(Part 2) Best products from r/banjo

1) Banjo Lessons - The best thing you could do is get a banjo teacher. My local Sam Ash store had one who I took lessons with, he was great.

2) Reading Music - My other suggestion would be learn music theory. It will be easier to learn if you have a teacher, but you can always pick up music theory books for beginners and learn on your own. I used to split my banjo lessons in half; 30 minutes on music theory and 30 minutes on banjo.


3) Apps - Whether or not banjo lessons are an option there are tons of great banjo apps that will teach you many different rolls and exercises. Some will also teach you how to read banjo tab. I would practice those until they are second nature to you.

4) Tab - You don't have to learn how to read music to play banjo thanks to music tablature or "tab." It's basically a way to write down how to play songs on an instrument without using notes or having to know how to read music. Many people learn to play using tab. There are tons of banjo books and pdfs for all sorts of songs that use tab. So you won't be limited in the songs you can learn to play. Again, tab is great, but I really recommend learning to read music. You don't have to choose one or the other and sometimes tab can be used to help with reading music.

5) Clawhammer or Scruggs - There are different ways to play the banjo, the two most common are clawhammer and Scruggs/bluegrass/three-finger. Often people starting out learn one style over the other because learning both at once could be difficult. Clawhammer is more frailing/strumming the strings with your nail(s) and Scruggs style is played with finger and thumb picks which you use to pick the strings. You could be limited to a particular style depending on the teacher you have. My teacher only knew Scruggs style, which was fine because that's what I was mainly interested in learning.

Also, the style you choose will narrow the scope of tablature/music available when you are starting out. Clawhammer banjo songs are usually more traditional/folk/old-time genre. Scruggs banjo songs are typically more folk, bluegrass, and everything else. Ultimately, once you're proficient enough neither style will limit the type of music you can play.

Additionally, different types of banjos are commonly associated with specific styles of playing. Open back banjos are usually used with clawhammer and closed back banjos are associated with Scruggs style. But this isn't really a big deal. My favorite banjo to play on is a small open back because it is much lighter and I mainly play Scruggs style.

6) Happy Banjo Dude - He is a youtuber who makes videos where he breaks down how to play songs. He sells books that have great exercises, lessons, and tabs for players of all levels. He has a bunch of free tabs on his website as well, most of which have a corresponding video on his YT channel. I would really recommend his books. I'm pretty sure most of his stuff is with Scruggs style playing. *There are some other people who do similar things as HBD, but I personally like his stuff the best.

7) Books - If you plan on getting a music teacher they will most likely have suggestions for which books they want you to buy. If aren't getting a teacher and you plan to learn Scruggs style on your own I highly recommend this book.

I have that Flatiron CD! I met the fiddler who was busking with an acquaintance at a farmers' market in San Francisco, and bought it off him. Even played a little when the banjo player took a break - great fun! I'll dig it out again and put it back into rotation in my car (I typically play a CD for a month or three straight before switching to another).

Excellent YouTube clip! - no I haven't heard them before. And great banjo uke indeed. Thanks for the lead - I'm going to go stalk them now...

Alas I mostly play this stuff at home with the occasional YouTube post (a pathetic cry of "See! I actually do play this stuff!") so hardly play these tunes with friends. The regular jam I go to is pretty basic, and the other is stronger but tends to be more persnickety about tune versions. I do want to get to Clifftop before I die however...

btw, not much 'uke but my latest play-for-a-solid-month CD was Erynn Marshall's 'Tune Tramp'. Really excellent playing and a wide range of selections. This album was put together when Erynn traveled around the country, connecting with friends and playing in different studios. A friend and I are currently obsessing over Poplar Bluff (on fiddle though). You can hear it here:

http://erynnmarshall.bandcamp.com/album/tune-tramp

Erynn btw is the author of this book, about West Virginia music:

http://www.amazon.com/MUSIC-THE-AIR-SOMEWHERE-TRADITIONS/dp/1933202254/

Yes - great to meet another fan! While there is some wonderful musicality and players in this sub, there doesn't appear to be a huge 'hot oldtime jamming' contingent.

