LinuxMusicians

Ok, after the brass problem, solved of course, I've an other question: how to play a credible banjo section on a keyboard?
I know that the standard 4+1 strings banjo is tuned with a open G chord, normally, (there are many other tuning method, I've seen). When I listen to a banjo part I've noted many situation with a half tone interval between two notes in the arpeggio.
Well, my actual question is: is there particular scale to use playing banjo?

Tanks a lot

The definition of a gentleman, is a man that knows how to play the banjo, but refrains from doing so

Banjo, like ukulele, is best played on the instrument itself, because of the duality of the sound quality.
I know this is not of much help to you...

See if you can find a real banjo player on an on-line forum and do a collaboration.

Qharley, I'm absolutely agree with you

But you must consider that in Italy a good banjo player (a bad too) is really hard to find
And I need this sound only for a song or two, not more, and I prefer to understand how to do this on a keyboard
It's for my personal skill, you know

Anyway, other suggestion (but call Steve Martin, the actor, that is a really good banjo player)?

Overhill wrote:... how to play a credible banjo section on a keyboard?... Well, my actual question is: is there particular scale to use playing banjo?

The playing technique of a banjo is truly weird. The tuning is re-entrant, and the picking is rather different from finger-picking a guitar.

My favorite solution: Tune the banjo like a 5-string guitar, then play it "as usual". Alas, this remedy is no help if you can't play guitar.

You might try loading a favorite banjo recording into Audacity and then use the Change Tempo tool to analyze and study the playing technique. It'd give you some basis for an imitation of real performance technique.

HTH,

dp

I'm a guitar player too (and drums: to be fourty has some privileges if you like music ), and googling on the Net I've seen the guitar standard last five string tuning for Banjo, but I think that this kind of tuning make no possible (or at least more difficult) some tricks.

Your idea of loading a midi partiture is really good
I can find the "dueling banjos" midi file and study it: tanks!

Overhill wrote:I'm a guitar player too (and drums: to be fourty has some privileges if you like music )

Ah, you're a youngster. I'm sneaking up on 60.

... and googling on the Net I've seen the guitar standard last five string tuning for Banjo, but I think that this kind of tuning make no possible (or at least more difficult) some tricks.

Indeed, it will rule out idiomatic techniques, but at least you get the sound of a real banjo being played. Btw, this trick is an old one recommended by studio guitarist Tommy Tedesco.

Your idea of loading a midi partiture is really good
I can find the "dueling banjos" midi file and study it: tanks!

Actually I recommended using a WAV or MP3 in Audacity, but a MIDI file in a sequencer's piano roll view should do just as well. Dueling Banjos is a good candidate. Have fun !

Best,

dp

60? A boy!!

There are some site for banjo players offering free tablatures. like:
http://www.banjohangout.org/w/links/browse/m/byid/v/15
http://www.jaybuckey.com/free_tablature.htm

I havened played banjo, nor I didn't use tablatures, but the idea is simple, that
number tells what fret the left hand finger should hold, and rythmic notation is
same as normal music notation on 5 line stuff. So, you need to get the pictch
for open strings, and adding semitones of numbers on tablature, you get actual
pitch. Looking some samples, you may deduce the typical arpeggio pattern for
simple chords, then you can emulate it on midi.

muchan

Uh, really interesting sites! Tank you, Muchan!

I've found "duelling banjos" midi and tablature in one of them, and now I can study it

Bye