Minstrel banjo tunings

Subject: Minstrel banjo tunings
From: Jon W.
Date: 27 Feb 06 - 11:30 AM

All I've read about minstrel banjo (such as descriptions of instruction books) says you have to tune the banjos lower. Does anyone know the specifics of this? What are the common tunings and how do they correspond to modern tunings?

A specific tune I have in mind is "Old Grey Goose" as played by Bob Flesher on his "Civil War Banjo" CD.

Thanks,
Jon

Subject: RE: Minstrel banjo tunings
From: wysiwyg
Date: 27 Feb 06 - 12:12 PM

Would this have been due to home-made intstruments being less able to handle higher string tension?

I'd think you'd want to tune to what your singing range is?

~Susan

Subject: RE: Minstrel banjo tunings
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 27 Feb 06 - 05:30 PM

In the days before steel strings, banjos were tuned "low" by today's standards because gut strings cannot be tuned up to the same pitches that steel strings can achieve.

These days, if you have a banjo with gut strings you are faced with the same limitations.

If you have a banjo with steel strings, you might choose to tune low to emulate a minstrel banjo sound.

The tunings the minstrels used were functionally equivalent to modern tunings but lower.

Subject: RE: Minstrel banjo tunings
From: Fullerton
Date: 27 Feb 06 - 06:13 PM

The matter seems fairly black & white to me........

Subject: RE: Minstrel banjo tunings
From: Songster Bob
Date: 27 Feb 06 - 11:24 PM

Gut strings used to be the norm, and they were tuned low. When the classical-banjo-playing "American Banjo Fraternity" got around to setting standards, they settled on A for "C" as their standard. However, minstrel players (the generation earlier than the "classical" players) tuned to anything from maybe G up to C (all in terms of the modern "C" tuning -- it'd be from D up to G for "G" tuning).

I have three nylon-strung banjos, two tuned to modern pitch and one tuned three frets low (A for C). Modern gut or nylon strings will tune to modern pitch, despite what is written above. I like the lower tuning, but you need a full-length scale for that. The older banjos sometimes had 28" scales, unlike the modern 25" scales, so the lowering of strings to A on a 25" banjo creates flabby strings. I wish I had a "real" minstrel banjo, but can't afford one, if the reproduction ones are any example.

Bob Clayton

Subject: RE: Minstrel banjo tunings
From: Jon W.
Date: 28 Feb 06 - 01:01 AM

Thanks for your responses.

I'm building myself a minstrel banjo - I plan on stringing it with Nylgut. I think it will take the higher tension but I want it lower for the more authentic sound. I'll have to experiment when I finish it. I'll have to check some measurements to see what I planned as the scale length but I think it's around 26 - 27 inches.

Any idea of the tuning Bob Flesher uses on "Old Gray Goose?" Or does anyone have a clawhammer transcription of it?

Thanks again,
Jon

Subject: RE: Minstrel banjo tunings
From: Jon W.
Date: 28 Feb 06 - 01:04 AM

By the way, SongBob, you might want to check out Bob Flesher's site. He sells kits for minstrel banjos for $350-450 - that might be more affordable for you.

Jon

Subject: RE: Minstrel banjo tunings
From: Jon W.
Date: 28 Feb 06 - 01:05 AM

OOOPs, looks like he upped his prices to $430-550.