Chapter 10

Getting the Right Stuff: Banjo Gear

In This Chapter

Picking up the essentials

Choosing accessories that make practicing more fun

Upgrading banjo parts to make your instrument sound better

Banjo players are real “gear heads.” They keep up on the latest products that help get banjos from one place to another with greater ease, make practicing and playing more fun, and make their instruments sound better. Join me for a voyage to the Island of Banjo Gear in this chapter, where you encounter items (like cases, strings, picks, straps, capos, and tuners) that are just about essential for happy picking and other things (like metronomes, computer software and banjo bridges, heads, tailpieces and “D” tuners) that just make playing a lot more fun or can improve the sound of your banjo. (Are you still in the market for a banjo? If so, sail on back to Chapter 9 for a complete banjo buyer’s guide.)

If the significant others in your household start to complain about how long your banjo gear wish list has become after you complete this chapter, feel free to go ahead and put the blame on me!

Picking Up the Stuff You Really Need

Whether you’re practicing at home or playing in a jam session at a festival, all banjo players need to have certain pieces of equipment — in addition to the actual banjo, of course. The following sections provide the vital info on the stuff you don’t want to be without either at home or on the road.

At the top of this list is a banjo case (after all, you won’t enhance the reputation of banjo players very much if you carry your banjo around town without something to put it in — and no brown paper bags, please!). Although most new instruments come with a case, you may want to grab a lightweight gig bag to make walking around the festival campground a breeze or consider a deluxe flight case so you can take your banjo with you on your next vacation (won’t that make your family happy!). Check out the following sections for the total lowdown on banjo storage and transport.

Cases: Becoming King of the Road

Most banjos stand up pretty well to the rigors of changing temperatures and humidity in a house, but even so, you want a good case for keeping your baby safe when you aren’t practicing and for providing secure transport to your next lesson, rehearsal, or gig (yes, banjo players occasionally do get work).

Cases come in four basic varieties: hard-shell, soft-shell, gig bag, and flight cases. Each of these cases have a time and a place, but keep in mind that the primary purpose of a case is to protect your instrument. Usually, the more you invest in a case, the better that protection is. If you plan on traveling a great deal with your banjo, including taking your banjo with you on an airplane, choosing the right case for a quality instrument is an important decision — a decision I help you make in the following sections.

Cases or bags usually aren’t included in the purchase price with most entry-level banjos. Although you can go through life without proper storage for your instrument, it makes good sense to budget an extra $30 to $50 for a simple case or bag. In addition to providing some basic protection for your banjo, you have a pocket or two to store some of your other accessories, like picks, a tuner, and a capo.

Come fly with me: Banjos on a plane!

Whether you’re headed to your next vacation spot or your destination is halfway across the country to attend a music camp or festival, sooner or later you’ll want to take your banjo with you on an airplane. I fly with my most valuable instrument frequently and although I’ve never had an instrument damaged in transit (as I write with fingers crossed), I know many other musicians who have had pegheads snapped, necks broken, and flanges busted on their way to or from a show.

Even in the best of conditions, you can never be entirely sure how you’ll be able to store your banjo on an airplane, and this unpredictability can be maddening. Despite this state of affairs, here are a few valuable strategies that I’ve picked up over the years in dealing with banjos at 30,000 feet. All of these tips are directed towards the primary goal of getting your banjo on board with you as carry-on luggage:

Travel with a flight case. No matter what happens, you’re still offering your instrument the best protection possible with a flight case. Taking your banjo in a gig bag is an alternative option that works for some musicians. But the idea of using gig bags on a plane has always made me nervous, because if you’re one of the last on board a full plane and the overhead compartments are full, you still have to surrender your banjo to a flight attendant for storage down below. If this happens to you and your banjo is in a gig bag, your banjo won’t have close to the same kind of protection a flight case offers. If I know that I’ll be doing a lot of heavy lifting with the banjo after I get to my destination, I also bring along a gig bag, temporarily stuffed with clothing, and check that as baggage. I can then use the gig bag as my primary means of banjo transport after I’ve landed.

Know your airlines, figure out their boarding procedures, and choose routes with as few changes of planes as possible. In my experience, Southwest Airlines is the most accommodating of all carriers for allowing banjos on board. United, Jet Blue, Virgin, Delta and West Jet are pretty good; American and Alaska Airlines are fair; America West is poor and is to be avoided (I include these airlines because they’re the ones I’ve used most frequently in the last decade). Boarding procedures vary by airline, by plane, by airport, and seemingly by the mood of the airline workers on that day. Despite these obstacles, see what you can do to figure out how to be in one of the first boarding groups. For instance, if you know that passengers board a particular plane from the rear to the front, book a seat in the rear. Apart from the individual airline’s policy, the key to getting your instrument on board is getting yourself on the plane while overhead and closet space is still available for storage.

Don’t draw attention to your banjo while checking in and boarding. Act like taking your banjo on board as a carry-on is a natural thing, and it will be! If you approach an airline representative saying “I have a banjo with me. What should I do with it?” you could be asking for trouble, especially if the representative hasn’t had enough morning coffee.

Don’t try to preboard with your banjo. Unless you have an otherwise valid reason, carrying a banjo with you usually isn’t deemed a good enough reason to earn membership in the preboarding group. For every time this strategy has succeeded, I’ve been stopped an equal number of times by an airline representative. In one case, I was put on the plane last because I had the nerve to request a preboard with a banjo!

