No matter if it is stadium country rock with Eric Church or dixieland with Buddy Tetreault, six string banjo players have always played an essential part of modern music. Even cheap six string banjos still find a place in modern musical environments.
Most 6-string banjos feature radiused necks similar to acoustic guitars for ease of transitioning for guitar players, with bass strings tuned an octave or two higher so they won’t muddy the sound.
Adaptability
Although banjo sounds different than guitar, and some guitarists may not initially take to it, its use can adapt to most genres of music when played using proper technique. A banjo with resonator increases volume and sustain while when played using flatpick or finger pick techniques it produces gutsy plunky sounds similar to 5-string dobro. This technique may come in handy for guitarists whose parts call for them to briefly play banjo; check your score carefully to make sure chords rather than individual notes or plectrum are requested when needed.
Banjos typically feature radiused fingerboards similar to those on acoustic guitars for ease of crossing over. This also keeps fingers in a more natural position for strumming or bar chords – although some guitarists may prefer flat fingerboards.
Head selection can greatly alter the sound of a 6-string banjo. Black heads have long been preferred because of their warm tone and sustain. But other choices exist such as Renaissance heads (warmer than top frosted), Wild Prism Heads and Fiberskyn heads; it’s important to experiment with various sounds until finding one that best matches your playing technique and style. A pickup may also be added for live or studio use; Fishman, LR Baggs and Kavanjo all manufacture pickups specifically tailored for banjos.
Sound
Purists might argue the 6-string banjo can’t produce true bluegrass or Scruggs style rolls, but this instrument provides excellent service to other musical genres such as blues, country, dixieland and ragtime.
A 6-string banjo can make an excellent gateway instrument for guitarists looking to try their hand at banjo but without learning an entirely different set of scales and chords. Guitar players accustomed to open tunings will find making the transition very straightforward as their existing knowledge of playing chords on guitar will carry over perfectly to playing 6 string banjo without risk of muted strings or making accidental dissonant notes.
However, 6 string banjos may also be suitable for players who prefer playing more individual notes than 5-string banjos allow. Unfortunately, 6-string banjos tend to have less sustain than guitars so patterns that depend on individual notes carrying for more than half a beat can sometimes sound cheesy and weak.
To remedy this, the 6-string banjo can be equipped with a pickup for live or busking playback, available from Fishman, LR Baggs, Kavanjo and others – including options from Fishman, LR Baggs and Kavanjo that vary in price and tone to meet individual players needs. Some even come equipped with built-in tuners which is especially handy if one doesn’t wish to carry an additional device around with them.
Playability
6-string banjos require more care to set up, as many models arrive unready to play. On the cheaper end of the spectrum, banjos may come without enough tightening on their neck to produce good sound or have the appropriate shape. Therefore, it is vital that coordinator rods (long bolt-like things that go down through the nut near the neck) are checked for tightness – make sure not too tight of an adjustment otherwise this will break your instrument! Tighten them gradually by turning them, yet not so tight that pulling will break off their connection from body and pull away completely – this could break your instrument!
As noted above, strumming open strings with a flatpick can sound dissonant. To reduce cacophony it’s essential to fret or deaden two of the lowest strings while practicing patterns that hit only top strings or two of all six strings at the same time – any other way will result in sounding muggy! Strumming all six will sound overwhelming and make no sense unless going for Dixieland style music.
Banjos can be equipped with pickups for playing live or recording purposes, and major brands such as LR Baggs, Fishman and Deering provide numerous models at various price levels to fit into your budget.
Styles of Music
There are various styles of music to be played on a 6 string banjo. Traditionally it has been utilized by fingerpickers in blues and folk genres; folk musicians typically utilize 5 string banjos; however the additional low strings on a 6-string add more depth and make for ideal blues patterns.
Acoustic banjos can be found to meet various musical genres, from bluegrass and jazz to classical music. A great string option is stainless steel as its sound has minimal overtones; Phosphor bronze strings may also work, though these won’t provide as much “bite”.
A 6-string banjo can be tuned either open G (which is standard in bluegrass), D, B, G and high G, or some folk musicians such as Pete Seeger use B D G tuning which resembles that of guitar more closely; others like Jean “Django” Reinhardt used a 6-string banjo instead.
Pickup manufacturers such as Fishman, LR Baggs and Kavanjo offer reliable options at various price points. Many 6-string banjos come with either an open back or resonator body; it would be wise to consult an experienced technician when purchasing one to ensure its neck and fingerboard are correctly set up for playing live performances and recording sessions.