 020w, 013 and 011 Earnie
Ball Custom Gauge strings to accomplish that.
I'm sure the purists may really frown on this, and would probably really prefer
that people play banjos as they were designed to be played. I can understand
that to some extent, although my understanding is that historically the tenor
banjo was really tuned like mandolins and violins so that folks who played
those instruments could more easily adapt to playing a banjo. In the same way
by my understanding, banjo ukes were tuned like regular ukes so that uke
players could adapt more easily to playing a banjo (albeit small [g]). I don't
know if there is some historical equivalent for the plectrum banjo, but to my
knowledge, the 5-string banjo and its tunings have the longest trackable
history. (I am very willing to "listen" if others here have a better
understanding of all of this banjo history and want to share it.)
Whatever the case, because if its size, I use my banjo uke as a travel 3-finger
picking banjo and for casual performances. It serves that purpose very nicely.
Best,
-- Don Hergert
Marsh & Peg Hendrickson
but had no idea of where to start. I had no idea of how to play it either
and at that time no interest in mandos. Sooooo, I tuned an old uke to
mandola tuning (using many different trials with nylon fishing line) and
learned the chords and picking. Didn't sound like much but was enough to
get him started.
By the way, I liked it so much I ended up buying both a mandolin and a tenor
banjo later.
I was interested in playing the tenor banjo for celtic music, so tuned it to
"Irish Tenor Banjo" tuning from a Sully book. Easy. Just tune it an octave
below normal mandolin tuning. That has a secondary value in that if you
learn to play the "Irish" tuning, you will then be one up on learning to
play a mandolin.
Eat, Sleep and Pick
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"Don L. Hergert" <res0...@gte.net> wrote in message
news:3C22A08D...@gte.net...
> Hi Cliff,
>
> I do, sort of, on a banjo ukulele. Since it is so short, I tune this
banjo uke
> to an open C chord instead of an open G, and also because I wanted to keep
a
> 5th string drone similar to my big banjo, my 4th string actually is that
> drone. In other words I give up the low 4th string instead of the high
5th
> string that you give up with your tuning.
>
>
>
> -- Don Hergert
>
>
Jon Freeman
> My actual tuning for this is c-C-E-G, and I use 009, 020w, 013 and 011
Earnie
> Ball Custom Gauge strings to accomplish that.
>
> I'm sure the purists may really frown on this, and would probably really
prefer
> that people play banjos as they were designed to be played.
I'm not purist but I am a GDAE tenor player (or try to be). My take with
all tunings is if it works for you, use it but there are probably reasons
why some tunings are favoured for some instruments.
>I can understand
> that to some extent, although my understanding is that historically the
tenor
> banjo was really tuned like mandolins and violins so that folks who played
> those instruments could more easily adapt to playing a banjo.
I believe an alternaive name for the tenor banjo was the tango banjo which
perhaps more reflects its origins. Standard tuning (and the common jazz
tuning) is generally regarded to be CGAE, still the same intervals but in a
higher pitch. As far as understand it, there had been moves to play plectrum
styles on 5 strings (perhaps with the 5th string removed - like the
plectrum) before the shorter scale tenor banjo came into being with the
"mandolin" interval being popular.
>In the same way
> by my understanding, banjo ukes were tuned like regular ukes so that uke
> players could adapt more easily to playing a banjo (albeit small [g]).
I'd always assumed that the banjo uke was more a sort of banjo band
instrument designed to be the banjo equivilant of the uke and to be played
that way. I had assumed the same was the case with the similarly sized but
8 string mandolin banjo or banjolin.
< I don't
> know if there is some historical equivalent for the plectrum banjo, but to
my
> knowledge, the 5-string banjo and its tunings have the longest trackable
> history. (I am very willing to "listen" if others here have a better
> understanding of all of this banjo history and want to share it.)
I'm no historian but the general picture I get is that banjos origianted in
Africa and were probably 4 string instruments which featured the short
string. One line of thought I have read a few times suggests that Joel
Sweeny, often credited with the invention of the 5 string banjo may in fact
have added a newer low (now 4th) string. Having said all that, the 5 string
certainly predates the tenor (which I think was "invented" around 1914-15).
> Whatever the case, because if its size, I use my banjo uke as a travel
3-finger
> picking banjo and for casual performances. It serves that purpose very
nicely.
I have a banjolin for my little travelling /flat pick (I don't finger pick)
instrument. What I think is a nice "full size travelling instrument" for a
tenor player is a 17 fret Vega Little Wonder.
Jon
Jon Freeman
> Standard tuning (and the common jazz
> tuning) is generally regarded to be CGAE, still the same intervals but in
a...
I of course meant CGDA.
