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Topic: CE XX Special Vancouver: just acquired one in a Vancouver guitar shop, somewhat hacked about. The 5th string nut and peg have been removed to transform it into a plectrum banjo, and the peg hole was filled in. I'm posting pics under the above title. I'd like to restore it, and had some questions if you'd be kind enough to oblige with comments: 1. The tone ring appears to be "upside down," although seems perfectly fitted that way, is this wrong? Or could this be a transitional early model lke the Fairbanks Electric/pre-Whyte Laydie 1899-1900 model that also had the scallops pointing "down" to the rim, instead of up to the head? 2. The neck is Brazilian Rosewood in a dark almost "black walnut" colour, while the rim is coloured in a reddy tone and may be maple. Is that an example of intentionally mismatched woods or colouring - I think I read a post indicating Thereallyniceman has seen a number of rosewood necks with maple rims? If so, should I recolour the rim to match the neck better, as the colours may have changed in the last century? (I think the banjo, while in very good shape, is not mint and need not be considered museum quality) 3. The only hardware missing is the original tuners and tailpiece, I thnk I will install Gotoh pegs and a Waverly 5th string peg, all in ebony. 4. With a mirror I only see one sort of crossways slash mark under the back side of the dowel stick/perch pole, it may only be a scratch, as someone screwed through it and installed a backing plate for a cheap aftermarket resonator. 5. Could I persuade someone with an original to send me closeup pics sometime of: a) the engraving on the inlays (for re-engraving on the orginal inlays, some of these have worn off); b) the 5th string peg area, and the ebony nut, also for reproduction and re-installation? 6. I'm also looking for an original tailpiece! If anyone knows of one, let me know. Thanks very much and I look forward to learning from all of you, Ruari McLennan Vctoria BC …; Added by Ruari McLennan at 23:18 on November 22, 2015

Topic: Music for the Library: w added to the library.History - if you're interested. The folio was donated in South Canterbury last year with a lot of other non banjo related music. It dates from the late 19th century and is a professional binding of individual solos and few books of solos into one larger volume. Some of the pieces are stamped by a number of music shops who had numerous branches around New Zealand such as the Dresden Piano Company and Charles Begg's and were purchased at shops mostly in Timaru and Dunedin. A number of the pieces are stamped with the name W. Cooper and a little digging has produced some information. There was a banjo soloist and teacher based in Timaru, South Canterbury in the late 1880s and early '90s of that name - although I have yet to find what the "W" was for - probably William, but it could be Walter, Wilfred etc. Some solos have other names such as Newlands written on them. Both W. Cooper and a number of people called Newlands appear to have been connected to the Independent Organisation of Good Templars (I. O. G. T. now called Movendi International) - an International Temperance organisation who modelled their structure after Freemasonry and had some lodges in New Zealand, including at least two in South Canterbury. The music - as I mentioned there are some solos and some books. So far I have scanned only the solos and have yet to do the books (which are all collections of banjo solos compiled and arranged by W. E. Ballantine). Sadly the piano accompaniments are lost, but many do have a 2nd banjo part. They're all quite enjoyable to play - although some of the variations require a better finger tremolo than I can manage just now. Here is a list of the solos - now added to the library... The Bluebells of Scotland (variations) - arr. Herbert Ellis (Turner's Banjo Budget 51) Different to the version already in the library The Clarence (polka march) - arr. Herbert Ellis (TBB 121) (composer not listed - possibly Ellis) The Edinburgh (polka march) - by Herbert Ellis (TBB 140) Eight Banjo Eccentricities - by Herbert Ellis (TBB 66) En Revenent de la Revue (Boulanger March) - by Louis-Cesar Desormes - arr. Herbert Ellis (TBB 27) This piece has an interesting story - https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-C%C3%A9sar_Desormes The Fusilier (grand march patrol) - by Herbert Ellis (possibly TBB 29 although not stated) Grand Avenue March - by Cyril B. Burnand (possibly TBB 774) Home Sweet Home (concert version) - by Sir Henry Bishop - arr. Herbert Ellis (possibly TBB 28) Home Sweet Home (easy variations) - by Sir Henry Bishop - arr. Herbert Ellis (TBB 67) Hotch-Potch Medley - various - arr. Harry Turner (TBB 141) Manhattan (medley) - arr. Herbert Ellis (TBB 31) The Patty Polka, The (polka march) - by Herbert Ellis (TBB 132) Stephanie Gavotte - by Alfons Czibulka - arr. Ellis (TBB 52) Swanee River (variations) - by Stephen Foster - arr. Herbert Ellis (TBB 38) …; Added by Brett Lowe at 13:47 on January 24, 2021

