Zither banjo: starter songs/tabs?

[Bethany Dillon]

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 music, and that's completely fine by me! I'm more than happy to learn old folk on it, issue being- I'm not sure where to start with that. 

If anyone has any recommendations or resources I would love to know! 

Thank you all!

[Jody Stecher]

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 pleasant tone if played well  and with proper setup. Some will string a z-b entirely with nylon strings, and while this is not optimal for most tastes it is not the horrible sound that all metal gives. 

Use the search function on this site to find the usual gauges.

Zither-banjos were not built for folk music. The only well known folk singer who regularly used one to accompany her singing was Margaret Barry and she was never concerned with tone quality.  

Your particular specimen appears to be a lower model and the "vellum" (the skin) may be the worse for wear. Might be ok, I dunno.  Once set up well a zither-banjo can play music of many genres.  If by "modern music" you mean bluegrass, you are correct, this is not a suitable instrument for that.  Although a zither-banjo can play the same repertoire that a regular 5-string banjo from its era would play, there is also a  repertoire composed specifically for this instrument. The chief characteristic of this music is that it has three voices, corresponding to the three sounds of steel, gut/nylon, and a light metal winding over a very narrow metal core around which silk filaments have been wrapped.  It is when playing this repertoire that the zither-banjo excels. 

[Bethany Dillon]

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 as its a huge commitment money-wise otherwise. 

Would you mind pointing me in the direction of the 'right' music for this kind of banjo?

Jody Stecher said:

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 pleasant tone if played well  and with proper setup. Some will string a z-b entirely with nylon strings, and while this is not optimal for most tastes it is not the horrible sound that all metal gives. 

Use the search function on this site to find the usual gauges.

Zither-banjos were not built for folk music. The only well known folk singer who regularly used one to accompany her singing was Margaret Barry and she was never concerned with tone quality.  

Your particular specimen appears to be a lower model and the "vellum" (the skin) may be the worse for wear. Might be ok, I dunno.  Once set up well a zither-banjo can play music of many genres.  If by "modern music" you mean bluegrass, you are correct, this is not a suitable instrument for that.  Although a zither-banjo can play the same repertoire that a regular 5-string banjo from its era would play, there is also a  repertoire composed specifically for this instrument. The chief characteristic of this music is that it has three voices, corresponding to the three sounds of steel, gut/nylon, and a light metal winding over a very narrow metal core around which silk filaments have been wrapped.  It is when playing this repertoire that the zither-banjo excels. 

[IAN SALTER]

Hi Bethany,

I suggest that you download from the Banjo Tutor Books section at the top of the page, both the '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 start learning to play the zither banjo.

However, other members often recommend books that were published at a later date, citing an improved method of using the right hand fingers. 

In the video section of this forum, there are excellent recordings made by members playing a zither banjo. Most of them are renditions of tunes written by Cammeyer and represent the repertory specifically for the instrument, as Jody explained. However, as he also mentioned, any of the tunes written in the late nineteenth century and onwards, that could be considered standards for the ordinary banjo, are fine on the zither banjo.

Do you read notation?

[Bethany Dillon]

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 likely, try transpose it to tabs

[Jody Stecher]

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.

Bethany Dillon said:

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 as its a huge commitment money-wise otherwise. 

Would you mind pointing me in the direction of the 'right' music for this kind of banjo?

Jody Stecher said:

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 pleasant tone if played well  and with proper setup. Some will string a z-b entirely with nylon strings, and while this is not optimal for most tastes it is not the horrible sound that all metal gives. 

Use the search function on this site to find the usual gauges.

Zither-banjos were not built for folk music. The only well known folk singer who regularly used one to accompany her singing was Margaret Barry and she was never concerned with tone quality.  

Your particular specimen appears to be a lower model and the "vellum" (the skin) may be the worse for wear. Might be ok, I dunno.  Once set up well a zither-banjo can play music of many genres.  If by "modern music" you mean bluegrass, you are correct, this is not a suitable instrument for that.  Although a zither-banjo can play the same repertoire that a regular 5-string banjo from its era would play, there is also a  repertoire composed specifically for this instrument. The chief characteristic of this music is that it has three voices, corresponding to the three sounds of steel, gut/nylon, and a light metal winding over a very narrow metal core around which silk filaments have been wrapped.  It is when playing this repertoire that the zither-banjo excels. 

[Joel Hooks]

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 read the music in the book. 

Bethany Dillon said:

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 likely, try transpose it to tabs

[IAN SALTER]

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 are structured progressively to that end.  

[IAN SALTER]

Joel beat me to it, just as I was typing my reply. 

[Bethany Dillon]

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 books and it seems simple to follow- I know what I'll be doing this weekend. 

Thanks again to all for the help!

[IAN SALTER]

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.

[IAN SALTER]

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 should be ideal. As it appears to be available in two heights, get the one that is similar to the one on your banjo, that is assuming the current string height is correct. Use the search facility to find out more about that subject.

If you can manage it, some more photos would be appreciated.

[Jody Stecher]

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 Morley bridge is a good option for that,  For zither-banjo repertoire and style  longer sustain is desirable and the wood-topped bridge provides that.  Fortunately banjo bridges are relatively inexpensive and a player can try different things and decide for herself. 

IAN SALTER said:

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 should be ideal. As it appears to be available in two heights, get the one that is similar to the one on your banjo, that is assuming the current string height is correct. Use the search facility to find out more about that subject.

If you can manage it, some more photos would be appreciated.