Jump to content
HAPPY NEW YEAR, TO ALL OUR HARMONY CENTRAL FORUMITES AND GUESTS!! ×

Any Advice on learning to play banjo?


Recommended Posts

  • Members
Posted

So this morning one of my dad's friends showed up at our house and he gave me a banjo that he inherited. It's kindof weird since about 2 days ago I was thinking about how cool it would be to learn to play. I need to get new strings and I know it's supposed to be tuned CGDA but does anyone have any advice on learning to play it? I've been playing guitar almost 6 years now but I've never tried playing banjo. It seems like it would be a fun instrument to play though. Thanks guys!

- Erich

  • Members
Posted

I don't know about any tips, but I saw the Preservation Hall Jazz Band play tonight and their banjo player was rippin it up pretty hard. Not even in your typical pickin-n-grinnin style either. This was like blues shred on the banjo. :eek:

-Dan.

  • Members
Posted

Originally posted by whammy boy67

I need to get new strings and I know it's supposed to be tuned CGDA but does anyone have any advice on learning to play it?

 

 

Put your finger across three of the strings and you have yourself a nice power chord with an added 9th! Sounds cool as always.

 

Banjo is a cool instrument, actually. Check out Bela Fleck and the Flecktones for inspiration. I know nothing about playing banjo, but would like to have one sometime...

  • Members
Posted
Originally posted by vote4dicktaid


Check out Bela Fleck and the Flecktones for inspiration.



:D :D
I listened to the entire disc one of Live Art today. My dad has had their stuff for years so I've heard it around the house and whatnot but never really sat down and listened to it until the last few months when I began expanding my musical tastes even further.

So no one on this forum plays banjo?

  • Members
Posted

I'm assuming this is a tenor banjo? If so, you have a couple of choices: You can start learning the Dixieland styles of playing or you can learn some of the British Isles folk ways of playing.

The Furey's, for example, retuned the tenor to GDAE, like a fiddle/mandolin and used it to play Irish fiddle tunes.

One of the best of the Celtic players is Gerry O'Connor, and he offers a video lesson, available at homespuntapes.com. He doesn't use the GDAE tuning, by the way.

I dabble in the tenor for Irish tunes. There isn't much to tell you. It's played with a plectrum. Work on right-hand technique to get those trills going. Learn some chords and you're on your way.

With the 5-string banjo, there are several basic rolls to learn fingerstyle. I wasn't able to get the hang of it.

homespuntapes.com offers several banjo instructional videos. That might be a viable option for you.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...