TIP OF THE DAY
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February 1, 2005
ATTENTION LEFT-HANDED PLAYERS: If you play the banjo left handed and string it for a left handed person, you can still use any Universal Encyclopedia of Banjo Chords! (If you you hold the banjo out in from of you facing the fret board and if the bass strings are on the right side of the neck, then you have the banjo strung for a left hander!) You can also use this same technique for banjo solos with the chord fingering diagrams over the melody note and other instruction books with fingering diagrams.
Now most chord encyclopedias are written for the right handed person. So here is what you have to do to read the left-handed fingering diagrams. Find the chord you are interested in, turn the book upside down and place a mirror in front of the chord you need. You will see the chord as you, the left hander, would finger the chord. The chord name will be backwards, but the fingering positions on the strings will be correct!
March 1, 2002
This tip is for beginners in particular. When learning to strum a song start playing the song with 1st position chords (near the nut). Next, learn to play the same song with the 1st inversion of the same chords or the 2nd position chords. Next, learn to play the song using the 2nd inversions of the 1st position chords or the chords in the 3rd position (near the middle of the neck). You can go on to 3rd inversions etc. By this time you will have learned the position of several chords at several spots on the neck. For example, if you started with a C chord at the 2nd fret, then used the 1st inversion of that chord, you would now play the C chord at the 5th fret (2nd position). For the 2nd inversion (3rd position) you would be playing the C chord at the 10 fret. As a result of this type of practicing you should now know the C chord at the 2nd fret, 5th fret and the 10th fret and similarily for the other chords in the song.
February 16, 2001
Here's an excellent tip for banjo players that have to stand up or stroll to play. I've had to do a lot of strolling in recent times. If you look on page 14 in my book "How To Play The Plectrum Banjo", you will see a picture of one method of holding the banjo while standing. I use a folded towel to place the banjo at the proper angle for me. I'm used to playing sitting down. There you can adjust the angles just right, but when you are standing or strolling using a strap to hold the banjo, it is sometimes very difficult or awkward to play. The folded towel comes unfolded or moves and the next thing you know you are spending more time adjusting the towel than you are playing!
Here's the solution! Use a "Bum Bag" or a "Belly Bag" stuffed with plastic bags. It's one of those little leather purses you put your valuables in and clip it around your waist. It doesn't move or come unfolded when you stand or stroll! I use one when I'm wearing a tuxedo to put my car keys, comb and other valuables in when playing to eliminate those ugly bulges. I just never thought of using it while strolling! This excellent "Tip Of The Day" came from Mrs. Tina Haggis and Mr. Tony Haggis of Malaga, Spain. Thank you for sharing this neat idea with me and now, hopefully the rest of the banjo world!!
P. S. If you have a neat banjo playing idea or solution to a problem or just a helpful hint, please write, e-mail or let me know so we can share it with the rest of the banjo community!
10 Jan. 2001
Protect your Banjo! First off, don't put the banjo in the back of your van, if you drive a van. I know it is so easy to lift the hatch and lay it in the back of the van. What happens to your banjo if you get rear-ended? This happend to a friend of mine, Mr. Glenn Parks of the Showboat Connection. Luckily his banjo was up between the front and the back seats. the rear end of the van was pushed up to the back of the back seat. His banjo came off with out a scratch! If it had of been settin in the back of the van, it would have been destroyed! Second, the same thing applies if you put the banjo in the trunk of your car. What happens if you are rear-ended? Get the point? In addition, the banjo is very susceptible to temperature variations. Temperature fluctuations can really play havoc with a banjo. The banjo should not be over heated by being place in the trunk of a car in the summer when it is hot. Likewise, it should not be left in the trunk of the car to get cold in the winter.
30 Oct. 2000
"PICK SLAP" AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT -- It's really amazing! I had two e-mail messages about this subject on the same night, one from Colorado (Mr. Ray Bubick) and Washington (Dr. Bob Mims). I have discussed this subject with several of my banjo playing friends, and here are the conclusions we have reached. These are suggestions you should try if you are plagued with this problem. You can find out if you have the problem of "pick slap" by using a mute on the bridge of you banjo. It is a very annoying snap of the pick on the head of the banjo during a strum. Normally you don't hear this noise in the normal strumming of the banjo, but it is there, and if you put a mic on the banjo you will again hear the noise from the "pick slap." Many banjo players don't know they have the problem or can't hear the noise.
