Q&A | Humidity & Tack-Head Banjos
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- / cliftonhicks
Bandcamp: cliftonhicks.ba...
Spotify: open.spotify.c...
iTunes: / clifton-hicks
Venmo: venmo.com/clif...
PayPal: paypal.me/clif...
Oldtime banjo close ups and demonstrations of overhand, clawhammer, two finger, thumb lead, 2 finger, frailing and stroke styles plus traditional southern Appalachian mountain hoedown and early minstrel show techniques. History, anthropology, folklore, research and musicology including breakdowns, blues, waltz pieces, tin pan alley, some Afro-Caribbean and West African history, occasional Cajun and zydeco references, also Métis, Creole, Melungeon and indigenous North American music traditions. Mountain music, southern culture. George Gibson, Ernie Williams, Cousin Emmy, Dock Boggs, Rufus Crisp, Virgil Anderson, Lily May Ledford, Roscoe Holcomb, Tab Ward, Frank Proffitt, Tommy Jarrell, Kyle Creed, Lee Sexton, Morgan Sexton, Lead Belly, Pete Steele, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, JD Crowe, Clarence Ashley, Fred Cockerham, Dwight Diller, Gaither Carlton, John Snipes, Dink Roberts, Clifford Essex, Joe Sweeney, Archibald Ferguson, Dan Emmett, John Hartford, Picayune Butler, Gus Cannon, Art Rosenbaum, Grandpa Jones, Snuffy Jenkins, Buell Kazee, Bascam Lamar Lunsford, Uncle Dave Macon, Tommy Makem, Luke Kelly, Charlie Poole, Ola Belle Reed, BF Shelton, Hobart Smith, Samantha Bumgarner, Peggy Seeger, Mike Seeger, Jean Ritchie, Ralph Stanley, Odell Thompson, Wade Ward, Hedy West, Fred McDowell, Uncle Homer Walker, Mississippi John Hurt old time, folk, trad roots pickers songsters. #banjo #oldtimemusic #history Riley Baugus, Dirk Powell, Gillian Welch, Maybelle Carter Family. Morgan Sexton, Black Banjo Songsters, Lee Sexton, Clyde Troxell, Blanche Coldiron, Banjo Bill Cornett.
thanks for explaining, I had the camping problem with the skin, nice answer dude
When my tackhead loosens from high humidity, I hit it with a blow dryer from the backside. It takes about a minute to dry it out to where it’s nice and tight again. I set the dryer on low, keeping it about 10” from the head, and keeping it in constant motion to avoid over heating the head. It’s usually good then for a couple hours. No need to swap bridges or put up with a crappy sounding banjo.
Man, that version of Darling Corey was KILLER. Good job man, and thank you for answering my question!
Thank you, Clifton, for another great vid! I did not know any of this. I learned a lot!
Hi Clifton. I like your general philosophy and find knowing several techniques helpful as long as you spend some time acquiring them. I started with 3 finger and found it very difficult to play a song like they sounded in my head. Claw hammer opened up an easier approach for me since I could sound out the melody with the "bum, boom" or what ever. Several surgeries on my hand left me using only my right thumb and index finger for a while. And that led me to 2 finger as you do it but I was more comfortable from claw hammer using my index finger to lead. Seems to work ok for where I am at now. And when I regained the use of my middle, and ring finger, I found I was playing as Pete Seeger described, using those fingers for the strum. My point is that your philosophy seems wide open and for anyone with arthritis as myself or other hand problems , they should not give up. There are ways to get around things and the journey produces interesting things. Your philosophy of not being restricted to a style is helpful for anyone who is struggling. A plain old simple "Thanks".
Regarding waxing: maybe try a wax bar (otter wax or Greenland wax)? That's how folks waterproofed fabrics and leather way back when. I don't know if this is the ideal solution but I can't see why it wouldn't work.
I live in Canada and it gets insanely dry in the winters so dry that ive had raw hides split. One way to counter it is to oil the skin, once you do it a few times it will be less prone to over drying because oil is less prone to evaporation.
What oil are you using? Mineral oil?
