Best products from r/banjo

I was actually in this exact situation when I started playing - was a highschooler with free time and just wanted to learn banjo.

1. Get a banjo: If you don't have one already, then this part is sort of a requirement. A standard 5-string is the best place to start. This Deering is a fantastic beginner banjo (and not too bad for performing either), but if price is an issue, I've heard that Gold Tone's work just fine as well.
   
2. Get some books/material: This book is by the master himself (Earl Scruggs). It's sort of an essential for anyone looking to play classic 3-finger (Scruggs style) banjo. If you're looking to play Clawhammer perhaps, this is a very good book for learning.
   
3. PRACTICE: It can seem difficult at first, but I recommend practicing as much as possible. When I first started, I practiced for about 1-2 hours everyday for a solid month. I was able to improve very quickly. And the best part is that I enjoyed every bit of it. That's another thing, if you really enjoy playing, then practicing shouldn't be verry difficult for you.
   
   Good luck, and have fun!

I just bought a banjo last month. I don't have any experience with instruments like you do, but I think the following recommendation might help you.

I picked up: "The How and the Tao of Old Time Banjo" by Patrick Costello

https://www.amazon.com/How-Tao-Old-Time-Banjo/dp/0974419001

It covers the clawhammer style.

You will probably breeze through the intro parts, but there are some really great items in the beginning of the book that really help with the "banjo mindset."

LOL. Yes, I believe there is a banjo mindset. Roughly formulated as I understand it: the best way to play it is the way that feels natural and play it like you mean it.

Enjoy.

-)

I'm just learning too (starting a class this week, in fact!), but I found the format in Bluegrass Banjo for the Complete Ignoramus to be a great way to learn.

The title is silly, but it did a great job of breaking down how to play, and understanding how you use rolls to fill in the melody. For someone like me—who has never played an instrument before—it was nice that it had no expectations of the reader.

The basic gist is that the book teaches you the raw melody first, then once you get that down, you slowly add in pinches, drone notes, rolls, and slides, until you are playing a very full-sounding piece.

(I also recommend looking up some videos on YouTube, which helps because watching other people play was very helpful. You can just search and see what you find, something like "learning bluegrass banjo" is a good start.)

I came from a similar position and started learning banjo during my third year of college as a music major. Prior to banjo I had learned violin, guitar, and piano as well as a heavy amount of theory. I got a hand-me-down and was able to play foggy mountain at full speed in a few months. If you have fretting chops and know how to practice well, it is worth getting a reasonable intermediate banjo because of the fast learning curve.

There are acoustic electric banjos but it seems that most bluegrass bands use mics or pick ups so they don't lose the song quality from the acoustic.

For jamming, check out The Flatpick Apprentice Blog. He has some good backing tracks for standard tunes that you can jam on. Sort of a bluegrass version of the Aebersold disks.

I also chew my fingernails, and manage banjo fine--for scruggs style fingerpicks are an essential part of the instrument.

As for miscellaneous advice, I recommend practicing incredibly slowly with a metronome in order to get the mechanics of the roll down and have it be smooth. You want each roll to feel like one motion (rather than 8 individual plucks). Pick up The Ultimate Banjo Songbook--It has great tunes from the very beginner level up to advanced, while skipping over basic tunes that any reasonably skilled guitarist could already play on the first attempt. She also does a good job of compiling tunes that sound good at varying speeds.

There are millions of reasons to get into the banjo--I completely support your choice, it's an incredible instrument.

Edit* Added link for Flatpick apprentice

If I give you all my sources... how will I be 'know-it all' anymore?

Kidding. I have always had a soft-spot in my heart for the Asian-made banjos. I've owned a few throughout the years and have played a number of them when I've come across them. Paul Hawthorne has an EXCELLENT site to start learning about Asian-made banjo.