Be friendly, cooperative, and creative in order to get your banjo onboard. If you’re courteous and exercise some creative thinking, you’ll be treated with respect in return from the flight attendants and the other passengers whose help you’re going to need to get your banjo on board. I was once the last person to board a Seattle to Oakland flight with seemingly no room left in the overhead bins. After politely explaining to the flight attendant that I was carrying my most valuable possession with me, she helped me rearrange quite a few overhead bags to make room for my banjo, after we asked passengers’ permission to gently displace them. On another flight, the attendant removed her own bags and tucked the banjo behind the last seat. The bottom line: If you make a request with kindness, you receive the same in return.

Remove items from your case that won’t get through the security checkpoint. These items include strings, wire cutters, screwdrivers, banjo wrenches, and other tools you may use for banjo setup, but not fingerpicks or tuners.

Hard- and soft-shell cases

Hard-shell cases are the most common case option and usually accompany most intermediate to high-quality banjo purchases (see Figure 10-1). Hard-shell cases are made of wood and are covered with nylon or fabric (I especially like the vintage tweed look myself). This type of case is usually just fine for day-to-day use, as long as the banjo fits in it well. With proper care, a hard-shell case should last for many years. Expect to pay from $75 to $135 for one of these, if you’re purchasing the case separately.

Soft-shell cases are usually made of cardboard. Although they prevent your banjo from getting wet if some over-enthusiastic audience member spills her beer while requesting “Rocky Top” for the umpteenth time, keeping your banjo dry is about all these cases are good for. At around $30, they’re an inexpensive option and are lightweight, but they don’t offer much protection for your instrument. If you paid more than $400 for your banjo, go for broke and invest in a hard-shell case or a well-padded gig bag.

A banjo is usually damaged while inside a case due to a loose fit that allows the banjo to move inside the case when it meets an impact. If you’re purchasing a hard-shell case separately, look for the tightest fit possible between the inside of the case and the instrument. Padding on the inside top of the case and plenty of support for the neck are characteristics of a case that should provide good protection. If you can see or feel the banjo move within the case when you gently shake it, the case isn’t doing its job. Keep looking for something that fits your banjo more snugly. Look to these brands, among others, for good quality in hard-shell cases: Ameritage, Golden Gate, American Vintage, Canadian/TKL, and Gold Tone.

Gig bags

Many musicians prefer the soft, padded gig bag either as their main case of choice or as an alternative way of getting around with the banjo when weight and portability are important considerations (check out the gig bag look in Figure 10-1). Gig bags range from $30 for a no-frills nylon model to $300 for a fine leather-padded bag that offers almost as much protection as a hard-shell case (short of driving a tour bus over it).

Gig bags are lighter than hard-shell cases and are great when you need to walk with your banjo over considerable distances at a banjo camp or bluegrass festival. Higher quality gig bags have more padding, thereby offering more protection for your banjo, and are often outfitted with shoulder straps that convert it into a backpack. Storage for accessories is also more generous on higher-priced models than what you find with hard-shell cases.

Check out the following brands, among others, when you’re shopping for quality gig bags: Reunion Blues, Colorado Case, Superior Trailpak, and Boulder Alpine.

Figure 10-1: A hard-shell banjo case (a) and a lightweight gig bag (b).

Flight cases

If you ever plan on flying with an expensive banjo or you just want to pile all of Aunt Myrna’s heaviest luggage on top of your banjo case in the trunk of your car without fear, a flight case may be in your future. Flight cases are the Hummers of the banjo-case world; heavy and large, they offer the utmost in protection for your instrument (see Figure 10-2). Made from molded fiberglass, flight cases are watertight, offer extensive protection from movement inside the case, and have generous inside storage and functional external locks. One case should last a lifetime.

I bet you can already predict the negatives of this type of case. Yes, you guessed it: price and weight. You can expect to pay $575 or more for top-of-the-line cases, and you may have to be on a waiting list for a few months to get one in your favorite exterior and interior color combination. These cases are also heavy, as in really heavy — weighing in at 10 to 15 pounds. After you put a ten-pound bluegrass banjo in one of these, you’re carrying around as much as 25 pounds of music. Believe me, you’ll start to feel this somewhere between Concourse A and Concourse D!

However, flight cases are the way to go if you’re looking for the best protection available for your instrument. Check out Price and Calton deluxe banjo cases if you’re looking to buy the best.

Figure 10-2: Flight cases offer the best protection for your banjo. A Price case (rear) and a Calton case (front).

Strings: You can’t pick without ’em

You’ve probably figured out by now that you need all five strings on your banjo to make good music (if not, you may want to start at the first chapters of this book!). Although your banjo probably had all its strings when you got it, these strings aren’t lifetime guaranteed; it isn’t unusual for a string to break every now and then while you’re tuning or playing. In this case, you need to have the right kind of replacement string on hand to continue playing.

The most economical way to buy strings is to purchase a set that contains all five strings. String sets aren’t expensive; you should expect to pay from $3 to $8 for a good name-brand set, and it isn’t uncommon to get a discount for purchasing multiple sets. You also can buy individual strings from most music stores. If you need to replace one string on your banjo more frequently than the others (for most players, it’s the 1st string), you should purchase several extras of this particular string so that you don’t have to constantly break up entire sets. Note: You need to ask a sales clerk for help with purchasing individual strings, because stores usually don’t put them on display.

