Grateful Dead Music Forum

to play a banjo... I've had one for a few years but took it and got it fixed a month ago and started taking lessons.

Dont watch this unless you are really bored. I just understand now why all of Jerry's buddies said that whenever they came over to visit him at his home, he would always meet them at the door wearing his banjo. It's hard to put down.

Cripple Creek was about the first song I learned on the banjo. From the Janet Davis instruction book...

Ever try a six string banjo?

hippieguy1954 wrote:Ever try a six string banjo?

I have a 6-string bluegrass Banjo tuning that I implemented on a Dean 6-string banjitar.
It's open-G with an "e": "geDGBD".
I use a 5th-string capo to get the high-G on string-6. This string is an open D (same as string-1), then capo'd at fret-5 to an open high-g.
I have an open high-e (a .010 guage string) in the string 5 position (having this note opens up alot of cool scales and altered chords).
So most songs that are in E, like LLR, I re-tab them in D, because D is the lowest note on the banjo.
I know it's called open-G, but I think of it more as Open-D (I guess I think of guitar as an open-E tuning... the lowest open note).
I do the Allman Bros "Mellissa" in D, and it lays out real nice on banjo.
My daughter calls it a Ban-Jane when she picks it up. I'm calling it a "JamBo" from here on out!
It "is" fun as "Hell" .
Oh Yeah, you can play along with all the Jerry OAITW stuff on it too.
I use a set of electric guitar .010's Elixers on this Banjo. It has three .010's on it on strings 1,5, and 6!
Here's the 5th string Capo (which I also have used to turn a Tele intro a 6 string electric Banjo):
http://www.thesuspendercapo.com/

Here's the CAGED stuff for Banjo:
Moveable Banjo Chords:
http://banjochords.net/chords/movable/

Banjo Chords and Scales Generator:
Read the "Documentation" section to get a feel for all that this software shows (Most of it does not show the high G string).
Scroll down on the left and select "Open G" tuning:
http://tpn.lowtech.org/chordgen.php

Pete ,

This Banjo is actually tuned to open E..... E,B,E,G#,B reason being its a long neck banjo having three addditional frets below the open G. So I just tune my 5th string to G, capo 3 and the fret markers believe it or not line up just right like an ordinary banjo. Having learned the CAGED theory on the guitar it didn't take me long to be playing chords all over the neck of the instrument.

Adam Deckard wrote:Pete ,
Having learned the CAGED theory on the guitar it didn't take me long to be playing chords all over the neck of the instrument.

That is great.
I found the exact same thing to be true.
That's cool about your banjo being in open-E. That might make a cool experiment for me to try.
I've got this inexpensive Banjo working very good... I got the neck all 'earled-up, and the neck attatched to the darn metal-ring so now the action is nice up and down the neck... so everything i know on regular guitar on strings 2-3-4 is instant "fair-game"...
I'm likely to launch right into a solo pshycadelic Cumberland at anytime.

I tune my 6 string banjo just like a 6 string guitar! Sounds great too.

Anybody want to buy a lefty 6-string banjo (banjitar)? I got one for ya. Even has a pickup that's voiced just right for plugging into a Twin Reverb. Amazing sound.

Right on Adam! Is that a 5th string capo?

I love the longnecks, John Hartford played those things. He's always been one of my favorites.

Ever since I saw a Pete Seeger show on PBS last year ive lusted hard for a cheap banjo.

Gang,
Her is Looks Like Rain in D, for Banjo. This is also a nice version for acoustic guitar.
Give it a whirl.

Looks Like Rain - D

D---------------G---------B7----------Em
I woke today, felt your side of the bed
D-----------------------A----------------------------Bm----Em--D
The covers were still warm where you’d been layin'.
------------Bm7-----Am7---G---B7----------------------Em
You were gone, oh gone, my heart was filled with dread;
D--------------------A--------------Bm----Em--D
You might not be sleeping here again.

Gsus4----G-------------Gsus4--G
But it's alright cause I love you,
Em------------------------C----G----D
And that's not going to change.
Em--------------------------------A----------------D---------F#sus4--F#
Run me around and make me hurt again and again.
Bm--A----------------G
But I'll still sing you love songs,
D--------E7----- A------F#7-----Bm-----Em
Written in the letters of your name.
D----C---------------------G
And brave the storm to come,
-------Em----------------D----Gsus4----G----Em
For it surely looks like rain

Jam at end:
D----C----G----Em

tcsned wrote: Is that a 5th string capo?

There is a small metal piece that extends up the neck past the 5th string tuning peg. It has a pin with rubber shielding on in that slides up and down and holds the 5th string down to fret it. My dads banjos all have them but most of his have a wheel on that piece that you twist to fret the string once you have it in the right spot.

I had a banjo for a brief time about 10 years back. Definitely fun. Yesterday I played a ukelele at Guitar Center