Review: Cello Banjo

Subject: Review: Cello Banjo
From: GUEST,Bruce Baillie
Date: 10 Jul 11 - 04:29 PM

I've just ordered a Goldtone 5 string Cello Banjo from Paul Roberts at www.Banjocrazy.com Just wondered if there was anybody else in West Yorkshire who already owned one? Can't wait for it to arrive!

Subject: RE: Review: Cello Banjo
From: Leadfingers
Date: 10 Jul 11 - 05:04 PM

Pictures and several Videos at the Gold Tone WebSite

Subject: RE: Review: Cello Banjo
From: Crowhugger
Date: 10 Jul 11 - 07:12 PM

Fascinating sound. If I had one I'd be on the hunt for tunes to pair up, one on high banjo the other on low to get a counter melody thing going.

Subject: RE: Review: Cello Banjo
From: PHJim
Date: 11 Jul 11 - 12:08 AM

Mary Cox has a tune on Youtube playing a 5-string cello banjo from GoldTone.
Marcy Marxer and Sam Allison (Sheesham & Lotus) both play the 4-string version of the Cello-banjo.

Subject: RE: Banjo naming convention(s)
From: Crowhugger
Date: 11 Jul 11 - 06:27 AM

Could someone point me to a thread or two where the history of banjo naming is discussed? What I mean is, it always seems to me that the lower-than-soprano voiced instrument being called a cello banjo should be called a tenor banjo. Rather like a tenor recorder or the vocal range called tenor. But that clearly refers to something else so I'm curious how that came to be.

I figured the topic must have come up before but if so, I haven't found the right search criteria to locate it.

Thanks!

Subject: RE: Review: Cello Banjo
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 11 Jul 11 - 06:44 AM

Looking at wikipedia, a tenor banjo in "jazz" or "standard" tuning is the same CGDA as a viola. A 4 string cello banjo is an octave below this, corresponding to the cello.

(I tune my tenor banjo to "Irish", ie. GDAE one octave bellow the violin)

Subject: RE: Review: Cello Banjo
From: PHJim
Date: 11 Jul 11 - 09:42 AM

Crowhugger,
       Instrument nomenclature is pretty non-standardized. Even vocal ranges in bluegrass/old timey music calls the melody line the "lead", the third harmony the "tenor" whether it's above or below the lead and the fifth harmony is baritone, whether it's above or below the other voices. The violin and mandolin families have instruments that correspond to each other - violin/mandolin, viola/mandola, cello/mandocello and bass violin/mandobass. A mandolin that is tuned an octave below a standard mandolin is called an octave mandolin (OM)in North America, but is called an octave mandola in many European countries. In North America an octave mandola would be an octave below a mandola.
The naming of all of these long necked mandolins is far from standardized. The names OM, bouzouki, cittern, octophone, blarge,... all refer to these types of instruments. Toronto luthier Grit Laskin called all of his mando-type instruments "long-necked mandolins". I've also heard them called "mandothings" and "monster-mandolins".
Short scale 4-string banjos are often called "tango banjos" and short scaled 5-string banjos are called "banjorines" or "pony banjos".

Subject: RE: Review: Cello Banjo
From: PHJim
Date: 11 Jul 11 - 10:02 AM

Banjo nomenclature This link is a discussion which never really comes to any conclusion and serves to illustrate the lack of standardization rather than clearing anything up.

Subject: RE: Review: Cello Banjo
From: GUEST, Tom Bliss
Date: 11 Jul 11 - 10:24 AM

This might help with names and pitches

Subject: RE: Review: Cello Banjo
From: fretless
Date: 11 Jul 11 - 03:20 PM

Just heard Abigail Washburn concert that included her on cello banjo. Great concert (she was appearing with the Carolina Chocolate Drops in their new and very effective 4-person configuration). You should be able to find something with her playing cello b. on YouTube or on her own website, if you're wanting to hear some impressively imaginative arrangements.
How are you tuning your cello b.? A fifth below, or a full octave?

Subject: RE: Review: Cello Banjo
From: Crowhugger
Date: 11 Jul 11 - 04:22 PM

Okey doke...so I think it's safe to say that folk instrument nomenclature in general and banjo naming in particular (regarding relative size and pitch) sometimes has consistency and the rest of the time doesn't.
:-)
Great links, thank you kindly.

Subject: RE: Review: Cello Banjo
From: GUEST,Bruce Baillie
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 01:54 AM

...But apart from all that IS THERE ANYONE ELSE IN WEST YORKSHIRE WHO HAS ONE?
That was the original question, I'll take that as a NO then eh?

Subject: RE: Review: Cello Banjo
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 04:22 PM

Not this house... :-(

Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Review: Cello Banjo
From: fretless
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 05:53 PM

Sorry for the minor thread drift, Bruce. Nor can I help you with West Yorkshire.

Subject: RE: Review: Cello Banjo
From: evansakes
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 04:35 AM

I also saw Abigail Washburn back in May (and very good she was too). She used one of these beasts on a couple of songs. I don't think I'd seen one previously so was intrigued.

However for me the jury is still out on the cello banjo. I wasn't sure if the lower register works especially well on a banjo type instrument.

My views are mellowing a bit after seeing a vimeo of Tim O'Brien wielding one with Sam Bush on the fiddle. Pay no attention to the picture (where they're both holding mandolins)...just click 'play' !

Soldier's Joy

If I'm not mistaken they're playing in the key of D. Can someone help work out what tuning Tim might be using? It's making my brain hurt...