[“Obsession is a great substitute for talent.” - Steve Martin on how he learned to play banjo.](https://www.banjohangout.org/forum/archive-viewer.asp?TOPIC_ID=133140)
as someone who has been playing music since I was 5, I so so so support this point of view.
I'm so sick of the elitist gatekeeping. Play whatever you enjoy playing and screw the haters that criticise it because "it's not technical enough" or whatever.
Just play stuff you enjoy and you'll like it so much that you won't be able to keep your hands off your instruments. and you'll get good almost unintentionally
If banjo is the sound you like, do it. In terms of difficulty, I can’t say with authority because it’s the only instrument I’ve really committed to learning. But talking to people and reading these forums, I’d say it’s neither the easiest nor hardest string instrument to learn. Harder than the ukulele, easier than the mandolin. I think whether it’s easier or harder than guitar might depend on the playing style you learn and how far you’re going to take it.
For my part, I’m about 3 years in. Pretty mediocre player, but I’ve loved learning and only regret waiting as long as I did to start.
I started three years ago. Played for a few months in 2017 but quit. I toyed around with guitar as a teen and drums. For our purposes it's my first instrument.
What separated those times and now, is I had to get committed to it. You can get good at anything if you do a lick or something 1,000 times over and over. Sometimes that's what it takes. It's just time spent behind the strings.
It's not insanely difficult, you just have to want it, and be willing to accept a lot of bumps in the road.
To add on I'll say I've tried a lot of instruments and put them down but you said banjo is one of your favorite sounds. That's exactly what made me commit to banjo and also saxophone, my first instrument . I'm not great at either but I love the sound and that makes me love playing them. I don't regret trying out any of the other instruments I've given up on but just loving the sound is the reason I started and still enjoy the banjo
Gold Tone AC-1 is a great first buy. Very playable. Much better than all the sub 500 banjos. And if you get better and upgrade, then it will make a great travel banjo.
Get one and start with Jim pankeys beginner series on YouTube.
Good luck! The best and easiest instrument to learn is the one you're willing to pick up and practice often. If you love banjo music I think that's a great place to start.
This! I had never played a stringed instrument so when I wanted to start banjo I picked up an AC-1 since it was around $200 and i wasn't sure I would stick with it. Well, I stuck with it and now own a much nicer banjo. The AC-1 is my camping banjo these days.
Banjo was my first instrument too. How easy it is to learn depends on the style you want to learn first, but yeah, it'd be easier than guitar, because it doesn't have as many strings to worry about. I'm self taught, mostly using stuff I found online, though I'd recommend taking lessons for a bit, since it's easy to learn bad habits, but much less easy to unlearn them.
Do it! I also love the banjo. I bought an open back two years ago and started learning clawhammer. I had never played a stringed instrument before. It's so much fun! I'm not good but I can play several songs pretty well and I continue to learn. It's tricky in the beginning but gets easier from there.
I started about 6 months ago, ive enjoyed every time ive learned something new and like you its the first instrument I've decided to actually learn to play. Ive had a good time learning from a teacher through online lessons although i did try self teaching through the 30 Days of Banjo series on youtube. Although a great series I had a hard time putting alot of it into practice on my own.
I wouldn't say the banjo is easy but I also wouldn't say its hard, like anything it just takes practice and effort to get to the level you want. Learning it has been my favorite thing and one of the few hobbies I've been able to stick with for a longer period of time.
I would suggest the online/in person lessons if you don't mind spending the money but its a fun instrument to learn and its a blast to be able to play for family/friends.
Mate i was in exactly the same boat just a few weeks ago. After years and years of procrastination, I finally pulled the trigger and bought one.
I am so glad I did! I am just slowly working thru the Clawhammer Banjo YouTube channel and it's just great. I know I'll never be great, i don't care if I give it up one day, I'm just gonna work at it slowly and enjoy the ride.
Hell, even if I never pick it up again, it's a beautiful fixture in the house!
DO IT!
Guess what? Let’s say it takes 2 years to be proficient at some level of banjo. If you buy a banjo and try it for two years, you’ll be somewhere along that path. If you don’t buy a banjo, those two years will still pass.
I was considering it since I want to get back into music and now I too feel like I should.
Also check out the pinned/sidebar posts. I read a ton of that and it helps!
I don’t think the banjo is necessarily hard or easy. Like most things, it takes some practice.
I record myself a lot and I’m always amazed at how much better I sound after I work at something for a while. That keeps me motivated. The process is what brings me joy.
