does anyone have any serious advice about learning to play the banjo?

Question

have wanted to learn for ages and now im going to bite the bullet and go for it. can any banjo players out there give me any advice ie
which one to buy ie open back or closed back or five srting or more. i need to get a lot of advice because i dont want buy the wrong one. also is it hard to learn?
please be serious - no time wasters with quips thanks.

Answer 1

If you haven't played any stringed instrument before, the banjo is a good choice because it is relatively easy to learn. Many guitar players have one as a second instrument, for this reason.

I take it you do actually listen to music which features banjo, I know this might seem obvious but if you don't know what type of banjo music you want to play, it will be a struggle.

Open back or closed back, it doesn't matter when you are learning. 5 string is popular, but surprisingly limited. -Although it is the easiest to learn.

4- string is more for "folk" or "dixieland" music. if you don't listen to folk or dixieland, then there's no point in learning a 4 string.

The basis of 5 string banjo is a repetitive movement of your right hand which can be learned fairly easily, it just takes time. The left hand technique is basic in the extreme.

If you are serious, I suggest you get a cheap 5 string, and go for a few lessons. There are also many, many CD's and DVDs which will show you the basic right hand technique.

Sooner or later, if you are learning the banjo you will come across the name "Scruggs". Don't be intimidated by this persons' stature, although to many people he is like the holy grail. If you don't like Scruggs' music, there's absolutely no need to learn his techniques.

Hope this helps- go for it!!

Answer 2

If you haven't already purchased one yet look for one that has a resonater attatched to the back/body of the banjo. You're banjo will definitley project more sound. I bought one already but havn't learned anything on it yet. I have played guitar for years and just now learning the mandolin. All three insturments are played and tuned totally different from one another. But I am really looking foreward to learning some tunes on the banjo. One thing that I've learned through the years is don't try to take on too much at once especially when you first start learning. I made myself practice about an hour every day or other day and focused on one song or technique each time. When you master one thing then move onto something else. Good luck too you...

Answer 3

My hubby learned in the last couple of years. He bought a closed back, Gibson banjo, five string. He has a banjo teacher that gave him a lot of advice. Once you learn the strings and keys on it, you can go on line and get some tabulated music, it is really simple, to help you learn more songs.
good luck,
personally I am learning the piano.