Thanks for the tips! I intend to either make or have made a hardy banjo ('mountain' style maybe?) for when I hopefully go travelling early 2020. When I find out where I'm going I'll definitely check out the humidity and bring a couple of bridges. Could be the far east which can get pretty humid, especially in my motherland of Indonesia.
Thanks for the tips, I got a while to think about this one!
Hold the head over a heat source for just a little bit by hand to tighten up a head. I bought an old vega banjo that had a back on it. Inside it had two Christmas light attached to it with a cord for power.
Many a damn night out at Civil War reenactments or similar historical event I have held the banjo up to the campfire to make her ring again. It works great but I have also burst a banjo head that way! Don't hold it _too_ close to the heat!
I use shoe sealer spray on my djelingonis which also have tackheads. Stinky, all chemical and not traditional at all. If you spray it uniformely on a dry head after having followed Clifton's drying tipps it should do the job... I usually do it every 6 months stuff like that to keep the sound of my djelingonis stable, though they don't have a floating bridge so they don't get to sink like on a banjo. Djembe players also treat their heads with glue (I don't know what kind they use, looks like cyanoacrylate wich is also used for plasters...), especially on high end solo djembes to keep that very loud and popping sound. If someone knows anything more about that waxing thing I would be very interested...
My fifth string tension tuner broke. Would you recommend where to get another one or brand? This is guy whose written you before about health challenges and you’ve inspired me greatly. Thx
Those old thumb string friction tuners, in my experience, often wear out. If you look at a lot of antique banjos you'll find that they often have all four original friction tuners in the peghead while the thumb string tuner has been replaced. Most people seem to replace with this: www.elderly.com/accessories/instrument-parts-accessories/banjo-parts-accessories/banjo-tuning-pegs-parts/old-style-mechanical-5th-string-peg.htm
wow!! tuning?
The way you go from Two Finger into the Overhand (clawhammer) style was seemless and sounded so great! Excellent intro tune! Anyways, why don't you banjo builders consider using a wood head instead of using the skins of our much beloved Critters in the forest. Even some of the old timers used wood for a head and called it a banjo. The box stores sell thin birch wood. Just sand a bit more off the top till she rings true and your in business.
I would love to not use animal hide and my first banjo did use a piece of thin veneer instead of skin. Something of the banjo's unique drum characteristics are lost, however, when we replace the drumhead with a wooden top resembling that of the guitar. I also wouldn't expect to be able to sell a wooden topped banjo as readily as a skinned one. The skin is SO important to my approach to both making and playing banjos that I haven't strayed away from it. That day may be coming though. I am no longer willing to kill and skin the animals myself.
You`re right, wood tops dont sound quite as good on a banjo. I`ve heard Fiberskyn banjo heads come close to hide heads in sound and look. Pretty cheap on e b a y too. Theres got to be a better way to attach them to the rim or pot than using all those metal brackets. Stapling or tacks with glue and a blow dryer to take out the wrinkles might work or wooden pressure wedges under the head. Some of the old mountain banjos used plastic heads with no brackets.
Supposedly, it's not too hard to use PET plastic (and a heat gun) to make a DIY, animal friendly tackhead. I haven't tried it myself, but it's on the list!
I've also heard good stuff about Tyvek house wrap, though I think you'd have to use brackets to get it to work as you can't really stretch it during installation.
Not sure how either of those stack up to a hide head in terms of tone, but they're both "dig it out of a dumpster" type materials, putting trash back to work, so there's something to be said for that!
I like the idea of a recycled head. One reason I have not made more of an effort to switch from animal hides is that I _think_ that synthetic, petroleum-based plastic heads are probably even more harmful to living things. Having visited and worked in areas of this country where oil wells dominate the landscape I honestly don't think there is a good choice between plastic and skin. I hope someday all of our banjos will be mounted with sustainable plant-based heads made from hemp, bamboo or whatever.
jig a loo silicon spray
Recently heard they used shellac back in the day. I've not tried it. BTW that other banjo is for sale $2,500 shipped w insurance.
Nice video. Do you recommend removing the bridge when not playing the skinhead tackhead? (To reduce pressure on the head.)