Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?

Subject: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: Jane of 'ull
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 05:22 AM

I'm just taking up the 5 string banjo again after 13 years of not playing! I need a good chord book - I had the Banjo Case Book before by Larry Sandberg, that was good, but if anyone knows any others they can recommend..?

I also want to get into interesting tunings this time round, can anyone recommend a good book for this? maybe even one with non-western tunings in?

And I need to learn to use fingerpicks - I chickened out of this before but now it seems obvious to me that you just can't really pick tunes without wearing them. I play old time frailing style. I never liked the feel of them before and I was always worried that they would cause a string to snap! Does this ever happen? Sorry I'm such a wuss!! Jane x

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 06:14 AM

If you play old time frailing style I assume that you play with down strokes all the time and therefore you don't need fingerpicks unless you reverse one to use on your index or middle finger (whichever you use)to protect it from wear and tear.
My own view on using picks is that the experince is somewhat like taking a bath with your socks on.
As for books, Art Rosenbaum's Art of the Five String Banjo is pretty good.

Hoot

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 06:42 AM

The Pete Seeger Banjo Book still takes a lot of beating !

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 08:42 AM

If you are into Old-Time and clawhammer you are fairly well placed to get local advice.
Mudcatter Oombanjo is fairly local to you and he organises an old-time gathering at Sewerby Hall, just north of Bridlington on the weekend of the "May Day" bank holiday, where there will be more old time banjo than you can shake a stick at.
As for books of chords, I have an excellent one which I would recommend. I will have to look it out to find title and author,(watch this space) but it has tunings for most (guitar type) stringed instruments and loads of alternative banjo tunings.
One book worth getting hold of is The banjo songbook by Tim Jumper. It has a decent selection of songs with arragements in Tablature for clawhammer playing. Tab is worth learning as it shows you WHAT you are playing.

As for the Pete Seeger banjo book. It was what I used to get started with, but frankly, the reference to clawhammer as a style or technique was made almost as a passing comment that such a thing existed. I have heard him quoted as saying in later life that in retrospect, he should have devoted a bit more space to the style.

I'd drop the chord book title when I find it.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 08:53 AM

I like The Mel Bay Frailing Banjo book. I found it clear and concise. Ken Perlman's book on Claw Hammer is also outstanding. A fairly clinical approach that dissects each step
The Pete Seeger book is also good for a glimpse at other styles. I find the beginning up picking style he calls the Basic to be not so basic. It is a counter intuitive style but a great sound I wish I could decipher.

Don

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: BanjoRay
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 11:14 AM

In your first post you say you can't really play tunes without finger picks - this is not true. Clawhammer (old time frailing style) is totally perfect for playing notey fiddle tunes, and all you need is an an index (or middle) fingernail. There are many good clawhammer books out there, usually with CDs which are essential - the tablature is only worth having if you can hear what it sounds like. The Ken Perlman book mentioned by Don Meixner is a classic, Dan Levenson, Wayne Erbsen, Miles Krassen, Muller and Koerner have all produced excellent books, easily found on the net.

If you're interested in strange tunings this site's got them all

Ray

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 02 Mar 08 - 03:35 PM

The chord book turns out to be one by Larry Sandberg and is titled Chords and Tunings for Fretted Instruments (ISBN : 0.8256.0198.3 Oak Publications). It fractionally shorter and wider than A4, so isn't a "case" book.
It has a range of different tunings for guitar, mandolin and banjo. There are fewer banjo tunings than I thought, but 8 is not a bad start.
I suspect I bought it from the Music Room in Cleckheaton.

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: Jane of 'ull
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 05:14 PM

Thanks for the info. I haven't got very strong nails so will need a fingerpick but relieved to hear that only the one is needed. I will try and get to the sewerby hall thing - anyone from Hull going?

I would ideally like to own a half decent old time banjo, the kind with a real skin, open back and heavy body, does anyone know how much i might get one for at this festival? I'm rather skint and have got my name down on a cheap banjo by Vintage, open backed, but im not sure about it.

I've also had some bad banjo advice from some local shops i've been to recently, so its good to talk here to people who know what they're on about. It does annoy me when people just won't own up to not knowing much about an instrument, but they try and tell you stuff thats clearly wrong!

Rant over!

Jane

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: Banjovey
Date: 03 Mar 08 - 05:53 PM

If you don't have strong finger nails most chemists will sell you nail hardner, failing that, nail varnish works pretty well. If neither of those work you need super glue bicarb. of soda. Paint the nail with SG,then dip it into the soda bic. repat this process a few times, then put nail varnish on. Finally, get busy with a nail file.

