Lately, I have been obsessing over learning to play a banjo. I'm not very musical, but I feel like I can make up for it with dedication. I want to buy one to play with, but I don't know where a good place to start would be. What is the difference in one with and without a resonator? Is a 5 stringed the standard? Any recommendations for a "starter"? Any thoughts on do it yourself books/dvds versus actual lessons?

3/24/2012 10:29:41 PM

http://www.4shared.com/document/Lc6B6L1z/Banjo_For_Dummiespdf.html

[Edited on March 24, 2012 at 10:44 PM. Reason : .]

3/24/2012 10:44:31 PM

send a pm to BanjoMan

3/25/2012 12:03:19 AM

I bought a Hoehner from a pawnshop for 300. I went the DIY route, been playing for 3 years now. Get lessons, save yourself the heartache.

3/25/2012 1:59:42 AM

A resontor just makes the banjo louder when you play it, it may actually add some tone to higher end banjos but if your beginning it shouldn't be necessary. 5 string is pretty standard and probably what you want, but every now and then you will see a 4 string so just pay attention when you are buying.

Right now I am "learning" on a really cheap banjo (ie, lots of plastic parts on it). Pretty much what I can afford and the mechanics are the same.

I'd recommend getting a cheap banjo, an electric tuner, and a pretty basic book that has chords and maybe some instruction on strumming and tuning, then supplement with google and youtube - there is lots of free stuff out there.

If you have never played a stringed instrument before then all of the chords will be a little overwhelming, don't worry about them yet, you are only going to need to know 3 or 4 to start playing some basic songs and most of the books you get will point you to the more basic and easy to play chords. Instead, focus on strumming. I know how to play guitar and have found the strumming to be the hardest part of learning banjo. I was always told to begin by learning the "clawhammer" style (which Im still working on actually) and then you could learn other styles later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWaW4C5z_Ek


I think that once you learn that simple strum and a few chords (could take a while) then you can start making decisions on whether you want lessons or want to keep progressing on your own.

looking back on when I learned guitar, after I learned a few chords and could play some simple stuff I wished I had taken lessons, I'd probably be a lot better and a lot more dedicated today

3/25/2012 12:08:44 PM

I found an open back banjo at a pawn shop for $150, I'm trying to decide between buying it tomorrow or just ordering a basic starter kit online. The impatient part of me wants to buy the one I could have in my hands tomorrow. I'll probably just buy a book or dvd to start with, but I am open to lessons.

3/25/2012 9:20:09 PM

I have been thinking about doing this when my grad program is finished in June.

3/25/2012 10:31:11 PM

I would recommend lessons no matter what instrument you're learning. When you start to get better and move on to more technical things, its so much easier if you haven't already taught yourself a ton of bad habits.

3/26/2012 2:57:07 AM

I bought the one at the pawn shop. It's a Rogue 5 string open back traveler banjo. The guy at the shop said it was a traveler, but it looks to me like its full size, but I suppose he would know better than I would. So far, I've just been trying to learn the claw hammer "bum ditty" strum from ^^^^ video, but I found a listing for lessons near me and I got in contact with the guy and he said its $20 a session. Is that a reasonable price? I thought maybe I could just have like an introductory session to check it out. I plan on getting a book this weekend, any specific recommendations? Thanks for all the advice thus far! I get so excited thinking about sitting out by my pond drinkin a beer pickin on a banjo

3/26/2012 7:36:10 PM

^ Aside from the general utility of teaching you the basics and fundamental techniques, I really don't have any faith in the books at all. The main reason why I don't like them is that they are geared more toward training you solely how to play memorized tablature as opposed to training your ear to pick up chords and melodies, and this makes you useless as a banjo player.

Bluegrass/folk music works much in the same way as jazz and blues in that you must develop your ear to improvising and playing a cohesive sound with others. So, sure get a beginner book to learn the basic chords and strumming techniques, but don't get too crazy with memorizing the tab. Trust me, you will be much better off if you spent a whole week out by your pond trying to pick out the melody and chords to simple tunes. It is also very important to sing along with it to check and make sure that your version fits the song. Start off with something universal and simple such as "Mary had a little lamb" or "the saints go marching in". It may be difficult at first but it is definitely the best way to go. Remember, the most important thing about being an artist is using your artistic license, not memorizing tab.

