How can I teach myself to play the banjo?

Answer 1

wow.. good luck with this one! I purchased a Banjo years ago in an attempt to learn although I had no experience with guitar and only minimum musical education. I bought an Earl Scruggs banjo lesson book and tried my best.

Playing the banjo is very difficult and requires lots of practice and (I believe) lessons from a teacher (not a book like I tried). However, there are many good books out there to help. First you need to decide what type of Banjo music you wish to play (Dixieland, Bluegrass, etc) and the purchase the correct Banjo (there are differences) and then purchase several lesson books, a tuning fork / whistle, a capo, a chord chart.

Then, practice, practice, practice.

Good luck and I hope this helps!

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Teach Yourself Banjo

Answer 4

so basically, all these people have no idea what they're talking about.

(this is irrelevant, but is the name "shasha" suppose to be a connection to Sha Sha by Ben Kweller? If it is, props to you :])

anywayyy.

if you play the guitar it really should not be too hard.

(i dunno if you play the guitar or not)

but if you do, then you should know all the basic chords and stuff (A,B,C,D,E,F,G)


pretty much, you'd play the banjo like you'd play a guitar, but the fingering of the chords are in different places.

to learn the banjo chords, go to this website (http://4stringchords.com/), and where it shows the pictures of the instruments, click on the banjo.


goodluck!

Answer 5

If singing is your passion no one can stop you from becoming world-class singer. The voice is god-gifted but singing is a skill that can be learned.

If you can't afford a vocal coach the best option is to attend an online program.

This is the best-selling site that teaches how to reach new heights with massive control. It's a collection of tips, tools, video tutorials that will really help you to improve your singing voice.

Here is the link: http://howtosing.toptips.org

Answer 6

Singing is something that everybody can learn and improve. Of course, some are more naturally skilled than others, but even a poor voice can be overcome by dedication, practice, and more practice. Even if you're content to sing in the shower, there are some things you can do to improve your voice. This is probably the best online course to improve your singing skills https://tr.im/GrXol
Your golden voice will be ringing out in no time!

Answer 7

Unless you are extremely musical, as in a prodigy, go to a music store for lessons, or an indie teacher you see listed on a music store business card board. A teacher will increase you learning progress many times over just trying to pick it out on your own.

Peace

Answer 8

It seems most of the previous posters, with the exception of wrkey, don't actually play the banjo.

You first have to decide what style of banjo playing you want to learn. Most beginners are initially attracted to the instrument after hearing bluegrass pickers like Earl Scruggs, who use a 3-finger (thumb and 2-finger) picking style played while wearing thumb and fingerpicks. But there are other styles, such as clawhammer (aka "frailing") which is used mostly for old-time music, Pete Seeger-style "up-picking", which is usually more of a folk style; Irish style, picking out single note fiddle tune melodies with a flatpick; or Dixieland jazz rhythm strumming. Bluegrass, old-time, and folk music are played on a 5-string banjo. Bluegrass is *usually* played on a 5-string banjo with a resonator back, which is louder and brighter sounding, while old-time and folk music are *usually* played on openback 5-string banjos, which are darker, mellower and more "thumpy" sounding. But you can play bluegrass on an openback or old-time on a resonator banjo just fine. Irish traditional music and Dixieland jazz are played on 4-string banjos -- either plectrum or tenor models -- with a flatpick.

So once you've decided what style of music you want to play, you have a better idea of what kind of banjo you want.

As with any musical instrument, your best bet is to find a teacher who plays the style of banjo you want to learn, but there are lots of good books and DVD's out there.

For bluegrass: (these are instruction books that use tab):
Jack Hatfield's "Beginning Bluegrass Method"
Janet Davis' "You Can Teach Yourself Banjo"
Pete Wernick's "Bluegrass Banjo"

If you would prefer to learn by watching and listening, Murphy Henry's DVD is highly recommended:
Murphy Method Beginning Banjo DVDs

If you want to play clawhammer style:
"Clawhammer from Scratch" by Dan Levenson (book and DVD)
"Clawhammer Style Banjo" by Ken Perlman

Finally, I heartily recommend that you check out The Banjo Hangout discussion boards for TONS of helpful advice from other banjo players, including free lessons, free tabs and links to lots of other banjo-related stuff:
www.banjohangout.org

Answer 9

Watch Deliverance.

Answer 10

their are self help book on playing the banjo at your local music store. and I think you play them like a Gautier at least that is how my cousins play them