Additionally, Scott Zimmerman, who posts as Desert Rose on banjohangout, is an excellent authority. In the late 70s, he went to Japan to work in the Fijigen factory (Ibanez). So he got to see first-hand a lot of the stuff that was happening in Japan. He has his biases, as we all do. But typically when he is posting on banjohangout (or you read one of his posts), you can consider it with high regard.

In regards to prewar banjos, Joe Spann is the ultimate nerd on the Gibson front. He literally wrote the book on it (Jim Mills has a book as well). In regards to FON (the serial numbers), I'm not sure anyone has more complete knowledge than Joe Spann.

Online, Greg Earnest's site is an incredible resource.

Other than that, it's having a number of banjos (including some prewars) go through my hands or having the opportunity to play them. Then picking up stuff in some places like Masters of the Five String Banjo and old magazines.

As for your second question. The "heart" of the banjo, in my opinion, is the rim and the tone ring. Upgrading those two components would make it a significantly different banjo. The rim and tone ring in this banjo are "okay." The tone ring is not made with the same alloys that model the prewar Gibson banjos (bell brass, or bronze). I think it had more zinc in it, or something like that. The wood rim was laminate.

So, if you want to significantly upgrade a banjo, upgrading the rim and the tone ring is a good option. That being said, pretty much everything on a banjo will affect it's tone.

Hope that helps. Beware going down the path of banjo nerdom.

If you can find it, Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo is a wonderful source. It's thick and may be a little intimidating, but it is a wealth of knowledge. How To Play Banjo is the book that my teacher used my first year of taking lessons. It is written in a way that is straightforward and the lessons progress in a very logical way. Most books are going to assume that you are using a resonator/closed back/bluegrass banjo which will have a wooden pot called a "resonator" behind the head to make it louder. This is mostly used by bluegrass musicians because of it's volume and it's tone will have more of a punch behind it. These banjos are used for playing the three-finger bluegrass style you would hear from nearly every bluegrass banjoist out there. You can also use an open-back banjo which is a more traditional and older style of banjo. These aren't as popular with bluegrass bands because the lack of a resonator produces a far more mellow and quieter sounds. Open back banjos are predominantly used for playing the clawhammer/frailing/old-time style. How To Play Banjo will teach you both methods, whereas Earl Scruggs' book will only teach you bluegrass style, which makes sense considering Scruggs invented the three-finger style which is sometimes called "Scruggs-style". As far as what banjo to buy, I've been a fan of Deering Banjo Company for a very long time. If you can afford them, Gibson banjos are well respected, but you're really paying for the Gibson name. I always suggest Deering because banjos are the only instruments they produce, and they know what they're doing. So I hope I've at least pointed you in the right direction and if you have any questions feel free to ask!

Either transpose the songs to keys you are comfortable with or use a capo. Most 'pop' song follow the I IV V (sometimes with a minor chord) format, which is not too far off bluegrass.

Trying to take the banjo outside the typical structure of bluegrass could turn into a life long pursuit as you develop techniques and styles to allow you to play with more freedom, and not be confined to the open tuned glory of traditional bluegrass banjo. Obviously, Bela is the trailblazer in this endeavor. Get some tab by him and clear your schedule. Learn melodic style and single string licks. Tony Trischka's Hot Licks book has great wisdom.

Start with playing reggae songs in a bluegrass style. Should be real easy since both reggae and bluegrass have the upbeat rhythmic emphasis on the 2 and 4, and the chord progressions won't be anything too radical. Play with some Bob Marley to practice playing in different tempos and different feels. You probably know the songs already.

Hello! I am new to banjo and just recently did this whole new banjo thing and purchased one in November for myself. It was pretty inexpensive, yet I got a great quality banjo for myself. I'm learning bluegrass with a resonator. I'm not sure if you're looking for a high quality banjo to start with that large budget, but the one I found was referred to by a handful of different websites as "The best quality banjo you can get for it's price."