In regards to buying a banjo, yes, it is prolly a good idea not to drop 2 grand on an instrument that you are just learning, but buyer beware: dirt cheap banjos can sound awful and be very difficult to play. So be very deliberate with it when you are buying. Take a tuner with you and tune it before you play, then make sure that the tone sounds good and clear. Also, when you play it, be sure to play high up the neck for a bit to judge how well it is fretted. This is sure to land you something decent to start off with with that is near or less than 350$. Then, once you have decided that you are committed, broaden your interest to wood type and weight of the banjo.

4/5/2012 10:52:53 AM

I am working on learning the chords now and practicing moving between them (from a book), but everything you just said made so much sense. I get bored just strumming chords for the memorization so I've been trying to pluck dueling banjos. I couldn't find any simple tablature online, so I've just been trying to figure it out note by note, and its amazing. I've never had an ear for music, but when I find the right note its an awesome feeling. It's frustrating, but I've thoroughly enjoyed trying to find the notes myself.

4/5/2012 6:14:56 PM

Recently decided to pursue this hobby myself. I'm a newbie, so can only speak for what I bought. purchased:

Deering Goodtime 5 String
http://www.amazon.com/Deering-GOODTIME-BANJO-GT-Goodtime/dp/B001Q9F34W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1333665499&sr=8-3

This may be more than you want to spend, however after toying with a friends dirt cheap banjo I'm glad I didn't go that route. Sound, feel, pegs, build quality all dramatically better.

Chromatic Tuner
http://www.amazon.com/Snark-Instrument-Clip-On-Chromatic-Tuner/dp/B003VWKPHC/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1333665549&sr=1-1

DVD
http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Banjo-Volume-Murphy-Henry/dp/B000Y01XES/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1333665586&sr=1-1-catcorr

Decided to start with scruggs style. This DVD was great. No sheet music, play by ear. Essentially she teaches very basic technique, a few rolls, and 5 songs. I'm not sure this is the best way to learn right out of the gate, as it's possible I've developed some bad habits, but it seemed like a good compromise when compared to costly/inconvenient private/group lessons. Good luck!

4/5/2012 6:50:41 PM

I wouldn't think that the banjo would be a very good starter instrument.

4/5/2012 6:58:21 PM

Quote :

"looking back on when I learned guitar, after I learned a few chords and could play some simple stuff I wished I had taken lessons, I'd probably be a lot better and a lot more dedicated today"

Thank you for illustrating precisely why learning a few chords and some simple songs is NOT the way to learn an instrument.

Learn to play your instrument competently and confidently, with an understanding of how its musical parts fit together and complement each other. You don't have to become a virtuoso, but you have to be able to make some semblance of the sounds that are in your head at will. It's the only way to empower yourself to make personally satisfying music.

Yes, that sounds fruity.

4/5/2012 7:14:45 PM

I'm already starting to wish I had gotten a nicer one, but I will say it doesn't sound bad. I'll give it a few more months to make sure I keep this level of dedication, and then I'll look at upgrading

4/5/2012 8:08:26 PM

could anyone suggest a teacher? I have been bouncing between banjo and dulcimer...but it depended on who could give me lessons!

4/6/2012 1:11:05 AM

Well, I guess you get what you pay for. The tuning peg on the fifth string popped out of the neck tonight. I can't get it to stay in...can I just glue it back in or is there something special that needs to be done?

4/6/2012 3:58:12 AM

Depends on the type of tuner. Post a picture.

4/6/2012 6:40:37 AM

Looks just like this. I tried wrapping the part that goes in the neck in teflon tape, but it still won't hold tight when I put tension on it.

4/6/2012 1:50:02 PM

Well, my plans for this weekend were to drink beer and play the banjo, so I epoxyed it back in. Hopefully at least a short term fix, but did I screw anything up?

4/7/2012 4:25:31 AM

shouldn't be a problem, you were gonna have to replace the whole tuning key anyway. Just replace them all for that matter.

