"Hello Bethany,
I'm a firm believer in learning music theory and classic music notation. Other folks play solely by ear and/or tabs. And many will tell you the zither is not a good beginners banjo. I believe your zither…"
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Zither banjo: starter songs/tabs?
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Hello all! We recently found an old banjo in a family friend's attic and having been wanting to get into banjo for a little while I cleaned it up and restrung it. However, when I went online to find…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Marc Dickerson on Monday.
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"And there are sometimes passages where the melody is on one or both of the lower strings and the higher metal strings play chords. Yes, the chief musical characteristic of zither-banjo is having different voices in one…"
"The whole point of the Zither Banjo is the mixed strings and the different voices. The wire strings provide the melody (more or less) and the third and 4th strings provides the harmony. Much of Cammeyer's compositions (and other…"
"I have had the opposite experience for the most part. For open back banjos set up to play "classic banjo"/period music with synthetic or gut strings, a short sustain is ideal. The single wood, two footed bridge provides that. The…"
"Bethany,
I think it would be worth changing the bridge that is on your banjo. The hardwood top on it probably won't allow the instrument to sound as good as a plain bridge would. Clifford Essex have a 'Morley' bridge that…"
"Do listen to the original recordings and the videos at the top of the page.
For any problems you may have, just ask and you will get all the help and encouragement you could ever need."
"Thank you for the advice, since I'm starting from scratch here (I don't play any other instruments and can't generally read music) I'll definitely just learn how to read notation.
I took a quick look at the 2 recommended…"
"Joel beat me to it, just as I was typing my reply. "
"Use the search facility to find the many threads about notation vs tablature. I advise you not to use any tab, but right from the beginning, to take the time to match the notation to the fingering on the banjo. The tutor books that I recommended…"
"This is a common error that people make, thinking they need to "know how to read notation".
These are instruction books-- they teach you how to do stuff, including how to read notation. They teach you everything you need to know to…"
"Ah! Good news about the strings. Any composition by Alfred Cammeyer makes good zither-banjo music. Not easy to play though. To get started try any of the Banjo Solos marked as "Easy" in the Music Library here on this site."
"Thank you so much! I'll take a look.
I can't read notation (I understand it and if I'm given some time I can write out the notes, but I can't sight read), I've been mostly going off tabs, but I can definitely learn! Or more…"
"Hi Bethany,
I suggest that you download 'Ellis' Advanced School For The Banjo & Zither Banjo' by Herbert J Ellis and 'Barnes & Mullins Banjo School'. They are excellent books that contain all that is required to…"
"Thanks for the reply!
Its strung with the intended mix, I got a set from Clifford Essex- 1st 2nd 5th Plain Steel, 3rd nylon and 4th silver wound.
I know its not in optimal condition, but it sounds alright to me and I hope its okay to learn on…"
"Hi Bethany,
Generally zither-banjos do sound awful if strung entirely with wire strings. The intended string set is a mixture of very light gauge steel, nylon or gut, and a light gauge wound string made of a mixture of materials. This gives a…"
Zither banjo: starter songs/tabs?
Hello all! We recently found an old banjo in a family friend's attic and having been wanting to get into banjo for a little while I cleaned it up and restrung it. However, when I went online to find some nice beginners songs I was told these banjos sound awful and to just go out and buy a new one.I'd rather not do that as I think this one is quite beautiful and I like the way it sounds. I understand (and have learned through a very frustrating couple days) it's not really built for modern…See More
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