Does anyone here play banjo?
Hi all,
I've been interested for a while in learning to play banjo. My first exposure to it was listening to bluegrass, but recently I have gotten very into Celtic and Irish music, and I think I would most enjoy learning to play by playing that style. Hence I am interested in Irish banjo, which I have come to understand is a bit different. I have a few questions that I was hoping someone here could answer. I don't play any other instruments and I'm interested in this just for fun.
-
My understanding is that the typical Irish banjo player plays a tenor banjo with 4 strings. However I see some variation between 17 and 19 frets. Does anyone have some insight into the difference here, and which might be preferred?
-
How hard would it be to learn other styles if I start with a 4 string? Is it like going from playing bass to guitar? Is 4 string typically seen as easier to pick up? I like Celtic music but not totally sure I want to be "locked in" to that. But then again, maybe that would help to be a bit more focused.
-
To get specific, I am thinking of buying this as a beginner banjo. I'd be surprised if so, but does anyone here have experience with this brand, or else have other recommendations?
Like I said, I am a total beginner in that I've never played any instrument. So on that note, if you think I'm asking the wrong types of questions, I'd want to know that too!
I don’t play banjo, but do play other strings.
17 v 19 frets: Like all string instruments with short scale versions, some people will say the short scale is better for children, women, amateurs, people with small hands, etc. Some people will say short scale is an easier transition from x to y, like a short scale bass to a guitar. The reality is just play whatever feels comfortable. I have standard scale basses but love short scale guitars.
4 string v 5 string: You can play a guitar with a pick or finger style. You can play an electric bass with a pick or finger style. You can play a double bass with a bow or staccato, and if you wanted to for some reason you could even play it with a pick. You wouldn’t be locked into celctic music with a 4 string, but you would miss out on the short 5th string and reentrant tuning. So you might not be able to play in the traditional way certain pieces that utilize it. That doesn’t mean you couldn’t play them, though. Speaking of tuning, I think this might be more important for you consider. Banjo seems to have as many opinions about tuning as dulcimer and mandolin. Might be worth comparing common tunings against what you want to play and see if that pushes you one way or another. If you’ve never played anything before, it might be better to pick something standard and go from there. But at the end of the day, if you can play one stringed instrument it isn’t terribly difficult to pick up a different one and if you can play a bass finger style it isn’t terribly difficult to play it with a pick.
Buying Online: I don’t know about banjos, but for violins you’d be told don’t buy online and for guitars and basses you’d be advised to take almost any online purchase for a proper setup. You really need to be able to do it yourself or take it in for one. Having the action too high or low or fret buzz that could be fixed with a few quarter turns on the truss rod can really, truly make playing harder and less enjoyable. Especially for a beginner. And if for some reason that isn’t so for banjos, I’d still strongly recommend trying to buy it in person or at least feeling it in person before purchasing.
Most Important: Music as an hobby isn’t min-maxing or a chore. It’s fun. Have fun. Experiment or don’t. Learn scales or don’t. Learn to read music, tabs, or both. Learn only by ear or never learn by ear. But do get a metronome.
Thank you! This is a lot of information to take in but it seems super helpful in wading through this stuff, so thanks for taking the time to write it out.
Glad a couple banjo-ers were around to chime in. One last thing I’ll throw out, if you end up playing an instrument you’ll undoubtedly want another of that same instrument. The n+1 rule applies, so don’t worry too much about your first instrument as long as it’s in good condition and playable.
This sounds like me. I played Irish banjo for a few years before I got into five string. Okay so like the person above 17 or 19 doesn’t matter. With Irish music everything I ever played was in the first seven frets or so.
There’s really no transition from four string to five string. The drone string is really different. Either using finger picks or playing claw hammer it’s tough to get much common ground with four string Irish music.
Here’s the thing, Irish banjo is tough as nails. It moves fast, like incredibly fast. I second the metronome and lots of practice. Just be patient with yourself, it’s not easy.
Feel free to pm if you want to talk further. Good luck!
Wow, I honestly did not expect to find anyone here who played given this site is small and presumably Irish banjo is relatively niche. Great to know there's someone around who has. Would you have any insight into a good starter banjo? I'm basically deciding between the one linked in the OP, and a Deering Goodtime 4 string 19 fret, which is about 50% more expensive but has a good reputation. Just wondering!
Hmm, hard to say. I think I started with a Goldtone. Personally, the biggest challenge with Irish banjo is the tuning. They like it to be tuned like a mandolin, but the neck is longer, so you end up having to be super creative with the stringing. You almost always have to do a mix of steel-wrapped nylon and metal strings. I'd spend some time on banjo hangout and ask the guys/girls there what's good and even more importantly, what strings and configuration they are using.
Deering is a fantastic banjo maker. I met Mr. Deering when he came to Florida about 5-6 years ago. Great guy. In fact, I own a Deering Goodtime open-back I play clawhammer on. I can't say enough good things about it. But, to be fair, my Goldtone 4-string worked fine for Irish music.
The biggest challenge is going to be figuring out a solid set of strings for whatever you select (and you are most likely going to need individual strings from different manufacturers) to get the tuning right (GDAE). Most tenor banjos are going to want to tune CGDA (like a mandola/viola). This is going to be frustating, as it can lead to a floppy G string (which is why I went steel-wrapped nylon on the G string (and maybe D) to keep from going crazy.
TLDR; Search banjo hangout for tenor banjos that can do the Irish tuning. Ask around which string combinations work best. Be compassionate and understanding with yourself, Irish music is insanely timed and sessions can be less than welcoming places for newbies. Expect to work for a while on their favorite tunes before you can sit in, especially with a banjo, as you'll be one of the loudest instruments there.
PM me if you get stuck and I'll do what I can. Banjo is fun.
I can’t thank you enough for all the advice you’ve given so far. This is all really helpful for a complete newcomer like me. To be honest, it’s starting to sound somewhat intimidating, not least because I live in an area where I doubt I can find others playing or sessions to join. I’d mostly be playing and practicing on my own, at least if I stick with Irish style. So now I’m wondering if I should bite the bullet and start with something more accessible (at least in terms of number of likely players near me) and learn Irish style later. Despite that being the style I think I like more. Very tough decision!
Okay, now you're talking my language. There are a couple of easier (read more accessible) banjo styles that have excellent online training options. First, go listen to both Scruggs style banjo (banjoben.com) and Clawhammer style banjo (clawhammerbanjo.net). Both are fun, both are different, and either one will be more than enough to eat tons of hours and give you plenty of enjoyment.
Both Banjo Ben and Clawhammerbanjo.net are also excellent training resources.
Personally, I've been playing clawhammer style for a few years now. The reasons I went with clawhammer were as follows:
Clawhammer is unique in that it covers both the rhythm and the melody. This lets me play by myself (which is basically all I get to do where I live) and it still sounds like a song and not just like notes or chords.
I like the guy at clawhammerbanjo.net. His instructions are great and he answered all my emails.
Bluegrass is great, but it really requires all the instruments to sound good. When it's just you and your 'jo, clawhammer is there to make you happy.
Feel free to PM if you want to talk banjo.
A tenor banjo is basically a mandola, whereas a five string is more or less its own thing in how it's played. Another 4 string is the plectrum banjo, which tunes like the 5 string without a drone.
The general techniques are different as a lot of 4 string, especially irish, mimics behaviors on mandolin-style instruments: it is more of a stacatto instrument often utilizing tremolo picking.
For a 5 string the two major styles of playing are fingerpicking (Scruggs-style, what most people think of), clawhammer/frailing, and then various methods that are closer to those two. You could alwo flatpick but it's less common.
You can play Irish music on a 5 string, as well but the tuning and positions are different, and you can't tune a 5 string like an Irish tenor.
EDIT: Wrote this first thing on a weekend morning with limited sleep, fixed all inaccurate 5-string references, and tightened up my ham-thumb.