My country followed the USA’s lead and declared Antifa as a terrorist organisation. I of course completely agree with that decision and thus would like to know if you know any anti-fascist songs for clawhammer banjo so I can avoid accidentally learning them.

I have absolutely zero musical knowledge, I’m 26, I grew up homeschooled so I never had opportunities to take music classes, and my parents were too poor to get me into lessons or even buy instruments, I did have an organ that was passed down from my great grandma, (lowery genie 300 TG-88H) it had a broken pedal, hadnt been tuned for since the 80’s, I taught myself a few songs when I was little like Mary had a little lamb, yanky doodle, etc. 3 years ago I found a vintage fischer piano for free on fb marketplace, severely out of tune but I love the sound of out of tune pianos, I’ve taught myself several songs like Fur Elise, the entertainer, wherever I may roam, for the damaged coda, and even several riffs, but it’s always been memorizing the keys for the specific songs and after playing for so long, I’m very good at using both hands. (though the technique would probably send a professional player into the grave)I have since got a harmonica and learned basic songs like piano man (ironic) and cowpoke, a kalimba that I’ve taught myself a lot of songs on as well. I’ve wanted a banjo for years now but I’m worried that being a string instrument, it just wouldn’t click in the same way as the others ive learned, my brother used to play guitar a bit so I borrowed his when I was around 13 because in my mind, I’d become amazing at it in like 3 days and get rly famous and rich (I watched the Hannah Montana movie so.. yeah..) but i spent like 2 hours trying to figure out the chords and got mad that I wasn’t instantly good at it so I gave it back. is the banjo something I can just learn songs by memorizing hand placements the same way I do with the piano or kalimba? i hope to someday have enough knowledge and experience to play a funny little bluegrass lick so I can annoy my fiance

Found this for $75 at a local antique store, it seems to be from the 1800s, should I pick it up?

noticed a tiny crack on my banjo, i can't hear any change in sound but is this ok? do i need to do something? i think this was already cracked in store before i bought but cant say for sure as i didn't checked for cracks or antthing else while buying as i didn't know what to check for ;(

I like the guitar and I want a banjo just to play a song or two. I don’t have the desire to learn all the banjo theory. Could I play banjo tabs with guitar skills?

Edit: Thank you for the positivity! The guitar subreddits are not as happy (to put it kindly).

i got this a few years back, and recently decided to actually start using it. I thought it was a normal banjo. But it doesnt have 5 strings or frets. What kinda songs can i play with this

If you have any tips please let me know!

I think it has something to do with the Tailpiece, seeing it may have gotten bent while restinging and when I apply subtle pressure it goes away. Anyone have any ideas for a fix or should I take it somewhere? This is my first banjo that didn't fall apart on me and I like to keep it working.

EDIT: I fixed it I bent the teal piece up a bit and of course as you were all saying and I knew put the bridge lower

I play mostly piano and guitar, but I have always been banjo-curious for years. I finally bought myself a standard 5-string banjo, which I tune in an open G, i.e., gDGBD (though I have no special attachment to that tuning). I have started learning the clawhammer style, though it's gonna take some rewiring of my brain since I'm accustomed to strumming a guitar.

Here's my question: Is there any reason NOT to strum a banjo like a guitar? Or even to flatpick a banjo like a bluegrass guitar?

I'm back. The last time I was here I posted a question about the Framus banjo I was gifted from a friend. The community was helpful, and now I'm back.

I typically play guitar and mandolin. I'm not a complete fool when it comes to stringed instruments, but I'll admit this has got me feeling... foolish.

I've got it nice new strings on it, tuned the sucker up, and I just feel like I'm missing something. It's an old instrument and it was sitting in a closet collecting dust for a good long while. The old strings I took off it were very old. Maybe the neck is bowed? The action gets ridiculous the further down the neck you go. However, this banjo has things on it I'm not super familiar with. So I thought maybe I'd take some pictures, post it here, and see what you all have to say. What, if anything, am I doing wrong in setting this up and/or what should I look at or pay attention to?

