Anyone on WP play / are intertested in the banjo?

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Does anyone here play, or are at least interested in , any sort of banjo or banjo music of any sort?
Whether it's 5 string, 4 string, 6 or whatever. Just any sort of banjo.

I'm learning to play the 5 string banjo at the moment, and I've been playing for a month now. It's going really well.
I have a 5 string, open back one made by Delta Blue.

















Feel free to post pics of your banjos too!

Woah! Another banjo player. I have been playing 5-string open back banjo for a year or so I guess, I also play guitar. Haven't played in a few weeks though since my banjo is 600 miles away. Banjo has to be one of the greatest instruments invented though, I used to not like it but a few years ago I really started getting into it... I think it is kind of an acquired taste.

I have no idea what kind of banjo I have, I bought it for $100 from a craigslist advertisement and I think someone just put it together from a few different banjos (no brand names anywhere on it). The neck looks like it has been damaged and repaired several times and possibly hand made, none of the dots on the fret board are in the rights spots. The neck split in half at the heal on me once and I had to glue it all back together. Really its a pretty terrible banjo but it has an okay sound and I have a blast playing it.

Do you use finger picks when you play? Personally I never have, I'm used to picking my classical guitar with my nails so its a lot easier for me compared to dealing with those banjo picks. I play mostly folk... Pete Seeger is one of my favorite banjo players.

Your banjo sounds pretty beaten up but much loved, in an odd sort of way.
My banjo isn't exactly "The professional's choice" either, it's just a beginners' one really, but it's great for my level of playing and is actually really good for what I paid for it. (£130)

I bought some finger picks for it recently, and I'm trying really hard to keep using them. They take a lot of getting used to for me, and I keep hitting bum-notes with them and I find they generally get in the way at the moment. And I keep wanting to use a guitar pick, as I'm more used to it. (I play a bit of guitar also). But I'm making sure I stick to using the finger and thumbpicks a lot. I am starting to find it easier now, and I'll only get better with practice. I still ocasionally use my bare fingers though, when I'm feeling lazy. But I know I really should get used to using fingerpicks as, having an open back, the overall sound will be a fair bit quiter than with a resonator banjo, and the fingerpicks add a certain amount of volume to the sound.
So, my hard practice will pay off.
Also, I paid good money for them, so I won't let them be wasted.

Also, I'm learning mainly bluegrass at the moment, it's difficult but fun!
I haven't heard of Pete Seeger, but I'll try to look him up on YouTube, I'll let you know what I think of him. I'm sure I'll like it anyway. I'm not picky when it comes to the sound of a banjo.
Have you heard of Jim Mills?

That pretty much describes most the things I own. I kind of like buying old/neglected/beat up things and fixing them up and giving them a new life. (My Car, bikes, old radio, guitars, my banjo, etc)

I just listened to Cluck Old Hen done by Jim Mills... it was pretty good. Don't think I have ever heard of him before you mentioned it but I will be looking into more of his music.

Here are some good videos of Pete Seeger playing banjo. There are way to many to pick from so you have to do some searching on your own. The problem with Pete Seeger and folk music in general is that the song is kind of different everytime you play... these aren't even my favorite versions of Pete doing these songs... just the ones I could find on youtube. Be patient with the second one... Pete tends to stop in the middle of songs and talk quite a bit!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_NMBUTNh6I[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgOXqNq7fqc[/youtube]

Here is a good one of Mike Seeger (Pete's half brother) playing Darlin' Corey:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_G0vVo7zBU[/youtube]

Personally, I think Pete has a very distinct picking style (I can always recognize when its Pete playing the banjo in a song), not just clawhammer/frailing or three finger. He is definitely an 'upbeat' banjo player and far from bluegrass but really kind of shows the more traditional side of banjo music.

I should have never posted on this thread, now I am really wanting to play the banjo!

I bought a 5-string at a market a few years ago. It only had 2 strings left on it and it was very bashed up (half the skin had been burnt (!) off), but I cared for it and nurtured it back to health and now it's as beautiful as I always knew it was.


P.S. Fear of Music


P.P.S. Pete Seeger

I love banjos, they are on my short list of instruments I'd like to learn.

I'm glad to hear that the life of another banjo has been saved!

I originally got a small 5 string for £20 from my uncle, but even with extensive restoration, it still wouldn't look or sound particularly good. And it would cost as much as just buying one new.
I still have it though, with it's original case (which is also falling apart) and I think I might make it into a peice of wall-art or something. Unfortunately it doesn't have much use as a working banjo anymore, but I could always still make it look pretty enough with a bit of paint and polish.

I've been wanting a tenor for the longest time now. I just love the sound of a well-played banjo, especially when used in nontraditional forms.

Unfortunately, until I get a full-time job and am not tight for money, I'm stuck with no banjo. v_v

Yeah I have wanted a tenor banjo for a while now too. I love the sound of tenor banjo in a jazz setting...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLBTi5mQV40[/youtube]

I can sort of play this song on guitar but I think only the tenor banjo can really do it justice.

Does anyone else think that finger and thumbpicks don't sound as good as playing with bare fingertips? To me they sound too abrasive and twangy, and bare fingers give a much more mellow tone. Anyone think it's a good idea to give up the fingerpicks, and sacrifice volume for sound quality?

Also........ Here is some Jim Mills to tempt you to reply.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2cvW0r_myM[/youtube]

I have my banjo back in my possession again so I thought I would post a little clip of me playing. Its not very good but whatever! I was just kind of messing around with sawmill tuning. It starts out okay but slowly degrades into as I just continue to make up stuff on the fly. I haven't played banjo in a while so I am a bit rusty... plus this banjo isnt that great so its a bit hard to play! (excuses, excuses!)

Link!

I don't use any sort of picks when I play string instruments. I just grow out my finger nails and use those as picks. For me they give much better control over whatever instrument I am playing. If I want a really 'hard' sound I can just angle my hand perpendicular to the strings and it causes me to pick a bit more with my nails. If I want a more mellow/soft song I just angle my hand back towards the instrument and 'brush' the strings a little more. I don't think you have to sacrifice volume for sound quality... you should be able to play plenty loud enough with just your fingers!

I used to play banjo. I didn't give up because I was bad at it though, far from it, I managed to teach myself some awesome sounding tunes on that little fella... My Mum (who technically is the owner of the banjo) left it in the attic for many years so by the time I got hold of it, it had to be completely re-stringed! My uncle was mucking around with it one day and one of the tuning pegs snapped in half! We took it to our local banjo stockist but they didn't have the 'old fashioned' style tuning pegs, just these fancy new fangled ones. Poor banjo spends its time back in the attic which probably caused the damage to the tuning peg in the first place

I am going to try and acquire it again though and get it to a specialist music store in Cambridge! If it ever works again I will film myself playing just for you guys

I love the sound of the banjo