Have you experiemented with using the banjo as an instrument of percussion as we

Question: Have you experiemented with using the banjo as an instrument of percussion as well as strumming!?

I just got a new cheap banjo to check this out, in case it breaks!. I've found I can do some real cool things through tapping on it using sticks, and strumming at the same time!.

Has anyone else experimented with this!? How did it go!? also, if there are any videos online, this is all new to me and I'd like to learn more!. :]

Thank you!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

I can't say I've done a lot of experimentation with this but it makes sense -- after all, a banjo is really a drum on a stick with strings :-)

I've occasionally muted the strings with my forearm and drummed on the banjo head with my fingers in a jam session!.

I wonder if you could do something with the banjo similar to using fiddlesticks on the fiddle -- where one person plays the fiddle, bowing and noting it in the conventional way, and a second person standing alongside the fiddler, drumming on on the strings in between the fiddler's bow and noting fingers with a pair of straws or small sticks!. IOW, have one person play the banjo (maybe in clawhammer style since its a percussive style to begin with) and a second person standing alongside them, drumming on the unused portion of the head!? That would sound cool, no!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Check out Bela Fleck!. He does all kinds of things with the Banjo!. I play little rudiments on the head of the banjo when I play Civil War songs!. Banjo is also a bit conducive to tapping if you have a quiet hall!. If you finger a chord and "pop" the head just right, you can get a nice echo chord sound with it!. that's about as far as I have gone!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I know this isn't the same but Tommy Emmanuel makes an amazing drum out of his guitar!.Www@QuestionHome@Com