[Dixielandjazz] Question about Banjos for Trad Jazz

[Barb Jordan]

Boy and what a wonderful can of worms it is!!
 
You bring tears to my eyes with this outpouring of knowledge! Thanks so much Phil! 
 
Oh, to be so well-versed on a subject!
 
My expertise is teaching English grammar and I can get very passionate about this as well.
 
My passion is singing the music from the 20's and 30's and swing from the 40's Mildred Bailey - one of my favourites - along with Peggy Lee and Lee Wiley.
 
I am doing this research for my good friend and partner Jeff.  He soaks up knowledge like a sieve and now that he is retired, he will have tons of time to apply and practise.
 
Heading off on the www.jazzsea.com cruise out  of Fort Lauderdale on January 2nd where I plan to sing.
 
Getting really excited!
 
 
If you know of any other jazz cruises to recommend - I would sure like to hear about them!
 
 
Barbara Jordan

 

> From: philwilking at bellsouth.net
> To: jordan_barb at hotmail.com
> CC: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Question about Banjos for Trad Jazz
> Date: Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:58:46 -0600
> 
> Boy!! Have you opened a can of worms for Christmas!
> 
> Each type has its rabid fans, but the choice is a personal one which depends 
> on your goals.
> 
> The plectrum has a mellower close-harmony sound which frequently is more 
> pleasant to hear in solos. So the aspiring soloist probably will be 
> attracted to it. (This is not cast in stone, of course, John Baier and Steve 
> DiBonaventura play tenors.) Also, the fingering of the chords is more 
> closely grouped on the plectrum neck. However the plectrum does not have the 
> "punch" a tenor has to get through to the stone deaf brass player in the 
> front line when you are trying to maintain tempo, meter, rhythm, etc. in the 
> rhythm section.
> 
> The tenor sounds shriller (Gee - tenor instead of baritone - go figure) than 
> the plectrum, as its 4-string chords usually span about 2 octaves with the 
> high pitch about an octave above the pianist's right hand in the same bar. 
> The chords require wider spreading of the fingers on the neck which can be a 
> problem for small hands. A tenor soloist frequently only plays a full chord 
> on the downbeat and does single string melody on the inside strings between 
> chords to reduce the shrillness and make life simpler. The tenor tuning in 
> fifths aids this as well as probably making transpositions simpler.
> 
> Where the tenor comes into its own is as a band instrument. No matter how 
> deaf the trumpeter is, or how loud, the tenor banjo WILL be heard if the 
> player wants it to be. Therefore, I think it is the better choice for a 
> rhythm banjo in a band. The pictures of bands in the old catalogs show many 
> more tenor than plectrum banjos, and I have chosen tenor because my goal is 
> not to be a solo virtuoso, but to be the most reliable rhythm player I can 
> be.
> 
> The 19 fret tenor banjo probably is better for most players in bands than 
> the 17 fretter. The extra string length does give a little more resonance 
> ("fullness" of tone), and the tenor needs all of that it can get.
> 
> And you are not restricted to plectrum and tenor banjos, some of the best 
> known jazz banjoists played guitar-neck six-string banjos, Johnny Saint Cyr 
> and Danny Barker did.
> 
> Now onto my soapbox:
> Since "trad" jazz seeks to preserve at least some of the roots of the genre, 
> it would seem to me that a beginner should be very aware that the earlier 
> bands usually played for private parties (which meant dances) and public 
> dances, Rarely for sit-down concerts. In traditional jazz, the emphasis 
> should be on ensemble playing at tempi a human can dance to. In an ensemble, 
> the wind instruments - and sometimes the piano - are the melody and 
> countermelody players. The banjo is a rhythm instrument and helps take care 
> of everything else: speed, volume, meter, rhythm, modulations to other keys, 
> and anything else needed. Trad jazz is a job for a team, not a gaggle of 
> individualist would-be stars. (Also, try some other kinds of tunes than the 
> usual 4/4. The old jazz bands played a wide variety of types, including fast 
> and slow waltzes, polkas, marches, one and two-steps, schottisches, 
> cakewalks, and more.)
> 
> Also, as a dancer myself, I can state that your dancing customers do NOT 
> want a bunch of stars or wannabe stars screeching for attention. When I am 
> with a lady, I want to pay attention to her. The music is the foundation for 
> the dance, I am the frame, and she is the picture. I am NOT there to listen 
> to a concert by a virtuso, or would-be virtuoso, soloist and I dislike any 
> attempt to call my attention away from my dance partner. This is subtly 
> different from playing so well as a member of the team/band that we draw 
> inspiration from it and dance better than we usually do - THAT we like and 
> remember fondly.
> 
> Thank you for the chance to pontificate,
> Phil Wilking, K5MZF, www.nolabanjo.com
> 
> Those who would exchange freedom for
> security deserve neither freedom nor security.
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Barb Jordan" <jordan_barb at hotmail.com>
> 
> > I know someone can answer this question:
> >
> > What is the best type of banjo to get to learn how to play trad jazz 
> > music? 17 or 19 fret Tenor or Plectrum?
> >