Hi everyone, One more for the cause thought I would say hello instead of just lurking! seems that mandolin banjo players are a bit of a rairity, I've been playing for about a year, still giving my music instructor a nervous tic and high blood pressure, still thoroughly enjoying playing mandolin. I'm cutting my teeth on bluegrass at the moment but hope to go on to blues, jazz and pretty much everything else. dazza.
I find it surprising that mandolin banjos don't appear more on stage. They are certainly loud, but maybe a bit brash for a lot of music. They are basically a soprano banjo. I think they got lost when the banjo era ended in the 1920s and are just waiting for someone to find a new place for them in the world. I am not that person! I'm lucky when I produce a recognizable melody on anything. I don't know if bluegrass music is that place. It is a pretty tightly prescribed musical form. Though my instrument was played for years in a "newgrass" band. Whatever that is. The mandolin part in bluegrass is mostly percussive and you would think an instrument with a drum head on it would work well for that, but I think the Loar mindset is so deeply imbedded in the DNA of bluegrass that it would be tough to be accepted with a different sound.
I know what you mean, people are pretty dissmissive of banjo mandolins. I'm firmly in the school of thought that any instrument is only as good as it's player and if i get competent enough I should be able to turn it to any style music even if it ruffles some feathers
All A bit academic now, music teacher's got me learning o'neils 1001 and english fiddle tunes, still should sound good on the mandolin banjo when i'm up to speed! Currently learning The Seven Stars, Black Joak,The Kerry Jig and A Sprig Of Shillelah.
Modified a MB to have 4 strings .. kept the Geared Tuners. single string ITB picking an Octave Up.
Glad to hear you're still with us, Mandroid. Sounds interesting. Suggest you use 'post new discussion' button and tell us all about it.
