New to the Banjo - Christmas 2014

G'day,

Dropped into a local music store here in Canberra a couple of weeks back to lay-by an electronic keyboard for the 13 year-old son for Christmas. While that was being arranged noticed a small selection of banjos hanging on the wall (8 or so compared to the hundreds of guitars!) and thought it would be an interesting instrument to learn. Started looking up various bits and bobs on-line, discovered (at least) 2 of the world's great comic geniuses are extremely proficient on the banjo. Skip forward a couple of weeks to Boxing Day here downunder - teenage son is tapping away on his keyboard (lots of electronic bells and whistles for a young tech-head) and I've taken first tentative steps on my new Tanglewood TWB24M5 (renting it initially to make sure i like it - but pretty sure I'll end up buying outright).

I have played a (very average) cornet in a Salvation Army band in years past,  so I do have some exposure to music. Never played a guitar or other string instrument. My natural inclination would be to play left-handed but I've gone with the in-store right handed instrument and will try to learn that way.

Like most newbies I'm tending towards bluegrass and am impressed by the tutorial videos of Mark Wardle (nice to hear a fellow Aussie accent) but will also look to get hold of some books as well. The store I bought from has a few. They recommended the Play Banjo Today book and DVD combo. Any thoughts?

I know most people here can probably walk, talk, chew gum, and play banjo all at the same time with eyes closed while texting their significant other, but I would like to know if the following sounds familiar to at least a few others in their remote past:

You have to constantly watch the strings to make sure you're picking the correct one.

Even looking at the strings you pick the correct one and the one next to it.

If you try to go at anymore than about 60 beats per minute it all starts to go pear shape.

You wonder if you're picking (that's what people on the videos do!) or just flicking fly-dirt off the strings.

Left hand??!! You mean while picking with right hand I have to bend my left hand around the neck of the banjo at an unfamiliar angle, stop looking at my right hand, count the correct number of frets, press my fingers against the proper strings (boy, that hurts a bit!), so that my strumming/picking actually sounds like the bloke on the video.

If there are other members who can actually remember times like that, then I know I'm not embarking on an impossible journey, but hopefully one that will reward a lot of practice effort and concentration with a result that I will enjoy.

I'm looking forward to my banjo journey and to delving into the thoughts, ideas, conversations, advice, support, reviews etc offered here on the hangout.

Cheers,

Duncan Woodhouse

Canberra, AUSTRALIA