when playing. Although some banjos don't have truss rods at all, most banjos have adjustable truss rods, which can be accessed at the peghead by removing the truss rod cover located just above the nut at the peghead. (Note: This is a procedure best left to the pros.)
Checking out the pot
The other major section of the banjo (other than the neck; see the preceding section) is the pot, the round lower body of the banjo including all of its constituent parts. You can see some of the following parts highlighted in Figure 1-5:
Head: The head is the plastic or skin membrane that acts as the vibrating top of the banjo. The head is largely responsible for the unique sound of your new favorite instrument.
Rim: Sometimes called the shell, the rim is the circular wooden ring that is the centerpiece of the pot and is made from laminations or blocks of maple or mahogany. A well-made rim is essential to a good-sounding banjo.
Tone ring: This part of the pot is a metal circular collar that's machined to fit on top of the wooden rim, and the head is stretched tight across its top outer circumference. Tone rings come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Together with the rim, the tone ring provides the fundamental color of the banjo's tone. However, tone rings aren't found on all banjos and having one isn't absolutely necessary to having a good-sounding instrument.
Brackets: Sometimes called hooks, brackets are ringed around the banjo pot and are responsible for tightening the head via the bracket screws that are attached to each bracket on the underside of most banjos.
Tension hoop: Sometimes called the stretcher band, this circular metal ring fits over the outside edge of the banjo head and helps to uniformly stretch the head down across the top of the tone ring as the brackets are tightened.
Bridge: The bridge transmits the vibrations of the strings to the head. Bridges range in size from 5/8 inch to 3/4 inch. They are movable, but are held fast to the banjo head by the tension of the strings.
Tailpiece: This part holds the strings on the pot end of the banjo. Many tailpieces are adjustable in various ways that can subtly affect overall banjo tone.
Armrest: The armrest is attached to the pot of the banjo and extends over the top of the banjo head to make right-hand playing more comfortable while simultaneously protecting the head.
Coordinating rods: Seen only from the back of the banjo, these rods are attached at opposite ends of the rim, parallel to the banjo strings. The primary function of the coordinating rods is to keep the neck securely attached to the pot. However, they can also be used to make slight adjustments to the height of the strings off of the fingerboard (called string action). Some banjos have only one coordinating rod, and many open-back banjos have what's called a dowel stick instead of a coordinating rod.
Resonator: The bowl-shaped piece of wood that's attached to many banjos, especially those used in bluegrass music, is the resonator. The resonator projects the sound out and away from the instrument. It's usually constructed from the same kind of wood as the banjo neck. Open-back banjos don't have resonators (see Chapter 13 for more on the types of banjos).
Resonator screws: Three or four resonator screws keep the resonator attached to the rest of the banjo pot.
Flange: The flange is a circular metal piece connecting the pot to the resonator that helps to keep the resonator in place.
Photograph by Anne Hamersky
FIGURE 1-5: The banjo pot (as seen from the back).
Picking up string vibrations
When you strike a banjo string with a right-hand finger or thumb, the string starts to move back and forth. These vibrations move through the bridge (a piece of wood positioned on the banjo head) to the banjo head, which amplifies that sound. Banjo players frequently refer to right-hand playing as picking the banjo. You can read more about authentic right-hand banjo picking techniques in Chapter 5.
The pitch of any string (its sound as measured by how high or low it is) is determined by how much tension or tightness is in each string and how long or short it is. The tighter or shorter the string, the higher its pitch. You can change the pitch of a string in two ways:
Turn the tuning pegs. A twist of a tuning peg in one direction or the other raises or lowers the pitch of a string. The direction is different for each string. (For more on tuning, check out Chapter 2.)
Fret the strings. When you fret a string, you place a left-hand finger behind one of the 22 frets found on the fingerboard of the neck. As you fret, you're shortening the length of the string and raising its pitch. An open string is one that is unfretted in the left hand. A fretted string sounds higher in pitch compared to an open string or to that same string fretted on a lower fret (a lower fret is one that is farther away from the banjo body). For more on fretting with the left hand, see Chapter 3.
Becoming a Banjo Player
If the banjo is the first stringed instrument you've ever attempted to play, it may seem as if you have a million things to remember at this first stage. Everything feels so new and unfamiliar. Don't get discouraged! Banjo players tend to be perfectionists, so be careful not to let your desire to play things correctly overwhelm your love for playing (and remember that everyone learns from his or her mistakes — even banjo players). Having fun with the banjo is more important than playing everything perfectly.
In the following sections, I present just a few of the skills you should strive to master as a banjo player (and as you make your way through Banjo For Dummies).
Making wise purchase choices
I cover everything you need to know about what to look for in banjos and playing accessories and how to find them in Chapters 13 and 14.
Tuning