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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
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| Any suggestions on damping? | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Tue Oct 3rd, 2006 04:45 am |
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1st Post |
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Steve J Approved
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Being relatively new to the world of clawhammer banjo (I've been stuggling along for a couple of years) I notice there's a wide range of sounds with these instruments. Some seem resonant compared to the muffled sounds of others. I imagine a number of factors could influence the sound of a banjo such as age and quality of the instrument, bridge, strings and head selection etc but I'm wondering if players dampen or muffle their instrument and if so how. I've heard about the sock stories but is there a more sophisticated way? Steve
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| Posted: Tue Oct 3rd, 2006 07:57 pm |
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2nd Post |
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banjo brad Super Moderator 
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Several methods of damping the banjo, aside from a sock stuffed between the head & coordinator rod (dowel stick), include: Skin head or Fyberskin head Back off the tension on the tailpiece, or go to a No-Knot tailpiece Try heavier guage strings (or Nylgut or nylong) Use a wooden tone ring (or no tone ring) Remove any resonator Get a gourd banjo Get a 12" or bigger-headed banjo Use a heavier bridge Don't tighten the head as much as you would on a BG banjo Tune to a lower pitch Try a fretless banjo These are all things I've read help. You can also try a banjo mute (I recommend the Goldtone mute, fits on the bridge, and really cuts volume and brightness.). I have used packing foam under the strings behind the bridge, using 2 strips of refridgerator magnets across the strings behind the bridge, and several other methods. But, then you say: "a more sophisticated way?" What, don't you want to be a banjo picker? Sophisticated Banjo-picker - sounds like the ultimate oxymoron to me!  Brad Last edited on Tue Oct 3rd, 2006 07:58 pm by banjo brad ____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 4th, 2006 02:11 am |
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3rd Post |
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Lyle Konigsberg Approved 
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Hi Steve, Most of the recordings I've got on ezFolk were made with the aid of a well-placed sock. For example: Morpeth Rant (Banjo-Clawhammer)  play hi-bitrate play lo-bitratewas played on a banjo with a tubaphone tone ring and a wool sock (the banjo came with this particular sock already in place when I bought it!), while: Off to California / Jimmy in the Swamp (Banjo-Clawhammer) play hi-bitrate play lo-bitratewas played on an old Sears banjo (no tone ring) with a cotton tube sock, and finally: Been to the East, Been to the West (Banjo-Clawhammer) play hi-bitrate play lo-bitratewas played on a fretless banjo (no tone ring) with Nylgut strings (and I think sans sock, but can't really remember). Some banjos have an overly "hollow" sound which the sock may correct, though at the expense of some lost volume. Just roll or wad the sock and stick it between the dowel stick (or coordinator rod) and the head at the end opposite from the tailpiece. Also, unlike bluegrass pickers, most clawhammer players play pretty far away from the bridge (hence, the "frailing scoop" found on some clawhammer banjos). That gives a sweeter sound, but again at the expense of volume. As to gourd banjos, they sound great. But, you know you're hooked if you start finding the need to play vegetables!
____________________ ezFolk page: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1084/ Some Tabs at: http://lylewk.home.comcast.net/ |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 4th, 2006 04:07 am |
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4th Post |
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Steve J Approved
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Thanks guys - I guess it's off to the sock drawer for me. My banjo has good projection but for some tunes I think less is best (no doubt some of this is down to the player) but a sock will no doubt help. As an ex-drummer I had the idea of an adjustable damper (fitted on most drum kits) and thought this might have a similar affect on a banjo (not that I have any immediate plans of drilling extra holes in my pot) but I've probably broken some unspoken banjo law even thinking about this. I'll go with the sock. Steve
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| Posted: Wed Oct 4th, 2006 02:17 pm |
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5th Post |
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vrteach Approved 
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There have been a number of discussions of this on the banjo hangout, and I was surprised at how many clawhammer/frailing players stuff their banjo with something. For 15-20 years my main instrument was an no-name aluminum pot banjo which always had a pair of wool socks stuffed in it--slid up or down to change the volume for the situation.  My new main instrument is a gold tone wl-250, and I don't stuff it at all. However, I have placed a strip of masking tape on the inside of the head under the bridge. This in essence makes a thicker place in the head and takes a little bit of the "edge" off the sound. Oddly, I've also taken to playing the AL-pot without the sock. I guess my preferences have shifted a bit.
