The higher in pitch your banjo head is set at will give your banjo a brighter tone. There has been fretless banjolins too, but they are rare. It takes a pretty stout tap with my index finger to hear the tone. Covers both top and bottom head tuning. That’s because Irish music has taken up the banjo quite readily. Designed in The Bay of Islands, New Zealand, its sound will brighten any occasion & certainly raise the level of enthusiasm among other players. Banjo strings in a normal G-tuning from fifth string to first string are G4, D3, G3, B3, D4, or 392, 147, 196, 246, 311 Hertz respectively. Banjo, guitar, bass, orchestral, folks and ethnic instruments. These days, a tuner is pretty much an essential accessory to carry with you wherever you take your banjo. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. It also means that you may end up breaking a lot of A strings. That increases the “punch” and volume of the tenor banjo. The higher G string gives the ukulele its unique sound, bright with tight chord voicings. All Rights Reserved. It’s generally better to use one of them rather than transpose this tuning onto a tenor banjo. Is tuning a banjo really worth it? GDAE mirrors the tuning of that classic Irish instrument, the fiddle. Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. If someone cant hear it they may tell you its a myth but Those who can hear it can tell you different. Learn easy chords for tenor banjo in standard tuning (CGDA). We keep many sizes and types of banjo heads in stock and can get them to you quickly. Edited by - Nosferatu on 01/17/2010 14:18:03. I've not touched the tension since I bought it 18 months ago. 'Aquila Nylgut 7B Minstrel Strings Discontinued?' Does it actually exist? The top strings are tuned pretty high, meaning that they’re under a lot of tension. The mandolin-banjo is a hybrid instrument, combining a banjo body with the neck and tuning of a mandolin or violin (depending on whether fretted or not and how many strings it has). !Once you get a plastic head dialed in it may not need tinkered with for a year or more. I can tell you for sure its a fact, and its not a matter of opinion. Just listen to the laid-back sound of Eddy Davis playing Duke Ellington: CGDA tuning also happens to make a lot of flat keys easy to play in. This tuning is the same as the Irish fiddle – just an octave lower. Irish Tenor Banjo Tuning The banjo is primarily used in traditional Irish music as a melody instrument. However, it is also well-suited to Irish music. The high first string However, this tuning has not one but two strings tuned high enough that breakage is an issue. I'm just not so sure there is anything as a set note that works best. tenorbanjo mensure is 57.5 cm Yes, you can tap tune a synthetic banjo head to a certain pitch, and I suppose you can tap tune a skin head. Bronx banjo - Posted - 01/20/2010: 15:15:54. Tenor banjos have four strings and a … It’s used by Earl Scruggs on songs like ‘Reuben’. 2 hrs. BadTaco - Posted - 01/18/2010: 06:26:08. I KNOW the sound I'm after, and I tighten the head until I achieve THAT sound. Nosferatu - Posted - 01/17/2010: 14:11:21. Resonator off. How to quickly tune a banjo head with a Drumdial, perfectly matching each lug point. El Dobro - Posted - 01/17/2010: 14:24:46, Studebaker Hawk - Posted - 01/17/2010: 17:14:21. We recommend a head pressure of 88 to 89 with the Analog Drum Dial readings and 90 to 91 with the Digital Drum Dial head tension meter. All have plastic heads.By the way, tuning a head to F through G# doesn't require a lot of tightness, and I'm pretty sure a well made, well put-on skin head could probably achieve the same tone. And they’ll certainly be familiar to any ukulele players. Other Banjo-Related Topics Thats where the confusion comes in with 'tap tuning'. I compare the scratched head note with a note from the banjo(1st string 6th fretfor instance) which in my case is G#.You could compare it to a piano note or the audible tone from a tuner,if so equiped.I don't have any success tuning the head with a tuner...just by listening.It's a lot like identifying the note you hear when you tap a piece of wood.It takes a little patience and practice to hear it.Tapping the removed resonator and identifying that note is good ear practice...and a bit frustrating til learned. You also get a lower range than CGDA, with a nice growl on the low G string. If you can't pick...The note of the head dosen't mean Pooh. I can use this number to keep it at the same tension. from $44.90 (26) More Options » Five-Star Banjo Tuning Pegs. There was a clear peak at G#. Tuning to a note isn't the initial goal.When you carefully fine tune the head tension on your banjo by ear and feeland get it just the way you like it,you can then identify the tension by eithermatching the tapped note to an audible tone or check it with a drum dial.The importance of finding that head note or tension is so that you can thendo something major and remove that head for whatever reason.When it comes time to tighten the head again you can just zip right to that note or dial number and be right where you like the tone without having to find it by ear and feel again.It's a handy little trick that lets you come in under the flat rate. The book is well worth the $17.00. Since the tenor guitar was originally designed for tenor banjo players, it makes sense that the most traditional tenor guitar tuning is C, G, D, A, although G, D, A, E is also popular. While CGDA is technically the standard tenor banjo tuning, you may end up running into GDAE more when you meet other players. Kenneth Logsdon - Posted - 01/18/2010: 08:37:25. It’s