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ATP: Pickin' the Banjo

Deacon923

Deacon923

Scooter Banks
Joined
Mar 28, 2011
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Location
Greensboro, NC
My mid-life crisis is manifesting itself in a need to get back in touch with my musical roots and learn to play the banjo. I have no experience with stringed instruments so I would be starting from scratch. My goals are modest, I just want to be able to pick up the chords, be able to strum and sing around a campfire. Any Pit posters pick the banjo? Have any thoughts on what kind of banjo I should consider buying? Lessons available in Greensboro?

All advice, snide comments, and rude tags welcome.
 
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I have a similar question about the guitar. I have never played an instrument before but have been thinking of trying to pick up at least a rudimentary ability to play... I inherited a very nice Martin acoustic from my father and it just sits on display in my house - seems a pity not to play it. (My sister got his old Martin - a small model from the '50s. Mine was a newer vintage - I think he bought it in the '90s)

Are teach yourself / on-line types of programs available (I assume) - and, do they work? Is that a good way to start or are lessons really the way to go? Do I have to be able to read music?
 
As far as guitar goes, you don't have to be able to read music. Just start learning some simple chords and go from there. There are a billion guitar tab websites with simplified versions of songs broken down to really basic chord patterns. If you like that, you'll start picking up more complicated stuff on your own by trying to play songs you like in particular.
 
Id go with the guitar, 923. Banjos are for pickin, not strumming. And they are annoying as hell.

Guitar you'll be strumming chords and singing 'round the campfire in a few weeks
 
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WakeandBake said:
Id go with the guitar 923. Banjos are for pickin, not strumming. And they are annoying as hell.

Guitar you'll be strumming chords and singing 'round the campfire in a few weeks
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What is "guitar 923" - is that a website? Program? or what?
 
agree with biddoublezero. guitar can be easily learned/played by ear, and with some simple chord charts. The hardest part is building up muscle strength and muscle memory in your fretboard hand, I think. Once you can mash the strings down and change chords with relative ease you are on your way
 
If you want to learn banjo for the purposes you listed, don't learn three finger bluegrass picking. Learn claw hammer. Claw hammer style is much less pingy and plays entire songs more (much more similar to guitar in that regard). Most three finger banjo is looping rolls on chords to accompany the song and a few breaks mixed in.

Check out banjohangout.com For all you beginner needs. It's a great site that will have everything you need to get started. If you decide to learn claw hammer check out the how and the Tao of claw hammer banjo (it's free online).

The best first step is to listen to a lot and decide which you like better and go from there.

Be prepared for the beginning to be frustrating. I played cello for 10 years and have played a bit of guitar for about 5 and it still took a couple of weeks to really get the claw hammer frail down.

Once you decide on the style etc I can point you in the direction of good beginner banjos for each style. I've only been playing for about six months, but playing the other instruments first has really helped my progression.
 
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To add: I recommend YouTube and podcasts from banjo hangout as a place to compare styles if you don't own a lot of music already. Cripple creek is one of the best songs to compare with.
 
Forty miles from Georgetown with no whiskey and bonnie blue flag on the banjo hangout top 100 oldtime and clawhammer songs podcast illustrate the clawhammer sound really well.
 
My dad owned a banjo signed by babe ruth and ty cobb, and proceeded to lose it.
 
palmab03 said:
My dad owned a banjo signed by babe ruth and ty cobb, and proceeded to lose it.
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I once borrowed a baseball signed by Babe Ruth from my step-dads collection so I could fit in with the neighborhood kids, and then proceeded to lose it, with hilarious results.
 
DistrictDeacon said:
I once borrowed a baseball signed by Babe Ruth from my step-dads collection so I could fit in with the neighborhood kids, and then proceeded to lose it, with hilarious results.
Click to expand...

you're killing me, smalls!
 
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