A man who plays the banjo has got it made

October 19, 2005 9:48 PM

After months of looking I have finally found a 5 string banjo that sounded good enough I wouldn't mind learning on it but was still within my means. Now I just need help learning how to play.

I'm hoping to get some advice for a banjo beginner. The only music experience I have at all is a distant memory of High School cello and my girlfriend's recent efforts to teach me to play chopsticks on her Casio. I'm not looking to be Scruggs or Fleck, I just want to be able to play a song and have my friends actually recognize what song it is that I am attempting.

I'm certain I would fare best if I were to get professional lessons, but I simply can't afford them on my current budget (London is expensive for a student). Perhaps there are some online resources that come to mind, or maybe some books that will help me get started playing?

posted by herting to sports, hobbies, & recreation (10 comments total)

Pete Seeger's book How to Play the 5 String Banjo is a great place to start. From there, you might want to check out Patrick Costello's books, both of which are available as free PDF downloads (let's hear it for Creative Commons!).

If you can, see if you can have someone demonstrate how clawhammer picking works. Pete Seeger does a pretty good job of explaining it, but it's something you need to see before it really makes sense. Once you understand it in principle, you'll be able to practice it until you get it.
posted by aladfar at 9:58 PM on October 19, 2005

You might also try the outstanding Basically Banjo pamphlet and CD, with classic, attainable bluegrass licks. Reading tablature doesn't really require any music experience, especially if you have a CD to compare it to.

However, as aladfar mentions, you won't get too far without watching someone who really knows to play for a while to see what they're doing. You might try something like this DVD, although I'm not sure if something like that would be region-locked!
posted by ulotrichous at 11:54 PM on October 19, 2005

The Banjo Hangout is the best banjo site I have found on any of the internets. There are tons of free lessons, audio files and advise. It is populated by a bunch of the nicest folks I have come across on the web. Search the forums for any questions you have, or post a new one.
posted by wsg at 1:27 AM on October 20, 2005

I also learned a lot from this fun page when I was getting started.
posted by wsg at 1:30 AM on October 20, 2005

It's not a page; it's a site.
posted by wsg at 1:33 AM on October 20, 2005

Seconding Peter Seeger's book. It's what I'm learning from.
posted by holloway at 3:51 AM on October 20, 2005

Seconda banjor Hangout.

I have to strongly caution you about using Pete Seeger's book. Yes, it will teach you to play songs on the banjo. But it will not teach you how actual traditional banjo players play. If you're a fan of Fleck and Scruggs at all, then don't learn from Pete. He created his own 'folk' style, based on a fingerpick-plucking action transposed from guitar, that has spread like a fungus throughout our culture, but it's not based on traditional banjo technique.

What aladfar says about clawhammer is the best way to go. Find a player and have him give you a starter demo to work on. Ask for three chords, a proper hand position, and a demo on hitting the drone string and creating the basic rhythm. After you've seen these demo'ed -- maybe half an hour from such a person -- you'll have plenty to work on for weeks thereafter. Just practice switching amongst your three chords, getting a nice bright ring from your drone string, and keeping a rock-solid rhythm. With any 3 basic chords you should be able to play along with a lot of bluegrass and traditional recordings, eventually being able to play them on your own.

Nothing against Pete Seeger; he's a lovely man. It's just that learning to play Pete-style is severely limiting, and it's the farthest thing in the world from the old-time technique that developed into bluegrass. It's just a completely different style of music -- you might as well be learning to play banjo from a mummers' string band if you learn from Pete.
posted by Miko at 6:27 AM on October 20, 2005

Should you want to play Scruggs style, Scruggs literally wrote the book (recently revised) on how to play in his characteristic style. You'll be able to emit several recognizable pop bluegrass classics (Bonnie and Clyde, Ballad of Jed Clampett, etc) once you've worked your way through it.

Ultimately, however, Scruggs style is a concert hall/ensemble style, meant for playing in a band. It will be difficult to take your Scruggs banjo sk1llz beyond a certain level without the company of other players.
posted by goetter at 9:04 AM on October 20, 2005

I second the Scruggs book... I taught myself some basics on that. When I later took a banjo class (at the local community college) I found that I had a leg up.

The class at the community college was good, but kind of frustrating -- it had to move at the pace of the slowest person. I'm guessing 1:1 instruction would be a lot more effective.

But I'm still at a low-intermediate level, never having found anyone to jam with. Everyone who jams at the local bars is far, far too good for me to join. One time I tried jamming with my friend who's a low-intermediate guitar player, and that was just a disaster. So I'll be watching the rest of this thread eagerly.
posted by gurple at 3:06 PM on October 20, 2005

Decades ago, I learned a lot from "Old-Time Mountain Banjo," by Art Rosenbaum, Oak Publications; and "Mel Bay's Frailing the 5-String Banjo: An Instruction Manual," by Eric Muller and Barbara Koehler, Mel Bay Publications. My copies cost $2.95 and $4.50 U.S. respectively. These cover traditional banjo styles, not bluegrass. A quick Google search indicated that they are still in print. Mel Bay books, in particular, seem never to go OOP.

In addition to manuals, you will profit tremendously by listening to, watching and talking with other players. And perseverance, of course.

For listening, you can't go wrong with Mike Seeger's exhaustive collection of banjo styles, "Southern Banjo Sounds," on Smithsonian Folkways records.

When (not if) you gain some skill, a little diligent searching could turn up a local folk music society or club among whose members you might just find someone to help you learn more, or who is interested in getting together to play. Music is best when it is shared, even at the beginner level.
posted by key_of_z at 5:58 PM on October 20, 2005