NechvilleZeus - Posted - 03/26/2025:  21:53:23

Hi all. Watched a seminar on Brainjo. Didn't appear it was live but maybe I was mistaken. Not a fan of the marketing but it is interesting and seems most folks who have used it are happy with it. Yes, I am aware of the free Youtubes etc but just checking out various options.

With a discount it's kinda steep at $599 with a discount for watching the webinar. Wondering if there are deeper discounts like Black Friday sales etc.

Thanks!

Bill Rogers - Posted - 03/26/2025:  22:27:02

I would listen to/watch all of the various teachers’ videos available for free to get a feel for the teacher’s plahing style(s). Then I’d go with the one whose playing (and teaching approach) most appealed to me—the one I wanted to sound likke. If you’re lucky have more than one appealing teacher, scope out comparative costs. Personally, I would not want to commit $600+ on the assumption that the lesson series will work out. I would look for one that I could use/pay for one or two at a time. For me the opt-out ability without further cost would be worth it.

kybanjer - Posted - 03/27/2025:  07:10:01

I watched the seminar video a week or so ago too and was blown away by the $599 “limited time deal” that was offered at the end. That much of an investment up front for something that I don’t even know if I’ll be able to use and make suitable progress with was not what I was expecting. I was fired up and ready to subscribe to a reasonably priced monthly plan but instead ended up wishing I had the hour and 20 minutes back that I wasted watching his sales pitch.

gbisignani - Posted - 03/27/2025:  08:04:54

I personally didn't like Brainjo. I work off a computer and the writing (tabs) were too small for me. I don't know how people work off telephones.

I was paying monthly and it was a real dog trying to cancel. No response from Brainjo directly. After numerous attempts I had to post on BHO to finally get cancelled.

JS1219 - Posted - 03/27/2025:  08:30:37

I watched some videos from Brainjo, and it looks like a good way to learn. but I wanted to try it first, so I signed up for the free 30-day account. It says it will auto-renew at the regular price, but I can cancel at any time.

So my question is do I have to pay for the second month or is it completely free?


Thanks, Juan Solo

Owen - Posted - 03/27/2025:  09:13:40

Methinks that ^^ is a question for Brainjo, but fwiw, my interpretation is that if you don't cancel before the second month starts you will be charged "regular price" for it 

My interpretation of "free" is "no strings attached," so giving Brainjo the ability to "auto renew" was one of the things that I didn't like ... IF I decide to continue I should be able to arrange/confirm the payments at that time.

harrisiv - Posted - 03/27/2025:  14:01:28

I recently purchased the Brainjo monthly plan even though you pay a little more because I didn't want to invest a huge chunk all at once (even though it is supposedly refundable). 

FYI, I am a brand new clawhammer player (since January 2025) with NO musical experience.  What I have found is that each online course teaches largely the same basic content but each "teacher" has a different teaching "method".  No one size fits all.



There is alot of great stuff out there for free to get you going.  To date, I have tried dozens or free and paid teachers that include Tom Collins (Patreon membership $108/yr. - beginner to advanced), Cathy Fink ($27.99 Beginner Module 1 - Truefire great beginner stuff), Banjo Lemonade (free and also great beginner stuff), Lukas Pool (wonderful free beginner series - The Ozark Banjo Company), and some basic stuff from Jack at banjoskills.com (free but will be hit with marketing emails) to name a few.



I started with Cathy Fink's lessons but got stuck when she jumped into fretting.  Ultimately, I chose the structure and methodology from Brainjo as my base learning platform after trying his eight (8) fee video series and finally watching the webinar (not necessary).  However, I still routinely reference my paid memberships from Tom Collins and Cathy Fink when I need more explanation, get stuck on something, or just want something different to keep it fresh.

I am sure some people great clawhammer online teaching platforms, but these are the only ones I have really explored.  Hope this helps and sorry for the additional information if you didn't need it.

83Hawk - Posted - 03/27/2025:  14:19:45

quote:

---

Originally posted by NechvilleZeus

Hi all. Watched a seminar on Brainjo. Didn't appear it was live but maybe I was mistaken. Not a fan of the marketing but it is interesting and seems most folks who have used it are happy with it. Yes, I am aware of the free Youtubes etc but just checking out various options.



With a discount it's kinda steep at $599 with a discount for watching the webinar. Wondering if there are deeper discounts like Black Friday sales etc.



Thanks!

---

I did the same and agree that it looks interesting...and expensive.  I think I read in an older thread it may be available for $499 on Black Friday.

Since I am in no hurry as far as advancing my skills and will only be playing by myself at home, I plan on sticking with the free stuff (at least for now).  I figure the most important thing is to get the basics down.  You can do a lot of playing with just the basics.  Over time I can slowly work in more advanced stuff if I want.

The Banjo Lemonade gal does a pretty good job getting you started.

Edited by - 83Hawk on 03/27/2025 14:20:40

Wobba - Posted - 03/28/2025:  10:11:49

That price, $599, is for special instruction. If you just want to learn as a beginner you get 30 day free trial and then $21 per month and can quit at any time.

Clawhammer

Fingerstyle

kybanjer - Posted - 03/28/2025:  10:57:15

Well thanks for pointing that out Wobba! I’ll have to give that a look.