For Our Readership: Below is a curious letter received in the BRC mailbox recently. Check it out. – Editor
Dear BRC: The 5 string picker and instrument have been the target of less than charitable banjo jokes for years. Websites catalogue the cavalcade of these mirthful question/answer quips and gags. Heard any humorous one-liners about the French horn or bassoon lately? Probably not. Jokesters do not realize the precious secret of the banjo: it is the only implement that will turn back the zombie apocalypse. When a ragged horde hollow-eyed lurching undead are exposed to banjo music, they are atomized into a feathery mist. When the zombie apocalypse comes, and let us hope never, there will be a run on local music shops by communities scrambling to procure home security with 4 or 5 stringers. Brass and woodwind instruments will be left behind on the shelves to collect dust. It will not be pretty, so be safe and take care of your neighbor….Name Withheld.
Editor`s Note: Well folks, there you have it. Anyway, here is our favorite banjo joke at the BRC workshop-
Question: How long does it take to tune a banjo?
Answer: No one knows….
P.S. Have restful end of summer days.
The Basis for Bases of Basses
In a Bluegrass band, versatility is a valued commodity among musicians. Accustomed to the thin strings of a banjo, a 5 string picker will be challenged by the ropey cables on an acoustic bass – the heartbeat of the band. On display at the American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City is a double bass banjo which is so rare that patrons can only admire it.
The Museum of Music Makers in Carlsbad, CA, features a hands-on exhibit which encourages musicians to cross over to the bass- the tonal metronome of the band.
Although the bass establishes the time signature and tempo of the music, the bassist is usually relegated to the back row of the ensemble when on stage. Hence, Shakespeare intoned.
“I have sounded the very bass string of humility.” Henry IV Part I: Act 2, Scene 4
Nonetheless, with the acoustic or electric bass, there are no chords or arpeggio rolls. You are only responsible for one note at a time. Try it sometime.
N.B. Check out the open back “Dolphin” 5 string BRC banjo on eBay August 7-14.
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