Most players keep one or more extra string sets on hand to replace broken strings on the spot. Many players replace an entire set of strings when they sound dull, build up a lot of grit and grime, or become difficult to tune (visit Chapter 11 for a step-by-step guide on to how to change strings). Be sure to throw one or two sets in your case, along with a small pair of wire cutters to slice off the unneeded string ends.

A dizzying array of different kinds of banjo strings is available today. Your choice should be determined by the kind of banjo you play, the sound you want to get, and how you want the strings to feel when you play them. The following sections share the secrets of making good string choices.

Loop-end and ball-end strings

Banjo strings come in loop-end and ball-end varieties, shown in Figure 10-3. You use one or the other depending on the design of your banjo’s tailpiece (the tailpiece holds one end of the strings at the pot end of the banjo; different kinds of tailpieces require different kinds of strings, as explained in the following section):

A tailpiece with finger-like attachments made for grabbing the loops that you can find at one end of the strings takes loop-end strings. The great majority of banjo tailpieces feature this design, and most of the strings you’ll find available are loop-end strings. Nylon and gut strings (see the following section) require that you tie your own looped ends to the banjo’s tailpiece.

If your tailpiece has only small holes at its end, you need ball-end strings for your banjo. The round ball at the end of the string prevents it from feeding itself back through the small tailpiece hole.

Figure 10-3: Loop-end (a) and ball-end (b) strings.

Nickel-plated, stainless-steel, nylon, and gut strings

Practically all bluegrass players and most clawhammer players (see Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 8 to discover these ways of playing banjo) use nickel-plated or stainless-steel strings. These two kinds of steel string sets include a wound 4th string, which has additional wire wrapped around its core to add thickness and mass to the banjo’s lowest-pitched string. Both kinds of metal strings produce the bright, ringing sound that is associated with the banjo and are appropriate for all kinds of playing at any ability level.

Steel string sets differ according to the kind of material used as a wrap around the 4th string. Fourth strings can be wound with bronze, stainless steel, nickel, or monel (a nickel alloy). Each type of winding provides a slightly different tonal quality:

Bronze and stainless-steel 4th strings tend to produce a brighter sound.

Monel produces a darker tone.

Nickel falls somewhere in the middle.

Some open-back banjo players prefer to use nylon or gut strings on their banjos. These strings produce a more authentic sound for clawhammer, classic, and minstrel styles. (Yes, I do mean gut strings, as in a totally carbon-based, once-was-a-life-form product. Visit Chapter 7 to find out more about classic and minstrel styles).

A new type of string has recently caught the ear of many players: a synthetic string called nylgut, which combines the durability and affordability of a nylon string with the preferred “natural” tone of a gut string. It’s a great alternative to both nylon and gut, and you should try it if you want that organic sound without having to actually harm any living thing in the process.

You need to search out an acoustic specialty store to find the relatively rare types of strings such as nylon, gut, and nylgut. If you want an alternative to steel strings, try them all and see which one suits your banjo and your way of playing the best.

String gauges: Light, medium, or heavy

String thickness is expressed in terms of string gauge and is measured in thousandths of an inch, believe it or not! A light gauge string set has slightly thinner strings (and smaller gauge numbers) than a medium or heavy gauge set. Your preference in strings should be determined by your playing style, your banjo, and the kind of sound you want to produce with your instrument.

You can find a wide variety of string sets available today (an example is shown in Figure 10-4), but the most important thing to remember is that designers put string sets together according to whether they are loop- or ball-end and also by the diameter of the strings and to the kind of wrap used around the low 4th string.

My own string preferences have evolved over the years. These days, I prefer lighter-gauge strings because they sound the best to me on my banjo, and they enable me to play fast as I creep into middle age! For bluegrass playing, I prefer to use a string set with the following string gauges: .010, .011, .013, .020w, and .010. Now let me translate! My first string is 10/1,000th of an inch thick; my second string is 11/1,000th of an inch thick; and so on. My fourth string measures 20/1,000th of an inch thick, and is a wound string (hence the w). You name the 5th string last; it will almost always be of the same gauge as the 1st string. This is how catalogs and store Web sites describe string sets (I bet you never associated the banjo with such precision!).

Many other players prefer medium gauge string sets because of their tone and playability. A typical medium gauge set may have the following gauges: .011, .012, .014, .022w, and .011. As you can see, these strings feature variations of only a couple of thousandths of an inch compared to a light set, but you can definitely feel and hear the difference as you play. The heavier the gauge of string, the stiffer it feels against your fingers and the darker its sound will be. Unless you’re playing a banjo with a long neck or are experimenting with tuning the banjo below normal pitch, most players don’t use heavy gauge strings. However, these are available as individual string options from acoustic specialty retailers.

Figure 10-4: A typical five-string banjo string set.

I can’t identify a single best set of strings — this is something that you figure out over time. You should try different gauges and types of strings to see what works best for you. Don’t be surprised if your choices change many times over the years as you continue to play banjo.

Here’s a short list of some of the most popular strings brands: GHS, American Made Banjo Company, D’Addario, Elixir, Gibson, John Pearse, Black Diamond, LaBella, Martin/Vega, Chris Sands (for classic nylon strings), and Aquila (for gut and nylgut strings).

