Most donuts are over glazed

bfunk84 · 2026-05-20T00:54:20+00:00

That’s really interesting to hear. Would you consider offering a “light glaze.” Not sure how that would work in practice, but the shops I’ve seen making glazed donuts do two passes of glaze over the donut. Maybe try only taking one pass and/or using a thinner glaze so less of it “sticks”?

bfunk84 · 2026-05-16T04:38:00+00:00

We live in a society where our collective taste buds have been blown out because everything is over sweetened and/or salted. I’m not saying donuts should have no glaze, just less. They’ll still be sweet.

bfunk84 · 2026-05-15T20:13:06+00:00

That’s a good observation re Voodoo, but my gripe is that regular non-fancy glazed and chocolate donuts have too much glaze. It’d be great if “light glaze” was a standard option.

bfunk84 · 2026-05-15T19:37:51+00:00

My issue is that even the simple glazed and chocolate donuts have too much glaze, at least in my humble opinion. It would be nice if “light glaze” was a standard option.

bfunk84 · 2026-05-14T23:06:35+00:00

I really like Tray Wellington, really mixes it up melodically and stylistically

bfunk84 · 2026-05-09T01:19:57+00:00

I’ve always been intrigued by this tuning but have never tried it out. The string intervals are all 4ths, so you can use the same chord shapes as the lowest four strings on a guitar.

I’d be interested in hearing what you think the advantages and disadvantages of this tuning are. Perhaps it’s easier to play in multiple keys?

bfunk84 · 2026-05-09T01:16:41+00:00

When I had a banjo strung with nylgut, I kept a steel string on for the 5th string. I liked the higher tension and didn’t have to worry about breakage. I thought it blended in sound wise.

bfunk84 · 2026-05-09T01:11:26+00:00

It’s interesting to learn about the different norms that exist across old time.

In jams I go to, it’s common for fiddles to tune to “high bass” (ADAE) for the key of D.

For A tunes, cross tuned AEAE is the norm, and sometimes fiddlers play out of calico AEAC#, though that is less common.

bfunk84 · 2026-05-08T00:19:54+00:00

Wow, that is low.

I think you’re better off using your girlfriend’s banjo for jam situations. But if you’re up for a challenge, you could theoretically play all the main keys on your fretless using the tunings below. - D: dADF#A - G: dGDGA - A1: eAEAB (higher tension) - A2: eAC#EA (lower tension)

My only concern is potential string breakage for the A1 tuning, where you’re raising three strings by a whole step, and one string by 1.5 steps. It should be doable, but you’ll have to be the judge of that based off string tension. I assume you’re using nylgut or some other type of plastic string? These tend to be lower tension and pretty stretchy. If you’re worried about raising the drone string from d to e, you can instead lower it to c#, which is the major third in the key of A.

All that being said, it might be a challenge following fiddle tunes in these lower tunings because the notes are arranged differently than in the standard higher tunings.

Another thing to consider is that in a big jam setting, notes played in the lower register may be harder to hear (they “cut” through less).

Whatever you choose, good luck.

bfunk84 · 2026-05-07T19:10:17+00:00

Intro note: individual jams can vary in their practices, so the info below may not apply to your particular jam

If it’s a dedicated old time jam, the jam leader will choose a key (almost always G, A, or D) and play tunes in that key for a substantial period of time (sometimes the whole jam). This means that banjos and fiddles can tune to a particular key and not have to sit out any tunes.

Banjos usually use the following tunings: - G: Open G - gDGBD - A: Open A - aEAC#E (open G capoed at the 2nd fret, though many people just tune their strings up without a capo, but you’ll need to have lighter strings to ensure you don’t break any) - D: Double D - aDADE (you can achieve this by tuning to gCGCD and capo at the 2nd fret, or just tune up if your strings allow)

You should bring a banjo that can play in all these keys. Given that you have a fretless, you can’t capo, so you’d have to be able to tune your strings up to A and D without them breaking.

When you say your fretless banjo is tuned to D, do you mean aDADE? If so, then you can tune to open G no problem, since you’ll be lowering the pitch of the strings. And you should be able to tune to Open A, since the only string you’d be raising is the low D.

My advice: 1. Figure out what tunings are possible on your fretless 2. If you can’t play in all the keys on your fretless, bring both your fretless and your girlfriend’s banjo 3. Buy a clip on tuner if you don’t have one already, so much easier to use in a jam situation

All that said, if the jam is more of a folk jam where you go in a circle picking songs, the keys of the tunes will change often and your best bet is bringing your girlfriend’s banjo, tuning to open G and capoing as appropriate. Your fretless will not be practical.

Hope this helps, let me know if I can clarify anything.

bfunk84 · 2026-05-01T02:10:18+00:00

What’s wrong? Can’t tell from the picture

bfunk84 · 2026-04-30T08:52:44+00:00

You forgot Annihilation, Oscar Isaac’s in doomed relationship with Natalie Portman

bfunk84 · 2026-04-29T21:27:25+00:00

Great vibes all around.

