Banjo; That there thread, boy.

**CRASS** · 03-04-2009 03:15 AM

Okay i know there was one a while back.. but i cant find it for the life of me.

In anycase, i recently bought my first a few weeks back, and im just seein who else plays, whos got tips/tricks, first good songs/ways to learn, etc. Ive been WAY too into bluegrass and the like lately, so show some love.

**Petary791** · 03-04-2009 07:27 AM

I love the banjo. Way more fun to play than guitar because everyone plays guitar. I suck at rolls ala Scruggs style, but I like ker-chunk'n to some Sufjan Stevens from time to time.

My banjo is a piece, but I did get it for free from my Great Uncle who apparently won it in a bet down in some boondock bar in Tennessee.

**Dizi** · 03-04-2009 09:38 AM

For years I been telling myself I need to get a banjo. They kinda freak me out, I don't understand them yet. Part guitar, part snare drum, tuners in odd places, fingerpicks.

But I'm a city boy. Bela Fleck is the only banjo player I'm familiar with. Who else is good?

**Petary791** · 03-04-2009 03:59 PM

BELA IS SICK. If you're looking for straight bluegrass check out Earl Scruggs, if you're into more kerchunk strum playing check out Sufjan Stevens. The album Seven Swans and Michigan has a lot of banjee boy.

**Dizi** · 03-04-2009 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by Petary791

BELA IS SICK. If you're looking for straight bluegrass check out Earl Scruggs, if you're into more kerchunk strum playing check out Sufjan Stevens. The album Seven Swans and Michigan has a lot of banjee boy.

I'll check them out, thanks man! And yeah, more towards bluegrass is my interest for banjo.

Bela is a freak of nature. I never heard of him until I saw his PBS special and was completely blown away. I had no idea a banjo could be played that way (jazz, classical, etc). But he's like Eddie Van Halen (or Victor Wooten)...I love what I'm hearing but not inspired to try and approach that level.

Good stuff.

**globogim** · 03-04-2009 04:52 PM

Woo! Go banjo, it is definitely the most fun instrument to play

**Petary791** · 03-04-2009 05:10 PM

And regarding the tuning of the banjo, try tuning your high E on your guitar down to a D, then don't use the two lowest strings and BAM banjo minus the drone string.

**jshalvorsen** · 03-04-2009 06:39 PM

Wow! So long since I've seen you on the fish CRASS! Cool to know you're still here

I don't know squat about banjo's but my old dad is a bluegrass fanatic and plays the banjo all day long. Kickas$ instrument and it takes some skill to make it sound good. Good luck on the banjoplaying!

**pennypusher** · 03-04-2009 06:48 PM

j garcia on banjo and grisham on the mandolin is awesome stuff

**JerseyJay** · 03-04-2009 06:51 PM

Dock Boggs was the old-time banjo master.

YouTube - Dock Boggs - Sugar Baby

**sniffleless** · 03-04-2009 09:26 PM

The banjos are fun. Me being left handed it's hard for me to find a 5 string. They are out there and they want me to pay through the nose to get it. So I just tinker on the 4 string banjos and the 6 string guitar banjos. My friend does AC/DC covers on a 6 string banjo. That sounds really good. It works.

I was interested in this girl once and she played banjo. She said the guy that taught her made her build her own banjo before he would teach her how to play. It was real nice. She was awesome. But I was too shy and missed my chance to date her. She could play the heck out of the banjo.

**Clarp775** · 03-04-2009 09:50 PM

woohoo banjo players!!

im just learning its fun stuff

**pennypusher** · 03-04-2009 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by sniffleless

The banjos are fun. Me being left handed it's hard for me to find a 5 string. They are out there and they want me to pay through the nose to get it. So I just tinker on the 4 string banjos and the 6 string guitar banjos. My friend does AC/DC covers on a 6 string banjo. That sounds really good. It works.

I was interested in this girl once and she played banjo. She said the guy that taught her made her build her own banjo before he would teach her how to play. It was real nice. She was awesome. But I was too shy and missed my chance to date her. She could play the heck out of the banjo.

oh wow,you never let a girl go that can play banjo and if she can yodel even better..not sarcasm..serious.
you know if she can play banjo ,she can bake a delicious pie.

**CRASS** · 03-05-2009 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by loadedfisherman

oh wow,you never let a girl go that can play banjo and if she can yodel even better..not sarcasm..serious.
you know if she can play banjo ,she can bake a delicious pie.

i totally agree.

and building your own is a blast, and pretty dang easy.

anybody suggest a good book to begin with?

**Petary791** · 03-05-2009 05:27 PM

Google The Banjo Hangout. Tons of good info there, mostly for free.

**Tread** · 03-05-2009 05:32 PM

i have seen Bela Fleck play live, the man knows his Banjo!

i have to recomend the album Perpetual Motion, which is a set of Classic music Played using a Banjo.

**sniffleless** · 03-05-2009 07:54 PM

I kick myself for letting that girl get away. It did push me to be less shy with girls. It also doesn't help when the big ex comes back in to sweep her off her feet and totally commit to the relationship. I just show up and "oh this is my ex. we are getting back together and I'm moving in with him at his place three states away. nice knowing you."

I've had my eye on a cheap four string banjo for awhile. It's like a Dean or Reynolds or something. I can get it for a deal (if I had money).

There was some fun banjo playing going on at the Dixie Cup race last year. Big sing-a-long fun.

**CRASS** · 03-06-2009 01:03 AM

Im tellin ya man, make yerself one. you can even do it with one of those big metal olive oil cans.. and you can make it lefty!

**Dizi** · 03-06-2009 09:49 AM

Homemade Minstrel Banjo

**JohnsonCity** · 03-06-2009 10:24 AM

If yall ever wanna come to the motherland of bluegrass, hear some music, and skate some hills, come and be my guest. We even have bluegrass as a major at the University here. My classmates are always bringing their banjos and mandolins and playing them before class starts.
It's not banjo but I made this video last year of a charango and a citern trying to play together.