Picks: Giving your fingers playing power

A thumbpick and one or more fingerpicks give you the ability to play with more volume, greater dynamics, and a more forceful attack. Whether or not you need picks is dependent upon the style of music you’re making and your personal taste in how you want your music to sound. Most (but not all) players feel that clawhammer and other old-time styles sound best when played with the bare fingers of your right hand and most all classic and minstrel style players go pick-less in their playing. However, the bluegrass style pretty much requires the use of a plastic or metal thumbpick along with two metal fingerpicks shaped to fit the player’s index and middle fingers.

Although the feel of the picks on the ends of your digits can be uncomfortable at first, in the long run you’ll play with more volume and power for the styles that need it.

Numerous choices of thumb and fingerpicks patiently await you at your local acoustic music store. They range in price from a couple bucks to $35 or more for a pair of hand-crafted, stainless-steel fingerpicks.

You should try as many different kinds of picks as you can to hear what makes your banjo playing sound the best. Check out Chapter 4 for detailed information on selecting picks that are right for you and for tips on how to fit them on your fingers.

Straps: Take a load off!

A quality banjo weighs up to ten pounds, so using a comfortable strap can save wear and tear on your back, shoulder, and neck. And banjo players don’t use straps only to play while standing up. If the banjo neck is heavier than the banjo pot, which is the case on most entry-level instruments (see Chapter 1 for more info on banjo parts), you should use a properly fitted strap even while sitting down. This helps balance the weight of the banjo and frees up your left hand for gymnastic feats of fretting.

Banjo straps range in price from $8, for a simple nylon or woven-fabric strap, to $60 or more, for a fancy, handmade leather beauty. I prefer a simple and sturdy leather strap that has little to no decoration; these cost about $40. You also may want to explore dual shoulder strap models and straps with shoulder pads, because these types of straps help cushion the impact of the banjo on your body.

Don’t try to fit a strap by attaching one end of it to the banjo peghead. Banjo straps attach to the tension hooks of your banjo pot by using metal or plastic clips or with the strap ends fastened to the banjo with Chicago screws (see Chapter 2 for detailed help with fitting a strap on your instrument).

If you have an extra guitar strap around your house, you can turn it into a serviceable temporary strap for a lighter banjo; just attach shoelaces to each end and securely tie the shoelaces around the banjo’s tension hooks.

Capos: Playing easily in different keys

Capo is shorthand for the Italian word capotasto, which unfortunately doesn’t refer to the latest variety of flavored cappuccino drink. It literally means “head of fretboard.” A capo (pronounced KAY-po) is an adjustable tension clamp that shortens the effective length of the fingerboard of your banjo (the fingerboard is the flat surface of the neck that’s used by the left hand to fret the strings). In so doing, the capo also shortens the length of your strings (which causes them to sound higher in pitch). A capo allows you to play in different keys by transferring the chords, licks, and songs you already play to a new place on the banjo neck. A capo is a required piece of musical gear to take along whenever you may be playing music with others.

Banjo capos are designed to fret the 4th to the 1st strings on your banjo, but not the short 5th string. Because the 5th string needs to be raised the same number of frets as the other strings when using a capo, it gets its own special equipment to raise its pitch when you also use a capo on the other strings. Raising the pitch of the banjo to play in a new key is a two-step process: First, you apply the capo to raise strings 1 through 4 and then you work with the 5th string to adjust its pitch.

The following sections explore capo options, how to properly use a capo, and the equipment you can use to raise the 5th string’s pitch.

Choosing a capo

Banjo capos cost between $5 and $100. Your choices range from inexpensive elastic-band models to spring-loaded capos to fancy, professional, hand-tooled, stainless-steel capos in velvet cases (really, I’m not kidding!). Figure 10-5 shows a variety of capos that you can choose from.

Figure 10-5: Different varieties of capos allow you to raise the pitch to play in new keys.

A banjo player uses a capo a lot, so it doesn’t make sense to cut corners with this purchase. Fortunately, you can find perfectly good capos for under $20. Although some players prefer spring-loaded capos for quick installation and removal, I use a capo that wraps all the way around the banjo’s neck and attaches to the banjo using a quick-release button lock. I control the amount of tension that the capo applies to the strings by loosening or tightening a thumbscrew in the back. One advantage of this kind of capo is that you can place it out of the way behind the nut when you aren’t using it (the nut is the white strip below the first fret that guides the strings from the fingerboard to the headstock).

Using a capo

Here’s a step-by-step guide to hassle-free capo use:

1. Bring the edge of the capo just behind (but not on top of) the fret on the banjo neck where you want to place it.

As indicated in Figure 10-6a.

2. Slowly tighten the adjustment screw a few turns while maintaining pressure on the top of the capo with your other hand.

Just as in Figure 10-6b.

3. When you think that the capo is tight enough, try playing a few notes with the right hand.

4. Continue to tighten the adjustment screw just until all the fretted strings sound clear with no buzzing.

Don’t apply any more pressure than is needed because this will cause the strings to sound sharp.

5. Experiment with capo placement: some capos may apply just the right amount of pressure if they are a slight distance away from the fret instead of right up against it (as in Figure 10-6c); however, in most cases, you’ll stay in tune more easily and your banjo will sound better with the capo positioned as close to the fret as possible.

Figure 10-6: Placing the capo right up against the fret (a); tightening the capo (b); alternate placement for the capo (c).