Comment on: Topic 'Le Banjo Gottschalk for Banjo': t there were no exercises in E major but I didn't find a statement about this key never being used for banjo composition. I'm sure it's there. And he's right: To the best of my recollection I have never seen printed banjo music in that key. I'm guessing Grimshaw's problem was the high g string which is an outlier, not part of the E major scale. But in spite of his pioneering activities in electric guitar production, Emil Grimshaw appears to not have been blues-aware. The g natural of the 5th string is part of an A7 chord and fits well in all inversions of that chord. It also may be used as a contrast with G sharp a half step higher, played on the 1st or 2nd string. Outside the blues genre, the 5th string also may be used in passages that move between E major and E minor. And it may be fingered in phrases in any major or minor key. Meanwhile the open B string is part of the E scale as the 5th of the tonic and the root of the dominant chord, the open D string is the crucial component that makes an E major chord an E7 chord, which is usable in just about every musical genre. The C string is useful as part of an A minor chord which makes a lovely contrast in the key of E major. This being the case I wonder why E major has been historically avoided in the classic banjo field. Richard William Ineson said: Hi Austin, You raise an interesting point when you say, "and why Mainland chose the key of C major for the banjo transcription." Choosing the right key when transcribing music written for another instrument for the banjo or writing original pieces for the instrument is a paramount consideration. Most people choose the obvious keys which suit the banjo best, C major/minor, G major, F major, Eb major, Ab major etc. Very occasionally somebody breaks the mould, Joe Morley wrote a movement in his 'Moonlight Revels' in E major (possibly as a response to Grimshaw's claim in his famous tutor book, that 'banjo music is never written in the key of E major') and Frank Lawes slips into Db major in his piece, 'En El Camino' a key which, if i remember correctly, Bill Ball used in one of his compositions. Speaking of Bill Ball, whom i used to visit at his home in Bristol, Bill having a sense of humour, once confided in me that he'd composed a new banjo piece which was pitched mainly in G major and was now working on it to lower its pitch to Gb major, because nobody had ever written a banjo tune in that key and 'to give people something to think about' I never saw the finished article so I don't know whether or not, it was worth playing. Going back to Gottschalk, 'Le Banjo' sounds fine on the piano, it would never strike me as being anything other than just 'another piano piece' of little consequence, and I would never consider learning to play it on the banjo, it just is not worth the time and effort. Austin said: I agree however I really like the piece. And arranging piano pieces for the banjo seems to be done a lot. Le banjo is actually very harmonically safe. Just F sharp or G flat fits pretty well on the piano, so that's probably why he chose that key and why Mainland chose the key of C major for the banjo transcription. …; Added by Jody Stecher at 12:34 on March 19, 2025

Comment on: Topic 'Tony Trischka's excellent video on "Classic Style Banjo"': ut of their horns. And the plectrum banjo players, if they were reading at all, wouldn't they be looking at a chord chart, not at staff notation? Casting the net wider still, through time as well as space, there have been, since ancient times, in various parts of the world, instruments with wire strings that are played without out a plectrum. The setar of Persia for instance is played with the index finger. And there have been instruments with gut strings played *with* a plectrum. The Seni rabab of North India or the oud of the middle east are examples. I don't mean to suggest that these instruments had an effect on the 20th century banjo. What I mean is that people everywhere have done the same things and reached different conclusions. One more point.... for now....: Steel strings on a five-string or plectrum banjo with the same or similar scale length are not louder than gut or nylon. I have tested this. The timbre of course is different. But in fact, the soft strings are louder if of the proper gauge. The loudest banjo I have ever heard (and I have played and heard many a Stelling) is my little Joseph Daniels banjo string with a combination of nylon and nylgut. The type of tailpiece with which it is fitted indicates that this banjo was not