4/7/2012 5:14:34 AM

^ You might want to upgrade to these

Much better for the banjo, especially for that high G string.

[Edited on April 7, 2012 at 10:09 AM. Reason : w]

4/7/2012 10:08:52 AM

Well, my fix worked for now. How much would I be looking at to replace all the tuning keys? I might have to look into that soon. I changed my first string today, that was a pain in the ass. Hopefully it gets easier with time.

4/7/2012 2:43:05 PM

As a side note, I love how the hipsters have recently "discovered" the banjo.

4/9/2012 4:55:31 PM

Assholes! They already stole my pbr, they can't have my banjo too!

4/9/2012 6:08:08 PM

Well at least we can say we were playing banjo before it was cool....oh no what have I done...

4/9/2012 8:11:39 PM

I got my first live gig in three weeks. We are still thinking of a name, right now it is between The Go Getters and The Bucket Busters.

5/23/2012 2:37:29 PM

The Bucket Getters.

Also, on a semi-related note, I really want to learn to play the dobro.

5/23/2012 10:28:58 PM

^ I too went through that phase. I really feel like the mandolin or Fiddle would be worthwhile, but whatever shall float your figurative boat.

5/25/2012 2:07:26 PM

So I'm making progress in my book...I've got a few chords and a few roll patterns down, as well as clawhammer strumming. I've taken a break from the book and I'm trying to pick some stuff by ear...I'm actually developing a bit of an ear for it. I'm still not somebody that can hear something and replicate it in a matter of seconds, but its exciting to see myself progress. I'm thinking I might upgrade banjos soon, the longer I have mine the more I realize how cheap it is and what could be improved upon. My neighbor said I might be able to go to the pawn shop I bought it from (I still have the receipt) and tell them that there is nothing wrong with it, that I'm just ready to upgrade and that I want the purchase price applied to a nicer one they have...he said that there is about a 50/50 shot it will work.

5/28/2012 2:03:41 AM

I've found that lately my banjo won't hold tune for shit. I play it at night when I get home, but the next night I have to tune it again. Is that pretty standard, or is something wrong? Tuning pegs or strings?

6/1/2012 2:09:46 AM

Apparently this thread is just gonna be my personal banjo blog, but I'm going to keep bumping it anyway. I found some cool tabs, happybanjodude.com. I'm having a lot of fun with it, but I'm kind of struggling with strumming while using finger picks. Anybody have any advice?

7/22/2012 3:43:36 AM

Pick hard. Like real hard, that'll get you better at finger picks, also check fitment.

As for the tuning, how old are your strings?

7/22/2012 11:30:07 AM

I changed them, they stay in tune a lot better now. If I go somewhere, as in have the banjo in the car for a while they get out of tune based on heat or whatever, but they stay in tune pretty well if it just stays in my apartment. And yeah, my picks fit pretty tight, I've got a plastic thumb pick that is too small, and 2 metal finger picks. I was gonna boil some water and soften up the thumb pick and try to get a better fit

7/22/2012 5:50:55 PM

Yes heat and especially humidity will detune an instrument with the quickness

7/22/2012 6:45:04 PM

As far as strumming with a thumb pick goes, are you saying to strum it really hard? I've had the best luck with an easy touch. The tabs I'm looking at have 3 open strums, then a C, then open again. In the video, the guy looks like he's strumming down with his thumb, then it looks like up with his middle finger, then down again with his thumb for the C, and the last open fret. Does that sound right? And I can't tell exactly from the video.

7/22/2012 6:50:27 PM

Ehhhh maybe. I strum solely with the thumb, or kind of clawhammer without picks, so I'm not sure what you mean.

7/22/2012 7:54:14 PM

I posted in the community forums on craigslist looking for "jam sessions" to attend in my area. I got a response from a guy who attends one a decent bit away from me in Clear Run, NC. There was an article about it in Our State magazine...it looks pretty awesome. Have any of yall ever heard of this, or attended it?

http://www.ourstate.com/clear-run-grocery/

7/25/2012 2:25:59 AM