While I'm at it, ANOTHER wonderful but hard-to-get CD is John Hermann's 'Fine Times at Our House' CD - which they home-recorded with fiddler Polo Burgiere from France. I bought it here but they aren't selling it now:

http://oldtimemusic.com/otrecdetail.php?RecordID=71

Great twists on tunes and I'm going to tie him down one day and grill him on the versions. Like their 'Bill Cheatham' - normally a tune I despise - is wonderful; it's in G but switches to D in the second part...

Ok, I looked at your pictures, and you are not getting the full use out of those finger picks, and I want to make it MUCH easier for you.

Your picks are intended to be strengthening of your fingertips, not extensions of them. The picks are made to guard your tips and contour to your fingertips, that's why they're rounded like that. It's meant to have your fingertips in the curve of the picks. The grips are meant to be around BEHIND your fingernails, not gripping on them.

I use Yates fingerpicks http://www.yatesbanjos.com/picks.htm because I make the blanks and then Warren Yates modifies them into picks, but I've seen many and have had MANY conversations about picks, and they are meant to mimic your fingertips.

Imagine that you are playing the banjo with no picks, and you learn well and you are a pickless player, and then someone comes along and offers you metal guards for your existing fingertip playing, and the only difference is that your fingertips are now metal. That's how finger picks should be worn.
Imgur

Thumb pick? That's a different story. Buy and wear the rainbow ones like this: Golden Gate Thumb Picks https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Gate-Confetti-Thumb-Picks/dp/B0052S3UZM/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1466475754&sr=1-4&keywords=golden+gate+thumb+picks I'm telling you, with Yates finger picks formed to your fingers, and this thumb pick, it's like playing a grand piano makes a novice sound better.

Also buy yourself a good $2000 banjo and knock your own socks off.

I forgot to say, that I LOVE that you are learning to play banjo! It's hard, and practicing a thousand times the same lick, is the way to get good. I subscribe to Banjo Ben, and have a lifetime membership and I've learned a LOT from his teachings. If you can get lessons from someone locally DO IT. It will help you so much!

All of this being said, this is my experience, and unsolicited advice is what you pay for it! But I hope that I can be helpful to you, at LEAST on how to wear picks. Goodness what you're doing looks so painful and I just had to write because it hurts me to look at those pictures!

>G above the first measure shows that the song is in the key of G.

I don't mean to make things more confusing or distract from the original question, but that's not quite right; the F# just before the 4/4 time signature is what shows that the song is in the key of G. (The 4/4 time signature tells you that there a 4 quarter notes to each bar, giving you that common 1-2-3-4 count.)

As others have said, the 'G' indicates the chord that accompanies that measure - it's informational, not something you're supposed to somehow simultaneously play along with the melody. Think of it this way: Say you get together with a guitar player who knows how to play chords, but doesn't know the melody for "Go Tell Aunt Rhody." They can still play along with you by counting along and following those chord changes indicated above the music. Likewise, if you get together with other musicians and they have something like the Fiddler's Fakebook, you can play along with them even if you don't know the song; you'd just follow the chord changes and play banjo chords to back up the melody.

Regarding key signatures/music theory in general check out Edly's Music Theory for Practical People, which is a good introductory guide. Some people will tell you that you don't need to bother with music theory for banjo/folk music, but it really helps in terms of understanding why you play certain chords to accompany certain keys, etc; it can make the difference between learning by rote memorization, and learning by developing an intuitive understanding for how notes, scales, and chords fit together.

In my opinion, it's better to spend your money on music rather than books.

There are some banjo books that are important. I used to own these. I really should build my library back up. Currently I only have the "Hot Licks," "Banjo Styles by Bela Fleck" and "Masters of the Five String" as I've leant out the other ones and never got them back.

