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Topic: Banjo chords (Read 4958 times) previous topic - next topic

Banjo chords

Hello all,

Many people here will know that I created the plugins that let you create guitar and ukulele chord charts. I've recently been contacted by someone who would like to be able to create banjo chords. On the surface, the Ukulele object could probably be used, since I've been told that the 5th banjo string is rarely fingered. However, from my meager investigations, there are several different ways of displaying banjo chord charts, and on the ones I've seen, there are different ways of showing the 5th string. Also, in those charts, that string is either open (o) or not played (x).

The purpose of this message is to ask if there are any other banjo players here. If so, could you possibly help me determine which of the chart formats is most common? As I said, doing a Google search on the subject has shown different formats of charts, and I want to be sure I'm picking the "right" one if I create a variant on my plugin for banjo players.

Thanks in advance,
Mike

Re: Banjo chords

Reply #1 –
I don't play banjo, but I understand they come with four, five or six strings.  Might I suggest separate plugins, one for each type of banjo.  Complicated, yes, but if the programming isn't too difficult, perhaps the plugin names could include the number of strings?

Re: Banjo chords

Reply #2 –
Quote from: David Palmquist –
I don't play banjo, but I understand they come with four, five or six strings.  Might I suggest separate plugins, one for each type of banjo.  Complicated, yes, but if the programming isn't too difficult, perhaps the plugin names could include the number of strings?
While it's not difficult to have multiple objects as you suggest, it would be easy to have a single object with one of the parameters indicating the number of strings. The GuitarChord.ms object actually has a "strings" variable in the code that is currently set to 6, and changing this number takes care of most of the work of handling an instrument with a different number of strings. However, the predefined chords are most of the work.

Thanks very much for the feedback, but I definitely want to hear from some actual banjo players here (if there are any), to make sure I'm headed in the right direction.

Re: Banjo chords

Reply #3 –
Try googling banjo user groups.  There are a few authors of books on banjo playing, as well as a banjo user group.  Perhaps you can track down one or two experts there.

Re: Banjo chords

Reply #4 –
I know there are options to contact banjo players in other forums, but part of my reason for doing so in this forum is to gauge if there is any interest in a banjo chord plugin. Since the only reply to my message so far has been a non-banjo-player, I'm guessing the answer to my question is "not much".

I'll keep your suggestions in mind. There is at least one NWC user who'd like such an object, as he reached out to me via email (but apparently is not a member of these forums).  Perhaps someone else will see this thread eventually and comment on it.

Thanks again,
Mike