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.' / 81nglc Copic., 8e!. 'WrlUeD for 'lobe Cadenza, OOpyrlght., 189I:.~y, Kr . & ~1\"JPI.· r'''l-''!'-.:'' ,'. ,'. THE DARKIES' DREAM. pIll1cticaI Binttdrl Mod~~ : ~~frjJtB~iDi':: ::l (!fo _DOe to La... lng .) , By CL&RBlfCE L. PARTEE. I _ a pIctur lodder n.ighl, j .. when I'. gwine ler Ne. I, TUNING THE BANJO • . A =.t., _ dreamin' half awake; . AD de ling' del I aaw in il dey waa jeo too good ler keep, It would seelQ,.8uperflous, after all that has been Jea mek a nipt:r's sides ter farly sbake. written on tbe subject, to pub1i.sh at! article on tun ~ Dey W1I8 • pod ole whined cabin down in tbe pioey ing; and yet it is not,so, for oumerousletters r eceiv~ woocIa, ~ by the author from banjoists (teachers as well as An de folks wus.gedered dar ler ·hab 80me (un, An wua jlmmtcatin' roun' er gittin' qU,aioted, as dey amateurs) askiDg for information about tbe matter, .hould, s~ow that it is not (ully understood, especially the Afore de .benin's sport wus dooe begun. important point of tuning tbe Banjo in its va rious Dey wus a fiddle, slick an sbioiu' an rassum on de forms to accor4 witb other instr~m e nts . bow, . It is tbe author's iotention to prese nt '~ series of An a lot er tiogs ter mek a feller dance, I articles 00 Banjo playing, a~d explain essential poiots, Inc1udio' good ole cawn juice-jes 'oougb ter mek yo' so i'n a simple and comprehensive manner for the Yer want ter lit rigbt out an shake y'o' pants. De punkin rinds a bangio' all rouo' de cabin wall, benefit o~ students, amateurs, and professionals of De piCCaDinnies ronin on de flo', limited cltperieoce, who have Qecn unable to find the .An de candJ.. IiI-Bul' j.. I lell yo' dal de bes ob all desir~d infolma tion in instruction bboks. It is impos­ Wus er sret big banjo bangin' 00 de do'.- sible to clplain everything pertaining to the iostru· Ob, I tell yo' when youls feelio blue and tiogsjs goio' ment at length. in any single book; but it is beHeved wrong, that a series or sketches explaining' certain matters' An de troubles ao' d~ clouds are giUin tbick, in a more complete way tha"n tbey are usually pre­ Dat if a feller jes kin beab a good ole nigger song De sun begins a sbinin' mighty quick. sented in in struction books, wiH not be considered You kin talk about yo' passam, an taters in Je pan, • oul o! place. ,\Ve will therefore begin with "tuni~g " An de boney drippin' dowD~a t's good for sho';­ as the first subject to be considered. It is taken for But I'd leab 'em in er minut i~ de fin es', in de lan'­ granted tha~ the reader is far enougb ad~'anced to Fer da ole banjo a hanein 00 de do. knq", that the strings of the Banjo are supposed to lt seem ler me des lek as if dar's .umpin' in a chune be tuned to the notes A. E, G sha rp, Band E. begi n ~ nat comes rm out de pickin' ob de string, ning by tuning tbe b.."\Ss string to A, as the music is nat meks a feller feel des like be's up in a balloon, An Ita j .. Dacha! like tor gio ter ,iog. written {OJ: banjo; also to be able to tUDe his instru: So wbell you'. got de worrits, an' a coat upon yo' meDt according to tbe intervals g!vcn. As a maJter tongue. ~ of fa..ct. banjoists of the present timo never tune 'their An yo' liver'lpl a bundred kinks er mo'- instruments t.o that pitch but always higher. Ba.Rjos De beaes ling you'll eher fin' ter rne.k yo' well an strool ' . were formerly made much larger and wi th longer Is dat gret bie banjo rander 00 d. do'. fin,gerboards than now and as h eav i ~ r strings were H ORACE HURON . used it was not practicable ~o tune to a hi ghe ~ pitch. 2 THE CADENZA. Ac; DrUsic for the-instrument was written in tbe begin­ the Banjo proper, or in a Banjo Orchestra, is tuned niag wilh the base liring noted II A. Ih. notatino baa a fourth higher than llie Banjo; That is, to F on the a .'ver heeD chansed In Ihi. country (which ill Ih. hom. Piano or Guitar. or to D below the staff as written n/ tb. Ban/o) allhooSh our brolher ban/oil" In Eug­ ·for BanJoaad made at the fifth fret on the bass string, land accu.. us 01 belag behiad Ihe tim .. becau.. we to wbich the Baojeaurine bass string is tuned so as to rln uol wrlt.lh. music as played in point oItheactoal produce the same note when struck open. Music for rilch. Our enterp~.