Here are four things to try. FIRST, try using a little heavier pick. What I think happens is the pick bends as you are strumming down the strings, then it starts to straighten out after it passes the strings and as it returns to the neutral position it touches or snap on the head. A heavier pick will not bend as much and should reduce the effect. SECOND, try holding the pick lightly and pick with what I call a "feather touch." THIRD, (this is from Dr. Bob Mims) adjust the angle of the banjo on your lap. If the bottom of the banjo is away out toward your knee, bring it back toward your tummy a bit. This will change the angle of the banjo head; making it more perpendidular. Thus, the angle of attack of the pick is changed. This means that you are less likely to hit the head of the banjo with the pick. If you can't keep the banjo at this slightly steeper angle, try using one of my "Dynamic Dual Function 'Don Ferguson' Banjo Stabilizers." A thin rubber "jar opener" or a piece of man-made chamois placed on your thigh where you rest the banjo will solve the banjo slipping problem. FOURTH, (This come from Mr. Neil Jackson) stiffen, just a tad, the fingers of you right hand that normally touch the head during strumming. This will tend to raise the pick just a fraction, and again causes the pick to miss the head of the banjo while strumming. Let me know what works best for you! Thanks.
Sept. 21, 2000
Today we're going to analyze the song "Mame" in the key of C. The version I have has a lot of Major 7th's, minor 7th's, and minor 6th's. Acceptable banjo chord substitutions are for:
a. Am7 use C
b. Am6 use D7
c. Dm7 use F
d. Dm6 use G7
e. C6 use Am
f. Cmaj7 use Em.
These substitutions can't always be made, but in many songs they really add a nice sound with easier chord shapes for beginners.
(This "Tip of the Day" comes from a reminder from Mr. Raymond L. Dillon of Lewiston, PA, with many thanks!)
August 2, 2000
Several people have been interested in playing the banjo left-handed. What they want to know is, are there chord books out there with left-handed chords? The answer is, to date, no. However, there are at least two ways to find the proper left-handed chords from an ordinary chord book. First, turn the book upside down like you were giving it to someone standing in front of you to read. Next, place a mirror in front of the chord diagram you are interested in and look at its image in the mirror. That's the left-hander chord! Second, make a transparency of the chord diagram with a copy machine, then flip the transparency over. Again, there's the left-hander chord! This second idea came from Mr. Bill Steinbach at bill@banjo.n9cg.ampr.org.
July 5, 2000
After a show, gig, jam session or a rehearsal when you reach home, don't leave your banjo in it's case! Take it out and put it in or on a banjo stand. That way you can get to the banjo very easy. If an idea comes to you, you can work it out easily with the banjo. If the banjo is still in the case, you'll think, "Oh, I can do that later when I sit down to practice." Wrong! You will, perhaps, forget the idea by then.
If you watch alot of TV, keep a banjo handy by your easy chair. It's amazing how much practice you can do during the commercials! It might be easier on the family if you use a mute during the commercials.
June 11, 2000
Another simple way to tell the Key of a song is to look at the very last note in the song! If the song is in the Key of C, nine times out of the the song will end on a C note. If the song is in the Key of F, ths song most likely will end on an F note. If the song doesn't end on that note, the song may be written in the relative minor Key. An example of this is the song Swanee. The first part of the song, or verse, looks, from the Key Signature, like the song was written in the Key of Ab. However, look at the note at the end of the first section. It is an F. F is the relative minor of the Key of Ab. Therefore the first part or verse of the song was written in the Key of Fm, not Ab!
May 29, 2000
This may be an old "wives tale," but I've heard that WD40 is good for relieving arthritis pain! See "Tip of the Day" for 4-16-99!
May 5, 2000
This tip is for the Guitar Tuned Plectrum Banjo. There is an advantage of tuning the banjo to C - F - A - D. For this tuning any C chord or any F chord can be fingered by three fingers on three strings leaving the bass string open. You can strum all 4 strings. Thus, you only have 3 things to think about and only 3 things to do! This is just a little help in playing faster. The chord names will all be different, but you can get used to that very quickly. It's just a transposition. For example, an F chord now becomes an Eb Chord and a G chord now becomes an F chord. Try it you might like it!
