Banjo?

Sealcon

Hi I have a quick question for some unknown reason I have decided I would like to play the banjo.

Anyway I would like to known if anyone could give me some advice on a decent yet cheap beginners banjo. Also a good website for teaching myself would be helpful.

Last thing I really don't know anything about the banjo but I would prefer to play more modern music with it such as Mumford and sons etc, I'm not sure if this will affect anything so I thought I should mention it.

Thanks very much for any info given.

ruariver

Hi....well the first thing you have to decide is which type of banjo you'd like to learn how to play. Two basic types..the 4 string or the 5 string. These in themseves can be broken down into further catagories but to keep it simple and going by your Mumford and Sons interest a 5 string is what your after.

For a complete novice any half decent 5 string in the 200 to 400 euro bracket will give you a taster of whether you think you'll persevere. Just buy it from a retailer that knows its been set up properly and has a nice low action without any buzzes along the fretboard. again gong on the Mumford reference you'll want one with a resonator or back to it as opposed to an open back model. So many companies making relatively cheap banjos its hard to recommend one over the other but McBrides and Vintage, Fender and Savanah, Ozark andTAnglewood can all be bought in that price range and shouldn't burn you

Banjohangout.com is your best bet for all round banjo info and through them you can go into more specialised styles of playing. Oh and for Mumford style playing a good banjo chord book is essential

Good Luck!

teekayd25

Just to let you know, you can also get a six-string "guitjo" model, which might be of interest if you are already able to play a regular guitar.


The shops below would probably be the ones with the widest ranges of banjos these days

http://www.goodwinsmusic.ie/folk_and_traditional/tenor_and_five_string_g_banjo

http://www.waltons.ie/Product/Search.aspx?cid=312

http://www.soundzofmuzic.ie/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=9&Itemid=53

Jose79

You want a 5 string banj and the first thing you want to learn to play is Travis "Sing" cos it's easy and good.

Also, tune your guitar high pitch e to d and it reflects the tuning for that song on the banjo's bottom 4 strings, and the top high 5th string is not used in that song, so you can learn your fisrt banjo sng without a banjo. Nice.

Won't let me post a link so youtube Happy Banjo Dude Sing.

Sorry the reply is so long in coming, hope you're still alive.