First attempt playing a Banjo

arthurbrigg

Hey folks!

Not the best recording I'm afraid but just a bit of fun with a Banjo in my lunch break ?
Never played one before but I tuned it to DAGD and the normal acoustic to DADGAD. Feels weird playing with 4 strings only!
Would love to know what you think?

Here's the link:

http://www.box.net/shared/g4puctui1b

Cheers,
Art

guitarboy2828

A little bit of clipping - on the recording side.

Sounds cool! ? I am super keen to get a ukelele or banjo or something different that has strings just to add a different vibe to my playing. Sounded good though, keep working at it and post up more files! ? Make us a nice country twanger track! ?

arthurbrigg

Thanks! Yeah I'm waiting for Dave Shapiro to finish making a Mandolin for me as well, can't wait to start messing with that! I've also got an old original Sonata which gives a really nice redneck-blues kinda tone.

For recording I'm totally new at it, got a little 3 channel / 5 input Phonic MU502. Basically just mic'd the banjo (Cardoid Dynamic going through an effects unit with a bit of reverb). The acoustic I split left and right, mic'd up one side and straight / clean line-in blended on the other side.

Not sure why there's clipping, both tracks were recorded separately, must check the software output!

Thanks for the review! Will definitely put together a fun little trailertrash jam!

Cheers
Art

PeteM

Yeah good one art - the banjo is another story - no sustain, so you have to keep the arpeggios going.

arthurbrigg

Thanks Pete!
I'm checking out some Banjo players on YouTube, looks like I'm going to have to learn the plucking technique! It's an old 1920 Chicago Tenor Banjo I'm playing on, so it will probably need a bit of tweaking on my part. Definitely have to strengthen my fingers to keep up with the constant pick'n! Have you played Banjo before?

PeteM

arthurbrigg wrote: Have you played Banjo before?

I little, but not seriously though. Was booked many year's ago to play a little piece for a jingle. The studio couldn't find a banjo player who was experienced in studio work - (I liked to think that the booking girl had a crush on me. ?)

I was given the part a week before the session so I could practice the piece and a 5 string banjo, which they had sourced from somewhere. There was no 5th string though - just used 4. I had been experimenting with finger picks on my guitar, so used them for the banjo. I don't think I could play a banjo now though.

arthurbrigg

Awesome! Do you still have the recording? I'd love to hear it. You remind me a lot of my uncle, Tony Ribton, he only ever played Elvis numbers (he was Elvis's doppelganger) but one character trait he had was to just go with the flow and make do, a lot like you. I've been playing all 5 guitars tonight, just can't stop myself! I have a feeling that if you had a Banjo you'd probably kick butt at it after a few nights of tinkling about ?

PeteM

arthurbrigg wrote: Awesome! Do you still have the recording?

No-ways - It was for radio ad, which I did in about 1976 ? - never kept any of that stuff.

guitarboy2828

PeteM wrote:
arthurbrigg wrote: Awesome! Do you still have the recording?
No-ways - It was for radio ad, which I did in about 1976 ? - never kept any of that stuff.

1976??? :O There were radio's back then? ?

jcp

Very good, I don't know much about banjo, but I liked it cause it sounds a little like oriental music, very good.