intended to be strung with wire. It was designed to be heard when played by acrobats competing with the sound of shod horses trodding on cobblestones. It works. The higher notes especially are ear-hurting loud. Joel Hooks said: True, Shawn, the popular music shift was a big part, but it does not explain the weird near extinction of finger played regular banjos. Other instruments fall from their initial fad. Take the Hawaiian Guitar as an example. Once super popular (even movies were made where the lead played one), it too passed from mass fad. With a resurgence in popularity after WW2 it once again fell from being popular. Yet people still played it, it did not cease to exist. Perhaps featuring it in Bluegrass and blues helped. I read a great book titled "Squeeze This a Cultural History of the Accordion in America." The amazing thing is that if you change the names of the celebrities who played the piano accordion, and substituted the word banjo, it would be "America's Instrument." Yet the piano accordion never vanished like regular banjo did. The simple "it stopped being popular" can't be the whole story. Case in point. England did not have the A/C notation conflict. While music fads changed equal on the other side of the pond, regular banjo did not vanish like in the US. From the "Mcneil Chord System for Plecturm Banjo"... "... But it did not attract musicians from other fields because this instrument lacked one thing-- bona fide notation. At this time there existed two different notations-- in America the banjo was tuned in such a manner that when the orchestra or piano played in the key of C, the banjo was in A. In England this handicap was somewhat rectified, they having evolved a notation that was called English Notation.-- the banjo was tuned so that both banjo and piano were played in the same key. The seed planted by the early Minstrel Shows had had taken root and England, too, was keenly interested in the banjo. However, the confusion caused by the two notation printed in banjo music caused the on-coming generation to disregard the instrument and the banjo suffered a lull in popularity. Let it be understood, that up to this time the banjo was strung with gut strings and had been picked with the fingers of the right hand." While McNeil is WAY off on his early history of the banjo, this was something that he would have lived through. The absurd debates about A v. C notation continued relentlessly in magazines until no one cared anymore. If I walked into a music store and was looking to take a course of study in music, saw the regular banjo, and the salesman proceeded to explain that music was written in two ways and I had to choose which to learn in. I would immediately say,... "on, well what about that other banjo without the side peg." Do that for a few months and the store would no longer stock regular banjos or music. The reason that I question the "popularity" theory is that it is too short of a time (about 20 years) and almost no other popular instruments have suffered the same near vanishing. …; Added by Jody Stecher at 15:06 on October 3, 2018

Comment on: Topic 'Hello World,': emain without someone like you pointing them out. I took the time to clean up based on your help. Thank you again! One thing I know absolutely nothing about is the stroke. I tried again, taking my description from S. S. Stewart’s Banjo dissertation. I hope it is right, but it looks close to what I wrote before. Classic era, 1880s-1910s The term classic banjo is used today to talk about a bare-finger "guitar style" that was widely in use among banjo players of the late 19th to early 20th century.[23] It is still used by banjoists today. The term also differentiates that style of playing from the fingerpicking bluegrass banjo style.[23] The banjo had grown in popularity since the 1840s when Sweeney began his show; it was estimated in 1866 that that there were probably 10,000 banjos in New York City, up from only a handful in 1844.[24] People were exposed to banjos, not only at minstrel shows, but also medicine shows, Wild-West shows, variety shows, and traveling vaudeville shows.[25] The banjo's popularity also was given a boost by the Civil War, as servicemen on both sides in the Army or Navy were exposed to the banjo played in minstrel shows and by other servicemen.[26] A popular movement of aspiring banjoists began as early as 1861.[27] Their enthusiasm for the instrument was labeled a "banjo craze" or "banjo mania."[27] The minstrel style of banjo playing, taught by the Briggs Banjo Method, used the stroke, in which the thumb plucks and index finger strikes downward, later called "frailing" or "clawhammer."[28][29] However, after 1870 the "guitar style" or "finger style" or "classical style" began to dominate.[30] This style had players use their thumb and one, two fingers or three fingers on their right to pick the notes.