is it true that if you can play the guitar, you can play the banjo?

Answer 1

In the sense that they are both "stringed instruments", yes.
But the playing techniques vary between them.

While the guitar has six strings, the banjo has four strings or
four sets of two strings (total: 8 strings).
Also, while strumming the guitar is the typical method of playing it,
a banjo usually has it's strings "picked".

Answer 2

I've been playing guitar since 1956 and learned to play banjo in 1961. While I enjoyed the uniqueness of the instrument, I quickly learned that the chords are slightly different to form and the wrist is usually bent to get them just right.

Playing the banjo is done by finger picking, a practice that I've been doing on the guitar for a half-century. But I prefer sticking to the guitar because there is still much to learn.

Once you learn the basic chords to a banjo, whether five-string, or four-string, they will remain and the instrument can be a welcomed diversion at times.

Answer 3

Not everyone, it depends on how talented they are mainly, but some really good guitarists can't play the banjo, and some starting guitarists that have no banjo training can use what they know on guitar and transfer that knowledge/talent to banjo playing

Answer 4

I think so. the D chord on the guitar is used alot on a banjo.

Answer 5

Yes, you have to spend the time playing guitar before your fingers stop hurting all the time. Yes, you do develop calluses. Now that you had your worst fears confirmed, you can relax. The calluses you will develop will most likely start out as flakes of hardened skin on the tips of your fingers. Resist the urge to pick and them and pull the calluses off. In what should be a relatively short period of time, the calluses will stop looking like hardened skin and look pretty much like the fingertips on your picking hand. One thing that I noticed is that the calluses will extend out past the normal length of your fingertip. It actually looks completely normal so that is not something else you have to worry about. Your fingertips will also stop hurting so much.

Answer 6

I think it depends. I picked up a banjo at one point and found it difficult to make it sound as it should but I did make music with it...sounded Japanese.

Answer 7

Yeah propably.....is similar but then again not the same....its a whole new instrument banjo....but is fun...is simpler than the guitar i think...

Answer 8

a banjo is very easy to learn

Answer 9

yes that is true but the srings are smaller so some new calues you wil get (I made my self bleed by haveing to tight of a grip on a cord once it hurt)

Answer 10

You wouldn't be very good without lots of practice.