Very OT "Find the hidden bird"

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 5:03 am

On 2002-10-04 06:18, madguy wrote:
All this discussion/disagreeing/arguing over what originally was intended, I believe, as a wee bit of comic relief?!

That's about how things have gotten.

madguy · Post by **madguy** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 5:05 am

So I've noticed, Walden. And such a pity, I remember when everybody got along with only a few slight bumps in the road!

hillfolk22 · Post by **hillfolk22** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 5:48 am

One final post, then I will leave it alone
Somehow this post needs to go ontopic to music.

I was at a small folk concert a couple weeks ago. The lady (geeze I wish I could remember her name) was playing a fretless banjo.

She told us a story about the builder of this banjo. He said the best skin to use on a banjo is cat skin. He stopped doing it cause, well his neighbors were getting smart to him. Now he uses groundhog skin.

Not sure as to how true the story is. You know those folk singers, famous for spinning a big yarn. It was a great lead in to the folk song groundhog.

That was the first time I had ever heard a fretless banjo played. It had a unique sound to it.

Laura

madguy · Post by **madguy** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 5:51 am

Finally, somoene more focused than I has restored us to sanity!

Larry

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 6:05 am

Granddad wasn't a liar, and he always said that banjo heads were cat hide. There was a whole article on it in Foxfire, too. I need to get my own set of Foxfire Books I guess. I wonder if the used bookstore sells them. A luthier from Malaysia emailed me wanting info on dulcimer making. I could have gotten the specifics on that from Foxfire too. The only dulcimer and fiddle luthier I know around here recently got trampled by a cow, and refused to go to the doctor.

hillfolk22 · Post by **hillfolk22** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 8:32 am

Oh Walden, you have prompted me to reply again. You mentioned dulcimer. So I had to go look up who the lady was who was performing the concert. (thinking that you may know her)

Susan Trump. Does her name ring a bell?

Laura

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 8:57 am

Laura, catskin was a pretty common material in the old days for making banjo heads. I have on tape a workshop with Kyle Creed (RIP) a well known old time banjo player from the Round Peak area of North Carolina. He describes making his first banjo. "I got a ole cat and killed 'im and skinned 'im"-stuff in that vein. Nowadays calf skin or goat skin is preferred. There is a guy who makes very nice banjor-fretted or fretless-with goatskin heads. If you want, he will leave the goat hair on the head. I'm not too sure I'd want that. Here's his web site.

http://www.jbbanjos.com/

Steve

Oops. I forgot to mention that the name Susan Trump is new to me but she has a web site. http://www.susantrump.com/

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: on 2002-10-04 11:00 ]</font>

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 10:31 am

On 2002-10-04 10:57, SteveK wrote:

If you want, he will leave the goat hair on the head. I'm not too sure I'd want that.

Don't be a wimp; go for it. I have a djembe (West African drum) with hairy evidence in place on the rim of the goat who donated his skin for me to pound on. Cool. If you don't like to be reminded of where your instrument comes from for moral reasons, just use synthetics.

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 10:41 am

On 2002-10-04 12:31, Wombat wrote:
the goat who donated his skin

Um, I eat meat and use leather and all that, but isn't your phrase a bit too euphemistic? Do you think the goat would have chosen to "donate his skin"?

Jeferson · Post by **Jeferson** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 10:49 am

On 2002-10-04 12:41, JessieK wrote:
Do you think the goat would have chosen to "donate his skin"?

Um, hello? Does the word donor card mean anything to you people?!

Jef
PS There's an anology here about donating droppings, but I won't even go there.

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 11:09 am

On 2002-10-04 07:05, madguy wrote:
So I've noticed, Walden. And such a pity, I remember when everybody got along with only a few slight bumps in the road!

Madguy, this has been an utterly civil discussion, debate, argument, whathaveyou. It says OT in the header, and though opinions are strong, they are perfectly polite and haven't erupted off into other topics, caused anyone to personally flame, or go ballistic. If we can't exchange fervently held ideas what an incredibly boring assemblage we'd make.

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 11:35 am

On 2002-10-04 12:31, Wombat wrote:
Don't be a wimp; go for it. I have a djembe (West African drum) with hairy evidence in place on the rim of the goat who donated his skin for me to pound on. Cool. If you don't like to be reminded of where your instrument comes from for moral reasons, just use synthetics.

It's only partly a matter of being a wimp. I can't imagine that goat hair makes a very attractive surface. I haven't seen one though. In weather like we have now you are constantly reminded that skin heads are skin because they collect moisture and sag. The new renaissance synthetic heads are getting very good press. Anyway, I'm not going to buy a JB banjo although they are attractive.

Incidentally, as far as I can see, nobody in the Foxfire book with the section on banjos mentions cats although the introduction says that cats may have been used. Two of the makers mention specific skins-deer, groundhog and calf.

Steve

hillfolk22 · Post by **hillfolk22** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 1:01 pm

Steve,

Thanks for the link to the banjo website.
I love the sound of the fretless banjo.
So... how can I describe it. Oldtimey.

No! No! must resist temptation to get one

Must perfect the instruments that I already have...

There is a picture of Susan Trump playing her fretless at her website. One thing that I think I would not prefer. Her banjo had friction pegs for tuners. Ya, authentic, however, I would prefer the newer tuners. Grover...

Laura

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 1:16 pm

Laura, the banjo Susan is playing, if you mean the one where she's wearing a blue dress, is a little mountain style banjo with a small head. They are relatively inexpensive, fun to play and can be home made if you are handy or purchased in kit form. I have one and it's head is sagging badly today. They usually do have friction pegs and are a pain in the behind, particular if they don't fit precisely. Lots of fretless banjos have geared pegs. Also lots have bigger pots and produce a better, deeper and louder sound than the mountain banjos. Still they are fairly attractive instruments.

Steve

Kenith · Post by **Kenith** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 2:26 pm

Jessie, your kitty is a spitting image of my siamese cat, Keishi