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Old 07-11-2020, 08:13 AM
foxo foxo is offline
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Default Beginner banjo tips

I've just ordered an open back Deering Goodtime banjo and am curious if anyone experienced has any hints, tips or resources for a complete newb starting out? Would be most grateful for your advice.

Most interested in clawhammer and folk.
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Old 07-11-2020, 08:46 AM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Originally Posted by foxo View Post
I've just ordered an open back Deering Goodtime banjo and am curious if anyone experienced has any hints, tips or resources for a complete newb starting out? Would be most grateful for your advice.

Most interested in clawhammer and folk.
David Holt is a good instructor who will start you off with learning correct right-hand technique for Clawhammer. You can view some segments of his video CLAWHAMMER BANJO: THE BASICS AND BEYOND on YouTube for free or purchase the entire course download at HomeSpun. Look for their frequent 1/2-price specials that would net you the download for about $12.49 USD CLAWHAMMER BANJO: THE BASICS AND BEYOND by David Holt

Introduction Video


My Current Banjos:
Vega No. 2 Tubaphone
OME North Star Walnut
Eastman EBJ-WL1 Whyte Laydie
Vega 12" Old Tyme Wonder
Rickard 12" Maple Ridge Dobson
Pisgah 12" Walnut Tubaphone
Bart Reiter Regent Whyte Laydie
Deering Sierra Maple Flathead Resonator
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Last edited by SpruceTop; 07-11-2020 at 09:04 AM.
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Old 07-11-2020, 10:35 AM
foxo foxo is offline
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Thanks SpruceTop, I'll check that out.
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Old 07-11-2020, 11:29 AM
blue blue is offline
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The bigger the pile, the higher the fire

Nah. I have nothing but respect, I assure you. When it arrives make sure the bridge is placed correctly. Most of the imports I pick up and play (in the loosest sense) at Guitar Center aren't generally intonated well.

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Old 07-11-2020, 11:32 AM
foxo foxo is offline
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The bigger the pile, the higher the fire

Nah. I have nothing but respect, I assure you. When it arrives make sure the bridge is placed correctly. Most of the imports I pick up and play (in the loosest sense) at Guitar Center aren't generally intonated well.

Cheers. This one comes with a setup from the shop so fingers crossed it should play well out the box.
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Old 07-11-2020, 02:32 PM
blue blue is offline
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Cheers. This one comes with a setup from the shop so fingers crossed it should play well out the box.
Excellent! When I got my kid her mandolin, I bought from someplace that did that. I guess I could have worked it out, since I have a non-pinned inexpensive archetop, but I sure am glad I didn't have to!
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Old 07-11-2020, 05:29 PM
Les Young Les Young is offline
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Youtube has a lot of good video lessons on it. Jim Pankey has a complete free set of beginner bluegrass banjo lessons for folks wanting to learn three finger bluegrass style picking. Littlerockbanjo is another that has good video lessons too & there's a lot of others too.
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Old 07-12-2020, 01:33 AM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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I sort of farted around with five string banjo for years, playing my lazy imitation of a Pete Seeger-style strum. But when I got serious about banjo and decided that I wanted to be good enough to gig out on it, it required serious work. When I looked at the instrument objectively, I realized that the way for me to be most effective would be to become fluent at the clawhammer style.

The Scruggs three finger style is great, but it can't really stand alone; you need at least a rhythm guitarist and preferably a full bluegrass band to play it properly. A lot of what goes on with Scruggs style is off the beat and on top of that solid rhythm, not creating the rhythm itself.

But clawhammer works just fine either solo or in a group setting. Since I've always worked as a solo act as much as I have in bands and duos, it made the most sense for me to learn clawhammer.

Being a singer as well as an instrumentalist, I wanted to be able to accompany my voice.

So that clawhammer style is what I worked on. I play a whole bunch of instruments besides banjo, but getting that clawhammer right hand motion down was probably the single most difficult stringed instrument technique that I've ever had to learn.

