Need some banjo & fiddle answers

[KentuckyReb]

Greetings, all. Hoping somebody can help me out here. I've got a modern open-back 5-string banjo and I'm wanting to learn to play it well enough, in a period style, that I can pick up a period-style banjo and take it along to events, particularly some LH events that my outfit does here in the nearby area. The one I have right now certainly isn't period because I didn't want to spend a lot on an instrument until I knew whether I'd be able to play it. But I'm pretty handy with a guitar and that seems to translate well into banjo, because I'm not that bad. The only thing is, I can just 'tell' from my ear that it's not quite right--doesn't sound like the banjo I hear on CDs of folks playing period music. Just kinda the melody with no 'flesh' around it, so to speak, or just 'thumb & strum', kinda like a guitar. So I'm gonna go hunting for some books. My first question is, what sort of 'style' should I look for in a book? Is clawhammer banjo correct for mid-19th Century, or should I look for something else? The sound of period banjo definitely isn't a 'bluegrass' sound, so what is it, in terms of instructional books to look for? I would also like to know if tuning my banjo to an open G chord is the best way to go for period-style playing. I know there are other ways to tune it--I just kinda stumbled across this open G while I was trying to figure out how to set the thing up.

I have one other question. Since stringed instruments seem to be kinda quick for me to pick up, I was thinking of maybe picking up a fiddle. I'm going to do the same thing I did with my banjo--not spend a great deal until I'm certain I can play the thing. The fiddle may not turn out to be such a quick pick-up for me, since I won't have the assistance of the frets, like on a guitar or my model of banjo. So. If you've been to Ebay looking at fiddle stuff, you've seen those ones that sell for, like, between $40 and $60. The Guitar Shop, I believe, is the name of one of the sellers (the most prolific, I believe), and I think the other one is something like Berkley Music. Does anyone have any experience with those instruments? They sell so cheap, I wonder about their quality, and yet if I'm just looking for a starter instrument I know I won't need a Stradivarius. At the same time, to an unemployed reenactor, fifty bucks ain't chicken feed and I don't wanna get sc____d. Any thoughts? Much thanks in advance for any help/advice offered.

[61' reb]

Re: Need some banjo & fiddle answers

Hey Micah, i am an avid banjo player myself mostly dealing with progressive bluegrass music, but what i know about period type banjo music is that it was called frailing, or dropthumb style. From the period musicians that i have seen playing the opne back banjo they seem to use a clawhammer type style. I've played some with jesse wells, the fiddle player for don rigsby. He plays banjo in the clawhammer style and he plays very period tunes just using the dropthumb or clawhammer technique. As for the tuning, most of what i have seen and heard seems to be in the c tuning with the d string dropped down a step.

Hope this helps bud, take care

Jon Preston
________________________
5th Kentucky Infantry
Breckinridge Greys

[Jubilo]

Re: Need some banjo & fiddle answers

Dear Secesh ,
Get Googling son ! All kinds of sites on the web from minstrel to clawhammer to banjo clubs etc. Most period banjos were tuned to C or D but you can tune your 5-string to d A,D,F#,A and ply in the "G" first position and have it sound like "D". Sounds period but the strings are a tad loose . Experiment . Just keep that right hand thumb going. Watch Joe Ewers of the 2nd. S.C. String Band and others on YOUTUBE . Just key in "minstrel banjo" and watch . Good lluck and keep on tummin'.
all for the old flag,
David Corbett

[Amtmann]

Re: Need some banjo & fiddle answers

Clawhammer - Not period.

Also, the search funtion here may provide a few answers.

[Danny]

Re: Need some banjo & fiddle answers

Greetings, all. Hoping somebody can help me out here. I've got a modern open-back 5-string banjo and I'm wanting to learn to play it well enough, in a period style...