Tuning with a capo

It’s not uncommon to find that the banjo has gone just a bit out of tune with the capo on, even if it was in very fine tune without it. When this happens to you, don’t retune by using the tuning pegs, because this will result in an out-of-tune banjo when you take the capo off again. Here’s what you should do:

If the string is sharp (which it usually is when using the capo), try pushing down on the string on the bridge side of the capo (as in Figure 10-7a).

If the string is flat, press down on the string at the peghead (see Figure 10-7b). You’ll be equalizing the tension of the string on both sides of the capo with this slick maneuver and the string should still remain in tune when removing the capo.

Some spring-loaded capos grip the strings with such force that they cause the strings to fret sharp, causing the banjo to go out of tune. Be sure to select a capo with adjustable tension to deal with this common problem.

Figure 10-7: Pushing down on a string near the bridge to lower a string’s pitch (a); pushing down at the headstock to raise its pitch (b).

The 5th-string capo and spikes: Going along for the ride

If you place a capo at the second fret, you also need to raise the pitch of your 5th string the same number of frets so that all your banjo strings are in the same relationship as before you used the capo. How does that work? In this case, the 5th string is so special that it gets its own equipment to raise its pitch. Check out the following options to achieve this miraculous 5th string feat:

Slide-mounted 5th-string capos: The distinguishing characteristic of this capo is the long, slim metal bar that is attached with two small screws to the banjo neck. You slide the capo along the bar to the fret you want to use, and then lower the capo against the string by tightening the thumbscrew. Because the hand screw controls the amount of tension against the string, the 5th string stays in better tune with this kind of capo. Disadvantages? The metal bar adds just a bit of width to the neck and your left hand may have to move around the capo screw when moving up and down the neck. However, this kind of capo works well for many players.

Fifth-string railroad spikes: Another ingenious solution to the problem of raising the 5th string’s pitch is to use the small railroad spikes from the train tracks of an HO gauge model train set. The spikes are gently nailed into the banjo fingerboard above the 5th string with the hook of the spike remaining just high enough off of the fingerboard to hook the 5th string behind the appropriate fret. Hey, I know this sounds strange, but I’m completely serious here!

Luckily, you don’t have to ruin your neighbor’s model train display by hiring a bunch of miniature John Henrys to steal the spikes right off of the track. This operation is best left to a good repair person, but if you insist on doing this yourself, you can buy a package of spikes with instructions from most acoustic specialty stores. The spikes are installed at the frets where you want or need them. Most players have just two spikes installed for the 5th string at the seventh and ninth frets for playing in the keys of A and B, but some players prefer having additional spikes at other frets.

The more spikes you want on your banjo, the more you need to have a professional repair person do this installation work for you. Placing the spike in just the right place so that it doesn’t get in the way of your left-hand fretting fingers or any other spikes when in use is important.

If you have 5th-string spikes already installed on your banjo, look to see which way the hook is pointed. Most spikes are installed so that the hook points down towards the 1st string. If this is the case, you can hook the 5th string underneath the spike by pushing the string down and underneath the hook (as I show in Figure 10-8). At first you may need both hands pushing down on the string on either side of the spike to do this, but after a few tries, you should get the hang of it.

Your 5th string will probably be sharp after it’s underneath the spike, so take a moment to tune it to the rest of your banjo. Now you’re ready to pick!

Figure 10-8: Using a railroad spike to raise the 5th string’s pitch.

Electronic tuners: Getting by with a little help

I’m not sure how banjo players survived in the era before portable tuners! Although these amazing little devices never replace a good ear, they have made getting the banjo in tune a lot easier by adding a visual reinforcement to what you hear. Tuners especially come in handy at a festival, a jam session, or even onstage — where you sometimes have so much noise around you that using your ear alone to tune the banjo is difficult. Just about everyone carries a portable tuner along with them, and you should too.

You want to choose a chromatic tuner. Unlike a guitar or bass tuner, a chromatic tuner gives you all the notes available in Western music (what more could you ask for?). Believe it or not, you’ll eventually need most if not all of these reference points for tuning your banjo, especially if you’re an old-time player.

Tuners give an astounding amount of information to help you get in tune. When you pick a string, the tuner responds by indicating which note you’re closest to and a moving needle tells you just how sharp or flat you are from that note. As you tune the string up or down in pitch, the meter responds accordingly, letting you know when you’ve tuned your string exactly to the correct pitch. Tuners also work equally well whether or not you’re using a capo (but don’t forget, if you’re tuning with a capo in position, you’ll get different note readings than you would if the banjo were in an open position).

There are two main varieties of portable tuners:

Internal microphone tuners: These tuners (one is shown in Figure 10-9) have a built-in microphone that picks up the sound of your banjo if the tuner is placed on a nearby music stand, table top, or even resting on your knee. These tuners are affordable at $20 or more and are durable (I have a Boss tuner of this type that’s lasted over 20 years). On the downside, although these tuners can be accurate in a quiet room, they experience problems if another musician is playing nearby or if the room has too much ambient noise.