April 4, 2000
This is sort of a safety tip for you banjo. You should always identify your banjo case just as you do with your luggage when you are flying. A little story: I was attending a FIGA Convention in Chicago, IL several years ago and we had the opportunity to do a show at a local mall. There were about 50 of us banjo players there. The mandolin orchestra had just finished and was coming off stage. We got our banjo out of their cases in back of the stage and went on stage and did an hour show. After the show we went in back of the stage to get our cases for the bus ride back to the hotel, and there wasn't a banjo case in sight! We all started to panic. A little old lady away down the hall said, "I've got your cases down here!" Sure enough down the hall in a little room there were all of the banjo cases all lined up neatly in a row. Now the question was which one was mine. THEY ALL LOOKED ALIKE! I hated to start opening cases to see which one was mine. "Oops! Sorry, that one's not mine!" Just which one was it. I swore I would know my banjo case from then on. Have you seen my banjo case! I can now recognized it in a crowd of hundreds. With duck tape, stickers chewing gum, string and masking tape it may draw your attention to the banjo, but which one would someone steal --mine or the tooled leather case from mexico!
March 2, 2000
This is a safety tip for your banjo. ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS, make sure that two of the clips on banjo case are fastened. Do this whether your banjo is in the case or not. If it is not in the case, make sure that two of the clips are fastened. It's like wearing a seat belt in a car. I've seen several banjo necks and resonators broken because the lid of the case came open when the person picked up the case, thinking that it was all fastened. If you make a habit of this tip, it will save a lot of "wear and tear" on your banjo! Guaranteed!
Feb. 3, 2000
Always carry an extra set of banjo strings with you. Don't leave them in your banjo case. If you are on stage and break a string, what are you going to do? Carry them in your pocket or in your music book.
Case in point. I was doing a show with the Kettering Banjo Society and the 25 of us were on a crowded stage. I broke a string. You can't play on the other three strings, because now the banjo is out of tune. It is out of tune because of the reduced tension on the tail piece. Being one the the lead banjo players I had to get a new string on the banjo in a hurry. I had a set of strings in my banjo case, but I couldn't move because of the crowded conditions on stage. Luckily my good friend next to me had a set of strings in his pocket. I changed the string while the band was doing the next song (a vocal) and a couple of jokes. I checked the tuning and was ready to play by the following number. I now have an extra set of strings in my case and my music book!
4-27-99
I just returned from the Great Lakes International Banjo (GLIB) Convention. I observed something. Banjo players who use suspenders with their band's uniform have a problem! The suspenders keep slipping off their shoulders! I have a solution to this problem. Move the little brass triangular piece, where the suspenders cross in the middle of your back, up to a point between your shoulder blades. This will eliminate the slipping!
If the suspenders are sewn at the cross-over point or has a leather piece there, sew a half-inch strip of elastic about 6 or 7 inches long at a point just across your shoulder blades.
These solutions will make wearing suspenders much more comfortable, and you won't miss a beat by hitching up your suspenders all the time!
4-16-99
A question was asked on the 4-string chat site about fret board lubricants. Eddy Peabody used a light weight machine oil like 3-in-1 oil. I've been told that that really played havoc with the wood in the neck.
My banjo teacher and maker, the late Bob Woodmansee, used Vaseline Hair Tonic (about three small drops) for a while. The contents of Vaseline Hair Tonic are mineral oil and a fragrance. It really makes the banjo smell good. However, he seemed to think that after playing for a while the strings began to squeak as his fingers slid up and down the fret board.
The best solution to the fret board lubrication problem was solved by using WD40 . This was suggested by Rocky Ball of Atlanta, GA at a FIGA workshop in the early '80's. Rocky had used WD40 for several years. He had a small can of it setting on the podium, and someone asked what the WD40 was for. He said that the can said it "Frees Sticky Mechanisms"! When you're playing the banjo you need all the help you can get.
Bob experimented using WD40 with various woods and inlay materials. This research lasted for several years. We could find no adverse affect on the materials. I have used WD40 for 12 years. I sprayed WD40 on a rag that I keep in an empty Fringerease can . Before starting to play I rub the rag over the fret board and a quick swipe down the back of the neck. I can see no problem with the wood or abalone and mother of pearl. I also find that I eliminate a lot of the squeaking as my fingers slide up and down the fret board.
