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Banjo Stocking Stuffers

Walker Hayes — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:05:08 +0000

Don’t you hate it when stores release Christmas stuff way before the Christmas season, even before Thanksgiving? If you do, you’re a lot like my wife Angie. If someone sends me an ad or a sales pitch about some special Christmas gift, I respect what they are doing, and, especially with today’s economy, their need to get a jump on Christmas sales when those sales are likely to be the largest percent of their annual volume. That doesn’t mean I like it, it just means that I understand it. Nevertheless when my wife Angie gets one of those, her usual response is to post the ad with one of those little rubberized magnets on the refrigerator as a reminder not to buy a Christmas gift from them. That may sound a little harsh, but here’s what she said to me.

“Shopping is a big part of what Christmas is all about, or at least what it has become—nothing really wrong with that. It’s a big part, but it shouldn’t be the only part. And the biggest part of Christmas gift shopping should be motivated by the giving. When retailers pull out all the stops, displaying most of their Christmas goodies, playing all the hymns and songs in each and every store, all of them with a long line of children waiting to sit on Santa’s lap (and tell him what they want for Christmas), and all of this long before the ‘official’ start of the holidays, it’s nothing more than the start of the shopping season.

“Names are drawn and Christmas gifts are bought, not just for the kids, but for everyone, presents are wrapped, stockings are hung, all this hustle and bustle and commercialization of the season seem a far cry from the simple idea of being together as a family or with friends just to count our blessings. All this flim-flam about trees, and presents, and Santa Claus tends to obscure the marvelous truth about what each person has in his or her own heart and expresses as the gifts of spirit, sharing and warmth. Instead, it’s nothing but beggars beg and spenders spend, drinkers drink and vendors vend, or something like that—however that ancient rhyme goes.

“Then as soon as the 26th rolls around the stores are open with slashed prices to attract more shopping they hope will last until the next season. Then those Christmas gifts are exchanged or returned, gift certificates are redeemed, yadda yadda yadda. The truth about Christmas would come out if you took away all the gifts,” she says. “Stuff the stockings and that would be it. Then we could get a fresh start. Then we could add gifts as a way to show real feeling, or benevolence or as a symbol of God’s gift.” Then she concludes with the question, “Don’t you agree with me, Walker?”

I sidestepped answering her. I can sympathize with my wife Angie’s point of view, and I’ve learned not to argue much with her about a point she feels so strongly about, or any other point come to think of it. Having said that, I see nothing wrong with offering advice to folks who tend to forget that they’ve got to go out and get some Christmas gifts at least by the day before Christmas. It’s just a reminder, it’s not like they’re being sold something, at least not at that time. We all know that stores are going to be selling Christmas trees, lights, ornaments and other Christmas stuff—if they would just not start selling it before Thanksgiving dinner is served.

But these same places sell all kinds of stuff throughout the year that people will be buying daily, not just as Christmas gifts, whether it’s before, during or in some cases after the Christmas season. And I don’t see anything wrong with them telling people not to forget that Christmas is only two or three months away so don’t forget. I don’t mind getting those reminders at all, but not my wife Angie. She’ll grab one up, and on the frig it goes, faster than a mantis can bite off the head of her mate.

I know my wife Angie will likely be reading this at some time or another, and, just as I’ve learned not to argue a point with her, I’ve learned just as well to apologize in advance when I take another view that is different from hers. So here I am, kind of disagreeing and sort of apologizing all in one whack, and I’m not sure I can get by with either, much less both.

Banjo Christmas

Walker Hayes — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:12:45 +0000

I’m guessing you’re looking for some kind of a banjo or you wouldn’t have found this post. And chances are good that you have in some way connected your banjo need with Christmas. Put those two together and you have Christmas banjo. Isn’t that clever. Well, consider this. Rearrange Christmas banjo and what do you have? Banjo Christmas. I wanted to write a post about a Banjo Christmas. See how this works?

My only hope is that you are reading this well before Christmas. Uh oh. Maybe not. Does the phrase, stuck at Christmas without a gift, mean anything to you? Could be. But either way, whether you’re here early or late, read on and you may get an idea about how to become a Christmas gift hero. To get to that point, let me begin by asking a simple question. Any idea about what kind of banjo? Or what price you can pay? Okay, that’s two questions, sorry. Again, one question, any idea about what kind or what price of banjo?

To really answer that question may require a brief encounter with Virginia Woolf or James Joyce. Say what? These two authors wrote in a unique style that often amounted to no style at all. It’s officially referred to as stream of consciousness writing, that is to say they would come up with a subject and write for hours on end recording whatever came into their minds, forgetting about order, grammar, spelling, or sense. Oh, they did some rewriting, but, even with that, a lot of what they wrote is difficult to comprehend. And that’s the key. Each of them understood fully what they were saying, even if the common reader could make no sense of it at all. If that sounds like gobbledygook to you, please don’t click away yet, just bear with me for a moment.

