Banjo confusion

Subject: Banjo confusion
From: dorareever
Date: 01 Jul 02 - 03:13 PM

I have this banjo I bought about 3 or 4 years ago or more,but it's just a couple of months I actually took the decision of trying to play it properly.It's a 4-string banjo,but I don't know if it's a tenor banjo or a plectrum, banjo or what.I'm totally ignorant and I can't start to learn if I don't know what kind of banjo is.How can you know? It's the number of frets or what? Please help me! :)

Subject: RE: Help: Banjo confusion
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Jul 02 - 03:22 PM

A tenor banjo and a plectrum banjo are simply different names for the same thing.

Look for books/websites using either name and you'll find lots of help

Good luck

Subject: RE: Help: Banjo confusion
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 01 Jul 02 - 05:18 PM

IT is my understanding that the difference between a tenor and plectrum banjo is the length of the scale. While the Guest is correct in that they are similar and both have four strings a plectrum banjo has a much longer scale. More nearly that of a five string length, about 26" is the scale to a plectrum banjo. Tenors are shorter and to add to the confusion, some tenors are 17 frets in length and some are 22 I think. Their scale lengths I don't know but I'd guess about 24" or less.

Don

Subject: RE: Help: Banjo confusion
From: BanjoRay
Date: 01 Jul 02 - 06:18 PM

Don's given you enough information to tell the difference between a tenor banjo and a plectrum banjo. If it's a plectrum banjo, it is traditionaly tuned CGBD (low to high), and if a tenor, it's tuned CGBD. This is the tuning used for jazz, but modern Irish players use EDAE because it gives the same fingering as a fiddle (but an octave down).

Hope this is useful
Ray

Subject: RE: Help: Banjo confusion
From: BanjoRay
Date: 01 Jul 02 - 06:20 PM

Sorry - that Irish tuning should be GDAE - slip of the brain.

Cheers
Ray

Subject: RE: Help: Banjo confusion
From: greg stephens
Date: 01 Jul 02 - 06:42 PM

For what it's worth, and I'm no expert: my tenor has a scale length (nut-bridge) of 23 inches. I use tenor tuning (CGDA) but a banjo ofthis length works just fine in plectrum tuning(CGBD) or DGBD, or "guitar tuning" DGBE. Whatever suits you will work fine, just depends what music you're aiming at.