Here is the link to the banjo from the company website:
http://jamesonguitars.com/banjos/

I am Canadian but bought mine through the American Amazon for $155 USD:
http://www.amazon.com/5-String-Bracket-Closed-Jameson-Guitars/dp/B0033P1O6S

The Canadian Amazon link if you wish to compare price:
http://www.amazon.ca/5-String-Bracket-Closed-Jameson-Guitars/dp/B0033P1O6S

Price is much cheaper through the American Amazon, although it may not ship to you in Canada as I had to use a friend with an American address to retrieve it.

If you have more questions for someone who has already gone through the whole "I'm new to this, what should I do?!" phase, send me a message :)

I picked up [this banjo] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0033P1O6S?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title) earlier this week. I've been picking at it just about daily off and on for a good few hours and I love it. Great sound, good quality construction. Very happy with it thus far. And certainly didn't break the bank if my conviction to learning how to play peeters out.

I've got this guy and he's pretty nice, with almost universally good reviews on amazon. Plus the resonator is detachable, so you can play either style. Personally I think the tone is better without the resonator so I practice without it, even though I'm working on bluegrass finger picking. It's nice to have the choice.

You must play with picks to get that characteristic bluegrass plucking sound. The clawhammer style is actually playing with the back of your index or middle finger nail. Dixieland and/or Irish banjo uses a guitar pick. I've never heard of any other banjo style that's played with your finger tips alone, like you would with a base.

I am very VERY much a beginner, but I'm still happy with my cheap Amazon (Jameson Guitars) Banjo. It stays in tune, and sounds like a banjo. I'm sure something 10x-20x more money sounds much better, but for me this has been a nice inexpensive intro.

https://www.amazon.com/5-String-Bracket-Closed-Jameson-Guitars/dp/B0033P1O6S/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1484096293&sr=1-1&keywords=banjo+jameson

Earl Scruggs and the 5 String Banjo indeed. The master of 3-finger picking or Scruggs style. I bought it, it's terrific for learning.

http://www.amazon.com/Earl-Scruggs-5-String-Banjo-Enhanced/dp/0634060430

Some complaints are it gets complicated quite fast but there's only way to get good at the banjo: practice. But you have to make sure your form is good. Good form will help tremendously.

5-String Banjo 24 Bracket with... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0033P1O6S?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

This is the one I started with. I wanted to see if I enjoyed it/had any skill before buying a nice one. It will do the job, but if you can find a better beginner banjo used in a store it is Much better as these from amazon really need set up work. But overall, it works, you can learn on it. Happy picking.

The How and the Tao of Old Time Banjo

I can't recommend this book enough. It's well written and full of fun anecdotes but throughout the text Patrick also teaches you (implicitly and explicitly) how to develop as/into a musician. I can almost guarantee you'll become a better player if you spend the time and really study this one.

I know you aren't looking for tabs and this has them but it's far from the focus of the material. This guy wants you to stop buying books and reading tab and get you working from your own material asap.

He evidently believes in this philosophy enough to release all his books online for free under a creative commons license. So give it a try for no charge but this is exactly the kind of man we should be supporting with our money imo.

I just got myself one of these

It needed a fair bit of set up, but if you follow the directions in the "step by step to pro banjo setup" link in the side bar it sounds pretty good once set up. The main issue I had was the head was not properly tensioned.

The hardware on it is decent. All geared tuners, even the fifth string, and a Remo weatherking head. The external finish is very nice... the insides are not all that polished, but it does sound good...

The resonator comes off with four thumb screws and the banjo is built so that you won't get torn up by the tension brackets, so you can play it with the resonator attached for bluegrass and take it off if you prefer for clawhammer.

Edit: I just noticed the price has gone up $42 since I ordered it, but even at $189 it's still a pretty good deal IMO.

FWIW, I started off self taught. Learned some basic rolls, "learned" cripple creek, started using a metronome.

I ended up taking lessons at a local place. Huge difference in progress. My biggest problem is that I don't have the time to dedicate to practice that a "young person" might, so I have backed off the lessons for now, mainly to just practice what my teacher shared in a timeframe I can manage. I plan on going back for more soon, and maybe dialing back to 1-2 lessons a month rather than every week.

