JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Guitars and Guitarist Forum 6- String Banjo

I just bought myself a 6-string banjo, in hopes that I might be able to add a different sound to some of my children's music. It has the same 6 strings as a guitar, so that it can be played like a guitar, but other than that, it's all banjo.
I love it for strumming rhythms, but I'm finding it hard to pick in a banjoesque sort of style.
Does anyone else own one? Is it best used for chording, or is there a secret to picking it?

I finger pick my guitar with a "banjo" 3 finger roll style which is actually pretty wierd for some people to watch. My Dad played a banjo so I picked up the bad habit from watching him. I am thinking of getting one of those "Banjitars" myself. Of course I will have to string it "Lefty". Just throwing that Idea out there about traditional Banjo picking style.

Is it a Banjitar? Or a Guitanjo?

The string arrangement on a 5-string banjo is what makes the familiar Scruggs-style possible. It requires the high, drone 5th string. You can't do it with your instrument.

However, with practice, there is no real reason you can't do an effective simulation.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by TrumanCoyote:
[B] Is it a Banjitar? Or a Guitanjo?

Google it. It is Banjitar. Gold Tone and various other carry them.

I always called mine a "gbanjo." So did everybody else. There are good ones and bad ones (made by the same company, in fact). I played a Hohner which had a beautiful sound that some dude was wanting to trade for my wife's 12-string--no deal, but I went out and bought myself one (that turned out to have a rotten sound). Maybe the top-namers are more consistent.

I just played the standard bluegrass guitar riffs--lot of hammering on, pulling off, and lead runs on the bass strings. Sounded enough like a real banjo so that people'd have to look twice to realize it had a different number of strings. I suppose if you were using fingerpicks you could get a Scruggsier sound out of it--I use a flat pick, always have.

Joe

I decided if I was gonna play banjo, I'd play friggin' banjo !

I have amid'20s Regal Tenor and Harmony five string from about 1950.

You just can't simulate the different tunings on a six string banjo...

I've played a few of them...if you're just looking for a banjo texture on a track they're fine...but..they'll never replace a real banjo.

Instead of wating time trying to make a six string sound like a real banjo..get off yer ass and learn how to play the real thing..
It's not very hard

bob Young

For the amount of banjo that I'd want on my next CD, I might just get off my ass and hire someone who can play a 5 string banjo.
I have enough problems maintaining my competence with the guitar.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say thanks to everyone who's been picking around in here! All good advice!
P.S. My banjo is made by "Kay".

I have found that using Carter-style picking with the 6 string banjo works quite nicely for those songs that fit it.

I bought a 'cheap' Dean brand called a 'backwoods' banjo from the musicians friend web site.

The laugh I got playing 'stairway to heaven' and 'Surfin USA' was worth the price.

They even make a 12 string version but I'm not ready for that just yet.

Doug

http://www.mjmrecords.com/media/ian%20posts/Islandsofblue-high.ram

i got a Deering goodtime banjo 5 string.I put in on all my songs even though i cant play it very good

I bought the Aria 6 string a year or so back and it's okay except...it has a rather short scale (24 inch). They apparently use the same neck as on their dobro-style guitar to save manufacturing costs. As a result, it sounds floppy in standard tuning, even with really light strings.

One thing I've experimented with is replacing the low E with a lighter gauge to get the sound of a 5 string banjo. If I did that as a permanent thing, I'd have to change the nut to work better with the light string. Not sure if it's worth it -- might as well just get the real 5 string!