Music can be an evocative medium that stirs emotions while soothing away pain or fears.
Resonator Banjos offer an aesthetically pleasing sound. Popular among bluegrass and country musicians, these five-string instruments feature a metal resonator to increase sound projection and volume as well as tight plastic heads and brass tone rings for additional sound control.
Mean
Mean is an old-time clawhammer banjo tune that requires considerable dexterity to play well. While most clawhammer players opt for open back banjos when performing this tune, others such as Tommy Jarrell and Kyle Creed prefer using an open back resonator banjo due to hearing this tune performed by these artists on early 78’s or LP’s using such instruments.
As indicated by the plot, banjo modes tend to decay more quickly than guitar modes up to 1 kHz due to lower impedance match between strings and body and higher membrane-based system modal density compared with plate structures; this explains their tendency for sounding brighter when played on standard 5-strings tuned to C tunings.
The Dark Is My Enemy
Most banjo novices wouldn’t know why some banjos come equipped with “resonators”, while others don’t, nor what their purpose is; but with some experimentation they could transform an ordinary plastic-string banjo into one with more guitar-like tone.
This article shows, among other things, that Joel Sweeney did not invent the short drone string (5th string) seen on modern banjos; rather it was brought over from traditional West African instruments by slaves brought from Africa.
This piece provides an in-depth description of a simple banjo bridge mutes system, which clamps to the bridge to increase sustain and muffle tone while not altering tone itself. However, no formulas were provided here – instead four sample sounds are provided to demonstrate their effect on banjo timbre. This piece serves as a sequel to another piece using elementary linear differential equations to explain bridge movement on banjo tone timbre.
The Devil Went Down to Georgia
The Devil Went Down to Georgia was the single that propelled The Charlie Daniels Band into stardom upon its release in 1979 and remains one of the most influential fiddle-centric songs to date.
This song depicts Johnny challenging Satan to a musical duel; Satan agreed but warned if Johnny lost, his soul would be lost forever. With his exceptional fiddling skills enabling him to resist Satan’s tempting lures and come out victorious. This song may be read both as an illustration of good triumphing over evil as well as an encouragement that hard work and dedication are key ingredients in conquering any obstacle in one’s path to happiness.
Steve Ouimette’s cover of “One More Try” revived it to mainstream popularity in 2009 through Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock video game, reaching millions of people and reinvigorating millions’ appreciation of Charlie Daniels Band’s iconic track – it has since become an enduring piece of Americana music.
I’ll Be Seeing You
Pete Seeger’s simple and sweet song has inspired countless musicians. It made its first television debut on Get Smart in the 1960s spy spoof series and later performed by Bing Crosby himself.
Banjos that feature resonators, tone rings, or any other distinguishing characteristics typically sound louder. An excellent example is the Gold-Tone banjo in the picture above; its features include both resonator and tone ring that’s almost as large as its pot itself for maximum volume output.
This banjo features a “resonator flange,” rather than the typical little brackets found on cheap resonator banjos, for holding its resonator securely in place. Furthermore, its back features planetary tuners for traditional tuning of its neck resonator flange. Such features often signify more expensive banjos. Though all resonator banjos may seem identical at first glance, not all are equally effective for old time fingerpicking techniques; there may be differences among them that indicate some which perform better for fingerpicking techniques than others.