I highly recommend Bluegrass Banjo for the Complete Ignoramus by Wayne Erbsen, whether you are self teaching or with an instructor. I also have Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo (get the one with the CD). A lot of folks recommend it for "learnin' like Earl", but it can get very complicated very quickly, especially for someone without any musical background. It does have all the tabs for Earl's stuff that you could home for though.

All of this of course involves you having a banjo. I have a Rogue, I'm happy with it, my teacher thinks it sounds alright too. Others on this subreddit might not be fans but it works for me. I also got a Mike's Mute to save my marriage.

I'm not sure why everyone is always recomending the How and Tao book.. I have just about every clawhammer book you can get (i can get them for free so why not) and there are much better books out there.

I would suggest either this one or anything by Ken Perlman, maybe this one: or this

the first one is really good for beginners, but you'll quickly outgrow it, but it'll teach you the right hand motion. The second and third are more intermediate to advanced stuff but really really good stuff.

I don't have many that are JUST clawhammer and singing, but I have a number that are mostly clawhammer and singing, or ones where they're the main focus. I'll just include records I think are great. How about that?

Rye 'n Clover - Pencils, Paper & Scissors

John Hartford & Bob Carlin - The Fun of Open Discussion

Rob Stenson - Gold Mountain EP

Old Man Luedecke - My Hands Are On Fire and Other Love Songs

Mike Seeger - Southern Banjo Styles (Not strictly clawhammer)

Various Artists - Banjo Songs of the Southern Mountains (Not strictly clawhammer)

Ralph Stanley - Old Time Pickin: A Clawhammer Banjo Collection

Cahalen Morrison & Eli West - The Holy Coming of the Storm

KENDL WINTER - ANY FUCKING RECORD

Bruce Molsky - Soon Be Time

Craig Evans - Frailin' With Friends

I was inspired by this video and I adapted some tab from The Banjo Player's Songbook into something I could play. It's a fun song to play. Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck do a really cool version in this video, and you get to see their adorable little baby.

I made slow progress teaching myself for a year with a Banjo for Dummies book. I learned like two rolls and an easy version of Cripple Creek, but it wasn't satisfying, and there was almost no progress after that.

I know Banjo Hangout has some lessons and material, but I haven't used them. I managed to find a great instructor, and he hooked me up with this book. There's an e-book version, too. I found the lesson progression to be extremely helpful, and after a few weeks, I had some basic songs and licks down, and I found that subconsciously, I had learned a lot. Now I can't put the damn banjo down!

I've found that the best way to play a popular song with distinct melodies with with the Scruggs style.

Basically, just learn to play the simple melody of the song on the banjo. Then, using the Scruggs style, you can add filler notes with different rolls to accompany the melody. This way you can clearly hear the melody of the song and also have that full banjo sound.

The way I learned this method is through this book and I highly recommend it, since it essentially teaches exactly what you are asking:

https://www.amazon.com/Bluegrass-Banjo-Complete-Ignoramus-Book/dp/1883206448

I am also in the market for a new banjo but don't have those type of funds to work with as OP. Would this be a good starter? I know nothing about stringed instruments( I played brass my whole life) so any suggestions would be helpful. I have like a 200 dollar budget

Tony Trischka's the complete 5 string banjo player is great - its basically a text book - really accessible - starts with the real simple techniques and tunes and ends with some note for note tabs/recordings of a few songs by our banjo heros - its comprehensive - nearly 300 pages long - also comes with a 96 track cd to play along with and has additional web content - throughout the book there are also plugs to other books, dvd's, or recordings if you want to expand on a certain technique - i.e. on the section that applies merle travis guitar picking to the banjo he notes that Bela's first album on Rounder records used this technique a lot - really can't go wrong with this book

