It's alive... - Minstrel Banjo2024-03-29T08:26:26Zhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/it-s-alive?feed=yes&xn_auth=nothe only tune that fiddle wou…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-04-10:2477478:Comment:891152013-04-10T14:02:46.709ZSteve Jeterhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/SteveJeter
<p>the only tune that fiddle would play is Oh ,,,, Grateful Dawg , did this tune great. Jerry & David</p>
<p>the only tune that fiddle would play is Oh ,,,, Grateful Dawg , did this tune great. Jerry & David</p> I love the title of this thre…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-04-10:2477478:Comment:894492013-04-10T13:58:57.587ZStrumeliahttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/Strumelia
<p>I love the title of this thread... "It's <em>Alive</em>... !!!" (I keep picturing Gene Wilder jumping around..lol)</p>
<p>The fact is our wooden banjo pots and necks came from living things...trees. And our real skin heads came from living things too...calves, goats, woodchucks...cats (!)... If we use gut strings that came from (usually) sheep I believe...</p>
<p>Banjos are pretty organic and I like to think of the trees and animals that used to be alive, now making music. It's like the…</p>
<p>I love the title of this thread... "It's <em>Alive</em>... !!!" (I keep picturing Gene Wilder jumping around..lol)</p>
<p>The fact is our wooden banjo pots and necks came from living things...trees. And our real skin heads came from living things too...calves, goats, woodchucks...cats (!)... If we use gut strings that came from (usually) sheep I believe...</p>
<p>Banjos are pretty organic and I like to think of the trees and animals that used to be alive, now making music. It's like the old ballad "Twa Sisters" or "Oh the Wind and Rain"...where the fellow makes fiddle pegs from her long finger bones and makes strings from her long black hair... But the resulting fiddle can only play one tune- a plaintive mournful piece that reveals the identity of the poor younger sister's murderer.</p> Today...is 43% rH....perfect…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-04-10:2477478:Comment:893172013-04-10T13:46:33.146ZTim Twisshttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/TimTwiss
<p>Today...is 43% rH....perfect sound.</p>
<p>I love skin....but I keep my synthetic ready for high profile gigs in the summer ...especially outdoors, dusk, ( need I go on? ).</p>
<p>Today...is 43% rH....perfect sound.</p>
<p>I love skin....but I keep my synthetic ready for high profile gigs in the summer ...especially outdoors, dusk, ( need I go on? ).</p> definitely! down here on the…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-04-10:2477478:Comment:891142013-04-10T13:42:44.067ZSteve Jeterhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/SteveJeter
<p>definitely! down here on the gulf coast,esp. in the summer,, the humidity can make my skin sag to a unreal point. a higher bridge is a great advantage.<br></br> <br></br> <cite>Strumelia said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/it-s-alive?xg_source=activity#2477478Comment89104"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I think if you have a real skin head and play out in humid weather it's a good idea to keep a slightly higher bridge on hand, especially if you…</p>
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<p>definitely! down here on the gulf coast,esp. in the summer,, the humidity can make my skin sag to a unreal point. a higher bridge is a great advantage.<br/> <br/> <cite>Strumelia said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/it-s-alive?xg_source=activity#2477478Comment89104"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I think if you have a real skin head and play out in humid weather it's a good idea to keep a slightly higher bridge on hand, especially if you have a non-adjustable gourd or tackhead banjo.</p>
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</blockquote> I am sure we all have seen 20…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-04-10:2477478:Comment:893162013-04-10T12:11:16.485ZBart McNeilhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/BartMcNeil
<p>I am sure we all have seen 20th C. banjos with electric lights inside them... and promotional stuff on the skin head. I would guess the idea would have been to heat the inside of the banjo, although maybe not because heating the inside is not necessarily drying it..... just speculating.,,, and you are right... I really don't know what I am talking about.</p>
<p>I am sure we all have seen 20th C. banjos with electric lights inside them... and promotional stuff on the skin head. I would guess the idea would have been to heat the inside of the banjo, although maybe not because heating the inside is not necessarily drying it..... just speculating.,,, and you are right... I really don't know what I am talking about.</p> I am sure we all have seen 20…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-04-10:2477478:Comment:893142013-04-10T11:45:06.169ZBart McNeilhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/BartMcNeil
<p>I am sure we all have seen 20th C. banjos with electric lights inside them... and promotional stuff on the skin head.</p>
<p>I am sure we all have seen 20th C. banjos with electric lights inside them... and promotional stuff on the skin head.</p> I think if you have a real sk…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-04-10:2477478:Comment:891042013-04-10T02:29:13.321ZStrumeliahttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/Strumelia
<p>I think if you have a real skin head and play out in humid weather it's a good idea to keep a slightly higher bridge on hand, especially if you have a non-adjustable gourd or tackhead banjo.</p>
<p>I think if you have a real skin head and play out in humid weather it's a good idea to keep a slightly higher bridge on hand, especially if you have a non-adjustable gourd or tackhead banjo.</p> Good things to know! Fortuna…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-04-09:2477478:Comment:893752013-04-09T21:49:44.346ZAnthony G Spanglerhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/AnthonyGSpangler
<p>Good things to know! Fortunately I've been babying the thing while I get used to it and it settles in.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Tony</p>
<p>Good things to know! Fortunately I've been babying the thing while I get used to it and it settles in.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Tony</p> Yes, the thin nylgut strings…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-04-09:2477478:Comment:892962013-04-09T19:03:07.050ZBart McNeilhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/BartMcNeil
<p>Yes, the thin nylgut strings break quite easily.. especially when one is new to tuning and careless about getting kinks in the thinnest ones. There certainly is a learning curve on how to handle strings to reduce breakage, just as there is with steel strings. The sellers should put an extra string in a pack for those of us who break the thinnest ones. I would gladly pay a little extra for an extra thin string.</p>
<p>Yes, the thin nylgut strings break quite easily.. especially when one is new to tuning and careless about getting kinks in the thinnest ones. There certainly is a learning curve on how to handle strings to reduce breakage, just as there is with steel strings. The sellers should put an extra string in a pack for those of us who break the thinnest ones. I would gladly pay a little extra for an extra thin string.</p> I speak from experience. Try…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2013-04-09:2477478:Comment:892322013-04-09T18:42:04.287ZRob Morrisonhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/RobertRMorrison
<p>I speak from experience. Trying to compensate for a sloppy head by retuning is a very good way to break gut strings. I don't know about nylon, but they might also be put under too much stress.--Rob</p>
<p>I speak from experience. Trying to compensate for a sloppy head by retuning is a very good way to break gut strings. I don't know about nylon, but they might also be put under too much stress.--Rob</p>