Clip-on tuners: Portable clip-on tuners made a huge splash on the acoustic scene when they were introduced about a decade ago. These types of tuners attach directly to your banjo at the peghead or onto the pot and focus only on the sound of your instrument, excluding whatever noise is around you. This feature is a real lifesaver if you’re trying to tune while other musicians are playing or if you’re in a workshop with 15 other players, who are all using their clip-on tuners to tune at the same time! One disadvantage of these tuners is that they’re sometimes not as accurate as the internal microphone variety of tuner. They also tend to be more delicate and a bit more expensive, with prices running from $30 to $60.

Figure 10-9: An internal microphone tuner.

Many tuners have a backlight that allows you to see the tuner’s readout in a dim or dark environment. You pay more for this feature, but you may be surprised at how often this little light comes in handy around a festival campfire or waiting in the backstage wings for your American Banjo Idol audition.

Collecting More Cool Tools to Help Your Playing

From banjo mutes to string winders and finger exercisers to torque wrenches, there’s no end to the available accessories promising to make you a better player. Although buying everything in sight is tempting, you want to know about a few items that can actually enhance your playing and make your banjo sound its best.

Metronomes and drum machines

Keeping a steady rhythm is essential to great banjo playing and figuring out how to play with a metronome or drum machine is a good way to develop this important musical skill.

A metronome maintains a steady beat at whatever tempo you choose while a drum machine goes to the next level by providing realistic drum sounds for different styles and rhythms at different speeds. In either case, it’s difficult for most players to jump right in and start playing along. In the following sections, I show you different kinds of metronomes and provide a practical guide to using these tools in your daily practice routine.

How they work

The metronome has come a long way from the pyramid-shaped wooden box with the moving pendulum that used to sit on top of your grandmother’s piano all those years ago (although there’s no question that these retro models are still very cool). Today’s metronomes use digital technology to combine a myriad of features in increasingly small packages (see Figure 10-10). Although they all share the primary function of allowing you to control the speed of a clicking beat, most electronic metronomes also provide a visual component, with small lights and arrows providing additional cues for playing in rhythm.

The more expensive the metronome, the more bells and whistles you get (and I mean this quite literally!). You can find metronome and tuner combos, tiny in-ear metronomes, as well as deluxe models that allow you to stack rhythms one on top of another. Expect to shell out from $25 to $160, depending upon which bells and whistles suit you best.

Drum machines do everything that metronomes can do, but they’re also capable of emulating hundreds of percussion sounds. Most models have presets that instantly give you satisfying jazz, country, funk, and rock backing rhythms, but you can create your own drum sounds as well. Turn it on and set the speed and the preset, and you’ve got an instant drummer cooking underneath your banjo playing! Many professional players prefer practicing with a drum machine, and if you follow in their footsteps, you’ll spend from $180 to $300 for a current model.

Figure 10-10: Metronomes of different shapes and sizes (a); a drum machine (b).

Playing along with the metronome

I rely on my trusty metronome to assist me in checking my rhythmic accuracy and to help me increase speed. Unfortunately, metronomes don’t come with instructions on how to use them, and figuring out how to get started on your own isn’t easy. Here’s a step-by-step guide to playing with the metronome with examples oriented towards the bluegrass player (for more on bluegrass banjo, see Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 8):

1. With banjo in hand, set the metronome to around 66 beats per minute.

If your metronome has the option of accenting a particular beat, turn this feature off for now.

2. Start counting in a cycle of four beats, saying one number for each metronome click: one, two, three, four, and repeat.

3. Because bluegrass roll patterns have eight notes in them, play two of these roll notes for every metronome click.

Pick one note when you hear the click and the second note exactly half way between one click and the next.

4. Use an alternating thumb roll to get started; continue until you’ve reached the end of the roll pattern.

If you play 3-2-5-1-4-2-5-1 as your string sequence, play the 3rd string at the same time as you hear a metronome click, play the 2nd string between that click and the next, and play the 5th string on the next click. Congratulations! You’ve successfully played with the metronome.

5. Now try the same roll pattern, repeating the sequence as many times as you can without stopping while staying with the metronome beat.

You want to go from the end right back to the beginning of the roll without missing a beat.

If the metronome is set too fast for you to keep up, gradually adjust it to a lower number setting until you find a tempo where you can play along. If the metronome is too slow, increase the speed by moving it to the next highest number.

After you’re comfortable playing this first roll with the metronome, try playing other rolls or an easy song that you already know well.

Even the best musicians have trouble following the beat of the metronome. If this happens to you, don’t worry. Stop playing, find the beat, and start over again. If you’re still having trouble getting started, listen to the beat of the metronome and imagine what your roll pattern should sound like against that beat. After you can hear this in your head, try again.

After you’re able to play an exercise or song effectively all the way through at one metronome setting, adjust the tempo to the next highest setting and try it again. This is a great way to gradually increase your speed and accuracy. You will find that there are some tempo settings where you’ll hit a roadblock and find it difficult to play what you just played at a slightly slower tempo (and these roadblocks can be different for each song). Just keep practicing and you’ll soon be able to move on to the next higher metronome setting.

As you continue to increase speed, the metronome may end up beating so fast that it becomes a frantic distraction at 140 beats per minute or more. At this point, it’s a good idea to change the note value that the click equals from two roll notes to four. Because you’re now going to play four roll notes instead of two for every metronome click, you need to adjust your metronome accordingly. If you left the metronome setting at the same number as before, you’d now be playing twice as fast, so go ahead and back the metronome down 30 or 40 beats per minute and try playing once again with the metronome in this new way. If you try the alternating thumb roll again, this time you will play four notes for every metronome click instead of two.