I'll tell you something - the online lessons didn't work for me at all. I bought this book (http://www.amazon.com/Clawhammer-Style-Banjo-Ken-Perlman/dp/0931759331/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1333467612&sr=8-2) and made it a chapter or two in. Then I went to Africa for six months, took my banjo and what little knowledge I had formed a jam group. I learned more from doing that than anything else. That said, invest in this book: http://www.amazon.com/Parking-Lot-Pickers-Songbook-Banjo/dp/0786674911/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1333467621&sr=8-4

I got it as a gift, and it's awesome. There aren't a lot of clawhammer songbooks out there, but this one has most of the popular songs in melody-only tab, so you can pick them any way you want. It's the single most useful book I've ever looked at in trying to learn banjo.

This has some good information. I appreciate the comment. One thing I wish I could hear is someone playing Scruggs style on the banjo that I'm looking at. It's super entry-level, but it seems like a good one for the price point.

http://www.amazon.com/Recording-King-RKOH-05-Dirty-Thirties/dp/B00EON6J22

The one at the local shop has a different head on it though. It's new, but it has a fiberskin type head.

Ok great, thanks! Think I should go for this Deering or save almost $200 and go for the Dirty Thirties?

To jump on your comment, a friend gave me a copy of The Folksinger's Wordbook which has a ton of songs in it. The key/arrangement isn't always true to some versions I know but it's a great tome to thumb through if you're looking for a random song to play.

If you're going to learn Scruggs style, you might as well learn from the Master, Earl Scruggs and the 5 String Banjo. Its a great book.


Janet Davis also has some excellent teaching material. My personal favorite is Splitting the Licks which really breaks down how song are built.

There are tons of other resources out there, but those two are my favorites and the ones I've gotten the most from.

http://www.amazon.com/Deering-GOODTIME-BANJO-GT-Goodtime/dp/B001Q9F34W

This one is great. It feels like a "real" banjo and comes well set up and ready to play. Had it for a year and no issues.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: http://smile.amazon.com/Nutra-Nail-Green-Hardener-0-45/dp/B000142MDS


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|




To help donate money to charity, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

I started learning clawhammer banjo this year. The Deering banjo website had some good videos for the basics. Once I got the basics down I bought this book which took me a lot further.
The How and the Tao of Old Time Banjo https://www.amazon.com/dp/0974419001/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_BLrhDb59170ZR

It’s a very approachable book with a great writing style. Definitely a necessary step towards becoming a clawhammering folk-legend!

I like Wayne Erbsen's books. Depending on the style you want to play, he has two:

http://www.amazon.com/Bluegrass-Banjo-Complete-Ignoramus-Book/dp/1883206448

http://www.amazon.com/Clawhammer-Complete-Ignoramus-Anniversary-Edition/dp/188320643X

My wife is learning the fiddle. I got her the Erbsen fiddle book. She and her teacher both like it a lot.

I've been learning bluegrass. I have found the Erbsen Bluegrass banjo book along with Earl Scruggs book to be somewhat complimentary to each other and I go back and forth between the two.

That's controversial, most people prefer it but you can see that Bela Fleck's pick blades stick out while Trischka's are tight to his fingertips. I can play both ways but i have to have the thumbpick match the fingerpicks, length and soundwise

see @ 1:35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MEp04tuBKU

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-5-String-Banjo-Player/dp/0825603552

The idea is that you're supposed to get a softer catch and release instead of slapping at them and picking the strings down, not sideways.

If you want to read a detailed analysis, Hatfield's "Exercises for 3 finger banjo" is excellent but you'll have to buy it.

I've tried a bunch of books and the best one I've found is Ken Perlman's Clawhammer Style Banjo, which I see recommended pretty often. https://www.amazon.com/Clawhammer-Style-Banjo-Ken-Perlman/dp/0931759331

I used YouTube videos until I could get the motion down, now I'm learning via the book.

