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BanjoPlayinFisherman - Posted - 09/08/2010: 20:55:26
Howdy yall. New here to the forum, and new to the banjo as well!
I'm only eightteen years old but for several years i've listened to country/bluegrass and such and always loved hearing the banjo. Therefore i decided to buy one and try and teach myself to play!
I now have a banjo, (called a "NorMa"), do not really know anything about it other than it was just restrung/tuned, and has a resonator that came with it. From what i've read most clawhammer is done without using resonators??
Anyways! I was really really hoping yall could point me in good direction on how to start and learn the banjo. I'd love to learn just the basics and work my way up. If you guys knew of any tutorials or videos and such on what i should learn first and practice as i keep working my way up that'd be fanastic!
Before its really suggested, id really rather teach my self and not get a teacher/mentor or whatever. Being a college student, doing homework, working everyday, working out, i just dont really have loads of time or money. So if i teach my self i can just do a bit here and there late or early.
Thank you very much everyone and can't wait to be the next Earl Scruggs!  
DenBanjo - Posted - 09/08/2010: 21:07:29
HI! I'm new here myself and was tryin to figger out a way to introduce myself and I guess I can start here. Believe it or not, before I came here, I just searched YouTube. There are plenty of starter videos on there plus some songs if you have a good ear. From what I've seen on here as well, they have alot of free resources to help as well as tablatures. I've been playing only a month myself and just picked up an Epiphone MB-100 starter banjo and it's good enough. The one thing I've learned already is that there are MANY different techniques to get the same effect. As for me, I just like the way Grandpa Jones and Stringbean play and that's how I've been learnin'. Good luck on the banjo! I've loved it so far and pray the same for you.
Edited by - DenBanjo on 09/08/2010 21:08:19
scooter46 - Posted - 09/08/2010: 21:14:05
wELCOME TO THE H O you'll find a lot of good advise here. There is a lot of free help on the internet, look up Patrick Costello and the old woodchucks Rocket Science banjo, both have a lot of good information and It's FREE. Good Luck Larry
oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 09/08/2010: 21:46:37
I'm not sure if clawhammer is the style you are looking for, but if it is download my book from:
rocketsciencebanjo.com
I also highly recommend Mike Iverson's site
bluesageband.com
and a few other sites I can't dependably spell including the Clear Head videos at Donald Zepp's Site, Hunter Robertson's excellent site and a few others you'll find in the "links page" on my site. I don't link to any site that doesn't have superb free information.
If you can't afford a teacher you can still probably afford to find some other people with your interests in music: check campus publications for recurring jams (bluegrass, old time, folk, whatever) and attend. You can learn a lot from banjo players who aren't teachers and who won't charge you for giving you a "hand up". Just don't expect them to become free teachers.
I seriously recommend an actual book made of paper too. You can read it without a computer. For clawhammer no one has ever surpassed Ken Perlman's "Clawhammer Style Banjo" which covers just about anyhing you might want to do - But again that is only if you want to do clawhammer. My own effort Rocket Science Banjo started out as a couple essays covering details Ken doesn't get into very much.
There are many other styles of Old Time/Folk Banjo and Pete Seeger's book is still the best. "How To Play The 5 String Banjo" has been around for a long time (I used it when I was about 14. That was back in the stone age). The "Bluegrass" instruction in Pete's book is rather "iffy" but all the straight folk styles are covered and covered well, if briefly. If I could learn banjo from Pete's book without Youtube and all the websites I've mentioned above, plus this forum where you can ask any question you want, day or night, I suspect you can learn banjo from the book too.
Scruggs aka Bluegrass is not our department here, but the forum directly above is exactly what you would want.
skoobee - Posted - 09/08/2010: 22:03:45
I agree with Oldwoodchuck and scooter. As a recent convert to Banjo, Ken Perlman's Clawhammer Style Banjo really is the best of the bunch (IMHO) and Oldwoodchucks Rocket Science Banjo is possibly one of the best resources, particularly for the beginner.
Mike Iversons site has some excellent tunes and TAB, as does the Mossy Roof (Seattle String Band) site, and the Daily Frail by Patrick Costello is generally informative and fun. Patrick Costello also has some Creative Commons e-books of Banjo tunes, tabs and instruction available too, but I reckon (IMHO again) the oldwoodchuck's RSB has the edge.
