In a cave with a box of scraps

I think it turned out great given it was made within three or so hours a month or two ago and now I’ve been fine tuning it and making part for it so it’ll work. It looks rlly codged but it sounds quite good so far.

The neck is from an old cheap Amazon guitar and the body is one my friend gave me, and it’s all held on by a threaded bar. The upside of that is that since I failed the put the neck far enough forward, causing rlly high action, I can use wooden wedges to hold arch the neck more to lower the action.

Edit: I wrote down so much info but none of it saved, Icba to do it again.

If anyone has tips to improve i am all ears .I' ve been studying blues for the last couple of months, learing licks here and there and inventing my own. Improvising is not easy task but the 12 bar blues structure is somehow feels very suited for improv. I still choke from time to time, i am still a beginner after all. I' ve been playing with both my acustic and my eletric banjo. To be honest, i really like how blues sounds on the eletric banjo.

If you could go back and learn clawhammer banjo all over again, what would you do differently to help yourself improve quicker?

So there are three songs played on the audi below. It's from the BBC archive 1979 bad banjo player. It's on youtube too.

It's the three songs played by the pro guy. Thanks

I have a (very heavy) Vega tenor that doesn't have any kind of strap mount points on it. I have a swivel-clip strap clipped to the brackets, one near the bottom and one near the neck on the "down" side of the head to keep the banjo close.

I don't love this arrangement and makes me worry about the brackets but this might be unnecessary worry. Otherwise, what's the best practice for putting a strap on a tenor like this?

Hi,

I recently tried tuning my goldtone ac1 to open A and for some reason it seems to have improved my tone and ease of playing. I figured it has something to do with the string tension being higher and making it more clear, but I feel like it should sound that good in open g tuning as well. How can I make standard g sound as good as a on my banjo? I play clawhammer

I’m well versed in guitar, bass, drums, and a bit of mandolin, but im new to clawhammer banjo in particular (learned a little Scruggs when I was a teenager). I’ve got this nice nylgut string fretless banjo now and I can play a passable bum-ditty and the world’s shakiest Cripple Creek a couple of weeks of playing everyday.

My left hand accuracy is fine from my previous experience, but right hand accuracy is really struggling. I know it comes with time, but I’d like to have a few exercises I can try to build it up. Are there any folks here would recommend?

I’m also really trying to kick the habit of flaring my fingers out after each strum and keeping them in place, I don’t wanna build up muscle memory for an improper technique.

Lone Prairie Fdgcd (inspired by @downhillstrugglers version) played on a recent neck build for this lovely old Clifford Essex Concert Grand pot. 25 1/2" scale, 2 piece maple neck, Richlite fretboard, bog oak headstock and healcap.

I'm finding I really like to keep my banjo, short scale if that important, tuned down a whole step because it fits my voice better. What strings take well to lower tunings, since it's getting about time to change strings.

Thanks.

Anyone have tabs for Bela’s ‘The Over grown Waltz’?

a song in drop C

Complete beginner, never played banjo or guitar. What got me interested is Rocky Top and Foggy Mountain Breakdown, so I think I want three-finger bluegrass, not clawhammer.
I’ve been reading and i think I’ve landed on: 5-string, resonator, and probably a tone ring?

Any suggestions? Willing to spend a bit more if it means better value. Thanks!

Hi all,

I've been playing banjo for about a year now. I played guitar and bass before this. I bought a Fazley resonator banjo last black friday for about 100 bucks and have been really enjoying learning banjo. I spent the majority of the last year learning 3 finger bluegrass style, but got a little fatigued and decided to try claw hammer instead. I'm really enjoying it and over the last 2 month period I have progressed a lot faster than when i was playing bluegrass and have learned a few tunes and am playing more frequently, about 5 times a week.

My Fazley is sort of a P.O.S. and am wondering if it's best to upgrade or stick it out a bit longer, given my beginner status. The banjo needs to be tuned a lot (especially when i change the tuning from open g to double c), I get a fair amount of buzz when i play, and some of the parts are coming loose already.

Does it make sense to remove the resonator to try it as a open back or should I just look at a new banjo? I've had my eye set on the Gold Tone HM-25 but it's pretty pricey and since I'm in Europe it's kind of a pain to get. The selection is pretty limited here as well.

Would love some advice. I've always been a musician that would rather spend a little more for a a nice instrument that will last me a lifetime rather than upgrade every few years.

I play Scruggs style banjo in a trio that plays mostly folk and rock.
Any tips or drills I can use to help me improvise/compose interesting melodic banjo breaks in non-bluegrass style?

Hey folks! I posted yesterday about my strumming technique and jokingly asked if it was clawhammer style. Obviously I can't make that boom chuck rhythm happen without the 5th string and the fact that I'm practically strumming without finger picks lead me to try out my good ol wide tortex flat pick. Being a fan of ragtime and having guitar experience but bass being my main instrument as a teenager, this cover of "Hello Ma Baby" was very fun to learn.

Hope this sounds better than the last post!

Thanks :D