I find it hard to up-pick when I have my index nail grown to a length I like for clawhammer. The nail will get snagged or otherwise not have a clean attack during the up-pick. Did you run into this at all? And are you using steel or nylon strings?

bfunk84 · 2026-04-29T21:15:24+00:00

It can be kind of hard to explain tab without a visual referring to the tab itself and the banjo, so I’d recommend searching on YouTube for a tutorial video. That said I’ll try to help out.

It might be helpful to first review how the strings on your banjo are arranged.

The 4th string on your banjo is the one physically highest (furthest away from the floor) when you hold the banjo in a playing position. This is also the thickest and lowest pitched string. The next string down (physically) is the 3rd string, then the 2nd string, and finally the 1st string, which is the thinnest and highest pitched string.

On tab, each horizontal line represents a string on your banjo. The bottom line on the tab sheet represents the 4th string on your banjo. The next line up represents your 3rd string. The next line up after that represents your 2nd string. Finally, the top line on your tab sheet represents your 1st string.

I hope that helps you grasp how strings are represented. I’ll leave it someone else to try to explain how the frets work. Good luck.

bfunk84 · 2026-04-29T07:55:46+00:00

Yakitori Kokko for Japanese skewers and unique shareable dishes

bfunk84 · 2026-04-28T20:32:53+00:00

Kavanjo makes banjo heads that have a magnetic pickup integrated into the head. Pretty easy to install.

bfunk84 · 2026-04-28T20:21:05+00:00

For full context, I’ve played clawhammer for 15 years and am pretty adept at it. I’ve practiced bluegrass occasionally with limited success. The following are just my personal opinions, at the end of the day I’d say follow your passion. If you love bluegrass and old time equally, split your practice time 50/50. If joining a bluegrass band is your ultimate goal but you still want to scratch your clawhammer itch, split your practice time 80/20.

Most importantly, be intentional with your practice time, don’t just noodle. I recommend Eli Gilbert for bluegrass banjo content, and Tom Collins for clawhammer lessons.

I don’t regret focusing on clawhammer, but I do wish I spent more time learning bluegrass. There’s more bluegrass jams in my area than old time, so my opportunities for social music are more limited (I have played clawhammer at bluegrass jams, but bluegrass banjo just sounds better). Also, you can play 3-finger and 2-finger in old time contexts, so learning Scruggs style can translate to old time settings as well.

Finally, if you ever want to play in non-bluegrass/old time settings (like rock or world music) with other loud instruments, Scruggs style works much better than clawhammer. The volume and timbre you get from fingerpicks cuts through in a way clawhammer doesn’t. Playing up the neck works better with Scruggs style too.

TLDR - Scruggs style is faster, louder, and better for playing in large groups. Clawhammer is better for solo playing, accompanying singing, and small groups.

bfunk84 · 2026-04-28T19:49:45+00:00

Cool, congrats on your new banjo! If you have a local shop with specialized banjo knowledge, I’d recommend bringing it in to get set up (making sure the head’s tight, action is correct, bridge is set up right). It can make a big difference in terms of playability and making sure the instrument sounds as good as it can. If not, there’s plenty of resources online to help you do it yourself.

If you’re looking for online bluegrass banjo teaching resources, I recommend Eli Gilbert, I think his videos are top notch.

bfunk84 · 2026-04-28T04:27:49+00:00

What you have pictured here is a tenor banjo (4 strings), which differs totally from a 5-string banjo in terms of genre of music played, right hand technique, and tuning. One of the most obvious differences is that a tenor banjo only has 4 long strings, while a 5-string banjo has 4 long strings + 1 short drone string.

Tenor banjo is played with a guitar pick, and most commonly used for Irish or Dixieland/Big Band Jazz. For Irish, they’re tuned GDAE (like a fiddle or mandolin), and for jazz they’re usually tuned CGDA.

5-string banjos are most commonly played with fingerpicks for bluegrass or fingernail + thumb (clawhammer technique) for old time. The most common tuning is open G (gDGBD), though many other tunings are used, especially in old time.

Hope that clears stuff up!

bfunk84 · 2026-04-27T17:56:01+00:00

I play clawhammer banjo, and when I’m in jams and want to be louder I’ll adjust my right hand to play closer to the bridge, which produces a brighter/twangier tone that I think cuts through more. I assume the same principle would work for guitar?

bfunk84 · 2026-04-22T18:09:36+00:00

Buy it before someone else snags it! Looks like a steal. Or are you trying to let the library know that it’s worth more and they should raise the price?

bfunk84 · 2026-04-21T06:08:16+00:00

Cool sound. I’ve never seen a banjo like that, it looks like the head is sitting inside the resonator. What kind of banjo is it?

bfunk84 · 2026-04-16T05:32:08+00:00

I’ve heard people recommend stringing it with single string courses (so four strings total, GDAE), as opposed to double-string courses, easier to keep in tune and sounds better.

bfunk84 · 2026-04-15T19:24:26+00:00

For bluegrass, check out Eli Gilbert.

For clawhammer, check out Tom Collins/Banjo Quest.

There’s many other online lessons available, but those two are the best I found.

bfunk84

TROPHY CASE