Hi. This only my second ever post to this forum, but I have been reading it every day for the past several months and I thought I'd just say thanks to all you regulars for all your insight.
Getting to my point, I've been playing banjo for maybe a year or so after nearly 20 years on/off guitar playing, mostly rock-ish music. It seems to me that proper ornamentation in Irish music is largely what makes it "authentic." That is to say, if I get a tune off this site, or sheetmusic elsewhere, and play it straight as written thats fine but then I hear someone else play the same tune with all the ornaments and its a whole new thing. AND on top of that, fiddle or whistle ornamentation is different from banjo ornamentation. That is, typically banjo stuff tends to be pick driven, rather than cuts and rolls and left hand stuff like that. Anyway, I guess I'm just looking for advice or resources - books, websites, whatever - specifically about Irish banjo. (I've been to irishbanjo.com and it has a lot of info, but I thought I'd see if you all had any other ideas... sorry its a pretty vague question)
Thanks.
(also, (sorry to be long-winded) when playing guitar I find that a lot of my speed came from the left hand - pull-offs, hammer-ons, but that sort of thing doesn't seem to fit on the banjo. Iits all about the attack of the plectrum. I've found that using a heavy pick works best, and doing triplets beginning with a downstroke best as well - having been reared on electric guitar I was always taught to use up & down strokes innterchangeably, and I begin a phrase on an upstroke as much as a down...but now I try to use down. Any other little tips like that? anyway, I am shutting up now.)
Hi
To my understanding, the main ornamention that banjo player use is the triplet,or rather cut triplet.This means that the three notes are played faster than a normal triplet ( in classical terms a triplet is three notes evenly divided into one beat).The three notes are general played dud then the next note d.This means you have two d strokes in a row.(in order that you du pattern stays in sync and you hit the strong beats with a d).Mainy people play this as a stacatto triplet - a rapid dud then damp the string(usually by lifting the finger off the string).
As you say hamering on and off is and rolls etc are difficult (though pulling off is not impossible if you got a good left hand technque).I would tend to disagree with you however about the proper ornamentation making it "authentic".It much more important to get the feel and style of the music, and this can be done with little or no ornanentation.The rhythm of this music can,t be written down on score - it to subtle.I alway found it usefull the play along with recordings.- but try non banjo recordings, and try and match the style.Remember also the importance of lilting - often misses by plectrum player.
For more info on ornamention try http://www.greenmanhumming.com/html/zoukornaments
For pick direction. http://www.mandolincafe.com/pick.html
For detailed discussion on triplets. http://www.mandolin.com/cgi/discus/board-auth.cgi?file=/508/6648.html&lm=10 ...
Triplets on one note are a good place to start from. Once you have mastered the triplet picking technique, you can try changing the middle note in the triplet, eg (3BcB (3BdB. Running triplets also come in handy, eg (3Bcd (3gfe. The same picking technique can be used for 'doubling' a note, eg for gedB play (3gge dB.
You will probably find that some of your let hand work from the guitar will transfer onto the banjo, but instead of hammering on and pulling off, you will need to pick every note.
Practicing on open strings is a great start for triplets (3AAA (3eee
and also applying the advice from David, practising slowly then increasing the speed. I had serious problems and found that using a very light pic 50/60mm helped alot. Takes time and a lot of practice so hang in there.
Banjo ornamentation
Banjo ornamentation
Hi. This only my second ever post to this forum, but I have been reading it every day for the past several months and I thought I'd just say thanks to all you regulars for all your insight.
Getting to my point, I've been playing banjo for maybe a year or so after nearly 20 years on/off guitar playing, mostly rock-ish music. It seems to me that proper ornamentation in Irish music is largely what makes it "authentic." That is to say, if I get a tune off this site, or sheetmusic elsewhere, and play it straight as written thats fine but then I hear someone else play the same tune with all the ornaments and its a whole new thing. AND on top of that, fiddle or whistle ornamentation is different from banjo ornamentation. That is, typically banjo stuff tends to be pick driven, rather than cuts and rolls and left hand stuff like that. Anyway, I guess I'm just looking for advice or resources - books, websites, whatever - specifically about Irish banjo. (I've been to irishbanjo.com and it has a lot of info, but I thought I'd see if you all had any other ideas... sorry its a pretty vague question)
Thanks.
(also, (sorry to be long-winded) when playing guitar I find that a lot of my speed came from the left hand - pull-offs, hammer-ons, but that sort of thing doesn't seem to fit on the banjo. Iits all about the attack of the plectrum. I've found that using a heavy pick works best, and doing triplets beginning with a downstroke best as well - having been reared on electric guitar I was always taught to use up & down strokes innterchangeably, and I begin a phrase on an upstroke as much as a down...but now I try to use down. Any other little tips like that? anyway, I am shutting up now.)
# Posted on November 15th 2002 by jeSuisUneVache
Re: Banjo ornamentation
Hi
To my understanding, the main ornamention that banjo player use is the triplet,or rather cut triplet.This means that the three notes are played faster than a normal triplet ( in classical terms a triplet is three notes evenly divided into one beat).The three notes are general played dud then the next note d.This means you have two d strokes in a row.(in order that you du pattern stays in sync and you hit the strong beats with a d).Mainy people play this as a stacatto triplet - a rapid dud then damp the string(usually by lifting the finger off the string).
As you say hamering on and off is and rolls etc are difficult (though pulling off is not impossible if you got a good left hand technque).I would tend to disagree with you however about the proper ornamentation making it "authentic".It much more important to get the feel and style of the music, and this can be done with little or no ornanentation.The rhythm of this music can,t be written down on score - it to subtle.I alway found it usefull the play along with recordings.- but try non banjo recordings, and try and match the style.Remember also the importance of lilting - often misses by plectrum player.
For more info on ornamention try http://www.greenmanhumming.com/html/zoukornaments
For pick direction.
http://www.mandolincafe.com/pick.html
For detailed discussion on triplets.
http://www.mandolin.com/cgi/discus/board-auth.cgi?file=/508/6648.html&lm=10 ...
# Posted on November 15th 2002 by Christopher Reynolds
Re: Banjo ornamentation
Triplets on one note are a good place to start from. Once you have mastered the triplet picking technique, you can try changing the middle note in the triplet, eg (3BcB (3BdB. Running triplets also come in handy, eg (3Bcd (3gfe. The same picking technique can be used for 'doubling' a note, eg for gedB play (3gge dB.
You will probably find that some of your let hand work from the guitar will transfer onto the banjo, but instead of hammering on and pulling off, you will need to pick every note.
# Posted on November 16th 2002 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Banjo ornamentation
Practicing on open strings is a great start for triplets (3AAA (3eee
and also applying the advice from David, practising slowly then increasing the speed. I had serious problems and found that using a very light pic 50/60mm helped alot. Takes time and a lot of practice so hang in there.
# Posted on November 18th 2002 by Jackeen