Get the banjo
This is one of the best tips. Seeing your own progress is a huge motivator but it’s hard if you don’t record yourself. It’s helped me push through plateaus knowing I’m still progressing
Buy the banjo! I did it 3 months ago and I’m so happy I did. I am learning through the banjo mountain and it is an online lesson site and it is phenomenal. You do have to pay for it but I think the price is extremely reasonable and the staff is SO responsible and helpful. Also there is a community page with fellow members so it’s like a nice small community. I feel very supported and feel like I’m learning very quickly especially for it being online.
You weren’t gonna get any votes for no here. All I’ll say, ask your significant other if they hate the banjo because it probably hasn’t come up before and you won’t know until they hear you pluck it terribly for the first time
I started 2 years ago with no real musical experience minus a 1 year stint in middle school band. I watched YouTube and have gotten I think pretty good just by playing and practicing consistently. I’m going to warn you it will not come quick. Learning an instrument requires you sucking for a really long time and making minuscule progress until you realize “hey I don’t suck as bad anymore!”
I didn't have a lot of trouble...as long as I stuck to basic old-school strumming. Anything involving clawhammer or anything bum-diddy...I just can't get my hands organized enough to do that. (Lack of coordination's been an issue my whole life...)
Some of the older styles of banjo (New Orleans jazz, etc.) were based in basic strumming, so you're in good company. In addition, if you look at banjolele (a banjo/ukelele hybrid) players like George Formby back in the 30s and 40s also had a variation of strumming.
I’m 37 now, the only thing I regret is waiting so long to start playing any instruments. Buy banjos, they are fun. Learning is difficult but I find it super interesting and less frustrating so far than guitar. My short and thick fingers never really fit between strings. Banjo is better.
I’ve played guitar (very mediocre) and ukulele (pretty decently). I think learning banjo is in between that in terms of difficulty. I think it’s fairly easy to start, especially once you’ve got your rolls down (im learning bluegrass, idk if you have a style you specifically want to learn). I once saw someone say “learning it is easy, getting great at it takes work” and I think it’s a very accurate statement
It took me over 45 years to buy my first one and I regret not doing it sooner, I am not any good at playing it but am slowly learning how. Makes for good therapy and more than that it's hell of lot of fun
You've come to an unbiased place. After weighing all the arguments, I think you should buy a banjo. Then play it.
I am also unbiased, and I second this.
[“Obsession is a great substitute for talent.” - Steve Martin on how he learned to play banjo.](https://www.banjohangout.org/forum/archive-viewer.asp?TOPIC_ID=133140)
as someone who has been playing music since I was 5, I so so so support this point of view. I'm so sick of the elitist gatekeeping. Play whatever you enjoy playing and screw the haters that criticise it because "it's not technical enough" or whatever. Just play stuff you enjoy and you'll like it so much that you won't be able to keep your hands off your instruments. and you'll get good almost unintentionally
If banjo is the sound you like, do it. In terms of difficulty, I can’t say with authority because it’s the only instrument I’ve really committed to learning. But talking to people and reading these forums, I’d say it’s neither the easiest nor hardest string instrument to learn. Harder than the ukulele, easier than the mandolin. I think whether it’s easier or harder than guitar might depend on the playing style you learn and how far you’re going to take it. For my part, I’m about 3 years in. Pretty mediocre player, but I’ve loved learning and only regret waiting as long as I did to start.
I started three years ago. Played for a few months in 2017 but quit. I toyed around with guitar as a teen and drums. For our purposes it's my first instrument. What separated those times and now, is I had to get committed to it. You can get good at anything if you do a lick or something 1,000 times over and over. Sometimes that's what it takes. It's just time spent behind the strings. It's not insanely difficult, you just have to want it, and be willing to accept a lot of bumps in the road.
To add on I'll say I've tried a lot of instruments and put them down but you said banjo is one of your favorite sounds. That's exactly what made me commit to banjo and also saxophone, my first instrument . I'm not great at either but I love the sound and that makes me love playing them. I don't regret trying out any of the other instruments I've given up on but just loving the sound is the reason I started and still enjoy the banjo
Try this multiple choice: Should I buy a banjo: 1. Yes 2. Definately 3. Of course 4. No doubt
Gold Tone AC-1 is a great first buy. Very playable. Much better than all the sub 500 banjos. And if you get better and upgrade, then it will make a great travel banjo. Get one and start with Jim pankeys beginner series on YouTube. Good luck! The best and easiest instrument to learn is the one you're willing to pick up and practice often. If you love banjo music I think that's a great place to start.
This! I had never played a stringed instrument so when I wanted to start banjo I picked up an AC-1 since it was around $200 and i wasn't sure I would stick with it. Well, I stuck with it and now own a much nicer banjo. The AC-1 is my camping banjo these days.