[28] The technique was taken from applying the classical guitar techniques to the banjo.[30] The first banjo method to introduce the technique was published in 1865, “Frank B. Converse's New and Complete Method for the Banjo with or without a Master.”[31][32] Jody Stecher said: Well... since you asked.... it still needs work because of errors of both form and content. It would take me close to an hour to enumerate all the problems. Tell you what: I'll address the first few paragraphs and leave the rest to others. Paragraph 1 "guitar style" should be in quotes. "The banjo players" of the period you name did not all use the "guitar style". Some did. It depended on context, on milieu. A "bluegrass banjo" is an instrument built to play bluegrass music. Classic banjo style can be played on such banjos. The term does not "separate" classic banjo from bluegrass banjo. It is used in speech and in writing to differentiate the way the banjo is played in two different musical cultures, What separates them is what is played and how. What you mean (I think) is that the term "classic banjo" is used to differentiate a certain way of playing from the way the banjo is played in bluegrass music..,, and.... and also a repertoire.....and a culture.....and more. Paragraph 2 *when* was it estimated that there were a certain number of banjos in NYC in a certain year? Then? Later? Recently? This is a confusing clause. Sweeney is mispelled. Minstrel is misspelled (as mistrel) I think you mean that people were exposed to banjos, not to "the banjos" or else that would mean the specific 10,000 alleged banjos. Another viable possibility is "exposed to the banjo". The generic meaning is then understood. It is not clear how the returning servicemen obtained the banjos they took home with them. One might infer that they were issued to them along with other weapons, The final sentence is ungrammatical and needs re-doing. Start of third paragraph: the stroke technique is not as described. OK, enough, Someone else take over please. …; Added by Jack at 3:56 on March 29, 2020

Comment on: Topic 'Zither Banjo Persecution?': eside which is situated in the North East of England, bearing in mind that there are various definitions of the qualifications needed to be classed as a 'Geordie') some years ago, I was playing Bernard Sheaff's 1912 Vibrante at a banjo concert along with Paul Whyman, at the time, and this Geordie chap approached me after our performance and said, 'No one has ever made a good zither banjo'. This Geordie gentleman was a Bluegrass fan and in a way, he was right in his assertion, in so far as zither banjos are not regarded as being the ideal Bluegrass banjo. He was, of course, unacquainted with the Cammeyer/Sheaff recordings of ZB masterpieces such as 'Danse Bizarre' and 'Marche en Passant' along with the few other recordings made by this supreme banjo duo, who probably produced the most musical zither banjo tone and played the most sublime zither banjo music of all time. Our Geordie friend missed the point that as with Bluegrass music, there is a type of banjo which is regarded as being 'the instrument for the job' and with certain types of (but not all) banjo music, the zither banjo is ' the instrument for the job'. Horses for courses as they say. Jody Stecher said: All my life since my early teens I have heard zither-banjos maligned. This was in direct conversation. Not in print. There is no researchable record of my anti-ZB experiences. Instrument shop owners in the early 1960s called them "English banjos". All of them I encountered were lowest model Windsors string with steel wire, They all sounded harsh and shrill. That's what people were commenting on. In the 1980s and thereafter I encountered some zither-banjos strung entirely with nylon strings. These sounded inoffensive but also indistinctive. These were also maligned. All together how many occasions of Z-B dismissal did I encounter? Maybe 8 or 9. But it was from different people and each opinion was in reference to a different zither-banjo. And context made it clear that I was not the only one hearing these opinions and I was not the only one to play these bad sounding banjos. This was in the USA, Later still, during visits to the UK I encountered more derisive opinions about the zither-banjo. The most memorable one from a Yorkshireman who asked if I had ever seen, heard or played "A Windsor". He thought that was the generic name of the instrument, not the brand. And he couldn't stop laughing as he described how horrible it sounded. None of the derisive opinions I heard came from within the Classic banjo community in the USA. I love zither-banjos. I even have one in poor condition that I keep out on an instrument stand just so I can look it at and enjoy its beauty, It's a Cammeyer Patent