[Dixielandjazz] Factionalism

[Plectrum Joe]

Ok - Patrick and Steve overlooked the leg-pulling on my earlier message 
and raise some good points about modern chording on banjos.

Funny but, I cannot get the same satisfaction out of playing extended 
chords on the banjo as I can on the guitar. It's not just the limit of 4 
notes but the sound of the instrument. The banjo has too many overtones 
and harmonics produced by the head and metal tone-ring. IMHO that is why 
the 6-string version did not catch on. And, you cannot mount a triple 
humbucker on a vellum and plug a banjo into your Marshall. Electric 
banjo sounds awful.

There are some contemporary virtuosos of the various banjo formats now 
crossing into different musical styles, blending and pushing the 
boundaries. Buddy Wachter, Doug Mattocks, Bela Fleck for instance.

The tenor banjo, being tuned the same as a viola, lends itself best to 
single note playing which opens it to any musical style. I like playing 
a plectrum (4-string) guitar too but, the 6-string always comes out if 
there is no piano. Not enough depth, I am told.

keeping a stiff upper lip

Jo


patcooke@cox.net wrote:

>Steve wrote:
>
>>>>Like a 2nd is a 9th, and a 4th is an 11th, and a 6th is a 13th, etc.<<<
>>>>
>     Speaking as a guy who stumbles around the guitar, It's OK to think of
>the 13th as the 6th as long as it's not right next to the 7th....move it
>into the next octave.  That's why it's called the 13th.
>      BTW a good four-note note 13th on guitar is (from the bottom) Root,
>7th, 3rd, 13th.  You can also move the root up two octaves, putting it right
>above the 13th. You can make it a 3-note chord by deleting the root.
>      There are of course other ways to finger a 13th.  I imagine it has to
>be tougher on a banjo, because of the different tuning, and you have to be
>careful about which notes you can safely delete.
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Stephen Barbone" <barbonestreet@earthlink.net>
>To: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
>Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 1:25 PM
>Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Factionalism
>
>
>>Plectrum Joe <plecjo@netscape.net>  wrote: (polite snip, do not take out
>>of context)
>>
>>"With a mere four strings to form chords,  substitute chords take a bit
>>of work  to be convincing."
>>
>>There are those who say you can use "shorthand" chords to convince
>>them.  Like a 2nd is a 9th, and a 4th is an 11th, and a 6th is a 13th,
>>etc. I've also heard some excellent banjo renditions of both Charlie
>>Parker's "Confirmation" and "Koko" by a tenor banjoist in Philadelphia,
>>Steve Debonaventura, a virtuoso, who plays excellent OKOM trad jazz,
>>mostly.
>>
>>Cheers,
>>Steve Barbone
>>