Banjos Galore
- Thread starter Meanderer
- Start date
Pappy
Living the Dream
HiDesertHal
Senior Member
My banjo is an outcast...it has only four strings!
THAT'S BECAUSE it's a Tenor Banjo, tuned to the top 4 strings of the Guitar, known as "Chicago Tuning".
The Tenor Banjo was a requirement in Dixieland Jazz bands and in many dance bands of the 1920's and later.
Paul Whiteman always used a Tenor Banjo in his large dance orchestra.
Another 4-string banjo is the long-necked Plectrum Banjo, used for solo work.
Hal
THAT'S BECAUSE it's a Tenor Banjo, tuned to the top 4 strings of the Guitar, known as "Chicago Tuning".
The Tenor Banjo was a requirement in Dixieland Jazz bands and in many dance bands of the 1920's and later.
Paul Whiteman always used a Tenor Banjo in his large dance orchestra.
Another 4-string banjo is the long-necked Plectrum Banjo, used for solo work.
Hal
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Questions for you, Hal.... Which is harder to learn for a beginner---guitar or banjo? Which did you learn to play first?
Pappy
Living the Dream
HiDesertHal
Senior Member
Good question, NancyNGA!
The Guitar is easier to learn to play in Chord style (accompaniment only) than in Solo style, where you play the melody and someone else accompanies you.
I learned the Guitar first, on an instrument I bought from a pawn shop in 1957 for $5.
I wanted to learn chords only, so I bought a chord book and learned all the chords, not just the 3 chords you hear in most Bluegrass, Country, Rock, and Folk tunes, but chords that accompany more sophisticated melodies, such as the Old Standards, which require knowledge of Major, Minor, Diminished, Augmented, 6th, 7th, and 9th chords, in different keys. Show such a chord progression chart to the 3-chord boys and they will just shake their heads in confusion!
I took up the banjo just as a lark many years later, choosing the 4-string Tenor because the chords were laid out just like on the Guitar.
I didn't bother learning all the serious chords as I did on the Guitar (and piano), because the banjo has such a raucous, barking voice, that I can only listen to so much at one sitting. It does have its place, however!
I do take my Tenor Banjo with me when I play Bass in our Seniors Dance Band to use occasionally in a novelty number, where it stands out among the other instruments.
Although I started on the guitar 61 years ago, I still can't play any songs on it! Only CHORDS, which are more important to me.
It's your choice, NancyNGA.
HiDesertHal [Of the 6 stringed instruments shown, I'm best on my Grand Piano!]
The Guitar is easier to learn to play in Chord style (accompaniment only) than in Solo style, where you play the melody and someone else accompanies you.
I learned the Guitar first, on an instrument I bought from a pawn shop in 1957 for $5.
I wanted to learn chords only, so I bought a chord book and learned all the chords, not just the 3 chords you hear in most Bluegrass, Country, Rock, and Folk tunes, but chords that accompany more sophisticated melodies, such as the Old Standards, which require knowledge of Major, Minor, Diminished, Augmented, 6th, 7th, and 9th chords, in different keys. Show such a chord progression chart to the 3-chord boys and they will just shake their heads in confusion!
I took up the banjo just as a lark many years later, choosing the 4-string Tenor because the chords were laid out just like on the Guitar.
I didn't bother learning all the serious chords as I did on the Guitar (and piano), because the banjo has such a raucous, barking voice, that I can only listen to so much at one sitting. It does have its place, however!
I do take my Tenor Banjo with me when I play Bass in our Seniors Dance Band to use occasionally in a novelty number, where it stands out among the other instruments.
Although I started on the guitar 61 years ago, I still can't play any songs on it! Only CHORDS, which are more important to me.
It's your choice, NancyNGA.
HiDesertHal [Of the 6 stringed instruments shown, I'm best on my Grand Piano!]
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Thanks, Hal!
I have an electric guitar, but it's just me here, and I don't like to sing out loud, so I bought it for fingering the melody, rather than chords. Didn't realize it was so difficult. Piano was a piece of cake by comparison. The keys on a piano are so wide, it's really hard to miss them. LOL!
I want to learn where the notes are on the strings so I can read music and play. Did it visually on the piano, not by the letter (A, B, C,...G#, etc) and finding it hard to adjust.
The worst part is my fingertips get sore before I can get in enough practice time. I don't like practicing *every single day* just in order to retain calluses.
I'm going to pull it out and give it another try soon. I really like the sound, even better than the piano.