____________________ Erich -- http://www.ezfolk.com/audio/bands/956/ http://vrteach.org |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 4th, 2006 02:49 pm |
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6th Post |
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Lyle Konigsberg Approved
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Re: Socks et al. I thought there must have been banjohangout.org discussion about "stuffing," but hadn't looked for it yet. I vary on the sock issue, except for two particular cases: 1. Tubaphone model - I always use a sock because the sound is much better (that nice "clucky-chucky" sound with the sock, and too hollow without). 2. Whyte laydie model - I never use a sock, as it doesn't seem to change the sound (other than reducing from really loud to only pretty loud). On the other banjos I've got I vacilate on the sock issue. Sometimes with, sometimes without. Also, re: mutes, they were hard to come by when I first started playing. I used to use two clothes pins clamped to the bridge parallel to the head, one clipped by the bottom foot and one by the top foot of the bridge. It seemed to keep my parents happier.
____________________ ezFolk page: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1084/ Some Tabs at: http://lylewk.home.comcast.net/ |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 4th, 2006 08:25 pm |
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7th Post |
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banjo brad Super Moderator
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I forgot about the tape thing. If you want to hear what my Goodtime sounds like with the mute, Follow the Drinking Gourd was recorded with the mute: http://ezfolk.com/audio/play.php?band_id=5&song_id=5320&mode=song_lofi This little item has allowed me to play more agressively without being run out of the house. It is great for late nights, besides imparting an interesting overall sound to the banjo. Sometimes I forget I have it on! Brad Last edited on Wed Oct 4th, 2006 08:26 pm by banjo brad ____________________ ezFolk Help Brad Prickly Pear Music Banjo Brad's ezFolk page TOTMC |
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| Posted: Mon Nov 27th, 2006 02:01 pm |
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8th Post |
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Philj200 Approved 
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I use a scrap of 1/2" foam window insulation as a mute. An eight-inch long piece can go around the bridge a revolution or two and lowers sound volume appreciably. Usually the appreciable part is from people trying to sleep. My 23-fret banjo has no truss rods of any type and it's been that way for 40+ years. I once installed a slim wooden post in the pot just to hold a muting cloth. I used a diaper (clean). But it fell out during a gig. The piece of insultation can't fall out. When it's not needed, I wrapped it around the tuning board. Its black color makes it nex to invisible.
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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| Posted: Mon Nov 27th, 2006 05:07 pm |
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9th Post |
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garyblanchard Approved 
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On my old Audition banjo, I stuffed the head until I bought a fiberskyn head. That gave me the sound I wanted and let me wear two socks again. I had a fiberskyn head put on my Goodtime and also raised the tailpiece and it also has a more mellow sound. The Goodtime has always been sockless.
____________________ http://www.GBandF.com http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/919/audio.php?p=1 |
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| Posted: Mon Nov 27th, 2006 07:35 pm |
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10th Post |
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Philj200 Approved
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Hey VRT... why do you place your mute up near the neck? I've always found that a mute words best under the bridge. And are we using the terms "muting" and "damping" interchangably? From what has come before in this thread, we're talking about muting an instrument. Damping is something you do to a string on the fly, during a song. I found that on a guitar and a banjo left hand pressure determines a lot of volume production. During frailing, you can rest the fleshy part of your left palm on the bridge and frail with shorter strokes and damp the strings that way. The short strokes themselves would contibute to the reduced volume. This gives you a range of volume dynamics an attached (or detactable) mute can't do. Since it would be kind of awkward to remove a mute during a song. You can always life up your hand and play louder.
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 14th, 2006 05:02 pm |
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11th Post |
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vrteach Approved
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I slide it up or down depending on what I want at the time. Usually I would have it up by the neck where it modifies the sound but does not lessen the volume much. When I was being background music around a campfire I was likely to slide it under the bridge, where it really cuts back on the sound. For whatever reason, my tastes have changed this year and I tend not to use the socks at all. (oh, I already said that) Last edited on Thu Dec 14th, 2006 05:04 pm by vrteach ____________________ Erich -- http://www.ezfolk.com/audio/bands/956/ http://vrteach.org |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 15th, 2006 01:02 pm |
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12th Post |
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Philj200 Approved
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" I tend not to use the socks at all." --Don't your feet get cold in the wintertime. (Wink)
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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