Minstrel Banjo

For enthusiasts of early banjo

Tim and I have been corresponding on this tune. Does anyone else play it? If so, would you be willing to share a video of how you interpret it as well as your fingerings? One of the things that I feel is really informative is to see how multiple people will play the same piece, especially those pieces where the players have to impose their own fingerings (like this one). Even more, for those who are really delving into the period instructional materials, it's fascinating to see how people synthesize the textual descriptions of how to play, the music, and the fingerings.

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Another blind post. I just put mine up, and am checking out Greg.
Well, I haven't tried it until this morning. Pretty neat tune. I can see where there are many places for 'interpretation' re: fingerings. It would take me some time to get it up to any sort of speed, esp. with that odd decending triplet line in measure 4. I can't figure out if I like it better played starting in the 1st position or the 5th.

Also, that G at the end of the 5th measure sounds awful. I prefer it as an A (5th fret, 3rd string) esp. since I'm picking up the C# and D at the 5th and 6th on the 2nd string. It also sounds good as an F# (2nd fret, 3rd string) but that is a long leap.

P.S. this too, is "blind". I have not seen Tim's or Greg's stuff...yet!
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Also, that G at the end of the 5th measure sounds awful. I prefer it as an A

Do you mean M9? If so, I agree. I changed that note. Buckley has an "A".
Tim Twiss said:
Also, that G at the end of the 5th measure sounds awful. I prefer it as an A

Do you mean M9? If so, I agree. I changed that note. Buckley has an "A".

Oops. Yes, m9.
Nice transcription Marc. Have you tried playing the piece in the key of D with the banjo tuned to dGDF#A (or at least treating the banjo as if it were in that tuning)? It makes the piece a bit more accessible (at least for me). I'll try playing it in the form you have it now when I get home.

Regarding altering notes, I played the G in mm9, though I too found that I wanted to actually play the open A (musical muscle memory from quite a number of other tunes). I found it doable, though a bit of a challenge to sustain, especially since you have to immediately jump up to the 10th position for the high G. With a larger ensemble context it might sound more appealing with the G, completing the arpeggiated G chord.
Thanks Greg. No, I did not attempt a transposition...but will give that a go. I went into it blind and just TABbed it out in the tuning native to the book. I'll give the D version a whirl.

Yes, I heard you playing that G in your video and Tim's with it altered. Still sounds much better as an A (and I think that decending line in m9 is in D, so that an A, being the fifth, sound's "right"). Same goes for that 12th fret B in m10, it sounds better as an A since the B is the sixth (preceeding notes are D, F#...one expects an A).

Ok, TablEdit has a "one button" transposer...here's the version in D tuning (and with my preferred notes). You're absolutely right about it being much more accessible in this tuning. Much easier and won't take but a few minutes practice to get it working. Thanks!!
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I think that last note in M 10 is "B".
Tim Twiss said:
I think that last note in M 10 is "B".

It is, Tim...but I changed it to an A because I like the A better.
There is no oxygen on the 14th fret anyway.
Tim Twiss said:
There is no oxygen on the 14th fret anyway.

LOL. You got that right.

Other minor differences in Buckley...I should do that one too. Give me a few minutes.
Trapdoor2 said:
Tim Twiss said:
There is no oxygen on the 14th fret anyway.

LOL. You got that right.

Other minor differences in Buckley...I should do that one too. Give me a few minutes.
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You will see the one "A" in that one.

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