Banjo Show & Tell!
Added 2018-02-18 19:31:07 +0000 UTCWe could not figure out how to make my Linux computer run a live stream on YouTube, so instead I recorded a new video for yall using questions that have already been posted here on our Patreon.com/cliftonhicks site.
I hope this video is good enough to get us going in the right direction. In our next "not live" Q&A I will discuss how I set up these banjos (i.e. what type of strings, bridges, nuts, heads, etc.).
THANK YOU for everything you are doing to support this project and to preserve our shared musical heritage.
Comments
Jane, I must admit that I always just use the cheapest strings I can find whether shopping for metal or nylons. I have used nylgut before and liked them just fine. I have also known plenty of people who simply buy different diameter spools of fishing line and use those on their instruments. And there are dark red or black nylon strings on the market that some people claim sound superior. I would not buy actual gut strings unless I was certain they were made by somebody who knew what they were doing as I've had more than one set of gut strings that fell apart almost immediately.
Clifton Hicks
2018-06-29 13:24:13 +0000 UTCClifton, Do you have a recommendation for nylgut type banjo strings? I'm refurbishing an old banjo I found at a flea market. It's built by D. Emerson, New York, who built between 1891-1899, best I tell from some google research. (Are these kin to James Morrison banjos? I'm seeing some blatant resemblances in some photos on line.) At any rate, she is a 24 inch scale with a 10.5 diameter head. Metal pot lined with some fancy looking wood with a wood inlay design. I'm learning there are more than a couple of choices and opinions related to nylon strings on a banjo.
Banjo Jane
2018-06-28 17:44:15 +0000 UTCIf you ever have any Linux questions, I might be able to answer them.
Nathan Rosenquist
2018-03-03 02:59:44 +0000 UTCBanjo + Clifton + Linux! Two, nay three, of my favorite things!
Jake Tolbert
2018-02-20 22:22:15 +0000 UTCWill, the strings on my Luscomb banjo at the moment are "La Bella Set No. 17 Nylon 5-String Banjo Strings" that I order in batches from Elderly.com
Clifton Hicks
2018-02-19 00:12:39 +0000 UTCVery nice. You Mentiined you use nylon strings. Did I miss you say what brand and tension.
Will Coppage
2018-02-19 00:05:54 +0000 UTCand... Oh... and another topic of great interest to me... Let us say there is a song you normally do in G, out of standard G tuning. But someone wants to play it in D, because that's where they sing it perhaps. And you are really used to the fingerings for that particular song in the G tuning, and so would rather not re-tune to say... C and capo at the 2nd fret. How would you handle that? Would you play D, G, and A chords out of your G tuning, or would you capo at the 7th? I've tried the latter, and capo'ing that high gives the banjo too much of a uke sound to my ears... but then playing D, G, and A chords also throws me off my game when I'm so used to where the notes and fingerings are in G.
Brandon Furber
2018-02-18 22:58:38 +0000 UTCSorry... put these comments/questions under the wrong video... So copied here again... The Weyman... I either missed or you failed to mention if it is strung with Nylon like the Luscomb, or if it is strung with steel. I'd say it appears to be and sounds more like steel. So that leads to questions on your general preference towards nylon or steel, and why. Your thoughts on tone, tension, is one better suited for you to certain picking styles or even certain songs, etc. I waffle between the two on my open back... having switched back and forth a few times. But what's funny is that every time I go back to steel, within a few weeks I find myself threading a piece of yarn through the strings just in front of the bridge to kill sustain and make it sound more like nylon. Anyway... I'd be interested in seeing this topic covered with some depth. Thanks.
Brandon Furber
2018-02-18 22:57:58 +0000 UTCThanks for showing us your instruments. I've been interested in acquiring an antique instrument for myself, something pre-war open back with gut/nylon strings. I have a question about your music. Mostly all of your videos are solo performances. How often do you perform with others? Do you prefer to play solo and explore the music alone, or jam with others and share the experience?
Adam Segar
2018-02-18 21:04:32 +0000 UTCThank you.
Timofey Tverdiukov
2018-02-18 20:16:53 +0000 UTC
