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19 Jan 01 - 11:48 AM (#377788) Subject: Banjo for a child - suggestions? From: GUEST,Jon W. I'm starting a banjo building project to convert an old cheap banjo into one for a child (10 or 11 year old girl). She desperately wants to learn to play. Can anyone tell me what an appropriate neck length would be? I've considered a piccolo banjo (about the same as a normal neck capoed at the fifth fret) or just making it somewhat shorter than normal (about 24" scale length). Also, should I use steel or nylon strings? It will be a five-string. |
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19 Jan 01 - 12:02 PM (#377803) Subject: RE: Banjo for a child - suggestions? From: mousethief Unless you've got an extremely small 11-year-old on your hands, a regular-length banjo neck should be just fine. We have a banjo-playing teenager at church who started when she was 10, playing a standard 5-string banjo. An extended neck like Pete Seeger uses might be too long (then again she can capo it and just play "up high" until her arms grow longer!). Alex |
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19 Jan 01 - 12:45 PM (#377844) Subject: Banjo for a child From: Les from Hull Sounds like a good swap! Les |
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19 Jan 01 - 12:51 PM (#377851) Subject: RE: Banjo for a child - suggestions? From: catspaw49 Jon, I'm kinda' with Alex on this. Have you tried her size on the banjo as is? Spaw |
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19 Jan 01 - 12:56 PM (#377857) Subject: RE: Banjo for a child - suggestions? From: Jon W. The banjo currently is a long neck (Pete Seeger) version. Frankly, it's too long even for me to play comfortably. It also has an unfortunate tendency to buzz at the eigth fret due to a twisted neck. I suppose I ought to let her play my regular banjo (26 1/4" scale) and see how she does with that. |
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19 Jan 01 - 01:03 PM (#377867) Subject: RE: Banjo for a child - suggestions? From: Uncle_DaveO Another problem with the long-neck besides the left-arm stretch is the unbalance because of the neck's weight. Bad enough for a big adult, let alone an eleven-year-old girl. You end up having to hold up the neck with your hand, which leaves you pretty immobile in fingering. Dave Oesterreich |
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19 Jan 01 - 01:42 PM (#377895) Subject: RE: Banjo for a child - suggestions? From: Wesley S I'm just excited to hear that you have an 11 year old that "desperatly" wants to play the banjo. What are you feeding her?? |
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19 Jan 01 - 04:08 PM (#378017) Subject: RE: Banjo for a child - suggestions? From: Jon W. Actually the girl is a friend of one of my daughters, not related to me at all. We know her and her family through a home schooling cooperative. I don't know what her parents feed her, but I'll bet that as a home schooled child, two things she is not being force-fed are pop culture and peer pressure to "conform." |