I just got a 5-string banjo. Where should I start?
6 replies, posted
:banjo::banjo::banjo:
Anyone here play the 5-string banjo? I bought a book for it, [i]Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo[/i] which seems really nice, but aside from that I don't really know where to start. I've been playing guitar for about two and a half years, so dexterity wise I'm pretty set. Any tips?
Dunno where to start, but you need to form a metal band with a lead banjo-ist.
Bonus points for electric banjo. :cheers:
[QUOTE=Gmod4ever;19185133]Dunno where to start, but you need to form a metal band with a lead banjo-ist.
Bonus points for electric banjo. :cheers:[/QUOTE]
Hell no, Gospel and Bluegrass all the way, right OP?
[editline]01:28AM[/editline]
Anyways, have no advice to give you, OP. Just wanna wish you good luck, Banjo players are becoming pretty unusual :)
5-string banjos, aka bluegrass banjos, are mainly used for playing bluegrass (duh). If you are a guitar player then the bluegrass banjo will feel extremely odd at first because of the high g-string. Go to youtube and look up some banjo lick excercises so you get used to the strings. Youtube has many helpful videos in general, check it out.
One good tune to start with is "Cripple Creek". It's very simple and sounds very typical for a banjo tune. I would also highly recommend that you start playing with finger picks as soon as possible. It doesn't take that long to get used to and is a necessivity if you want to play clean and quick. The typical bluegrass player uses 2 metal picks for the index- and middle finger, and a plastic thumb pick:
[img]http://www.thepickinparlor.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/fingerpicks2.jpg[/img]
What brand of banjo have you got? Make sure the intonation is correct. Most cheaper banjos are horribly off at first, but you can fix it pretty easily. Check out this guide: [url]http://www.zeppmusic.com/bridgeset.htm[/url]
[I]Cripple Creek[/I]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4sqishGuYw[/media]
[i]Lots of banjo tabs:[/i]
[url]http://www.banjohangout.org/tab/[/url]
[i]And here is a great banjo forum:[/i]
[url]http://www.banjohangout.org/forum/[/url]
Common instrument learning applies to the banjo aswell. Start out slow, don't stress it, practice alot. Enjoy what you do.
[img]http://www.northernpine.com/images/240_ani_20banjo_20player.gif[/img]
[B]Happy playing![/B]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZKZkC8u3_c[/media]
Oh, Nick Cannon.
Probably Dueling Banjos or Foggy Mountain Breakdown.
Go to the deep woods in Mississippi and play.
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