Classic-Banjo

A Site Dedicated to all enthusiasts of Classic Style Banjo

Question regarding Plectrum Style and Classic Banjo

I received a message from a new member, Gary Carpenter, and thought that I would throw it open here as a Discussion for anyone's comments please:

"As I had mentioned I am new to banjo had some exposure at a younger age but was not able to continue. So starting over now, I have a deering intermediate 5 string. starting bluegrass & claw-hammer ext. Then I was looking at deering website and saw a video of Rob McKillop playing a deering 5 string Plectrum style, I think it was lazy rhythm by Bert Bassett. I didn't know you could play a 5 string like that, I have a lot to learn. it was beautiful and I am hooked! I know of Irish banjo but not Scottish banjo, Anyway can you tell me the tuning for a 5string to be played in this manner? and in classic banjo fingerpicking do you use 3 fingers & the thumb? Any thing you can tell me would be most helpful!

Thank you, Gary"

Gary, I intend in a few weeks, to start a series of video tutorials, on a Beginners page on this site, that will go from the very beginning through to playing an intermediate level Classic Banjo piece..

...so keep watching! They should answer all your questions.

Ian

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Permalink Reply by Mike Moss on May 25, 2011 at 18:35

To answer one of Gary's questions...

re: plectrum style on a five-string, historically, when plectrum style started to gain in popularity a simple solution was to cut the end of the bridge with the 5th string so that the 5th string was lower than the other four, which allowed you to play both finger and plectrum style on the same banjo... also some makers made some parallel-necked banjos, with five tuning pegs on the headstock which could be used as both a 5-string and 4-string banjo (I've seen quite a few late Windsor banjos like that). It's also possible to play plectrum arrangements fingerstyle and fingerstyle arrangements plectrum-style with only a few alterations. A simple solution would simply to get a very simple Morley-style bridge and saw off the edge on the 5th string end so that it's slanted, and cut a new notch in that.