Earl Scruggs and the 5-string banjo has already been mentioned. I would recommend trying to find an older version, simply because I'm a nerd.

Masters of the Five String Banjo. A very cool, very informative piece on bluegrass banjo players, their set-up, and some tablature. Obviously dated, but an incredibly insightful book.

Melodic Banjo: by Tony Trishka. Again, I like the older cover

Hot Licks for Bluegrass Banjo, another book by Tony Trishka, is pretty good.

Banjo Picking Styles: Bela Fleck is also a pretty interesting book. And not just for the 80s shirt that Bela is wearing on the front.

If you're looking for specific bluegrass songbooks.

Bluegrass Songbook, by Pete Wernick. Seriously, this is a great book.

Bluegrass Fakebook. This covers most of the standards.

And though you didn't ask, here are some other books that may be of interest to bluegrass/banjo nerds:

Bluegrass: A History Neil Rosenberg's very thorough history of Bluegrass music

Spann's Guide to Gibson 1902-1941. If you're interested in prewar Gibson banjo, this is an incredible resource.

Gibson Mastertone: Flathead Five-string Banjos of the 1930s and 40s. For the prewar nuts.

Can't You Hear Me Calling: The Life of Bill Monroe Father of Bluegrass Music. An interested read.

What I Know 'Bout What I Know: The Musical Life of An Itinerant Banjo Player. This is an autobiography of Butch Robins. It's... interesting.

I'm not sure what the banjo market is like in the UK, but in the US high quality used banjos are plentiful and it rarely makes sense to buy new.

Compared to other instruments, banjos are more expensive than you'd think. If you're buying a guitar in the $200 price range, if you look around long enough you'll actually find some sweet sounding and playing instruments. This is rarely the case with banjos in my experience.

With that being said, an instruments "set up" is what determines how playable and enjoyable an instrument is. A well setup bluegrass banjo is going to have a playable action all along the neck, proper bridge placement and head tension. A good setup on your banjo is a hugely important part of the learning process and it'll likely cost you anywhere from $50-100. Figure that any banjo you buy new or used is going to need a setup.

Here's an example of a really bare bones banjo Epiphone MB-100 that you could order from Amazon. This isn't really a bluegrass banjo but it's somewhat in your price range. BG players are generally looking for a banjo with a tone-ring and a resonator to help ring out above the rest of the jam. These things increase the price of the instrument but aren't critical if you don't see yourself playing with other people.

Don't forget about your setup cost! Add another $50-100 dollars to get it somewhere near playable.

What I'm driving at here is that you're probably better off waiting until you have a little more money to spend so you can actually get something that's worth learning on.

I persevered for quite a while at learning Irish jigs and reels on my 5-string. It's a lot of fun, and can sound great, but you will never get the same effect or same speed as playing on a tenor banjo. I eventually bought a tenor banjo and haven't looked back.

There are two guys you definitely need to check out if you want to play Irish music on a 5-string. Tom Hanway's book is the go-to book for learning this style. I would highly reccommend. Dave Hum was a busker from the south east of England who has some great videos of jigs and reels on a 5-string.

Best of luck in your quest.

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 would be wanting to play Bluegrass music. Similar to the music The Hillbilly Gypsies play. I would like to buy something that is a good price for a beginner, but won't leave me wanting to upgrade once I get better.

I'm seeing a Deering on Craigslist for $300 http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/msg/2959405250.html, and this Gold Tone's on Amazon for a little more http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Tone-CC-50-Cripple-String/dp/B002RARBEO or http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Tone-CC-50RP-Cripple-Resonator/dp/B002RARBEY.

I'm partial to rosewood necks on guitars, so that might influence my choice of a banjo.

EDIT: I just found this one in Harrisburg http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/msg/2885484805.html I don't know anything about the brand but he makes the price sound like a deal. Plus, it comes with a hard case.

