Beginners often lack any idea as to why some banjos feature resonators while others do not, or what exactly a resonator does. Others believe a banjo with resonator must only be used for specific types of picking styles, like clawhammer.
Metal resonators enhance and project the sound of banjos, producing louder notes than their open-back counterparts, making them suitable for live performances.
Fear of the Dark
Banjos have long been celebrated for their distinctive sound, making them particularly beloved instruments within bluegrass music. Resonator banjos provide particularly suitable versions, thanks to their metal resonators that help project the sound forward while increasing volume.
Early banjos were made with gourd bodies; one pre-1800 painting shows one with four strings, a flat fretboard, and a drone string. Joel Walker Sweeney is widely credited with replacing this early gourd design with one made out of a round drum-shaped pot sometime between 1830-1835.
At the turn of the 20th century, classical five-string banjo playing (fingerpicking on a five-string banjo) began to decline as dance music trends moved toward strumming 4-string instruments like guitar. But this didn’t spell the end for five-string banjos altogether; rather it gave rise to other varieties like plectrum and tenor banjos. Additionally, 5-string banjos underwent continual adjustments and improvements – such as length increases, tone rings upgrades and refined resonator designs – in order to meet louder demands for louder instruments – scale length increases, tone rings upgrades as well as refined resonator designs and scale length increases as demanded louder instruments.
Mean
Resonator banjos are louder and can help cut through the mix during solo sections of songs. Furthermore, they’re more durable and come in various styles to meet aesthetic and tone preferences – look for one with superior craftsmanship for maximum playing comfort.
Bluegrass music is perhaps the most well-known style of resonator banjo playing today, featuring high-pitched melodies with long instrumental breaks influenced by Irish music. While old time was mostly jazz influenced, bluegrass requires lead playing from its banjo player which often demands that their instrument stands out above all else in a band’s soundscape; hence why resonator banjos are popular.
Newcomers to 5-string banjos may assume they must choose between resonator or open-back instruments and two specific styles of picking; they may be surprised to discover the instrument can actually be played using various styles ranging from clawhammer and bluegrass to folk.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The banjo can add an edge to any song, yet not all artists know how to incorporate its use without altering the mood or reminding listeners of Jed Clampett. One exception was Nitty Gritty Dirt Band who managed to integrate this instrument seamlessly into rock ‘n roll music.
NGDB first emerged in 1966 as a humble jug-band that found early success performing at Orange County folk clubs, before eventually emerging as one of the best-known acts today with their 1970 album Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy producing their hit single “Buy for Me the Rain,” leading them on to produce more hit albums throughout their history.
John McEuen has long been a close associate of Steve Martin and performed the banjo part on “King Tut”, his iconic million-selling novelty tune. McEuen plays on a Deering Signature model banjo; additionally he produced and arranged many albums of their band.
Foggy Mountain Breakdown
Earl Scruggs had no idea when he wrote Foggy Mountain Breakdown over 50 years ago that it would become the foundation of bluegrass music – but that is exactly what has happened! This instrumental tune introduced both bluegrass music and Scruggs’ unique picking style that remains so popular to this day.
Foggy Mountain Breakdown is an essential piece for any bluegrass band’s repertoire and an easy tune to learn on five string banjo. It follows the same chord progression as Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Breakdown; however, its banjo breaks differ; for instance Foggy Mountain Breakdown uses either 6m chords or 6ths where BGB uses 7ths.
Guitar and mandolin players frequently learn variations to Foggy Mountain Breakdown that closely mirror those found on its original recording, adding more variety to performances at jam sessions or concerts.