For banjo players who like to play 6 string banjo, in a 5+1 setup. All styles welcome.

18 Members, Created 3/24/2014 -

Administrators: Leslie R (owner)

My 5+1 string experience

From nevetsnayr on 7/31/2014 12:57:13 AM

Hello everyone

   I just joined the group.  Let me tell you how I got into playing the 5+1 string banjo after over 20 years of playing fingerstyle 5 string banjo.  For the last six years I have been working with a playing system that I developed which is based on major scales in five different closed-positions.  I mostly wanted to play fiddle tunes note-for-note.  I had played Tunes on an Irish Tenor banjo, but wanted to be able to play everything on the 5 string.  Learning all the major scales in closed positions in my system allowed me to do this, as well as  learning to read standard musical notation which has allowed me to play hundreds of tunes out of fiddle books.

 There were two shortcomings using a 5 string banjo for fiddle tunes.  First, the lowest note is D, whereas a fiddle goes down to G.  Second, my closed position playing (with the scales going horizontally across the four strings) meant that I had to frequently shift up or down to the next position for tunes that had a range greater than about ten notes.  Adding the extra low string mostly solved both problems.

  I have been exclusively been playing my custom Bishline 5+1 string banjo for over three years.  When I play closed position, single string style for Contra Dances, Irish Sessions, Jazz, and some classical, I use the low string extensively throughout the length of the neck and can't play most of these pieces on a regular 5 string.  For Bluegrass, I don't use the low string as much, except for when I play flatpicking style closed position lead breaks on slow and medium tempo songs.

   I have downloaded two photos of my banjo.

   How are the rest of you using your banjos?

steven Ryan