model. I have never seen a more lovely banjo. All the zither-banjos I have owned came to me sounding bad. I got each to sound marvelous by finding the right bridge for each and by stringing them lightly according to the gauges given to me by David Wade. The gauges differed according to the scale length just as with regular banjos. The only packaged set of zither-banjo strings I have encountered is the one sold by the revived Clifford Essex. I did not like the tone or the feel of them. At least not on the banjo strung with these. I replaced them with lighter gauges and the banjo changed from a wild beast into a lovely sounding instrument. One needs to be patient with all banjos. They all need setup and adjustment. Even straight from the factory or workshop they are often not sounding as good as they could. Joel Hooks said: Have we gone from "many people" to just one? That is big difference. The recent video, and subsequent comments, gives me visions of mobs of townspeople with pitchforks and torches getting ready to storm the zither banjo castle walls. Where are these many people and their hatred? Should be pretty easy to provide links. …; Added by Richard William Ineson at 6:43 on April 15, 2023

Comment on: Topic 'Hello World,': a complex motion and it needn't be described in your article. All you need to say is that the digits pick upward in the "guitar style" and the digits pick downward in the stroke style and that the thumb is used in a different way in each of the techniques. You are not writing a manual on how to play here so I think that is all that is required and you will be accurate. Jack said: Jody, Thank you. I’m a bit embarrassed by the numerous mistakes, and simply plead being brain dead today. I can get writing mechanics cleaned up, but if my knowledge is off, then factual errors will remain without someone like you pointing them out. I took the time to clean up based on your help. Thank you again! One thing I know absolutely nothing about is the stroke. I tried again, taking my description from S. S. Stewart’s Banjo dissertation. I hope it is right, but it looks close to what I wrote before. Classic era, 1880s-1910s The term classic banjo is used today to talk about a bare-finger "guitar style" that was widely in use among banjo players of the late 19th to early 20th century.[23] It is still used by banjoists today. The term also differentiates that style of playing from the fingerpicking bluegrass banjo style.[23] The banjo had grown in popularity since the 1840s when Sweeney began his show; it was estimated in 1866 that that there were probably 10,000 banjos in New York City, up from only a handful in 1844.[24] People were exposed to banjos, not only at minstrel shows, but also medicine shows, Wild-West shows, variety shows, and traveling vaudeville shows.[25] The banjo's popularity also was given a boost by the Civil War, as servicemen on both sides in the Army or Navy were exposed to the banjo played in minstrel shows and by other servicemen.[26] A popular movement of aspiring banjoists began as early as 1861.[27] Their enthusiasm for the instrument was labeled a "banjo craze" or "banjo mania."[27] The minstrel style of banjo playing, taught by the Briggs Banjo Method, used the stroke, in which the thumb plucks and index finger strikes downward, later called "frailing" or "clawhammer."[28][29] However, after 1870 the "guitar style" or "finger style" or "classical style" began to dominate.[30] This style had players use their thumb and one, two fingers or three fingers on their right to pick the notes.[28] The technique was taken from applying the classical guitar techniques to the banjo.[30] The first banjo method to introduce the technique was published in 1865, “Frank B. Converse's New and Complete Method for the Banjo with or without a Master.”[31][32] Jody Stecher said: Well... since you asked.... it still needs work because of errors of both form and content. It would take me close to an hour to enumerate all the problems. Tell you what: I'll address the first few paragraphs and leave the rest to others. Paragraph 1 "guitar style" should be in quotes. "The banjo players" of the period you name did not all use the "guitar style". Some did. It depended on context, on milieu. A "bluegrass banjo" is an instrument built to play bluegrass music. Classic banjo style can be played on such banjos. The term does not "separate" classic banjo from bluegrass banjo. It is used in speech and in writing to differentiate the way the banjo is played in two different musical cultures, What separates them is what is played and how. What you mean (I think) is that the term "classic banjo" is used to differentiate a certain way of playing from the way the banjo is played in bluegrass music..,, and.... and also a repertoire.....and a culture.....and more. Paragraph 