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Subject: 6 string banjo
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 21:41:59 -0500

Greetings Joseph,

Glad to assist:

I have a six string banjo. I have played the guitar for years. I can't make it sound like a banjo. I have a hard time finding a good role. Can you help. I mainly flat pick.

Yes, there are some ways to emulate a 5-string banjo...
1. Try open G tuning: from low to high D G D G B D
2. With the above tuning, use some of our 5-string roll patterns, with your flatpick, on our Free Lessons Section:
http://www.folkofthewood.com/page3.htm
Substitute the fifth string, indicated on the tab, with the G 5th String of your guitar in the open-G tuning...
3. With your flatpick, try practicing some of our crosspicking patterns laid out for mandolin:
http://www.folkofthewood.com/page3.htm
Some of this crosspicking technique is covered on our: "Introduction to the 6 & 12-String Banjo" video...this video also covers how to emulate a 5-string banjo with a 6-string:
http://www.folkofthewood.com/page2296.htm

Best of luck to you in your research...Mickey

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Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2003 23:34:45 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: Fwd: 6 string guitar

Hi,

Thanks for your help. After looking I would like to know more about
your 6 string banjos, I saw the Morgan Monroe and the Gold Tone as an
affordable option to Deering, I also read you FAQ's. I am interested
in knowing how to play it relative to the guitar. I prefer a DVD to
tape.

Greetings,

Yes, both the Morgan Monroe and the Gold Tone offer a tremendous value in 6-string banjos...

The 6-string banjo is quite fun to experiment with...especially if you already know the guitar fingerboard language...the mechanics are essentially the same as on guitar...only, on a 6-string banjo, you have a faster decay. This only means that you would arrange a song differently on a banjo than on a guitar taking advantage of the innate characteristics of the instrument.

We have quite a few resources on 6-string banjo available on our website.

Our video: "Intro to the 6-String Banjo" covers all of the possibilities of where to carry this instrument...from emulating a 5-string banjo to learning open-tuning possibilities...from fingerpicking to flatpicking...from arranging to sampling...this video covers most everything you'd want to learn about the 6-string banjo. I'm biased; I wrote it.

http://www.folkofthewood.com/page2296.htm


Currently, we're only offering the VHS version...sometime next year, we may have a DVD available...

Mickey

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Subject: question for mickey
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2002 19:25:06 -0800

so i been neglecting my guitars for a few years now and i'm thinking about buying a banjo...which i must confess was probably my first-loved acoustic instrument. i want to play bluegrass, maybe evern semi-pro some day, and i'm trying to decide if a five-string will mess up my guitar-oriented mind, or can you play real bluegrass on a six-string banjo? can you give me some of the pros and cons between the five and six string? and your reccomendations might reflect that i want to buy just one banjo...until Nashville calls..then i'll use your trade up at 100% option! thanks, jack 

p.s. a lifetime warranty would be highly desireable. thanks again, jack


Greetings Jack,

I originally played guitar before picking up 5-string banjo. This facilitated the learning process simply because the mechanics are exactly the same. Because I already played fingerstyle guitar, 3-finger banjo was a natural jump. From playing Leo Kottke and Chet Atkins to playing "Beverly Hillbillies" on 5-string was an easy transition.

Be aware, there are certain facets of playing banjo that do not necessarily coincide with guitar...for instance, I float my right hand on guitar; on banjo, especially bluegrass banjo, the tradition is to support your right hand with the little finger (many players support their right hand with both the 3rd and 4th fingers).

The 6-string is fun to play, and since it is essentially a guitar, you'll find it an even easier transition. Unfortunately, you will not emulate a 5-string banjo with a 6-string banjo. There's no drone string that gives the 5-string its main character. The 6-string has a unique flavor and is great for ragtime, blues, some flatpicking and other styles that do not require lots of sustain. It is not a 5-string and, due to the missing 5th string drone, will never take the place of a 5-string. I've been able to play rolls similar to what you would do with a 5-string, but cannot make it sound exactly like a bluegrass banjo...

In reference to the lifetime warranty: Folk of the Wood offers a lifetime warranty on every current instrument sold new or used. There's also certain manufacturers that offer a lifetime warranty such as: Gold Tone and Deering.

Hope the above helps...

Keep on Pickin', Mickey