·Baujo makers haw iDtro- tbe Banjeaarine OD account of the tuning being (1ueed numerous impro as in the paSt fow yean different, must be written in a different key from the but tbe cbaule to II r in.tra.melltl has been grad- BauJo part. but tbere is no difference wh~tever in u31, and while we have been slowly raising Ihe pitch reading or playin, music written for either instru­ al the i~~meDts were mad.,matler, DO change has ment, except that the Banjeallrine has a shorter been made in tbe notation, because a: large amount 6nserhoard anC! th. freta ara closer logelher than on of good music had already. been wrilleo requiring the Banjo, aDd therefore requires practice to become tfte "A" tuning. and it -was justly considered much used to it, In giving the tuning of the Banjeaurine, easier to tune tbe iostrument to a bigb~r pitch and Banjo etc •• we refer of course to tbe notes to which ?,Iay tb. notes as before. tjlan to attempt rewriting tbe bass strine is tuned, After that is tuned to ...... :WIIi>e~/?' in?SiC-P~~I(~''T the correct pitch the otber strings are tuned in tbe : ,' f Aootoar\pnmt .that III mentioned here is the usuat way, and thf' process is the same wit~' both fact that Balljo music ould be tpucb more difficult instruments. The Piccolo,Banjo when used in a Ban­ .:~ ')b1ttta1. ii {'h~1~w~t ·dote wae.Wtitten as C, because jo Orchestra i~ ah~ays tuned an octave higher than :., : (\ ,... IIE! l}eeessi-tAt6 u9iDg toe: imwiy ledger lines above. the Banjo p;oper, :while the Bass Banjo is tuned an the staff. and even then the notation would not be octave lower, tbeJormer playing all or part of the aceordilic 10 actual pitch, lI.the, noles ob the B~ajo, melody and tbe latter tbe bass Dotes or accompani­ real1y lOund an octave lower tban they are written. ment. When plaYing th..e Banjeaurine with Guitar ThuI, banjo music i. written as it was at firat, or Piano accompaniment, U. it is impossible to • aDd 10 it will probably continue to be written, in the printed accompaniment: re<iuest the accompaoi America at least. A num.ber of soloists DOW tune to play always eight keys (eight semitones or a tninot' Iheir hanjoa to D when playing ia public: especially sixth) higher tban tbe key in which your music i when playing with Piaqo accompaniment. This they written, an'd as your ihstniment will be tuned to }­ do because the tone of the Banjo is louder and more· instead of A, this will bring it ib 'unison with 't brilliant when ~uned to tbat pitch than it would be Guitar or. Piano, , , ' ! otherwise. Now. while tbis is advisable for a few, we The Banjo', Banjeaurine and Banjo-Banjeaurine do not reocommend it in a general way, because it are all ~racticall y the same, and music written necessitates usi~g a smaller instrument tban most for any of tbeQ1 can be played as written on players are adustomed' to. and also from tbe fact auy of the others .Jhen played alone. When play­ tbat practically all music issued for the Banjo io 'ed with other instr~ments ,however they should be combination with other instruments. is written so as tuned according to instructions given above. to require the Banjo to be tuned to C, It may there­ The Banjeaurine or Banjo-Banjeaurine is indis­ fore be stated Ihatthe Banjo p;oper (noi the Ban­ pensiDle in a Banjo Orchestra 'aod should always be jcaurine) should always be tuned to C, to play wjth used. It is also very effective with Banjo accomp:uJi­ any iostrument, as ,that is the pitch best adapted to ment. I hopell bave succeeded in malring the abOve the majority of instruments. The Banjoist should article simple enough' 10 ~dmit of its being understqod then bear in mind tbefact that he is playing his music by all interested in tbe subject. If I have done so, my three semitones higher than it is written, as tHe Ban- object is accomplished, The oext article of the series jo bass string beiog tuned to C, really produces the will be on tbe correct method of,"Left Hand Finger­ note C, instea4 of 'A as it is written, When playing ing." - the Banjo with Guitar or Piano accompaniment, if it is impossible to get the printed music for the accom­ panist to the piece you wish ~o play, request the UP TO DATE.

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