Banjo Terms

Tuning the Head

The head needs to be tight for more volume and high-end tones or treble. The head should be loose for low-end tones or bass. Somewhere in the middle is going to be your personal preference. For a banjo constructed with a rim and tone ring, you can lightly tap the head and tune it somewhere close to an A note. A drum dial will help to set the tension with out confusion.

The Nut

What type of material should it be made of? The standard bone or hard plastic type materials that are made for building instruments are fine. I don’t see much difference. I like bone because it is more natural to me.

The Armrest

The armrest is a great looking piece that really makes a banjo look good, but it plays an important part of the sound as well. If your arm were to lie on the tension hoop, you would start to deaden the sound. The armrest prevents that. The armrest should be set above the tension hook as not to absorb sound. They can also cause a vibration or rattle if allowed to touch. I always tap on them and bend them back if needed.

The Neck

The neck carries sound as well. The type wood can influence the sound travel. The neck should be bent slightly into a dip and not flat. Strings move back and forth mostly at the center of the string. This dip is to better fit the shape of the moving string; otherwise, the action has to be set too high to keep frets from buzzing. The truss rod in the neck is used to control this dip.

Frets

Many times frets are too high from one to another. If they appear to be coming loose, you can tap them back in with a block of wood. If they just don’t move, you can cut them down with a small smooth file. Place the file across at least three frets and see if you can create a seesaw action. If you can, file down the high one.

The Strings

The heavier the string, the stronger the sound; the stronger the sound, the more tone you have access to. I recommend medium gauge always.

The Picks

The type of pick that you use will greatly determine the sound you get. Thick picks are loud, thin picks are soft. Pointed picks are crisp and spoon shaped picks have a deep dark sound. Try different ones. As your style changes, your picks might as well. Different songs may require different picks.

The Sweet Spot

The sweet spot refers to the place that you pick where the best tone is. This is a matter of personal opinion and style. Most generally, it is located about 2-1/2 inches to 3 inches above the bridge; it’s just below the fingerboard for vamping.

Keep on Pickn'

Angie

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