certainly a great option for any ukulele player who wants a banjo sound without having to learn new fingerings. I don't know enough about it yet to weigh in on the debate, but I am wondering HOW you guys are doing this. Using the torque wench lets me know the tension of the head in kg/cm, when it sounds the best. Just becouse you can't hear it, doesnt mean its a myth,sheesh. ‘To you,’ being the operative words here. It gets rid of the pinky reach for the high B that troubles some Irish tenor banjo players, especially those with small hands. Banjo ukuleles are smaller than tenor banjos, and are commonly available. Other Banjo-Related Topics Over 40 years later, we’ve grown into one of the world’s most respected sellers of new, used, and vintage fretted instruments.Learn more I'm going for the "it aint broke so dont fix it approach". Inversely, if you tighten the head, it will raise the action of the strings just a bit. I "sort of" think I'm tuning it, but maybe I'm just fooling myself.On the other hand, I can't seem to get any note out of my VEGA Earl Scruggs model no matter what I do, nor does it seem to make much difference.I tap usually with the bridge on the and the strings tuned at pitch. As a result, Irish banjo players typically tune their strings to GDAE. Replacement Planetary Banjo Tuning Pegs Replace or upgrade a set of 5 banjo tuners, a set of 4 Banjo Pegs or just one planet banjo peg. The part that the drum head stretches across and that the neck connects to has a number of names: "pot," "body," "shell," etc. However, I don't know if it can be as tight as a synthetic head. The head tension also affects the playability because a looser head will allow the bridge to sink into the head more, thus causing the string height (commonly referred to as "the action" of the strings) to be lower. In this tuning, if you strum the banjo without fretting any strings you will be playing a D chord. The plectrum banjo is a whole different instrument, with a longer scale length and more frets. 1 0,025 G3 wounded, phosofor brons I occasionally fool with tightening and loosening the head just to see how it effects the tone and I got it to where I thought it sounded good. Il est le plus étroitement associé au bluegrass et à la musique folk, mais peut être employé pour jouer la plupart des styles de la musique. I don't use Roger's way,I'm just concerned with the tension of the head itself.I leave the resonator on and just damp the strings and lightly scratch the head and check the matching note on the banjo.It takes a couple of seconds. Thanks for all the comments...I learned a lot! For instance I can tap the head and hum the note, and then find the note on the banjo and it taps to a G#, I can go back a hour later, tap it, hum the note then find it on the banjo, its still a g#. I've settled on G+ I guess, on my 3 flat head Mastertones. This one is a variation on the traditional jazz tuning. And Nosferatu (Hugh) is correct: how tight you adjust the head to achieve the sound YOU'RE after depends on the particular banjo you're holding. Irish players often tune their tenor banjos also in fifths, but one octave below a violin/mandolin (G, D, A, E). The tight spacing also gives chords a richer sound, with closer harmonies. This helps to eliminate unwanted overtones and it gives me a little warmer tone. Start at 12 and move to 6; go clockwise then counter clockwise. Accurate and easy banjo head tension adjustments. Tap tuning isn't the 'goal', but a means to get a reference point so that you can find what tension suits your banjo best and then use that tapped tone to keep it there. With GDAE tuning, popular folk music keys like G, D, C, and A are easy to play in. I'm experimenting with an older foreign made banjo using his techniques and have found that the journey of learning is quite a trip. Still, they can be fun to experiment with if you have an extra banjo or two lying around. 3 0,012 E4 plain steel This does give small hands an easier reach up to high B. from $16.00 (13) More Options: Plating » Waverly Banjo Tuning Pegs. Tune it to G# and you'll get a brighter sound. I think everyone's hands produces a different tone even on the same banjo and tiny little things affect the overall tone, so everything has to be tweaked to get it where you want it. Edited by - Banjophobic on 01/18/2010 09:19:32, 17rb100 - Posted - 01/18/2010: 08:25:05. The low, deep sound of the “Irish tuned" tenor banjo is … Banjo terminology varies among player communities, so you might see or hear things called differently. Just listen to the laid-back sound of … It’s also less symmetrical than the fifths tunings, making transposing a little harder. For what it's worth I have always been a bit sceptical about the G# thing and could never get anything consistent from any of my tuners. Roger Siminoff's book "How To Set Up the Best Sounding Banjo" goes into quite a bit of detail on adjusting head tension along with tuning the sound chamber [ the air chamber as it involves the distance of the resonator to the rim]. Meant to say "tune a banjo head." Weekly newsletter includes free lessons, favorite member content, banjo news and more. I can't agree with Ken's findings because I clearly hear the note change asI tighten or loosen the head.If I couldn't hear the note clearly,I wouldn't be ableto consistently repeat my favorite tone from my banjo...that tone that I initiallyfound by zeroing in on it by ear and feel.When I search out all the full bodied tone I can find in my banjo,it has a certain balance in its notes all over the neck and a set of overtones that fill out the regular notes and create