This is supposed to be your very own stream of consciousness. Well, it may be a tainted stream, at least in my case, but let’s give it a try. The idea is to let your imagination take hold, to listen for and then write down things you might overhear in your mind—come to think of it, that’s a good definition of “stream of consciousness”. Here’s an example from my own polluted stream on our subject of banjo Christmas:

Christmas, don’t know, what can I get, better, brother in law, never, tide that binds, banjo, banjo Christmas, Christmas banjo, Xmas banjo, never, not me, same thing, no, late wrapping, good gift, who cares, makes no sense, well playing, tie a yellow ribbon, red ribbon, rags to riches, yellow and black, good gift, great gift, guitar, banjo, what am I doing, who cares, late working, belated, same thing, always, never, metal, metal drummer, drummer boy, little, wood, wooden, little drummer, fife and guitar, drum, banjo, how to play, who plays, too late, he already played, hate the sound of, no, make my own, economy, downturn, family, family project, yes, no, staycation, lost our way, some trip, we’re together, diy, me, do it, don’t do it, do it all, my way, I did it my way, again for my in law, brother, sister, yourself, do it yourself, late working, working late, hero, come unto me.

Of course this makes no sense, just as intended—not really intended, but just as expected. Sorry, I must not forget that the above nonsensical paragraph is just an illustration. It’s time to make some sense again. Try this yourself on the subject of banjo Christmas (or any subject for that matter), and you may get some real insight into your inner mind. You may be surprised at the revealing messages that may be just below your surface self. You could be blessed with an ah-ha moment, a way to determine the perfect, unique Christmas gift whether you’re shopping early or are somewhat stuck at Christmas without a gift. Good luck to you.

When You Buy a Ukulele Consider This

Walker Hayes — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:13:55 +0000

Buying a ukulele can be an overwhelming and tricky job, especially if you’re looking for a beginner or basic ukulele. There are so many to choose from, and quality is not always a function of price. Keep in mind though, that if you want more than a toy and want a ukulele that you can play seriously, it’s unlikely that you will get much acoustic value by responding to a pitch of ukuleles for sale $30 or $40 (pun intended).
You can choose from four different types, all of which are considered basic Ukuleles—soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. Each type correlates to a different size, and all are available in a wide range of style and quality, anywhere from what amounts to little more than a toy to a high quality, well playing instrument.
Before your purchase, it is important to consider the use you plan to make of your ukulele, and how “serious” you are about that use. We’re talking serious fun here, which depends on the quality and playability of the instrument itself. Suffice it to say, regardless of all other considerations, the primary focus should be on how seriously it will be played. Let that seriousness be your measure of both quality and price.
Is your purchase a gift for someone else? How serious will that person be about his or her playing? The same question should apply to the age of the person who will be playing the ukulele and that person’s level of playing proficiency—how serious? Or is this for someone who is just learning to play—is he or she serious about it? You get my drift.
Whether for your own use or as a gift for someone else, beginner or pro, young or old, the more and better you expect to play the higher the quality you will need and, as a rule, the higher the quality the more you can expect to pay. There are of course exceptions, but you can expect to get what you pay for. Once you determine the quality and price (your budget), next is to decide which of the four instruments will supply your need.
Soprano
The earliest ukuleles were nearly all soprano sized—to a purest, it’s the classic size with the classic sound and is less like the guitar than the others. But, as many gifted ukulele players will attest, there is nothing quite like strumming away on a soprano, and it’s the thing you are naturally drawn to do. Being the smallest and most common, it’s a good place to start, particularly if you are a beginner.
It has been said that a soprano ukulele is easy to learn but hard to master. It is good for playing chords and beginner strumming, but when it comes to fancy stuff, finger picking can be tricky. When compared to the other standard three, the traditional sound offered by this basic uke can seem thin and without much resonance.
Being smaller, sopranos will usually be priced lower and you will have more from which to choose as compared to the other three. A smaller instrument can also be good for smaller people, like kids. Don’t be fooled though, many of the best ukulele players are large people with large fingers who favor sopranos.
Concert
Halfway between the soprano and the tenor is the concert ukulele. This can be a great compromise if you want to strum and fingerpick, and for those not comfortable with the tenor size uke. Concerts offer more resonance for a fuller tone but maintain the unmistakable sound of a ukulele and not a guitar. It has the same tuning as the soprano gCEA, and the same traditional sound, but with serious practice, you can learn to play whatever you want to play.
Since it is a little bigger, the concert sounds bigger than the soprano, with more middle range and a somewhat deeper, mellow, more alto sound. It’s bigger, but not by much, and some say a concert is easier to hold than the smaller soprano. The concert is an instrument that offers the best of both worlds, traditional ukulele sound with more complex playing potential.
Tenor
The tenor ukulele can be used for more advanced solo playing i.e. Jake Shimabukuro. It has more of a guitar-like tone, more finger room that allows faster play, and lends itself to more complex runs. Its size produces a deeper, fuller, more resonant quality in sound and tone. The fourth string can be tuned an octave lower, giving it even further range.
Baritone
If you already know how to play a guitar, or if you are learning to play guitar, then learning to play a baritone uke will be easier for you. Tuned like the bottom 4 strings of a guitar, the baritone uke can complement your guitar practice and vice versa. You don’t have the two top strings (base) it’s like a guitar with no top end. The baritone ukulele produces a crisp, fuller sound that resembles a small guitar.
Once you factor in cost plus your level of musical ability and interest in playing, that seriousness I referred to earlier, you are ready to go shopping for whichever ukulele best fits your need. There is, however, one additional consideration I want to mention, one that can make your selection even more meaningful. You can shop around for whatever suits your serious fancy, or you can consider making your own ukulele from scratch or building one from a kit.
The internet is loaded with ideas that can show you how to produce your own creation from scratch, and many sites offer a basic ukulele building kit that you can start with, and then add other components as you desire. You may want to check out the tramp art music culture where good-quality instruments are made from everyday components, using a multitude of boxes for surprising resonance, i.e. a cigar box with a wooden back or a simple box you can make yourself.
Either way, completed instrument, or your own construction, the ukulele can really be an unparalleled means to some serious fun, with one overriding factor—you can’t play a sad song on a ukulele. The best of luck to you if you decide to purchase a completed instrument, and if you decide to build from scratch or from a kit, good luck and good building