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: BanjoRay
Date: 04 Mar 08 - 07:32 AM

Jane - There won't be any banjos for sale at Sewerby, we've never had any dealers there in the past. You will, however be able to get lots of advice and hear and try out a lot of banjos - should be maybe 10 helpful players there. You'll get a much better idea of what's good and what it's worth
I agree about music shops - they don't usually know squat about banjos, but try and convince you they're experts. Most banjos in music shops are so badly set up they're pretty well unplayable. However, in Yorkshire there are some shops that DO know what they're talking about. Here are some:

Eagle Music in Huddersfield is the main Deering dealer in the UK, and sell Goodtime banjos for below £300 - these look very basic but play and sound great. They're also very light (less than 2 kilos). They have a banjo day this Saturday (all day), with Greg and Janet Deering from the USA, workshops in all banjo styles, and a bluegrass concert with the Kruger Brothers. It's not free, however. See their website.

The Music Room in Cleckheaton is a good place, that often has some second hand older banjos with the more modern stock. They also deal in most folk instruments (fiddles, bodhrans, boxes etc).

Mannings Musicals in Bradford is a dealer in used instruments that often has a few good five string banjos.

I've never been, but I believe Hobgoblin in Leeds is good too.

I give lessons in playing fiddle tunes using clawhammer, but I'm in Doncaster.
Best of luck with it - no matter what most Mudcatters say, we need more banjo players.
Cheers
Ray

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: banjoman
Date: 04 Mar 08 - 07:40 AM

Good luck with re learning to play - its a bit like riding a bike - you dont forget. I suggest you start with the Pete Seeger book and progress from there as the other contributors to this thread recomend. Best of all - keep at it as in the end you can develop your own style. I originally learned from Pete Seeger but after almost 50 years of playing have adapted to a thumb & one finger style which suits playing melody very well (Arthritis does have a few benefits)
Keep picking
Pete

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 04:34 AM

Jane - check out this thread BLICKY.
Some of the links are now dead, but the first goes to some video instruction which should be worthwhile cecking out.
Quack!
Geoff the Duck.

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 05:58 AM

The banjo lessons video files at the Internet Archive are in Real Player format. Real Player is a nuisance which I try to keep off my computer. I recommend installing Real Alternative which allows you to play the same files using Media Player Classic, bundled with the real alternative package.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 07:39 AM

Jane: Frailing is a great style for folkie stuff. Check out this great series of free tuition videos on Youtube. If you want to play bluegrass, there are lots of free stuff on Youtube.

Frailing tuition on Youtube

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 08:46 AM

The link Tunesmith has given is to something from atrick Costello. My link is something done by his dad, Pat Costello.
The pair have been responsible for a number of different bits of free web based tuition. They did a series of audio podcasts called The Daily Frail, where each lesson took a simple concept, for instance using a chord, or a picking pattern, then later the different concepts were built into real tunes or accompaniments.
I used to have them bookmarked, but they seem to have moved somewhere else. They do seem to be in the Internet Archive. Try this link BLICKY .
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 11:02 AM

Hi Jane,
I too have weak nails and have resorted to going to a nail salon and getting the index and middle fingers on my right hand done with acrylic nails. It's cheap when you only get two fingers done.
You can get lots of info on playing the banjo from the banjo hangout. I can't remember the URL, but you can google it. Many great banjo players, Cathy Fink, Tony Trischka, Chris Coole... are members and are very helpful to people with questions about playing the banjo.

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: Brian Hoskin
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 11:11 AM

With reference to GtD's posts, Patrick Costello has a fair number of useful videos now available on youtube, simply go there and search his name.

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: Jane of 'ull
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 12:16 PM

Thanks for the info. I'll check that out. I only have about £100 to spare at the mo, so looks like i'll have to buy a rather crappy banjo for now. c'est la vie im afraid..can always trade it in at a later date. its mainly for song accompaniment at the moment not soloing, so i guess that makes the sound a little less important.

Subject: RE: Good 5 string banjo tunings/chord books?
From: Jane of 'ull
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 07:21 PM

On second thoughts and having searched the web a bit for banjos, I'm not going to buy the one I had in mind from my local music shop. I'm not happy with the sound. I've posted another thread on Mudcat asking for banjo advice on some other models I've seen. Any help would be appreciated!

cheers

Jane