Norwegianplayer - Posted - 09/08/2010: 23:11:31
I think there are a couple of self-learning tecniques that really helpes you come along. For me it was consentrating on right hand, learning rolls.
I have been playing guitar and bass for many years, so the left hand came along more easily than the right. So my suggestions is: Use a lot of time working with your right hand movment and learn how to pick. I hope you have learned to tune the banjo. If not, that is the first thing you should do. When tuning, you will soon pick up the harmony in the open G tuning, learning your ear to hear wrong / right tones. And, don't forget: HAVE FUN! Good Luck!
Paul R - Posted - 09/09/2010: 04:13:42
Hi Zachary - and Dennis - and welcome to BHO! As you can see above, there's lots of good advice available here; all you have to do is ask.
You say you listened to bluegrass, yet you posted in the clawhammer section. Do you know the difference? That's a major issue right there. Many people play both, but most concentrate on one or the other. It's a decision you'll have to make, pretty much right away. If you want to be "the next Earl Scruggs", you should post in the bluegrass section, and get started right away - that's a huge task you've set for yourself!
If it's clawhammer, the resources already mentioned will do. I got a boost from watching Donald Zepp's videos. His banjo demos not only showcase a bunch of the standard clawhammer fiddle tunes, they also show the variations in tone available in open-back banjos made by expert luthiers. I prefer to watch videos from accomplished pickers, such as Don Zepp, Annie and Mac, Hunter Roberstson, Dan Levenson, Tom Collins, Cathy Moore, and Mary Cox (an incomplete list). BHO has a huge resource of videos - it will take up much of your time sorting through them. Don't neglect your studies - or change your major to music!
I'd suggest that you lay out some cash and get an electronic tuner. You'll need something to keep your banjo in concert pitch - it's the only way you can play with other musicians. It's not a substitute for a trained ear, but is generally indispensable, as few of us have perfect pitch.
wahr - Posted - 09/09/2010: 07:21:31
My humbly advice: Look at the first lesson video from Patrick Costello (or try Rocket Science Banjo from oldwoodchuckb). If you got hooked on it, than it might be a good idea to try to learn clawhammer-style. If you don't like the technique, maybe you should learn the Scruggs-bluegrass-style.
Costello: Lesson 1
youtube.com/watch?v=qo0cy0REMY8
minstrelmike - Posted - 09/09/2010: 13:21:04
If you have never played a chorded instrument, try just chording and strumming your way thru some already familiar tunes before you worry about learning fancy leads or specific picking techniques.
Just chord your way thru some familiar country tunes and get both hands working in a musical manner before trying any 'real banjo' stuff. (Should take you less than a week to chord thru 10 different but already familiar songs).
DenBanjo - Posted - 09/09/2010: 13:54:37
For me, I had already been playing gutiar for years. Even though still not that good with it. So I'm familiar chords. My struggle was getting the clawhammer technique down. I tried it on guitar and it's SO much different. On banjo, I actually played almost all day for a week to get it down. Had to switch from my 1st finger to my index from wearin my fingernail down. Then started wearing a pick to cover it. Not exactly traditional to do that, but alot better than wearin my fingernail down to nothin.
leemysliwiec - Posted - 09/09/2010: 14:03:03
I have found the youtube and other tutorials very helpful but Nothing has helped as much as finding a real live banjo player to work with. Hopefully, by asking around you can find someone who plays clawhammer style. With a personal instruction you get feedback on your form and you can hopefully avoid developing poor techniques right from the start. Also, a good musician will assess your skill level and head you in the right direction. And.... by meeting one real live clawhammer player, the door will open to meeting the other musicians of that style in your area. Nothing motivates better that a good jam session. Good luck. Welcome to the Hangout. I have learned a lot from it and you will too. These guys have a wealth of knowledge.
scooter46 - Posted - 09/10/2010: 08:29:06
Viper let's give clawhammer equal coverage although your video was very good this shows that clawhammer banjo can be played by itself very well. Larry
youtube.com/watch?v=l31MSpojWTA
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