Tone is a subject that pre-occupies all musicians and not least banjo players.
All other banjo styles have access to a deep sound resource. Pre-internet radio, T.V. and of course vinyl L.P’s, cassette tapes and C.D.’s cover every banjo angle from tenor, jazz, bluegrass, clawhammer, 2 and 3-finger ‘old-time’, Guitar banjo and folk. With regard to access, the internet is to sound resource what splitting the atom was to the release of energy.
Finger-style banjo has a very different relationship to sound resource. This is largely the consequence of the relatively narrow period of popular commercial recording of finger-style players. In addition much of that period coincides with early recording technology. Recording often involved the banjo player contorting himself (it was mostly ‘him’) into a tiny space near the sound receiver and playing fortissimo between the piano player's legs, to be picked up by the rudimentary apparatus at all.
Yet people assert that this indistinct sound borne of cramp-inducing contortion is the ‘de facto’ finger-style ‘sound’. Deviation, while not under pain of death, has been rumoured to involve suspension of the offending banjo player's right to wear a bow-tie for 6 months or longer.
My sense of humour aside, surely the potential for exploring finger-style tone is long overdue for an expedition to be equipped and sent to discover our sound equivalent of the North-West Passage and what may lay beyond?
Edited by - EEB on 08/07/2026 10:11:57
the passage leads to a never ending area of mics-pick-ups--tube vs transistors vs digital processors--on and on--go for it--report back
Are you interested in the acoustic tone of the instrument or the tone produced by sound reinforcement equipment and/or the recording process?
It is true that for some time the internet connected version of "classic banjo" was pretty narrowly focused on ff playing in a perceived interpretation of imitating recordings.
I was guilty of this myself, but this was my own shortcomings as a musician (I really only consider myself a banjo enthusiast who attempts to play).
Additionally, many published scores are devoid of dynamic markings.
While this was an internet message board fad, the actual players did not reflect this. Nor does all of the written historical record.
Professional recording banjoists complained about how they could not use "shading" (dynamics) due to the limitation of recordings. Endless articles were written on the use of dynamics in playing and how effective dynamics were on the banjo, being capable of very loud volume, one could also play at a whisper.
Countless "Patrols" were published, it was a musical genre that was very popular and only worked if the prefromer was very careful with the dynamics.
In the US School of Music, William Foden spends a lot of ink on dynamics and expression.
I have worked very hard at adding dynamics to my playing.
At ABF rallies, good dynamics is a point of pride. It is a goal and we spend a lot of the "rehearsal" time of the "orchestra" on the dynamics of a piece.
I have a number of digital versions of reel to reel recordings from 1950-1960s rallies. While the recordings are generally poor quality, dynamics are evident.
So, yes, some players who post on internet message boards have shared that they will only play ff--- but that is not me since I have been exposed to real banjoists who have set me straight.
Then there is "tone" in general-- also something I work at. There is a tendency for people to snap the strings, in the period this was sometimes called "hooked tone". In my personal journey, I try to play as clear and buzz/fret slap free as I can.
S. S. Stewart on expression in 1894:
the only way to do away to be completely acoustic is --to play-live in the room and no equipment --so only in jams ,is that possible and isn't that where the classic got muffled out ? Now days we can stack tracks to test theories--I must admit I tried various effects over the years --and they wear out their welcome as a novelty maybe ,for one song--in other words not enough bang for the buck--but these guys would probably have given them a shot
quote:
Originally posted by RB3Are you interested in the acoustic tone of the instrument or the tone produced by sound reinforcement equipment and/or the recording process?
In my own finger-style playing I'm interested in acoustic tone. That just reflects my playing experience and my ignorance of the recording process and other ways of affecting tone. I'm involved in regular experimenting with set up of early and vintage 5, 6 and 7-string banjos. I also make and test a lot of bridges in relation to this work.
But I'm interested in listening and learning about other players ideas relating to any form of tone enhancement.
Edited by - EEB on 08/07/2026 12:45:47
I've been lately enjoying a CE Wood Hoop Special that I have added a later (than the banjo) CE resonator to.
I also have an entire library of period tone gizmos that I like to play with.
One easy thing, something that Fred Van Eps did and become popular with the ABF, is to fit a slat of wood (sometimes called a "paint stick" for slang) between the dowel/perch and head. It is friction fit, but I have seen some that were shimmed against the head with a matchstick.
The one that came with my FVE flush fret (and was made by FVE) is pine and 1/4" thick. but I have had good luck with 1/8" thick slats too.
Some banjos (not all) really respond to this well and it increases the focus and gives the impression of more volume (I don't know if it actually makes it louder).
It seems like tone & voicing is something that changes over time, fashions, fads & the unique approaches of performers. Looking for a period correct & standard tone seems like a bit of a snipe hunt. I would think that modern players, including members of the American Banjo Fraternity have many excellent choices to model their tone, from current exemplars. The tone before recordings is lost in time,& even written descriptions, flawed recordings & staff music dynamic notations are still inadequate.
Edited by - tdennis on 08/08/2026 18:36:27
quote:
Originally posted by tdennisIt seems like tone & voicing is something that changes over time, fashions, fads & the unique approaches of performers. Looking for a period correct & standard tone seems like a bit of a snipe hunt. I would think that modern players, including members of the American Banjo Fraternity have many excellent choices to model their tone, from current exemplars. The tone before recordings is lost in time,& even written descriptions, flawed recordings & staff music dynamic notations are still inadequate.
Exactly. Why would we imagine that in a society that pre-dated mass-communication and recording of sound, that a 'standard' existed to any significant extent?
Though of course research must defer to evidence rather than simply common sense. Evidence reveals relationships within that more localised society and how they collectively functioned against homogeneity and standardisation. Even the repeat performances of touring live entertainment were filtered through the element of imperfect recall.
When we have the original early instruments and we set up as closely as possible in accord with period contemporary guidance we do discover tonality (and playability) that is in the range of that instrument's sound 'palette'. We are engaged in conducting exactly this study in relation to early English 6 and 7-string banjos whose sound and context has been previously entirely neglected:
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC2ARp4V-79Qsk0dxbKvqniQ/videos?ra=m
But we can never replicate hands and minds that formed subject to the cultural influences of that past society. Nor gut strings that were actually manufactured when that instrument was new.
Edited by - EEB on 08/09/2026 03:37:19
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