2 *when* was it estimated that there were a certain number of banjos in NYC in a certain year? Then? Later? Recently? This is a confusing clause. Sweeney is mispelled. Minstrel is misspelled (as mistrel) I think you mean that people were exposed to banjos, not to "the banjos" or else that would mean the specific 10,000 alleged banjos. Another viable possibility is "exposed to the banjo". The generic meaning is then understood. It is not clear how the returning servicemen obtained the banjos they took home with them. One might infer that they were issued to them along with other weapons, The final sentence is ungrammatical and needs re-doing. Start of third paragraph: the stroke technique is not as described. OK, enough, Someone else take over please. …; Added by Jody Stecher at 4:32 on March 29, 2020

Comment on: Topic 'Le Banjo Gottschalk for Banjo': bably mean modulating to A major or C# minor, which are also a little more difficult to play in. Jody Stecher said: I have played music on the banjo in E major all my life. I'm wondering what Grimshaw's problem was with this key. I browsed through my dog-eared old copy of The Banjo and How To Play It. I noticed that there were no exercises in E major but I didn't find a statement about this key never being used for banjo composition. I'm sure it's there. And he's right: To the best of my recollection I have never seen printed banjo music in that key. I'm guessing Grimshaw's problem was the high g string which is an outlier, not part of the E major scale. But in spite of his pioneering activities in electric guitar production, Emil Grimshaw appears to not have been blues-aware. The g natural of the 5th string is part of an A7 chord and fits well in all inversions of that chord. It also may be used as a contrast with G sharp a half step higher, played on the 1st or 2nd string. Outside the blues genre, the 5th string also may be used in passages that move between E major and E minor. And it may be fingered in phrases in any major or minor key. Meanwhile the open B string is part of the E scale as the 5th of the tonic and the root of the dominant chord, the open D string is the crucial component that makes an E major chord an E7 chord, which is usable in just about every musical genre. The C string is useful as part of an A minor chord which makes a lovely contrast in the key of E major. This being the case I wonder why E major has been historically avoided in the classic banjo field. Richard William Ineson said: Hi Austin, You raise an interesting point when you say, "and why Mainland chose the key of C major for the banjo transcription." Choosing the right key when transcribing music written for another instrument for the banjo or writing original pieces for the instrument is a paramount consideration. Most people choose the obvious keys which suit the banjo best, C major/minor, G major, F major, Eb major, Ab major etc. Very occasionally somebody breaks the mould, Joe Morley wrote a movement in his 'Moonlight Revels' in E major (possibly as a response to Grimshaw's claim in his famous tutor book, that 'banjo music is never written in the key of E major') and Frank Lawes slips into Db major in his piece, 'En El Camino' a key which, if i remember correctly, Bill Ball used in one of his compositions. Speaking of Bill Ball, whom i used to visit at his home in Bristol, Bill having a sense of humour, once confided in me that he'd composed a new banjo piece which was pitched mainly in G major and was now working on it to lower its pitch to Gb major, because nobody had ever written a banjo tune in that key and 'to give people something to think about' I never saw the finished article so I don't know whether or not, it was worth playing. Going back to Gottschalk, 'Le Banjo' sounds fine on the piano, it would never strike me as being anything other than just 'another piano piece' of little consequence, and I would never consider learning to play it on the banjo, it just is not worth the time and effort. Austin said: I agree however I really like the piece. And arranging piano pieces for the banjo seems to be done a lot. Le banjo is actually very harmonically safe. Just F sharp or G flat fits pretty well on the piano, so that's probably why he chose that key and why Mainland chose the key of C major for the banjo transcription. …; Added by Sam Harris at 13:18 on March 19, 2025

