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Message Board - Banjos
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buying a banjo
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posted by: Brandi @ 7:17:43 PM · Monday, September 22, 2003
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Hi, I have always wanted to learn to play the banjo and am in the process of looking for one. My question is are they hard to learn to play and I am left handed but use my right quite abit, do I have to have a left handed banjo are they much more in price, also do I get a four string or five string. Any im-put would be nice. Thank You, Brandi
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re: buying a banjo
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posted by: MOZART601 @
1:30:19 AM · 9/24/2003
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BRANDI ,
WHETHER IT'S A 4-STRING TENOR OR A 5-STRING , A GOOD QUALITY BEGINNER BANJO WILL PROBABLY COST YOU BETWEEN $300 TO $500 . I STARTED PLAYING THE 5-STRING ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO . I BOUGHT A GOOD AMERICAN-MADE ,SOLID MAPLE BANJO FOR AROUND $400 AND SOME FINGER PICKS . THE FIRST THING YOU NEED TO GET USED TO IF YOU CHOOSE A 5-STRING ARE THE FINGER PICKS . PUT THEM ON AND JUST CONCENTRATE ON MAKING GOOD CONTACT WITH THE STRINGS . ONCE YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THE PICKS YOU CAN PRINT TABULATURE OFF THE NET TO LEARN ROLLS . STARTING OUT SLOW . SPEED WILL COME AS YOUR FINGER SEQUENCE IS PROGRAMMED TO YOUR BRAIN . TWO PIECES OF ADVICE IF YOU'RE SERIOUS ABOUT LEARING : 1: BUY A STAND FOR YOUR BANJO SO IT IS ALWAYS IN VIEW . IF YOU ARE SITTING IN YOUR LIVING ROOM OR WHEREVER YOU KEEP IT , YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO PRACTICE MORE THAN IF YOU PUT IT IN ITS CASE AND STUCK IT IN THE CLOSET . 2: BE PERSISTENT . DON'T GET DISCOURAGED . ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY . TO FIND A TEACHER , GO TO BLUGRASS SHOWS IN YOUR AREA AND IF IT A LOCAL BAND , ASK THE BANJO PLAYER IF HE TEACHES . CHANCES ARE HE WILL GET YOU ON THE RIGHT TRACK FINDING YOU A TEACHER IF HE HIMSELF DOESN'T . I DON'T BELIEVE LEFT HANDED BANJOS ARE ANY MORE EXPENSIVE THAN RIGHT HANDED SO I WOULDN'T THINK THAT WOULD BE AN ISSUE . GOOD LUCK .
TIM
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hi brandi,
tim's advice is for learning 5-string banjo, but most of it also goes for 4-string banjo. make sure what style of music you wish to play before considering which banjo to buy. the way i see it a 5-string narrows down the possibilities, as it's suitable for old time and bluegrass only.
with 4-strings, on which you can play any music you like, you can choose between tenor and plectrum tuning/scale. most players say plectrum chords are easier, but the plectrum neck is significantly longer - maybe too long for a woman, i don't know. the tenor banjo tends to be more powerful and bright than plectrum, so that's also something to reckon with.
i'd say attend a banjo festival, sit next to a connaisseur and ask him what banjo's are being played.
one more advice: if you're really determined to learn to play then don't buy too cheap a banjo. i always say the better the instrument the more often you'll pick it up to play and the sooner you get better.
anyway, good luck!!! and most of all: enjoy!!!
cheers,
remco houtman-janssen
the netherlands
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...one more thing: if you go for 4-string it doesn't matter if it's a lefthand of righthand instrument, unless it has an armrest (which i think you can easily move to the other side). just change the strings around!
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