Ok, So it's a banjo!

[G7MOF]

The use of triplets in this tune are just incredible.

http://youtu.be/jU4vSuCenL0

[Franc Homier Lieu]

Weird, I just stumbled on this video last night. Picked up a tenor last week and have been watching a lot of youtube videos. I must say, triplets on the tenor are a little easier than on the mandolin, so my mandolin triplets are great practice for the banjo.

There is another video of O'Connor (at least the poster claims it is of him; the entire video is shot so it captures only the banjo head and his right hand) giving some kind of workshop or lesson on right hand technique. Good stuff.

[Bertram Henze]

Not only the triplets - he does a lot more exotic ornaments than you get to hear from normal TB players.
Wonder what's up with the 1st fret capos, all? Not for being in tune with the bodhran, I assume?

[Franc Homier Lieu]

I read somewhere that O'Connor uses the capo, in combination with a certain tuning, to counter a common problem with the G on tenor banjos. Let me see if I can find the discussion and I will post a link.

EDIT: OK, it is not O'Connor who does the de-tune and then capo thing (there are lots of discussions of tuning on thesession.org, and I slurred two posts together in my mind), but he does use CGDA tuning instead of the more common GDAE.

[Bertram Henze]

...he does use CGDA tuning instead of the more common GDAE.

That explains a lot. Tired of the A string snapping on him all the time, therefore detuning a half step and living with a capo? I did a similar thing once, only more radical (by sawing off the nut).

[Jacob]

My guess would be that the banjo is tuned CGDA, and capoed at the 2nd fret giving DAEB.
I have tried different banjo heads and string sets but have been unable to overcome a weak and muddy sound on the low G string if using GDAE, octave mando tuning.
Maybe something larger than the common 11 inch diameter rim is needed.
I returned them to CGDA with a Paige capo.

[Bertram Henze]

My guess would be that the banjo is tuned CGDA, and capoed at the 2nd fret giving DAEB.

In that video, the capo is on the 1st fret.

[Tom Coletti]

Not only the triplets - he does a lot more exotic ornaments than you get to hear from normal TB players.
Wonder what's up with the 1st fret capos, all? Not for being in tune with the bodhran, I assume?

I played a 19-fret tenor for a while, and the stretching that your left hand sometimes has to do in open positions is absurd compared to mandolins. The capo may be meant to shorten up the scale length, plus I've noticed that it keeps the sound a bit tighter.

--Tom

[Mandoviol]

Does he have the G string double-strung? Or is that just a trick of the light? Still, gotta love those triplets.