As far as banjo you'll just have to string it with gut or fake gut ("Nylgut") or you just won't get near the sound. I'm afraid the very next step would have to be a fretless banjo tuned a few half steps lower, even if you have to make it yourself. The chord shapes for G or C tuning are ok to start with, until you find a period printed tutor to guide you on that.

Period banjo style, as nearly as anyone has figured it, is similar to frailing/clawhammer (after all is said and done) but not the same in detail. I've done as much research as others and it turns out that frailing/clawhammer is in the realm of what an amateur soldier musician could learn on their own, without access to one of the published tutors or a live tutor to learn from. It just wasn't called Frailing or Clawhammer so don't mention that at LH. There also was some finger-picking guitar style starting to be used on banjo by the CW time.

Of course if you haven't searched the posts on "banjo" here on the AC do that before you go any further - Carl Anderton in particular. Then for a good listen go the banjo clubhouse at

http://www.milfordmusic.com/Banjo%20Audio.htm

to hear him and the other advanced players there do period banjo the right way.

I put up some period photos of soldier players at

http://groups.google.com/group/Albert-Baur?lnk=gschg&hl=en

if that helps.

- Dan Wykes

[Old Cremona]

Re: Need some banjo & fiddle answers

http://groups.google.co.cr/group/Tom-Briggs?lnk=li&hl=en

Ask for some help here.

[eric marten]

Re: Need some banjo & fiddle answers

Kentucky Reb (or Micah Hawkins) : - First, is that your real name? - There was a very prominent fiddler and teacher by the name William Sidney Mount,1807-1868, who performed and documented and transcribed over 500 fiddle tunes on Long Island and in New York City during that time period. One of Mount's earliest inspirations was his uncle, by the name of Micah Hawkins. Its all documented in "Catching The Tune - Music and William Sidney Mount" published by the Museums at Stony Brook 1984. I wonder if there is any relation.

I see you've already been able to get some good banjo advice - as to the fiddle - I would be very wary of buying one of those cheap fiddles on Ebay -they are mostly very inferior (and very heavily varnished and shiny, with spray-on varnish), hard to play and they don't sound good at all. Almost any violin shop is likely to have a few vintage violins, many about a hundred years or so old, usually German in origin which could very easily be converted to a usable period-style instrument by removing the chin- rest and modern synthetic steel and nylon tailgut, changing to gut strings and tailgut, etc. Though not in the Ebay price range, sometimes you could get a perfectly good one for, say, a few hundred dollars. I've had to use some of those cheapo's from Ebay at my high school, and they are very disappointing and frustrating to use.

[Devilishmary]

Re: Need some banjo & fiddle answers

In reply to your ebay fiddle question, I bought a $50 Violin off of ebay that has worked well for me so far. as is stated above in another post, it does not have the best projection and it is shiny! but for learning it's the best bet in my book. Especially because I could not have spent more than that on an instrument. I highly recommend though, Checking out the woods used and strings and also your bow. ask the seller questions also!!!
I have only been playing for about 9 months and I am ready for an upgrade now. if you are looking for a highr quality Violin to start off with I recommend checking out the southwest strings website, they have very good violins that start at $150. But a little research goes a long way.

[KentuckyReb]

Re: Need some banjo & fiddle answers

Sorry folks--had some medical problems, then some 'good lord, the road down the hill washed out!' problems, then some frozen water line problems, then... well anyhoo. Haven't been able to get to the library to access the computer for a long, long time. Just wanted to thank everyone for their replies and good advice. Kept me from making any snap decisions regarding my fiddle purchase--which I still haven't made. Soon, though. Oh, Mr. Marten, yes that is my name. I remember the first time I tried Googling myself and all these entries popped up with 'Micah Hawkins' highlighted in them. Scared me to death--I thought my life of crime had finally come back to haunt me until I realized they were talking about a composer. I don't think there's any relation. Dad was a preacher and he and Mom just kinda liked that name for me when the time came. I got lucky--I was almost an Obadiah. Thanks again, all.