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Hi there! the questions to those who has recently started playing the instrument. How long dit it take you to learn the basis? what can you recooment for beginners?
Thanks-)
It depends on a number of factors: your natural ability, the type (and difficulty) of style you wish to learn, how you practice, the quality and playability of your instrument, etc. There is no single answer.
I agree with John: there's no one answer fits all. It takes what time it takes.
I've had students who had a natural talent and picked up the basics quickly and I've had students who struggled and never understood the basics.
As with many other things, the best time to start something (learn something, plant a tree, etc) was 20 years ago. The second best time is TODAY. So stop haunting the internet and just get on with it!!
Edited by - Eric A on 09/22/2023 05:10:37
I don't think you'll find anyone among those "who recently started playing" banjo that could tell you the approximate time it takes to learn to play it. They are all still in the process of finding out that it is a life-long endeavour.
If all you want to do is strum basic chords while you and your friends & family sing along, ten minutes.
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=7a46b4dedbca6b53JmltdHM9MTY5NTM0MDgwMCZpZ3VpZD0xNDVmYmNmZS04OWZhLTY0Y2MtMWQ1Mi1hZTY5ODgyOTY1YjgmaW5zaWQ9NTU0MA&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=145fbcfe-89fa-64cc-1d52-ae69882965b8&u=a1L3ZpZGVvcy9yaXZlcnZpZXcvcmVsYXRlZHZpZGVvP3E9ZWFzeStiYW5qbysxKzIrMysmbWlkPUUzQTM5OTk0ODQ1NzM0OTJDNDA0RTNBMzk5OTQ4NDU3MzQ5MkM0MDQ&ntb=1
If you want to play like Pete Seeger, Roy Clark, Steve Martin, Doc Boggs, Earl Scruggs.... start today, work on it a little every day, and don't be in a rush.
You can learn how to play three basic chords (G, C, D7) and do a basic clawhammer strumming pattern or bluegrass pinching pattern in about an hour. You can be singing along with those chords in another hour. I've taught dozens and dozens of people how to play while sitting around campfires at festivals. Yes, you CAN play the banjo.
The barrier to entry on banjo is probably the lowest of any stringed instrument. The open tuning combined with only having 4 fretted strings (5th string doesn't count) makes chords quite simple. The banjo is a folk instrument first and foremost, it's meant to be played by everyone, and most of the greats never had any formal musical training or education.
That said, how long does it take to "master" the banjo? It takes a lifetime. It's a very low barrier to entry, but it's a pretty high ceiling if you want to become an expert.
Recommendations: If you can, find a local teacher. Someone that actually teaches banjo, not a guitar teacher that says they also teach banjo. If that's not an option, for bluegrass I always recommend Jim Panky, Geoff Hohwald, and Sean Ray. For clawhammer or old time styles, I always recommend Clifton Hicks, Patrick Costello, and Mike Iverson.
Edited by - KCJones on 09/22/2023 06:35:49
Recommendation for beginners: Learn the basics. Put in the time and focus to play cleanly with steady timing and solid rhythm. Forget about speed and how long it takes. Speed usually comes naturally, in time, after you lay down a solid foundation. Enjoy the sounds you make, regardless of how well you play. Have banjo heroes that inspire you to play, but don't measure yourself against them. Trust the process.
quote:
Originally posted by TomkelHow long dit it take you to learn the basics?
>>> at the time I had a young family to support, not much time, was a slow student: with once-weekly lessons, about 6 months
what can you recoommend for beginners?
>>> scratch the word "impossible" from your vocabulary.
Your fingers are told to do something they've never done before so it might take "a while." I asked Bela Fleck once (early in his career) how to get to the next stage. His answer, "I play eight hours a day." Yup, that one sure don't need any explanation.
Always keep in mind: banjos are all about having fun. Go have some already 
Fifty years into it.
Still learning.
A fairly common answer is four to eight years. That's about the same time it takes to learn a language.
Like Mike Gregory said, if all you want to do is strum barre chords to folk songs, ten minutes is generous.
I've been at it for more than a decade and still suck, so it varies. I keep telling myself that this time next year I'm going to be good!
I started playing last November and meet your questions demographic. Unfortunately I dont know what "learn the basis" means?