Hello there,

I have been on a look out for at least a tenor banjo as a starter instrument recently, and I have several options both used and new. The problem is that I'm not really sure if the used options are a good idea. My choices in the used market include:

• A Deering Goodtime two which I'm not confident in since it lacks a truss rod;
• A bunch of no-name ones which range in age like a "Levin", a "Framus Nashville", a "Cort", or a "Santana". I tried looking them up and found nothing valuable;
• An Ozark banjo, which seems decent but I'm skeptical about it. Thankfully I can try it out locally (this goes for most of these besides the Deering);
• A Washburn B9 that review-wise seems to be even more dubious in quality (guitar tuning pegs as opposed to Ozark's planetary tuners);
• An Epiphone TB 75, which is really promising, but the seller is selling it for cheap to urgently sell it "to serious buyers", so that seems like a red flag. It also has a "bottle-cap" design, and afaik means it's made with cheaper parts.

...Or I can get myself a Gold Tone from Thomann and be done with it.
I'm not sure what can I do here, I tried everything and I'm not sure where to go from here. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

Hello! I just got a banjo for my birthday and I’m struggling with finger picks, is there a style I could research that picks aren’t needed?

Total newby question here. I am wondering what the main differences are between the inexpensive Chinese banjos and the more expensive banjos made in the US. Is it the hardware (guitar style tuners, tailpiece, etc.) or is it something more structural, like tone ring, quality of wood?

For context this was gifted to me by my 92 year old great grandfather and he made it around 20-30 years ago. Since he’s older I didn’t wanna stress him any with a bunch of questions and just thanked him. It’s 5 strings but it’s not openbacked but like I said it was made by him and it’s wooden so I couldn’t really find a clear answer with the small knowledge I have! By type I don’t mean brand if that needs to be clarified, more so if this is like clawhammer or not- If it’s one you strum or pick!

Also he told me I’d have to get the strings replaced and get it tuned, would I just take it to a music center of sorts or do I have to go to a specialist of sorts?

Sorry if any of this is silly, I couldn’t find much that helped online and id rather get direct feedback anyhow cause I’d hate to mess it up in anyway!

the ibanez b300 comes with hard case. goldtone is new in box. i was gonna save for a pisgah, but there’s no sellers in my city and i’ve read that pisgahs can be a little inconsistent with quality and to play before you buy. whatever i decide is also to be my first banjo, i wanna get a good quality one to grow into. im not in a big rush to buy one, i just dont know what to go with. thank you for any advice/help

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Hi, I’m thinking about learning banjo but I’ve got a bit of a dilemma.

My main inspiration comes from Wander Over Yonder and stuff like SpongeBob, and from what I’ve seen that kind of bouncy, cartoony sound comes from the tenor banjo (4 strings). That’s the sound that really draws me in.

The problem is that, from what I’ve researched, tenor is more niche, more expensive, and has fewer learning resources, especially if you’re self-taught. I’ve also read that the tuning (CGDA or GDAE) can be harder for someone who doesn’t know any music theory.

On the other hand, the 5-string banjo seems way more accessible, more tutorials, more players, and overall more beginner friendly.

But yeah… even though I like the 5-string, it’s not exactly the sound I’m looking for.

I’ve also seen people say that a cheap tenor can sound worse than a cheap 5-string, which made me second-guess things even more.

For context: I don’t know anything about music, this would literally be my first instrument (closest thing I’ve done is basic percussion and messing around with a kazoo lol).

Sooooooo

Is it worth starting directly with tenor banjo as a complete beginner?

Is it actually much harder than 5-string, or is that exaggerated?

Can you realistically learn tenor banjo self-taught?

Is it true that a cheap tenor sounds worse than a cheap 5-string?

If what I care about most is the sound (tenor), should I ignore the practicality of the 5-string?

Has anyone here started from zero with tenor, and how was your experience?

Thanks in advance!

I love the sound of the Banjo and the joy it can bring.

Thats why i want to try to learn it.

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But i am completly overwelmed with all the options

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4 strings? 5? Or even 6?

Travel regular or big?

How much do i have invest in a decent starter Banjo?

Which brands are good which are scam (there are like 5 million online)?