I kind of just stumbled on this but this is a great album with an all star cast (Bryan Sutton, Jake Stargel, Byron House, Andy Leftwich, Aubrey Haynie, Jerry Douglas, Luke Bulla, Sam Bush)

Check it out here and if you like it please support it by buying it. I couldn't find a website but here's the Amazon link

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Grass-Ilya-Toshinskiy/dp/B01FEU7A0I#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1464510518249

No problem, if you're in the market for a case this one fits perfectly and is pretty good quality for the price. Happy picking!

I bought this one on Amazon and it works great. TSA threw it around pretty hard on my way to work last time. Tore the vinyl in a couple of places and I had to tighten one of the tuners when I got here but the banjo itself survived fine. If you ever check it with your luggage, remember to slack the strings. I gate check it whenever possible, too.

Possibly not the most helpful reply here, but Gary Coover has scored Grogg Mayles for Anglo concertina and made it available in "Pirate Songs for Concertina": https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pirate-Songs-Concertina-Gary-Coover/dp/0997074884

It's probably not worth buying the whole book just for the score, unless you want to start learning Anglo concertina. Having said that, from personal experience I can confidently state that you should definitely buy the book and learn Anglo concertina.

Just as a joke you should give her a copy of the David Myles (Canadian Musician) book "Santa Never Brings Me a Banjo". It's based on his song and pretty cute.

https://www.amazon.ca/Santa-Never-Brings-Me-Banjo/dp/1771086270

I'd recommend people stay away from National plastic thumb picks. They have a habit of breaking at the bend that goes around the thumb. Golden Gate are the best I've used. I prefer the extra-thick ones though : Golden Gate GP-8 Thumb Pick

I don’t know anything about Jameson, but I bought this epiphone as my first banjo, specifically to learn clawhammer, and I thought it was excellent for the price.

MB-100

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Irish-Celtic-5-String-Banjo/dp/0786665823/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1331346516&sr=8-3

I hope this helps. I also hope it pasted correctly, if not, go to Amazon and search for Celtic Banjo. It is one of the top choices.

Sorry, I am not quite up to pasting links on reddit, so it may be screwed up. I have the book, it is good.

http://www.amazon.com/African-Banjo-Echoes-Appalachia-Publications/dp/0870498932/ref=pd_sim_m_1

This book is amazingly interesting, if he likes history and Old Time music.

https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Up-Singing-Songbook-Anniversary/dp/1881322122

And this:

https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Again-Songbook-Chords-Spiral-Bound/dp/1495031233/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1495031233&pd_rd_r=de25af7d-e1d7-11e8-bfbc-476d254c2125&pd_rd_w=uTvYN&pd_rd_wg=DYfpf&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=6725dbd6-9917-451d-beba-16af7874e407&pf_rd_r=0V4Z1P476822TTY2PDYG&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=0V4Z1P476822TTY2PDYG

They don't have note for note banjo tabs but the chords to most popular songs. From the chord progressions, you can perhaps try to build your own melodies. That's where I'm at.

Some people seem to think it's virtually impossible to play Irish tunes on a five string. I don't find it so, and I'd say I know as many Irish tunes as I do bluegrass tunes.

Scruggs style rolls won't work with Irish tunes so you have to develop a more melodic style, and some techniques that you wouldn't see in Scruggs style playing ( learning to play upstrokes with your thumb for example).

Tom Hanaway has a book on Celtic tunes for the five string that's available on Amazon. I'm on mobile now, but I'll link it later.

Edit: Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo

Also, his name is Hanway, not Hanaway, and he's got a couple other books of Irish/Celtic tunes now.

Don't buy for looks. You can add a black head to any banjo for about 30 bucks.

Get either a GoldTone, Deering, or Recording King.

They will all be higher quality for only a little more. Totally worth it.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Irish-Celtic-5-String-Banjo/dp/0786665823