3-22-99
If you study the cycle of fifths, you will find that the relative minor of any chord is at 90 degrees from where you started. For example, the relative minor of C is Am; the relative minor of F is Dm; the relative minor of G is Em. Find these chords on the neck of your banjo and learn the shapes of the chord and it's relative minor. Again, for example, the F chord at the 7th fret and the Dm chord at the 7th fret are related. This is the same as the G chord at the 9th fret and the Em chord at the 9th fret, or the Eb chord at the 5th fret and the Cm chord at the 5th fret. Do you see the relationship of the relative minor to the root chord?
2-17-99
A study of any chord chart will show you that there are 3 notes in a major chord. They are the 1st, 3rd, and 5th degrees of the scale. Now just what does this mean. For example, if we write out the C-Scale, we have
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 <---Degrees of the scale
C D E F G A B C
Therefore, a C chord is made up of the notes:
C E G
These note can be arranged in three ways:
C E G, or
E G C, or
G C E, or
C E G and we are back where we started.
Thus, for a C major Chord there are three Shapes or Forms for that chord.
The same principal can be applied to the minor chord, the augmented chord, the dominant 7th or just plain 7th chords (here now, with the 7th chords, we have 4 notes and thus four shapes, because the notes can be arranged in four different ways), and lastly the diminished 7th chords.
If we sum up all these shapes, we have a total of 12 Shapes. Try this on your banjo. With these 12 shapes you can play 95% of the songs you will run into. Remember all augmented chord have only one form, as do the diminished 7th.
For a beginner banjo player this is good news! He or She need only memorize 12 grips with the left hand and they can play most songs!
Now, granted they may have to move those shapes up and down the fret board to play a song, but they only need 12 shapes!
08-12-98 FIGA
If you play a fretted instrument, you should become a member of the Fretted Instrument Guild Of America (FIGA), a non- profit organization (http://www.frettedinstrumentguildofamerica.org). FIGA was founded on May 31, 1957 to promote, foster, encourage, and stimulate interest in fretted musical instruments. Whether it is 1 string, 2 strings, 3 strings or more, this organization is for you! With your membership, you will receive a bimonthly magazine which will keep you informed about activities concerning your particular instrument. Techniques and musical theory are discussed in many articles. There are articles about your favorite artist, a page from the past, songs and solos for the plectrum banjo, tenor banjo, guitar tuned banjo, mandolin, and guitar. The latest releases from the artists and other bands are reviewed. Many of the reviewed records, video tapes , cassettes and CD's are available from the Showboat Connection (http://www.showboatconnection.com).
7-27-98 NON SLIP AIDES
I've just been reviewing a video tape of the concerts at the Midwinter Banjorama this past March in Springfield, OH. I couldn't believe my eyes. Several very good banjo players that have played for years on stage had a problem. The banjo kept slipping on their laps. They would grab hold, either with the right hand or the left hand, and move the banjo back into position. This really affected their performance both in timing and smoothness of presentation. (Besides that, it made me nervous!) What a shame that they hadn't read my book, Section D.4. You can keep the banjo from sliding off your lap by using a small piece of thin rubber like that which is used to twist the lids off of hard to open jars. Just place the rubber piece on your left thigh and sit the left side of the banjo on the rubber. The thin rubber jar lid openers come in a variety of colors. Alternately, you can use a piece of "man made" chamois. It usually comes in a two square foot piece, and you can cut the size you want with a regular pair of scissors. This is illustrated in my book on page 18, Figure 12.
6-20-98
Tuning The Banjo:
If the batteries in your tuner go bad and there is no piano available, go to the nearest telephone! Life up the receiver and listen. You will hear a dial tone. That dial tone is, in most parts of the country, tuned to the standard 440 cycles or a standard "A" note. Now place your finger just behind the 7th fret of the first string and tune that string to the dial tone. You have just tuned the first string of the banjo! With your finger at the 7th fret, when you pluck that string you will sound and "A" note. With your finger removed and plucking the open string, you now will sound a "D" note, and that is what you wanted at the start.
4-11-98
THE RIGHT HAND -- HOLDING THE PICK
The softer your grip on the pick, the softer the volume of your playing and vice-versa. By stroking the strings softly, you can hear each string in each chord. Thus you are able to hear if you have fingered the chord properly. The strumming area of the banjo should be one to two inches from the last fret on the fingerboard (unless you want special effects). Do everything very slow and listen to each string to be clean and clear, not muffled or muted, or fuzzy. After forming a chord, strum every string to check for clarity and clean tones on each string.