Because of the banjo’s robust volume, you may have trouble hearing the beat of your metronome above the beautiful sounds of your own playing. If you’re thinking about purchasing an electronic metronome, make sure it has a headphone jack. You can then use an external set of headphones to more easily hear the beat. Better yet, try hooking up a set of external speakers like you’d find on your computer to your metronome’s jack. This way, you get as much sound as you need.

Do you practice near a computer? If so, try using a metronome or drum machine application that can be downloaded for free off the Internet (type the words metronome or drum machine into an Internet search engine and see what turns up). Most of these programs have just a small learning curve and work about as well as a stand-alone metronome.

Your computer and the banjo

In addition to metronome and drum machine applications (see preceding section), a host of other computer programs and Web sites can enhance your banjo-playing experience. I go into more detail about how your computer can be one of your banjo’s best friends in the following sections.

Many valuable banjo resources on the Internet are completely free, including Web sites with tablature, downloadable MIDI files, and lively discussion groups (begin your hunt by checking out www.banjohangout.org and www.bluegrassbanjo.org).

Slow-downer programs

Perhaps the most useful type of computer aid for banjo playing is one of several applications that slow down the tempo of a digital music source without changing its pitch, called a slow-downer program. These programs make it easier to play along or to understand a particular piece of music. I use one of these programs all the time when I really want to dig deep into another player’s work to get every note and nuance.

Although you can buy a special stand-alone CD player that performs these same functions, you can save $200 or more by going the computer-application route. Two of the most popular slow-downer programs, both of which cost around $50, are Transkriber, available at most music stores, and the Amazing Slow Downer (shown in Figure 10-11), which is available for purchase only via download at www.ronimusic.com. You can also find no-cost options out there as well. Windows Media Player has a slow-downer feature already built into its interface, and several Macintosh freeware programs also do the trick. However, getting a dedicated program with special looping and mixing features that can isolate the specific licks you want to learn is worth the cost.

After opening a slow-downer application, you put a CD into the computer, choose the track you want to work with, and then set the tempo (which is usually expressed as a percentage of normal performance speed). You can also control the pitch of what you’re listening to and work with various mixing options to hear the banjo more clearly through your computer’s speakers.

Figure 10-11: The Amazing Slow Downer is one of several computer applications that slow down the tempo of the music without changing its pitch.

Recording software

Applications such as Apple’s GarageBand and Audacity allow you to record directly into the computer (so you can hear how good you really sound), and programs such as Band in a Box (for both Macs and PCs) provide you with a digital bluegrass band accompaniment. GarageBand is for Macs only while Audacity is available as a free Internet download for either Macs or PCs. Band in a Box is available at most music stores, with prices ranging from $100 to $300 depending upon the quality and variety of instrumental sounds you want to add to your accompaniment.

YouTube

Just about everyone by now has seen a talking dog video or two from www.youtube.com. You can also find numerous banjo-related videos at this site, but if you want to avoid watching Harry, the amateur banjo player from northern Minnesota struggling through “Cripple Creek” in his pajamas, be sure to begin your YouTube search by using a particular artist’s name. You may still run into some annoying dead ends, but you can also find video jewels from great players such as Pete Seeger, Don Reno, Earl Scruggs, Bill Monroe, and others dating as far back as the 1950s to as current as last weekend’s festival appearance.

Swapping Out Parts to Make Your Banjo Sound Better

Because the banjo is put together with nuts, bolts, and screws, exchanging parts on a banjo is easier than on a guitar or mandolin. Not a month goes by without someone bringing to market a new custom part of some kind advertised to give your banjo that extra edge. Although you can replace just about everything on a banjo, you can discover in this section a few of the easiest parts to swap out that can still improve the sound of your instrument.

Don’t forget to refer back to Chapter 1 if you run across a banjo part you’re unsure of in the following sections.

Bridges

A bridge is a small investment for something that can make a significant difference in the sound of your instrument. The bridge is a piece of wood (usually with three contact points, called feet) that sits on top of the head and transmits the vibrations from the strings that rest on top of it to the head and the rest of the banjo. The tension of the strings is all that keeps the bridge pressed against the head; glue isn’t necessary. To replace the bridge, you can loosen the strings, pull out the old bridge, and install a new one (in Chapter 11, I discuss how to properly place the bridge; several different kinds of bridges are shown in Figure 10-12).

A banjo bridge is conventionally made from hard maple with a strip of ebony glued to the top. These days, builders also offer bridges made from birch, teak, koa, rosewood, and other exotic woods. Bluegrass players especially value bridges made from old growth or submerged wood. Various kinds and densities of wood transmit the vibrations of the strings in different ways and trying a new bridge is one way to noticeably alter the sound of your banjo.

Generally speaking, a bridge made from a dense wood that’s lighter in weight will make any banjo sound brighter (but possibly more shrill), while a heavier and less-dense bridge will add bass (but perhaps take away some clarity). Banjo players love to experiment with different kinds and sizes of bridges to find just the right balance of weight and density for their instrument (and then argue about what works best!).

Figure 10-12: Players often experiment with different kinds of bridges to find just the right banjo tone.

Replacement bridges come in a variety of heights, ranging from 5/8" to 11/16" or taller. Go with the same height as the bridge that’s currently on your banjo unless you’re interested in experimenting with slightly higher or lower string action (string action refers to the distance that the strings are above the banjo neck and is discussed in greater detail in Chapter 9).