a bigger(phatter) sound.I've always been able to find that result by ear and there's nothing wrong with that approach,but tuning to a pre-planned tension lands you right in the center of the bull's eye of your favorite banjo tone with all of its fullness and richness of overtones in one fell swoop.I like it for troubleshooting.If I find something I don't like about the tone,I always scratch the head and check the note,first.A lot of issues are related to head tension such asBuzzesbridge sagpreferred toneanemic when playing with others,etc.Finding that headnote low and bringing it back where it should be cures these problems most of the time.That note and maintaining a .015 relief at the seventh fret earn my banjo alot of praise in the tone department.And it's always the same tone. If you’re buying used, these modifications may already have been done. I could not hear it for a long time but i just kept trying. It can also contrast nicely with a standard-tuned banjo. Banjo Head Tuning using a DrumDial. Refine Results. This has made it popular beyond Irish music, especially with mandolin players looking for a different sound. Yes, I find that tuning the flat head Gibson Mastertone (and the ilk) works, and can change tone/volume.However, I can't "hear it" on an archtop Mastertone as well by any means. Banjophobic - Posted - 01/18/2010: 07:37:54. Nosferatu - Posted - 01/17/2010: 12:45:06. http://www.janetdavismusic.com/head_tension.html, banjobilly32 - Posted - 01/17/2010: 13:52:41. According to Geoff Stelling, his banjos should be tensioned to 91 on a drum dial. The fifths tuning means that you really only need to learn a handful of chord shapes, which you can move up, down, and the neck to give you any chords you need. If you tune it to G then you're going to increase the sympathetic overtones. Other folks put their own spin on it. Its only a frame of reference. He used a dulcimer hammer to tap tune the head, always striking the head in the same position (G was his starting point). F#, D, F#, A, D. E Tuning. If using a dial or torque wrench if you use a thicker head it will have to be tighter to achieve the same pitch just as heavier gauge strings will be much tighter to get a 440 pitch. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright 2021 Banjo Hangout. Higher-tension strings and fiddling with the tension on the head can fix some of those issues. The tenor banjo first gained popularity in jazz. I agree that its importatnt so yo ucan dial the banjo back in if need be. I agree with Arthur! The lower in pitch will give your banjo a darker/less bright tone. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/168390, tombriarhopper - Posted - 01/17/2010: 11:53:31. Remember that C, G, D, and A are the strings of the tenor banjo, meaning it is tuned exactly one fifth below a violin. If you have ever tuned a violin, the method for tuning the tenor banjo will not be new to you and you may be able to do it by ear. If using a dial or torque wrench if you use a thicker head it will have to be tighter to achieve the same pitch just as heavier gauge strings will be much tighter to get a 440 pitch. However, the low tuning does often sound muddy or hollow on the tenor banjo. Tuning Machines + Parts (12) Plating. As an added note, Tom Nechville has an excellent booklet out on tunning the banjo. from $126.62 (68) More Options » Bracket Hex Wrench. The Drum Dial is the way to go for the most accurate and easy banjo head tension adjustments. Le banjo de 5 cordes est connu pour sa curieuse cinquième corde qui se fixe à mi-chemin de cou. If you can tap tune, you put the tension where you like it and then tap to find out where that tension is, for future reference. It will loose all volume if not! The most famous example is the tuning on most ukuleles, gCEA. Amber (3) Black (4) Cream (3) Ebony (3) Ivoroid (3) Ivory (1) Pearloid (2) Brand. There is no specific pitch that is correct. I remember taking a class at the 2006 Midwest Banjo Camp on Banjo Tuning taught by Joe Conklin (head of Elderly Instrument Repair Shop). I dont have perfect pitch so the odds of me humming the same note everytime I try it is astronomical. While it makes melody playing much harder, the closer harmonies can work nicely for chord strumming. While the banjo is usually stereotyped as an upbeat instrument, it’s remarkably versatile. This relates to the tenor banjo because standard tuning for a tenor banjo is tuned the same as a viola/mandola (C, G, D, A). This has the added benefit of a shorter scale, making melody playing even easier. It definitely varies from one banjo to another. This is the idea behind a popular re-entrant tuning for guitar, the so-called “Nashville tuning.” The bottom four strings are all tuned up an octave, and it’s usually played with another guitar in standard tuning. Overall, though, most tenor banjo strummers look to other, higher tunings like CGDA or Chicago tuning. A drum dial is used by many to know the tension they are looking for. Then I pointed a microphone at my OB250 and used the spectrum analyser in "Audacity" which has an option to show musical notes rather than frequency. Make of that what you will. D Tuning. What matters most is that you find the spot where you like it. The skin head would drive you to drink!! Weatherking Banjo Head. Congratulations on your purchase of one of the most fun instruments you can own. I know, new guy question. Goldstarman - Posted - 01/18/2010: 06:06:07. edweber - Posted - 01/17/2010: 12:02:44, Yes, in my opinion tuning the head is worth it, it does exist and really works.
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