Jon
mhofer
Shakeys Pizza, alot of the tenor banjo players tuned their banjos the same
as their real instrument, guitar,
Top 4 strings of the guitar. Along with a plectrum and other tunings, it
sounded pretty good too.
good pickin to you
Michael
http://banjobasics.virtualave.net/
"Trumpets Etc." <Trump...@worldnetnojunk.att.net> wrote in message
news:t3wU7.304808$W8.10...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Ray Banks
was the only banjo for sale in South Wales that I was aware of, and a
plectrum banjo chord book, so I tuned it to standard C tuning CGBD. It was a
few years before I realised there was more than one sort of banjo! That C
tuning has been invaluable to me, though for playing in folk sessions when
the key changes with every tune. Its the easiest tuning to carry on playing
without retuning your banjo.
Cheers
Ray
"mhofer" <mhofer...@chicagonet.net> wrote in message
news:u25bj73...@corp.supernews.com...
Mike
You're the first tenor player I've heard of who uses open G tuning, but
I know a couple of plectrum players who use it. Heck, it if works for
you, go for it! Really a lot of tenor/plecturm players who play banjo as
a second instrument use guitar tuning (DGBE) on their banjos, simply so
that they don't have to think about it when they swap instruments.
Regards,
Stanger
Gerhard
> ...
> I believe an alternaive name for the tenor banjo was the tango banjo which
> perhaps more reflects its origins. Standard tuning (and the common jazz
> higher pitch. As far as understand it, there had been moves to play plectrum
> styles on 5 strings (perhaps with the 5th string removed - like the
> plectrum) before the shorter scale tenor banjo came into being with the
> "mandolin" interval being popular.
Interesting point! I did a little research regarding the evolution of
the banjo types. Together with the books of Karen Linn and Robert Lloyd
Webb it seems the common understanding that the plectrum banjo was
"invented" in the late 1880s by stage musicians who needed a strong tone
and strummed their banjo with a plectrum, therefore. They took off the
5th string. Around the turn of the century, banjo makers responded to
the demand.
> I'd always assumed that the banjo uke was more a sort of banjo band
> instrument designed to be the banjo equivilant of the uke and to be played
> that way. I had assumed the same was the case with the similarly sized but
> 8 string mandolin banjo or banjolin.
In the banjo heydays, everything had to be a banjo. Likewise, in the
late 60ies, they tried to sell us on electric guitar shaped banjos :-{
> I'm no historian but the general picture I get is that banjos origianted in
> Africa and were probably 4 string instruments which featured the short
> string.
A 4 string is definitively mentioned by Thomas Jefferson in his 1781
essay on the state of Virginia.
> One line of thought I have read a few times suggests that Joel
> Sweeny, often credited with the invention of the 5 string banjo may in fact
> have added a newer low (now 4th) string.
Other comments claim this to be a PR story by S.S. Stewart.
> Having said all that, the 5 string
> certainly predates the tenor (which I think was "invented" around 1914-15).
ACK. Nevertheess I have not yet found evidence of this "Tango Banjo". It
is cited almost everywhere to predate the invention of the Tenor Banjo,
but there seems to be no period catalogue offering a tango banjo. All
sources agree on it's tuning in fifths, maybe already CGDA. But head
diameter, neck length and number of frets are still pretty blurred.
Thus, if there's somebody out there who has evidence of a tango banjo,
please let me/us know. It's kind of a "missing link" in banjo evolution.
> I have a banjolin for my little travelling /flat pick (I don't finger pick)
> instrument. What I think is a nice "full size travelling instrument" for a
> tenor player is a 17 fret Vega Little Wonder.
And one of the sources attributes the first tango banjo to be of Vega
around 1913. Just another name for a well known banjo?
Gerhard (banjo...@netscape.net)
(if you want to read my page on that issue, choose "Banjos" and
"Banjotypen" but be prepared for a hilarious translation by Babelfish
:-)
--
http://www.banjoist.de/
Jon Freeman
> (if you want to read my page on that issue, choose "Banjos" and
> "Banjotypen" but be prepared for a hilarious translation by Babelfish
> :-)
I did and I was ammused... I like the site too!
and thanks for the info (not quoted here) you supplied to the thread too -
I wish I could add but I can't.
Jon
Jstone999
banjo...@netscape.net (Gerhard) schreibt:
>Gerhard (banjo...@netscape.net)
>(if you want to read my page on that issue, choose "Banjos" and
>"Banjotypen" but be prepared for a hilarious translation by Babelfish
nice site, gerhard.
read it in german first, then switched to babelfish's to see what it did. i
was reading the "neu" section and was already laughing by the second sentence:
"a barrel without soil is real." i mean, what the hell does that mean? (for
those who don't read german, the original should be translated something like,
"it's really a bottomless barrel."*)
again, nice site.
jeffstone,
goettingen