Comment by Rob MacKillop on May 13, 2019 at 8:59

Oh, I forgot to mention the warm and fuzzy filter! Where would I be without it!

Comment by thereallyniceman on May 13, 2019 at 9:32

Ah, you admit it... what are your settings so I can sound like that ;-)

Comment by Rob MacKillop on May 13, 2019 at 9:33

I'm embarrassed to admit it publicly, but I eat Muppet dolls for breakfast....

Comment by thereallyniceman on May 13, 2019 at 9:38

That explains it all..Warm and Fozzie?

Comment by Rob MacKillop on May 13, 2019 at 9:45

Exactly. There you have it: the secret of the MacKillop tone!

Comment by Rob MacKillop on May 13, 2019 at 11:14

All joking and ranting aside, I seem to get more of the fundamental note than the upper partials or higher harmonics, which might well account for what Ian thinks is bass enhancement. I like that fundamental sound, and seek it out on all my instruments. It's there in the banjo, you just have to find it - if you want it. Not everyone does. But I've developed my technique to bring out the fundamental, rather than use digital effects. I'm aware it's not the usual way of playing a banjo, and that it seems to upset some people, but it's still just the flesh of the fingers on the strings. 

Comment by Trapdoor2 on May 13, 2019 at 14:00

Doesn't upset me at all...but I am shocked about the muppets. I mean, over here they are regarded as lunch fare only. I prefer them with a Diet Coke and chips ('fries' here).

I think the old guys would smile to themselves and whisper about your fingernails. Then they would write a letter to BMG either extolling your virtues or damning them. No middle ground! ;-)

I'm just talking out of my hat, but your attack is soft and your stroke is just that much deeper than most people. I think you have just a little more dwell time on the string and it doesn't so much get plucked as it is allowed to roll off your fingers. You also tend to play quite far from the bridge, which allows you to access deeper points of the string's swing. It all adds up to a more mellow sound that literally damps out the harshness we usually hear from the ZB.

It really helps that you are coming from outside the banjo (and certainly the ZB) culture. You are creating sound that pleases you. This is a good thing, in my mind. It really accentuates the broad palette that is the banjo.

Comment by Rob MacKillop on May 13, 2019 at 14:31

Cheers, Marc. You are right, Cammeyer promoted a composite stroke of flesh and nail, the flesh to give the warmth, the nail to aid clarity and projection. That's how most classical guitarists play today - in fact it was outlined by Dionisio Aguado in the early 19th century, but it was not universally loved at the time, especially by my hero, Fernando Sor, a flesh-only advocate. 

But most banjo players do not play that way on either banjo or zither banjo. And neither do I. 

You say "your stroke is just that much deeper than most people. I think you have just a little more dwell time on the string and it doesn't so much get plucked as it is allowed to roll off your fingers. You also tend to play quite far from the bridge, which allows you to access deeper points of the string's swing. It all adds up to a more mellow sound that literally damps out the harshness we usually hear from the ZB."

I couldn't have described my technique better myself! Ellis and others promote playing near the rim or fretboard end when playing  zb, but near the bridge when playing a banjo. They were not meant to sound the same! So anyone who gets the same sound on both instruments should think on that. 

And your insightful comment that I dwell longer on the string is exactly what I do. It's hard to see, but I push the string down before releasing it out away from the head. What I don't do is hit it from above. Think more of a bow and arrow technique, pull (or push) and release. 

Now, I'm fairly certain no banjo method book has promoted this technique, but it's the way I play, and have done so for decades. Even if I wanted to change, I couldn't. And I don't. 

But does this mean I don't play banjo or zb "properly"? Some say yes, some no. What I do know is that I've turned quite a number of people on to the banjo who had previously rejected it. I say that without ego. Put another, coarser way, there's more than one way to skin a cat...or play catgut on a calf skin!

Comment by Daniel PEARCE on January 4, 2020 at 16:49

I think it's a beautiful and highly inspiring sound!

Comment by Rob MacKillop on January 21, 2020 at 14:58

Thanks, Daniel. Much appreciated.

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