Banjo Tunings

[kyguerilla]

I play old time fiddle and banjo (but make my money playing Bela Fleck
kind of stuff..ha ha) I just found a nice old fretless and put gut strings on it.
Any tuning recommendations? I use open C alot..

[FloridaConfederate]

d-G-D-F#-A "Low Bass" which is two steps down.

Right now I am playing a slick little Jeff Menzies Gourd Banjer.

Stellar.

Chris Rideout
Tampa, Florida

[kyguerilla]

Thanks!
I really like those banjos..
Right now I am playing a slick little Jeff Menzies Gourd Banjer.

Stellar.

Chris Rideout
Tampa, Florida[/QUOTE]

[Marc]

Contact George Wunderlick at the CW Medical museum in Frederick, Maryland. He has many years of experience with the banjo.

http://www.civilwarmed.org/

[Danny]

I play old time fiddle and banjo (but make my money playing Bela Fleck kind of stuff..ha ha) I just found a nice old fretless and put gut strings on it. Any tuning recommendations? I use open C alot..

ky -

For period tunings many use "Drop C" (gCGBD) or "open G" (gDGBD) but three to five steps slacker than modern pitch. A "Briggs" tutor tuning is dGDF#A and a "Converse" tutor tuning is eAEG#B. They use the same chord shapes, if you think in chords that is, as "Drop C" and the raised bass versions (dADF#A and eBEG#B) chord shapes are same as "open G", a typical Bluegrass tuning.

Not sure what you mean by your "open C" tuning, but if you mean the "Pete Seeger" traditional folk C tuning for banjo, (as called above "Drop C") you should feel right at home.

Good luck with those guts. I switched to Nylguts (faux gut) because in the sundown / campfire scene (drop in temp and increased humidity) I spent more time tuning than playing. The guts sound slightly better. The Nylguts look right if you stain stain them slightly.

Dan Wykes

[Silas]

Saw that advice in your first paragraph, phrase for phrase, on another forum, Danno. I was impressed with what the original author stated about tunings because it was so clear and concise. When I read your post here, I recognized it immediately. Here's the link to the original advice : http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/how-to-tune

Although the advice is sound and is something anyone could have written, I am somewhat taken aback by your use. Your reposting of that information gives the false impression that you know what you are talking about.

I am happy to report I didn't see similar advise about using plastic strings on that same esteemed minstrel banjo forum. The problem I've noticed isn't the strings, it's the head. Because calf skin gets soft in the humidity, I hang around campfires to heat it up periodically. I've been known to pack a candle for those times when I know I won't be near a fire. It's slow, but it works.

[Old Cremona]

Well spotted, Silas!! Thank you very much for keeping the truth out in front, the better to deal with this cretin.

Saw that advice in your first paragraph, phrase for phrase, on another forum, Danno. I was impressed with what the original author stated about tunings because it was so clear and concise. When I read your post here, I recognized it immediately. Here's the link to the original advice : http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/how-to-tune

Although the advice is sound and is something anyone could have written, I am somewhat taken aback by your use. Your reposting of that information gives the false impression that you know what you are talking about.

I am happy to report I didn't see similar advise about using plastic strings on that same esteemed minstrel banjo forum. The problem I've noticed isn't the strings, it's the head. Because calf skin gets soft in the humidity, I hang around campfires to heat it up periodically. I've been known to pack a candle for those times when I know I won't be near a fire. It's slow, but it works.

[Old Cremona]

Carl -

Am I missing something, was there something I did wrong? Would you have given guy a different answer? Why so bitter?

You're a great period banjo player, I'm sure you can add something interesting and positive to the topic, why not that instead?

Dan Wykes

You used someone's else's words and phrases and tried to pass them off as your own. Just more evidence, and I'm borrowing some one's else's phrase here, of your cretinism.

Also, your comment on gut strings was just plain old mis-information. Gut strings do not go out of tune at dusk any more than plastic ones do. The problem (as Silas pointed out) is with the absorbative nature of a real skin head. Anyone who has actually used real gut strings would know this.

[Danny]

You used someone's else's words and phrases and tried to pass them off as your own. Just more evidence, and I'm borrowing some one's else's phrase here, of your cretinism.

Also, your comment on gut strings was just plain old mis-information. Gut strings do not go out of tune at dusk any more than plastic ones do. The problem (as Silas pointed out) is with the absorbative nature of a real skin head. Anyone who has actually used real gut strings would know this.

Well, Carl, I disagree. Gut strings are affected by humidity and temperature. There's a reason some in the Early Banjo community recommend coating the unwound ones. I've actually used gut sets, how would you know if I didn't anyway? So there we have it, two different experiences, two different opinions.

Isn't it the music that matters? If we're both getting the results we want is this anything to obcess and accuse over?

Dan Wykes

[Old Cremona]

Well, Carl, I disagree. Gut strings are affected by humidity and temperature. I've actually used both. That's the reason some in the Early Banjo community recommend coating the unwound ones. So there we have it, two different experiences, two different opinions. Your very comfortable calling somebody a liar, I'm not.

Dan Wykes

Sorry, "Danny," the reason people recommend coating is to increase string life, not to combat tuning problems at dusk. Gut strings are expensive, plastic are not, so it's natural to want to get longer life out of them. If you had any experience with real gut, you would know this. Everyone who has used gut does.