FAQ Category : Tips For Beginners

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Can you offer some tips for beginners?
If playing the banjo was easy, more people would be doing it. The banjo has an enormously appealing sound, and it's fun, but learning to play requires above-average patience.

Strumming G-C-D on a tenor banjo (4-string) is fairly easy for the guitarist who's used to playing 6 strings. But the quick and constant chord changes required when playing Dixieland Jazz adds a level of complexity. Picking a 5-string can be even more difficult if not frustrating, until the student becomes familiar with standard picking patterns.

If you have a fair amount of determination, you'll delight when the notes you've been picking at begin to sound like a song. That statement should bring a smile to anyone who has learned to play by tablature. It can be a painfully slow process at first. You look at the tab note on the page, look at your banjo strings, place your finger on the correct string on the correct fret, pick the same string with the correct finger on your other hand, then look for the next note, and so on.

But stick with it. Persevere. Find an hour a day when you can sit with your banjo and practice. You're not auditioning for Carnegie Hall--yet. Just play for your own enjoyment, and try to learn at least one new technique per day. Some days you'll be exasperated; some days you'll be exhilarated.

Warm up first with scales or practice drills. Run through them several times to loosen up your fingers, and carefully pick out each note. Go slowly and smoothly, then gradually speed up the tempo. If your speed decreases your accuracy, slow down. Always be accurate, or you'll develop a sloppy sound.

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Would like to know how to tune a banjo. thanks!!!
Please see the Tuning category in this FAQ.

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I''m a fingerstyle guitarist (advanced player) with long nails. Will these nails suffice or must I get fingerpicks if I want to play authentic-sounding bluegrass-style banjo?Thanks,Kevin
Kevin,
We've tried it both ways, and the fingerpicks work best. Fingerpicks curve to the shape of your fingertip, making the fingerpick slide easily across the string. Fingernails curve the other way, making it a little awkward to gain speed. Fingernails tend to crack or break under the stress of rapid bluegrass picking, and you have to wait a week or two to grow them back.

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I have rather large fingers. It is hard to put two or more fingers on the neck without deadening the sound. Do the fingerboards come in different sizes?
Fingerboards usually come a standard width. There is sometimes a slight variation, but for the most part the are pretty standard. The standard measurement of a fingerboard is about 1 inch and a quarter wide. Every manufacturer has a little variation from that.

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Is learning to play the banjo hard?
No, learning to play the banjo isn't very hard. If you are willing to devote about 30 minutes a day to practicing, you will have the banjo learned in no time. You will be able to impress all of your friends with the beautiful sounds your instrument is making!

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