I have played guitar for 23 years now and as a pro for 21 of those years. So it took me about 3 months to hit the speed and clarity to play on stage with a banjo. 3 months of relentless practice for 3 or 4 hours a day. That might be 2 years of time for casual players and another 2 years if I account for how long it took to learn music theory and guitar picking as a teenager.
But I was strumming chords and singing songs on day 1, 23 years ago without youtube, I had an older pro teach me.
As for banjo, I can tell you what I did. I first went through Eli Gilberts 30 days of banjo on youtube. I then went through Jim Pankeys videos on learning and the videos on playing backup here on bho. I then went through Jack Hatfields method 1, method 2 and backup books and cds.
If you know what a chord is and decent music theory, Id just go with the Hatfield books. Eli does a good job at basic music theory and would be a better place to start if you dont know basic music theory.
A lot of people just play by ear, theres books for that too.
4 years to become moderately competent
The great Henry Dobson, maker of the celebrated patent Silverbell Banjos that are so admired today by "old time" players, promised to teach anyone in a few minutes to become proficient in playing all the popular melodies and vocal accompaniments of the day. All without a single note!
Just follow his simple method of open and closed dot things with numbers and, in a few minutes, will be a master at playing banjo!
Here is a link to this miracle and simple method, absolutely free (with money back guarantee- act now!)...
archive.org/details/original-d.../mode/1up
Now, if you want to learn correctly by the most rapid method, the best way (claims the author) is by Lohman's Surprise Banjo Method. Completely without notes! Complete with everything you will ever need to know in 34 easy lessons:
archive.org/details/lohmans-su.../mode/1up
several years ago i took a Banjo lesson from Richie Dotson and he gave me this hand-out....(i'm not sure if he wrote it or not, and if i am violating his copyright i apologize and will remove) ... i don't necessarily agree with everything in it, but it's the most descriptive answer to this never-ending question that i've seen.....hope it helps 
---'--:: (you may have to scroll down to see the attachment)
I heard that this one kid started playing banjo soon after his umbilical cord was cut. I also heard that later on he quit the banjo in favor of learning the accordion. Today he sells crawdad juice pops at a little stand outside of Biloxi, Mississippi.
How long does it take to learn to play the banjo? I will quote the Cajun chef Justin Wilson, "How long is a piece of string?"
Robert
quote:
Originally posted by NotABanjoYodaI started playing last November and meet your questions demographic. Unfortunately I dont know what "learn the basis" means?
Probably meant "learn the basics"
ClawJam I think that is probably the most quantitative chart Ive seen to answer this question. 2000 hours is also a better answer than to answer in years. Dotson is a smart cookie. I imagine your disagreement would be that somehow practicing for 5 minute increments is as good as 2 hour increments. linear
Jack Hatfields book says at least 1 hour every day to get better. 20 minutes to maintain song selections.
Edited by - NotABanjoYoda on 09/22/2023 09:10:13
quote:
Originally posted by TomkelHi there! the questions to those who has recently started playing the instrument. How long dit it take you to learn the basis? what can you recooment for beginners?
The most important thing to do is listen to the type of banjo music you want to play.
5-string banjo (if that's what you're learning) is an unusual instrument (thanks to that high 5th string on the low side of the neck) payed in at least three different ways: clawhammer, three-finger, two-finger. These style of playing banjo sound different from other instruments.
To learn to play music on the banjo you absolutely need to know what banjo music sounds like.
After that, find the instructional material (book, video, online) that communicates to you, then practice, practice, practice and listen, listen, listen. The music has to be in your ears before it can come out of your fingers.
Good luck.
And welcome to the Hangout.
I’m sort of in the camp of NotABanjoYoda. Got a Goodtime 2 late last October. Playing guitar since I was about 10, semi-pro level in my teens and 20’s (punk bands). For the past 10 years or so began playing more folk and picking, so applied that to banjo. More-or-less Travis picking on the ‘Jo.
I started with the amazing Jim Pankey Beginner series on YouTube, and sought out an incredible local musician Clinton Davis who also gives lessons. But family circumstances forced me to drop lessons, for the time being. But I still play an hour to two every day. I am not nearly as proficient as NotABanjoYoda. He absolutely shreds for not a year in. But I would think I’m at the front of year-in players. Having a string stringed instrument base was very helpful.