Tips for Building Your Own Cigar Box Ukulele

Walker Hayes — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:40:08 +0000

Have you thought about building your own cigar box ukulele but you’re unsure if you have the right stuff? You may have looked at all the Ukuleles for sale at multiple online sites. Maybe you don’t need a professional instrument, but just a beginner ukulele, and with the wide range of prices, maybe you’ve thought it’s time you considered building your own.
A cigar box instrument can offer the best of both worlds, one that is simple to make and at the same time offers a high quality, well playing instrument. Check out these insider techniques and you’ll see that you can put together a beautiful, good sounding, acoustical instrument, provided you start with the stuff presented here.
The most unique part of a cigar box instrument naturally is the box, so I’m primarily concerned in this article with attention to the box. You can successfully build any of the basic ukuleles—soprano, concert, tenor or baritone; if you pay close attention to these four key elements in choosing and preparing the box:
1. Use the right box
2. Reinforce the box
3. Use the right hardware and attachment methods 4. Follow the rules

Let us start with #1 “Use the right box”. Cigar box ukuleles originated as an outgrowth of the “tramp art” culture where the idea was to build with discarded materials, or at the least to use leftovers that were meant for a completely different initial use.
So bear in mind that your sound box, that most basic element of any ukulele building kit, depends in this case on using discarded, although oftentimes extravagant, very well constructed and enchantingly beautiful, packaging material.
Cigar boxes come in a very wide range of sizes, shapes, length to width ratios, thicknesses and materials (don’t use all-cardboard boxes), not to mention how well, or not, they are constructed. Pick whatever suites your fancy, but bear in mind the following guidelines for optimum size depending on the instrument you are building.
Soprano Ukulele use a box between 7” and 9” long
Concert Ukulele use a box between 8” and 10” long
Tenor Ukulele use a box between 8” and 10” long
Baritone Ukulele use a box between 9” and 11” long
The width of the box will usually follow a good proportion of the length, but anything less than 6” in width will have a tendency to reduce the acoustic effect. As a rule wider is better, and the same is true for depth, up to a limit, with a minimum depth of just less than 2½”.
Regardless of the box you choose, don’t overlook the need for reinforcement. Using ¼” x ¼” blocks glued inside the corners of your box will extend the useful life of your finished ukulele immeasurably. Use top-quality wood glue, i.e. Titebond II or equal. Spread a thin, even coat of glue on two sides of each block and hold in place for half a minute or so, one in each corner inside the box.
Place these blocks so they don’t contact the bottom of the box. This box bottom, usually consisting of + or – 1/8” thick solid or laminated wood, will act as the sound board for your instrument, and “floating” the blocks in this way prevents any interference with its free vibration.
Depending on the size of your box and the tension of your strings, you may consider ¼” flat poplar, spruce or any other tone wood around the inside perimeter of the box. String tension tends to force a slight indention of the soundboard at the location of the bridge over which the strings will rest. For this reason you should consider a 3/16” x 3/8“ support block glued on its edge inside the soundboard directly below or very near the location of the bridge.
Note that any paper that’s inside the box should be removed at blocking locations so you get a firm wood to wood glue line at all blocking. Use a damp cloth and a straight edge, scraper or single edge razor blade to remove the paper.
With regard to hardware and attachment methods, the main thing to remember is not to skimp on these components. Use only the highest quality screws and other fasteners. These components are only a fraction of the cost of the completed instrument, and you can therefore justify paying additional cost for exceptional quality in this area.
Mark all fastener locations very carefully using a template and marking each with an awl, nail set or any tool that you can use to press an indentation in the wood at the fastener location. Pre-drill appropriate pilot holes to receive fasteners and use only hand tools (no drill motors) to drive screws or tighten nuts.
Finally #4 on the list says to “follow the rules.” This step is equally important as any of the other three. You may have heard that in the cigar box ukulele and banjo world there are no rules. Actually there are two. Rule #1 is “Do it your way,” and rule #2 is “Don’t forget rule #1.”
After conscientiously attending to the basic box preparation steps above, you can let your imagination run hog wild with added design and fabrication techniques using the same two rules outlined above. Good luck and good building.

