by Johnny Baier
By its nature – including an often dated repertoire and folk inspired playing styles - the banjo is generally perceived by the public to be an old fashioned instrument . In the world of the four-string tenor and plectrum banjo , that perception is sometimes – with great purpose – perpetuated in presentations steeped in historic playing styles and stage attire . However , with due respect to those who are preserving the music , look and performance styles of the past , there are many banjo players who seek to refresh the banjo ’ s image by injecting a more modern musical approach and repertoire to the instrument .
While Buddy Wachter is a great example of such an approach , many other banjoists draw upon modern concepts of harmony and chord substitution to enhance their existing “ banjoistic ” technique as a means of making their playing more palatable to the modern listener . Even though they are rarely given credit , contemporary audiences – even those who are not musically trained – through years of listening to different musical genres and styles have become instinctively aware of modern harmony and chord progression . As a result , four-string banjos ( particularly the tenor banjo with its tuning in fifths ) often sound decidedly oldfashioned to the modern ear .
Although historically adored technique and repertoire have an important place in the grand scheme of preserving our shared musical heritage , a review of facial expressions or body language to a banjoist who stretches the perceived musical limitations of the instrument – even , or particularly at a banjo specific event – illustrate a general approval of the concept of bringing the banjo , musically speaking , into the present day . Listening to post-show reaction to such performances invariably result in comments to the effect , “ I don ’ t know why , but I really liked so and so ’ s playing .”
If the elements of entertainment such as stage presence , audience interaction , comedy , etc . are taken out of the equation - with musical interest being the singular basis of comparison , players that seem to stand out of the crowd are typically those who employ modern harmonies and chord progressions even in what might be considered a vintage repertoire . A couple of perfect examples are plectrum banjoists Dave Marty and Brad Roth . In a YouTube post where Dave Marty plays When The Red , Red Robin Comes Bob , Bob Bobbin ’ Along , comments allude to his use of “ cool ,” “ hip ,” chords without hitting the nail on the head . Dave , Brad and numerous others stand out because they reharmonize often familiar tunes using chord progressions and harmonies that are different from – and generally more modern than – the chords and harmonies which are typically heard when similar songs are played on the banjo .
As the skin of those who haven ’ t been introduced the more advanced concepts of harmony and chord substitutions crawls with their inside voice saying , “ Those guys are pros … I can ’ t do what they do ,” I
16 ALL FRETS SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2020