I will also add playing in a band is mucho different than solo. I was given my very first guitar in 90s and immediately started trying to figure out stairway to heaven and cemetary gates...by ear. Then a mentor set me straight and I became a competent soloist. Then I joined a band and learned that being a soloist isnt as useful as backing the singer. The singer generally carries the tune.
But I know many impressive players on many instruments that dont sing and only solo.
Each has a set of basics to learn is my point.
quote:
Originally posted by NotABanjoYodaClawJam I think that is probably the most quantitative chart Ive seen to answer this question. 2000 hours is also a better answer than to answer in years. Dotson is a smart cookie. I imagine your disagreement would be that somehow practicing for 5 minute increments is as good as 2 hour increments. linear
Jack Hatfields book says at least 1 hour every day to get better. 20 minutes to maintain song selections.
Forget the chart. The amount of time spent learning is not near as important as how you spend it. Blurry as it is, read, and give serious thought to the text below the chart. Keep in mind, time is the one & only commodity on this earth that is irreplaceable! Endeavor to spend it wisely. Make the most of time spent by having fun while learning.
Kids learn quickly. They have nothing else to do except learn & play. Plus, they are naturally curious, accepting everything without question. Adult life, on the other hand, is cluttered with responsibilities getting in the way. I made peace with myself long ago by justifying Earl was better than I at what he did for a living, while I was better than he at what I did for a living.
FWIW: there is a book called The Practice of Practice by Jonathan Harnum. Had that book been available when I was in school, I may have gotten better grades.
quote:
Originally posted by monstertonequote:
Originally posted by NotABanjoYodaClawJam I think that is probably the most quantitative chart Ive seen to answer this question. 2000 hours is also a better answer than to answer in years. Dotson is a smart cookie. I imagine your disagreement would be that somehow practicing for 5 minute increments is as good as 2 hour increments. linear
Jack Hatfields book says at least 1 hour every day to get better. 20 minutes to maintain song selections.Forget the chart. The amount of time spent learning is not near as important as how you spend it. Blurry as it is, read, and give serious thought to the text below the chart. Keep in mind, time is the one & only commodity on this earth that is irreplaceable! Endeavor to spend it wisely. Make the most of time spent by having fun while learning.
Kids learn quickly. They have nothing else to do except learn & play. Plus, they are naturally curious, accepting everything without question. Adult life, on the other hand, is cluttered with responsibilities getting in the way. I made peace with myself long ago by justifying Earl was better than I at what he did for a living, while I was better than he at what I did for a living.
FWIW: there is a book called The Practice of Practice by Jonathan Harnum. Had that book been available when I was in school, I may have gotten better grades.
Monstertone, i understand what you are saying and do not completely disagree with you….however….i was attempting to give some insight for the OP’s question of “the approximate time to learn to play the banjo”. It’s not my opinion that i shared….it’s Mr. Dotson’s, which he shared with me. Also, the question just says “learn to play”, not “play the banjo well”…..which i suppose is subjective, but i’d assume is what most of us aspire to.
Every person’s advice comes from an opinion which is based on one’s personal experience…we all learn and experience things differently. The issue i have with the idea that you don’t need to spend large amounts of time practicing to be good is with the right hand being groomed and reliable (left hand kinda, too) …..that takes large amounts of practice time, even to maintain….5 minutes a day ain’t gonna do it…..and i don’t believe there are shortcuts, as some teach.
Serena Williams learned how to serve a long time ago. If she didn’t spend hours a day grooming that serve she couldn’t maintain it. In that sense there is no substitute for time spent on your instrument. This is my experience, it may not be yours. One of the above posts says Bela practiced 8 hours a day….Steve Vai said he practiced 10 hours a day. If you want to be really good, i don’t personally believe there’s any way around putting the time in. And where i totally agree… it should be fun….if not, why are we doing it?
True, one must put in the time training the hands to do what you want them to do. No two ways about it.
The point I'm attempting to qet across is, playing with others not only hones previously acquired skills, it also flattens the learning curve, while simultaneously providing some degree of satisfaction. Not to mention, usually, for free.
@Clawjam wrote "One of the above posts says Bela practiced 8 hours a day…."
I should have written the important word in bold: I did not say "Bela practiced 8 hours a day."
I did say, "Bela told me he PLAYS 8 hours a day," HUGE DIFFERENCE!!! The basics had come pretty swiftly.
Another minor detail: the OP asked how long the basics came to each one of us personably, not how long it is expected to take for the basics to arrive.
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