Sort of accidentally started a new build...

[Simon Barden]

Banjo heads are drum skins. So you can tighten it right up.

[blinddrew]

Really? I assumed they were a bit thicker and more, well, substantial.
Very well, I shall get tuning tomorrow then.
Thank you again!

[dozymuppet]

Love how this turned out, both looks and sounds.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

[blinddrew]

Thanks Dozy.
Following Simon's advice I have tuned up the skin a bit (thanks for the tip!) and it's sounding much better.
So I wrote a new song: https://youtu.be/2FucMWHZnVo

There's a couple of screw ups but it's a first play through on a new instrument so...

[robsmith]

A gorgeous quirky little instrument. It sounds a bit crisper and brighter in the second video.

[blinddrew]

Yep, it's definitely sounding much better today. I think there's a bit more tuning up of the skin still to go, and a bit of settling as well, but I'm taking it in stages because I know very little about either drum or banjo tuning.

[fender3x]

I'm going with Guinjo at the moment, but bantar could be an option?
Or to add the drum factor in it could bantomtar? Tombantar?

Hard to find a name that doesn't sound like something that Ninjas throw or someone in Star Wars rides. I realize this is not particular helpful, but "bantomtar" sounds like a small...something. And Tombantar sounds short for Thomas Bantar.

I don't know if this is helpful or not, but found it on the highly accurate and informative internet. Evidently there were gut-string "zither banjos" in Europe at one point. The author of that article seems to advocate for "Banjitar"

https://blog.deeringbanjos.com/what-is-a-banjitar

With respect to Simon, I think that last time I heard someone exclaim "that sounds like guano" I wasn't playing one of those.

[Dikkybee007]

I own a 5 and 6 string banjo as well as a Banjo Mandolin which was handed down to me when my Dad died and I can tell you while they both seem the same skin as a drum they are not, close but not the same. My drums skin have a smooth feeling surface while my banjo's top side has a slight texture which almost feels like it is painted and will wear off if used for a number of years. Although depending on the drum I have had skins that were very slightly textured but not to the degree as the banjo. Don't know if it makes a difference but when I have replaced skins on any of the instruments I always tell the seller what I want and they give me the skin made for that particular instrument. Before any one makes a joke about the banjo's I also own a set of bag pipes so have heard them all but I am always looking for new material.

As for adjusting the tension there are drum dial and electronic indicators that make adjustment easy but seeing as they are normally over $100 I cant really see an investment in such a tool necessary for you. Normally you adjust the tension to a G sharp which you can sort of use a guitar tuner to gauge or just fret a g sharp on the instrument and use your ear and tap the skin surface but it can take quite a while. I have used a tuner that has a microphone in it and placed it as close as possible to the surface and it sort of works but not as good as a proper instrument made for the job.

if you over tension the skin you can break it so there is that to take into consideration. If you over tension the skin you will loose the lower notes so the easiest way is to just adjust the skin until it neither looses the high or low notes and is somewhere in between. Normally you just tension the skin and tap at each adjustment point until it sounds the same note all around. You can sort of use a guitar tuner but it does seem a little hit and miss although you can get a digital gauge that clips onto the top ring of the instrument but again they are over the $100-$150 mark.

[Simon Barden]

As Dicky says, tap near the tuner points and adjust until they sound the same. I’ve only tuned a couple of drums after doing some refurb work on them for a friend, and tuning was pretty easy. I used the method Rick Beato demonstrated in one of his videos. I used my Peterson tuner app on my phone to tune to a general pitch and then used my ears to tune each lug.

[blinddrew]

That's the approach I've been taking to tuning so far, with plenty of time to settle in between.