Banjo For Dummies. Bill Evans
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Название: Banjo For Dummies

Автор: Bill Evans

Издательство: John Wiley & Sons Limited

Жанр: Музыка, балет

Серия:

isbn: 9781119731405

isbn:

СКАЧАТЬ office chair with the side arms removed. As you sit, position the banjo so that you're able to see the fingerboard and the banjo head, but don't let the banjo be so low in your lap that you have to reach far around the neck to fret with the left hand.

Photos depict Erin (a), Jody (b), and Bill (c) show three different ways to enjoy playing the banjo while sitting.

      Photographs by Anne Hamersky

      FIGURE 3-4: Erin (a), Jody (b), and Bill (c) show three different ways to enjoy playing the banjo while sitting.

      Standing with your banjo

      The key to being comfortable while standing with the banjo is to adopt a position that's similar to the position you use when sitting. If you've found a good sitting position (see the preceding section), stand up with the banjo and watch what happens. Try adjusting the strap length so that you have little to no change in the position of the banjo for both your sitting and standing positions.

      DON'T LET “DUNLAP'S DISEASE” GET YOU DOWN

      If you're in the prime years of your life like me, you may suffer from Dunlap's disease. What's that, you innocently ask? Well, Dunlap's disease is when your belly is so big that it “done laps” over your belt! If you suffer from this common malady, you may prefer to position the banjo a bit to the right side of your body, whether sitting or standing (see the section “Standing with your banjo”). Many players position the banjo squarely on their right thigh and may not need a strap to support the banjo at all while sitting. When standing with a strap, you want to position the banjo in a similar way at the right side of your body. If you're a Dunlapper, don't be afraid to move your banjo around until you find a position that's comfortable for you.

Photos depict Erin (a), Jody (b), and Bill (c) use straps for standing while playing and hold their banjos slightly differently.

      Photographs by Anne Hamersky

      FIGURE 3-5: Erin (a), Jody (b), and Bill (c) use straps for standing while playing and hold their banjos slightly differently.

I spend almost all my time practicing sitting down and even though I've been playing for over 35 years, I still have to make a subtle mental adjustment every time I stand up to play. A day or two before a performance, I devote a share of my practice time to playing standing up so that I'll feel more comfortable playing with others on stage. At a festival, you spend a good deal of your time standing in a circle of musicians at jam sessions, so practicing while standing up is a great idea every now and then (and don't forget to bring a comfortable pair of shoes!).

      The left hand's job is to change the pitches of the banjo strings to get all the notes you need for chords and melodies. The left hand accomplishes this task by pressing the tips of the fingers against the fingerboard just behind a fret, as needed, to shorten the length of a string and make its pitch higher. This technique is called fretting.

      Fretting individual strings and chords on the banjo is a breeze after you've adopted these simple tips for finding a comfortable left-hand position on your banjo neck. Here's a step-by-step guide:

      1 Rest your left hand on your leg and totally release all body tension from your hand and arm, just as if you were asleep (see Figure 3-6a).Your hand should assume a relaxed shape in which all the fingers are slightly bent in toward your palm (I know for some of you, it's difficult to relax. I'm from Berkeley, California, so just think of this as the California portion of the lesson and chill!).

      2 Keeping the wrist relaxed but straight, place the left-hand thumb on the upper part of the back of the banjo neck, opposite the space between the 1st and 2nd frets (see Figure 3-6b).Remember not to support the weight of the neck with the left hand or pull down on the neck with your thumb. And keep chillin’! The hand and fingers should stay relaxed, as in Step 1.

      3 Relax your shoulder, arm, and elbow, bringing your elbow down and in toward your body.This should move your hand forward in front of the banjo neck, maximizing the angle that your fingers will use to fret the strings.

      4 Move your left-hand middle finger just behind the 2nd fret of the 3rd string and push down on the string, fretting it with the tip of your finger (see Figure 3-6c).Don't fret on top of the 2nd fret but position the finger as close behind the fret as you can. Try to maintain a vertical position with the fretting finger so that the adjacent strings are able to ring freely.

      5 Try playing the 3rd string with the thumb of your right hand.The goal is to get a clear, ringing sound out of the note you've just fretted, with no buzzing.

      If the new note sounds good, congratulations! You've accomplished the first necessary task to becoming a great banjo player, and you're now officially playing the banjo!

Photos depict getting a good left-hand position: Relaxing the left hand (a), positioning the thumb to get ready to fret (b), and fretting the 3rd string at the 2nd fret (c).

      Photographs by Anne Hamersky

      FIGURE 3-6: Getting a good left-hand position: Relaxing the left hand (a), positioning the thumb to get ready to fret (b), and fretting the 3rd string at the 2nd fret (c).

      СКАЧАТЬ