Banjos for all levels of pickers

 

Which Style Banjo Should I Buy?

There are numerous styles of banjo music and banjo techniques. Your main concern as a beginner should be to pick the correct banjo for the style of music you plan to play. If your not certain you should listen to many different styles of banjo music--much can be found on the numerous banjo web sites.

Five String Banjos - Bluegrass

Presently the most popular style of five string is the bluegrass style. This is played on a banjo with a resonator. The tone preferred is loud and attacking as you normally play with other bluegrass instruments. The right hand is a three finger style, played with finger picks and was popularized by the legendary Earl Scruggs. The style is not difficult to learn but requires much practice to achieve the desired fluency and tempo. One advantage to this style is that it lends itself very nice to jamming as most players have a similar bluegrass repertoire. There are numerous bluegrass festivals around the world and a very strong bluegrass community.

Clawhammer - Frailing - Old Time Style

These are all very similar styles and is probably best known by the playing of Grandpa Jones on Hee Haw. It is a very old style of playing and is now very popular with old timie and folk enthusiasts. It is normally played with an open back banjo (no resonator), as the tone desired is plunky and mellow. Many different banjo tunings are used to facilitate easy fingering, as most songs are played with a melody similar to fiddle. The right hand attack is much different than bluegrass, as finger picks are not used. Generally, the middle finger strikes the string with the back of the fingernail, followed by a thumb stroke of the fifth string or in drop thumb the fourth, third or second string. This style is relatively easy to learn and is also well suited to vocal accompaniment.

Folk Style

This style is a combination of clawhammer and "up picking" and was popularized by Pete Seeger. It is played without finger picks and usually mixes melody playing with chord accompaniment. Very often a long neck banjo is used because it maybe tuned lower to better suit vocal ranges. There are many variations of this style and may be played on an open back or a resonator banjo.

Classical Style

Classical Banjo played on a five string is normally played without finger picks and sometimes even played on a banjo with nylon strings. There is a distinct technique involved and plays a standard classical repertoire. (Bach, Mozart, ect.) This style may be played with or without a resonator.

Four String Banjo

Tenor

Tenor banjo is always played with a plectrum (pick) and uses a strumming style. It is the typical banjo for New Orleans style jazz sound. This four string has a shorter neck than a five string as the tuning is higher and is an excellent rhythm instrument for jazz bands. Its sound must be loud and piercing to compete with other instruments in the band. Single string melodies are sometimes played but most often chord melodies requiring much left hand movement are used. These banjos typically use a resonator for the increased volume. Tenor banjo playing requires much practice for the left hand but the strumming style of the right hand is easier.

Irish Tenor

Very similar to a tenor banjo, but uses a seventeen fret neck instead of the nineteen fret neck. The shorter neck allows a higher tuning so the songs are better suited to the keys of Irish music (G, D, A, etc.) The style is played with a plectrum and often played with rapid single string melodies. Normally you do not use a resonator as the sound desired is mellow but with a quick attack. The Irish Tenor is regaining popular in the USA as many mandolin players use it as an alternative instrument. In this style the string gauges are much thicker and is tuned an octave lower than a mandolin.

Plectrum Banjo

The neck on a plectrum banjo has the same scale as a five string neck but eliminates the fifth string. A plectrum may be used in either melody playing or chord accompaniment for vocals. It may be play with or without a resonator. It normally uses a G tuning (similar to a bluegrass banjo) and the chords are easier than a tenor banjo. The plectrum banjo is popular in certain parts of the USA, but is probably the least popular of the above styles.

Alternative Banjos

These include the six string banjo (Gold Tone's Banjitar), the Banjo Mandolin, the Bass Banjo, the Ukelele banjo, and even a dobro banjo. They all use a banjo style body but the neck and tuning is the same as names they simulate. They allow the guitarist, mandolinist, bass player, uke player, and dobro player to achieve a banjo tone without relearning a new instrument. These instruments are welcome at jam sessions and are becoming more popular and are now being used in many different styles of music.

How to Choose a Banjo

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Am I too old to learn to play the banjo?
If you have the desire and want to learn then anything is possible. People start to learn the banjo at all ages from young to old. If you would like to be inspired by others that's taken up the banjo later in life read "Silver Strings."

How hard is it to Learn the Banjo?
This is one of the questions most frequently asked by someone who is considering taking lessons.  There is no set answer to this question as it depends on the following factors.

1.  Previous music experience.  A person with previous music experience might find it a little easier to learn to play the banjo since they may have already gained experience in timing, rhythm and reading musical notation.

2.  Psychomotor skills, aural discrimination and natural rhythm.  The first is just a fancy way of describing the ability of getting your body to do what your brain wants to do.  The second means that you can hear and tell the differences between the notes and lengths of notes.  The third refers to getting the feel of timing and rhythm of a song.  Everybody has these skills to a different degree.  Playing will come easily to those who have a high degree of these skills.  However, most people must work a little bit harder to develop them.  This is where the next two factors come in.

3.  Practice.  There is no magic sign that any teacher can give to a student to help him/her play better.  Practice is the only way.  A minimum of 1/2 hour per day is required if you expect to make progress.  If you do not practice, it is a waste of money every time a lesson is taken.  Also, it is very difficult to give a full lesson if no practicing has been done to prepare for it.  If you do not practice, you are cheating yourself and you are not fooling anyone.  An experienced teacher can usually tell when someone has really been practicing.

4.  Desire.  Ask yourself: "How much do I really want to play this instrument?"  It doesn't matter what your abilities are.  If you want to play the banjo, you will.  You may not become an Earl Scruggs or Alan Munde but you will learn to play it.  If the desire is there, you will find time to practice.  If is not there, you will find a hundred excuses for not practicing.

How do I begin to learn the banjo? You need to start with a good quality banjo. There's nothing more frustrating than spending your practice time learning on a cheap banjo. Gold Tone Banjos have an excellent selection of quality banjos for the beginner to advance players. They have a good selection of Bluegrass Banjos for the Scruggs style picker. Their line of Open Back Banjos are awesome for the Clawhammer pickers and their Tenor Banjos are great for the 4-string players. And you may want to check out their Specialty Instruments like the Banjola, Dojo and their Travel Banjos. Gold Tone is just a great company to deal with and just good downhome kind of folks.

Can I learn without a teacher? Thanks to our new computer technologies there are several ways someone can learn the banjo. Everyone has a different way they learn new things. Some folks can learn from watching instructional DVD's, some can learn from working from instructional books and CDs, and some folks need a banjo teacher to learn from one on one. And some need all three. The main thing is to find quality instruction through whatever media you use.

What banjo accessories do I need to make this a good learning experience?
One of the first things I worried about before starting to learn the banjo (at age 55) was how was I going to keep it in tune, how do I add new strings to it when I need to, how do I wear the finger picks, etc. What I found out was it's not that big of deal. Tuning a banjo is very easy with a chromatic tuner and if you have a good banjo like a Gold Tone, they will stay in tune without much work. Re-stringing a banjo is easy too once you've done it. There's a very good learning DVD called Learn to Play Bluegrass Banjo Lesson 1 which goes through all the basics of learning the banjo including detail instructions on re-stringing a banjo, how to use a tuner, the basic rolls, etc.

How can I stay motivated in learning the banjo if I don't have others around me doing the same?
Again thanks to the internet and other technologies there is a way to not only stay in touch with others learning the banjo like you are but also help with any question you may have about learning the banjo. You can join Banjo Buddies (a yahoo discussion group) which has over 900 folks learning the banjo at various ages. It's a very friendly group and no question is to dumb to ask. There's some very experience instructors on the list very willing to help in any way they can.
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