Tied notes, or sustain.

[Carl Anderton]

It's fairly common to see "tied" notes in classic banjo pieces; often it is specifically stated to let notes ring out and sustain while you play other little figures. The Washington Post March is an example; there are many others.

All I'm sayin' is, Who you tryin' to kid? Sustain on a banjo has the half-life of a nano-second. Especially when you go off and play other things during the presumed sustain period. You can push down on that note for all you're worth, but it still ain't gonna last long.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant. I have encountered this on several pieces lately. How do classic banjoists handle the sustain issue?

[Trapdoor2]

While it is true that the banjo isn't noted for 'notes hanging in the air', I can clearly hear the difference in when I "lift" vs when I "keep that finger down". One of the main problems, IMNSHO, is our (those of us who started with BG) tendency towards a "Bluegrass Attack". If you back off and go "quiet", the notes will start to sustain (a bit). Concentrating less on staccatto and adapting a more legato feel also helps.

For me, playing soft waltzes (Weidt, Morley) and really working hard on the low-level (ppp) dynamics while reeling in the upper (FF) has helped a lot.

Also, when you are tuning up, notice how long the sound actually rings. It is really longer than you think. Compare this 'ring time' with the requirements of the tied notes in your music. Generally, the ground note is gonna be still ringing while you are doing a diddly-dee with those other notes.