The Banjo Player's Songbook was an awesome find for me when I started playing banjo. It contains a few hundred of the classic standards in various styles (ballads, reels, melodic, etc) arranged for clawhammer.

Other resources I found very useful were the Home Spun Tapes Dvds particularly the David Holt ones once I had progressed beyond the basics.

I'm quite surprised that you've come across anything for banjo in standard notation. Outside of the minstrel tutors (which are from the 19th century) I've never seen banjo materials written in anything except tab. Especially for old time, where the so many tunings are used, reading standard is almost useless (unless you want to read out of fiddle books).

Anyway, my favourite resources would be Ken Perlman's Book and Art Rosenbaum's. Rosenbaum's comes with a fantastic CD which makes it worth the price alone. It's not really a beginner book, but it's still a great resource which covers a range of old time styles (clawhammer, 2-finger, and 3-finger)

Yep! If I may suggest a fantastic book to help you along:

Clawhammer Style Banjo https://www.amazon.com/dp/0931759331?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I’m a beginner and purchased this Jameson banjo last year. It’s been really great. Nice sound and inexpensive.

These are two books that I used when I started. They have really easy songs that help you get used to the technique of clawhammer and picking as well as reading tablature.

I'm also a beginner, and was in the same boat as you about a week ago. I considered buying used, but quickly got frustrated looking for a good deal. I also have a history of quickly dropping new hobbies, so I wanted to pay as little as possible for a playable banjo.

Based on the endorsement here, and the reviews on amazon, I ended up pulling the trigger on the 5 String Jameson Guitars Banjo.

It does have a resonator, but it's easily removed with a Phillips-head screwdriver. For under $200 I got the banjo, an introductory book, and a few sets of strings to play around with. So far I'm very pleased with the banjo, my only complaint is that the string action is rather low, and there's no bridge cut out like you see in many of the open backed banjos.

Also take a look at this thread, they have a couple recommendations for other places to look.

I'm in the same boat. I picked up this book from amazon, and it includes a CD of various tunes played at the most basic level as well as with some more advanced techniques. It's basically 10 pages of intro/how to and then tabs for ~23 songs with ideas on how to spice 'em up.
http://www.amazon.com/Bluegrass-Banjo-Complete-Ignoramus-Book/dp/1883206448/

I picked up a copy of Earl Scruggs 5 String Banjo and so far I like it, I have weekly lessons so I don't rely on it heavily - though I think I could.

Good luck!

I've heard good things about Brainjo, as suggested already, but I've never tried it. What has really worked for me over the last few month's has been Ken Perlman's Clawhammer Style Banjo book. For some reason, it just clicked with me and I'm around half-way through the book and have picked up maybe 30 tunes or so. There is an accompanying DVD available for around $28. I picked it up also, but mostly just refer to it occasionally if I need clarification on something. I've also seen multiple recommendations for Dan Levenson's Clawhammer Banjo from Scratch, but haven't used that one either.

Also, I think I found my recommendations at the time with a search for "clawhammer books" on the Banjo Hangout Forums. Plenty of info and helpful people there also.

Try this! I'm still a beginner with the bluegrass style as well, and Earl Scruggs knows his shit and teaches it really well. It's like a little banjo bible :)

The banjo player's songbook has some good tunes like Jug of Punch or Whiskey in the Jar, all very simply tabbed out. http://www.amazon.com/The-Banjo-Players-Songbook-five-string/dp/0825602971

New myself and was just browsing Amazon. Would something like this be at all recommended or a decent beginner option?

Link

Clawhammer style banjo by Ken Perlman. Best $20 you can spend on clawhammer knowledge.

http://www.amazon.com/Clawhammer-Style-Banjo-Ken-Perlman/dp/0931759331/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426131101&sr=1-1&keywords=ken+perlman

Thanks all for the great suggestions, i really appreciate all the responses!!!

i browsed around fruther on Reddit, and have been eyeballing this:
Deering Goodtime, 5 string, openback at Amazon

I think for the price, that would be a great starter... i am leaning towards bluegrass, but will have to consider alot through the learning process...
I doubt that i would sell any equipment i purchase, as i really like having equipment available to have spontanious jam sessions, and i also am a terrible musical Pack Rat... Quite the flaw.