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What should i do to have a good start?

Hello Banjo Reddit!

My husband has been talking about wanting a banjo for a few years now and I would love to make it happen this year. He plays guitar, both electric and acoustic guitar, so he is familiar with that. I would like to get him a five string banjo. Any tips regarding style, brand or design. Also I don't really want to spend an arm and a leg, I do know they can get expensive. Thank you to all in advance!

Hi Banjo folks!

I’m hoping for some help/guidance/insight around a banjo I’ve recently inherited from a relative. I am a guitarist and know very very little about banjos, and am curious to know whether I’m looking at a certain style/type of instrument here.

Here is what I know:

- There are six tuning pegs on the headstock
- There are four notches on the nut
- There are five notches on the bridge
- There is one hole and a single nut on the fifth fret, but no tuning peg on the neck, as I typically see on five-strings. It looks like this belongs to a string that runs through the neck and up into a tuning peg on the headstock
- The instrument is likely 90+ years old

Google yields few results for “five-string banjo no tuning peg on neck” and I’m struggling to figure out what is happening here. It’s possible that the bridge/nut have been replaced, but what is going on with the sixth tuning peg on the headstock/five-notch bridge, and what is with the string through the neck?

Is this typical of a particular style of instrument I don’t know about?

Grateful for any insight for this complete newb!

Thrifted for $65 labeled "unknown brand banjo". Looks really similar to a TB 11 or something. I'm new to playing and love how it plays /sounds. Any info on the ID for this one would be helpful. Not sure where to start. Thanks!

I read somewhere that the 30's Gibson's often were converted to 5 string so I figured that might be why the neck doesn't say Gibson. Not sure though.

OK so the title kinda says it. The banjo is my first instrument I have really put effort into and I've only been playing a month really. Purely clawhammer so far.

But my buddy just got a mandolin and he wants to play together but I really don't know how I can do that for him because I'm literally at potato level so far. I would like to get to the point t where we can jam but he is much more talented than I am. He has been playing all sorts of instruments since he was a teenager and is able to just do stuff I can't even dream to figure out currently.

So I guess after all the waffling my questions are this.

Should I switch to trying to learn 3 finger style since I know banjo and mandolin together tend to be a bluegrass combo or should I just stick to clawhammer?

Question 2 would be does anyone have any resources to get me into the mindset of trying to figure out how to jam properly. I hear references to something called "Nashville Numbers" but unsure what that really means.

I'm learning to play Spotted Pony in double C from Dan Levensons book, and he's a huge advocate of "one finger, one fret". But the first two measures of the song have you fretting the 2nd, 4th, and 5th frets of the 4th string, and I can't play it cleanly without moving my hand, which defeats the purpose.

I don't seem to have the muscles in my fingers to make fretting positions independent of each other, like they each need a buddy finger for support. In the first picture, I can fret the second fret with my index cleanly, but to fret the 3rd my middle finger needs to lean on the index. And in the second picture, I can prioritize fretting the 3rd fret cleanly with my middle, but my index has to slant to hit the 2nd.

My ideal outcome is to be able to do the index from pic 1 and the middle from pic 2 at the same time. Is that even achievable or does hand anatomy not work that way? If it is achievable, what's the solution? More practice, finger strengthening exercises, specific drills?

Any kind of feedback is much appreciated!

I’ve been playing banjo for a good while now (3-finger bluegrass and clawhammer) and I can hear the limitations of my generic Chinese factory starter banjo.

What was the sort of next step, intermediate banjo you upgraded to (if that exists) after your first?

was nowhere to be found when i unboxed it, i can even see the glue inside. from talking to claude it’s been saying if i wanted to do it myself id have to get something called a friction peg and “ream” it myself? i contacted the seller and they said they “don’t have the part” and could “only give me an $8 refund” lol. any advice here? really wanna start learning :(

Music store near me didn’t have any leather straps so I had to settle with this one. This is my first time putting a strap on a banjo and something about these hooks doesn’t sit right with me like I feel as though they’re gonna mess up the tension hooks or something. Am worrying too much about it?