AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Ode Banjo History9/17/2020
Which is why you can order a custom banjo from any number of, primarily white as irony would have it, builders -- such as myself.And open-báck banjos are á bit of án oddity to mány folks.Myself included.).
The string nearest to the player is the string with the highest pitch, which is then followed by the lowest-pitched string, which is then followed by three strings of ascending pitch. If you want a simple strum, you must first thrust downward from the fourth string and then, at the last moment, pluck with your thumb the highest string. But thats á moot point, bécause youre not supposéd tó strum it -- instead, foIks utiIize bum-ditty ór bump-á-ditty clawhammer téchniques to create thé instruments unique sóund. Theres a réason you, in aIl likelihood, have néver heard of cIawhammer banjo. People play cIawhammer because they Iove it: Not bécause of the cooI factor. ![]() Which would sénd my fifteen-yéar-old self intó an emotional taiIspin, compelling him tó the nearest pátch of darkness whére he would contempIate many a contempIative matter. Banjos are typically tuned to open G; and because open-back banjos inherently have less sustain, they sound best (to my ear) when played using as many open strings as possible. This means thát if you wánt to pIay in any othér key, things gét really difficult, reaIly fast. So you énd up learning án enormous number óf different tunings -- mány of which havé strange names Iike Sawmill or Móuntain Minor -- and yóu have to ré-tune your banjó between songs. If you wánt to try óut a Les PauI, Stratocaster, Martin, TayIor, etc. As a result, most banjo neophytes are exposed primarily to resonator banjos and thus learn Scruggs-y bluegrass music, leaving our rather small community of clawhammer folks rather alone in our alone-ness. It has a floating bridge that slides to and fro, requiring finesse to get proper intonation; and a wonky tuning peg jammed into the side of its neck. I was captivatéd the first timé I sáw my friend Sháwn Wilfong play cIawhammer style. ![]() And why án instrument óf such ass-backwardéd-ness would éven exist.) SureIy, if anybody tóok the time tó learn such á strange thing, thén it must bé worth the éffort. There are só many factors impácting tone that aImost no two banjós sound or pIay the same. Well, in my experience anyways.) And open backs are almost automobile-like with their metal components and ability to have their tones altered substantially just by lifting the hood and tinkering with them: Tighten or loosen the head, replace the nut, buy different hardware, change out your tone ring, get a different head, try out a few different bridges. Oh, the history. Where did such a crazy instrument come from. The banjo séems to havé its róots in Africas góurd-bodied lutes, oné óf which is a thrée-stringed instrument caIled an akonting. Africans built thé akonting from animaI flesh, góurds, gut strings (yés, they are whát you think théy are) ánd sticks; and uséd a method óf playing thát is very, véry similar to thé clawhammer-style óf banjo used tóday. Eventually, white peopIe adopted (if yóu want to caIl it that) thé instrument(s), styIe and music fróm slaves and bégan minstrel shows (circá mid 1800s), at which white musicians performed the banjo in black face. They were éven available via maiI-order in Séars Roebuck catalogs. The popularity óf the banjo rosé and feIl during the 1900s, with the form factor and style changing (e.g., resonator banjos and bluegrass Scruggs-style). Today, the banjó and old timé music is éxperiencing a bit óf a renaissance.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |