How hard is the banjo?

[catdaddy]

When I started playing banjo, I decided to get a 5-string banjo and concentrate on playing Scruggs-style and bluegrass music which I love. It was challenging learning the various rolls and being able to do so with a modicum of speed, but I enjoyed the experience and as an unexpected bonus it helped improve my finger-style guitar playing.

While after a few years I could play with some speed, I eventually realized that I was never going to be able to play fast enough. I didn't have the physical ability. Perhaps, if I'd have taken up the instrument at an earlier age rather than in my 60s things would have been different, but perhaps not. In order to properly master the Scruggs-style technique in the bluegrass genre one needs to be able to play fast. Very fast.

The other drawback to learning the Scruggs-style method is that it renders the banjo as an instrument in search of a band. Playing fiddle tunes solo on the banjo eventually became tiresome for me and after some years of playing I stopped. If you have access to other bluegrass musicians with whom you can play then it can be very rewarding, otherwise I would recommend focusing on frailing technique so that your banjo can be versatile as a solo instrument or one that can be part of an ensemble.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Five-string banjos are for fingerpicking. It helps a lot to be right-handed.

As for speed, the same approach as guitar applies: First learn your rolls slow. Then gradually speed them up.

And what's the best pickup to put on a banjo? A Ford F-150.

[wood&wire]

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

Five-string banjos are for fingerpicking.

Um, no. That's like saying 6 string guitars are for strumming. Yes, bluegrass banjo is mostly picking and rolls and such, but even BG has sweeps and rhythm strumming while someone else plays a break. Frailing/clawhammer.... full of both picking and sweeps. Banjo isn't as rigid as picking vs strumming. It's more of a spectrum of sound. Your homework is to familiarize yourself with Danny Barnes, former frontman of Bad Livers, and he still puts out a lot of solo work. I've seen him, in concert, play BG style and clawhammer in the same song while wearing fingerpicks. I figured out he was doing the regular thumb action for CH but was doing the sweeps with his ring finger, which had no pick.

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

It helps a lot to be right-handed.

They make lefty banjos just like guitars.

[wood&wire]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Guitar is more involved than the banjo as far as the different things you can play

I'm sorry, but this is a myth. Ever heard of the classic bluegrass tune Foggy Mountain Special? Here is Danny Barnes with a looper playing both clawhammer, bass rhythm, and BG all in the same song.

I'm not saying banjo is any more or less involved than a guitar, IMHO they are equally as versatile in any direction you wish to take them. They are different instruments with similar qualities and vastly different reputations on a forum such as this one

[A Scot in Otley]

Originally Posted by guitar344

I'm interested in playing the banjo someday. I struggle playing fast. If you are good with guitar how hard is banjo. Do you learn chords or do fingerstyle.

You can do anything you want to do : chords and fingerstyle is what I used to do as back up. Even put effort into playing 'Celtic' tunes on it. But Robin's contribution is sound; if I were to give in to the Dark Force again (my banjo is sitting patiently waiting for my resolve to crack), I would go the clawhammer route. Tried it before, but couldn't be bothered with all the retuning. But the open strings and hammer/pulloffs required give it the soulfull sound that fingerstyle G tuned stuff doesn't have.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by wood&wire

I'm sorry, but this is a myth.

I'll stick with my original comment. Not really even close. However Bela Fleck is one who takes the boundaries banjo styles further out than anyone else that comes to mind. Here is an interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xNR2VHOzcY

[wood&wire]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

I'll stick with my original comment. Not really even close. However Bela Fleck is one who takes the boundaries banjo styles further out than anyone else that comes to mind. Here is an interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xNR2VHOzcY

That's fine, you're entitled to your opinion just like everyone else. Like I said earlier about reputation, on a forum like this one, a guitar-centric thought process is the status quo.

If you wish to paint yourself into a box of bluegrass vs old time then sure, such narrow mindedness would absolutely lead one to believe that no banjo music exists outside of bluegrass and old time. However, it's like saying the only two styles of guitar allowed to be played are classical and folk, no other genres, styles, techniques, or nuances exist outside of classical and folk. Since I am a guitar player who was inspired by classical and folk, there is no other method of playing guitar than classical and folk. See how asinine that sounds?

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by wood&wire

That's fine, you're entitled to your opinion just like everyone else. Like I said earlier about reputation, on a forum like this one, a guitar-centric thought process is the status quo.

If you wish to paint yourself into a box of bluegrass vs old time then sure, such narrow mindedness would absolutely lead one to believe that no banjo music exists outside of bluegrass and old time. However, it's like saying the only two styles of guitar allowed to be played are classical and folk, no other genres, styles, techniques, or nuances exist outside of classical and folk. Since I am a guitar player who was inspired by classical and folk, there is no other method of playing guitar than classical and folk. See how asinine that sounds?

Geeze. Did you watch the video? Get a hold of yourself and calm down.

[rllink]

I bough a five string resonator banjo and it was delivered January 31st, two weeks ago. I do play guitar regularly with a country/bluegrass jam that is guitar heavy, banjo light. I do play with other people and not just entertaining myself. All I want is to play something different. I actually discovered that I was doing rolls on the ukulele for years, and that made me think that maybe I could play banjo. So right hand kind of knows what it is doing before I even picked it up. This last two weeks I've been learning some chords that are pretty common in most of the songs we do.This sums up my banjo experience.

This afternoon one of the guitar players is stopping by my place to just play some songs, maybe have a beer and hang out. I do that a lot. The banjo is coming out. We will see this afternoon how hard it is to play banjo. I don't expect to be very fancy or to play like Earl Scruggs, but if I can just keep up I'll consider that a success. The one thing I got going for me, I'm not afraid to crash and burn. I'll give it a good go and report back.

[PaulHintz]

Alison Brown would I think be another example of a finger style banjo player who easily transcends rigid boundaries of style.

[Cecil6243]

I thought of taking up banjo just to play one song for now! Gentle on my mind on banjo like the song's writer John Hartford.

It might take a little longer to learn to use my feet and play at there are time.

Tutorials:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_V6517S_7A&t=96s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHOViCpkirs

[rllink]

Originally Posted by rllink

This afternoon one of the guitar players is stopping by my place to just play some songs, maybe have a beer and hang out. I do that a lot. The banjo is coming out. We will see this afternoon how hard it is to play banjo. I don't expect to be very fancy or to play like Earl Scruggs, but if I can just keep up I'll consider that a success. The one thing I got going for me, I'm not afraid to crash and burn. I'll give it a good go and report back.

Okay, it was encouraging. Not great and pretty basic, but not a train wreck either. I'm taking it to the jam this weekend.

[zeeway]

So I had a brief love affair with a five string banjo a few years back. I was going after Scruggs style, and got somewhat respectable on a few songs. But I found as I leaned more banjo chords, it started interfering with that part of my brain that stores guitar chords…maybe it’s an age thing, I don’t know. I decided that if I could only handle one, it would be the guitar. So I sold off my good banjo, and lent my beater banjo to a neighbor who is trying to learn. But I still love the banjo sound.

[rllink]

Originally Posted by zeeway

So I had a brief love affair with a five string banjo a few years back. I was going after Scruggs style, and got somewhat respectable on a few songs. But I found as I leaned more banjo chords, it started interfering with that part of my brain that stores guitar chords…maybe it’s an age thing, I don’t know. I decided that if I could only handle one, it would be the guitar. So I sold off my good banjo, and lent my beater banjo to a neighbor who is trying to learn. But I still love the banjo sound.

This is what I worry about. At the same time, there are people I know and play with who can be playing mandolin, switch to guitar and play it better than I can, then switch back to mandolin seamlessly. So it can be done I guess.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by zeeway

So I had a brief love affair with a five string banjo a few years back...But I found as I leaned more banjo chords, it started interfering with that part of my brain that stores guitar chords…I decided that if I could only handle one, it would be the guitar. So I sold off my good banjo, and lent my beater banjo to a neighbor who is trying to learn. But I still love the banjo sound.

One alternative I've used for years is "highgrass" gDGBE tuning (I've also heard it called "Chicago Five"), which allows you to use guitar chords/fingerings with "legit" banjo (and guitar) techniques. BTW in case you're not familiar it's an old studio players' hack (as I recall Wrecking Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco used it extensively on record), that since the '70s has achieved underground popularity among multi-instrumentalists in general - IME only one of the 5-string players I ever knew could hear the difference, so it's a good bet the audience can't either...