You need to seek out an acoustic retail outlet for the largest selection of custom bridges. Look for prices that range from $15 to $35 from custom builders such as David Wadsworth, Silvio Ferretti (Scorpion), Gary Sosobee, Snuffy Smith, and Rick Sampson, among others.

Heads

Spotting the banjo head is easy: Look for the round, light-colored membrane that’s stretched tightly over the banjo pot and acts as the main vibrating surface of the instrument. Because the primary resonating surface is a membrane rather than a piece of wood like on a guitar or mandolin, the head is largely responsible for the beautiful, mind-boggling, piercing tone that says banjo!

Every now and then, a head breaks and needs to be replaced. But players also choose to install a particular kind of head in order to get a different sound from their banjo.

Heads were made of animal hide up until the early 1960s when the plastics revolution took over the banjo world in the form of Mylar heads, which proved much more resistant to humidity change and to breakage. Most players now use plastic heads, and that’s what comes on most new instruments. However, you can still go retro and get a calf or goatskin head for that “organic” sound. The vintage sound associated with these skin heads is still preferred today by many open-back banjo players and some bluegrass players.

Heads come in varying thicknesses and also have different kinds of spray coatings on their surfaces. Thicker plastic and heavier coatings impart a mellower tone, but skin heads usually give the deepest tone quality of all. Heads with little to no coating make your banjo sound brighter, and if you decide to go this route, you can also choose a clear head or a cool color. Although most synthetic banjo heads set you back from $15 to $30, be prepared to spend $40 to $50 for a skin head.

Banjo heads come in all kinds of diameters to accommodate the various sizes of banjo pots. If you’re in the market for a new banjo head, be sure you purchase one that’s the same size as the one you’re replacing. Especially if you have an open-back banjo, you should take your banjo with you to the music store and ask for assistance to make the correct purchase.

Tailpieces

The tailpiece holds the strings to the banjo and is attached to the pot at the opposite end from where the neck is joined. Most bluegrass banjos have adjustable tailpieces that control the tension and angle of the strings as they meet the bridge. Changes in tailpiece height and angle can subtly affect tone and volume.

If a player desires a clearer sound from a banjo, that will often call for an adjustment of the tailpiece down towards the banjo head (this puts more pressure on the bridge and eliminates some overtones, the frequencies that are present above the basic pitch that color the banjo tone). If a musician wants a more open or full sound, the tailpiece will be adjusted up and away from the banjo head (allowing for more overtones).

Three types of tailpieces (shown in Figure 10-13) include the following:

Presto-style: Presto is the name of the company that supplied the tailpieces found on many older bluegrass banjos and for this reason is still preferred by some players (the power of tradition is strong!). These tailpieces are lightweight but can be adjusted only up or down in relation to the banjo head.

Straight-line: Most straight-line tailpieces have adjustment screws that allow for a greater variety of positions in relation to the head. Note how the strings travel in a straight line out from the tailpiece to the bridge (hence the name). Some players feel that the “straight line” of the strings enhances the instrument’s tone by putting a more uniform string pressure on the bridge.

No knot: These tailpieces are lightweight and small, and are the preference of many clawhammer players. Unlike the other two kinds of tailpieces, the no knot tailpiece accepts both loop- and ball-end strings. Like the Presto-style tailpiece, this tailpiece can be adjusted up or down in relation to the banjo head.

Figure 10-13: Presto-style (a), straight-line (b), and no knot (c) tailpieces.

Players sometimes swap out a tailpiece on a banjo for the same reasons they may try a new head or bridge: They’re looking for that very small, extra edge to their instrument’s sound. Prices for a new tailpiece can range from $20 to $80.

“D” tuners

If you’ve ever heard a banjo instrumental that features the swooping sound of a string being detuned and then magically retuned up to its exact pitch, you’ve heard the effects of “D” tuners (they are called “D” tuners because they can quickly and easily get the banjo into a D-major tuning from G major if they are set properly). These special kinds of tuners are usually used on just the 2nd and 3rd strings by bluegrass players. Two types of “D” tuners include (both are shown in Figure 10-14):

A cam-type design that attaches to the peghead. The cam-type tuner applies pressure to the strings at the top of the peghead, with the pitch of the string changed by adjusting levers that are positioned on each side of the peghead that push and pull on each string. One advantage to the cam-type tuner is that both strings’ pitches can be changed at the same time with this design and the tuners even be used when fretting.

An internally geared design, developed in part by banjo innovator Bill Keith, uses two screws on the tuner shaft itself to set high and low stops. With this type of tuner, the pitch is changed through a movement of the tuning peg shaft rather than being pushed or pulled above the peghead. When it’s adjusted correctly, the tuner stops when it reaches the desired pitch. The Keith tuners are an especially good investment because they function as excellent regular tuners and can be easily moved from one banjo to another.

Figure 10-14: Keith D tuners (a) and cam-type tuners (b) allow precise changes in the pitch of a string.

These tuners can be an expensive addition to your collection of accessories at $170 to $250 per pair, but they’re ultimately the only satisfying way to play such instrumentals as “Flint Hill Special” and “Earl’s Breakdown,” tunes which feature the sound of the banjo’s strings being raised and lowered in precise ways.