I wish I could shimmy like anybody at all

April 26, 2008 8:18 AM

Is a banjo-uke tuned like a banjo or tuned like a uke?

Dilemma: I am learning to play the clawhammer banjo and the guitar. (Advanced beginner at both.) This is loads of fun, BUT: in addition to folk, old-time, and country music, I like swing and ragtime. Swing and ragtime guitar is never going to be something I can play (don't argue with me here; it's just too fast and the chord shapes are too hard). So I was thinking, perhaps I should learn plectrum banjo or tenor banjo; however, those are tuned totally differently from a clawhammer banjo and so would be like learning a THIRD instrument when I'm already struggling with two. So I was thinking maybe the banjo-uke, if it could be tuned like a clawhammer banjo. Any thoughts on this? Anyone here play clawhammer and banjo-uke?

Bonus points: anyone know the chords for "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate?"

posted by Ollie to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (9 answers total)

Banjo ukes are usually tuned like ukuleles. But, hey, it's your instrument, you can tune it however you wish. You might want to experiment with string sizes to make sure you don't overstress the instrument if tuning up.
posted by richg at 8:41 AM on April 26, 2008

I'm gonna argue with ya here: plectrum banjo tuned like the top four strings of the guitar. I've known a few people who play that way, beginners and old-timers.

Here's my reasoning: the guitar chords are not that hard, but there are tons of them. technically (swing AND ragtime), they are all 4 note chords. So by playing a four-string version of them, you've reduced the number of chords to learn by 2/3. Also, you only have to know one of each chord: ragtime banjo is almost all right-hand anyway (don't get me started*).

I guarantee this: learn about 8 or 9 different chords on the old banjer, and you'll be able to play a whole lot of ragtime tunes. Then once you have your sealegs, start learning new inversions. Once you have ragtime figured out (say ten or fifteen years ;-), you'll be able to comp swing tunes on the guitar or banjo without even thinking about it.

Last of all, everything you learn on the banjo (plectrum*, not frailing) is directly applicable to the guitar (which you're learning now).

(*don't use a plectrum on a plectrum banjo)
posted by stubby phillips at 9:36 AM on April 26, 2008

Response by poster: okay, Stubby, to summarize: Take one of my beater five-string banjos; remove the drone; tune the four strings like the top four strings of the guitar; and play swing and ragtime. This will NOT be a third instrument, because it will support the learning on the guitar. Correct?

What do you mean, don't use a plectrum on a plectrum banjo? Don't use a pick?
posted by Ollie at 9:46 AM on April 26, 2008

Banjo uke is tuned like a uke. That said, there are lots of options... George Formby had a set of them, all tuned to different keys. You can play clawhammer on a banjo uke--heck, you can play clawhammer on a regular uke too...

Found one set of chords, from the Ditty Bops:

SISTER KATE

D7
If I could shimmy like my sister Kate

G
Shake it like a bowl of jelly on a plate

D7
My momma wanted to know last night

G
How sister Kate could do it oh so nice

D7
Now all the boys in the neighborhood

G
Knew Katie could shimmy and it's mighty good

C A7(C# bass) G E7
Well I may be late but I'll be up to date

A7 D7 G
When I can shimmy like my sister Kate

E7 A7 D7 G
Oh yeah, shimmy like my sister Kate

That's crazy easy to play on a uke with GCEA tuning.
posted by bink at 10:19 AM on April 26, 2008

I'm saying get a 4 string banjo instead of a banjolele. Tune it DGBE and learn to play it that way. A 4 string is very different from a 5 string, so just taking one string off isn't really going to do the trick.
posted by stubby phillips at 12:32 PM on April 26, 2008

And yeah, they're supposed to be played with a plectrum (pick), but it's better to strum without one (like a flamenco guitar player). It's much more expressive that way.
posted by stubby phillips at 12:33 PM on April 26, 2008

I play the tenor banjo, and found it to be pretty darn easy to learn. The basic chord shapes are a piece of cake, and once you know about 4 of them, you can move them all over the neck. I tune my tenor C-G-D-A (big string to small) which is a handy tuning because it is a 5th lower than a mandolin. That means you can use the same chord shapes on both instruments. You'd be learning 2 at once! Tenor banjos also tend to be cheap (ebay or Craigslist) because nobody really plays them any more.
posted by TheCoug at 6:49 PM on April 29, 2008

Tune it like a ukulele--CGEA with the C an octave above where you'd think it would be (re-entrant tuning). If that doesn't work with the individual instrument, tune it two steps up from there. (Where the C would be a D).

Buy a set of nylgut ukulele strings. They make them particularly for the banjo uke, but don't bother with that, necessarily. Buy concert strings, even if you've got a soprano-scale instrument: the thicker strings increase tension a bit, and make it louder and more sustain-inducing.

Under no circumstances buy metal banjo-uke strings: they sound like ass.

Ukulele tuning is already a lot like the top four of a guitar (chord shapes are identical), so you'll find it no problem once you get used to the re-entrant string.
posted by LucretiusJones at 4:36 PM on May 18, 2008

Oh, yeah: the reasons why banjo-uke instead of tenor or plectrum banjo: 1) It's sub-tommy-gun sized. Portable, and the scale is tiny and fun. All chords are possible, and it's good training for the guitar--you'll learn all of those top-four string guitar chords right away. 2) You'll get /lots/ of attention. It's a cute instrument, but dead loud. You can carry your own with any little ensemble, and it's a unique rickety period sound. 3) You can get a pretty good one (I like the old slingerlands) for cheap.

Drat. GCEA, not CG. Dyslexia, take me away.
posted by LucretiusJones at 4:57 PM on May 18, 2008