[Dixielandjazz] Once a musician, always a musician?

[Elazar Brandt]

Shalom Nancy,

As a tenor banjoist devoted to my craft, I want to point out to you that the
tenor banjo has the same tuning as a viola, and the same relative intervals from
one string to the next as the violin, the strings being C-G-D-A instead of
G-D-A-E. If your violinin' fingers can accommodate the stretch to a larger
fingerboard (you get frets to help you get the intonation right!), and your left
brain can handle the notes being a 5th lower than you're used to, you might
enjoy giving the tenor banjo a try. Alternatively, you can get a banjo mandolin,
which is identical in tuning and size to a regular mandolin, but build on a
banjo body instead of a wooden mandolin body. It has 8 strings instead of 4, but
is tuned like a violin and is about the same size. You could take up a regular
mandolin, but they're less common in OKOM. Of course you'd need to learn to
strum with the right hand, but you'd find the left hand reasonably familiar.

Or you could take up the tuba. Just a thought.

Elazar
Ministry of Jazz
Doctor Jazz Band
Jerusalem, Israel
<www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz>
Tel: +972-2-679-2537

P.S. While I was in college, I tried learning to play the violin for a couple
years. I never got serious, though. Just fiddled around with it.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nancy Giffin [mailto:nancyink at ulink.net]
> Sent: Friday, November 28, 2003 11:27 PM
> To: Captain Rapture; DJML
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Once a musician, always a musician?
>
>
> From: Captain Rapture <yup1275 at earthlink.net>
> Are you sure you're not a musician?
>
> A question for ya, Cap'n:
>
> Q. Once a musician, always a musician?
>
> For many years, I played classical violin.
> I only started listening to jazz three years ago.
> Sure would like to play it!
> Violin is a tough instrument to pick up again. I've tried.
> Maybe it's time to try again.
> ...
> http://www.jonathanjazz.com
> Love and hugs,
> Nancy