Pickin' and Grinnin'
So you wanna play the banjo? Congratulations!
Learning how to play banjo has been one of the best things I’ve ever done.
I’ve been playing banjo for thirty years, and I can highly recommend it as a way to get happy, real fast.
Before starting to learn, the first thing you need to decide is what kind of banjo will best suit the style of music you want to play. That’s because banjos come in different sizes, most typically with 4 strings, or 5 strings and even 6 strings. Also, a tradition of playing has built up over time on the different kinds of banjos that make it easier to get ‘just the right sound’ for the kind of music you want to play.
The 6-string banjo has been designed with the guitarist in mind. They might want to get an authentic banjo sound, but playing the 6-string banjo is a quick short-cut and saves having to learn a new instrument. The 6-string banjo is essentially a guitar that looks and sounds like a banjo.
The 4-string banjo is used typically in Irish/Celtic music and Dixieland jazz/Ragtime music. Both the 4 and 6 string banjos are played with a pick, or a plectrum. The plectrum is used to strum the banjo and to pick out melody lines.
The 5-string banjo has been popularized in bluegrass and old-timey music, but is increasingly used in contemporary jazz and rock styles. It is typically played with a finger-picking method rather than with a plectrum.
Regardless of what kind of banjo you select, that doesn’t mean you can’t play other styles of music on it.
Many 5-string banjo players play Irish music and there are 4-string banjo players who play rock.
The banjo is a musical instrument, so you can play whatever you like!
For me when I started as a young teenager, I heard Earl Scruggs on TV and heard other banjo players play what’s called a ‘melodic’ style of playing on the 5-string banjo and I was hooked. The flowing individual notes sounded like rain and made the hair on the back of my neck stand-up.
I just had to learn how to play banjo.
Tags: Banjo models, How to play banjo
