Home Songs Gene & Nancy Skiffle RPM
National Resophonic Tenor Guitar
Tenor guitars in the 1920's were very common. Tenor banjo players often switched to 4-string guitars as second instruments. All kinds of groups used them. From the Memphis Jug Band to the Delmore Brothers,and right up to the Kingston Trio, had tenors as featured instruments. Tuned like a baritone uke, same as the high four strings of a guitar, they are easier to play and have a lighter sound well suited for skiffle playing. Gene started playing a tenor banjo but found that to be too loud when playing with others. The National Resophonic is ideal because it is louder than other guitars, so it cuts through without drowning others out, and it is funky and unique sounding. Tenor Nationals are not real easy to find, because nobody makes them anymore, but when you do run across one they tend to be cheaper than full sized Nationals because there are not many tenor players around anymore.
Autoharp
If you are old enough you remember your old music teacher had this big box-like thing with lots of strings and some buttons with cord names on them that she would strum on while everybody sang Polly Wolly Doodle. That was an autoharp. They are easy to play and they sure make a lot of noise. They are perfect for skiffle and other down home types of music. Nancy plays her autoharp a bit different than other players. Rather than use picks, she frails on the string with bare fingers much like oldtime banjo players did. (Gene plays his guitar the same way most of the time.) This is not as loud as using picks but you can put much more variety and finesse into your playing. To make it louder Nancy has a pickup on her autoharp and plays it through an amp. At times she really cheats and uses a phaser peddle as well. With the peddle when she pounds on the bass strings she gets an almost gut-bucket bass sound and when she strums the high strings it almost sounds like an organ. The autoharp really helps to fill out our sound.
Washboard
If you are going to play skiffle or jugband music you have to have percussion. It could be bongos, spoons, bones, or cardboard boxes, but the preferred percussion sound since the caveman started banging on things to make some rhythm has been the washboard. Again we tend to do things a little different than most. We use drum sticks and brushes instead of the usual thimbles or church-keys. They give you more control over the noise level and other players are not always yelling at you to cut down on the racket. And, by playing a little quieter and with more subtly you can actually hear the words when you sing. Believe it or not you can still go down to your local hardware store and buy a washboard. We prefer to pick old ones up at flea markets because they are usually made from galvanized steel instead of aluminum like the new ones. We just like the sound better. Hey, also stick a bell, wood block, or a couple of cans on it too for some added sounds.
Schneider Strum Stick
In recent years the strum stick style dulcimer has become quite popular. It looks like and is played like a three stringed guitar, but it is tuned, freted and played like a dulcimer. It is without a doubt the simplest and easiest to play melody stringed instrument around. Now with the new stick type design they can also be used for playing cords as well. We tune ours in an open D tuning-D-A-D. We usually play it with a flat pick so the melody will cut through. Other times we finger pick and play with a slide. Our sticks are made by a local instrument builder named Dave Schneider (E-Mail:d-pschneider@prodigy.net). The modified flying-V style pictured is the latest Schneider strum stick that Dave designed with the help of Gene who made some suggestions to make it more playable. It is a 4 string model with a double melody string to give it a little bit of a mandolin sound. No skiffle band should be without a strum stick.
One sure way to draw a crowd is pull out the old limberjack. Folks just seem to get hypnotized by these little dancing guys. Limberjacks or Dancing Dans as they are sometimes called originated as Appalachian mountain folk toys. Hill country folk would whittle these little guys out of scrap wood and give them to there kids, guaranteeing hours of fun bouncing them on a limber board. In the right hands they become another unusual rhythm instrument. When things are getting a little dull we always pull out one of our dancing critters. (Nancy has quite a collection including Dans of all sizes, a gal or two, and even a sheep and frog.) They always bring a smile to the faces of kids of all ages.
Lots of other instruments are in our arsenal. Gene uses several different tenors and even an open tuned six string for playing slide on. We also still use the old tenor banjo when we really want to make some noise and draw a crowd. We also use many things for percussion instruments. We are always finding oddball drums at flea markets. You can also make many rhythm instruments. Cans, wooden boxes, broom handles with bells attached, and anything else you shake, rattle, or bang on work just fine. Whatever works for you. The important thing is just have some fun.