But I worked at it and worked at it, and then one night - BOOM! - I had it down. From there I just took off.

The fretting hand stuff on five string banjo, by comparison, is almost ludicrously simple. But what the picking hand has to do is both complex and challenging.

Good luck with it!


Wade Hampton Miller
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Old 07-12-2020, 08:25 AM
Dave Hicks Dave Hicks is offline
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"I play a whole bunch of instruments besides banjo, but getting that clawhammer right hand motion down was probably the single most difficult stringed instrument technique that I've ever had to learn." I agree with that - I still am unable to keep the claw going while singing. There are other old-time banjo techniques worth looking into , such as 2-finger styles.

D.H.
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Old 07-12-2020, 11:01 AM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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I love that sound and like some of the songs that would be in typical clawhammer repertoire. My biggest worry would be that my fingers skin and nails couldn't take it. I've never been able to play (even nylon string, or to a lesser degree, flat-wound string electric bass) for more than a short period without causing skin blisters or painful nail cracks.

When I played fingerstyle, I had to use picks, I couldn't practice much less play a full set without them. I took a crack at banjo picking with picks too back then. While I can sort of fake what simple finger picking does while cross-picking with a flat pick on guitar, but I can't see faking clawhammer on a banjo with a flat pick.

I assume there's no way to play clawhammer with finger picks. Am I right?
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Old 07-12-2020, 02:40 PM
Dave Hicks Dave Hicks is offline
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There are picks designed or at least used for clawhammer.

Here are some examples:

I like these

https://www.deeringbanjos.com/produc...mer-banjo-pick

I've seen many people use these

https://store.banjobenclark.com/prod...m-finger-picks

I've seen others use Alaska fingerpicks or the thimbles that Joel Hooks makes.

Yet others get artificial nails.

D.H.
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Old 07-13-2020, 07:38 AM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Regarding fingernails, I find clawhammer to be pretty easy on my right-hand nails. Also, compared to guitar strings, banjo strings are lighter in gage overall which makes the fretting effort on a banjo significantly easier than on a guitar. For me, with my carpal tunnel in both hands, I find playing my banjos a refreshing break from guitaring.
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Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom
Martin D-18/UltraTonic
Adamas I 2087GT-8
Ovation Custom Legend LX
Guild F-212XL STD
Huss & Dalton TD-R
Taylor 717e
Taylor 618e
Taylor 614ce
Larrivee D-50M/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Sunburst
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RainSong BI-DR1000N2
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  #13  
Old 07-13-2020, 07:03 PM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Hicks View Post
There are picks designed or at least used for clawhammer.

Here are some examples:

I like these

https://www.deeringbanjos.com/produc...mer-banjo-pick

I've seen many people use these

https://store.banjobenclark.com/prod...m-finger-picks

I've seen others use Alaska fingerpicks or the thimbles that Joel Hooks makes.

Yet others get artificial nails.

D.H.
Thanks! Way back when (circa 40 years ago) I now remember used regular metal finger picks "backwards" when trying to play banjo a few times. Those Fred Kelly picks look promising.
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Old 07-14-2020, 07:11 AM
Dave Hicks Dave Hicks is offline
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The Kelly picks hit me right in the cuticle - when I use one I have to reshape it by filing it to avoid irritation. (But many people don't seem to have a problem.)

D.H.
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  #15  
Old 07-14-2020, 07:26 PM
darylcrisp darylcrisp is offline
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if you really want to get going, and going in a steady constructive style of playing so you learn quickly, don't jump from this to that, I suggest taking a structured class, either from someone, or from something like this offer at Pegheadnation

I've taken a few online classes, and live classes. I found Evie's class to be exceptional and her style of teaching easy to understand.
https://pegheadnation.com/string-sch...whammer-banjo/

best of luck, clawhammer can be applied to guitar as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_LMc1GAEM4


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


Steve Baughman teaches clawhammer guitar on PegheadNations also
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9Me42csgzU
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