This is a great book for learning bluegrass banjo licks. I've been using it for years.

https://www.amazon.com/Licks-Bluegrass-Banjo-Tony-Trischka/dp/0825602882

There's a basic open G, clawhammer version in the Jumper book

The Banjo Player's Songbook: Over 200 great songs arranged for the five-string banjo https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0825602971/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_cdcZCbFEPGD80

https://imgur.com/a/S4AAEzT

If you like Earl Scruggs playing style, I would suggest buying his book. Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo: Revised and Enhanced Edition - Book with CD https://www.amazon.com/dp/0634060422/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_g2s4xbWYJWTET

This is the one I got. Has a really good sound to it and for $150 it exceeded all my expectations.

This is the banjo bible for complete beginners. I highly recommend getting this book.

It's in the Scruggs book. If you're looking to play Scruggs style banjo, this book is invaluable.

I have used this stuff, I think it was about $5 at my local drugstore. Certainly worth a try for the minimal investment.

http://www.amazon.com/Nutra-Nail-Green-Hardener-0-45/dp/B000142MDS

I seems to help but I rarely play for more than an hour a day so I haven't really put it to the test. It makes the nail shiny so I have one fabulous fingernail.

If you're looking for a book, I highly recommend Ken Perlman's Clawhammer Style Banjo. It starts with the basics but goes into intermediate methods. I'm still making my way through it.

Remember that Rogues are the lowest of the low end. Basically they're right above a toy banjo you would buy a little kid for Christmas. $80 is about what I'd pay for any Rogue instrument.

I recommend this one as a starter. For the price it's very, very good.

This is my first banjo. Seems alright to learn the basics on, and about spending too much scratch in case you don't like it.

If he's a clawhammer/open back player;

The How and the Tao of Old Time Banjo

A goat skin banjo head.

If he's a picker;

A Blue Chip thumb pick.

If he's both, or you don't know;

A quality capo, they always get misplaced.

Or, a fancy head wrench.

I used Clawhammer Banjo for the Complete Ignoramus

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1883206448/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pd_te_s_gc_ti/181-8103069-0668343

This book is incredible. It teaches you how to improvise rolls and the tabs only have the bare bones melody. I've learned from this book so freakin much

What do you think about this?
http://www.amazon.com/5-String-Bracket-Closed-Jameson-Guitars/dp/B0033P1O6S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394748648&sr=8-1&keywords=banjo

I also have Clawhammer Banjo for the Complete Ignoramus. Use that in combination with Youtube videos on frailing technique and you're golden. Once you outgrow that book pick up a copy of Clawhammer Style Banjo which will cover advanced stuff too.

Looks an awful lot like a Jameson but with a different logo on it. Sorry dude!

If you're in Denver drop by, I'll give you my spare Kay.

That said, getting one is a good start. There's a balance though, if you pay a lot you'll get one that works well and you'll know that the times when it sounds bad are because you're just learning. If you get a crappy one, rebuild it and then play it and it sounds bad then it MIGHT be the instrument and it MIGHT be you which can add some stress. Personally I went with the cheapest I had access to, rebuilt it and the I've played it for a couple of years and only recently discovered that the high frets are in the wrong places making it impossible to stay in tune above, say the 14th fret.

I started with the "complete ignoramus" book https://www.amazon.com/Bluegrass-Banjo-Complete-Ignoramus-Book/dp/1883206448 , learning some tunes and then took actual lessons from a human. You'll need finger picks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhLInd4ZhjE (if you aren't going to learn clawhammer https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=AMv0rT4CYPg) and a tuner https://www.amazon.com/Snark-Super-Tight-Instrument-Tuner/dp/B00646MZHK.

Then get on banjohangout and try