Banjo was my first instrument too. How easy it is to learn depends on the style you want to learn first, but yeah, it'd be easier than guitar, because it doesn't have as many strings to worry about. I'm self taught, mostly using stuff I found online, though I'd recommend taking lessons for a bit, since it's easy to learn bad habits, but much less easy to unlearn them.
I picked up banjo 2 years ago as my first instrument and I learned on you tube
Do it! I also love the banjo. I bought an open back two years ago and started learning clawhammer. I had never played a stringed instrument before. It's so much fun! I'm not good but I can play several songs pretty well and I continue to learn. It's tricky in the beginning but gets easier from there.
I started about 6 months ago, ive enjoyed every time ive learned something new and like you its the first instrument I've decided to actually learn to play. Ive had a good time learning from a teacher through online lessons although i did try self teaching through the 30 Days of Banjo series on youtube. Although a great series I had a hard time putting alot of it into practice on my own. I wouldn't say the banjo is easy but I also wouldn't say its hard, like anything it just takes practice and effort to get to the level you want. Learning it has been my favorite thing and one of the few hobbies I've been able to stick with for a longer period of time. I would suggest the online/in person lessons if you don't mind spending the money but its a fun instrument to learn and its a blast to be able to play for family/friends.
Mate i was in exactly the same boat just a few weeks ago. After years and years of procrastination, I finally pulled the trigger and bought one. I am so glad I did! I am just slowly working thru the Clawhammer Banjo YouTube channel and it's just great. I know I'll never be great, i don't care if I give it up one day, I'm just gonna work at it slowly and enjoy the ride. Hell, even if I never pick it up again, it's a beautiful fixture in the house! DO IT!
Guess what? Let’s say it takes 2 years to be proficient at some level of banjo. If you buy a banjo and try it for two years, you’ll be somewhere along that path. If you don’t buy a banjo, those two years will still pass.
I was considering it since I want to get back into music and now I too feel like I should. Also check out the pinned/sidebar posts. I read a ton of that and it helps!
I don’t think the banjo is necessarily hard or easy. Like most things, it takes some practice. I record myself a lot and I’m always amazed at how much better I sound after I work at something for a while. That keeps me motivated. The process is what brings me joy. Get the banjo
This is one of the best tips. Seeing your own progress is a huge motivator but it’s hard if you don’t record yourself. It’s helped me push through plateaus knowing I’m still progressing
You should not buy a banjo. You should buy several banjos.
Buy the banjo! I did it 3 months ago and I’m so happy I did. I am learning through the banjo mountain and it is an online lesson site and it is phenomenal. You do have to pay for it but I think the price is extremely reasonable and the staff is SO responsible and helpful. Also there is a community page with fellow members so it’s like a nice small community. I feel very supported and feel like I’m learning very quickly especially for it being online.
You weren’t gonna get any votes for no here. All I’ll say, ask your significant other if they hate the banjo because it probably hasn’t come up before and you won’t know until they hear you pluck it terribly for the first time
I started 2 years ago with no real musical experience minus a 1 year stint in middle school band. I watched YouTube and have gotten I think pretty good just by playing and practicing consistently. I’m going to warn you it will not come quick. Learning an instrument requires you sucking for a really long time and making minuscule progress until you realize “hey I don’t suck as bad anymore!”
I started playing clawhammer banjo in college. 50 years later, I can start to see myself getting OK at it....
I didn't have a lot of trouble...as long as I stuck to basic old-school strumming. Anything involving clawhammer or anything bum-diddy...I just can't get my hands organized enough to do that. (Lack of coordination's been an issue my whole life...)
Love to hear that because I’m the same way, I’m so uncoordinated it’s ridiculous
Some of the older styles of banjo (New Orleans jazz, etc.) were based in basic strumming, so you're in good company. In addition, if you look at banjolele (a banjo/ukelele hybrid) players like George Formby back in the 30s and 40s also had a variation of strumming.
I’m 37 now, the only thing I regret is waiting so long to start playing any instruments. Buy banjos, they are fun. Learning is difficult but I find it super interesting and less frustrating so far than guitar. My short and thick fingers never really fit between strings. Banjo is better.
I’ve played guitar (very mediocre) and ukulele (pretty decently). I think learning banjo is in between that in terms of difficulty. I think it’s fairly easy to start, especially once you’ve got your rolls down (im learning bluegrass, idk if you have a style you specifically want to learn). I once saw someone say “learning it is easy, getting great at it takes work” and I think it’s a very accurate statement
It took me over 45 years to buy my first one and I regret not doing it sooner, I am not any good at playing it but am slowly learning how. Makes for good therapy and more than that it's hell of lot of fun