Cigar Box Banjo Jam

Walker Hayes — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:33:02 +0000

In Peanuts Guide to Life, the collection of one-frame wisdoms of Charlie, Lucy and Linus, cartoonist Charles Schultz advises, “As soon as a child is born, he or she should be issued a new dog and a banjo.” Good advice for anyone wanting the right start. The idea begs two questions though—what kind of dog and which type of banjo? The answer to the first is obvious, it’s a beagle. The second answer concerning the right banjo is a little more elusive.

There are probably more variations of banjos than there are breeds of dogs. Okay, a banjo is a drumhead with strings, right. But, in reality, a host of high quality banjo types exist, some made entirely from wood, or metal, or plastic, others put together with varying combinations of each. They can also grow out of combinations with other instruments—ukuleles, guitars, mandolins; one stand up type I’ve seen even uses a bass. Playable banjos can also be made with one, three, four, five, six, even ten strings, with or without pickups, and open-backed or close-backed. Add it all up and you have a mind boggling power of 10.

One type that is often overlooked, though, is the cigar box banjo, which seems strange because the cigar box banjo has often been the very root of a banjo player’s life experience. These are relatively simple instruments to make, either from scratch or assembled from a banjo kit containing the basic components—either way, scratch or kit is then subject to the user’s own creative imagination during the fabrication process. But don’t let this relative simplicity fool you into thinking that cigar box banjos lack a quality sound. Like anything else, the quality of the sound and the playability of the instrument are in direct proportion to your commitment to excellence during the building process.

It is true that “good sounding banjo” is a subjective term dependent as much on the music you’re trying to produce as it is on the banjo itself. It can range from plunky hollow and incisive to piercing and painful, especially in the beginning. Mark Twain once said that a gentleman is a person who knows how to play a banjo but doesn’t. But as Mark Twain also knew well, that inimitable banjo sound is exactly what makes playing a banjo the matchless experience that it is. Cigar box banjos don’t play quite as loud as a conventional banjo, but with care and craftsmanship you can create that uniqueness in a well playing instrument that is both rich and responsive, often with a deeper, mellower sound.

Many well known banjo players and many well known people who are not so well known for their banjo playing got their first exposure to making music with a cigar box instrument. Freddie Hart, whose 1971 country hit “Easy Lovin’” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, grew up in Loachapoka, Alabama in a large, sharecropping family of fifteen children. He got started musically by cobbling out a cigar box instrument using strings made of wire from the copper coil of a Model T Ford.

For others, the roots of their iconic musical style were developed from the very rudiments of instrument making, creating what would scarcely be considered a musical instrument today. Jim Reeves, the youngest of nine children, made his first instrument from a cigar box and rubber bands. Stringbean Akerman made his first banjo from a shoebox with thread from his mother’s sewing kit.

Even Carl Sandburg, who Thomas Lask declared “the American bard,” played his own brand of music, especially early in his life. Sandburg is quoted as saying, “My first stringed instrument was a cigar box banjo where I cut and turned the pegs and strung the wires myself.” Before the banjo, he tried his hand at a willow whistle, then a comb with paper over it, a tin fife, a flageolet (a type of wooden flute), and an ocarina, none of which he played very well, including banjo, but all of which helped define who he really was.

Whether famous as recording artists or famous as something else, what ties all these folks together is their unquestioned gift of originality. If even the minutest part of that originality was sparked by their early-in-life experiences playing a simple cigar box banjo and if you can in the minutest way identify with that experience, then my work here is done. Now let’s go see if we can find a beagle.