Comment on: Topic 'Le Banjo Gottschalk for Banjo': urner's arrangement of 'Home Sweet Home' and yet others had Grimshaw's 'A Dusky Dandy' as a first solo. I will try to track down my original, much tattered, copy of this book, and I will scan and post, the page where it is stated that 'banjo music is never written in the key of E major'. This may take some time. Jody Stecher said: I have played music on the banjo in E major all my life. I'm wondering what Grimshaw's problem was with this key. I browsed through my dog-eared old copy of The Banjo and How To Play It. I noticed that there were no exercises in E major but I didn't find a statement about this key never being used for banjo composition. I'm sure it's there. And he's right: To the best of my recollection I have never seen printed banjo music in that key. I'm guessing Grimshaw's problem was the high g string which is an outlier, not part of the E major scale. But in spite of his pioneering activities in electric guitar production, Emil Grimshaw appears to not have been blues-aware. The g natural of the 5th string is part of an A7 chord and fits well in all inversions of that chord. It also may be used as a contrast with G sharp a half step higher, played on the 1st or 2nd string. Outside the blues genre, the 5th string also may be used in passages that move between E major and E minor. And it may be fingered in phrases in any major or minor key. Meanwhile the open B string is part of the E scale as the 5th of the tonic and the root of the dominant chord, the open D string is the crucial component that makes an E major chord an E7 chord, which is usable in just about every musical genre. The C string is useful as part of an A minor chord which makes a lovely contrast in the key of E major. This being the case I wonder why E major has been historically avoided in the classic banjo field. Richard William Ineson said: Hi Austin, You raise an interesting point when you say, "and why Mainland chose the key of C major for the banjo transcription." Choosing the right key when transcribing music written for another instrument for the banjo or writing original pieces for the instrument is a paramount consideration. Most people choose the obvious keys which suit the banjo best, C major/minor, G major, F major, Eb major, Ab major etc. Very occasionally somebody breaks the mould, Joe Morley wrote a movement in his 'Moonlight Revels' in E major (possibly as a response to Grimshaw's claim in his famous tutor book, that 'banjo music is never written in the key of E major') and Frank Lawes slips into Db major in his piece, 'En El Camino' a key which, if i remember correctly, Bill Ball used in one of his compositions. Speaking of Bill Ball, whom i used to visit at his home in Bristol, Bill having a sense of humour, once confided in me that he'd composed a new banjo piece which was pitched mainly in G major and was now working on it to lower its pitch to Gb major, because nobody had ever written a banjo tune in that key and 'to give people something to think about' I never saw the finished article so I don't know whether or not, it was worth playing. Going back to Gottschalk, 'Le Banjo' sounds fine on the piano, it would never strike me as being anything other than just 'another piano piece' of little consequence, and I would never consider learning to play it on the banjo, it just is not worth the time and effort. Austin said: I agree however I really like the piece. And arranging piano pieces for the banjo seems to be done a lot. Le banjo is actually very harmonically safe. Just F sharp or G flat fits pretty well on the piano, so that's probably why he chose that key and why Mainland chose the key of C major for the banjo transcription. …; Added by Richard William Ineson at 17:34 on March 19, 2025

Comment on: Topic 'Positions': 1 the octave string is No 5 The fingers are numbered thus: Left hand: Right hand Fingers not marked are "rarely" used. A few Notation Chord shapes are shown in these examples: (ignore the TABlature at the lower left of each shape as you are playing from the musical score) The thing to remember is that any of the shapes, 221, 421, 331 etc etc. can be played at any fret. BUT MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL is that the LH 1st finger of the chord shape (no matter what string it is on) goes on the fret number indicted by the position ie: So you can play a 221 right up the fingerboard and will be shown as eg. 13P 221 on the score. NOTE the numbers are written DOWNWARDS from the top string (1st). ....so from what we learn above, the 1st finger of the LH is at the 13th fret and the 2nd finger frets the 1st and second strings. Barre is shown in the same way ( normally barres are 111 chords) eg: A barre at the 5th A Barre is often played and then other fingers play a series of notes at that position while the barre is held on. The is notated as Position Barre eg 10PB 411 The most common shapes are available in a download I produced on the LEARN TO PLAY page. Cursor across the lesson thumbnails until you see "Playing by Numbers" (click this link) There you can download a PDF file containing the chord shapes and a couple of tutor books. …; Added by thereallyniceman at 15:29 on October 4, 2015

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